The Fountain Hills Democratic Club’s feud with local Republicans on the topic of celebrating Christmas at the town community center continues to evolve. What started as an effort to have the center’s Christmas tree removed in May of this year has moved in a whole other direction. Answering the tree’s installation, which is now replete with festive Trump flags, the Democrats added a grotesque mask of a decapitated President Trump to a wreath. The Democratic Club’s members have also called for more sexualized displays to be added, in a holiday that emphasizes family and children, with sex toys, a “Drag queen tree, LGBTQ tree, Trans tree, Banned books tree,” and “All families matter tree.”
One commenter, Libby Settle, described the effort saying, “Fountain Hills Democrats are up to no good again. They want to groom children and desecrate the Ftn Hills Community Ctr with sex toys, LGBQTIA, Trans Christmas trees. Democrats are too extreme for our children.”
Posts in the Fountain Hills Democratic Club Facebook group included a picture of the wreath and a response to the Fountain Hills Town Council’s defense of the GOP Christmas tree as protected speech.
“The Republican Club put up a Trump tree and they are allowed because of the First Amendment,” said the Fountain Hills Democratic Club. “Well, Democrats have those same rights, so we added some free speech to our Wreath. UPDATE: We have removed this from the wreath. It was on display for only a few hours.”
The grotesque representation of Trump had discredited allegations against the President-elect crudely scrawled across the face such as “fraud,” “sexual assault,” “defamation,” “37 felonies,” and “obstruction of justice.” As reported by the Arizona Daily Independent, Fountain Hills Democratic Club Precinct Committee member for Saguaro, Dianne Price, suggested on the club’s Facebook group that the Democrats band together and decorate Christmas trees with lewd objects in 2025.
“I say next year we decorate a tree with sex toys,” said Price.
Jennifer Ferrell Heim, director of early childhood education at Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, suggested Democrats go beyond sex toys for decorations with “inclusive trees” of all kinds: sexualities, transgenderism, explicit books, and multiculturalism.
“Who wants to do these trees with me next year? Drag queen tree, LGBTQ tree, trans tree, banned books tree, All Families matter tree,” said Ferrell Heim.
For proper context: in May, a press release from Fountain Hills Councilman Allen Skillicorn explained that the Christmas tree is one of a setup of many from various organizations that all have themes. “The Fountain Hills Community Center invited community organizations to set up Christmas trees in the lobby of the community center. An animal rescue has a rescue theme, the Maricopa Sheriff’s Department has a tree with sheriff badges, the Town’s Public Works Staff has a tree with hard hats, and the Fountain Hills Republican Club has Trump flags celebrating the 45th & 47th President of the U.S.A. on their tree.”
Responding to the outcry from the Fountain Hills Democrats, Skillicorn said in a statement, “While I defend the Fountain Hills Democratic Club’s free speech, I am shocked by the inappropriate and out of touch behavior by FH Dem Club members. The Grinch appears to reside in their hearts. The people of Arizona and Fountain Hills have rejected their sex toy ideology and devotion to confusing children. I defend their right to not believe in Christianity and the Holiday of Christ’s birth, but does that mean they should mock the faith of others? I invite the FH Dems to enjoy some eggnog and twinkly lights, but leave the Bah Humbug at home, behind closed doors.”
Since the addition of the Trump mask to the wreath, and its subsequent removal by the group, the display appears to have caused significant division among the Fountain Hills Democrats with some calling it “beyond rude.” Another said the “display shows petty retaliation.” Another commenter added, “Just because something is protected by the First Amendment, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s appropriate.”
The Fountain Hills Democratic Club said in a comment: “We have removed the offensive mask out of respect for all Democrats. A statement was made, if only for a few hours.”
Arizonans appear to be in a slightly better mood following the results of the 2024 General Election.
This past week, Noble Predictive Insights released the results of a recent survey in Arizona, showing “voters expressing a mix of hope and ongoing concerns about key state issues.”
Forty-four percent of respondents indicated that Arizona was on the “right track,” while fifty-six percent believed that their state was moving in the “wrong direction.”
Although those numbers show Arizona has much work to do to flip the outlook of its direction among voters, the numbers were improved from the last survey in August, when sixty percent of respondents thought their state was headed ‘south’ compared to forty percent who indicated that their state was tracking “northward.”
The survey – the Arizona Public Opinion Pulse (AZPOP) – took place between November 20-25 – approximately two weeks after the election.
“Republicans are optimistic and energized after Trump’s win while Democrats are discouraged – Gallego’s win was a victory for Democrats, but it wasn’t enough to improve their outlook,” said Mike Noble, NPI Founder & CEO. “But Arizona voters are pragmatic. They know that there is still work to be done in the state, and there is fertile ground for positive change – if leaders can rise to the occasion.”
The shift in the numbers comes largely courtesy of the two major political parties responding to the results of the election in November. From August to November, Republicans who believed that the state was headed in the right direction increased by twenty-two percent, while Democrats who thought Arizona was tracking in the wrong direction grew by seventeen percent.
While Republicans and Democrats had largely diametric reactions in the aftermath of the election, Independents were much more cautious in their opinions. From August to November, Independents’ optimism grew by three percent, while their pessimism decreased by three percent, according to the AZPOP.
Arizona Republicans are still reveling in many of their election victories from last month – chief among those being the overwhelming performance from President-elect Donald J. Trump in the Grand Canyon State, as he captured the state’s eleven electoral votes on his way to a commanding lead in the Electoral College over Democrat Kamala Harris. Republicans also expanded their narrow majorities in the state House and Senate, increased and retained control of key Maricopa County positions, swept the Arizona Corporation Commission races, and managed to pass a handful of ballot propositions, including one on border security to give local communities more resources and tools to better protect citizens.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Seldom have a few days of energy-related news provided a clearer illustration of the stark contrasts between the crony-capitalism-based energy policies of the Biden administration and the American energy dominance policies to come during a second Trump administration as the news from the past week.
On Nov. 26, the Biden Department of Energy led by Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced an award of $6.6 billion to struggling electric vehicle maker Rivian in the form of a low-interest loan. The infusion of capital is designed to help the company finance a new Georgia-based plant with a production capacity of 400,000 cars per year. Rivian already operates a plant in Illinois capable of turning out 150,000 units annually.
So, what is the problem, you might ask? Well, first, Rivian — like every other U.S. EV maker other than Tesla — has consistently struggled financially. The company so badly missed its sales targets in 2023 that it was forced to discount prices and layoff workers to maintain its ability to service its existing debt load.
Second is the fact that Rivian has only managed to sell a little more than 37,000 units this year as U.S. consumer demand for EVs has stalled, at a financial loss of over $107,000 per car. This begs the question why a car company struggling to sell 50,000 units per year somehow needs the taxpayers to pony up $6.6 billion to raise its production capacity to 550,000 per year, or roughly 13 times its current annual sales.
Third is the fact that Amazon, owned in large part by billionaire Jeff Bezos, is one of Rivian’s biggest investors. Bezos is currently listed as the world’s second-richest individual by Forbes, with a net worth of more than $226 billion. If pouring another $6.6 billion into Rivian is a terrific financial idea — as DOE claims — then why haven’t Amazon and/or Bezos been eager to do that?
The answer seems fairly obvious: This really isn’t a good financial idea at all. What is really happening here is the desperation last gasp of Biden era crony capitalism, shoving those billions of IRA dollars out the door before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in and starts reining in the madness.
The day before DOE announced its award to Rivian, Trump announced plans to impose 25% tariffs on all imported goods from both Canada and Mexico if the governments in those countries do not immediately move to stop the flows of illegal immigrants and drugs across their borders with the United States. It is key to note that, when you talk about all goods coming in from Canada and Mexico, you are talking about America’s two biggest trading partners for crude oil. Canada is far and away the biggest exporter of oil into the United States, with Mexico ranking second on the list, well ahead of any OPEC nation.
The strategic objective behind announcing these tariff plans two months before being sworn into office was to give the governments of these two countries time to act quickly to slow the flows across their borders and commit to major reforms so the tariffs never have to be actually invoked. It is Trump exercising leverage in a negotiation, a skill that has made him a billionaire in his business life. It is a strategy Biden has never attempted to use related to the open borders the flow of deadly fentanyl that now kills more than 100,000 Americans annually.
Within 48 hours, Trump had held initial talks with socialist Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, reporting significant progress. Trump reported far more progress than Sheinbaum was willing to admit, another clear negotiating tactic.
By Friday, Nov. 29, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was jetting down to Mar-a-Lago to hold talks with Trump on border reforms his government is willing to make to avoid the tariffs. Again, Trump is still seven weeks away from being sworn into office.
Joe Biden remains president, at least nominally, but the days of his crony capitalist approach to energy policy are running out fast, and will soon be displaced by a Trumpian return to American energy dominance. It is a change that cannot come soon enough.
David Blackmon is a contributor to The Daily Caller News Foundation, an energy writer, and consultant based in Texas. He spent 40 years in the oil and gas business, where he specialized in public policy and communications.
President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday evening that he has chosen Arizona’s Kari Lake to lead Voice of America (VOA) as its Director. Lake will replace Biden appointee Michael Abramowitz, formerly of the Washington Post. A career broadcaster since 1991, Lake was tapped by Trump citing her decades as a prominent news anchor.
Reporting from the Associated Press (AP) described Lake as “Telegenic, engaging and adept at communicating,” and emphasized her policy position as “an immigration hard-liner.”
In a statement, Trump wrote: “I am pleased to announce that Kari Lake will serve as our next Director of the Voice of America. She will be appointed by, and work closely with, our next head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, who I will announce soon, to ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media. Kari was a beloved News Anchor in Arizona, which supported me by record margins, for over 20 years. Congratulations Kari!”
As noted by Fox News, Voice of America is a major international broadcast network which provides news and cultural programming in forty languages via internet, mobile, social media, radio, and television as part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The agency also runs Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Middle East Broadcasting Networks which broadcast pro-American media throughout the world. The head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, who Trump has yet to appoint, leads the International Broadcasting Advisory Board, which will need to first remove the recently appointed Abramowitz and appoint Lake. The bipartisan board consists of six members who serve alongside the sitting Secretary of State. They are appointed by the President from four lists submitted to him by the Chairs and ranking members of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
I am honored that President Trump has asked me to lead the Voice of America. @VOANews is a vital international media outlet dedicated to advancing the interests of the United States by engaging directly with people across the globe and promoting democracy and truth.
Responding to Trump’s announcement, Lake posted to X, “I am honored that President Trump has asked me to lead the Voice of America. @VOANews is a vital international media outlet dedicated to advancing the interests of the United States by engaging directly with people across the globe and promoting democracy and truth. With an audience of 326 million people, Voice of America delivers information in 48 languages. Under my leadership, the VOA will excel in its mission: chronicling America’s achievements worldwide. Thank you for putting your trust in me, President Trump. I look forward to leading the Voice of America, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Trump’s past relationship with VOA has been somewhat fraught as reported by the AP, with the President criticizing the outlet heavily in 2020 saying that the “things they say are disgusting toward our country.” He further accused VOA of using American tax dollars “to speak for authoritarian regimes,” after it covered the relaxation of COVID lockdowns in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
When the Biden administration took power in 2021, Trump’s appointments to the VOA were summarily removed and replaced with personnel friendly to the Democrat-led government.
An Arizona Member of Congress is attempting to ensure that the U.S. Secret Service is better equipped to protect those under its watch.
Last week, U.S. Congressman Andy Biggs introduced the Secret Service Prioritization Actof 2024. According to a press release issued by Biggs’ office, the legislation “implements a major recommendation from the DHS Independent Review Panel’s October 15, 2024 Report on the Assassination Attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania,” which “noted the Panel’s ‘extreme skepticism that many of the Service’s non protective (investigative) missions meaningfully contribute to the Service’s protective capability and is concerned that they may materially distract from it.’”
In a statement, Biggs said, “July 13, 2024, was a wake-up call to the failures of the Secret Service. In no world should an agency with a budget of $3+ billion and 3,200 specialized agents fail to protect the life of one of the most influential figures in the world. The failures of July 13 illustrate the necessity to strip non-protective responsibilities from the Secret Service to ensure it is focused on the execution of its primary duty.”
Biggs added, “Now that President Trump’s FBI will be shifting away from weaponization against American citizens, they will be fully equipped to take on Secret Service’s non-protective, investigative functions. It’s imperative that House Leadership move this legislation through the House to ensure that no event like July 13 is ever able to occur again.”
One of the original cosponsors of the bill, Biggs’ fellow Arizona Congressman Eli Crane, weighed in, saying, “The Secret Service should have a singular focus on protection. Many failures have been exposed over the last six months and I’m proud to join Rep. Biggs in introducing legislation that seeks to fix one of them.”
Florida Congressman Cory Mills also joined as a cosponsor of the legislation.
Congressman Biggs highlighted a key section of the DHS report, which stated, “Whatever else the Secret Service may do, its core, essential, and unique mission is to protect its protectees, including the president, vice president, and nominees for president in an election. No other federal law enforcement agency can discharge this duty. And the duty is a zero-failure mission. All assets should be allocated to that mission before any other tasks—including law enforcement responsibility for financial frauds, for example, or perhaps law enforcement duties entirely—are undertaken. There is simply no excuse to ‘do more with less’ concerning protection of national leaders; unless and until those responsibilities are fulfilled, no resources (funds or time) should be allocated to other missions that are not centrally related to the protective function.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
