Doctored Footage Fallout: Trump vs. the BBC - Roger Kimball

 

by Roger Kimball

Trump’s lawsuit over the BBC’s doctored Jan. 6 clip now threatens to turn the broadcaster’s license-fee crisis into a full-blown reckoning over trust, bias, and billions.

 

 

It costs £174.50 a year to obtain a BBC license for a color TV.  Technological atavists who are bargain-hunting can snag a license for a black and white TV for only £58.50 per year.  For the year ending March 2025, the license fee raised £3.8 billion, 65 percent of the Beeb’s total income.

There is growing resentment about the fee.  “Some people ask,” said one news report, “why they should be forced to pay for the BBC if they do not use its services.” Good question. However, it now appears that the BBC may need to significantly increase its fees to avoid insolvency.

That’s because Donald Trump is preparing to sue the storied news and entertainment company for between $1 billion and $5 billion. That “B” for “bankrupt.” “I have an obligation to do it,” Trump said Friday. Why? Primarily because the BBC meddled in the 2024 presidential election. How? In a Panorama program called “Trump: A Second Chance?” they tampered with footage from the January 6, 2021, Trump rally in order to make it seem as though Trump was urging his supporters to storm the Capitol. He wasn’t. The BBC then aired the doctored footage in October 2024, just a week before the election.

Trump said that he wants monetary damages. He wants to stop the BBC from doing to others what it did to him.  He also said that he wants the BBC to explain in court why they created and aired the doctored video.

Why did they do it? I can answer that.  They did it because they despise Trump and wanted to harm his chances of winning the election.

So far, the BBC has offered a lukewarm apology but no money.  Since a large part of their business—77 million viewers, reports estimate—is in the US, that’s where Trump will sue.

It is worth taking a look at the deceptive clips. The BBC has promised not to air the entire program again, but the London Telegraph, which first broke the story, thoughtfully supplies before-and-after clips.  What Trump actually said was, “We are going to walk down to the Capitol, and I’ll be with you. We’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.” This was the same speech in which he said, “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.” “Peacefully and patriotically,” Kemo Sabe.

In the doctored clip, Trump is shown saying, “We’re gonna walk down to the Capitol, and I’ll be with you, and we’ll fight. We fight like hell, and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not gonna have a country anymore.” A leaked internal report on BBC bias noted that the doctored clip made Trump “ ‘say’ things [he] never actually said by splicing together footage from the start of his speech with something he said nearly an hour later.”

The BBC’s perfidy did not end with mangling the words Trump spoke. The program also featured scenes of angry, flag-waving men marching towards the Capitol, apparently spurred on by Trump’s pugilistic rhetoric. As that leaked report notes, this “created the impression Trump’s supporters had taken up his ‘call to arms.’” Unfortunately for that narrative, the footage was shot before Trump had even started speaking.

The New York Times was correct in describing this incident as “one of the worst crises in [the BBC’s] 103-year history.”  It is also correct that it takes place against the background of a larger concern with “progressive” bias at the BBC. The government-licensed organization is supposed to be independent and nonpartisan. In fact, it has been a reliable purveyor of left-wing attitudes and talking points at least since the 1970s. Pick the topic: the war in Gaza, climate change, the debate over so-called “transgender” ideology, immigration, “Islamophobia,” or anything having to do with Donald Trump.  You have only to name the subject and the players to know what line the BBC will be pushing.

The doctored anti-Trump video has led to the departure of the BBC’s director general, Tim Davie, and its head of news, Deborah Turness. That is wholly appropriate.  As Nigel Huddleston, the shadow culture secretary, noted: “These are extremely concerning revelations that could seriously undermine the brand and reputation of the BBC.  The BBC license fee is justified on the basis of impartiality and trust. There can be no justification for this kind of deliberate manipulation and the spreading of misinformation.”

This is true. But not everyone has received the memo. Jonathan Munro, the global director of BBC News, defended the company’s decision to release a doctored version of Trump’s speech.  As of this writing, Munro is still employed by the BBC, though apparently under growing pressure to quit.  Munro said that the sort of edits—what I might call “fabrications”—that Panorama inserted into its Trump video are “normal practice” at the BBC.  I suspect he is right about that. But admitting that deliberate mendacity is standard operating procedure at the BBC is hardly reassuring. 

Roger Kimball is editor and publisher of The New Criterion and the president and publisher of Encounter Books. He is the author and editor of many books, including The Fortunes of Permanence: Culture and Anarchy in an Age of Amnesia (St. Augustine's Press), The Rape of the Masters (Encounter), Lives of the Mind: The Use and Abuse of Intelligence from Hegel to Wodehouse (Ivan R. Dee), and Art's Prospect: The Challenge of Tradition in an Age of Celebrity (Ivan R. Dee). Most recently, he edited and contributed to Where Next? Western Civilization at the Crossroads (Encounter) and contributed to Against the Great Reset: Eighteen Theses Contra the New World Order (Bombardier).

Source: https://amgreatness.com/2025/11/16/doctored-footage-fallout-trump-vs-the-bbc/

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The BBC: Roots of a Scandal - Amir Taheri

by Amir Taher

For a number of reasons, the BBC's standards have experienced a slow but steady deterioration for decades.

 

• It was initially created in 1972 when the Sunday Times exposed the damage that use of thalidomide tablets did to unborn babies, with facts fed to the paper by rivals of a pharmaceutical giant.

• Two years later came the trans-Atlantic version, when two "investigative" reporters helped topple a US president. There, too, there was no investigation but a leaking of information by President Richard Nixon's political foes.

• Journalists started talking of writing a "story" rather than reporting "news".

• Transformed into celebrities, some journalists became shallower, and the shallower they got, the more full of themselves they became.

• The next step was to gift-wrap arrogance as "challenging" or "adversarial" interviews that put the emphasis on the rudeness of the interviewer rather than the frankness of the interviewee.

• Today the BBC has hit a new low in terms of standards it advocated for decades.

For a number of reasons, the BBC's standards have experienced a slow but steady deterioration for decades. Pictured: The BBC Television Centre in London, England. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

The latest controversy over the BBC's editing of a news clip to accuse US President Donald Trump of ordering an attack on the Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021, reminded me of folkloric narrations of historic or mythological events in my childhood in Iran.

The show consisted of a screen that depicted the event with the tiny figure of a narrator in one corner biting a finger in awe or admiration.

The real narrator would tell the story without commenting, let alone taking sides.

Did the British government have that model in mind when it created the BBC in 1922 with John Reith as director general?

That model was in contrast with Chaucer's style in Canterbury Tales, a classic of English literature, in which the narrator unleashes a torrent of delightful and naughty comment.

Thus was born the myth of the BBC as a paragon of cold, clinical journalism whose aim was to inform the public by offering a smorgasbord of news, views, ideas and socio-politico-cultural options.

The problem is that there could never be cold, clinical journalism except as a theoretical conceit. Journalism is produced and practiced by human beings, not robots or what is now called artificial intelligence.

Even if one strictly sticks to the famous five Ws and one H, the order in which an event is reported and the tone used vary from one reporter to another. Being merely human, the journalist cannot offer the kind of neutrality that the myth of the BBC pretended to practice: Five minutes for Hitler and five minutes for the Jews!

Let us recall some facts.

The idea of an iron wall separating news from views is easy to imagine but hard to erect.

The BBC is a state-supervised and publicly funded organization with a charter that, in theory at least, cannot ignore the interests of His Majesty's Government. Beyond that, it also reflects the mood of the political, economic, and cultural elite of the time.

For a good part of the BBC's 103 years of existence, that mood tended towards what is called the liberal right of British political culture.

J.B. Priestley's wartime BBC broadcasts may have had as much of a tonic effect on British public as Winston Churchill's oratory.

With the war over, Priestley, author of the brilliant play, "An Inspector Calls," was shown the door because he was deemed a leftist.

Yet, what is remarkable is that the BBC, in its various forms of local, national and international radio, television and finally online reporting, has managed to keep standards that remain the envy of media across the globe.

Its coverage of revolutions in Russia and China, World War II and wars in Korea, Indochina, Algeria, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, the founding of the League of Nations and the United Nations, the decolonization movement and the fall of empires, amounts to a sterling chronicle of a chaotic century.

To be sure, on occasion the BBC teetered on the edge of becoming a propaganda tool for the government and/or predominant elites.

Nevertheless, it has been a tent large enough to host people from most shades of the political spectrum, from the poet Louis MacNeice and novelist George Orwell to more recent great journalists such as John Freeman, incidentally the founder of the Panorama program in which Trump was recently libeled, David Dimbleby, Brian Redhead, Max Hastings , Andrew Niel, Matt Frei, Kate Adie, and the first woman broadcaster, Elizabeth Cowell.

The Beeb has also produced a treasure trove of radio and TV plays, serials and documentaries.

Yet, for a number of reasons, the BBC's standards have experienced a slow but steady deterioration for decades.

The first reason the "investigative journalism syndrome".

It was initially created in 1972 when the Sunday Times exposed the damage that use of thalidomide tablets did to unborn babies, with facts fed to the paper by rivals of a pharmaceutical giant.

Two years later came the trans-Atlantic version, when two "investigative" reporters helped topple a US president. There, too, there was no investigation but a leaking of information by President Richard Nixon's political foes. Had "Deep Throat," who had a beef against Nixon, not supplied the information, the two heroes' story would have had no meat.

Suddenly, every reporter wanted to be a giant-slayer of an investigator and a participant in creating events, not just reporting them. Journalists started talking of writing a "story" rather than reporting "news".

Another ailment that hit the profession was celebrityzation of journalists. The growing dominance of TV deepened that ailment as the Beeb put pictures of star reporters and presenters on T-shirts, mugs and keyrings.

That ended an old tradition of anonymity in British journalism that kept out the names of reporters by mentioning only "from our own correspondent" or "our political editor". Transformed into celebrities, some journalists became shallower, and the shallower they got, the more full of themselves they became.

The next step was to gift-wrap arrogance as "challenging" or "adversarial" interviews that put the emphasis on the rudeness of the interviewer rather than the frankness of the interviewee.

"Bravo, you roasted the president or the prime minister" became an accolade for a new breed of BBC journalists as stars with six-figure salaries.

In the current cultural civil war in Western democracies, the BBC elite veer toward what the resurgent right calls wokeism. Thus, it is no surprise that Trump should be the Beeb's latest bête noire. It is also no surprise that it should side with any real or imaginary victim of "colonialism", "imperialism", "male chauvinism" and "white supremacy", whatever those isms mean.

Today the BBC has hit a new low in terms of standards it advocated for decades. The Panorama scandal shows that the BBC requires, if not a complete checkup, at least a once-over.

But we must be careful not to throw the BEEB out with the bathwater. 

Gatestone Institute would like to thank the author for his kind permission to reprint this article in slightly different form from Asharq Al-Awsat. He graciously serves as Chairman of Gatestone Europe.

Amir Taher was the executive editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan in Iran from 1972 to 1979. He has worked at or written for innumerable publications, published eleven books, and has been a columnist for Asharq Al-Awsat since 1987.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22055/bbc-roots-of-a-scandal

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Turkey Is Thwarting Trump's Attempts to Disarm Hamas, Achieve Peace in the Middle East - Con Coughlin

 

by Con Coughlin

Trump's radical plan to transform Gaza's political landscape -- especially his focus on disarming Hamas -- could come unstuck, -- if pro-Hamas states such as Turkey and Qatar have any involvement in the territory's future administration.

 

• [W]ith both Turkey and Qatar, two countries that support Hamas's hardline Islamist agenda, seeking to play a more prominent role in Gaza's future development, the prospect of persuading Hamas to disarm and relinquish control appears even more remote.

• King Abdullah II of Jordan tried to warn Trump, also at the end of October: "[W]e hope that it is peacekeeping, because if it's peace enforcing, nobody will want to touch that.... If we're running around Gaza on patrol with weapons, that's not a situation that any country would like to get involved in."

• Trump's radical plan to transform Gaza's political landscape -- especially his focus on disarming Hamas -- could come unstuck, though, if pro-Hamas states such as Turkey and Qatar have any involvement in the territory's future administration.

• Turkey's desire for Hamas to be reconciled with the PA completely contradicts a key requirement of Trump's peace plan, which demands that the terror group not only disarms, but ends its political involvement in Gaza. If implemented, any Turkish involvement in Trump's efforts to end the Gaza conflict would simply offer Hamas a lifeline, one that would enable it to maintain its terrorist agenda.

• The Trump administration may be tempted to believe that Turkey's involvement in the issue is crucial if a settlement in Gaza is to be reached. The administration must also understand, however, that any Turkish involvement will completely undermine Trump's stated objective of forcing the terrorist organisation to disarm if there is to be any hope of a lasting peace in the Middle East.

[W]ith both Turkey and Qatar, two countries that support Hamas's hardline Islamist agenda, seeking to play a more prominent role in Gaza's future development, the prospect of persuading Hamas to disarm and relinquish control appears even more remote. Pictured: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (right) honors then Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at the Parliament in Ankara, Turkey on January 3, 2012. (Photo credit by Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images)

Attempts by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to play a key role in plans to form an "international security force" for Gaza pose a serious threat to US President Donald J. Trump's efforts to disarm Hamas terrorists and augur poorly for his efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.

A key requirement of Trump's 20-point plan to end the Gaza conflict is for Hamas to disarm and end its malign control of the Gaza Strip. Only then will negotiations begin on finding a lasting ceasefire agreement and rebuilding the enclave for an enduring peace after two years of brutal conflict.

Trump has made clear his commitment to removing Hamas from Gaza even if, as is currently the case, the Islamist terror group shows no sign of complying with the terms of Trump's peace plan.

In comments made soon after the first stage of the US-sponsored ceasefire took hold in Gaza, Trump threatened to disarm Hamas "violently" if it did not fully comply with his terms. If Hamas failed to disarm within "a reasonable period of time" then "we will disarm them", the president warned.

Yet, rather than showing any inclination to relinquish its grip over Gaza, Hamas has instead used the ceasefire to reassert its control over parts of Gaza by deploying thousands of its "security" officials and carrying out summary executions in public of its political opponents.

Now, with both Turkey and Qatar, two countries that support Hamas's hardline Islamist agenda, seeking to play a more prominent role in Gaza's future development, the prospect of persuading Hamas to disarm and relinquish control appears even more remote.

As part of Trump's attempts to end hostilities in Gaza, he is planning to create a multinational force drawn from a number of Muslim countries, to maintain order in the area while negotiations on its future take place.

While details on how the force will be expected to operate in Gaza remain vague, there is a general expectation that one of its duties will be to disarm terrorist groups such as Hamas.

Speaking in Israel last month, US Vice President JD Vance said that the force would "take the lead on disarming Hamas", although he conceded that the task of disarming Hamas was "going to take some time and it's going to depend a lot on the composition of that force."

King Abdullah II of Jordan tried to warn Trump, also at the end of October:

"[W]e hope that it is peacekeeping, because if it's peace enforcing, nobody will want to touch that.... If we're running around Gaza on patrol with weapons, that's not a situation that any country would like to get involved in."

Bringing Hamas's two-decade-long rule over Gaza is deemed vital to securing the its long-term stability. While significantly enhancing Israel's security along its southern border, it would liberate Palestinian civilians from the Islamist terror group's oppressive rule.

Trump's radical plan to transform Gaza's political landscape -- especially his focus on disarming Hamas -- could come unstuck, though, if pro-Hamas states such as Turkey and Qatar have any involvement in the territory's future administration.

Erdogan has already declared his intention to be a key player in Gaza's future development by offering to commit 2,000 Turkish troops to Trump's proposed stabilisation force, an offer that has been unequivocally rejected by Israel. Responding to Ankara's offer, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated explicitly, "There will be no Turkish boots on the ground."

Israel's firm opposition to the presence of Turkish troops in Gaza stems from the dramatic deterioration in relations between Jerusalem and Ankara since Hamas carried out the October 7, 2023 invasion of Israel. Erdogan responded by praising Hamas, suspending trade with Israel, closing Turkish airspace to Israeli planes.

Erdogan, who is trying to replace Qatar as Hamas's main intermediary in negotiations with the US, has accused Israel of crimes against humanity and recently issued arrest warrants for 37 Israeli officials -- including Netanyahu -- alleging "genocide" in Gaza.

Erdogan has long stated that "Jerusalem is our city." As recently as last month, Erdogan was talking with his officials about attacking Israel.

"No one can save it [Israel] now..." Erdogan said on October 6.

"It must be disciplined with war... War and power should make Israel kneel... However 'extreme' it looks, a Turkey-Israel war will absolutely happen... Israel's life is over.... Jerusalem will be saved! Israel will have no choice but to kneel in front of Turkey. This is the only way for it to live.... In the mind of the man who opened Hagia Sophia after 86 years, there is a settled plan to liberate Jerusalem and settle the account of 1917."

Despite vehement Israeli objections, Erdogan is hoping that his good relations with Trump will persuade the US president to dismiss Israel's concerns and allow Turkey to play a central role in future talks on Gaza's future.

If Trump allows this to happen, it could seriously undermine his attempts to disarm Hamas and achieve peace. Rather than ending the terrorist group's involvement in Gaza, Ankara is calling for Hamas to work together with the Palestinian Authority to form a new administration for the territory.

Erdogan has also been seeking F-35 jets from the United States. For what might he be intending to use them? Congress has wisely prohibited the deal so long as Turkey possesses Russia's S-400 air and missile defence system.

Erdogan's determination to play a prominent role in discussions on Gaza's future -- including Trump's plan for creating a multinational stabilisation force -- was very much in evidence at a summit of Muslim leaders he hosted in Istanbul this month. The summit was attended by representatives from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia, which have indicated a willingness to support the Gaza force.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told reporters after the conference that the Turks wanted to see a "swift internal Palestinian reconciliation" between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA), headed by Mahmoud Abbas. Fidan argued that such reconciliation would "enhance Palestine's representation in the international community."

Turkey's desire for Hamas to be reconciled with the PA completely contradicts a key requirement of Trump's peace plan, which demands that the terror group not only disarms, but ends its political involvement in Gaza. If implemented, any Turkish involvement in Trump's efforts to end the Gaza conflict would simply offer Hamas a lifeline, one that would enable it to maintain its terrorist agenda.

The Trump administration may be tempted to believe that Turkey's involvement in the issue is crucial if a settlement in Gaza is to be reached. The administration must also understand, however, that any Turkish involvement will completely undermine Trump's stated objective of forcing the terrorist organisation to disarm if there is to be any hope of a lasting peace in the Middle East.

Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22048/turkey-thwarting-trump-attempts-to-disarm-hamas

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With shutdown over, fight over Obamacare reform is on - Thérèse Boudreaux

 

by Thérèse Boudreaux

Democrats, who refused to authorize government funding for 43 days, used the shutdown to bring attention to the expiring enhanced Obamacare Premium Tax Credit.

 

(The Center Square) -

With the record-long government shutdown finally over, Republicans are ramping up conversations about how to reform Obamacare and address the rising cost of insurance premiums.

Democrats, who refused to authorize government funding for 43 days, used the shutdown to bring attention to the expiring enhanced Obamacare Premium Tax Credit.

The enhanced subsidies are set to revert to original, pre-pandemic levels on Dec. 31, which would partially contribute to enrollees’ monthly plan payments rising in 2026.

Although Senate Republicans have promised to vote on extending the subsidies – part of their funding deal that resulted in the shutdown ending Wednesday – it is highly unlikely to succeed.

“Healthcare premiums have risen by over 114% on the open market under Obamacare, even with the subsidies,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said on X. “We have to address the fundamental failure of Obamacare, which is that it actually hasn’t made healthcare insurance premiums in America more affordable.”

Extending the enhanced PTC would cost at least $350 billion over the next ten years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The increased generosity of subsidies – particularly the enhanced PTC – along with growing ACA enrollment and rising health care treatment costs have all contributed to rising Obamacare costs over time, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

The CRFB compared how high of a monthly premium a family of four would pay in 2026 if the enhanced subsidies are extended, versus if they expire and the PTC returns to pre-pandemic levels.

If the enhanced credits are kept in place, a four-person family at 150% of the Federal Poverty Level enrolled in a $2,000 per month plan would pay nothing. If Congress allows the enhanced credits to expire, the family would pay $168 monthly and the subsidy would cover the remaining $1,832 .

The same sized family enrolled at 250% of the FPL enrolled in the same $2,000 plan would see their monthly payment go from $258 monthly under the enhanced subsidies to $565 under pre-pandemic subsidies.

If the family makes 350% of the FPL – meaning their annual household income is $112,525 – they would see their payment of $680 per month jump to $933 once the enhanced subsidies expire. Those at 450% of the FPL or higher would pay the full $2,000 monthly premium if the enhanced credits expire.

Republicans argue that extending the temporary enhanced subsidies will do nothing to address the root causes of rising health care premiums. They also point out that health insurers profit the most from the expansion, since the PTC is paid directly to insurance companies – who have logged massive profits even as premiums continue to rise – instead of Americans.

Though House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has mentioned he is “skeptical” that Republicans can repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, he said his party has “probably a hundred different ideas” on how to reform Obamacare.

Some ideas Republicans have mentioned include expanding eligibility for health savings accounts (HSA), allowing small businesses to pool insurance plans, and generally facilitating more competition in the insurance marketplace to help lower prices.

The Senate Finance Committee will discuss these ideas in a hearing Wednesday, as well as President Donald Trump’s idea to give health care tax credits to individuals rather than insurers. 

Thérèse Boudreaux

Source: https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/shutdown-over-fight-over-obamacare-reform

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Latest Taxpayer Outrage: Dead people paid hundreds of millions in Medicaid and food stamps - Nicholas Ballasy

 

by Nicholas Ballasy

The OIG found that despite prior audits and corrective actions, some of the same issues persist, such as states continuing to make capitation payments to MCOs for enrollees who have passed away.

 

A new report from the Office of Inspector General within the Department of Health and Human Services shows multiple states made improper Medicaid payments to managed care organizations after enrollees had died, which exposes persistent fiscal and oversight problems in the nation’s Medicaid managed-care system.

In addition, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said late last week that SNAP benefit payments have been going to deceased people as well.

The audit, titled “Multiple States Made Medicaid Capitation Payments to Managed Care Organizations After Enrollees’ Deaths,” summarizes findings from 14 prior state-level audits from July 1, 2009, through December 31, 2019. 

In those earlier reports, the OIG found that states made an estimated $248.6 million in unallowable "capitation payments" to MCOs on behalf of deceased enrollees. 

(A capitation payment is a way of paying healthcare providers or organizations in which they receive a "predictable, upfront, set amount of money to cover the predicted cost of all or some of the health care services for a specific patient over a certain period of time," according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.) 

The federal share amounted to about $171.8 million. At the time of the report, roughly $41 million of the federal share remained uncollected from the states in question.

The OIG found that despite prior audits and corrective actions, some of the same issues persist, such as states continuing to make capitation payments to MCOs for enrollees who have passed away. 

Mistakes that lead to erroneous payments: 

The OIG uncovered a series of mistakes that led to the payments going to dead people, including: 

• Eleven of the audited states failed to always identify and process death information for Medicaid enrollees in a timely manner.
• Four states did not use eligibility systems that interface directly with federal or state death-data exchanges, "requiring agency officials to conduct manual matches between the data systems"
• Nine states failed to enter dates of death into their Medicaid enrollment systems even though those dates were available through data exchanges.
• Some states have under-utilized alternative data sources (e.g., obituary data, third-party identity information services) that might help identify deceased recipients.
• Six states lacked sufficient internal controls to ensure deceased enrollees were identified during regular reviews.

What the OIG recommends

OIG said the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services “could do more to help states that continue to make improper capitation payments to MCOs on behalf of deceased enrollees.” 

OIG recommended 3 main steps, including:

• Collect the outstanding unallowable payments from states totaling an estimated $41 million in federal funds
• Ensure that states complete actions on remaining recommendations designed to strengthen their internal controls and eligibility-verification processes.
• Use data-matching tools to monitor risk, specifically to match the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) enrollment data against the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File (DMF) in order to identify states at higher risk of improper payments, and then provide those states with the results to "help reduce Medicaid capitation payments made to MCOs on behalf of deceased enrollees."

CMS response and next steps

CMS responded to the report, asserting that most of the prior audit recommendations, about 83%, have been implemented to prevent the payments from going to dead people. CMS noted that approximately $126 million of the federal share had already been refunded.

CMS did not formally concur with one of the key OIG recommendations – the routine matching of T-MSIS with the DMF – citing concerns about redundancy, inefficiency, timeliness of the T-MSIS data, and confusion for states. 

In response, the OIG reaffirmed the validity of its recommendations and emphasized the need for targeted data-matching to help bolster oversight. 

The audit comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Medicaid’s payment integrity. Effective eligibility and death-data verification matching processes are essential to ensure that dollars are paid only for living enrollees, according to the OIG.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program issues

As for SNAP, Rollins said on the Fox News Channel that the Trump administration has uncovered significant problems with the program and it plans to announce changes soon.

“What we have found is staggering, half a million people getting benefits, two times under the same name, 5,000 dead people, 80% of able-bodied Americans, meaning they can work. They don't have small children at home. They're not taking care of an elderly parent. They can work, and they choose not to work, of course, because they're getting significant benefits from the taxpayer,” she said. 

Rollins described SNAP as “perhaps one of the most corrupt, dysfunctional programs in American history.”

“We are cracking down. We now have a plan to fix it and we're really, really excited about doing that for the American people,” she said.

Rollins said on Friday that SNAP recipients will have to reapply for benefits.  

Nicholas Ballasy

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/dead-people-have-been-paid-hundreds-millions-medicaid-and-snap-report

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In Europe, conservative political parties backing environmental policy with pragmatism, not protest - Eric J. Lyman

 

by Eric J. Lyman

In U.S., younger conservative voters, business leaders are increasingly acknowledging climate risks and are "working to reframe environmental responsibility as compatible with free-market principles."

 

Environmental activism in Europe has – until recently – long been defined by headline-grabbing stunts like blocking highways or climbing to the top of tall structures. But now, conservative European political parties and think tanks are increasingly staking claims by backing environmental policy through pragmatism, not protest.

Today, more European environmentalists are wearing suits, talking about nuclear power, and quoting data points on energy efficiency. They’re re-framing environmental challenges as engineering problems rather than an ideological crusade.

Starting in 2022, attacks on energy infrastructure and skyrocketing energy prices tied to the war between Russia and Ukraine made energy resilience and security top priorities in Europe.

In the United States, conservative and Republican leadership has historically leaned toward deregulation and an expansion of fossil fuel production, citing economic growth and energy independence as primary concerns. "But with younger conservative voters and business leaders increasingly acknowledging climate risks, conservative-leaning groups including the American Conservation Coalition are "working to re-frame environmental responsibility as compatible with free-market principles. Their approach favors innovation, carbon capture technologies, and market-driven solutions over government mandates, aiming to counter the perception that climate action is solely a left-leaning priority, according to a recent story in Environmental Health News. 

In Europe, the war “turned post-pandemic energy shortages into a full-blown energy crisis,” according to a report from the International Monetary Fund.

The crisis forced countries to rethink the continent’s use of nuclear power: France abandoned its 2015 pledge to reduce its dependence on nuclear power and is instead ramping up Europe’s largest nuclear energy system and Finland began assessing sites for nuclear plants near the capital. In the Netherlands, there are plans to extend the life of its lone nuclear power plant and unveiled plans for two more; while in the U.K., Wales was chosen as the site for pilot projects using “small modular reactors” for power.

Development in Italy may be the most dramatic of all: The country was a nuclear energy pioneer, building its first power plants in the early 1960s. But after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, it voted to shut down its reactors, with the last two closing in 1990.

But now, Italy has started the process of reintroducing nuclear power by the early 2030s. If that happens, Italy will be the first country to ever use nuclear power, phase it out, and then reintroduce it.

“Anything we can do to make ourselves more independent of natural gas we have to do, and nuclear is one way,” Adel El Gammal, professor of energy geopolitics at the European Energy Research Alliance told Euronews.

Critics counter that the trend risks underestimating the urgency of climate deadlines. New reactors won’t be operational for years, and technocratic solutions can obscure the social and environmental costs of consumption.

But right-of-center environmentalism in Europe goes beyond accelerating the development of low-emissions nuclear power. It is also motivated, proponents say, by growing fatigue with disruptive protest movements and what are seen as impractical climate policies. It is largely focused on broad goals of environmental stewardship, economic and political stability, and national sovereignty.

The loss of Russian gas forced a reckoning. A country reliant on imported fossil fuels – Germany and Italy were the continent’s two largest importers of Russian gas before 2022 – is strategically exposed.

Terms being used for the trend that also includes reforestation and technological innovation include “Eco-Pragmatism” and “Green Realism.” 

“This momentum must now be converted into a comprehensive and enabling European framework for nuclear development, exploring essential policy dimensions including financing,” according to a 2024 joint statement from pro-nuclear European member states.

 

Eric J. Lyman

Source: https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/environment/dfasdfsdf

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Canadian told ‘Kfar Saba, Israel’ can’t be listed on passport - Erez Linn

 

by Erez Linn

Passport Canada has yet to officially comment on the incident.

 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers remarks during a media availability on Parliament Hill in Ottawa following the Cabinet Planning Forum, May 21, 2025. Credit: Office of the Prime Minister of Canada via Wikimedia Commons.

A recent incident involving a Canadian citizen’s passport application has drawn sharp criticism regarding political interference and discrimination within Passport Canada offices, focusing on the refusal to list the Israeli city of Kfar Saba as the applicant’s place of birth.

Our client, a Canadian citizen, was told that her place of birth—Kfar Saba, Israel—could not appear on her passport “because of the political conflict.”

No law supports this.

No regulation authorizes it.

No democracy should tolerate it.

Passports are not political documents.… pic.twitter.com/q5UERBeoVK

— Neil G. Oberman (@NeilOberman) November 13, 2025

Litigation lawyer Neil Oberman publicized the controversy, stating: “Our client, a Canadian citizen, was told that her place of birth, Kfar Saba, Israel, could not appear on her passport because of the political conflict.”

The ‘political conflict’

The applicant, whose goes by Anastasia on X, recounting her experience, noted that a Passport Canada employee informed her: “I cannot put Israel as my place of birth on my Canadian passport.” When questioned why, the employee replied, “because of the political conflict, we cannot put Israel on your passport.”

A Canadian Passports employee told me they can not write Israel as my birth country. These are the clear consequences of the current government and leadership in power. Thank you @NeilOberman for supporting me and for your fight for truth and patriotism. pic.twitter.com/ffhCSbKujM

— Anastasia (@nastizor) November 13, 2025

The applicant described her confusion over the decision, asking the employee: “So if it was any other country written as my birth country, you could put that country in my passport, but only because it’s Israel, you cannot put it there. And she says, ‘Yes.'”

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Oberman emphasized that the refusal was improper because Kfar Saba is not located in disputed territory, distinguishing it from previous legal challenges concerning other cities.

He further asserted that “the distinction here is that Kfar Saba is not in the disputed territories.”

The lawyer argued that his client was entitled to have her city and country of origin listed correctly: “My client had a right to have her city and her country of origin Israel on her passport.”

Oberman deemed the situation “unacceptable in Canada today,” noting that the client “had to fight to have her place of birth put on her identity document.”

During the contentious application process, the applicant pressed the employees for clarification and policy proof. She was eventually told by staff that “since Prime Minister Mark Carney declared recognition of a Palestinian state, some cities are eligible to be put as Palestine as their birth country,” listing cities such as “Nablus, Jenin, Ramla, Jerusalem.”

Though the issue was eventually resolved, the applicant stressed the potential for discrimination: “In the end, after I questioned them and I asked to see exactly where it says what, they put Israel on my passport.”

However, she added, “If it was somebody in my shoes and they were told that they cannot put their of birth because of a political conflict, it’s clear discrimination.” She concluded that the incident demonstrated that she was “under some political influence by an employee from Passport Canada.”

Oberman called for ministerial accountability regarding the conduct of the department, stating: “The reality is it’s a lack of training on the part of the people at the passport office. It needs to be addressed by the minister responsible for this department. Period.”

He further warned: “Good Canadians should be scared because when they’re finished with the people that go to synagogue on Saturday, they’re going to come after the people who go to church on Sunday and maybe the Hindu temple on Monday. The reality is it’s a slippery slope, sir. It has to stop.”

Oberman confirmed that the client, a “strong woman with strong credentials,” was ultimately able to resolve the issue herself, though he stated he is committed to ensuring that “some poor person who doesn’t have the same character won’t have to experience the indignity of what happened to her will happen to them.”

Passport Canada has yet to officially comment on the incident.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

Erez Linn

Source: https://www.jns.org/canadian-told-kfar-saba-israel-cant-be-listed-on-passport/

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New York leaders denounce ‘F*ck Jews’ graffiti in Brooklyn - JNS Staff

 

by JNS Staff

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the incident, calling it "another horrific act of antisemitism on our streets."

 

Hateful antisemitic graffiti reading “F*ck Jews” is seen scrawled across a Brooklyn sidewalk along Atlantic Avenue near Smith Street on Nov. 14, 2025 before city sanitation crews removed it overnight, prompting condemnation from New York political leaders. Source: @LincolnRestler/X.

New York City and state political leaders condemned antisemitic graffiti found scrawled on a sidewalk in Brooklyn Friday night.

The words “F*ck Jews” appeared along Atlantic Avenue near Smith Street. The New York City Department of Sanitation removed the graffiti overnight.

New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani called the incident “another horrific act of antisemitism on our streets,” in an X post, sharing visual documentation by District 33 NYC Council Member Lincoln Restler before and after it was removed and thanking Restler and the Sanitation Department “for your quick response.”

 

Last night, a neighbor shared images of hateful, anti-Semitic graffiti on Atlantic Ave near Smith St.

Terrific team at @NYCSanitation cleaned it up overnight.

Anti-Semitic incidents are a majority of the hate crimes in NYC. All NYers - including Jewish NYers - must feel safe. pic.twitter.com/vVq7c8T3ot

— Lincoln Restler (@LincolnRestler) November 15, 2025

Restler also thanked the Sanitation Department for cleaning up the graffiti along with pictures he said were shared by a neighbor.

“Anti-Semitic incidents are a majority of the hate crimes in NYC. All NYers—including Jewish NYers—must feel safe,” Restler wrote. In another X post, he added: “There is no space or tolerance for hate in our community. I will continue to do whatever I can to condemn and combat anti-Semitism in every possible way.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called it “a disgusting, cowardly act of antisemitism that has no place in New York. We stand with our Jewish communities today and always.”

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) said that it was “another vile act of antisemitism in New York. The criminal cowards responsible must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The StopAntisemitism organization warned of an increase in these types once Mandami is sworn in to office as the city’s 111th mayor just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2026.

“Now imagine how much worse this is going to get once Mamdani takes office,” the non-profit advocacy group wrote on X.

November’s election of the Democratic Socialist Muslim who holds strongly critical and anti-Zionist views on Israel and supports the BDS movement against the Jewish state has sparked deep concern in the city’s Jewish population, which is the largest outside of Israel.

Nearly half of Israelis plan to avoid travel to New York in the wake of Mamdani‘s election, whom they overwhelmingly perceive as antisemitic, according to recent polling.

Stefanik filed to run for governor on Nov. 7 in next year’s elections, blasting Hochul for backing Mamdani.

“When New Yorkers were looking for leadership the most, Kathy Hochul bent the knee to the raging defund-the-police, tax-hiking, antisemite communist who will destroy New York,” she said.

JNS Staff

Source: https://www.jns.org/new-york-leaders-denounce-fck-jews-graffiti-in-brooklyn/

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NGO buys buildings in Hebron to return Jews to city center - Yotam Deshe

 

by Yotam Deshe

The group purchased eight buildings over 18 years with full-price cash, facilitating Arab emigration and Jewish return to the city.

 

The Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, Dec. 4, 2019. Photo by Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90.

Tens of thousands of Israelis poured into the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron this Sabbath for the reading of the Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23:1–25:18) weekly Torah portion in the place where Abraham purchased the first piece of land for the Jewish people in Israel. There are those working around the clock to turn that symbolic occasion into a daily reality.

The Harchivi Mekom Aholech organization, which has operated in Hebron for more than 18 years, engages in “redeeming homes”—purchasing buildings from Arabs with full cash payment, transferring them to Jewish ownership, and revitalizing the Jewish fabric of the city.

“Our goal is to make Hebron Jewish,” said Miriam Fleishman, the organization’s director, with a smile that doesn’t hide her determination. “We’re not ashamed of it. Hebron is the city of the patriarchs. There was always a Jewish ember there; now we’re expanding it.”

According to Fleishman, recent months have brought dramatic change on the ground. “Since the war broke out, we receive at least five inquiries per month from Arabs who want to sell their homes and leave for Europe,” she said. “They saw what happened in Gaza and are doing soul-searching. We know how to help them. Sometimes we literally smuggle them to Europe after the purchase.”

It turns out that this isn’t a simple matter—each building purchase costs millions of shekels and includes not only the purchase of the structure, but also full assistance with the emigration of the selling family. The organization doesn’t receive money from the state and relies primarily on donations “from Jews only,” Fleishman stressed, “and a few ideological investors willing to risk their money for the city.”

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The first stage of the process is intelligence work. “We have people from elite units, Arabic speakers with all the nuances,” Fleishman said. “They know how to identify who really wants to sell.

“After that, the legal department springs into action and checks real ownership, so we don’t fall for imposters. And then comes the stage of military approvals, forming families who will live in the building, and lots more bureaucracy.”

The organization has successfully acquired eight buildings, with several more already at an advanced stage of development. Fleishman described real change in the operational environment. “Since Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich took office, the atmosphere on the ground has been more positive,” she said. “Even in the military, they say when Jews live in the neighborhoods, security improves; it doesn’t get complicated.”

The mitzvah of settling the land

Aryeh Gottlieb, a city resident, described a rare sense of satisfaction. “We’re 40 meters from the Cave. Give me the most luxurious villa in Savyon [an affluent town in the Tel Aviv area], I’m not leaving,” he said. “Every coffee I drink in Hebron is the mitzvah of settling the land. It’s not like drinking coffee in a café.”

According to him, members of the security forces also understand the contribution. “They told us we think they’re protecting us, but actually we’re protecting them,” he said. “Our very presence helps.”

Tzviya Ben Shai, a third-generation Hebron resident, has returned to live in the city after being away for more than 50 years. “I always wanted to be close to the Cave. This is the most suitable place for me,” she said. “Today it feels like a neighborhood, people walk on foot, enter and exit. There’s movement, there’s life. In another year, there will be a real city here.”

Fleishman summed up with a sharp message. “We need to be in the Arab cities themselves, not just around them. Settlement around them is important, but holding the heart of the cities is critical,” she said. “‘Harchivi Mekom Aholech’ translates to “Expand our place, I will go,” isn’t just a slogan. It’s a mission. And we call on the public, whoever wants to see a Jewish Hebron, they should know—this is in our hands, and it depends on money.”

Originally published by Israel Hayom. 

Yotam Deshe

Source: https://www.jns.org/ngo-buys-buildings-in-hebron-to-return-jews-to-city-center/

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Haredi protesters attack Shas MK in Jerusalem following draft law advancement - Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Jerusalem Post Staff

Protesters shattered MK Ben-Tzur's car window and reportedly physically harmed him.

 

Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators protest at the Bar Ilan intersection in Jerusalem, following the arrest of a haredi draft-dodger.

(photo credit: YANIV NADAV/FLASH90)

 

Haredi protesters attacked MK Yoav Ben-Tzur (Shas) in Jerusalem following Shas's agreement to advance the proposed draft law, Israeli media reported on Saturday night. 

Protesters shattered Ben-Tzur's car window and reportedly physically harmed him. Trash bags were also thrown at Ben-Tzur's car, according to Israel Police. 

Israel Police intervened and assisted in getting Ben-Tzur to safety.

"Security forces at the scene pushed back the rioters and are currently searching for suspects involved in the incident, alongside collecting evidence and clarifying the circumstances of the incident," the police said in a statement.

"Israel Police views any attempt to harm public officials with great severity and will act decisively to bring to justice against anyone who attempts to harm public security and order."

מהומה בירושלים: ח"כ בן צור מש"ס הותקף. רכב חלונו נופץ בידי מפגינים נגד חוק הגיוס @shemeshmicha
צילום: ישי ירושלמי pic.twitter.com/5QlfEqBtAa

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) November 15, 2025

Knesset members condemn the incident

Shas condemned the incident in a statement, saying that "such acts of violence, which desecrate God's name, are not the way of the Torah and do not represent any God-fearing community."

"The attack by dozens of Haredim on MK Ben-Tzur from Shas is another example of the fact that we must immediately get our act together," MK Avigdor Liberman wrote in a post to X/Twitter.

"Zero tolerance for lawbreakers—from draft dodgers and refusers all the way to the crime militias and extortion rackets. Very soon—we're going to clean things up here!"

Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-873946

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Israel spied on Iran air defense movement ahead of succesful Operation Rising Lion - N12 - Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Jerusalem Post Staff

Officials described in detail the entire system that was able to identify Iranian threats during the 12-day war in June and directed the Israel Air Force on where to operate.

 

A female air force crew member preparing to strike Iran, June 2025.

(photo credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit via Maariv)

 

The Israel Air Force was able to monitor the transfer of the Islamic Republic's air defense systems and missiles between locations during Israel's 12-day war with Iran in June, several military officials familiar with the matter told N12 News in an interview published on Thursday.

The officials described in detail to the Israeli outlet the actions taken by the Air Force's Intelligence Technology Service (ITS), which identified Iranian threats, directed the IAF on where to operate, and informed them of areas to avoid, thus assisting Israeli forces in achieving air superiority over Iranian skies.

One air force official, whom the N12 article refers to as "Lieutenant G," recalled the moment when the IAF intelligence service caught the transfer of two air defense systems being moved from Tehran to another area in Iran, which he noted was how Shatal was able to help identify the routes Islamic Republic military personnel were using to transfer defense systems.

The ITS then passed the information to the Air Force to carry out precise strikes.

"Without such air superiority, the Air Force would not have been able to operate where it wanted," Lieutenant G. told N12. He serves as a commander of an air defense unit in ITS.

On Sunday, The New York Times cited Ali Vaez, the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, saying that he was informed by Iranian officials that missile factories are working 24 hours a day, and that if there is another war, Iran hopes to fire 2,000 at once, compared to the 500 they sent over a span of 12 days.

An Iranian cleric visits the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran, Iran, November 12, 2025. (credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)

The Lieutenant G said in the N12 interview that the IAF and ITS are preparing for the next possible conflict with the Islamic Republic, while noting that the damage to Iranian forces in June was significant, and that Iran is attempting to hide their activities in restoring the military capabilities it lost last Summer.

Islamic Republic replenishing military capabilities it lost over the Summer

However, Iran is reportedly far from regaining all the military power lost since then, including the damage done to its nuclear sites and ballistic missile systems, the report cited Lieutenant G as saying.

On Monday, a senior official told Israeli public broadcaster KAN News that the Jewish state should seek to overthrow the Iranian regime before the end of US President Donald Trump's administration, warning that there's limited time to act against the Islamic Republic.

A senior security source then told the public broadcaster that Iran has been seeking to reproduce its stockpile of advanced missiles, and Israel is closely monitoring Tehran's efforts.

Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-873917

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Israeli researchers develop tailor-made drug for child with rare genetic mutation - Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Jerusalem Post Staff

Against all odds, researchers developed an RNA drug to "silence" a defective gene copy, offering a path to improved quality of life for a child with a rare developmental disorder.

 

Sheba Medical Center

(photo credit: Omer Pichman, Flash 90) 

A team of researchers at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer developed a personalized genetic drug for an eight-year-old girl with a rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a mutation. 

This marks a first for Israeli medical innovation, and is one of only few instances worldwide.

The Health Ministry approved the first dose of the treatment for the patient under the compassionate use program, which allows patients with serious or life-threatening conditions to access experimental drugs and treatments that are not yet approved for public use. 

The treatment is an RNA-based drug, which uses a specialized technology (ASO) to create small pieces of genetic material. These pieces act like microscopic tools that block the faulty instruction from the GNAO1 gene. Because that defective gene causes major problems like developmental delays and uncontrolled movements, blocking it is key.

In lab tests, scientists grew nerve cells from the patient's skin samples. They found that the drug has produced positive results, reducing the defective gene's harmful activity by up to 75%. This success was confirmed by measuring improvements both in the cell's basic biology and its overall function.

Prof. Dekel wears many hats as a physician-scientist. (credit: SHEBA MEDICAL CENTER)

Sheba puts Israel at the forefront of RNA therapy

“The ability to develop a personalized drug tailored to a patient’s genetic sequence within a world-leading medical center, and in such a short time, reflects the revolution currently transforming medicine,” said Head of Sheba’s Diagnostic Division and Deputy Director of the Research Authority, Dr. Dan Dominissini. 

“RNA is at the heart of next-generation precision medicine, and Sheba is placing Israel at the forefront of this field,” said Professor Bruria Ben-Zeev, former Director of the Pediatric Neurology Unit at Sheba’s Safra Children’s Hospital. 

Until now, no drug treatment has been developed to treat the disease, with only symptomatic therapies available for use. But now, according to Professor Bruria, “For the child and her family, this represents a tangible hope for improved daily functioning and quality of life. We anticipate that in the future, this approach will be expanded to help additional children with rare diseases for which no treatments currently exist.”

The development team from Sheba included Dr. Dan Dominissini, Head of the Diagnostic Division and Deputy Director of the Research Authority; Dr. Nofer Mor, Head of the RNA Therapy Research Group; Prof. Gidi Rechavi, Director of the Cancer Research Center; and Prof. Bruria Ben-Zeev, together with a multidisciplinary team of leading researchers and physicians.

Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-873962

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