by Corinne Murdock | Dec 21, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Holiday travel times and flights may be more difficult to handle this year, based on the flood of illegal immigrants at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
Reporters returning from Turning Point USA’s (TPUSA) America Fest conference publicized their observations at the airport in a flurry of social media postings on Tuesday.
One independent political commentator and journalist, “Nuance Bro” (Omeed Afsarifard), encountered large groups of illegal immigrants awaiting their flights, with papers indicating that they received services from Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona (CCSA).
One woman asked why Afsarifard was filming their group without their consent, to which he informed her that filming in public areas was legal.
Afsarifard observed that the illegal immigrants had white tags on their luggage and, often, their processing paperwork from border enforcement.
From last August to this August, CCSA reported taking in over 80,000 illegal immigrants to Casa Alitas, the organization’s shelter service for illegal immigrants claiming refugee status. From August 2021 to August 2022, CCSA reported taking in about 47,800 illegal immigrants to their shelter service.
Tenet Media reporter Tayler Hansen reported that illegal immigrants received priority boarding and expedited security checks.
Hansen, along with several other reporters and political commentators, claimed to observe multiple incidents of illegal immigrants being escorted by security out of women’s restrooms.
Babylon Bee commentator Ashley St. Clair filmed her experience at Phoenix Sky Harbor: wading through crowds of illegal immigrants, and waiting behind them for boarding. St. Clair noted that taxpayers were funding the premium transportation of the illegal immigrants.
The border crisis surge is only likely to worsen in the coming weeks. Reporters along the border shared videos of thousands of illegal immigrants waiting to be let into the country. Last week, the Tucson Border Sector reported another record number of illegal immigrants breaching the border.
In response to the massive uptick in the border crisis, Gov. Katie Hobbs tapped the National Guard to provide assistance at the border.
The illegal immigrants are being flown or bussed to “sanctuary cities” in other states. Yet, those cities may be less of a sanctuary than anticipated, due to overcrowding and increasingly limited resources.
One Chicago shelter for illegal immigrants made headlines this week after reportedly poor living conditions have caused mass illnesses and the recent death of at least one: a five-year-old boy.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Dec 21, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Arizona finalized its Presidential Preference Election (PPE) list of candidates on Monday.
There will be seven Democratic candidates and nine Republican candidates on the PPE ballots.
The seven Democratic candidates are Minnesota businessman Frankie Lozada, Nevada businessman Gabriel Cornejo, author Marianne Williamson, Maryland venture capitalist Jason Palmer, Oklahoma resident Stephen Lyons, President Joe Biden, and Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips.
The nine Republican candidates are former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Ohio entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida businessman David Stuckenberg, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former President Donald Trump, Texas businessman Ryan Binkley, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The PPE allows certain voters to select their presidential candidate for the 2024 General Election. Each party will then finalize their winner at their national convention.
Only voters registered with participating parties — Democratic or Republican — may vote in the PPE. The deadline for registering with a party is Feb. 20, 2024. Independent voters who desire to vote in a party’s PPE may register with that party prior to the deadline, then revert to Independent after the deadline.
The Democratic National Committee will host its national convention in Chicago, Illinois from Aug. 19 to 22, 2024. The Republican National Committee will host its national convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from July 15 to 18, 2024.
The latest cumulative polling data reflects Trump leading at 63 percent, with DeSantis at a far second of 12 percent, followed by Haley at 10 percent, Ramaswamy at four percent, Christie at three percent, and Hutchinson at less than one percent.
The latest polls from last month and this month focused in Arizona reflected Trump leading Biden anywhere from several points to 10 points. By comparison, Biden leads by eight points over Haley and seven points over DeSantis.
Averages of polling data reflect Trump leading Arizona by about five percent, and the nation by over two percent.
Biden currently has a cumulative approval rating of about 39 percent, and an over 55 percent disapproval rating. Trump has a cumulative approval rating of 42 percent, and an over 53 percent disapproval rating.
For more information on the PPE, please visit Arizona Clean Elections. The PPE is scheduled for March 19, 2024.
The general election will take place on Nov. 5, 2024.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Dec 20, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
On Tuesday the legal team for former GOP gubernatorial candidate, now Senate candidate, Kari Lake argued for the dismissal of Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer’s defamation lawsuit against her.
Richer filed his defamation lawsuit against Lake in June over her claims of his administration of the 2022 election. Lake filed a motion to dismiss in August.
In his amended complaint, Richer alleged that Lake had “falsely and with actual malice” accused him of intentionally printing improperly-sized ballots and inserting 300,000 illegal or invalid early-vote ballots during his administration of the 2022 general election. Richer said that the accusations have caused him and his family real harm, including threats of violence and death.
Lake’s motion to dismiss argued that she voiced legitimate concerns about the 2022 election, and that Richer’s lawsuit amounted to retaliation following two failed attempts at obtaining sanctions against her. In those denied requests for sanctions, Maricopa County Superior Court found that Lake’s claims weren’t groundless or brought forth in bad faith.
“The types of statements that Recorder Richer complains of are the types of statements directly related to his job performance that political foes and constituents critical of elected officials ordinarily make,” read the motion.
During Tuesday’s arguments in the Maricopa County Superior Court, one of Richer’s attorneys, Cameron Kistler, said that Lake’s speech wasn’t hyperbole, but a statement of facts.
“She’s making statements where she’s asserting these are actual facts that happened in the world, these are actual accusations of falsifiable criminal conduct,” said Kistler.
Jen Wright, the former assistant attorney general serving on Lake’s team, countered that Lake did believe her speech to be true based on the facts at hand: the county’s admission that there were ballots that lacked chain of custody, and that printer problems did occur for some, still unknown reason.
“I don’t think it’s a question of fact as to whether or not the printers malfunctioned, it’s a question of opinion as to how they characterized them,” said Wright.
Richer accused Lake of issuing dozens of defamatory statements.
Jessica Banks-McDowell, an Arizona State University (ASU) law student on Lake’s team, said that court precedent clarifies that Richer’s intent via his filings is to stifle Lake’s speech. ASU’s First Amendment Clinic signed onto Lake’s defense.
“There is very clear intent of his motivation to deter, retaliate against, or prevent Kari Lake’s lawful speech,” said Banks-McDowell.
Richer seeks an injunction that would force Lake to delete the allegedly defamatory statements.
Banks-McDowell further argued that Richer hadn’t met the burden of proving defamation occurred as required by A.R.S. 12-751, Arizona’s anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) law.
Kistler said that the anti-SLAPP law didn’t apply here because Lake’s team didn’t provide evidence to prove Lake’s disputed statements as true.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 20, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A northern Arizona city is showing its support for the nation of Israel.
Earlier this month, the Prescott City Council passed a resolution to condemn Hamas and declare support for the Jewish State of Israel.
The motion to pass the resolution, taken during the City Council’s voting meeting on December 12, was unanimously adopted 7-0. After the result was announced, those in attendance, as well as some of the members behind the dais, broke into applause.
Prescott Mayor Phil Goode, who ushered the resolution through the meeting, said, “I’m quite proud of this council and our adoption of this resolution. As I said, I hope there are other cities and towns in this state that will follow our lead.”
In the resolution, Prescott leaders highlighted the state’s adoption of “the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism which includes anti-Zionism.”
The resolution gave seven action items for the city to follow in its support of Israel, which were as follows:
- Reaffirm its support and unwavering commitment to the welfare, security, and survival of the Jewish State of Israel;
- Recognize Israel’s right to act decisively and unilaterally in self-defense to protect is citizens;
- Express its support for Israel’s right to pursue without interference or condemnation the elimination of Hamas;
- Convey its most heartfelt condolences to all Israeli victims as well as their families and communities;
- Call upon Prescott law enforcement to remain vigilant in protecting Israeli Americans, Jewish Americans and all supporters of Israel from acts of crime and unlawful discrimination that tend to manifest at such times;
- Encourage all other Americans to likewise condemn Hamas as well as any official body that refuses to recognize Israel’s right to act decisively in self-dense to protect its citizens; and
- Call upon the United States to provide all assistance as may be required to support Israel in its defense against Hamas and all other terrorist organizations.
The Prescott City Council’s strong demonstration of support for Israel follows a similar action taken by the Arizona State Legislature on October 11, when Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma issued a Joint Legislative Proclamation to “denounce the horrific acts of war against Israel and support Israel’s right to defend itself” – among other calls to action for the Legislature.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 19, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Another week brought another near-record number of apprehensions in the Tucson Sector of the southern border.
Late last week, John Modlin, the Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector, announced that his agents had encountered 18,400 illegal aliens over the past seven days. The new number from Chief Modlin clocked in at just 500 fewer migrants than the previous week, which was regarded as historic for the sector.
The revelation from Chief Modlin came just one day following Governor Katie Hobbs’ announcement that she was mobilizing members of Arizona’s National Guard to the border near Lukeville. Hobbs made sure to point fingers at the federal government in her news alert, saying, “The crisis at the border is unacceptable. We need the federal government to step up, do its job, and bring security and stability to the border. I will continue to work with anyone who can help us bring an end to this mess.”
Ali Bradley, a National Correspondent for NewsNation, shared a prediction that largely due to the record-number of apprehensions occurring in the Tucson sector, the total arrests for December across the entire southern border “is on track to blow November encounter numbers out of the water.”
In the Arizona Senate Republicans’ latest Week in Review, Senate President Warren Petersen addressed the crisis at the border, saying, “Every week, we continue to have human smugglers, murders, rapists, drug dealers, child sex traffickers, and terrorists entering our state, as record-breaking numbers of illegals cross our border. Biden has sent a message to the entire world that our southern border is wide open, and this is the consequence. Meanwhile, the closure of the Lukeville Port of Entry continues to impact trade, tourism, and the daily lives of Arizonans who live in these rural parts of the state. We need resources and funding sent to the border now, and we call on President Biden to act immediately. The U.S. Supreme Court has made it clear that the border is the responsibility of the Federal Government, therefore our hands are tied in many areas when it comes to the border.”
Petersen also highlighted an area where the legislature and governor could take action together to help mitigate the crisis, writing, “But, if the Federal Government isn’t going to step up or enforce existing law, then we need a law allowing states to enforce immigration policy and deport those entering Arizona illegally.”
Despite Hobbs’ efforts to be perceived as taking the border crisis seriously, she is unlikely to work with Petersen and his Republican colleagues on such a proposed law.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Corinne Murdock | Dec 19, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
State Rep. Alex Kolodin (R-LD03) and Allyson Miller, former Pima County supervisor, filed a bar complaint against the Cochise County attorney, Brian McIntyre, on Monday.
Kolodin and Miller accused McIntyre of violating Rule 1.6, attorney-client privilege, for revealing privileged advice given to the Cochise County Board of Supervisors in connection with handling the 2022 election results.
The board considered a post-election hand count audit last year; during a public meeting, McIntyre revealed that he’d advised the board against the audit. Kolodin and Miller said the revelation amounted to a violation of attorney-client privilege.
Following the lawsuit against the supervisors — his clients — over the audit, McIntyre also sent a letter to their counsel disclosing a list of laws he believed the supervisors potentially violated. Kolodin and Miller asserted that McIntyre’s letter was unnecessary, crafted in a way to provide legal analysis, and used by the media to the detriment of the supervisors.
For these actions, the pair also accused McIntyre of violating Rules 1.1, requiring competent representation of a client; 1.7, 1.8, and 1.9, prohibiting conflict of interest; and 3.8(f), requiring behavior to promote public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the legal system.
“It is time for equal justice under law,” posted Kolodin on X.
The complaint comes shortly after the bar put Kolodin on 18 months of probation for representing those challenging the 2020 election results. The State Grand Jury indicted Cochise County Supervisors Peggy Judd and Tom Crosby last month over the 2022 audit controversy, which resulted in a delay of the statewide canvass.
Kolodin says he filed the complaint in order to ensure the equal application of ethical standards, regardless of political alignment.
In a statement to AZ Free News, Kolodin said that McIntyre’s actions were deserving of scrutiny and, if applicable, discipline.
“Equal justice under law is a foundational legal principle,” said Kolodin. “Regardless of the policy preferences we advocate for, the law must be fairly and neutrally applied.”
Miller told AZ Free News that McIntyre should’ve done better to protect the supervisors by handling privileged legal information through an executive session. Miller opined that McIntyre abandoned the supervisors.
“He doesn’t have a right to be a judge,” said Miller.
The former supervisor also asserted that Judd and Crosby abided by the statutory deadline on canvassing, since they certified on Dec. 1 and state law imposes a deadline of the fourth Monday following the general election — or, Dec. 5 — for certification. The statute also allows for the canvass to be postponed “from day to day” for up to 30 days from Election Day until all counties submit their canvasses.
“If the official canvass of any county has not been received on the fourth Monday following the general election, the canvass shall be postponed from day to day, not to exceed thirty days from the date of the election, until canvasses from all counties are received,” reads A.R.S. 16-648(c).
Miller said she felt every official in the state should sign onto their complaint, surmising that McIntyre’s actions set a dangerous precedent for counsel to undermine officials based on political reasons.
“You have a right to be represented in the discharge of your duty,” said Miller.
Kolodin and Miller’s bar complaint prompted a flurry of online commentary from Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09), who applauded the bar complaint against McIntyre. Gosar pointed out that no Democrat-aligned lawyers were sanctioned under 2000 or 2016 election challenges.
Gosar portrayed Kolodin as one of a class of lawyers punished for representing causes and individuals “disfavored by the regime,” a hallmark of autocracy according to the congressman.
“This form of oppression is well documented by autocrats desperate [to] stop any challenge [to] their legitimacy,” said Kolodin.
State Sen. Wendy Rogers (R-LD07) characterized the bar complaint as an effort to fight back against a disparate system of justice.
“The sword cuts both ways,” said Rogers. “Not taking it lying down anymore.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
