The Arizona Sun Times

January 29, 2022

New Poll Finds Kari Lake Remains Arizona GOP Gubernatorial Frontrunner, Opponents Increase Support

A new poll shows Arizona GOP gubernatorial contender Kari Lake remains the Republican frontrunner, but her opponents are gaining ground. According to the analysis from OH Predictive Insights (OHPI), Lake's poll numbers have not shown "meaningful" growth during the last...

January 29, 2022

Commentary: Meet the Capitol Police’s New Spy Chief

When most Americans hear the term “Capitol Police,” they likely conjure visions of uniformed officers manning metal detectors at the numerous congressional buildings or helping tourists navigate the sprawling Capitol grounds: a D.C. version of a mall cop. That imagery,...

January 29, 2022

Facebook Exec Promises to Crack Down on ‘Falsehoods’ Targeting ‘Marginalized Communities’

Roy Austin, vice president of civil rights for Facebook parent company Meta, pledged to crack down on “misinformation” and alleged discriminatory conduct propagated by the social media platform. “We’re living in a time and a society where there are people...

January 29, 2022

Commentary: Regular Exercise Restructures the Brain

Physical activity can do wonders for the body. Exercise can trim weight, chisel muscles, and strengthen the lower back, among many other benefits. Less overt, but no less consequential, physical activity can also buff up your brain. Science is increasingly...

January 29, 2022

Biden Reportedly Plans to Regulate Crypto over National Security Concerns

President Joe Biden is set to announce guidelines for regulating cryptocurrencies in the coming weeks, Barron’s reported. The initiative will involve the State Department, Treasury Department, National Economic Council, Council of Economic Advisers and White House National Security Council, according to Barron’s,...

January 29, 2022

Commentary: The Contentious Battle to Replace Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer

Wednesday’s announcement by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer that he would be retiring at the end of the court’s current session has raised the obvious question of how contentious the battle over his replacement will be. One thing is almost...

January 29, 2022

Record Gun Sales Fueled by 5.4 Million First Time Buyers

Gun sales surged to a record high in 2021, fueled by first-time gun owners, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). At least 5.4 million people purchased firearms for the first time in 2021, with roughly 30% of all gun purchases...

January 29, 2022

Alaska Joins Texas Lawsuit Against Biden Vaccine Mandate for National Guard

On Thursday, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy (R-Alaska) announced that his state would be joining a lawsuit, originally filed earlier this month by Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas), against the Biden Administration for its mandate requiring vaccinations for all members of...

January 29, 2022

Connecticut Republicans and Democrats Argue Congressional Map Case in Court

The state’s Supreme Court has until Feb. 15 to render a decision on how Connecticut’s congressional district maps will be drawn. The court heard arguments Thursday from attorneys representing Republican and Democratic members of the Reapportionment Commission, who have been...

January 29, 2022

Fauci: ‘Three-Dose Regimen’ of Pfizer Vax for Infants and Toddlers is Coming

The Biden administration is planning to recommend the experimental mRNA vaccines for babies as young as six months old, despite alarming safety signals and concerns that mass vaccination is making the pandemic worse. White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony...

January 29, 2022

Swimmer Says Her Team Is Uncomfortable Sharing Locker Room with Trans Swimmer Lia Thomas

A female swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania said the school brushed off her and her teammates’ concerns about sharing locker rooms with a male swimmer, the Daily Mail reported. She and her teammates felt uncomfortable sharing locker rooms with transgender...

January 29, 2022

Missouri Considers Pension Changes to Solve Teacher Shortage

Legislators are considering changes to Missouri’s teacher and non-certified school employee pension plans to alleviate pandemic-related teacher and staff shortages. HB2114, sponsored by Rep. Rusty Black, R-Chillicothe, will reduce restrictions on pensions if a retired public school teacher returns to...

January 29, 2022

Iowa Schools Must Require Masking to Accommodate Students with Disabilities

Iowa schools must require masking when necessary as a reasonable accommodation for students with disabilities, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at St. Louis ruled Tuesday. The court cited the Rehabilitation Act Section 504 in its determination. What’s more, Iowa statute currently...

January 29, 2022

Poll: Phoenicians Blame Democratic Mayor and City Council, Not Police for Public Safety Problems

A survey conducted by OH Predictive Insights on behalf of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association (PLEA) found that Phoenix voters overwhelmingly fault Democratic Mayor Kate Gallego and the Democrat dominated City Council for public safety problems. More than three in...

January 28, 2022

Evacuation Flight Departs Afghanistan for the First Time Since November

On Wednesday, after a nearly two-month pause, another evacuation flight departed the country of Afghanistan en route for the United States. According to CNN, the flight was a Qatar Airways flight that departed from Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, paid for...

January 28, 2022

Breyer’s Retirement Gives President Biden Chance to Name New Justice Before Democrats Lose Senate

The second most senior Supreme Court associate justice decided to retire from the high court bench at the end of the court’s session in June, according to multiple media reports. There was no official statement from the Supreme Court, but...

January 28, 2022

Commentary: Many Reasons Exist Why Putin Has Not Been Deterred

Americans want an autonomous Ukraine to survive. They hope the West can stop Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strangulation of both Ukraine and NATO. Yet Americans do not want their troops to venture across the world to Europe’s backyard to fight nuclear Russia...

January 28, 2022

Democrats’ ‘America Competes’ Act Allocates Millions for ‘Diversity’ Programs

Legislation designed to make the U.S. more competitive with China includes millions in appropriations for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The America COMPETES Act, introduced by House Democrats late Tuesday, is a companion to a bipartisan bill that passed the Senate in June 2021,...

January 28, 2022

Commentary: The Russiagate Evidence Builds

As indictments and new court filings indicate that Special Counsel John Durham is investigating Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign for feeding false reports to the FBI to incriminate Donald Trump and his advisers as Kremlin agents, Clinton’s role in the burgeoning...

January 28, 2022

U.S. Economy Grew Faster Than Expected at the End of 2021

The U.S. economy grew at a faster rate than was anticipated pace in the fourth quarter of 2021, benefiting from solid consumer demand before the slowdown caused by the Omicron coronavirus variant and supply chain disruptions. U.S. Gross Domestic Product...

January 28, 2022

Missouri Attorney General Asks Mayorkas to End Policy Allowing Migrants to Use Arrest Warrants as ID

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt asked Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to end certain immigration policies he believes have left the country less safe, suggesting the department should also consider a name change. Schmitt urged Mayorkas to address the use...

January 28, 2022

Dan Bongino Permanently Banned from YouTube

Conservative talk show host Dan Bongino had both of his YouTube accounts permanently banned Wednesday, a YouTube spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation. Bongino’s second channel, the Dan Bongino Show Clips, was initially suspended and demonetized for seven days after...

January 28, 2022

Arizona Senate Government Committee Advances Seven Election Integrity Bills

One of the biggest priorities in the Arizona Legislature this year is election integrity, due to concerns about fraud in the 2020 Arizona presidential election. Legislators have dropped many bills to combat voter fraud, with seven passing out of the...

January 27, 2022

Federal Reserve Indicates Interest Rate Hike Arriving in March

With both volatile markets and significant inflation in the mix, the Federal Reserve on Wednesday indicated that it may soon raise interest rates for the first time in more than three years. "With inflation well above 2 percent and a...

January 27, 2022

Commentary: Biden’s ‘More Inflation’ Economy Could Prove Fatal for Democrats

“No, it’s a great asset. More inflation. What a stupid son of a bitch.” That was President Joe Biden’s hot mic description of Fox News’ Peter Doocy on Jan. 24 after he asked “Will you take questions on inflation then? Do you...

January 27, 2022

Republican Lawmakers Demand Answers from Mayorkas Regarding DHS Documents TSA Allows Migrants to Use as Identification

Republican lawmakers have demanded the Biden administration answer questions regarding alternate forms of identification the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says it accepts from migrants traveling throughout the country. Republican Texas Rep. Lance Gooden, along with 21 other Republican lawmakers, sent...

January 27, 2022

International Monetary Fund Projects Weaker Than Expected 2022 Economic Growth for U.S. and China

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its global economic growth forecast for 2022 on Tuesday, citing growing COVID-19 cases, supply chain bottlenecks and soaring inflation. The IMF now projects global gross domestic (GDP) product to grow 4.4% in 2022, down...

January 27, 2022

If Feds End Soybean Tax, Missouri Bill Would Hike Tax by Same Amount

If the federal government’s .25% assessment on each bushel of soybeans is halted, a bill in the Missouri legislature would capture that amount and add it to the state’s current collection of .25%, giving additional millions to the Missouri Soybean...

January 27, 2022

Iowa Governor Requests DHS Staff Salary Increases, ‘Status Quo’ on Medicaid Funding

For the first time in at least 15 years, an Iowa governor has not recommended funding changes for Medicaid. The announcement was made by Legislative Service Agency Analyst Jess Benson as he presented Gov. Kim Reynolds’ fiscal year 2023 Department...

January 27, 2022

Commentary: Sen. Hawley Pushes Stepped-Up Human Trafficking Reforms

In a press conference last week that lasted nearly two hours, President Biden expressed frustration with efforts by the opposition party to thwart the more ambitious aspects of his policy agenda. “Think about this: What are Republicans for?” Biden said...

January 27, 2022

Teacher Shortages Nationwide Causing Public Education Crisis

Schools throughout the country are experiencing teacher shortages due to several factors. In some states, legislatures have responded by lowering substitute teaching standards. In others, schools are calling on parents to fill the gap or are simply closing schools because...

January 27, 2022

Department of Energy to Release Millions of Barrels of Oil From Reserve to Combat Surging Gas Prices

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced Tuesday the release of millions of barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to combat soaring gas prices. The DOE approved the release of 13.4 million barrels from its SPR, marking the...

January 27, 2022

Biden’s FCC Pick Gigi Sohn Cut Sweetheart Deal with Broadcasters One Day After Nomination

President Joe Biden’s nominee to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Gigi Sohn, cut a favorable deal with broadcasters shortly after she was nominated to the regulatory agency. Sohn previously worked as a director of Locast, a streaming service that transmitted...

January 27, 2022

State Rep. Wilmeth Sponsors Bill to Block Public Entities in Arizona from Contracting With Companies That Used Forced Labor from Uyghurs

State Rep. Justin Wilmeth (R-Phoenix) is sponsoring legislation to block state and other public entities in Arizona from contracting for services or products from companies that use forced labor from the ethnic Uyghurs in China. Under HB 2488, companies that...

January 26, 2022

Justice Breyer to Retire From Supreme Court: Report

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will step down from his post at the end of the court's current term, according to a report from NBC News. Breyer is one of the three remaining Democrat-appointed justices on the high court. Should...

January 26, 2022

Signatures Continue to Climb on Petition to Reverse Arizona State University Policy Mandating Vaccination Boosters for Student-Athletes at Away Games

Arizona State University instituted a COVID-19 vaccine booster mandate on Jan. 11 for student-athletes participating in away games. Outraged student-athletes launched a petition to demand that ASU reverse the mandate, which has over 1,700 signatures so far. The petition, which...

January 26, 2022

Commentary: Biden’s Ukraine Scramble

As usual, the media coverage on the Ukraine crisis is largely inadequate. Perversely, most of the aggressive left-wing media want to escalate the feud with Russian President Vladimir Putin to the point of driving Russia into the arms of China....

January 26, 2022

Arizona Congressional Candidate Juan Ciscomani Expands Campaign with Senior-Level Staff Hires

Congressional candidate Juan Ciscomani expanded his campaign team, hiring two senior-level staffers to manage the effort's operations. The two new staff members, Becky Freeman and Jonathan Bleacher, will serve as the campaign manager and field operations director, respectively.

January 26, 2022

Commentary: America’s Phony Debts Problem

The email from “Norton Protection” said I owed $999.99, which was “charged successfully and it will appear on your bank statement in 24 to 48 hours.” Although I have an account with a leading cybersecurity company, I’ve never paid that...

January 26, 2022

Capitol Police Is Surveilling Americans’ Social Media Feeds: Report

The U.S. Capitol Police is running background checks and examining the social media histories of people meeting with lawmakers, Politico reported Monday. Following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, the Capitol Police adopted a new policy to dig into the social...

January 26, 2022

Lawyer Thomas Renz: Miscarriages and Cancers Up 300 Percent, Neurological Problems Up 1000 Percent in Past Year

During a panel discussion in the United States Senate Monday, attorney Thomas Renz, a member of America’s Frontline Doctors’ legal team, revealed several alarming vaccine safety signals that the U.S. government has ignored. The information was provided by three military doctors...

January 26, 2022

Politically Incorrect Professor Faces Firing After Lawmakers Show Up on Law School’s Doorstep

University of Toronto psychologist Jordan Peterson, who famously opposed Canadian gender pronoun mandates, disclosed Wednesday that he had resigned as a tenured professor years earlier than planned. In a lengthy and impassioned account of his decision for the National Post,...

January 26, 2022

FDA Pulls Authorization for Antibody Treatment, Refuses to Answer Questions

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Monday unexpectedly pulled its Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19, dealing a blow to states like Florida which have been using the treatment effectively for months. “Without a shred...

January 26, 2022

Border Agents Encountered More Than 2 Million Migrants in 2021

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) ended 2021 with more than 2 million migrant encounters. December 2021 numbers released Monday showed that border patrol encountered 178,840 migrants at the southern border, a 2% increase from the previous month. The number...

January 26, 2022

The Online SAT Will Be Shorter and Easier

A common college admissions test, the SAT, will roll out its online version in the U.S. starting in March 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported. The new test is reportedly expected to be easier, shorter and simpler. The test will...