Latest news with #JesusChrist
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
GOP Senator Doubles Down on ‘We're All Going to Die' Talk by Mocking Voters
Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst has offered what she calls a 'sincere apology' for comments she made to an agitated audience of constituents at a town hall meeting on Friday. Amidst a chorus of heckles from voters questioning the effects Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' will have on Medicaid and food assistance cuts, one attendee could be heard shouting their fears that people would die as a result. Ernst dismissed the concern with an exasperated grin: 'Well, we're all going to die, so—for heaven's sakes, folks.' The bizarre refutation rapidly went viral, drawing criticism from Democrats including Ken Martin, who accused Ernst of 'saying the quiet part out loud' and Republicans in general of not caring if 'their own constituents live or die as long as the richest few get richer.' 'I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for a statement I made yesterday at my town hall,' Ernst said in a follow-up video posted to her Instagram Stories on Saturday, where she is walking through a graveyard. The 'sincere' apology was followed by the description of her questioning constituent as an 'extremely distraught,' screaming woman who Ernst presumed was living under the delusion that, regardless of the health and welfare policies they are subjected to, humans do not perish. 'I'm really, really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the Tooth Fairy as well,' Ernst jabbed, purposely missing the point. Fortunately, she has a solution for such mortal angst, which she offered to her viewers: 'Those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my lord and savior, Jesus Christ'. Jesus Christ indeed. The Daily Beast reached out to Ernst for comment.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Joni Ernst doubles down on bleak ‘We are all going to die' comments in sarcastic non-apology
Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst doubled down on her bleak comments in response to potential Republican Medicaid cuts by posting a sarcastic apology video on social media. The senator went viral after she said, 'We all are going to die,' when responding to a question about the proposed cuts in President Donald Trump's tax legislation during a town hall in Parkersburg on Friday. As Ernst began to answer the question, a person in the audience shouted, 'People will die!' "People are not — well, we all are going to die. For heaven's sakes, folks,' she said in response. The comment received national media attention and was widely criticized by Democrats who have slammed the possible ramifications of the proposed cuts to Medicaid. Ernst shared a video on her Instagram story on Saturday where she spoke directly to the camera, seemingly from a cemetery. "Hello everyone. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for a statement that I made yesterday at my town hall," said before going on to describe what happened. "I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that yes, we are all going to perish from this Earth," she added. "So I apologize. And I'm really, really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the tooth fairy as well.' "But for those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my lord and savior, Jesus Christ," said Ernst. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Republican tax bill will cut Medicaid spending by $723 billion over the next 10 years. The number of uninsured people could rise by as much as 7.6 million. During the town hall event in Parkersburg, Ernst argued that the goal of the legislation is to ensure that those not eligible for Medicaid don't get the benefits. "What you don't want to do is listen to me when I say that we are going to focus on those that are most vulnerable," she said. "Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid, we will protect. We will protect them. Medicaid is extremely important here in the state of Iowa. If you don't want to listen, that's fine." She subsequently went on to blame the "hysteria that's out there coming from the left" for the criticism of her initial statement. Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger responded to Ernst's Instagram story on X, writing: 'Whelp. No sense of goodness left in her now.' 'I'm sorry… is she walking through a cemetery as she makes this?' Democratic strategist Tim Hogan added.
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Joni Ernst doubles down on bleak ‘We are all going to die' comments in sarcastic non-apology
The senator went viral after she said, 'We all are going to die,' when responding to a question about the proposed cuts in President Donald Trump 's tax legislation during a town hall in Parkersburg on Friday. As Ernst began to answer the question, a person in the audience shouted, 'People will die!' "People are not — well, we all are going to die. For heaven's sakes, folks,' she said in response. Ernst shared a video on her Instagram story on Saturday where she spoke directly to the camera, seemingly from a cemetery. "Hello everyone. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for a statement that I made yesterday at my town hall," said before going on to describe what happened. "I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that yes, we are all going to perish from this Earth," she added. "So I apologize. And I'm really, really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the tooth fairy as well.' "But for those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my lord and savior, Jesus Christ," said Ernst. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Republican tax bill will cut Medicaid spending by $723 billion over the next 10 years. The number of uninsured people could rise by as much as 7.6 million. During the town hall event in Parkersburg, Ernst argued that the goal of the legislation is to ensure that those not eligible for Medicaid don't get the benefits. "What you don't want to do is listen to me when I say that we are going to focus on those that are most vulnerable," she said. "Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid, we will protect. We will protect them. Medicaid is extremely important here in the state of Iowa. If you don't want to listen, that's fine." She subsequently went on to blame the "hysteria that's out there coming from the left" for the criticism of her initial statement. Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger responded to Ernst's Instagram story on X, writing: 'Whelp. No sense of goodness left in her now.' 'I'm sorry… is she walking through a cemetery as she makes this?' Democratic strategist Tim Hogan added.
USA Today
a day ago
- Business
- USA Today
Manager fired after wearing religious T-shirts to oppose Pride Month gets settlement
Manager fired after wearing religious T-shirts to oppose Pride Month gets settlement Show Caption Hide Caption San Francisco Pride faces shortfall as corporate sponsors pull out Several major companies have opted out of donating to San Francisco Pride this year, such as Anheuser-Busch, Diageo, Nissan, and Comcast. An Iowa man reached a settlement with Eaton Corp., the company that fired him after he wore Christian-themed T-shirts during Pride Month. The lawsuit claimed the shirts were in response to the company's promotion of Pride Month and expressed the employee's religious beliefs. The company argued the firing was based on legitimate business reasons and not discriminatory. An Iowa man has reached an out-of-court settlement with the former employer he accused of firing him for wearing Christian-themed T-shirts to work in response to the company's endorsement of Pride Month. In June 2024, Cosby 'Corey' Cunningham sued Eaton Corp., a global power management company with an office in Davenport, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, alleging violations of his civil rights. Cunningham, a self-described born-again, churchgoing Christian, was hired by Eaton in 2019 as a quality manager with responsibilities for product development related to military and aerospace activity. According to his lawsuit, Eaton initiated a Pride Month ceremony on June 2, 2023, by raising a pride flag in front of its main building and encouraging employees to wear specific colors in support of the effort. Management also sent emails to the staff offering pride-themed T-shirts for workers to purchase, the lawsuit claims. That day, Cunningham alleges, he began wearing T-shirts at work that displayed or referred to Bible verses. According to the lawsuit, he wanted to 'express his sincerely held religious belief in Jesus Christ and the Bible.' Over the next eight weeks, Eaton managers allegedly held a series of meetings with Cunningham to express their concern that his actions were perceived by others as inflammatory and that they might violate company policy. According to the lawsuit, management refused Cunningham's requests for a religious accommodation to wear the T-shirts, threatened him with dismissal, and sent him home on at least two occasions for refusing to stop wearing the shirts. On Aug. 23, 2023, the company fired Cunningham, the lawsuit alleges. Conservative institute provides legal representation In his lawsuit, Cunningham stated that he believes 'homosexual conduct is sinful' and that he had been called upon to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others. Doing so, he claimed, required him to share with others even those biblical teachings that are offensive to those who don't share such beliefs. In its response to those claims, lawyers for the Eaton Corp. argued Cunningham was not entitled to any damages because any actions taken by the company against him 'were legitimate and non-discriminatory and non-retaliatory,' and were based on legitimate business reasons. Representing Cunningham in his lawsuit was Robert Anderson of Atlantic, Iowa, an attorney for the Pacific Justice Institute, a conservative organization that said it works to promote religious freedom and parental rights. The Southern Poverty Law Center has characterized the Pacific Justice Institute as 'an anti-LGBT hate group' whose founder has 'compared legalized gay marriage to Hitler and the Nazis' ascent in Germany.' Anderson said on May 22 that he's not at liberty to comment on the specifics of the settlement that was reached in April. Attorneys for Eaton Corp. did not respond immediately to requests for comment. Find this story at The Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network and at Iowa Capital Dispatch, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ernst doubles down on Medicaid comment with sarcastic video ‘apology'
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) doubled down on a recent quip about Medicaid in a Saturday post on her Instagram story. 'Hello, everyone. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for a statement that I made yesterday at my town hall,' Ernst said in the clip, with a sarcastic tone. On Friday, the Iowa Republican was jeered after brushing aside life or death concerns about cuts to Medicaid, a public health insurance program for low income families and individuals with disabilities. 'See I was in the process of answering a question that had been asked by an audience member, when a woman who was extremely distraught, screamed out from the back corner of the auditorium, people are going to die,' Ernst said Saturday. 'And I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that, yes, we are all going to perish from this earth. So I apologize, and I'm really, really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the tooth fairy as well,' she continued. The Iowa lawmaker then encouraged viewers who want to see 'eternal and everlasting life' to 'embrace' Jesus Christ. During her Friday event in Butler, Iowa, Ernst promised that Republicans would 'protect' social services for the most vulnerable. She suggested that those who work and have opportunity for benefits elsewhere 'receive those benefits elsewhere' and leave taxpayer dollars for those eligible for Medicaid. Under the current GOP-House passed spending bill, millions would lose access to healthcare if passed by the Senate. 'Children will get hurt. Women will get hurt. Older Americans who rely on Medicaid for nursing home care and for home care will get hurt. People with disabilities who rely on Medicaid to survive will get hurt,' House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said during the debate on the bill, according to Politico. 'Hospitals in your districts will close. Nursing homes will shut down. And people will die. That's not hype. That's not hyperbole. That's not a hypothetical,' he added. Every Democrat who voted in the House, voted against the bill. Some Senate Republicans have pledged to make some edits to the legislation, objecting to changes to Medicaid, the proposed phaseout of clean energy incentives and an increase in the federal debt. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
