Arizona House Republicans took a novel approach to informing constituents with a new short video series, “Under the Copper Dome,” delivering information in an entertaining fashion.
The GOP caucus’ debut two-minute clip followed Majority Whip Leo Biasiucci (R-Lake Havasu City) as he reenacted discussions of HB2696, a bill increasing prison time for those who sexually abuse, smuggle, or traffic children.
The video depicted Biasiucci explaining his bill to several state representatives, including John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills), who gave enthusiastic support. A group of GOP legislators walked together with Biasiucci into the Arizona State Capitol, with upbeat music playing in the background. The video concluded with Biasiucci addressing the viewers directly to discuss HB2696. He thanked Arizona law enforcement for working to end crimes against children.
“[My bill] will bring the hammer down on these heinous crimes and ensure a safe Arizona for everyone,” said Biasiucci. “With this law, and another I sponsored last year toughening punishments for child sex traffickers, Arizona is leading the fight against trafficking and smuggling.”
Arizona enacts a new law increasing prison terms for child sex crimes & requiring mandatory prison time for child/human trafficking & smuggling.
— Arizona House Republicans (@AZHouseGOP) June 9, 2022
The caucus’ efforts earned the approval of Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04). Gosar’s social media team puts out information with an entertainment edge, sometimes perceived by political opponents as controversial. Gosar was punished for a meme video parodying several Democratic members of Congress as villains in the intro from the cult classic anime “Attack on Titan,” with him parodied as the hero.
The caucus drew from Gosar’s short video series, the Gosar Minute, as inspiration. One of the principal creators behind the video series, State Representative Teresa Martinez (R-Oro Valley), has served as Gosar’s Hispanic Outreach and Coalitions Director.
There is “ officiallyTHREE spin-offs” from the Gosar Minute!!!!! With more to come! Thank you @DrPaulGosar for your leadership and inspiration! https://t.co/4ZsN7iwpdm
Twitter shadowbanned the Gosar Minute hashtag for those with the “hide sensitive content” search filter turned on.
🚨 GOSAR MINUTE 🚨 It's 'paused' for now, but what exactly IS the "Disinformation Governance Board"? Here are the facts. WATCH: pic.twitter.com/kcreIGcSH7
On Wednesday, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) promoted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) promotion for COVID-19 vaccines and boosters for children five and up. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shot for children ages 5-11 last month.
Parents: Help protect your kids from getting really sick from #COVID19 this summer. Keep children up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines, including a booster for those 5 years and older. More information: https://t.co/009bOerScg. pic.twitter.com/m3TvKBeB59
AZ Free News reached out to Governor Doug Ducey’s office for comment. They didn’t respond by press time. Ducey tested positive at the start of this week, shortly before his scheduled border tour and speaking engagement with former Vice President Mike Pence. Ducey is fully vaccinated and boosted.
During a Senate Health Committee hearing on Thursday, Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor, admitted to Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) that no evidence exists to show that the COVID-19 booster reduces child hospitalizations or deaths. Fauci also tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, despite being quadruple-vaxxed.
Today I asked Fauci a simple question: Are there any studies that show a reduction in hospitalization or death for children that take a booster?
Paul also pressed Fauci on whether the medical bureaucrat received money from vaccine manufacturers. Fauci refused to answer, citing regulatory protections allowing scientists to not disclose royalties.
“People who receive royalties are not required to divulge them — even on their financial statement — according to the Bayh Dole Act,” said Fauci.
One prominent Arizona official who recently promoted the vaccine for children also has ties to its manufacturers.
Ducey’s special advisor for public health emergency preparedness, Dr. Richard Carmona, sits on the board of directors for McKesson, a major distributor of the COVID-19 vaccine. Last November, ADHS hosted an informational panel with Carmona to convince parents to give their children the COVID-19 vaccine. He claimed that the vaccine was safe and effective.
Earlier in November, McKesson launched distributions of ancillary supply kits to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11 per the FDA’s emergency-use authorization (EUA) at the time.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The latest border crossing data published this week revealed another all-time high of over 239,400, indicating that President Joe Biden’s border crisis won’t be getting better anytime soon. The latest number marked a 300 percent increase from the average May number under former President Donald Trump.
Under Biden, there have been 3.3 illegal immigrants encountered. So far this year, there have been over 1.5 illegal immigrants encountered.
Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) data showed that the number of illegal immigrants encountered climbed from nearly 235,500 in April. The number of illegal crossings spiked in March after a drop in January, which still registered a record high of over 154,800 crossings.
BREAKING: There were an unprecedented 239,416 migrant encounters at the Southern border in May, CBP reports. This is the highest monthly total in DHS history, beating the record that was set the month before in April w/ 234,088. Only 100,699 (42%) expelled via Title 42. @FoxNews
Recidivism rates more than doubled from pre-pandemic levels. They dropped from 14 percent in 2015 to 7 percent in 2019. The rate has been climbing steadily from 26 percent in 2020, to 27 percent in 2021.
As reported previously, the CBP data only reflects encounters. The actual number of illegal crossings are estimated to be much higher. “Gotaways” reflect illegal immigrants that weren’t apprehended.
CBP sources informed Fox News that there have been around 830,000 gotaways since about the time Biden took office at the beginning of last year: about 440,000 this year so far, with about 390,000 in 2021.
NEW: Per CBP sources, there have been 440,000 known gotaways at the border since FY’22 began on October 1st. DHS reports 390,000 known gotaways in all of FY’21. There have now been over 800,000 gotaways since beginning of FY’21.
That’s bigger than population of Seattle. @FoxNews
Biden hasn’t tweeted any formal statements on the southern border since last September, when he lamented over the treatment of illegal Haitian immigrants by Border Patrol. In recent months, Biden has focused on Ukraine’s border.
I'm heartbroken by the treatment of Haitian migrants at our border — and I acknowledge it is only the latest of many historic indignities that Haitians have faced. We will continue to offer assistance and investigate wrongdoing. I remain committed, as ever, to Haiti's future. pic.twitter.com/Cu1TlqF4EA
Rather, the president’s latest statements on the border focused on ensuring “humane and coordinated border management systems.” During an endorsement event for the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, Biden did condemn illegal immigration. He noted that the government is partnering with Mexico to conduct “mirror patrols,” in which Border Patrol agents from both countries mirror one another’s patrol along the border.
“Unlawful migration is not acceptable, and we’ll secure our borders, including through innovative, coordinated actions with our regional partners,” said Biden.
The declaration served as a unified statement pledging community assistance, legal immigration pathway expansion, humane migration management, and coordinated emergency responses. Of note, the declaration promised to increase public and private services for migrants, expand labor migration pathways for migrants, and expand regular pathways for migrants.
In Wednesday’s press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre didn’t address the latest CBP numbers, instead focusing on Ukraine’s borders. Jean-Pierre didn’t touch the border crisis during Thursday’s press briefing, either.
Over the last few weeks, Jean-Pierre has cut the questions portion of press briefings short — much to the chagrin of reporters. Jean-Pierre ended Wednesday’s press briefing after taking reporters’ questions for 13 minutes.
Karine Jean-Pierre ends her press briefing after taking questions for just 13 minutes pic.twitter.com/YBp7lP0MQw
Following viral criticism over keeping the questions portion of press briefings short, Jean-Pierre fielded questions for about 42 minutes during Thursday’s press briefing.
Last month, the Arizona House GOP issued a legislative proclamation denouncing Biden for his handling of the border crisis.
Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) claimed credit for mitigating the border crisis within Congress’ annual budget bill: nearly 2.3 billion for CBP hiring and retention, CBP mental health and clinicians, CBP border management costs, ICE border management costs, border security technology, ports of entry technology, ports of entry feasibility study, creation of joint processing centers, food and shelter for migrants, transportation for migrants, and asylum processing.
However, the increased spending may not have a greater impact than the previous decisions by the two senators which arguably have contributed to the crisis.
Back in December, Kelly and Sinema voted with their colleagues to confirm Chris Magnus as the new CBP commissioner. Magnus has denied the existence of the border crisis repeatedly. During his tenure as chief of police in Tucson, Magnus told officials not to enforce immigration laws and instead continue with sanctuary city policies.
The two also voted to send stimulus checks to illegal immigrants, adding onto two crises in one blow: the inflation crisis, and the border crisis.
Exactly one year ago, the Biden administration claimed that Trump broke the immigration system, characterizing it as all “chaos and mismanagement,” and that border numbers would fluctuate based on annual migration trends. The number of illegal border crossings have only gone up since then.
Last April, Biden claimed that they had gotten the border under control.
Despite raging border crisis, Joe Biden falsely claims "we've now gotten control" pic.twitter.com/UkCBY26fZC
As national attention focuses on children’s exposure to Pride Month festivities, Arizona’s Republican lawmakers pledged on Tuesday to craft legislation outlawing minor attendance at drag shows.
In a joint statement, the Senate Majority team condemned the sexualization and grooming of children through drag shows:
“One of the reasons why we were elected as lawmakers by our constituents was to protect family values. If men want to dress as women, and if adults want to participate in watching these hyper-sexualized performances, they have the freedom to do so. It crosses the line when kids are subjected to these drag shows. This ignorance by public and private sectors promoting this behavior sends a message of complete and utter perversion that can have detrimental impacts on the social and emotional development of our children. We will be damned if we won’t fight like hell to protect the most innocent from these horrifying and disturbing trends that are spreading across the nation now that extremist Democrats are currently in control of our federal government.”
The Senate Majority press release noted that they were working alongside several other, unnamed states to craft the legislation. The press release lamented that children were being exposed to sexual perversion.
JOINT STATEMENT BY THE ARIZONA STATE SENATE MAJORITY TEAM: Senate Republicans Fight Back Against the Sexual Perversion Children Are Being Exposed To
Arizona has had its share of LGBTQ+-related pedophilia incidents. Just last month, a Tucson Magnet High School counselor who organized a drag show for high schoolers was arrested for having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student. The Senate Majority team called out this incident, arguing that nondiscrimination policies were a slippery slope that had led to total disregard for morals and values.
“Policies of ‘nondiscrimination regarding gender expression and sexual orientation’ are sending a message to society that we should disregard morals and values just to normalize these unscientific, broad, ill-defined and subjective terms, which set a dangerous precedent for our children that are too young to be exposed to such concepts,” wrote the team.
Earlier this month, children were bore witness to the Heard Museum in Phoenix’s first-ever drag show. That incident was also acknowledged by the Senate Majority team.
“Performers were seen dressed in scantily clad attire while carrying out provocative dance moves that left little to the imagination as youngsters watched,” asserted the team.
In apparent response to the Senate Majority pledge to outlaw drag shows for minors, State Representative Andrés Cano (D-Tucson) suggested that the state legislature hold a drag show. He has not acknowledged the arrest of the high school counselor in his district.
I think it’s time for a drag show at the Arizona legislature, don’t you?!
— Representative Andrés Cano (@AndresCanoAZ) June 15, 2022
State Representative Jennifer Longdon (D-Phoenix) claimed that gun shows were more harmful to children than drag shows.
“As others have said, gun shows are far more harmful for your kids than drag shows,” wrote Longdon. “Also, I LOVE drag queen story time!!!”
As others have said, gun shows are far more harmful for your kids than drag shows. Also, I LOVE drag queen story time!!! https://t.co/KQv8JMXUje
— Rep. Jennifer Longdon she/her (@JenLongdon) June 15, 2022
Research has linked early exposure to sexually explicit material with risky sexual behaviors, intimacy disorders, sexual violence and misconduct, and sexual deviancy. Most research on firearm exposure focuses on the effects and likelihood of gun violence, and not witnessing the legal use of a firearm.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
This past week, Arizona teachers flocked to an annual leadership conference on reshaping K-12 education to prioritize social justice, focusing mainly on controversial ideologies like social emotional learning (SEL). The Arizona K12 Center — a Northern Arizona University (NAU) affiliate, established leader of 23 years in professional educator development and gatekeeper to National Board Certification — hosted the conference. (National Board Certification has long been held as the highest and most respected teacher certification).
Two of the featured guest speakers at the conference, Shane Safir and Jamila Dugan, lectured at length about equity and a concept called “street data,” a term the pair focused on in their eponymous book on anti-racism, “Street Data: A Next-Generation Model for Equity, Pedagogy, and School Transformation.”
“Street data” appears to be a term that Safir and Dugan coined. They argue that schools currently rely on “satellite data,” or measurable marks of proficiency and success like test scores and graduation rates. Safir and Dugan advocate for the eradication of satellite data. Instead, they insist teachers should focus on “street data,” such as students’ “brilliance, cultural wealth, and intellectual potential” and other experiential data from parents, teachers, and even the community. However, the emphasis is on a pedagogy built around students who would serve as “agents of their own learning” according to the authors.
“Education can be transformed if we eradicate our fixation on big data like standardized test scores as the supreme measure of equity and learning. Instead of the focus being on ‘fixing’ and ‘filling’ academic gaps, we must envision and rebuild the system from the student up―with classrooms, schools and systems built around students’ brilliance, cultural wealth, and intellectual potential. Street data reminds us that what is measurable is not the same as what is valuable and that data can be humanizing, liberatory and healing,” read the book description.
Their book also declared that there was no defined end goal for equity because it’s a dynamic journey, not a destination.
The conference focused on social justice issues with ongoing concerns about student achievement. Arizona Department of Education (ADE) assessment of test score data from the 2020/2021 school year revealed an overall 4 percent drop in English-Language Arts scores, with a passage rate of 38 percent, and an 11 percent drop in math scores, with a passage rate of 31 percent.
The vice chair of the Arizona K12 Center is the ADE Deputy Associate Superintendent, Bruce DuPlanty. The ADE gave $7.5 million to the Arizona K12 Center in 2021 for a teacher residency program and to expand their reach across the state. During the summer of 2020, ADE partnered with the Arizona K12 Center to release Arizona’s Induction Program Standards. They’ve received millions more from the ADE since their inception in 1999.
Government employees on the board of directors include: Pinal County School Superintendent Jill Broussard, Mesa Public Schools Superintendent Andi Fourlis, Prescott Unified School District Professional Development Director Kelli Bradstreet, Yuma Union High School District Chief Academic Officer Eric Brooks, Roosevelt School District Innovation and Learning Executive Director Richard Ramos, Scottsdale Unified School District Psychologist Yadira Flores, Phoenix Elementary School District teacher Yolanda Wheelington, and Flowing Wells Unified School District teacher Ben Collinsworth. Also on the board is former Arizona State Board of Education member Janice Mak.
Arizona Public Service (APS), the largest electric company in the state, has a seat at the table: their vice president, controller, and chief accounting officer, Beth Blankenship, serves on the board of directors.
Arizona School Boards Association (ASBA) former President Ann O’Brien is also among those on the board of directors.
All three of Arizona’s public universities are also represented on the board of directors: University of Arizona (UArizona) College of Education Dean Bruce Johnson, Arizona State University (ASU) Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College professor Laura Corr, and NAU College of Education Dean Ramona Mellott.
In the past, the Arizona K12 Center has received a collective total of millions from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and the Department of Education since their inception. The center began with former Republican Governor Jane Dee Hull.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
