A speaker at Arizona State University’s George Floyd-themed art exhibit claimed Floyd died for “each and every last one of us.”
“Had not George Floyd died, we wouldn’t be here,” said Eliza Wesley, Minneapolis resident and “gatekeeper” of the Square. “God chose him. He was a chosen vessel.”
Wesley said she “almost had an emotional breakdown” on her way to the exhibit in response to Floyd’s death, the four year anniversary of which is on May 25.
The art exhibit, titled “Twin Flames: The George Floyd Uprising from Minneapolis to Phoenix,” features Black Lives Matter 2020 protest posters and an image of Floyd wearing a crown of thorns.
One of the displays draws parallels to religious figures, with George Floyd wearing a crown of thorns. Why does the left continue to lift up and idolize a man we know was a convicted criminal?@TPUSApic.twitter.com/Qfr0cZVgnl
The exhibit opened Feb. 3 and will remain at the ASU Art Museum until July 28. According to the website, the exhibit showcases “the thousands of offerings laid by mourners and protesters at George Floyd Square.”
“This exhibition recognizes that creative and artistic expressions of pain and hope exist beyond the walls of museums, in all forms and a myriad of cultural expressions, and that George Floyd Square is a public space that can teach us how to mobilize as we mourn victims of police violence and imagine a more just world,” ASU’s description of the exhibition reads.
Frontlines Turning Point USA shared the video of Wesley’s speech on X. The exhibit “features shocking imagery and narratives that elevate Floyd to a near-mythical status,” Frontlines wrote.
EXCLUSIVE: At the opening of a George Floyd-themed art exhibit at ASU, the “Gatekeeper of George Floyd Square” in Minneapolis makes a bold claim: George Floyd died for “each and every last one of us.”
Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., sent a letter to Arizona Attorney General Kristin Mayes asking the Democrat to drop her “frivolous lawsuit” against allies of former President Donald Trump by June 1.
“I just sent a letter to Arizona Attorney General Kristin Mayes demanding that she resigns and drops the frivolous lawsuit against former Trump officials for questioning the results of the 2020 election,” Breechen said in a post on X.
Brecheen’s letter to Mayes, joined by representatives Troy Nehls, R-Texas, and Andy Biggs, R-Ariz, called for her to drop the lawsuit against former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and other conservative activists indicted for questioning the results of the 2020 election.
“Not only is this a violation to the 1st Amendment, it is blatant interference in the 2024 election,” the Republicans wrote in a letter first obtained by Breitbart News.
An Arizona grand jury indicted Meadows, former Trump attorney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Arizona Republican Chair Kelli Ward, and others on May 24 for their roles in disputing the results of the 2020 presidential election.
“Every American has the right to free speech, including the right to question the results of elections,” the letter reads. “Your choice to indict American citizens for expressing constitutional rights represents the worst of machine politics, and we intend to take every action available to Congress to rectify your decision.”
This comes as Trump leads President Joe Biden in the polls in several key swing states, including Arizona. Trump led by seven points in the Grand Canyon state, receiving almost 50% support from voters who said they would vote for him, while Biden received only 42%.
The indictments “rely on a shaky legal framework and are malicious in nature,” the representatives wrote in the letter, which breaks down the charges against the Trump allies.
“Clearly, your intention is not to follow the law but to initiate a political witch hunt,” Brecheen, Nehls, and Biggs wrote.
The congressmen promised to continue fighting lawsuits against Trump from Congress.
“If you do not, we the undersigned look forward to using the full extent of our authorized powers to rectify your abuse of office,” they said.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., offered scholarships to the students in his district who won awards in the Congressional Art Competition.
The U.S. House of Representatives sponsors the Congressional Art Competition, a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in every congressional district in the nation, each spring.
Crane represents Arizona’s second district, which is the northeastern part of the state.
The Phippen Museum in Prescott displayed all submitted artwork. Local judges visited to view and evaluate each piece.
Hannah Pryor, a student at Miami High School, won first place this year for her piece “My Cat.” Hannah will fly to Washington, D.C. for an awards banquet and have her award-winning artwork displayed for a year in the U.S. Capitol.
Grayson Edwards of Mingus Union High School won second place for his piece “The Professional.”
Trinity Christian School student Ethan Orr, who was last year’s first place winner, placed third for “A Stroll in Seoul.”
Clay Witten of Trinity Christian School received Honorable Mention for “Downtown Prescott.”
The People’s Choice award went to Lydia Minjarez from Mingus Union High School for “Zebra Eye.”
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
Prices as measured by the seasonally adjusted Consumer Price Index are now up by almost 20% in the years since President Joe Biden took office.
The prices of five of McDonald’s most popular items — french fries, a cheeseburger, 10 McNuggets, the Big Mac, and the McChicken — on average have increased by more than 140% from the end of 2019, when Donald Trump was president, to this year.
An order of medium french fries cost $1.79 when Trump was president but now costs $4.19. The McChicken increased from $1.29 to $3.89. The cheeseburger went from costing $1.00 to $3.15, a 215% increase.
Taco Bell’s popular items have on average increased by 57.4%, with the beefy five layer burrito increasing in price from $1.69 in 2019 to $3.69 in mid-2024, a 118% increase.
At Chick-fil-A, the average price across the Deluxe Chicken Sandwich, eight nuggets, four chicken strips, medium waffle fries, and a large milkshake increased by 80.1%.
The eight-piece chicken nugget, which once cost customers only $3.05, now costs just short of six dollars. The medium waffle fries increased from $1.65 to $2.99.
Biden has acknowledged the increases consumers have faced in prices during his presidency.
“Inflation has fallen more than 60% from its peak, and core inflation fell to its lowest level in three years,” he said, acknowledging that “prices are still too high” and reiterating that fighting inflation is his “top economic priority.”
The typical U.S. household needed to pay $227 more a month in March to purchase the same goods and services it did one year ago because of inflation. Americans are paying on average $784 more each month compared with the same time two years ago and $1,069 more compared with three years ago.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
Amazon issued a statement blasting the Democratic Arizona attorney general for a “fundamental misunderstanding and mischaracterization of how Amazon’s businesses work.”
Under Arizona AG Kris Mayes’ leadership, the Grand Canyon state sued Amazon for “unfair and deceptive business practices under the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act and the Arizona Uniform State Antitrust Act.”
“Amazon’s anti-competitive and monopolistic practices have artificially inflated prices for Arizona consumers and harmed smaller third-party retailers that rely on its platform,” Mayes wrote.
Arizona filed two lawsuits, the first one focusing on the cancellation process for Amazon Prime, and the second targeting an Amazon algorithm that “determines which offer for a given product is made available via the ‘Buy Now’ or ‘Add to Cart’ buttons.”
“The lawsuit claims the Buy Box algorithm is actually biased toward offers that maximize Amazon’s profits, often favoring its own products or those of Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) sellers over better non-FBA options,” according to a statement from the Attorney General’s office.
The company is “surprised and disappointed” by the cases, a spokesperson for Amazon said, accusing the state’s AG of initiating the lawsuits “without reviewing a single document from Amazon.”
“Prime’s sign-up and cancellation processes are clear and simple by design, meeting a high bar for customer satisfaction well above legal requirements,” the statement says. “Customers sign up for Prime because it’s an incredible service and a great value, and they can cancel their Prime membership with a few clicks from the home page.”
“These suits would force Amazon to engage in practices that actually harm consumers and the many businesses that sell in our store—such as having to feature higher prices,” the Amazon statement continues.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
