Day: May 2, 2024

U.S. Senate Candidate Kari Lake Offers Paid Summer Internship to Flag-Defending Fraternity Brothers amid UNC Protests

Christy Kelly
Kari Lake UNC

Arizona Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake extended a paid summer internship to the fraternity brothers who defended the U.S. flag during the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill protests, where pro-Palestinian demonstrators attempted to remove it.

In her X post, she extends a direct invitation: “If any of these GREAT Young Men want a PAID summer internship with my campaign, consider yourself HIRED. Reach out to me, or someone on my team, and we’ll ensure your resume is at the top of the stack, with my approval attached to it.”

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Mexican Smugglers Are Increasingly Using Semitrailers to Transport Migrants

Admin

Axios Smugglers in Mexico are increasingly using overloaded semitrailers to transport people trying to enter the U.S., often with deadly consequences, an investigation from Noticias Telemundo found. The situation lays bare the human toll of modern migration amid the growing and increasingly dangerous human smuggling industry. Noticias Telemundo, the Latin American journalism consortium…

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State Senate Passes Repeal Amidst Fierce Battle, the Future of Abortion in Arizona Still in Limbo

Christy Kelly
State Senators Anthony Kern, TJ Shope, and Jake Hoffman

Republican Senators Shawnna Bollick and T.J. Shope voted with Democrats to approve the repeal of the current abortion law in Arizona.  Senator Jake Hoffman, Chair of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, asserted that Republicans “got rolled” as Democrats expedited the repeal of the 1864 law through strategic tactics aimed at bypassing procedural rules. Hoffman stated that Republicans “don’t roll their colleagues” very often, but when they do, it’s always to the detriment of Arizonans. Hoffman said that the 1864 law was “one of the best, strongest pro-life measures in the country.” He added that it is reflective of our founding fathers’ intent: the right to life. Republican Sonny Borelli criticized the decision, stating that bringing this vote forward was a violation of the process. He emphasized the lack of debate, committee involvement, or discussion, noting that everything was bypassed.

Senator Bolick, married to Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick, who ironically is part of the majority on the Court that upheld the current law, faced disruptions from both the gallery and fellow Senators as she spoke for over twenty minutes. She detailed her personal experiences with pregnancy complications while emphasizing that “every pregnancy is different.” Abortion has become a rallying cry for Democrats seeking to enshrine abortion rights until birth in the state constitution through a November ballot measure. Bolick stated that she “wants to protect our state constitution from unlimited abortions up until the moment of birth” and said her vote was to protect “more babies.” T.J. Shope did not comment on his vote. Senator Anthony Kern strongly stated, “we are voting for death.”

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Mark Green Introduces Bill to Prohibit New Firearm Export Rule from Being Implemented

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) introduced a bill this week that would prohibit federal funds from being used to finalize, implement, or enforce the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) interim final rule amending the Export Administration Regulations.

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Republicans’ Voter Registration Edge over Democrats Almost Doubles in Maricopa County, Statewide Increases to Almost Six Percent

Rachel Alexander
Voter Registration

Despite the Democratic wins in Arizona in 2020 and 2022, Republicans have been widening their voter registration edge over Democrats over the past four years. According to data from the Arizona Secretary of State earlier this year, between 2020 and 2024, Republicans increased their lead from approximately three percent to 5.77 percent. In Maricopa County, Republicans increased their lead even more, from four percent to seven percent. 

The change has occurred primarily with Democratic voter registrations; Republican voter registration has remained steady at 35 percent of voters. Statewide, Republicans constitute 35.07 percent of voters, followed by independents at 34.10 percent, then Democrats with 29.30 percent. While Republicans outnumber independents at the state level by almost 40,000 voters, independents outnumber Republicans in Maricopa County by 2,631 voters. 

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Flight Docs Reveal Which Cities are Receiving Migrants Under Biden’s Parole Program

Arizona Sun Times Staff
Passengers on a flight

Nearly 200,000 migrants from four countries have flown into America’s biggest airports under a Biden administration parole program, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) documents reveal.

The House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday publicized documents, obtained through a subpoena to DHS, that identifies over 50 airport locations used by the federal government to process hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals via a parole program between January-August 2023. About 200,000 foreign nationals were processed under the program — known as the Humanitarian Parole for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, or CHNV — which was initially launched in October 2022 and grants a two-year parole period as well as work authorization eligibility.

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Wind Energy Industry Produced Less Power in 2023, Despite Having Increased Total Generation Capacity

Just the News
Wind Farm

The wind industry produce 2.1 percent less electricity in 2023 compared to the previous year. Total wind capacity in the U.S. has tripled from 47 gigawatts in 2010 to 147.5 gigawatts by the end of 2023.

The wind energy industry managed to increase total generation capacity by 6.2 gigawatts in 2023, but the actual electricity generation decreased.

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Companies are Slashing Away at Debt as Surging Inflation Casts Shadow over Interest Rate Cuts

Arizona Sun Times Staff
Business meeting

Many companies are looking to cut down on their debts as recent high inflation reports have made borrowing more expensive as the prospect of interest rate cuts by central banks diminishes, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

Even companies with already high credit outlooks are deleveraging to boost their rating with top agencies and reduce debt costs that have increased along with interest rates, while firms with lower ratings are needing to cut debt to maintain profitable operations, according to the WSJ. Investors have had to adjust their view about when interest rates might decline in recent weeks as persistently high levels of inflation have made it less likely that central banks around the world, including in the U.S., will cut interest rates, reducing the cost of holding debt.

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Eight Newspapers Sue Open AI and Microsoft for Copyright Infringement

Just the News

The lawsuit comes after the New York Times filed their own suit against both companies in December. Authors such as Games of Thrones creator George R. R. Martin, John Grisham, and Jodi Picoult have also sued the companies for copyright infringement.

Eight American newspapers sued OpenAI and Microsoft on Tuesday, for alleged copyright infringement related to their chatbots, which they claim have been stealing millions of copyrighted articles without permission.

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Oklahoma Just Became the Latest State to Take Immigration Enforcement Into Its Own Hands

Arizona Sun Times Staff
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt

Oklahoma’s Republican governor signed a sweeping immigration enforcement bill into law, making the Sooner State the latest to confront the border crisis through legislative action.

Gov. Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 4156 into law on Tuesday, one week after the Republican-controlled legislature sent it to his desk. The law, which is set to take effect on July 1, makes it illegal to reside in Oklahoma without legal authorization to be in the U.S.

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Commentary: Republicans Should Stop Complaining About Their Opportunities and Take Advantage of Biden’s Failures

Arizona Sun Times Staff
Joe Biden

After I offered a perfectly accurate negative summation of current market/industry conditions when speaking on a business venture I can’t yet discuss (but that will be quite relevant indeed to the interests of our readers), I received an admonishment from my business partner: “Stop complaining about your opportunities!” It’s an even more accurate response than mine.

All too often we spend our time grousing about the state of the world, and yet, the worse things get, the greater the opportunity grows to take control and make them better.

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Police Arrest University of Arizona Protesters, Clear Anti-Israel Encampment on Tucson Campus

Tom Pappert
University of Arizona Police Gaza Protest

The University of Arizona (UA) reportedly called police to clear protesters and disperse the anti-Israel encampment that formed on its Tucson campus, with authorities arresting demonstrators and clearing their debris just after 2 a.m. on Wednesday. University President Robert Robbins reportedly told police to “immediately enforce campus use policies and…

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Commentary: Abortion Once Again at Forefront of Election

RealClearWire

The prevailing belief in the Democratic Party is that abortion will again be a potent issue against Republicans in this year’s election cycle just as it was in 2022 – and that this time it will not just cost the GOP gaining the majority in the U.S. Senate, but also give Democrats the upper hand in retaining the presidency and winning back the House.

Abortion rights put the brakes on the Republicans’ chances in 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, eliminating the constitutional right to abortion after almost 50 years; a decision that transformed American politics that year, benefiting Democrats who were on their way to a bruising midterm election defeat.

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‘Would Be Unacceptable’: Blinken and Netanyahu Meeting Hits Crossroads as Israeli Invasion of Rafah Looms

Arizona Sun Times Staff
Secretary of State Antony Blinken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister met in Tel Aviv on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing Israel-Hamas war — and disagreements over the next phase of conflict.

The Biden administration is backing an effort to reach a deal between Israel and Hamas for a temporary ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages. During their meeting on Wednesday, Blinken discussed the ceasefire deal with Netanyahu and “the need to avoid further expansion of the conflict,” underscoring the Biden administration’s “clear position” on opposing an Israeli invasion of Rafah, the southernmost region of Gaza, according to a readout of the meeting.

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DEA Warns over Growing Prevalence of Xylazine in Illicit Fentanyl Supply

The Center Square
Bags of confiscated fentanyl

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has issued another warning about the growing prevalence of a veterinary sedative in illicit fentanyl supply. 

For years, dealers have been mixing xylazine, a non-opioid tranquilizer approved for animal use, with fentanyl and other drugs to increase potency and profits. 

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House Probe into January 6 to Expand, Seek Interviews with Pentagon Officials and Democrat Staff

Just the News
Rep. Barry Loudermilk

House Republicans are expanding their investigation into the January 6 Committee and the security failures that led to the Capitol breach, planning to add staff and pursue new lines of inquiry, the Chairman of the subcommittee leading the investigation told Just the News.

Rep. Barry Loudermilk, Chairman of the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, told the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show on Tuesday that he aims to publish a final report by this summer after seeking interviews with top Pentagon officials and any former January 6 committee staff willing to come forward.

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Commentary: Big Money Behind the Astroturf Pro-Hamas Campus Riots

Arizona Sun Times Staff
Pro-Palestine Protest

Pro-terrorist occupations and protests have exploded across American college campuses—coincidentally, as final exams approached. Many have asked how these Hamas-loving protesters seemed so organized, coordinated, and well-supplied. The source of funding and strategy has been an open question as tent cities and occupations pop up simultaneously at universities across the country.

Reports have begun to emerge that indicate the usual suspects have coordinated everything from tents to strategies to direct cash payments to agitators. This echoes the paid, coordinated riots that occurred in 2020, another presidential election year, after the death of George Floyd and the rise of Black Lives Matter (BLM).

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Congressional Probe Opened on ‘Mealy-Mouthed, Spineless College Leaders’

The Center Square
US Rep Virginia Foxx

For “mealy-mouthed, spineless college leaders,” actions will have consequences, the North Carolina congresswoman leading a key U.S. House of Representatives committee said Tuesday amid ongoing college campus disruptions.

The war between Israel and Hamas has led to significant demonstrations or encampments on at least four dozen campuses nationwide, a national observer of such activity reports. U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., with support of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the Committee on Education and the Workforce she chairs has opened a congressional probe and on May 23 will hear from presidents of Yale and Michigan and the chancellor of UCLA.

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