Month: May 2022

Law enforcement authorities in Uvalde, Texas are facing questions and criticism over how much time elapsed during the elementary school shooting Tuesday, before a U.S. Border Patrol team burst in and shot the gunman to death, the Associated Press reported.

There were conflicting reports on Thursday regarding the timeline of events, with some eyewitnesses saying police hesitated outside the building as the gunman, Salvador Ramos, was inside shooting schoolkids, while officials say the police engaged immediately.

Texas School Shooter May Have Been Arrested Four Years Ago for Threatening to Shoot Up the High School When He Turned 18

Salvador Ramos, the teenage gunman behind the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, may have been arrested four years ago for threatening to shoot up the Uvalde High School when he turned 18-years-old, according to Texas lawmaker.

Texas Representative Tony Gonzales, whose congressional district includes Uvalde, told Fox News that he found out on Thursday night that “the shooter was arrested years ago—four years ago—for having this plan for basically saying, for saying, you know, when I’m a senior in 2022, I am going to shoot up a school.”

Public University Evicts, Disciplines Student for Telling Others It Gave Her Vaccine Exemption

A Michigan public university retaliated against a Russian immigrant for telling others how she got a religious exemption from its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, evicting her from campus housing and putting a disciplinary record in her student file, according to her lawyers.

After Inara Ramazanova posted her requested and received exemption in a private Facebook group for similarly situated people nationwide, Oakland University deemed this “collusion or conspiracy” to help others evade its rules, the First Liberty Institute wrote to OU in a pre-lawsuit warning letter Thursday.

Commentary: Stolen Elections, a Tale of Two D.C. Courtrooms

The Elijah Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington, D.C. is center stage this month to two competing tales of stolen presidential elections.

In the courtroom of U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper, federal prosecutors have presented a detailed account of the greatest scandal in U.S. political history: the conspiracy of the country’s most powerful interests to fabricate the Trump-Russia collusion hoax in order to sabotage Donald Trump before the 2016 election.

Biden Set to Unveil Massive Student Loan Forgiveness: Report

May 28, 2022May 27, 2022 The Center Square

President Joe Biden is planning to forgive $10,000 of student loan debt per borrower, according to a Friday report from The Washington Post.

Biden intended to announce the new student debt forgiveness plan at the University of Delaware’s graduation ceremony Saturday but postponed the decision after a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday, unnamed sources familiar with the issue told The Washington Post. The newest debt forgiveness plan would apply to Americans who in the year prior made under $150,000 and to married Americans who made under $300,000 in joint filings.

Poll: Families Cancel Vacations, Summer Camp Because of Inflation

A majority of surveyed American families are worried about inflation and are changing their summer vacation plans because of it, according to newly released polling data.

The poll, from Echelon Insights, found that “75% of parents say they are concerned about the rising cost of everyday purchases like food or gas.”

Commentary: The Long, Slow Death of ESPN

May 28, 2022May 27, 2022 Peter D'Abrosca

So our readers will know, for the near entirety of your author’s life, pro and college sports have been an obsession.

Looking back on it, probably an unhealthy one. Age and maturity and the vicissitudes of 21st-century life are sharply curtailing the fever, though I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully quit LSU and the Saints (though a possible change in geography might do it; I used to be a Lakers and Yankees fan as a kid and couldn’t give a tinker’s damn about either team now).

True the Vote to Present Ballot Harvesting Information to Arizona Republicans

A voter integrity organization will present information about ballot harvesting in the 2020 election to a group of Republican law makers next week.

“On Tuesday, May 31, True the Vote will host a presentation for Arizona State Senate and House Members relating to findings of ballot harvesting that occurred in both Maricopa and Yuma Counties during the 2020 General Election,” the Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus said in a Friday press release.

Arizona Senate Fails to Pass Ballot Box Ban, Among Other Election Integrity Bills

May 27, 2022May 26, 2022 Neil Jones

A number of election integrity bills addressing ballot boxes and ballot harvesting failed to pass the Senate on Monday.

“If you think it’s a problem. If you think ballot boxes contribute to ballot harvesting and can be manipulated, you would ban them. Not require that we tape them. It’s too late at that point,” said State Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R-Scottsdale) while explaining her floor amendment to HB 2238.

According to HB 2238, sponsored by State Representative Jake Hoffman (R-Phoenix), “a county recorder or other officer in charge of elections may not use an unmonitored drop box for receipt of voted early ballots.”

11 Substantial Election Integrity Bills Were Signed into Law Last Year in Arizona; So Far This Year, Only One

May 27, 2022May 26, 2022 Rachel Alexander

A couple of Republican legislators have been holding up election integrity bills from passing this year, but there was plenty of groundwork made last year. The Arizona Legislature pushed hard to get 11 of these bills passed in 2021, in large part due to concern there was fraud in the 2020 presidential election. So far this year, Gov. Doug Ducey has only signed one election integrity bill into law.

Along with a list of last year’s successful bills provided to Republican Briefs, State Sen. Vince Leach (R-Tucson) said, “For those of you who think that our legislature did nothing for election security, here are the actual bills passed this [past] session. … The rest will have to wait until we have a larger majority.”

Catholic Cultural Watchdog Group: Five Reasons We Have Mass Shootings

May 27, 2022May 26, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

The president of a Catholic organization that keeps watch on the national culture writes in the wake of the Uvalde school massacre such mass shootings are likely to continue largely because the race and gun-obsessed establishment media are so politically entrenched they “are looking in all the wrong places” for potential remedies for the real causes of these tragedies.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt Signs Bill Requiring Students to Use Restrooms Corresponding to Sex on Birth Certificate

May 27, 2022May 27, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed a bill into law Wednesday that requires students to use school restrooms that correspond to their sex as indicated on their birth certificates.

Stitt signed the bill after the state Senate and House approved it, 38-7 and 69-14, respectively.

Commentary: The ADL Murder Report That Cried ‘White Supremacist’ Is Misleading

May 27, 2022May 26, 2022 RealClearWire

In May 2021, two members of the Family Values, a white supremacist prison gang, allegedly killed a member of the rival Southwest Honkeys prison gang over a longstanding beef. Three months later, a New Jersey man who had vandalized synagogues and distributed neo-Nazi pamphlets strangled his wife.

Corporations Drop from Transgender Youth Program Partners Page After State Farm Exit

Less than a day after State Farm ended its partnership with a nonprofit that promotes “positive stories about transgender and non-binary kiddos,” several more corporations and a federal agency disappeared from the nonprofit’s partner page as well.

15 Years After Worst School Shooting, Most Recommendations Not Adopted as Tragedy Strikes Again

After 32 people were killed 15 years ago in a shooting at Virginia Tech, many state and federal safety recommendations were made, but not all were implemented.

Commentary: Parents Are Catching On to the Goals of Public Education

A recent viral video from the YouTube channel Fleccas Talks showed several man-on-the-street interviews testing young people in New York City on their knowledge of basic facts. Some of the questions focused on American history and civics, while others were simple, numerical-based ones. The results were depressing, as the following samples demonstrate:

FBI Reveals How Many Active Shooters Were Stopped by Citizens

The FBI announced Monday that citizens stopped six active shooters in 2021, according to a report on active shooting incidents.

Citizens stopped six active shooters, whom the FBI defines as “one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area,” in 2021, killing four of them, according to the report, “Active Shooter Incidents In The United States In 2021.” There were 61 active shooter incidents in 2021, 12 of which met the FBI’s criteria for a “mass killing,” up from 40 the previous year.

Biden DOJ Exposes Dangers of Insecure Border with Evidence in Bush Assassination Plot

May 27, 2022May 30, 2022 Bethany Bowman

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas may continue to insist the U.S. southern border is closed and secure — but President Joe Biden’s own Justice Department and its current FBI director are painting a picture of a border porous enough to tempt terrorists to assassinate a former president and drug cartels to operate with impunity.

Music Spotlight: Alyssa Jacey

I keep writing my Music Spotlight column because of the stories. And while we all appreciate the music that these singer/songwriters bring to us, it is the stories of these tireless individuals that keep me coming back to my computer to share what I have learned with my readers.

Arizona House Democrats Call for Action on Gun Measures After Uvalde Shooting

May 27, 2022May 26, 2022 Peter D'Abrosca

Arizona’s House Democrats called for action on specific bills they have sponsored that remain in limbo in the state legislature.

“House Democrats called on Republican Leaders to finally show the courage to make our communities safer,” a Thursday press release said. “In the wake of the violent massacres in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas Democrats again called for action on nearly a dozen common-sense gun violence prevention bills that have gotten a hearing this session or for the past several years.”

New Arizona Law Mandates 9/11 Education

May 26, 2022May 25, 2022 Cooper Moran

A new Arizona law signed by Governor Doug Ducey will mandate education about the 9/11 terrorist attacks for all students at public schools in the state.

Previously, Ducey promised to require the education for students in Arizona because the attack “shaped a generation, forever altering how we view the world, how the world views us and how we interact with each other.”

Nancy Pelosi Defends Support for Abortion After Communion Ban, Blames Church for ‘Politicizing’ Procedure

May 26, 2022May 25, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) blamed Catholics who live out their beliefs on the sanctity of unborn human life for politicizing abortion, claiming they use abortion as a “cover” for their wider political agenda.

During an interview Tuesday on leftwing MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Pelosi, who was recently banned from receiving Holy Communion following her aggressive support for a radical abortion bill, said “this is not just about terminating a pregnancy.”

Biden Admin Ties Federal Funds for School Lunches to Gender Identity

May 26, 2022May 25, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

The Biden Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that all state and local agencies that receive federal funding for meals, a category that includes schools, must not discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

In a press release dated May 5, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announced it would now interpret the ban on discrimination based on sex included in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and food-related legislation and programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp program, to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Kari Lake Blasts Opponents for Declining to Debate

May 26, 2022May 25, 2022 Peter D'Abrosca

In a video posted to Twitter, an Arizona gubernatorial candidate blasted her opponents who she says will not debate her.

“We’re living in critical times in American history, and really in human history,” Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake said. “Voters deserve to hear from candidates outside of just paid political ads.”

Commentary: Tragedy Strikes and Opportunists Circle America

May 26, 2022May 25, 2022 The Center Square

There are few words available to describe the shock and loathing in the wake of the murder of innocent children. The tragedy at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas crystallizes these feelings as people seek to grapple with what went so wrong with an eighteen-year-old that he would choose to murder children, an adult in the school as well as shot his own grandmother before traveling to the school.

Maricopa County to Purchase Homes with ARPA Funds, Resell to Low-Income Residents

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will spend an additional $35 million to develop affordable housing units in the region and down payment assistance programs for prospective homeowners.

These new programs increase Maricopa County’s total affordable housing investment initiatives to $65 million.

Biden to Sign Executive Orders Cutting Police Supplies, Creating Bad Police Officer Registry

On Wednesday, Joe Biden is prepared to sign several executive orders aimed at further punishing American police departments for alleged “systemic racism” and “brutality.”

The New York Post reports that the executive orders, meant to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the accidental fentanyl overdose death of George Floyd, will create a national registry of police officers who have been fired for misconduct, as well as further pressuring local governments to ban aggressive police tactics such as chokeholds and no-knock warrants. Another order will reduce the transfer of surplus military equipment to police departments.

Commentary: Race-Based Illness at the Best of the Best

It looks like the long persecution of Professor Joshua Katz by his employer Princeton University has come to an end. The Washington Free Beacon reported last week that the school president “passed his recommendation that Katz be stripped of his tenure and fired to the university board of trustees,” and the board rubber-stamped it Monday. The whole episode nicely exemplifies the cowardice and incompetence of the liberals who run elite institutions in the United States today.

Schumer Says No Gun Control Vote Anytime Soon: ‘Americans Can Cast Their Vote in November’

May 26, 2022 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that he will not immediately hold a vote on gun control legislation, following the mass shooting Tuesday at a Texas elementary school.

The New York Democrat says he does not think any such measure will attract enough bipartisan support to move forward.

Bombshell: FBI Agent Testifies ‘Fired Up’ Leadership Pushed Trump Probe Despite Flimsy Evidence

In explosive testimony Tuesday in the Michael Sussmann trial, an FBI agent said “fired up” senior FBI leadership insisted on continuing the investigation into now-debunked allegations of a secret Trump back channel to Moscow via a Russian bank despite learning the story was unsubstantiated.

Indiana Bans Biological Males from Female Sports, Overriding Republican Governor’s Veto

The Indiana state legislature banned biologically male athletes from playing on women’s sports at public schools on Tuesday, overriding Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb’s veto on the legislation.

HEA 1041, set to go into effect July 1, requires public schools designate sports categories by sex and the genetics of the athletes. Holcomb originally vetoed HEA 1041 in March 2022, arguing at the time that the bill did not offer “one consistent state policy regarding the fairness in K-12 sports in Indiana.”

‘Pools of Blood’: Authorities Shut Down Florida Abortion Clinic for Endangering Patients

May 26, 2022May 25, 2022 Rachel Alexander

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) shut down an abortion clinic last week with an emergency order for allegedly failing to follow safety protocols after two women were hospitalized following their second trimester abortions.

Arizona Free Enterprise Club Labels Red4ED ‘One of the Most Expensive Failures in Arizona Political History’

The Arizona Free Enterprise Club (AFEC) analyzed the success of the Red4ED movement in Arizona since it launched a little over four years ago, and concluded that after spending over $30 million, the movement not only failed to accomplish anything, but failed to stop historic tax cuts. Red4Ed’s two initiatives and referendum were struck down by courts as “legally flawed,” resulting in AFEC labeling its efforts “the largest, most expensive failure in Arizona political history.”

Arizona Educators United launched Red4Ed in 2018 ostensibly to increase teachers’ salaries and funding for K-12 education. People and teachers showed up all over, at the state capitol and at events and protests, wearing red shirts and carrying red signs. But AFEC said “the movement was quickly hijacked by the teachers’ unions and other out-of-state special interest groups.” It soon turned into “a singular quest to double the state income tax through a ballot initiative.”

Beto O’Rourke Crashes Texas Gov. Abbott’s Press Conference Following Mass School Shooting

May 25, 2022 Arizona Sun Times Staff

Texas Democrat gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke on Wednesday crashed GOP Gov. Greg Abbott’s press conference addressing the Uvalde elementary school mass shooting in which19 children and two adults were fatally shot.

Arizona Senate Poll Shows Blake Masters Taking the Lead

May 25, 2022May 24, 2022 Cooper Moran

A new poll from a Super PAC supporting Blake Masters showed the venture capitalist taking the lead in the GOP race for U.S. Senate.

The survey, completed by former President Donald Trump’s former pollster Tony Fabrizio, awarded Masters 22 percent.

Commentary: U.S. Spirals Toward Lawless Carnage; BLM and Woke Corporations Silent

May 25, 2022May 24, 2022 RealClearWire

Being “woke” once symbolized one’s awareness of the historical and present injustices faced by an individual or group in the pursuit of their advancement or being. It meant that the blinders of matters of racism and systems of oppression were removed so that one could fully awaken to the reality that racism exists. It is a continual and daily acknowledgement of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

I am a young, 26-year-old black man in America. I have seen true racism, and the racist carnage in Buffalo, Charleston, Houston, and other cities across our country, and it has stirred in me and in many others a desire to see justice served.

National Association of Attorneys General Blasted Again for Leftward Tilt

May 25, 2022May 24, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

The National Association of Attorneys General was blasted again, this time by eight of its members in a letter sent on May 24 for its increasingly leftward tilt.

Kentucky Attorney General David Cameron sent the letter, which was signed by the attorneys general of Alaska, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia.

State Farm Announces End to Transgender Book Project Amid Backlash

May 25, 2022May 24, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

State Farm has announced that, amid “news and customer inquiries,” it will discontinue its support for an LGBTQ+ activist group’s program that asked the insurance company to donate books, to schools, community centers, and libraries, that serve to indoctrinate young children into gender ideology under the guise of acceptance, diversity, and inclusion.

The company issued a news release Tuesday focused on an explosive leaked email obtained by Consumers’ Research that revealed State Farm urged its Florida insurance agents to donate radical books celebrating gender ideology that target children as young as age five.

Wisconsin Bishops Back San Francisco Archbishop Cordileone’s Ban on Nancy Pelosi Receiving Holy Communion

May 25, 2022May 25, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD

Wisconsin Bishops David Ricken of the diocese of Green Bay and Donald Hying of the diocese of Madison are among a growing number of Catholic bishops who have publicly expressed support for San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone’s declaration that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi not be admitted to Holy Communion due to her continued “aggressive promotion of abortion.”

“I wish to express my strong support for Archbishop Cordileone’s decision stating he has publicly declared that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi not be admitted to Holy Communion,” Ricken posted to Twitter following Cordileone’s notification to Pelosi that she is not to present herself for Holy Communion.

National Republican Congressional Committee Targets Three Arizona U.S. House Districts for Republican Takeover

May 25, 2022May 24, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

The National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting three U.S. House districts in Arizona for Republican takeover.

AZ-2, AZ-4, and AZ-6 are the targeted districts.

Commentary: Improve Education Immediately by Eradicating Radical Ideologies in the Classroom

May 25, 2022May 24, 2022 Admin

With over half of the State budget committed to education, why aren’t Arizona children doing better? Why are we lagging the world leaders in education?

The main answer is that we’ve lost our way in education to fads, gimmicks, and radical ideologies. For example, Common Core was sold to Arizona as a higher order and more rigorous set of standards. Since then, it’s not improved anything and wasted billions of taxpayer money to overhaul curriculum and teacher training.

FBI Records 61 Active Shooter Incidents in 2021, Highest Total in 21 Years

On Monday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported that the United States experienced 61 “active shooter” incidents over the course of 2021, the highest annual total in over 20 years.

According to Reuters, the 61 incidents took place across 30 different states, and marked a 52 percent increase from the total of similar incidents in 2020. The 2021 total was also at least double the amount of shootings in each of the three prior years, and marks the highest annual total on record since the FBI first began keeping track of active shooter situations in 2000.

Bill Gates Funneled Hundreds of Millions to Organizations Attacking Elon Musk

May 25, 2022May 24, 2022 The Center Square

New research reveals that Microsoft founder Bill Gates, formerly the world’s wealthiest man, has been donating hundreds of millions of dollars to dark money groups that have been publicly attacking Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the current wealthiest man in the world.

As reported by Breitbart, Gates’ foundation donated to 11 of the 26 organizations that signed onto an open letter last month demanding a boycott of Twitter by its advertisers over Musk’s recent purchase of the company. The report comes from the Foundation for Freedom Online (FFO), which traced the money from the signatories of the letter back to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Gas Prices Hit Record High Every Day for Past Two Weeks

Gas prices have soared to new heights this month with the price of unleaded regular gas hitting a record high every day for the past two weeks. With Memorial Day weekend approaching, motorists face steep costs if they plan to travel.

According to AAA, the national average regular unleaded gas price Tuesday came in at $4.60, a record high. Diesel gasoline is at $5.55 per gallon, just below the record set last week.

Commentary: Foreshocks Warn Democrats of a Red Tsunami

An incoming tidal wave is often preceded by earthquakes on land, and last week several tremors signaled the Red Tsunami that will hit America in November. Liberal bulwarks toppled like dominoes across the cultural, legal, and political spectra. One shock felled a former shaky Republican president — from a dynasty of shaky Republican officeholders — to end his power line for the foreseeable future, probably forever. At the same time, a once moderately liberal tycoon became an even greater conservative hero. And, sensing the unsteadiness of the Left, two empires struck back, the first out of fear of the public, the other from fear of God.

Over 1.2 Million Students Have Left Public Schools Since Pandemic