Latest news with #HotTopic
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ernst said we're all going to die. Can we get decent health care in the meantime?
If death and taxes are the only certainties, Joni Ernst is here to cut one and fast-track the other. 'We all are going to die," she said. You might think that's a line from a nihilistic French play. Or something a teenage goth said in Hot Topic. Or an epiphany from your stoner college roommate after he watched Interstellar at 3 a.m. But that was actually the Iowa Senator's God-honest response to concerns that slashing Medicaid to achieve President Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' would lead to more preventable deaths. The full exchange at a May 30 town hall included one audience member shouting at the stage, 'People will die!' And Ernst responding, 'People are not — well, we all are going to die, so for heaven's sake.' That's not a healthcare policy — that's a horoscope for the terminally screwed. As you can imagine, the internet didn't love it, because losing your health should not trigger the equivalent of a shrug emoji from someone elected to serve the public good. But rather than walking it back, Ernst leaned in, filming a mock apology in a graveyard because nothing says, 'I care about your future,' like filming next to people who don't have one. Ernst's comments aren't just philosophical musings. She's justifying policy choices that cause real harm. If passed, this bill would, according to the Congressional Budget Office, remove health coverage for up to 7.6 million Americans. That's not just 'we all die someday' territory. That's 'some people will die soon and needlessly.' What makes this even more galling is that the people pushing these cuts have access to high-quality, taxpayer-subsidized healthcare. Congress gets the AAA, platinum, concierge-level government plan. Meanwhile, millions of Americans are told to try their luck with essential oils or YouTube acupuncture tutorials. Honestly, it felt more like performance art than policy: 'Sorry about your grandma getting kicked out of her assisted living facility. Please enjoy this scenic view of her future! LOL!' We're not asking you to defeat death, senator. Death is both inevitable and bipartisan. But there is a broad chasm between dying peacefully at 85 and dying in your 40's because your Medicaid plan disappeared and your GoFundMe didn't meet its goal. Opinion: We asked readers about wake boats on Wisconsin lakes. Here's what you said. Fundamentally, governing is about priorities. A budget is a moral document. When a lawmaker tells you 'we're all going to die' in response to a policy choice, they're telling you 'I've made peace with your suffering as collateral damage.' And if a U.S. Senator can stand in a cemetery and joke about it, you have to wonder — who do our federal legislators think those graves are for? This isn't just about one comment or one bill. It's about a mindset that treats healthcare as a luxury rather than a right. If death is inevitable, then access to healthcare you can afford is what helps determine how long you have, how comfortably you live, and whether you get to watch your kids grow up. Healthcare isn't about escaping death. It's about dignity and quality of life while we are here. Ernst got one thing right: death will come for us all. But leadership, real leadership, is about helping people live as long and as well as they can before that day comes. You want to make jokes, Senator? Fine. But if your punchline is 'You're all going to die anyway,' don't be surprised when your constituents realize the joke's on them. Kristin Brey is the "My Take" columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Iowa senator's death remarks used to justify bad policies | Letters
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Five Fiendish Ways to Celebrate 'World Goth Day' in L.A.
How exactly something becomes a celebratory "day" is questionable, but like falling trees in the woods, if enough people are aware and acknowledge it, that's kind of all it takes. "World Goth Day" became a thing after BBC Radio DJs Cruel Britannia and Martin OldGoth started celebrating dark music in the U.K. on the date annually back in 2009. Most define the "goth" scene (short for Gothic) by its dark fashion and music, but even before this "holiday" came to be —and ever since— there's been contention over the word and what it actually means. There's different sub-categories too: "Trad goth" — traditional lacy, witchy frocks, pale face and dramatic eye makeup; industrial goth — futuristically fiendish looks with cyber vibes; pastel goths and Gothic lolitas — girlish bows, ruffles and doll-like get-ups with edge... And that's just to start. Factor in music artists and genres, and fans of dark culture will almost always have something to dispute. Suffice to say, if you equate "Goth" to Marilyn Manson, Fred Armisen's satirical takes on Portlandia or anything that can be bought at Hot Topic in the mall, you should probably do a little reading, and start HERE. For this round-up, we highlight some obvious and not so obvious ways to get in touch with your dark side tonight, and all weekend long, alongside images of some great gothy get-ups at this past weekend's Cruel World festival that prove this subculture might love death, but it will never die. SHOP TIL YOU DROPYou can snag cheap corsets and tights online, but several stores in Los Angeles offer authentic gloomy glam garb you can try before you buy. (home of the Kreepsville brand) in East L.A. is great for accessories, while Foxblood on Melrose offers the widest selection of black dresses in town (and their sister store down the street offers pretty pastel pieces). At in Burbank, they've got cool tees and DIY clothing; and a drive to Long Beach is worth it for , stocking haunted housewares, accessories and more. IMMERSE IN MUSIC Check out local label Cleopatra Records for the best O.G. deathrock from L.A. and the U.K., plus new artists inspired by the rapturous beats evoking gloom, doom and decadence. TOUCH TOMBS is the ultimate graveyard environment with its gorgeous grounds, historic headstones and wild animals (feral cats, ducks and peacocks). Yes, Marky Ramone's cenotaph is there (he's not), but old movie stars Rudolph Valentino and Cecil B. Demille are even more ghostly & SIPGoths tend to love all things spooky and provides a creepy way to get your caffeine, with freaky and fun flavors inspired by Frankenstein, Edward Scissorhands and more the characters from your nightmares. DANCING TO DIE FORRev. John 's L.A. industrial goth night Das Bunker is one of the most legendary dark dance bashes in the city, but his more sporadic soiree, , going down this Sunday at the Slipper Clutch, provides the macabre mood and dance floor drama that made this scene so popular in L.A. to begin with.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jack Black Channels My Chemical Romance In ‘SNL' Musical Sketch ‘Goth Kid on Vacation'
In a major throwback to 2006, Jack Black returned to host Saturday Night Live this weekend, and he brought a My Chemical Romance tribute with him. The 3x Golden Globe nominee channeled Gerard Way in the sketch 'Goth Kid on Vacation', which parodied the '06 single 'Welcome to the Black Parade' with a Jamaican reggae medley featuring Kenan Thompson and Ego Nwodim. More from Deadline 'SNL' Promo: Jack Black And Elton John Aren't Getting Along Jack Black Lights Up 'SNL' Stage With Lively Opening Song Featuring Marching Band: 'I'm Back' 'A Minecraft Movie' Takes Over World With $301M Global Opening - International Box Office 'When I was a young boy, my parents took me down to Jamaica for my high school spring break / they said 'come to the pool,' but I stayed in the room with my graphic novels so I could masturbate,' sang Black as he rode a Black Parade float on the beach decked out with the Jamaican flag. The sketch starred Michael Longfellow as the titular goth kid, awkwardly following his family around the tropical locale in his layered black Hot Topic gear. Just like 'Welcome to the Black Parade', Black's last appearance on SNL was in 2006, when he served as musical guest with Tenacious D. He also hosted the show in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Although Black relinquished his musical duties this time to Elton John and Brandi Carlile, he graced the audience with a few performances, including an opening monologue number, an airborne satin pajama love song and a redneck bass jam sesh. Best of Deadline '1923' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? Everything We Know About 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 So Far Everything We Know About 'Hacks' Season 4 So Far
Buzz Feed
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Buzz Feed
Well, Well, Well, Here's How Conservatives Are Reacting To The Secret War Plan Group Chat
Hot Topic 🔥 Full coverage and conversation on Politics In case you missed it, on Monday, The Atlantic reported that Jeffrey Goldberg, the magazine's editor-in-chief, was mistakenly added to a Signal group chat where former Fox & Friends Weekend host, now Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, discussed sensitive war plans. "The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans" would probably be a bombshell of a headline if it were another administration (after all, Hegseth previously criticized Hillary Clinton incessantly for using a private server while secretary of state). Yet, it remains to be seen what will be done about this "extraordinary breach of American national security intelligence," as the New York Times called it. 1. "Incompetent to say the least." — Stockjock1, Conservative 2. "Damn, you'd think with the billions and billions spent on defense, the USA would have its very secure messaging system only available on government phones or something." — Possible-Tangelo9344, Conservative 3. "FFS…I mean, seriously, they were using SIGNAL to communicate real-time military planning and actions. And even if that was okay, which it certainly is not, they accidentally added a freaking REPORTER from The Atlantic to the text group, and NO-ONE noticed…unacceptable on every imaginable level." — RickyPickyRick, "Goldwater" Conservative 4. "I read the article. A clusterfuck. A fucking cclusterfuck" — Starlifter4, Conservative 5. "Good Lord. 🤦🏾♂️" — PimplePopper6969, Catholic Conservative 6. "This is peak incompetence on so many levels. First of all they are violating all kinds of Operations Security (OPSEC) by doing this on Signal. [Waltz] is so incompetent that he added strangers to the mix and didn't realize it. Hegseth is also very incompetent in telling the others their information about US strike packages, sequencing, and tactics. Such information shouldn't be shared anywhere!" "There's no need for Tulsi or [Waltz] to know the exact strategy that we use. Second, this is a violation of government records. As they worked for US government and they are on government phone, their records should be kept, not deleted after X days. This is so incompetent! Anyone doing this in the military would get booted immediately." — OrdoXenos, "Pro-life" Conservative 7. "A couple of quotes from Hegseth in 2016 regarding Hillary's unapproved classified server: 'The people we rely on to do dangerous and difficult things for us rely on one thing from us: That we will not reveal their identity, that we will not be reckless with the dangerous thing they are doing for us. That's the national security implications of a private server that's unsecured.'" And, "'How damaging is it to your ability to recruit or build allies with others when they are worried that our leaders may be exposing them because of their gross negligence or their recklessness in handling information?'" — earl_lemongrab, "Reagan" Conservative 8. "This one is just bad. No amount of imagination can conjure up a defense for this. Button that shit up." — Single-Stop6768, "Americanism" Conservative 9. "Why is Signal on government phones?" — uponone, "Second Amendment" Conservative "Rules don't apply to some, apparently. This is what happens." — zleog50, Constitutionalist Republican 11. "Verify the veracity of this story. If it is found that Waltz did indeed add a journalist, he should be fired and it should be investigated whether this was an instance of providing plausible deniability to the journalist by adding him 'by mistake.' If found that Hegseth shared classified information on an unapproved platform, he should be fired. The bottom line is that if any rank-and-file member of the armed forces did this, they would be instantaneously persona non grata. There should be no difference in treatment if the allegations are proven to be true." — vertigonex, "Second Amendment" Conservative 12. "Everyone of them should have their clearance pulled, arrested, charged and sent to Gitmo." — JJMcGIII, Orthodox Constitutionalist 13. "🤦♂️ every fucking day, there's something new. Just stick to the fucking platform and stay focused. Don't [hire] unqualified idiots to the most important positions on the planet. Don't focus on idiotic, fruitless side quests instead of focusing on prominent campaign promises. I still have faith that things will work out in the end, but I am so so frustrated." — PaddyMayonaise, "Manifest Destiny" Conservative 14. "Pretty bad look, tbh. They aren't wrong, but it's still bad to be discussing that shit on Signal and not a more secure method of communication that I have to imagine is available to the Vice President and the Secretary of Defense." — -DizzyPanda-, Conservative "What do you mean they aren't wrong? Not only is it illegal to transmit classified information through A) unapproved means and B) to someone without proper clearance and a need to know that is in fact a crime to fail to REPORT that this has happened if you are even remotely aware of it. At the very least, anyone else would have their device seized and it would be investigated by the FBI to contain and sanitize the classified spill. Yeah, it's a bad look, alright." — Madetoprint, Constitutional Conservative 15. And finally, "I don't know what is worse: that this happened in a communication the Secretary of Defense was directly party to (even though Hegseth was not the one who actually added the reporter) or that they are using freaking Signal to communicate. I suspect this is just a symptom of the larger character of unprofessionalism that seems to perpetually dog this administration. There needs to be a real investigation into what other matters are being handled so flippantly." "[Waltz] should be fired, and if Hegseth can't adequately get ahead of this, he needs to go too. When the DoD is involved, there is no room for 'three strikes.' It might have been an accident, but accidents imply negligence. These are exactly the type of weaknesses our enemies will wait for and exploit." — Coastie456, Minarchist Welp, I personally don't want to hear from the "BuT HeR EmAiLs" folks again. When top security officials feel comfortable using an unsecured platform to carry out war actions, I agree with Pete Buttigieg: "These people cannot keep America safe."
Buzz Feed
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Wands At The Ready — It's Time To Create A Completely Custom Harry Potter Spell
Hot Topic 🔥 Full coverage and conversation on the BuzzFeed Arcade There are over 200 spells in the Wizarding World, but let's be honest — that's just not enough. Where's the spell that turns water into tequila? Or one that freezes time? Clearly, we need more magic in our lives. So I made it happen. With my Harry Potter Spell Creator, you can now create completely original spells that fit your vibe. Attack spells? Defensive charms? Pure chaos? It's all possible — just a few clicks away. Go ahead and try it out below!
