Last week, Arizona State University (ASU) launched a hate speech surveillance campaign with assistance from the federal government.
ASU’s McCain Institute received support from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grant Program to launch SCREEN Hate, an effort to monitor youths’ online activity. The institute told parents and caregivers that it was only a matter of time before the minors in their lives were discovered and corrupted by hate online.
“Trusting that your family’s values will protect them is not enough,” warned the campaign site.
The campaign resources came from DHS and leftist organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), UNESCO, Common Sense Media, and the National School Boards Association (NSBA).
The NSBA coordinated with the Biden administration to investigate parents and community members for domestic terrorism based on their school board activism. When reporters discovered this coordination between the DOJ and NSBA, the NSBA issued an apology letter that they later backdated on their website weeks after our reporting pointed out the letter’s absence online. It was only when the NSBA uploaded and backdated its apology letter that they deleted their celebratory press release about the Biden administration heeding their petition to investigate parents.
One of the SPLC resources insinuated that devout Christians constituted extremist beliefs.
“Extremist beliefs say that one group of people is in dire conflict with other groups who don’t share the same racial or ethnic, gender or sexual, religious, or political identity,” stated SPLC. “Extremists believe that this imagined conflict can only be through separation, domination, or violence between groups.”
One resource from UNESCO advises individuals on how to “stop the spread of conspiracy theories.” The organization asserts that the world can’t be divided into objective good or bad, and that no powerful forces with negative intent are secretly manipulating events.
Another resource, from the ADL, framed the 2020 George Floyd riots as peaceful protests, and those opposed to the rioters as white supremacists and extremists. The resource, “White Supremacy Search Trends in the United States,” also claimed that white supremacy was behind the January 6 protest at the Capitol.
Search trends that the ADL deemed “white supremacist” included any inquiries about the truth behind the Black Lives Matter (BLM) organization. The organization also declared that search trends reflecting concerns about the “great replacement theory” were rooted in conspiracy. ADL said that Arizona was the third in the top ten states it deemed to have the highest consumption of extremist content.
SCREEN Hate directs individuals to download the “Resilience Net” app in order to access a directory of practitioners who specialize in violence and terrorism prevention. It’s part of the One World Online Resilience Center (OWORC), a DHS-funded initiative from the Massachusetts-based organization founded by Boston Marathon survivors, One World Strong.
SCREEN Hate is the latest initiative of the McCain Institute’s Preventing Targeted Violence Program, which mainly focuses on combating right-wing extremists and white supremacy. The McCain Institute attributes the program’s focus to the DHS declaration that white supremacists were the biggest threat to the U.S., citing the 2020 Homeland Threat Assessment.
The Biden administration has labeled Americans supportive of former President Donald Trump as “MAGA Republicans” that present a “clear and present danger” to the country.
“Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic,” declared Biden. “MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution. They do not believe in the rule of law. They do not recognize the will of the people.”
Tonight was a classic example of how different things can look in person versus on TV. In person: Joe Biden at the patriotic cradle of America. On TV: Dark Brandon on his throne of human skulls. pic.twitter.com/uGldLywdVB
During Sunday’s speech commemorating the 21st anniversary of 9/11, Biden alluded to his administration’s focus on rooting out present domestic terror threats at home.
That same day, Vice President Kamala Harris clarified Biden’s intent in a subsequent interview with MSNBC. The pair discussed the Biden administration’s focus on combating the “threat from within,” which Harris concurred was comparable to 9/11.
“I think [that threat] is very dangerous and I think it is very harmful. And it makes us weaker,” said Harris.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
A 26-page report detailing multiple concerns with last year’s environmental review of Resolution Copper’s plans to mine in and around the Tonto National Forest means the company won’t be securing its required permits anytime soon.
Water was the subject of concern in the report prepared for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) by two hydrogeologists and a hydrologist who reviewed the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) issued in January 2021 as part of Resolution Copper’s permitting efforts under the National Environmental Policy Act.
Resolution Copper began nearly 20 years ago to develop a plan for underground mining roughly 60 miles east of Phoenix, near the town of Superior. It forecasts up to 3,700 direct and indirect jobs over the life of the project, with a payroll of $270 million at full production.
Supporters point to the benefits of improving U.S. domestic copper supply, which significantly lags behind Chile, Peru, and China. Resolution Copper could potentially produce as much as 40 billion pounds of copper over 40 years, with the ability to provide nearly 25 percent of America’s copper demand, the company says.
Most of the land around the mining site is government owned, although some private landowners in the area have wells which could be impacted by the mining, according to the 2021 FEIS report. Those potential private well impacts were not sufficiently addressed in the FEIS, according to the three BLM reviewers.
The water impact issue also raises the question of whether the concerns of private landowners and state water officials are trumped by the federal General Mining Law of 1872, which has long been viewed in Arizona as overriding any local and state interests.
Copper was first discovered in the greater Superior area in 1863 with the first known mine production starting in 1887. But by 1995 copper production ended in the area.
It was also in the mid-1990s that the Resolution Copper deposit was discovered. It would take several years before formal exploration and studies were undertaken.
Then in 2014 Resolution Copper began the process to obtain the necessary permits. That same year it obtained Congressional approval for a land swap which would give the company 2,422 acres of federally owned land in the Tonto National Forest within its project site in exchange for more than 5,300 acres of land Resolution Copper owned across Arizona.
But it would take until January 2021 for the land swap to receive regulatory approval. Then it took until June of this year for the company to prevail in a legal challenge when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected arguments on behalf of various Native American tribal members that the land swap would allow Resolution Copper to interfere with being able to worship at various sacred sites.
The Court also rebuffed legal claims that an 1852 treaty prohibited the mining activity, thus clearing the way for the land swap.
Resolution Copper says it has modified its project boundaries over the years after consultation with federal regulators and 11 Native American Tribes, including the San Carlos Apache. As a result, the company announced it “will forego portions of copper-bearing ore to minimize subsidence impacts” to important areas within the 4,600-acre Oak Flat.
The maximum expected impact area will be less than 1,800 acres at the end of the life of the mine, according to the company.
Resolution Copper will also “forego private ownership and mineral title” to the Apache Leap area at Oak Flat by permanently protecting it as a Special Management Area managed by the U.S. Forest Service. And the company has announced there will be “no physical impact” to another sacred site at Devil’s Canyon.
In the meantime, the U.S. Forest Service approved the company’s plan of operations and an initial environmental assessment in 2016. The agency then published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement in 2019 following dozens of public meetings and consultations, and countless hours spent by both company and government employees trying to satisfy myriad requirements.
Additional review and comments were taken into consideration for the Final Environmental Impact Statement released in January 2021. The FEIS identified alternatives to some of Resolution Copper’s plans and identifies suggested mitigation measures—required and voluntary—to “minimize, reduce, or offset impacts” from the proposed project.
It is that FEIS which has been subject since then to further public and federal reviews, including the one recently conducted by the water experts for BLM.
No deadline has been announced for releasing a new FEIS that would incorporate updated information based on the reviews.
Arizona has the highest inflation rate in the country — making this state the number one victim of President Joe Biden’s inflation crisis.
The Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale area suffers from 13 percent inflation, according to the latest Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Tuesday. Nationwide inflation rate sits just over 8 percent.
According to recent polling, the inflation and border crises are of equal importance to Arizona voters.
Top issue for Arizona voters? Border security now tied with inflation. Both winning issues for Rs, but also sign that the worst of the economic malaise behind Biden. pic.twitter.com/KfBz0hHI38
Arizona Free Enterprise Club (AZFEC) President Scot Mussi told AZ Free News that the Biden administration has only worsened the economic woes of Arizonans. Mussi warned that consumers would continue to cut back on major purchases, and business owners would freeze expansions and hiring. He also pointed out that any reductions in inflation weren’t due to the Biden administration’s actions, but instead consumers cutting back.
“It’s pretty clear that the decision makers in Washington want to make this situation worse,” said Mussi. “The recession will continue to linger on until policy makers get serious about runaway spending.”
While Arizonans and the rest of America were taking in the federal government’s latest inflation report on Tuesday, President Joe Biden was celebrating the controversial Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Tune in as I deliver remarks celebrating the Inflation Reduction Act and how it demonstrates government working for the American people. https://t.co/ZDwRFPcDdT
Biden didn’t address how the latest inflation data reflected historic highs. Rather, the president asserted that the effects of inflation were improving, and that the state of the economy should come as good news for Americans.
Today’s data show progress in fighting inflation. This month, prices overall were essentially flat, gas prices were down, and wages were up – that's good news for American families.
My plan is showing we can lower costs, create jobs, and bring manufacturing back to America.
However, not all within Biden’s party agreed that the IRA and other recent actions by the president are wins. In an interview this week, Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) refused to affirm that Biden is doing a good job as president. Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) assessed that Kelly treaded carefully due to Biden’s unpopularity among voters.
.@RepAndyBiggsAZ: Mark Kelly "knows that Biden is on the ballot this November and Biden is on the ballot and in Arizona, Biden is incredibly unpopular." @RobFinnertyUSA
Mick McGuire, former Arizona National Guard general and failed senate candidate, told “The Conservative Circus” on Tuesday that Kelly was just as guilty as Biden for failing Arizonans with worsening inflation.
Mussi asserted that the IRA wasn’t anything to celebrate, calling it the “Inflation Destruction Act.” He explained that the IRA wouldn’t reduce inflation. Mussi noted that the government hasn’t even distributed all of the stimulus funds from the American Rescue Plan.
“We haven’t even finished rolling out the Biden COVID recovery act: the $1.9 trillion spending palooza. There’s no discipline right now, and there’s really no end in sight,” said Mussi. “Right now, we’ve hit what would be the definition of a recession. Even if you wanted to use the Biden administration’s viewpoint, at best you could say we’re in a bad state of stagflation. There’s absolutely no growth.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Phoenix’s first-ever public health advisor, Nicole Dupuis-Witt, was one of the leaders behind Canada’s totalitarian COVID-19 response. Dupuis-Witt assisted with the enforcement of business and church closures, as well as mask and vaccine mandates.
Prior to coming to Arizona, Dupuis-Witt was a leader in one of Canada’s public health departments: the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU). Dupuis-Witt, while serving the Canadian government, went by the surname “Dupuis” only.
When Dupuis-Witt became CEO of WECHU last summer, their Board of Health Chair, Gary McNamara, credited Dupuis-Witt as integral to the Canadian government’s COVID-19 response. Dupuis-Witt assisted former WECHU CEO Theresa Marentette and former WECHU medical officer of health Wajid Ahmed to execute their COVID-19 response.
“[Dupuis-Witt] has been an instrumental help and right hand to … Theresa and Dr. Ahmed during the last 14 or 15 months in serving the community on the pandemic.”
Both Marentette and Ahmed were behind the forced closures of businesses and churches throughout the pandemic, mask mandates through 2021, and then the push for mandatory vaccinations.
As of March 21, the mask mandate will be lifted. However, in public spaces masks are still necessary: ✈️For 14 days after returning from travel outside of Canada 😷 For 10 days after exposure to a household member who has COVID-19 symptoms or has tested positive pic.twitter.com/YUcvLsjMgH
Under Dupuis-Witt’s CEO tenure, WECHU pushed all organizations to require the COVID-19 vaccine. Last September, WECHU issued vaccine mandates for children 12 and older attending community sports and fitness facilities.
In April, WECHU released “A Realistic Plan to Live with COVID-19,” which promised Canadians that they would never experience pre-pandemic normalcy again. The plan issued predictions that future outbreaks of infectious diseases would be met with mask mandates, social distancing, indoors capacity limits, and restaurant closures.
“Learning to live with COVID-19 does not mean that we’re going back to the way things were before the pandemic. If there is one thing we know now, this disease is unpredictable,” asserted WECHU.
Dupuis-Witt’s leadership over WECHU was consistent with actions undertaken by fellow former WECHU leaders Marentette and Ahmed.
Throughout 2020, Marentette led the charge on forcing businesses to close. Her COVID-19 response struck fear of reprisal into locals’ hearts. One restaurant owner, Wade Griffith, shared his worry with reporters in September that a small group of people dancing on a patio would cause mass forced shutdowns all over again.
“The fear is if people don’t behave and don’t keep their patrons behaved that the city or the provincial government will reverse it and all of us will be punished, not just one venue but all of us and that’s something none of us want to see because we can’t survive it again,” said Griffith. “It’s so scary that they’re going to close us again, the fear is out there right now in the community that we’re going to go backwards, we’re going into winter.”
Over the past year, Ahmed attempted to implement vaccine passports to limit unvaccinated Canadians’ public movements. Last August, he told reporters that the unvaccinated were to blame for the spread of COVID-19.
“We can call it the pandemic of the unvaccinated,” said Ahmed. “We’ve got a pretty significant number of unvaccinated people and unfortunately, many of these unvaccinated people are engaged in very high risk activities.”
Dupuis-Witt assumes her position as Phoenix’s public health advisor next month.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Gov. Doug Ducey’s recent decision to use state-owned shipping containers to close five gaps along the U.S. / Mexico border in Yuma County has helped better identify other vulnerable areas, including a stretch of unsecured border on land belonging to the Cocopah Indian Tribe.
“It is a known vulnerability, I think it’s pretty obvious to everyone down there,” Tim Roemer, director of the Arizona Department of Homeland Security, said Thursday about dozens of people who cross into the U.S. via tribal lands each week, some without presenting themselves to federal authorities.
Roemer told KFYI’s James T. Harris that the temporary shipping container project was “a good step in the right direction because it’s going to highlight where the weaknesses are at other points.” One of the most exploited weak points is at the end of one segment of the state’s border barrier next to Cocopah tribal land.
Tribal officials have complained about the state’s construction of the barrier, which they contend encroaches several feet on the tribe’s property. Roemer did not openly criticize Cocopah tribal officials, but said knowing where vulnerabilities exist is “going to put more pressure on other people to do more about it, to stem that flow, to better protect their land as well.”
Roemer added that it is his hope the Tribe will work more with state officials.
As to complaints about the poor aesthetics of the shipping containers, border security “is not meant to be pretty; it’s meant to be effective,” Roemer told Harris.
It is also “extremely frustrating” to hear people who want to secure special events, such as political gatherings, “but they don’t want to secure the southwest border into the nation,” Roemer said.
Yuma County was not the only border area Roemer discussed with Harris during the interview. According to the Director, efforts are underway to make state funding available to help better secure Cochise County where some stretches of border have no effective barrier or wall.
The geography in most of those areas is mountainous, making it not a good match for the type of shipping-container temporary border barrier installed in Yuma County. Instead, Roemer says state funding will be made available to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office for virtual technology instead of physical barriers.
Those funds are part of a $335 million appropriation signed into law by Ducey earlier this year. Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels can access some of that money for technologies such as drones, cameras, mobile units, and infrared night vision.
“We work really well with Sheriff Dannels and his team,” Roemer told Harris. “They utilize technology there about as well, probably better than anybody in the country. It’s really impressive.”
State Rep. Brian S. Fernandez (D-Yuma) has reportedly lost a key labor endorsement in the upcoming election after being accused by a fellow Democratic lawmaker of calling her a “Fat Fu**” to other elected officials and lobbyists.
Arizona Rep. Alma Hernandez tweeted Friday that SMART—the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers—Local 359 pulled its support for Fernandez as a result of his alleged comments about Hernandez, who represents parts of the greater Tucson area.
“Local 359, @smartunionworks values the respect of all people. We support candidates for office who work to bring people together. @BrianSFernandez lack of respect for a legislative colleague…We have pulled our endorsement of Brian & hope he learns a lesson.” THANK YOU!
Fernandez, who is also accused of telling people he “hates” Hernandez, is running against Republican nominee Gary Snyder in the upcoming Nov. 8 General Election to represent Legislative District 23 in southwest Arizona.
On Friday morning Hernandez released a letter calling on Fernandez to take part in sensitivity training and to apologize “to every single woman” in the Democratic Party. She also wants party leadership to “seek a punishment” against Fernandez, who was appointed to the Legislature last year to fill the seat his mother Charlene vacated after several years.
Hernandez has also demanded the entire Democratic Legislative Caucus “take a pledge to not engage in this type of behavior against women.” Minority Leader Rep. Reginald Bolding issued a response Friday which noted the leadership team “is aware” of Hernandez’s letter.
“The House of Representatives has a clear policy on Workplace Harassment that gives zero tolerance to this type of behavior,” Bolding noted. “Pursuant to this policy, these allegations will be taken seriously, properly investigated and have been referred to the Rules Office.”
Very few other Democratic state lawmakers weighed in on the controversy. One is Rep. Cesar Chavez (Phoenix), who lost in the August primary election to Anna Hernandez, sister of Alma.
We’ve consistently rebuked Donald Trump’s sexist and violent commentary toward women. It is no different when a Democrat says them. @BrianSFernandez, the comments you have expressed to others about @AlmaForArizona are completely uncalled for. A public apology needs to happen. https://t.co/dEzsmuLJ53
