Thousands of people came from across the state to hear from President Donald Trump on Saturday. The former president delivered a fiery speech at the Turning Point Action conference in Phoenix.
During the rally dedicated to election integrity, Trump introduced many members of the Arizona State Senate and thanked them for agreeing to pursue an audit of the Maricopa County 2020 General Election.
“We will fight for truth, transparency and accountability, and we will not stop until we have restored out American birthright of honest, free and fair elections,” said Trump. “We’re gathered here in Phoenix to show our support for election integrity and for the brave and unyielding conservative warriors in the Arizona state Senate.”
“Why wouldn’t somebody want election integrity? Why wouldn’t they want to know? And I would be very happy – won’t happen – but I would be very happy if they did it and everything was perfect. But you’re not going to find that,” said the former president.
Trump got around to the subject of the Democrats, who he said are moving the country in a socialist direction through their spending, support for Critical Race Theory, and “Marxists” like Black Lives Matter who “are seizing power and destroying everything we hold dear as Americans. It’s happening, and I said it was going to happen.”
“They dismantled the rule of law, censor speech, take over the free press, imprison political opponents,” said Trump pivoting back to the 2020 election. “You see that’s happening all over; look at what I’ve been through for years – and, of course, hold fake phony elections.”
Congressman Andy Biggs introduced last week the House companion legislation to Senator Rand Paul’s Travel Mask Mandate Repeal Act of 2021. The bill prohibits the imposition of mask mandates on public transportation.
The House version is currently cosponsored by Congressman Randy Weber (TX-14), Congressman Andrew Clyde (GA-09), Congressman Tom McClintock (CA-04), Congressman Bob Gibbs (OH-07), Congressman Chip Roy (TX-21), Congressman Louie Gohmert (TX-01), and Congressman Lance Gooden (TX-05).
“There is no scientific evidence for the continuation of mask mandates on public transportation. Bottom line, mask mandates are old news, and are only being kept in place by those who relish controlling our day-to-day lives. The viral spread is collapsing and our normal lives are returning. It’s time for the CDC to follow the science and end the tyrannical COVID-19 restrictions once and for all,” said Biggs in a press release.
“The federal government forcing the American people to continue to wear masks despite the fact that we’ve already reached herd immunity is ridiculous and needs to end immediately,” said Dr. Paul. “I am introducing the Travel Mask Mandate Repeal Act of 2021 to put a stop to this nanny state mandate of requiring masks on public transportation. In a free country people will evaluate their personal risk factors and are smart enough to ultimately make medical decisions like wearing a mask themselves.”
“It’s time to recognize the never-ending government mask requirements as the political theater they are. Americans are capable of making their own decisions; it’s time to choose freedom over fear,” said Roy.
“The mask mandate is just another overreach by the power-grabbing administration. Americans make calculated decisions about their health risks every day, and through our combined efforts, we’ve virtually reached herd immunity. Given the air-circulation technology utilized on most modern airplanes, not to mention the science that corroborates the effectiveness of these innovations, it’s about time that we return to pre-pandemic normalcy by removing this—sometimes arbitrary—restriction from the flying public,” argued Weber.
“CDC Director Walensky said last month that those who are fully vaccinated are fully protected from the variants of COVID-19, including the ‘delta’ variant,” said Gibbs. “The science has made clear how effective the vaccines are and we are reaching the point at which those choosing to remain unvaccinated have taken on that risk to themselves, not to anyone else. We cannot only ‘follow the science’ when it is politically convenient and ignore it, like we are now, when it no longer conforms to bureaucrats’ desire for power. Continuing to punish those who have been fully vaccinated makes as much sense as defunding the police after violent crime incidents have spiked. If the TSA and CDC won’t rescind this mandate, it’s time for Congress to act.”
“The American people have been battling COVID-19 for over a year, and our lives are finally starting to get back to normal. As our states and communities lift restrictions and remove mask mandates, the federal government should take a note from those states’ playbooks. I am joining Representative Andy Biggs in the fight against the unnecessary federal mask mandate that requires citizens to wear masks on public transportation,” stated Clyde.
“Time and again we see Democrats flouting the rules to go maskless when it suits them; they are so desperate to maintain nanny state conditions that hypocrisy and fear tactics are all they have left to exercise control over the masses,” said Gooden. “Whether it’s masking or vaxxing, every American should be able to make their own choices without government interference.”
PHOENIX — On Friday, Governor Doug Ducey signed legislation sponsored by Rep. Jake Hoffman, HB2906, which prohibits the state and any local governments from requiring their employees to engage in orientation, training or therapy that suggest an employee is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.
“Critical Race Theory and it’s divisive, bigoted ideas have become a growing problem within Arizona governments,” said Rep Hoffman. “Often times disguised by innocuous sounding terms like “equity,” this Marxism-based movement has crept up in cities and school districts throughout our state including the cities of Phoenix, Tucson, and Flagstaff, among many others. Arizonans rightfully refuse to support racism and this legislation ensures that remains the commitment of our state.”
“I applaud Jake Hoffman and our legislature for taking strong action to stop the insidious, racist ideology packaged under CRT from infecting our government any more than it already has,” said Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio.
“Phoenix currently has multiple CRT-based programs employees are being subjected to – they won’t call them CRT, they’re smart enough to use generic “equity” language – but that’s exactly what they are,” explained DiCiccio. “Worse, it’s not just employees being indoctrinated with this garbage, multiple programs like our recently passed Climate Action Plan and the Office of Arts and Culture’s Racial Equity Learning Cohort are actively pushing CRT on the public.”
“As educators and citizens concerned with the future of our state, our goal should be to achieve unity and diversity,” said Kathleen Winn Maricopa Community College Governing Board member. “Unity as people with shared dignity, but diversity of thought and beliefs. When you create conflict and try to transform society through bias and hatred you only perpetuate hatred. I am grateful for this legislation crafted and passed in response to the public outcry to end Critical Race Theory.”
Governor Ducey’s signing of HB 2906 follows the signing of HB 2898 last week. That law ensures that students cannot be taught that one race, ethnic group or sex is in any way superior to another, or that anyone should be discriminated against on the basis of these characteristics. The law allows a fine of up to $5,000 for schools that violate the law.
“As a school board member,” said EVIT School Board Member Shelli Boggs. “I have seen firsthand taxpayer funds being spent to train hundreds of board members and staff from across the state on the disgusting racist ideology called Critical Race Theory. I’m glad the legislature put an end to this pervasive abuse of taxpayer money.”
On Friday, Kathryn Hackett King, a member of the Arizona Board of Regents and University of Arizona College of Law graduate, was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court.
Kin’s appointment by Governor Doug Ducey fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Justice Andrew Gould.
Gould is currently running in the Arizona Attorney General’s race.
King’s appointment to the court now leaves a vacancy on the Arizona Board of Regents
King is the fifth woman in Arizona history to serve on the Supreme Court.
King is currently a partner at Burns Barton PLC. The focus of her practice is the representation of private and public employers in employment litigation and related civil matters. King is a member of the Arizona Women Lawyers Association and a mentor for the Latina Mentoring Project.
King began her private practice career at Snell & Wilmer LLP, where she practiced in the areas of employment law and commercial and business litigation.
From 2015 to 2017, King served as Deputy General Counsel to Ducey, according to the Governor’s Office. King clerked for Arizona Supreme Court Justice Michael D. Ryan from 2007 to 2008.
King graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Political Science and minoring in History. She obtained her law degree from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.
“Kate’s strong belief in the separation of powers and experience serving in all three branches of government will serve the people of Arizona well,” Ducey said in a released statement. “I have witnessed her intelligence and wisdom firsthand, and I know she is well-respected in the legal field.”
Arizona, as part of a coalition of states is suing Google in an antitrust case challenging the company’s control over its Android app store.
Google is facing a series of major antitrust cases, including a suit that the Justice Department and 14 states filed in October, focused on Google’s efforts to dominate the mobile search market; one from 38 states and territories filed in December, also focused on search; and a third suit by 15 states and territories related to Google’s power over the advertising technology.
As Big Tech continues to flex its monopolistic powers regulators have attempted to rein in the search giant in Arizona. State Rep. Regina Cobb had hoped to help consumers save money and innovators compete in the tech market this past legislative session. Rep. Biasiucci had thrown his support behind Cobb’s bill, which would have allowed app developers to avoid what the two lawmakers call “devastating” fees imposed by big tech monopolies.
That bill died an untimely death.
The heart of the lawsuit centers on Google’s exclusionary conduct which substantially shuts out competing app distribution channels. Google requires that app developers, that offer their apps through the Google Play Store, use Google Billing as a middleman. This arrangement forces app consumers to pay Google’s commission— up to 30 percent— on in-app purchases of digital content. This commission is much higher than what consumers would pay if they could choose from one of Google‘s competitors instead. The lawsuit alleges that Google works to discourage or prevent competition, violating federal and state antitrust laws.
When Google launched its Android OS, it originally promised to keep it an “open source” platform. The lawsuit alleges Google did not keep that promise. By promising to keep Android open, Google successfully enticed manufacturers (such as Samsung) and operators (such as Verizon) to adopt Android, and more importantly, to forgo competing with Google’s Play Store at that time. Google then shut down the Android ecosystem and relevant Android App Distribution Market as soon as it was feasible to do so, effectively trapping consumers and app developers in that ecosystem and removing any effective competition by (among other things) requiring manufacturers and operators to enter into various contractual and other restraints.
Arizona also alleges that Google engaged in conduct in violation of consumer protection laws by falsely representing that it would keep Android “open” and by issuing misleading warnings to consumers– that directly downloading an app would lead to disastrous consequences for the user and their device which also enhanced and protected Google’s monopoly position.
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
