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Free Malaysia Today
15 hours ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Crime in Kelantan rises 15% in 2024 with notable increases in rape, theft
Kelantan police chief Yusoff Mamat said a total of 2,296 cases were reported between January and December last year, up from 1,994 cases in 2023. (Bernama pic) KOTA BHARU : Kelantan recorded a 15.1% rise in its crime index last year, driven mainly by increases in violent crime and property-related offences, according to state police chief Yusoff Mamat. He said a total of 2,296 cases were reported between January and December last year, up from 1,994 cases in 2023. Violent crime rose by 8.5% from 390 to 423 cases, while property-related crime climbed 16.7% from 1,604 to 1,872 cases, he added. 'Among the most concerning trends is the spike in rape cases, which rose 20.7%, from 130 in 2023 to 157 cases last year,' said Yusoff during the 2025 state police chief town hall meeting held at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan today. Armed robbery without firearms also increased by 25.6% from 43 to 54 cases, while assault cases saw a 6.8% rise from 147 to 157 cases. At the same time, several types of violent crimes recorded significant drops. Murder cases fell by 55.6% from nine to four, and armed robbery involving firearms dropped 60% from five to two cases. In the property crime category, theft remained the most significant contributor with 732 cases in 2024, up 50.9% from 485 cases the previous year. House break-ins also rose sharply by 41.7% with 628 cases, while car theft cases increased by 23.3% from nine to 12. However, motorcycle thefts declined significantly by 46.9% from 128 cases in 2023 to 68 last year.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Health
- Washington Post
Ernst on Medicaid cuts: ‘Well, we all are going to die'
Politics Ernst on Medicaid cuts: 'Well, we all are going to die' June 2, 2025 | 11:02 AM GMT Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) flippantly dismissed voters' concerns that people could die if Republicans cut Medicaid in President Donald Trump's immigration and tax package, during a town hall on May 30.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Murphy says Ernst's constituents ‘would just rather die in old age'
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Sunday that Sen. Joni Ernst's (R-Iowa) constituents know they will die, but 'would just rather die in old age,' referencing a town hall remark from the Iowa Republican. 'I think everybody in that audience knows that they're going to die,' Murphy told CNN's Dana Bash on 'State of the Union,' discussing comments made by Ernst on Friday in response to a remark that cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would result in deaths. 'They would just rather die in old age at 85 or 90, instead of dying at 40. And the reality is that, when you lose your health care, you are much more at risk of early death,' Murphy added. During a town hall in Butler, Iowa, Ernst defended spending reforms included in a budget reconciliation package passed by the House, including those that would stop people from getting federal benefits if they've entered the country illegally. A person in the crowd attempted to talk over the senator, interrupting her while she was answering questions about about changes to Medicaid and SNAP and shouting that people are 'going to die' as a result. 'Well, we're all going to die,' Ernst responded, drawing jeers. Ernst later doubled down on her comments on social media, saying in a Saturday Instagram post that she '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 added. The Hill has reached out to Ernst's office for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Townhall with more than 100 attendees criticizes Senator Capito and Representative Moore
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — The Mountaineers Indivisible Citizen Action (MICA) held a town hall on Saturday where concerned citizens aired their grievances with the representation from Senator Shelley Moore Capito and Representative Riley Moore. MICA said of the event on Facebook that they invited Senator Capito and Representative Moore and described the event as a 'Town Hall with (or without) Our Representatives'. Senator Capito and Representative Moore were not at the event. Instead, over 100 people filed into First Presbyterian Church in Morgantown to present their questions, concerns, and anger at two pictures of the Senator and Representative on stage. The grievances of the attendees of the town hall included cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, the executive branch overstepping its power, the abuse of the rights of immigrants and what attendees generally saw as the failure of Senator Capito and Representative Moore to speak out against these actions. A number of speakers presented their views on the Trump Administration's actions over the last couple of months. Towards the beginning of the town hall, West Virginia University Professor of Law Allison Peck said that the administration is not respecting the balance of power outlined in the Constitution. Peck went on to use the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia as an example, saying that the Trump Administration is violating court orders to return Garcia and not respecting a congressional law passed in 1952 that Peck said Garcia had previously successfully invoked in immigration court. After Peck, social worker Danny Trejo, who said he works a lot with Latino families, spoke on the impact the last few months has had on the immigrant community in Morgantown. He said that after federal law-enforcement reach an immigrant, the family that remain face hard times. '[ICE] usually get the breadwinners,' Trejo said. 'A lot of the families I'm hearing of are having problems trying to make ends meet and trying to decide if they're going to stay here or if they're going to go back to Latin America, Mexico, or South America.' Trejo went on to say that he is trying to organize donations for these families. Trump tells US steelworkers he's going to double tariffs on foreign steel to 50% Attendees were also invited to speak their thoughts and questions into a microphone. One woman asked why Senator Capito and Representative Moore were not standing up to President Trump, who she saw as breaking the law. A scientist lamented what he sees as the Trump Administration's attack on science and research. An elderly man decried that Medicare is at risk of losing significant funding under the Trump Administration. One man voiced his anger that a family member, who is a legal resident of the United States but is from Central America, is afraid to leave the house due to the Trump Administration's crackdown on immigration. One of the organizers of the event, Mindy Holcomb, said she was heartened by the display shown at town hall. 'It's heartwarming, really, because they are concerned about their neighbors. They are concerned about their family. And they don't want to see people go hungry and they don't wanna see people suffer and die or become seriously ill.' Holcomb went on to say that MICA has tried to meet with Senator Capito and Representative Moore with little success, and that MICA will continue to put pressure on Senator Capito and Representative Moore to try to get them to hear their voices. 'When people have stories like you've heard today, when they have suffering, only they can convey that,' Holcomb said. 'Having someone write down notes about what they're saying and convey that in theory to the congressman or the senator, that's not the same thing. That's not answering their questions. That's not hearing the pain that they are going through.' Holcomb ended the interview by saying, '[Senator Capito and Representative Moore] don't work for the Trump Administration. They work for us. We are their boss, and they owe us answers.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Republican senator responds to uproar after telling constituents 'we're all going to die'
A Republican senator has responded to critics after telling a town hall that 'we're all going to die' after being challenged about Medicaid. Iowa's Joni Ernst, known for her unwavering loyalty to President Donald Trump, issued the deadpan response during a town hall on Friday in the town of Butler. Constituents had pleaded with the senator to reconsider proposed cuts to Medicaid, warning that 'people will die.' 'People are not - well, we're all going to die,' Ernst's responded dismissively. But on Saturday, Ernst emerged with an apology of sorts - though it was far from contrite. Standing before a row of weathered headstones in a local cemetery, Ernst addressed the camera in a video statement dripping with sarcasm and evangelical fervor. 'Hello everyone,' she began. 'I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for a statement that I made yesterday at my town hall.' She recounted how a 'distraught' woman had screamed from the back of the auditorium: 'People are going to die!' 'I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that, yes, we are all going to perish from this earth,' Ernst said with a thin smile. '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.' Pivoting seamlessly, Ernst then turned the moment into a sermon. 'For those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life,' she declared, her voice lifting, 'I encourage you to embrace my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.' The setting, a graveyard, the final resting place of countless Iowans, was not lost on viewers for slammed the senator for being callous. 'If you missed it, she's walking through a cemetery and smugly laughing about killing Americans,' wrote one viewer. 'Using Jesus' name to make fun of the needy is evil,' said another. 'She's evil. And I'm saying this as a conservative,' tweeted a third. 'A woman yells 'People are going to die' at Joni Ernst's town hall. Her response? Sarcasm about the Tooth Fairy and a plug for Jesus. This isn't leadership. Disgusting!' raged a fourth. Her 'non-apology' came after Friday evening's clip of the exchange at the town hall went viral with critics accusing Ernst of trivializing the real consequences of the Republican-backed 'One Big Beautiful Bill'. The sweeping legislative package includes nearly $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid. The bill, passed by the House by the slimmest of margins and now awaiting action in the Senate, demands that able-bodied adults without dependents complete 80 hours of work, education, or community engagement per month to maintain Medicaid eligibility. Verification would be required twice a year, and immigrants living illegally in the US would also be purged from the program. In Iowa, more than one in five residents are on Medicaid, but the measure, celebrated by the GOP as fiscal responsibility and decried by Democrats as cruelty, will not take effect until 2029, after Trump leaves office. Embedded in the 1,000-page bill are $5 trillion in tax cuts, partially funded by rolling back the Biden-era clean energy tax credits. Opponents warn the cuts will leave millions without healthcare or food assistance. The 'Big Beautiful Bill' is intended to be an encompassing piece of legislation to allow President Donald Trump to move forward with much of his agenda, with policies ranging from tax cuts to immigration. Trump is pictured alongside Ernst in August 2016 Video of Ernst's comment started making the rounds among Democratic elected officials and candidates. Ernst is up for reelection in 2026. 'This morning, Joni Ernst said the quiet part out loud,' said Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, in a statement. He added that Republicans do not care 'about whether their own constituents live or die as long as the richest few get richer.' The Congressional Budget Office estimates 8.6 million fewer Americans would have health insurance under the plan, and 3 million fewer would receive SNAP benefits monthly. Republicans argue the bill will rein in waste and fraud while spurring economic growth. 'There's only two certainties in life: death and taxes,' a spokesperson for Ernst told the Daily Mail. 'And she's working to ease the burden of both by fighting to keep more of Iowans' hard-earned tax dollars in their own pockets and ensuring their benefits are protected from waste, fraud, and abuse.' Ernst herself has refused to walk back her support of the bill, doubling down on her defense during the now-infamous town hall. 'Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid, we will protect,' she insisted. 'Medicaid is extremely important here in the State of Iowa.'
