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The Trump administration has removed roughly 750,000 people from Affordable Care Act health plans as part of a broad crackdown on suspected fraudulent, unauthorized or otherwise ineligible enrollments, Vice President JD Vance announced Tuesday. Administration officials said the cancellations are expected to save taxpayers approximately $2.2 billion.

The initiative is being carried out through the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, headed by Vance, with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services playing a central role. CMS has been tightening verification and enforcement procedures across the ACA exchanges, saying unauthorized enrollments and improper subsidies have become a significant problem.

“These are not real people. We’re not paying insurance for nonexistent ghosts,” Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), said during a press conference.

Oz also estimated that approximately 35 percent of people enrolled through the ObamaCare exchanges have never made use of their insurance coverage.

Vance stressed that the administration views the initiative as an anti-fraud effort rather than an attempt to strip legitimate beneficiaries of health coverage.

“This is not about cutting off anybody from their benefits. It’s about cutting off fraudsters from stealing from these programs,” the vice president said Tuesday.

Vance and Oz said they were confident that legitimate beneficiaries would not be improperly removed, pointing to factors including the absence of insurance claims, missing Social Security numbers and failures to respond to attempts by the government to verify enrollment information. Reuters reported that the canceled policies involved unverified citizenship or immigration status as well as suspected unauthorized enrollments.

“We are putting ourselves under an extraordinary burden of proof,” Vance said. “So those 750,000 people are people that we feel confident either don’t know that they’re enrolled in the program, aren’t using the program at all, are unaware of it or … are potentially phantom people who are enrolled against their will, or maybe they don’t even exist.”

The administration is also temporarily freezing the registration of new insurance agents and brokers as it expands scrutiny of the enrollment system. CMS has separately taken enforcement action against hundreds of brokers over alleged violations connected to ACA enrollment. Reuters reported that 569 brokers were barred from participation after applications were submitted at implausibly high rates or without key identifying information.

The healthcare crackdown comes weeks before the November midterm elections, as Republicans and Democrats clash over healthcare affordability and access. Republicans have defended recent changes as necessary to curb waste and improper spending, while Democrats have argued that changes to ACA subsidies and other healthcare programs could increase costs and reduce coverage.

Enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans expanded significantly during the Biden administration, helped in part by enhanced premium subsidies. The Trump administration has argued that enrollment safeguards during that period were inadequate and allowed improper or unauthorized sign-ups to proliferate. CMS said earlier this year that it had ended premium subsidies for nearly 1.5 million people over the preceding year after determining that they were either ineligible for financial assistance or had been enrolled without authorization.

Administration officials and congressional Republicans have also disputed projections about the number of Americans expected to lose insurance under Republican healthcare changes, arguing that at least some of the reductions reflect the removal of improper enrollments rather than legitimate beneficiaries losing coverage.

Republicans have accused the Biden administration and Democrats of emphasizing increased ACA enrollment without imposing adequate safeguards to ensure that applicants were eligible and had actually authorized their enrollment. Democrats and healthcare advocacy organizations have challenged that characterization and warned that stricter verification procedures can also create obstacles for eligible consumers.

Approximately 19 million Americans were enrolled in health plans through ACA exchanges as of figures released by federal health officials earlier this year. CMS publishes enrollment information for both the federally facilitated marketplace and state-based exchanges.

The Paragon Health Institute, a conservative healthcare policy organization led by Brian Blase, who served as a healthcare policy official during President Trump’s first term, has been among the groups drawing attention to alleged improper ACA enrollment. The organization estimated earlier this year that more than 6 million people were improperly enrolled in exchange coverage during 2026 and argued that improper subsidies could cost taxpayers nearly $25 billion.

Protect Our Care, a Democratic-aligned healthcare advocacy organization, disputed the administration’s characterization of the crackdown, calling the action a “smokescreen” and arguing that eligible Americans could lose health coverage. The organization also pointed to the administration’s previous reinstatement of hundreds of ACA brokers and agents who had been suspected of fraudulent activity.

“Families need coverage they can afford and count on when they get sick. Vance’s task force won’t accomplish that. It’s a smokescreen for an administration whose sole mission is to make it harder to get and stay covered but to shower billionaires with tax breaks instead,” Brad Woodhouse, Protect Our Care’s president, said in a statement.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich launched a blistering attack on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday, accusing the UN chief of fueling terrorism and endangering hundreds of thousands of Israelis following Guterres’ criticism of Israeli policies in Yehuda and Shomron during his address to the UN General Assembly in New York.

“The UN Secretary-General’s wild incitement gives a tailwind to terrorism,” Smotrich wrote on X. “He is endangering the lives of half a million Jewish Israeli citizens living in Judea and Samaria.”

Smotrich also invoked the controversy surrounding UNRWA, arguing that Guterres was in no position to lecture Israel over its policies.

“Someone who heads the organization that funded and provided cover for UNRWA – the operational arm of the Hamas terrorist organization in the October 7 massacre – cannot preach to us about anything.”

The finance minister then defended the Israeli government’s expansion of Jewish communities in Yehuda and Shomron and openly linked those efforts to preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

“I am proud to be spearheading a settlement revolution in Judea and Samaria that is, in practice, eliminating the idea of a Palestinian state and strengthening Israel’s security.”

Smotrich’s comments followed Guterres’ final address as UN secretary-general to the General Assembly, in which the UN chief sharply criticized Israel’s conduct in Gaza as well as settlement growth and violence in Yehuda and Shomron. Guterres reiterated his support for a two-state solution, a position he has repeatedly advanced during his tenure.

“It is nearly three years since the abhorrent terror attacks by Hamas on 7 October,” Guterres said, “but what followed was an onslaught on Palestinians in Gaza with a scale of killing and destruction unlike anything I have witnessed in my years as Secretary-General.”

Turning to Yehuda and Shomron, Guterres accused Israel of pursuing policies that threaten the possibility of a future Palestinian state and warned of what he described as the potential for ethnic cleansing. His comments were consistent with positions he has expressed throughout 2026 opposing Israeli settlement expansion and calling for renewed movement toward a two-state solution.

“Meanwhile, violence, displacement and settlement expansion by Israel in the occupied West Bank are bulldozing the path to peace and raising the specter of ethnic cleansing. We cannot allow the two-state solution to disappear before our eyes.”

{Matzav.com}

Fourteen Israeli activists crossed the border into Syria on Tuesday in an effort to promote future Jewish settlement in the area, prompting IDF troops to locate the group and bring its members back into Israel.

The unusual incident unfolded near Aloney HaBashan, where the civilians crossed into Syrian territory before an IDF force was sent to intercept them. The military strongly condemned the action, saying it endangered soldiers operating in the sensitive border region.

According to the HaBashan Pioneers movement, whose members carried out the crossing, the activists entered an area they refer to as Neve HaBashan, located inside Syrian territory currently under IDF control. The group said it was returning to a site that families affiliated with the movement had previously reached before being removed.

Tuesday’s crossing was not the first effort by members of the movement to enter the area. On this occasion, the IDF said, 14 civilians reached the Aloney HaBashan region and proceeded across the border into Syria.

After becoming aware of the breach, the IDF dispatched troops to the scene. Soldiers found the activists and escorted them back to Israeli territory. According to the military, the individuals were then set to be handed over to the Israel Police for further action.

The IDF issued a sharp condemnation of the activists’ conduct, warning that unauthorized civilian crossings interfere with military operations and can put Israeli troops at risk.

“The IDF strongly condemns the incident, which constitutes another case of serious interference with operational activity and poses a danger to the safety of IDF forces operating in the area,” the military said.

The army also urged law-enforcement authorities to pursue the matter in an effort to prevent similar incidents from recurring.

“Law enforcement authorities are required to bring those involved to justice, in order to prevent these civilians from repeatedly engaging in this phenomenon, which constitutes a criminal offense.”

For its part, the HaBashan Pioneers movement said the activists deliberately entered the area as part of their campaign to promote Israeli settlement in the Bashan region. The group said its members believe that existing political and grassroots support for such a move has not yet translated into concrete action.

“After we realized that there is support for the idea of legal Israeli settlement in the Bashan, both from the political side and from elements on the ground, but that they are not sufficient to bring the matter to fruition, the activists decided to return and push from the grassroots, in the hope that we will soon reach actual settlement.”

A notorious cybercrime group says it penetrated FBI systems and obtained highly sensitive personal information belonging to thousands of bureau employees, potentially exposing home addresses, telephone numbers and details about employees’ spouses.

The group, known as ShinyHunters, announced the alleged breach on Tuesday. The FBI has not confirmed that its systems were compromised. Reuters said it reached out to the bureau multiple times seeking comment but had not received a response as of publication.

The technology news outlet 404 Media reported that it was provided with a sample containing roughly 5,000 records of individuals purportedly associated with the FBI. According to the report, the material included names, residential addresses, telephone numbers and information relating to spouses of bureau employees.

ShinyHunters maintains that the full collection of stolen material is substantially larger than the sample and contains extensive information about FBI personnel. Those claims have not been independently verified, however, and there is not yet a clear picture of whether FBI computer systems were actually compromised or how extensive any intrusion may have been.

The allegations come as ShinyHunters continues to draw attention for its activities in the cybercrime world. The group recently claimed that it had seized control of a dark-web website operated by Cl0p, another well-known hacking organization, marking an unusual confrontation between two cybercriminal groups.

Should the FBI breach ultimately be confirmed at the scale described by ShinyHunters, it could constitute a serious cybersecurity incident because of the nature of the personal information allegedly obtained and the potential exposure of thousands of federal law-enforcement personnel.

For now, key details remain unresolved. The FBI has yet to publicly confirm the reported intrusion, and the full size, method and consequences of the alleged breach have not been independently established.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon praised President Donald Trump on Tuesday following Trump’s address to the UN General Assembly, saying the speech demonstrated American “strength and leadership” and underscored the close alliance between the United States and Israel.

Trump delivered the address on the opening day of the 81st UN General Assembly’s general debate in New York. His wide-ranging speech focused heavily on American foreign policy, including Iran and other international conflicts, while defending his administration’s approach to confronting hostile regimes and pursuing diplomatic agreements.

Danon responded by thanking Trump and emphasizing what he described as the shared values and strategic partnership binding Washington and Yerushalayim.

“Thank you, President Trump, for opening the General Assembly today with a clear message of strength and leadership,” Danon said.

“The United States and Israel are bound by shared values and a deep alliance. The Abraham Accords proved that bold leadership can transform the Middle East. Together, we will continue to confront the axis of evil and expand the circle of peace,” he added.

Danon’s reference to the Abraham Accords highlighted one of the signature Middle East initiatives of Trump’s presidency. The agreements established normalized relations between Israel and several Arab countries, beginning with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in 2020, with the stated goal of building broader regional cooperation and stability.

Trump has continued to call for additional countries to join the Abraham Accords and has repeatedly portrayed their expansion as an important element of his Middle East policy.

Danon’s reference to confronting an “axis of evil” came as Iran featured prominently in Trump’s UN remarks. Trump sharply criticized Tehran and defended his administration’s military and economic policies toward the Iranian regime, while also indicating that Washington remained open to negotiations under certain conditions.

{Matzav.com}

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres used his address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to deliver sharp criticism of Israel, condemning its military campaign in Gaza following the October 7 massacre and attacking Israeli settlement policies in Yehudah and Shomron.

Nearly three years after Hamas terrorists carried out the October 7 atrocities, Guterres acknowledged the attack before turning his attention to Israel’s military response in Gaza.

“It is nearly three years since the abhorrent terror attacks by Hamas on 7 October,” Guterres said, “but what followed was an onslaught on Palestinians in Gaza with a scale of killing and destruction unlike anything I have witnessed in my years as Secretary-General.”

The article challenged Guterres’ characterization, pointing to conflicts in Congo, Sudan and Syria that have resulted in enormous death tolls, including hundreds of thousands of fatalities and, in Congo’s case, estimates reaching into the millions.

Guterres also invoked the proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice, noting that the court has ordered provisional measures in the case involving allegations under the Genocide Convention relating to Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

The UN chief further cited an advisory opinion issued by the court last year, emphasizing its position that the United Nations must be allowed to fulfill its responsibilities in Gaza and that UN employees and humanitarian workers must receive protection.

“All parties must comply with international law and the Court’s orders,” the Secretary-General stated.

Guterres then shifted his focus to Yehudah and Shomron, which he called the “occupied West Bank,” arguing that Israeli settlement activity, displacement and violence were eroding the prospects for a negotiated settlement.

“Meanwhile, violence, displacement and settlement expansion by Israel in the occupied West Bank are bulldozing the path to peace and raising the specter of ethnic cleansing,” he said.

The article criticized Guterres for making that accusation without addressing violence originating from the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas of Yehudah and Shomron.

Guterres concluded that portion of his General Assembly address by urging that the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel be maintained.

“We cannot allow the two-state solution to disappear before our eyes,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir announced Tuesday evening that his party will demand control of two of Israel’s most powerful ministries in the next government, with Ben Gvir seeking the Defense Ministry for himself and MK Tally Gotliv slated for the Justice Ministry.

The demands were presented as part of Otzma Yehudit’s agenda ahead of the 2026 elections and future coalition negotiations. Ben Gvir and Gotliv also outlined policy changes they would seek to implement in the defense and judicial spheres. Recent reporting has described Ben Gvir and Gotliv as the top two figures on the Otzma Yehudit slate.

Under the security platform presented by Ben Gvir, Israel would adopt a policy aimed at encouraging voluntary emigration from both the Gaza Strip and Yehudah and Shomron. The plan also calls for disarming the Palestinian Authority and arresting senior PA officials who support terrorism.

Ben Gvir is additionally seeking major changes to IDF policy, including revised rules of engagement and broader protections for soldiers carrying out operational duties. His proposals include increasing soldiers’ salaries and providing free land to combat soldiers.

The Otzma Yehudit chairman is also calling for changes within the IDF itself. Among the proposals is replacing what the party characterized as “Asa Kasher’s progressive ethical code,” along with opening elite military units, including Unit 8200, to candidates from across the Israeli population.

The demands come as Otzma Yehudit campaigns for the upcoming elections, with Ben Gvir making security and the composition of the next government central issues in his campaign.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has asked the United States to provide him with security protection while he attends the United Nations General Assembly in New York, with the State Department agreeing to the request following a threat assessment, according to reports Tuesday.

The unusual arrangement means that personnel from the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service will provide additional protection for one of Iran’s most senior officials while he is on American soil. The request was first reported by Axios reporter Barak Ravid and subsequently confirmed in additional reports.

According to a State Department letter dated September 18 and addressed to Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Tehran formally requested protective security assistance for Araghchi. U.S. officials then conducted an assessment of potential threats against the Iranian foreign minister before approving the request.

The security request comes amid intense tensions between Washington and Tehran and as senior officials from both countries converge on New York for the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

Araghchi arrived in New York on Monday evening at the head of a senior Iranian diplomatic delegation. His visit marks his first trip to the United States since the outbreak of the current U.S.-Iran conflict. He was received at John F. Kennedy International Airport by representatives of Iran’s mission to the United Nations.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is also traveling to New York for the 81st session of the General Assembly and is expected to address the gathering and hold a series of meetings with foreign leaders.

The Trump administration approved visas for both Pezeshkian and Araghchi, along with other members of Iran’s core delegation, allowing them to attend the UN meetings. The Iranian officials are nevertheless subject to restrictions on their movement while in New York, as well as limitations imposed by Washington on certain purchases.

The decision to provide Araghchi with American security personnel highlights the unusual circumstances surrounding the UN gathering: the United States is providing protection to a senior representative of a government with which it is currently engaged in a bitter confrontation.

The Diplomatic Security Service, which operates under the State Department, is responsible for protecting visiting foreign dignitaries and conducting threat assessments connected to diplomatic activity in the United States. In Araghchi’s case, officials determined that additional protection was warranted after reviewing potential threats, according to the reports.

Araghchi, meanwhile, has already used his arrival in New York to sharply criticize both the United States and Israel. Speaking to reporters Monday night, he said Iran’s principal objective at the General Assembly would be to defend what Tehran views as the rights and interests of the Iranian people.

Iranian officials have indicated that Araghchi will hold a series of meetings with foreign ministers and other officials on the sidelines of the General Assembly. Pezeshkian is likewise scheduled for bilateral meetings during his stay.

Despite the presence of senior American and Iranian officials in New York at the same time, no meeting between Pezeshkian and President Donald Trump is currently planned. Iran has nevertheless signaled that its delegation has authority to engage in diplomatic efforts while in New York as tensions between the two countries remain extraordinarily high.

The spectacle is an unusual one: Araghchi arrived in the United States representing a government locked in a major confrontation with Washington, while at the same time relying on American diplomatic security officers to help ensure his safety during his stay in New York.

{Matzav.com}