Dems in the hot seat after Obamacare’s spiking premium costs torpedo their narrative
Democrats are accusing Republicans of wanting to inflate Affordable Care Act premiums amid the ongoing federal government shutdown debate as critics argue it’s proof that the program was not sustainable to begin with. One reason for the shutdown centers around the “enhanced” tax credits for Affordable Care Act premiums as the subsidies, which started in 2021, are set to end this year, according to KFF. “If you live in these states, your ACA premiums are about to jump: SD – Up 235% LA – Up 150% WV – Up 387% WY – Up 382% TN – Up 320% MS – Up 314% AK – Up 346%,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., posted on X. GOP ACCUSES DEMS OF RISKING SHUTDOWN TO RESTORE ‘ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HEALTHCARE’ “Republicans are fighting to make sure this happens to their own constituents,” she added. “If Congress doesn’t extend ACA enhanced premium tax credits, 20 million Americans will see a dramatic rise in premium costs, and another 4 million people will lose their coverage completely,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, posted on X. “My Republican colleagues need to come to the table so that we can prevent this disaster,” she added. However, subsidies being used to lower costs sparks concerns about the longevity of the Obama-era policy. Brian Blase, the president of the Paragon Health Institute and a former advisor on the White House’s National Economic Council, countered a claim made in a post from Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., that “Republicans are intentionally skyrocketing your premiums.” “1. Premiums went up because of the ACA 2. Large subsidies were put in place to offset enrollees’ costs. 3. During COVID, there were subsidy add-ons. Democrats scheduled them to expire after 2025. 4. The original large subsidies will still be in place,” Blase explained. “The premium increase will hit regardless of what Congress does. That is an unfortunate feature of how Obamacare is working. The question is the share that should be paid by taxpayers,” he continued in another X post. “Pouring more subsidies on insurers entrenches the status quo & means higher premiums & prices.” HOUSE DEMOCRATS THREATEN SHUTDOWN FIGHT TO PROTECT OBAMACARE PERKS “Subsidizing phantom enrollees, people with high incomes, people enrolled in several programs, outright fraud, and insurance companies, thereby raising the costs for *everyone* to cover the fact that every predicted problem with Obamacare was realized,” conservative commentator Mary Katharine Ham posted. The government shutdown began Wednesday at midnight and a GOP-backed attempt to temporarily reopen the government failed in the Senate later in the day. “Democrats are fighting to extend expiring COVID-era Obamacare subsidies they passed under Joe Biden with zero Republican support,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted in an X thread on Wednesday. “These subsidies are responsible for tens of billions in improper and fraudulent payments.” “The pool of people eligible for Obamacare subsidies vastly increased, with insurance companies being the ultimate beneficiaries. Dishonest brokers were incentivized to recruit—or invent—as many people as possible, each new signup bringing with it thousands in taxpayer dollars,” the senator continued. DEMS NOT BUDGING ON GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DEMANDS AHEAD OF HIGH-STAKES TRUMP MEETING, JEFFRIES SUGGESTS Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday told “Fox and Friends” that he will work with Democrats on extending insurance subsidies for Obamacare “after they’ve reopened the government.” “You can’t reward this exercise in hostage taking, which is what we would be doing if we allow the government opening to be conditional on the Democrats’ policy disagreement,” Vance said. “That premium support program doesn’t even expire until next year. So why are you shutting down the government on October 1 because of a program that doesn’t even expire for another few months,” he continued. “Let’s talk about it, let’s negotiate, let’s do what you do in Washington, D.C.” “The government shutdown has occurred because Senator Chuck Schumer is holding the funding process hostage. The continuing resolution would have allowed the government to function while we finish the appropriations process in a bipartisan way,” Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., posted on Wednesday. “The longer Senator Schumer plays games, the greater the damage to national security, service members, and veterans. I urge my Democrat colleagues to adopt the House-passed bill, which would immediately reopen the government.”
Lawmaker reveals how Des Moines schools chief registered to vote despite illegal status
After illegal alien Ian Andre Roberts was discovered to be registered to vote in Maryland, Republican state Delegate Lauren Arikan, a member of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, outlined how she believes it happened. Arikan explained that Maryland allows illegal aliens to obtain drivers’ licenses, making the state a “hot spot” for people looking to “legitimize their presence” in the U.S. “We do give driver’s licenses to people who are here illegally. The Freedom Caucus always opposes it, but that is the policy of the state of Maryland. And, so, it’s very easy for somebody to apply and to register to vote, even though they shouldn’t,” she explained. Maryland grants illegal aliens living in the state what are called “non-compliant driver’s licenses and ID cards” that, despite being valid in the state, are not federally compliant. ILLEGAL ALIEN ARRESTED BY ICE FOUND REGISTERED AS ACTIVE DEMOCRAT VOTER IN BLUE STATE In obtaining these licenses through the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA), Arikan said that any individual, even illegal aliens, can check a box to register to vote. Instead of having established processes to verify U.S. citizenship and voting eligibility, Arikan said the state relies on registrants to attest that they are eligible. The result, she said, is that someone like Roberts “could simply attest that he was eligible to vote in the United States, and the state of Maryland would allow him to register when he went to get a driver’s license.” “He would not have to really provide any other proof that he is lawful other than he would provide a local address,” she said. Roberts was arrested by ICE last week on a fugitive warrant. He was working as the superintendent of public schools in Des Moines, Iowa, despite having illegal weapons possession charges and a final order of removal filed against him. IOWA SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT ARRESTED BY ICE, FACING PRIOR WEAPONS CHARGES, ALLEGEDLY FOUND WITH LOADED HANDGUN After his arrest, the Maryland Freedom Caucus blew the whistle on Roberts having an active voter registration in Maryland and being registered as a Democrat. In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, Jared DeMarinis, Maryland State Board of Elections administrator, described a process similar to the one described by Arikan. He said that though an individual “may not commit perjury in order to become a registered voter,” when an individual registers to vote, election officials “rely on the information that is provided by the voter, or, in some cases, information provided by the voter to other state agencies, for the verification of eligibility.” Despite this, DeMarinis assured that Maryland’s voter registration list maintenance process “is a secure and verified method.” He also noted that, according to Maryland law, it is not a crime to unintentionally register to vote despite not being eligible. He added that “the right to vote is a sacred right that has been expanded through sacrifices of many before us” and “this office will not disenfranchise a voter based upon partial or unsubstantiated evidence.” DEMOCRATS SILENT ON ILLEGAL ALIEN REGISTERED TO VOTE IN BLUE STATE Concerning Roberts’ case, DeMarinis said that a review of information available through Maryland’s Public Information Act “did not show any voting history for any individual with the name Ian Andre Roberts in Maryland.” The statement further said that, due to Maryland law protecting personal identifying information from disclosure, SBE “cannot and will not publicly announce whether media reports about the individual in question is or is not or was or was not a registered voter in Maryland.” In response to these statements, Arikan told Fox News Digital she is “extremely concerned” about “the insinuation that a person could accidentally register to vote as a Democrat in the state of Maryland.” “That is not my experience with the system at the MVA, which asks you under penalty of perjury if you’re eligible and then asks you which party you would like to register with,” she said. DES MOINES PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD ACCEPTS SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIGNATION AFTER ICE ARREST “That’s not accidental. Someone willingly entered that information, whether it was Mr. Roberts himself or an employee of the MVA, we need to know,” she added. “If an employee is registering people to vote illegally, that is another problem. “They have been yelling for years that this is impossible, that they are on top of the voter rolls, that folks who are here illegally cannot register to vote. They’re not doing it. They’re not voting. It’s not possible. And now it comes out that it’s entirely possible. And, indeed, it is occurring,” said Arikan. “It’s absolutely the tip of the iceberg. I think it could be huge,” she added. “And we’re going to keep digging until we get to the bottom of how many folks we could be looking at on our voter rolls still who are not eligible to vote in the United States.” Fox News Digital reached out to Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore’s office for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Kamala Harris book reveals marital rift with Doug Emhoff during campaign
Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ new book, “107 Days,” pulls back the curtain on her relationship with the first second gentleman, Doug Emhoff, recounting a scandal that rocked the early days of her short-lived presidential campaign and the fight that united them ahead of Election Day. Soon after former President Joe Biden suspended his re-election campaign, The Daily Mail reported that Emhoff’s first marriage ended following an affair with his children’s nanny. Emhoff confirmed the affair soon after the news broke last year, and, in the book, Harris lamented that “hurtful and degrading comments are, sadly, part and parcel of running for office these days.” “Where it crosses the line is when opponents go after family members,” Harris wrote. “Of course, I knew about this. Doug had told me about it when we were dating. We disclosed it during my vetting for VP.” Harris applauded her husband, whom she introduced in her book as “My Dougie,” for handling it “like the mensch that he is, issuing a statement taking responsibility and expressing regret.” KAMALA HARRIS MENTIONS MICHELLE OBAMA ONLY THREE TIMES IN 300-PAGE BOOK. HERE’S WHAT SHE SAID “Sadly,” Harris said, families are not off limits when running for president. Later in the book, Harris described “one of those fights that every married couple had,” just weeks before Election Day, after Emhoff repurposed an anniversary present for her birthday and then didn’t hear her shouting for a towel from the bath. KAMALA HARRIS PLAYS UP COZY RELATIONSHIP WITH HILLARY CLINTON AS WEDGE WITH BIDEN WIDENS “I called Doug to ask him to bring me one. No answer. He was in the other room, watching the Dodgers eliminate the Mets in the playoffs. He couldn’t hear me over the television. I called his phone,” Harris wrote in the book. When Emhoff answered casually, asking, “What’s up?” she described it as a “bridge too far,” prompting a fight fueled by the stress that “had finally gotten to both of us.” The former vice president said she was “looking forward to a special evening with Doug” on her birthday and was hoping he had planned something. “Doug had been keeping his own grueling schedule and had flown in from a campaign event in Michigan. He was tired and pre-occupied,” Harris said, while complaining that he hadn’t put any thought into the hotel they were staying at that night or what they would have for dinner. “It turned out to be a bland establishment whose red-and-black decor looked like it hadn’t been redone since the ’70s. The only distinguished feature of the room was its larger size, but the curtains were broken,” Harris complained in her book. Harris said her husband “stopped the argument cold,” reminding the presidential candidate, “We can’t turn on each other.” “With the hits coming from every direction, we have to stay united,” Harris wrote. “Back-to-back, swords raised against all outside attacks. We had to protect each other, be each other’s pillars of strength, givers and receivers of patience and unconditional love.” Like many political couples, unconfirmed rumors have swirled since she lost the election that Harris and Emhoff could get divorced. But after their fight, Harris described how she started to find notes on her pillow “in Doug’s chicken scratch, telling me how much he loved me.” The day after Harris’ birthday, her social secretary, Storm Horncastle, told Emhoff, “Mr. Second Gentleman, you have to fix this,” Harris wrote. “She handed him a set of note cards. She’d numbered them one through five, for the nights we’d be apart through the end of the campaign. She instructed him to write a note on each one,” Harris wrote. Emhoff has two children from his first marriage, Cole and Ella, who famously refer to the former vice president as “Momala.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Harris said her best friend introduced them, admitting she “had kissed a lot of frogs before fate” brought her Emhoff. She described in the book how “politics isn’t built for male spouses.” “In D.C., there are long-standing social structures and well-understood roles for wives. Not for the very few husbands,” she said in the book. Harris’ office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the divorce rumors.
Virginia AG candidate Jay Jones convicted of reckless driving, calls it ‘mistake’
Democratic candidate for Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones is facing mounting scrutiny after records revealed he was convicted of reckless driving in 2022. The incident, in which he was barreling 116 miles per hour down Interstate 64 in New Kent County, happened roughly one year after Jones’s first campaign for attorney general. Per the Richmond Times-Dispatch, court records show Jones was cited by Virginia State Police after being clocked at nearly double the posted speed limit. RETIRED UFC STAR JON JONES EXONERATED AFTER NEW MEXICO PROSECUTORS DROP CHARGES IN TRAFFIC CASE Under Virginia law, reckless driving is a Class 1 misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail, a $2,500 fine, and license suspension. Jones was ultimately convicted of the charge, paid a fine, and fulfilled additional court requirements. There is no indication he served jail time. Following reports of the conviction, Jones told Fox News Digital the incident was a “serious mistake.” “Several years ago, I made the mistake of speeding, for which I am regretful,” Jones said in a statement. “I accepted responsibility for my actions, paid the fine, and fulfilled my responsibility to the court, which was accepted by the New Kent County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and the judge,” Jones added. VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS CHOOSE NOMINEE TO CHALLENGE GOP ATTORNEY GENERAL JASON MIYARES In a statement issued to Fox News Digital, incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares blasted Jones and said he was “alarmed by reports of Jay Jones recklessly endangering lives.” “Instead of taking accountability for his actions, it appears that my opponent submitted a letter to the Court stating that he performed 500 hours of ‘community service’ for his own Political Action Committee, which is not a charitable organization under the Virginia Code, to dodge potential jail time,” Miyares added. The speeding revelation arrives just weeks before Virginians head to the polls in a competitive statewide election, creating what some analysts are calling an “October surprise” in the 2025 Attorney General’s race. VIRGINIA REPUBLICANS PICK RADIO HOST TO RUN ALONGSIDE WINSOME SEARS IN RACE TO REPLACE YOUNGKIN Jones, 36, is a Norfolk native and graduate of William & Mary and the University of Virginia School of Law. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2018 to 2022, representing the 89th District, and previously worked in the Office of the Attorney General. Voters will decide on November 4 whether Jones can overcome the controversy and unseat Miyares. “Our laws are not suggestions,” said Miyares. “This new information raises serious, troubling questions about Jay Jones’ judgment, his ability to uphold the law, and, ultimately, his qualifications for Attorney General.”
LIVE: Barcelona vs PSG – UEFA Champions League
blinking-dotLive MatchLive Match, Follow our live build-up with full team news before our text commentary stream of the league phase encounter. Published On 1 Oct 20251 Oct 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)
Mysterious, majestic; Sudan’s Nuba Mountains
Published On 1 Oct 20251 Oct 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share The skyline of the vast and rugged Nuba Mountains in Sudan, stretching across the south of the country’s South Kordofan region, is defined by rocky hills and scattered huts. Constant war has put pressure on the region’s Nuba people for decades, as the government in Khartoum starved and bombed them for decades after the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), the rebel group in control, fought for autonomy in the mountains. More recently, ethnic cleansing campaigns by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have further haunted the local population. Then, at the start of this year, the SPLM-N picked a side in the war, allying with the RSF, a group accused of genocide, war crimes and ethnic cleansing, which has battled the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for control of the country since 2023. The pact stirred deep uncertainty and mixed emotions among residents of the Nuba Mountains. Some residents, scarred by past RSF abuses, regard the move with suspicion, but many are too afraid to speak openly, choosing instead to trust that their leaders’ decision will bring peace to the region. Despite lingering fear, many hope the alliance could open a path to stability and peace – something desperately needed after decades of continual wars. Conflict has brought hunger to the Nuba Mountains more than once, its spectre looming larger now that the new alliance might bring more fighting. In 2024, a year into the war, famine was declared in parts of the mountains, driven by aid blockages by the warring parties, failed harvests and locust swarms. Advertisement The local communities and the more than one million internally displaced people who have arrived in the region since the war began in 2023 survived on leaves and scraps, and continue to be food insecure. Doctors across the region report a surge in malnutrition, especially among children and pregnant women, and warn of a silent mental health crisis among the displaced. And yet, amid this devastation, a powerful spirit of solidarity endures. Communities reach across lines of faith and geography to support one another. Local communities have welcomed the internally displaced into their homes, and those who settled in camps have formed tight-knit communities that help each other. Adblock test (Why?)
A history of US government shutdowns: Every closure and how long it lasted
The United States federal government shut down at 12:01am East Coast time (04:01 GMT) on Wednesday after Congress failed to pass a new spending bill, forcing operations considered inessential to close. President Donald Trump has threatened to use the budget deadlock to push through mass layoffs of federal employees. Democrats and Republicans remain divided over spending priorities as Democrats push to protect healthcare, social programmes and foreign aid while Republicans demand cuts. This is not the first time Washington has faced such a standoff. The graphic below shows every US funding gap and government shutdown since 1976, including how long each lasted and under which administration it occurred. (Al Jazeera) What is a government shutdown? A government shutdown happens when Congress does not agree on a budget, so parts of the federal government have to close until a spending plan is approved. Shutdowns tend to happen in October because the government’s fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. How many times has the government shut down? The current budget process was established in 1976. Since then, the government has had 20 funding gaps, resulting in 10 shutdowns. A funding gap occurs whenever Congress misses the deadline to pass a budget or a stopgap spending bill (also called a continuing resolution), leaving the government without legal authority to spend money. A single shutdown can involve multiple funding gaps if temporary funding measures expire before a long-term agreement is reached. A shutdown happens only if government operations actually stop because of that funding gap. Advertisement Before the 1980s, funding gaps did not usually lead to shutdowns, and agencies kept operating, assuming funding would be restored soon. After 1980, Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti issued legal opinions stating that, under federal law, agencies may not spend money without congressional approval. Only essential services – such as national security, air traffic control and law enforcement – could continue. Since 1982, with this new legal basis in place, funding gaps have more often resulted in full or partial government shutdowns until Congress resolves the standoff. When was the last government shutdown? The last government shutdown occurred in December 2018 and January 2019 after President Donald Trump, then in his first term, and Democratic politicians hit an impasse over the president’s request for $5bn in funding for a wall on the US-Mexico border, a demand the Democrats opposed. When was the longest shutdown? The last shutdown was also the longest in US history, lasting 35 days from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, when Trump announced he had reached a tentative deal with congressional leaders to reopen the government for three weeks while negotiations on the border wall continued. What happens during a shutdown? During a government shutdown, nonessential federal services are halted or reduced, and many government employees are furloughed, or placed on unpaid leave. Meanwhile, essential personnel – such as military service members, law enforcement officers and air traffic controllers – are required to keep working, often without pay until funding is restored. How are government shutdowns resolved? Shutdowns are typically resolved when Congress passes a continuing resolution, which provides short-term funding while negotiations for a longer-term budget continue. Since 1990, every shutdown has ended through the passage of a continuing resolution. Which services are halted? A shutdown primarily affects nonessential federal employees as well as people and businesses that rely on government services. The federal government is the nation’s largest employer. As of November, it had a little more than 3 million workers – about 1.9 percent of the civilian workforce – according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data reported by the Pew Research Centre. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that if funding lapses in fiscal year 2026, about 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed each day, and their lost pay would add up to about $400m daily. The exact number of furloughed workers could change over time because some agencies might increase layoffs the longer a shutdown continues while others could bring some employees back. Advertisement Past shutdowns have affected numerous services and agencies, including: National parks and monuments Federal museums Federal research projects Processing of certain government benefits IRS taxpayer services Which services are still in operation? Even during a shutdown, many core government functions remain in operation. Some continue because they are classified as essential for public safety and welfare while others are funded separately from the annual budget process through mandatory or self-sustaining programmes. Examples include: Social Security and Medicare benefits The military and federal law enforcement US Postal Service Air traffic control US Passport Agency Adblock test (Why?)
Engineer dies by suicide in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur after rape allegations by girlfriend, leaves note behind, ‘Betrayed in…’
A 29-year-old engineer, Gaurav Savanni, died by suicide in Bilaspur by jumping in front of a train on Saturday, September 27. Gaurav Savanni left a suicide note behind on his mobile phone.
Modi government on HIGH alert after Ladakh violence, Pahalgam attack; Set to activate this 45-year-old plan to counter China, Pakistan, it is…
In the wake of unrest in Ladakh and Pahalgam terror attack in recent few moths, India has been on high alert. The recent development in neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh has been a major concern. The government has now decided to take a big step. What has Modi government decided?
Commercial LPG cylinder prices hiked by Rs…, no change in domestic rates
There has been no change in the prices of 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinders, which are used widely by households for cooking purposes.