'CRY HARDER' - Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman Turns His Back On Democrats - Schumer Is Stunned
Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman intensified his public feud with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, mocking the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) on social media following an Israeli military operation.
“Israel keeps killing Hamas members. @DemSocialists, cry harder,” Fetterman wrote in a July 23 post on X (formerly Twitter), directly tagging the organization.
The provocative post followed an announcement by the Israel Defense Forces confirming the elimination of several Hamas operatives, including individuals allegedly involved in the October 7, 2023, terror attacks. Fetterman’s aggressive posture toward progressive critics of Israel highlights a growing ideological rift within the party.
Fetterman’s steadfast, unapologetic defense of Israel has increasingly alienated him from the party’s left flank. In recent interviews, he characterized the DSA and its supporters as "deeply anti-Israel" and "deeply anti-America." The Pennsylvania senator has asserted that he will "always be the last man standing within the Democratic caucus in the Senate that’s pro-unapologetically standing for Israel."
His divergence from mainstream Democratic policy has fueled intense speculation regarding his political future. Fetterman recently indicated he would formally change his party affiliation if opposition to Israel becomes an official part of the Democratic Party’s platform, the first time he has publicly outlined a scenario for his departure.
This speculation was compounded by a highly unusual financial maneuver in July when Fetterman established Common Ground PA, a joint fundraising committee with his Republican counterpart from Pennsylvania, Senator Dave McCormick. According to Federal Election Commission filings, the committee collects donations to benefit both of their leadership PACs and principal campaign committees.
While joint fundraising committees are common, establishing one between an incumbent Democrat and an incumbent Republican is virtually unprecedented. Progressive Representative Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), who is viewed as a potential primary challenger when Fetterman’s term expires in 2028, called the arrangement "crazy stuff," noting that Fetterman is effectively helping Republicans raise money.
Fetterman downplayed the bipartisan fundraising effort as "nothing sinister," framing it as a collaborative effort for shared Pennsylvania interests. Political analysts suggest the move is designed to appeal to centrist voters and demonstrate a willingness to operate outside hyper-partisan frameworks.
Since the beginning of President Donald Trump's second term, Fetterman has frequently broken ranks. He was the sole Democrat to support several of Trump's cabinet nominees, backed portions of the administration's immigration enforcement agenda, and supported U.S. military engagement with Iran.
Despite his increasingly independent voting record and rightward shifts on key policy issues, Fetterman maintains he has no immediate plans to leave the Democratic Party, insisting he will continue to prioritize his commonwealth over partisan loyalty. However, his ongoing public clashes with progressive factions suggest his estrangement from the traditional Democratic base is likely to deepen.
Trump Admin Says It Uncovered $10 Billion Obamacare Fraud Scheme
The Trump administration says it has uncovered what it describes as a massive fraud scheme within the Affordable Care Act.
Members of Trump’s administration allege that roughly $10 billion in taxpayer money was improperly paid out between 2021 and 2024 because of weakened enrollment safeguards under former President Joe Biden.
According to a Department of Health and Human Services report, officials have already removed nearly three million fraudulent or improper Obamacare enrollments and estimate another 2.6 million questionable enrollments remain.
Administration officials say the findings are part of a broader government-wide effort to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse across federal programs.
The report traces the alleged problems to changes made during the Biden administration that expanded enrollment opportunities while relaxing income verification and eligibility checks.
At the start of Biden’s presidency, approximately 10 million people were enrolled through the Affordable Care Act exchanges. By 2024, enrollment had surged to roughly 22 million.
Federal investigators now believe millions of those enrollments were improper, fraudulent, or created without the knowledge of the individuals involved.
“By our estimate, improper, phantom, and fraudulent enrollment peaked at 5.6 million people in 2025,” the report states.
“We estimate 2.6 million improper and phantom enrollments remain, including over 1 million enrollments without a Social Security number.”
According to the report, several different forms of abuse contributed to the alleged fraud.
Officials say some applicants intentionally understated their income to qualify for larger taxpayer-funded subsidies.
Others allegedly received premium assistance despite failing to meet eligibility requirements.
Investigators also identified what they describe as “phantom enrollments,” in which insurance brokers allegedly enrolled people in Obamacare plans without their knowledge to collect federal commissions.
The report argues that reduced verification requirements made those practices significantly easier to carry out.
Since taking office, the Trump administration says it has restored stricter income verification requirements, ended several special enrollment periods, increased screening for duplicate Medicaid enrollment, and launched investigations into brokers suspected of creating phantom policies.
Officials also say they have strengthened oversight of agents participating in the federal marketplace.
As a result of those efforts, nearly three million enrollments have already been removed from the Affordable Care Act exchanges.
Even after those removals, approximately 19.2 million people remain enrolled.
The administration says its goal is not to reduce legitimate coverage but to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent only on individuals who actually qualify.
“Preserving the fiscal and programmatic integrity of the ACA Exchanges is key to safeguarding taxpayer-funded resources for those that truly need them,” the report states.
“The federal government paying brokers to enroll individuals without their knowledge is not.”
The report also says the administration will continue pursuing additional enforcement actions against brokers and others accused of exploiting the program.
“The Trump Administration continues to aggressively root out fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption by promulgating new regulations to improve program integrity, investigating suspected improper or fraudulent enrollment, and taking action against agents and brokers committing fraud.”
The findings are likely to reignite debate over the Affordable Care Act and how aggressively eligibility rules should be enforced.
Supporters of the administration argue the report demonstrates that stricter oversight is necessary to protect taxpayers and preserve benefits for those legally entitled to receive them.
Critics of previous verification rollbacks have long warned that loosening enrollment safeguards could increase improper payments and fraud, while supporters of the Biden-era policies argued the changes made healthcare more accessible to eligible Americans, Fox News reported exclusively.
The administration says its investigations remain ongoing, with an estimated 2.6 million additional enrollments still under review as officials continue auditing the federal health insurance exchanges.
Trump has been pushing to replace Obamacare for over a decade, and this may give Republicans enough motivation to actually do something.
NEW: Iranian President Calls For End To War, Rips Regime Hardliners
For years, Iran relied on sanctions workarounds, oil exports and relationships with regional allies to soften the impact of U.S. pressure. Recent moves by neighboring countries and Washington have made some of those escape routes increasingly difficult to maintain.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called Friday for an end to the country’s war with the United States, while taking an unusually pointed swipe at hardliners inside his own regime who continue pushing a tougher line.
Pezeshkian made the remarks during a speech to the General Assembly of the Islamic Association of the Medical Society of Iran, arguing that Tehran should move to end the conflict while he believes the country still holds a strong negotiating position.
“It is better to end the war today, when we are in power and dignity and the whole world acknowledges our victory and emphasizes that America, contrary to all regulations, attacked our schools, hospitals, and infrastructure, and is hated in the world,” Pezeshkian said, according to a translation of a transcript published by Iranian state media.
The comments marked a notable shift in tone from some of the harder-line voices inside Tehran, where powerful factions have continued calling for resistance despite mounting military and economic pressure.
Pezeshkian then appeared to turn his frustration toward critics within Iran who, in his view, are demanding more confrontation without bearing the consequences themselves.
“In the meantime, some people are sitting outside the circle; because they do not know the state of the government, the state of the parliament, and the state of the commanders, they make comments and analysis, even though they have not experienced any suffering or hardship, and then they talk about the cost. They do not find a single clause in this agreement that indicates a commitment; all commitments are related to the other party,” he said.
The remarks exposed an increasingly public divide inside the Iranian government over how long the regime can sustain the current confrontation.
Iran has faced growing pressure from the United States, including military action, sanctions and efforts to squeeze the regime’s access to oil revenue and foreign trade.
The economic damage has become harder for Tehran to ignore.
:Pezeshkian acknowledged that ordinary Iranians are feeling the effects of inflation and the broader cost of war, while warning that aggressive slogans come with real consequences.
“Criticizing the problems of inflation and issues arising from the war is not consistent with the slogans of some. When we chant slogans, we must also accept their severity,” he added.
Iran Loses Its ‘Economic Lifeline’
The Iranian president’s comments were striking because they came from inside a system where the most consequential national security decisions ultimately rest with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Pezeshkian has generally been viewed as more pragmatic than Iran‘s most hard-line political figures, but his ability to dramatically change Tehran’s foreign policy remains limited.
Still, openly calling for an end to the conflict while criticizing hawkish voices inside Iran suggests the pressure campaign is fueling a serious debate at the top of the regime.
