U.S. Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) has signed onto Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s (R-FL) discharge petition to force a floor vote on H.R. 1908, the Restore Trust in Congress Act, legislation that would prohibit Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from trading or owning individual stocks and other covered investments while in office.
The move comes amid growing bipartisan frustration over potential insider trading and conflicts of interest in Congress, with public polls showing overwhelming support for ending the practice. Rep. Crane, who has never traded stocks during his time in office, has long championed the reform as essential to restoring public trust.
“The American people overwhelmingly agree that Members of Congress should not be allowed to trade stocks while in office. Lawmakers who are privy to sensitive and non-public information should not have the ability to profit from their access,” said Rep. Crane. “I applaud Rep. Luna for taking initiative and leading the charge to end this corrupt practice in our nation’s capital. Republicans and Democrats alike should join forces and get this reform across the finish line.”
Introduced by Rep. Luna, H.R. 1908, would amend federal ethics law to bar covered individuals from purchasing, owning, or trading stocks, commodities, and similar investments, with limited exceptions for diversified mutual funds, U.S. Treasury securities, and certain occupational or inherited assets.
The bill imposes a 180-day divestment period for current lawmakers and 90 days for new ones, with penalties including a 10% fee on prohibited holdings and forfeiture of profits from violations.
“A discharge petition is the strongest tool we have to guarantee a vote on behalf of the American people, and it exists for moments exactly like this,” said Rep. Luna.
“This is one of the most popular, most supported issues in the entire country. Americans deserve a Congress that works for them, not for special interests or personal portfolios,” she added. “I look forward to working with every faction, every caucus, and every Member, Republican and Democrat, to finally get this over the finish line.”
The discharge petition, if successful, would bypass committee delays and bring the bill directly to the House floor under H. Res. 725, which waives procedural hurdles and limits debates to one hour.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Jim Griset, the proprietor of a souvenir store, an art gallery, and a Harley Davidson shop in Prescott, has secured a hard-fought victory in his efforts to bring his vision of a new hotel to the city’s historic downtown. Represented by Goldwater Institute attorney Jon Riches, Griset’s victory successfully overturned a City Council ruling that upheld the Prescott Preservation Commission’s denial of his permit.
According to the Goldwater Institute, Griset has sought to transform three buildings he already owns on Prescott’s historic Whiskey Row into a hotel. The buildings already house his existing businesses, but he has endeavored since 2023 to bring the hotel into being that would “complement the surrounding architecture and preserve the charm and character that make Prescott special.”
🏆 VICTORY FOR PROPERTY RIGHTS: Goldwater’s Permit Freedom Act just delivered exactly what it was designed to do…
A local project that was unfairly denied is now moving forward—because cities must use clear, objective, pre-existing rules when deciding permits.
As noted by Goldwater, none of the buildings in question are listed as historic. Still, they are located within the city’s designated historic district and thus require approval from the Preservation Commission.
Writing for Goldwater Riches explained:
“When Jim first submitted his application in 2023, the commission rejected it—not based on any clear or objective standards, but in response to NIMBY [not-in-my-backyard] opposition and vague impressions. Instead of pointing to identifiable criteria in the city’s preservation code, the commission relied on subjective notions like whether the design was ‘respectful’ of the district’s ‘intimate scale.’
Those terms don’t appear anywhere in the law. They’re not defined. They’re entirely subjective—which is exactly what the law is supposed to prevent.”
The law Riches refers to is The Permit Freedom Act, a Goldwater Institute-developed law enacted in 2023. He notes, “The Act prohibits local governments from making new rules midstream or applying vague, subjective standards to block lawful use of private property. And that is precisely what Prescott did.”
When Griset applied for the permit and was denied, he reportedly took the commission’s feedback, revised his designs, and worked to meet the standards set. “Yet every time he met the standards placed before him, the standards seemed to change,” Riches wrote.
When the denial was appealed to the Prescott City Council, the Council ruled against Griset. The council brought in a neutral historic preservation expert, who found that Griset had met the standards, and Goldwater attorneys brought the potential violation of the Permit Freedom Act to the City’s attention. Goldwater told the city, “Based on this review, under the Permit Freedom Act, there was simply no legal criteria authorizing the denial of his permit,” per Riches. However, the Commission again ruled 3-2 against Griset and his hotel plans.
Riches noted that in 2024, Prescott’s City Council sold the old City Hall building to a property developer with similar plans for a four-story hotel in the very same district. But it wasn’t rejected by the Commission or Council.
On November 4th, the City Council heard Mr. Griset’s appeal. Riches wrote, “Several council members spoke openly about the importance of private property rights and the need for fair, consistent rules—not decisions driven by subjective preferences or political pressure. Members of the public echoed the same: government rules must be fair, consistent, and objective. They should not favor some over others.”
Riches concluded, “Property owners in Prescott, and across Arizona, deserve certainty. They deserve to know the rules before they invest. When government shifts the rules or invents new ones as it goes, it undermines confidence, deters investment, and violates the law.”
The council voted to overturn the Preservation Commission’s decision. Mr. Griset’s hotel plan is pending approval from Prescott’s city zoning and planning commission and, subsequently, from the Council. A water service agreement will also require approval.
Arizona State Senator Janae Shamp (R-LD29) hailed a significant court victory after a challenge to one of the state’s strictest child-protection laws was rejected, ensuring that convicted sex offenders remain subject to rigorous registration and oversight requirements.
The court ruled that the plaintiff—a registered sex offender previously convicted of attempted sexual conduct with a minor, two counts of sexual abuse, and public indecency—must continue to comply with all current sex-offender registration laws and conditions.
The decision upholds years of Republican-led legislative efforts to close loopholes that once allowed thousands of dangerous offenders to evade public scrutiny.
In just the past two years, four bills authored by Senator Shamp to strengthen protection for children and increase accountability for predators have been signed into law. These measures have resulted in more than 6,800 Level 1 sex offenders—previously spared by “legal loopholes”—now appearing on Arizona’s public registry for crimes against children.
“This ruling sends a loud and clear message: Arizona stands with children, not with offenders. I will not slow down, I will not back off, and I will continue to close every door that pedophiles try to slip through,” said Senator Shamp. “All sex offenders in Arizona, your secrets are revealed, and the consequences will follow you. I want to thank victims like Kayleigh Kozak for fighting this battle alongside me to get the job done. My mission is to protect the vulnerable, and I will fight every day to continue finding legislative solutions to achieve that. This victory is only the beginning—our work to secure Arizona’s future continues.”
Kayleigh Kozak, the driving force behind “Kayleigh’s Law”, has become one of Arizona’s most prominent victim-advocates. The landmark legislation, passed with bipartisan support and signed into law in 2022, gives victims of dangerous crimes, including sexual abuse, the right to obtain a lifetime restraining order against their perpetrators.
The law was born out of Kozak’s own experience. As a middle-school student in Buckeye, she was sexually assaulted by her soccer coach. Years later, she learned that her abuser was attempting to have his probation lifted, sparking her to team up with Sen. Kerr to draft such legislation.
Within its first year, Kayleigh’s Law enabled 1,009 Arizona victims to serve their perpetrators with lifetime protective orders.
“Over the past four years, I have worked alongside Senator Shamp on critical legislation to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable and to bring truth and transparency to the judicial system—making our communities and children safer,” said Kozak. “The actions of these registered sex offenders are both disgusting and dangerous. Now, through multiple lawsuits, they are challenging the enhanced sex offender registration laws, further demonstrating their disregard for rules, boundaries, and laws.”
She continued, “If these offenders feel uncomfortable with society knowing who they are, where they live, and what they have done, they should have considered the consequences of their actions before choosing to harm a child. Together, we can continue to advocate for safety, accountability, and transparency in our communities!”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
A new report from McKinsey & Company, the “Global Energy Perspective,” lays bare what many of us – dismissed as “climate deniers” – have been asserting all along: Coal, oil and natural gas will continue to be the dominant sources of global energy well past 2050.
The McKinsey outlook for 2025 sharply adjusts prior projections. Last year, the management consultant’s models had coal demand falling 40% by 2035. Today, McKinsey projects an uptick of 1% over the same period. The dramatic reversal is driven by record commissioning of coal-fired power plants in China, unexpected increases in global electricity use, and the lack of viable alternatives for industries like steel, chemicals and heavy manufacturing.
The report states that the three fossil fuels will still supply up to 55% of global energy in 2050, a forecast that looks low to me. Today’s share for hydrocarbons is more than 60% for electricity generation and more than 80% for primary energy consumption.
In any case, McKinsey’s report confirms what seasoned energy analysts and pragmatic policymakers have long maintained: The energy transition will not be swift, simple, or governed solely by climate targets. In fact, this energy transition will not happen at all without large scale deployment of nuclear, geothermal or other technological innovations that prove practical.
In places such as India, Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the top energy priorities are access, affordability and reliability, which together add up to national security. Planners are acutely aware of a trap: Sole reliance on weather-dependent power risks blackouts, industrial disruption, economic decline and civil unrest.
That is why many developing nations are embracing a dual track: continued investment in conventional generation (coal, gas, nuclear) while developing alternative technologies. McKinsey says this in consultancy lingo: “Countries and regions will follow distinct trajectories based on local economic conditions, resource endowment, and the realities facing particular industries.”
In countries like India, Indonesia and Nigeria, the scale of electrification and industrial expansion is enormous. These countries cannot afford to wait decades for perfect solutions. They need “reliable and good enough for now.” That means conventional fuels will be retained.
McKinsey’s analysis also underscores what physics and engineering dictate: Intermittent and weather-dependent sources, such as wind and solar, require vast land areas, backup batteries and generation and power-grid investments, none of which come cheaply nor quickly.
The technologies of wind and solar branded as renewable should instead be called economy killers. They make for expensive and unstable electrical systems that have brought energy-rich nations like Germany to their knees. After spending billions of dollars on unreliable wind turbines and solar panels and demolishing nuclear plants and coal plants, the country is struggling with high prices and economic stagnation.
The Germans now have a word for their self-inflicted crisis: Dunkelflaute. It means “dark doldrums”—a period of cold, sunless, windless days when their “green” grid fails. During a Dunkelflaute in November 2024, fossil fuels were called on to provide 70% of Germany’s electricity.
If “renewables” were truly capable, planners would shut down fossil fuel generation. But that is not the case. While wind and solar are pursued in some places, coal and natural gas remain much sought-after fuels. In the first half of 2025 alone, China commissioned about 21 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired capacity, which is more than any other country and the largest increase since 2016.
Further, China has approved construction of 25 GW of new coal plants in the first half of 2025. As of July, China’s mainland has nearly 1,200 coal plants, far outstripping the rest of the world.
McKinsey points to a dramatic surge in electricity demand driven by data centers, which is estimated to be about 17 % annually from 2022 to 2030 in the 38 OECD countries. This kind of growth in electricity use simply cannot be met by wind and solar.
When analysts, journalists and engineers point out these realities, they’re branded as “shills” for the fossil fuel industry. However, it is not public relations to point out the physics and economics that make up the math for meeting the world’s energy needs. Dismissing such facts is to deny that reliable energy remains the bedrock of modern civilization.
The cost of foolish “green” policies is being paid in lost jobs, ruined businesses, disrupted lives and impoverishment that could have been avoided by wiser choices.
For those who have repeated energy realities for years, the vindication is bittersweet. The satisfaction of being right is tempered by the knowledge that many have suffered because reality has been ignored.
Vijay Jayaraj is a contributor to The Daily Caller News Foundation andScience and Research Associate at the CO2 Coalition, Fairfax, Va. He holds an M.S. in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia and a postgraduate degree in energy management from Robert Gordon University, both in the U.K., and a bachelor’s in engineering from Anna University, India.
Arizona’s House GOP members presented a unified front Wednesday as Congress ended the weeks-long federal government shutdown, criticizing Democrats for prioritizing politics over the disruptions it caused Arizonans. Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ08) delivered one of the sharpest rebukes, claiming Democrats triggered the shutdown by refusing to back a Continuing Resolution similar to extensions they supported under the Biden administration.
“Make no mistake about it; the Democrats’ disgusting shutdown was only about attacking President Trump. They didn’t care if Americans were collateral damage,” Hamadeh said.
He described spending Veterans Day with families and servicemembers in his district who faced suspended federal services, adding that many urged him to “hold the line” until a deal was reached.
Hamadeh described his team as “energized” as the government reopens, saying, “We know we have our work cut out for us as the nation recovers from the Democrats’ misguided shutdown. While my team has been staying on top of casework and legislation, the shutdown prevented us from having full access to the personnel and services taxpayers pay for. As a result, we are going to be working overtime to ensure that we minimize the damage the Democrats created. I encourage my constituents to reach out to my office for any assistance with federal agencies they might have.”
Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ02) echoed the criticism, describing the lapse in funding as “the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history.” Crane said the shutdown strained food banks, caused travel delays, and left rural families unsure whether they could access key services.
“Last night, I once again voted to fund the federal government. The American people should never be used as leverage to advance a political agenda,” said Rep. Crane. “To those who dealt with missed paychecks, worked without pay, and lived with great uncertainty, your determination and resolve are admirable. To the amazing people of rural Arizona who stood by one another during this challenge, I’m grateful for your strength and dedication to each other.”
In a post to X he wrote, “The American people should never be used as leverage to advance a political agenda.”
Last night, I once again voted to keep the federal government funded.
The American people should never be used as leverage to advance a political agenda.
Thank you to the amazing people of #AZ02 for supporting one another during this challenging time.https://t.co/CdTCFCrShw
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ06) faulted Democrats for rejecting what he called a “clean CR,” arguing that their last-minute demands forced the shutdown.
“Every single Democrat who voted against this clean CR voted for a government shutdown,” Ciscomani said in a statement. He told local reporters the standoff was driven by a “long wishlist of policy items” that Democratic leaders attempted to insert at the eleventh hour, “using our government as hostage to push their policy agenda through.”
Ciscomani visited with families in his district whose services were interrupted during the shutdown, including parents of disabled children and veterans dependent on federal support. He said he intends to monitor agency performance closely as operations resume.
The Tucson Republican soundly condemned Arizona Democrats in a post to X, “This shutdown was completely unnecessary and overdue to end. It’s disappointing to still see so many democrats, especially Arizonans, voting to remain shut down. “
The House PASSED and FUNDED the government AGAIN. The bill to end the shutdown is now on its way to be signed by @POTUS tonight! My full statement ⬇️
I was proud to vote for this bill to reopen the government and restore regular order in Congress for the American people.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ05) issued his own statement praising the House’s vote to reopen the government, thanking conservatives who pressured leadership to reject Democratic terms and focus on fiscal restraint. Biggs applauded colleagues for what he called a “moment to permanently shrink the federal bureaucracy, restore constitutional limits, and return power to the states.”
The shutdown ended Wednesday after the House approved the Senate-passed funding package, and President Trump signed the bill into law, restoring government operations while avoiding the policy disputes that sank earlier versions. Democrats contend they rejected the previous CR because of Trump-aligned provisions and budget riders they argued would worsen long-term fiscal conditions.
Rep. Hamadeh framed the episode as senseless and revealing of Democrats’ priorities.
“The Democrats accomplished nothing with their senseless shutdown,” Hamadeh said, concluding, “except to show – without a doubt – that they do not put Americans first.”
As agencies reopen, GOP congressional offices across the state say they are preparing for an increase in casework as constituents attempt to navigate backlogged systems. Crane and Hamadeh both urged constituents to reach out as services begin returning to normal.
