Latest news with #BobDole
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Eddie Murphy recalls playing dejected wife in 'Nutty Professor 2' erectile dysfunction scene: 'Strange place to be in'
Count Eddie Murphy as one of the many fans of his Nutty Professor movies, in which he plays multiple characters, thanks to his funny impressions and some serious movie magic. "You know what I like in Nutty Professor 2?" Murphy asked Thursday on The Jennifer Hudson Show. "The relationship between his parents, cause his father is impotent. He can't get there. So I have that whole thing where she's like, 'Why don't you take some Viagra?'" Released in 2000, Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps again starred Murphy as several family members, including the titular professor and, yes, his parents. The sequel to the 1996 hit The Nutty Professor, a remake of the 1963 Jerry Lewis title, was released less than two years after the new drug Viagra caused a buzz with its ads featuring retired politician Bob Dole. "When I was doing that scene," Murphy continued, "I had to sit on the bed and look dejected, because my husband couldn't get an erection. I was like, 'This is a strange place to be in right now.'" Even so, the Nutty Professor movies, about a shy, portly professor who discovers a chemical that transforms him into a handsome but obnoxious alter ago, were box office gold. The Klumps alone earned $166 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo. The movies are special to Murphy for another reason, too. "I think if I could only take one movie to represent me, I would take Nutty Professor," said the star of movie franchises including Beverly Hills Cop, Shrek, and Doctor Dolittle. Keke Palmer, who was a guest on the same episode as Murphy, agreed. "Cause he was covering all bases: drama, comedy, family — even some trauma," Palmer said. "I mean, Nutty Professor was trying to get over some stuff."In the first film, Sherman is publicly shamed for his appearance on an especially humiliating night out. The comedy chameleon also shared some particularly happy news during his visit to his former Dreamgirls costar. He confirmed that his son, Eric, had officially married Jasmin Lawrence, the daughter of his fellow comedian and sometimes costar Martin Lawrence. "Yeah, we're in-laws," he said. Watch Murphy's full interview above. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kansas advocacy group marks HOPE Act anniversary by calling attention to food insecurity
Jami Reever, executive director for Kansas Appleseed, said on the 10-year anniversary of a state law restricting access to food program benefits that Kansas ought to honor the legacy of the late U.S. Sen. Robert Dole, R-Kansas, by aligning policy with programs demonstrated to reduce hunger. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — The advocacy organization Kansas Appleseed marked the 10th anniversary of the HOPE Act by denouncing the legacy of a state law blamed for undermining food security and work of the late U.S. Sen. Robert Dole to aid malnourished people. The HOPE Act, formally known as the Kansas Hope, Opportunity and Prosperity for Everyone Act, was signed into law in April 2015 by then-Gov. Sam Brownback. The measure significantly increased barriers to participation among Kansans in SNAP, previously known as the food stamp program. In the subsequent decade, Republican leadership in the Kansas Legislature has continued to seek expansion of restrictions on SNAP beyond minimum requirements in federal law. 'As a born-and-raised Kansan, living just 30 miles from Bob Dole's hometown, I knew from a young age that if Bob Dole fought for something, it was the right thing to do.' said Jami Reever, executive director for Kansas Appleseed. 'His fight to end hunger became Kansas' fight to end hunger, and to see that legacy stripped away year after year is contrary to Kansas values.' On Wednesday, Kansas Appleseed released a report on the 10-year anniversary of the HOPE Act that outlined political history of anti-hunger initiatives tied to Kansas, challenged criticism of SNAP and recommended the state embrace policies to better meet food needs of families. The report said Kansas ranked 48th among the states and District of Columbia in terms of SNAP access. The state ranked fifth-lowest in terms of the rate of eligible people enrolled in SNAP, Kansas Appleseed said. 'This report highlights the sharp contrast between our state's regressive approach to SNAP and the compassionate, bipartisan legacy of feeding people that Kansas forefather Bob Dole left our state,' said Haley Kottler of Kansas Appleseed. 'Because of these regressive approaches, Kansas has gone from leading the nation on anti-hunger efforts to becoming one of the hardest places to access SNAP. That is not who we are, and it is not who we have to be.' Kansas Appleseed proposed enhancing access to SNAP to mirror 'real needs of everyday, hardworking Kansans.' Research showed participation in SNAP improved dietary intake, supported mental health, reduced poverty and promoted economic self-sufficiency, Kansas Appleseed said. In 2015, Brownback took on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program borne of bipartisan advocacy by Republican U.S. Sen. Dole of Kansas and the late Democratic U.S. Sen. George McGovern of South Dakota. Brownback signed the HOPE Act to limit adults without children to three months on SNAP during any 36-month period in which the person wasn't employed part-time or enrolled in job training. In addition, individuals with a felony drug conviction were given a lifetime ban from SNAP in Kansas. People without authority to legally live in the United States were excluded from calculations of household size when determining SNAP eligibility, but earnings of those immigrants was counted when assessing whether a household qualified in terms of overall income. The law also forbid use of federal or state funding to inform the public about available food assistance. Brownback also banned use of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families cash assistance to buy alcohol, cigarettes or lottery, concert or sports event tickets. TANF cash couldn't be expended in a movie theater, swimming pool, theme park or video arcade. Brownback said the idea was to implement state laws that could compel people to lift themselves out of poverty. 'The primary focus of the bill is to get people back to work,' Brownback said at the time. 'Because that's where the real benefit is — getting people off public assistance and back into the marketplace with the dignity.' Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who voted against the HOPE Act in 2015 while a member of the Kansas Senate, said state laws undermining the potential of SNAP and TANF were a mistake. 'The HOPE Act was wrong then, and it remains wrong now,' Kelly said. 'Now, more than ever, the Legislature should look for ways to support working Kansas families rather than further shredding the safety net that gives Kansans a bridge back to self-sufficiency.' Research by a University of Kansas professor indicated state policy or law limiting enrollment in SNAP made it more difficult to prevent child abuse or neglect as well as prevent entry of children into foster care. In aftermath of the HOPE Act, the number of Kansas children in foster care reached a record level. Hunger Free America reported U.S. Department of Agriculture data indicated 15.3% of Kansas residents lived in food insecure households between 2021 to 2023. That included 13.6% of children, 8.4% of working adults and 6.6% of elderly residents in Kansas. House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, created in 2022 the House Welfare Reform Committee to advance the welfare agenda started by Brownback. In a speech, Hawkins said the state should focus on shrinking government rather than 'growing the welfare state and dependency.' He said tax dollars ought to be reserved for 'the truly needy instead of siphoning them away to able-bodied adults who don't want to work.' That point of emphasis led to House Bill 2140, which was advanced in 2023 to further limit eligibility for SNAP. Existing law at that time blocked SNAP benefits to able-bodied adults 18 to 49 without dependents and not employed at least 30 hours per week unless they were in a job training program. The bill, which died in the Senate, would have extended the prohibition to Kansans 50 to 59 years of age. Another piece of legislation in 2023, endorsed by the Florida think tank Opportunity Solutions Project, would cut SNAP benefits to noncustodial parents who fell behind in child support payments. GOP advocates of the concept said the legislation would withhold food aid from families as leverage to extract cash from 'deadbeat' parents. Sen. Oletha Faust Goudeau, a Wichita Democrat, said the bill would have made it less likely parents could support their children and more likely people went hungry. 'Reducing access to food for Kansans who are already struggling financially is unnecessarily harsh and ineffective,' Faust Goudeau said. In the 2025 session, the House and Senate approved a bill requiring the state to seek permission from USDA to exclude candy and soft drinks from Kansas' list of products eligible to be bought with SNAP benefits. Kelly vetoed the bill. The Senate voted to override the governor, but the House didn't challenge the veto. 'Restricting assistance under the guise of making sure low-income individuals are 'healthy' strips them of their dignity,' said Sen. Pat Pettey, a Democrat from Kansas City, Kansas. 'Families in poverty face enough challenges, but what they chose to eat should not be legislated.'
Bloomberg
27-02-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
We're Turning Down Free Money by Firing IRS Workers
In 1982, a year after shepherding President Ronald Reagan's tax cut — the biggest ever — through the US Senate, Republican Bob Dole decided something had to be done about the resulting increase in the federal deficit. That something was the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982, which closed income-tax loopholes and increased excise taxes on cigarettes and phone service. It also provided billions of dollars in new funding for 'improved enforcement' by the Internal Revenue Service. 'As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, my obligation is to make certain that everybody pays the tax they owe before we go back and ask people to pay more tax,' Dole explained at the time. Give the IRS enough resources, his reasoning went, and you could collect more taxes without increasing the burden on law-abiding taxpayers. This philosophy was to hold sway for the rest of the Reagan years, with the number of IRS employees increasing 39% from 1982 to 1988.
