LETTER: Trump’s ‘golden age’ is anything but

J. Paul Blake North Las Vegas July 31, 2026 - 9:00 pm While the president touts America’s “golden age” and “roaring economy,” here are a few facts: The official American death toll in the five-month Iran war now sits at 18. More than 400 have been wounded. A Harvard Kennedy School senior public policy lecturer and a federal budget expert says upfront spending for the war with Iran is likely to total $200 billion. The administration’s current figure is $38 billion. In 2025, 33 people died while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. There have been 21 deaths in the first half of this year. Eight people, including three U.S. citizens, have been killed in 2026 by ICE agents in the president’s deportation crackdown. More than 205 people have been killed in 59 Caribbean Sea and ea