by Matthew Holloway | Sep 22, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
A national survey of Democratic voters found that 59% would react positively to a hypothetical military takeover removing President Donald Trump from power, while 31% would react positively to news of his assassination, according to published results from the Center for Strategic Politics.
The survey, commissioned by Liberal Currents, examined Democratic voters’ presidential preferences, policy positions, and reactions to five hypothetical scenarios involving Trump leaving office. The publication released its analysis Sept. 21.
The military takeover scenario described military leaders removing Trump and assuming control of the United States under a stated rationale of safeguarding the Constitution. Respondents were asked how they would feel upon seeing such a news headline.
The accompanying graphic showed 43% responding very positively and 16% somewhat positively. Another 13% were neutral, while 10% responded somewhat negatively and 18% very negatively.
For the assassination scenario, the published crosstabs reported 23% very positive and 8% somewhat positive responses. Negative reactions totaled 43%, with 25% neutral. The hypothetical headline described Trump being assassinated while speaking at a rally.
The center’s social media caption cited 29%, while its published crosstabs reported 31%.
Positive reactions also totaled 56% for Trump dying in his sleep, 86% for impeachment and removal, and 84% for the scenario invoking the 25th Amendment.
The questions measured respondents’ anticipated emotional reactions to hypothetical headlines. They did not directly ask whether respondents would participate in or authorize violence.
The same survey also found majority support for a future Democratic administration pursuing criminal prosecutions of Trump administration officials, with one question extending to officials who served under former President Joe Biden.
Seventy-seven percent favored pursuing prosecutions of Trump administration members over actions taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. A separate question naming Stephen Miller drew support from 73%.
On military actions, 72% favored prosecuting administration members over lethal strikes on boats in South America, while 66% favored prosecutions over actions taken during the war in Iran.
Another 69% favored prosecuting Pete Hegseth in response to a question that described him as directing the military “to violate national and international law.” That characterization appeared in the question itself.
The question encompassing both administrations drew 57% support for pursuing prosecutions over actions related to what the questionnaire called “Israel’s genocide in Gaza.” Twenty-two percent opposed pursuing those prosecutions, and 22% were unsure.
Although the graphic’s headline described Democrats as wanting officials jailed, the questions asked whether the next Democratic administration should pursue criminal prosecution. They did not ask respondents to determine guilt or select a punishment.
In his analysis accompanying the poll, Liberal Currents writer Chance Phillips noted that assassination was the only one of the five scenarios in which negative reactions exceeded positive reactions.
“Thankfully, on net Democrats are not pro political violence,” Phillips wrote, referring to the assassination responses.
That conclusion did not account for the majority’s positive response to a military seizure of government. The scenario explicitly described military leaders removing Trump from power and assuming control of the United States, with 59% responding positively and 28% negatively.
The Center for Strategic Politics describes itself as part of the progressive community and says its work is funded through grassroots contributions.
The English-language survey included 683 Democratic voters nationwide, contacted Sept. 3 and Sept. 8–10 through SMS-to-web and online panels. Researchers weighted responses by age, ethnicity, and gender and reported a margin of error of plus or minus 3.75 percentage points.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Ethan Faverino | Sep 15, 2026 | Education, News
By Ethan Faverino |
Congressmen Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) and Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) are urging the Trump administration to select Arizona State University (ASU) as the home of a new national advanced manufacturing center aimed at strengthening military readiness and the U.S defense industrial base.
Biggs led a letter this month alongside Crane to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth supporting an ASU Research Enterprise proposal to establish the Applied Research for Manufacturing Operational Readiness Center or ARMOR Center, at ASU’s Polytechnic campus.
The U.S. Army is seeking to establish the center to help move advanced manufacturing technologies from research and development into practical military applications.
Under ASU’s proposal, the ARMOR Center would create a pipeline for developing, testing, qualifying, and scaling new manufacturing technologies before transitioning them into the Army’s Organic Industrial Base, defense contractors, and other manufacturing partners.
The center would focus on areas including additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence-enabled manufacturing, advanced composites and point-of-need production.
“Led by institutions and companies like Arizona State University, our state continues to position itself at the forefront of America’s defense industrial base,” stated Congressman Biggs. “Throughout my time in Congress, I have been pleased to support projects and initiatives that strengthen our national defense and help safeguard our citizens, freedoms, and interests.”
Biggs said ASU is well positioned to lead the effort and expressed hope that the administration will select the university’s proposal.
In their letter to Hegseth, Biggs and Crane argued that Arizona’s existing defense industry, military installations, semiconductor investments, and research capabilities make the state a strong candidate for the center.
Arizona is home to major defense and aerospace companies including Raytheon, Honeywell Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and Boeing, along with hundreds of suppliers involved in the production of missiles, aircraft, avionics, and electronics.
Biggs and Crane also pointed to more than $210 billion in semiconductor and microelectronics investments announced in Arizona since 2020, arguing that the expanding industry could provide the Army with an established network for developing and scaling advanced manufacturing technologies.
Arizona’s military presence was also highlighted in the letter.
Fort Huachuca and Yuma Proving Ground support Army missions and testing, while Luke Air Force Base, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma provide additional military infrastructure within the state.
“Few states combine manufacturing, research, testing, and military operations in one place,” wrote Biggs and Crane.
ASU has also invested heavily in manufacturing research at its Polytechnic campus. It’s $200 million interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12 contains approximately $6 million in advanced manufacturing equipment, according to the letter.
The university offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in manufacturing engineering and graduates more than 1,000 students annually across manufacturing, mechanical, and industrial engineering programs.
ASU has also conducted nearly $300 million in Department of War research during the past three fiscal years and leads one of the nation’s eight Microelectronics Commons hubs.
Beyond establishing the ARMOR Center, ASU’s proposal could position Arizona to host a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) supporting the Army’s modernization and readiness efforts.
Such a center would provide the Army with a long-term research partner focused on developing and transitioning technologies needed for national defense.
Supporters contend that bringing the ARMOR Center to Arizona could strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity, expand the military’s ability to adopt emerging technologies, and reduce vulnerabilities within defense supply chains.
“A UARC in Arizona would deepen the Army’s partnership with a state that already delivers defense manufacturing, semiconductor production, federally funded research, and a skilled engineering workforce,” Biggs and Crane wrote.
Biggs and Crane asked Hegseth to give ASU’s proposal “full and fair consideration,” arguing that Arizona’s combination of defense manufacturing, military infrastructure, research capabilities and engineering workforce makes the state a natural location for the new national center.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Sep 5, 2026 | Economy, News
By Matthew Holloway |
The U.S. trade deficit widened to $88.58 billion in July, increasing $17.39 billion from June and ending the month 43 percent above its 12-month average, according to an analysis released Thursday by Republicans on the Joint Economic Committee (JEC).
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and U.S. Census Bureau reported that the deficit increased 24.4 percent from a revised $71.2 billion in June. Total exports declined $6.6 billion to $310.7 billion, and imports increased $10.8 billion to $399.3 billion.
The monthly figures are seasonally adjusted and are not adjusted for changes in prices.
The July increase occurred within a year-to-date decline in the trade gap. Through the first seven months of 2026, the goods and services deficit was $188.4 billion, or 29.6 percent, lower than during the same period in 2025. Exports increased $237.2 billion, or 12 percent, and imports increased $48.8 billion, or 1.9 percent.
The latest figures were released as the Trump administration continues rebuilding its tariff framework following legal setbacks and imposing new duties on goods from dozens of countries.
The goods deficit increased $17.62 billion to $119.59 billion, placing it 31 percent above its 12-month average. The services surplus increased by $225 million to $31.02 billion, reaching 5 percent above its 12-month average.
Exports of goods declined $6.2 billion to $201 billion during July. The decrease included reductions of $4.5 billion in crude oil exports and $3.9 billion in nonmonetary gold exports. Imports of goods increased $11.4 billion to $320.6 billion, led by increases of $6.9 billion in computers, $6.6 billion in computer accessories, and $1.2 billion in semiconductors.
The Washington Times attributed much of the technology-related increase to demand associated with the expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure. Computers, computer accessories, and semiconductors produced a combined monthly import increase of approximately $14.7 billion.
Over the 12 months ending in July, the United States recorded a total trade deficit of $743.58 billion. The country ran a $1.10 trillion deficit in goods and a $353.73 billion surplus in services. Total exports reached $3.67 trillion, and imports totaled $4.41 trillion during the period.
Vietnam accounted for the largest goods trade deficit over the 12-month period at $219.12 billion, representing 20.39 percent of the total goods deficit. Mexico followed at $213.35 billion, or 19.85 percent, and Taiwan ranked third at $203.67 billion, or 18.95 percent.
The largest goods trade surpluses were recorded with the Netherlands at $79.74 billion, the United Kingdom at $45.12 billion, and Hong Kong at $43.90 billion. The BEA’s July report also recorded monthly goods deficits of $27.5 billion with Mexico, $23.3 billion with Vietnam, $18.1 billion with Taiwan, and $15.2 billion with China.
Civilian aircraft, engines, equipment, and parts; nonmonetary gold; and crude oil were the country’s three largest goods exports by value during the 12 months ending in July. Together, the categories accounted for 17.94 percent of exported goods.
U.S. goods exports to Mexico totaled $370.39 billion, followed by Canada at $337.85 billion, and the United Kingdom at $109.39 billion. The three countries accounted for 34.62 percent of U.S. goods exports during the period.
Computers, computer accessories, and pharmaceutical preparations were the three largest imported-goods categories by value, accounting for 20.89 percent of all goods imports. The United States imported $583.73 billion in goods from Mexico, $385.96 billion from Canada, and $271.07 billion from China. Together, the three countries supplied 36.11 percent of U.S. goods imports over the 12-month period.
The Trump administration has presented tariffs as a mechanism for encouraging domestic manufacturing, protecting U.S. industries, and producing federal revenue. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the administration is pursuing a policy under which companies that manufacture products in the United States would avoid tariffs applied to imported goods.
In a Friday social media post, President Trump connected trade policy with his call for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates.
“Lower the rate or I’ll stop trading with countries with which we have a deficit,” Trump said.
Trump wrote that the United States should have the lowest interest rate in the world and said ending trade with countries that maintain surpluses with the U.S. would be “better than tariffs.”
The BEA and Census Bureau are scheduled to release their August trade report on Oct. 6.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Staff Reporter | Aug 29, 2026 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
Arizona has not yet opted into a new tax credit to provide school choice funds for families, and the Trump administration is urging Gov. Katie Hobbs to join.
Linda McMahon, education secretary for the Department of Education (ED), chastised the governor during a touring event and press conference at the East Valley Institute of Technology on Tuesday.
Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ-05) — the Republican nominee for governor — and House Speaker Steve Montenegro (R-LD29) were present with McMahon.
The federal Education Freedom Tax Credit, signed into law through the One Big Beautiful Bill last year, enables individuals to receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit up to $1,700 for contributing to approved K-12 scholarship-granting organizations.
ED defines qualifying scholarship granting organizations as those nonprofits that use contribution funds to provide scholarships for education-related services at both private and public schools. These nonprofits must use at least 90% of income on scholarships for educational choice options for K-12 students.
At the Tuesday event, McMahon accused Hobbs of denying Arizona students and their parents the access to “real” educational freedom.
“Governor Hobbs has vetoed three measures that would have allowed Arizona to participate in the Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit, holding Arizona families back from accessing these powerful opportunities expanding across the country,” said McMahon. “This is what real empowerment looks like, giving parents the freedom to choose the path that best serves their child, instead of forcing every student into a rigid, one-size-fits-all system.”
Hobbs must opt in and submit a certified list of scholarship granting organizations by Jan. 1, 2027, for Arizona to participate in the inaugural year of the program.
Even if Hobbs does not opt Arizona into the program, Arizona residents may still claim the tax credit. Instead of their credit going to Arizona students, however, those contributions will go to eligible students elsewhere in participating states.
Hobbs explained in her veto of SB 1142 that she wouldn’t opt Arizona into the program until the Trump administration issues regulatory guidance for it. She compared the tax credit program to the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program, the state’s universal school choice program.
A bipartisan coalition of 30 states have opted into the federal education tax credit program so far: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
New York announced in May it would opt into the program but has not finalized that opt-in.
Four states have declined to join: Hawaii, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Oregon. Similar to Hobbs, the governor of Wisconsin vetoed legislation to opt into the program.
13 states and Washington, D.C. have yet to announce a decision: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
Rep. Biggs, who is looking to unseat Hobbs this November, published a press release criticizing Hobbs’ refusal to allow Arizona to join the program.
“Because of her failure, Arizona students will miss out on scholarship dollars that could help pay for tuition, tutoring, technology, special education services, and other educational needs,” said Biggs. “Arizonans should not have to watch their tax dollars create educational opportunities for students in other states simply because their governor refuses to participate.”
McMahon also addressed a Scottsdale audience in a “Great American Comeback Tour” event hosted by the America First Policy Institute. The Republican nominee for Congressional District 1, Jay Feely, also participated in the panel.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Brooke Rollins | Aug 14, 2026 | Opinion
By U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins |
Recently, I visited the port of entry in Douglas, Arizona, which has been traversed by cattle nearly 150 years. Last year alone, over 57,000 live cattle were imported into the United States from Mexico through the port—that is, until we closed it in May 2025 to protect American livestock from the New World screwworm (NWS). Thanks to our round-the-clock efforts, in partnership with state and local animal health officials, it is now safe to begin a coordinated, phased reopening of southern cattle ports.
Every model showed NWS entering our country by late summer of 2025, but by increasing oversight of containment efforts in Mexico and strengthening border protections, we bought critical time to prepare. Since January 20, 2025, the Trump administration has invested a record $1.3 billion in emergency funding to combat the pest—one of the largest animal health responses in U.S. history.
Our defensive plan is robust. We have expanded the number of staff working on NWS by 1,000 percent, and over the past two months, we have conducted more than 1,000 drone flights observing over 21,000 wildlife in Texas. To prevent NWS from reproducing, we are also dropping 100 million sterile flies per week over Texas and Mexico. This spring at Moore Air Base in Texas, we opened a new sterile fly dispersal facility and broke ground on a sterile fly production facility. Last month, a production facility we helped upgrade in Metapa, Mexico, officially opened, and another facility we support in Panama is currently producing sterile flies at maximum capacity.
But we’re not stopping there. In Arizona, I announced a $25 million U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) investment to construct a brand-new sterile fly dispersal facility in the Grand Canyon state, which is coming into being thanks to the visionary leadership of Arizona’s own U.S. Representative Juan Ciscomani. Ranchers can rest assured that we are working with state officials to advance this project as soon as possible. Sterile flies were key to eliminating NWS from the U.S. in the 1960s, and they remain so today.
Just as important are surveillance and preparedness on the ground, which are led in Arizona by the Arizona Department of Agriculture, and in Texas by Governor Abbott, the Texas Animal Health Commission, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The Trump administration is reinforcing their efforts at every turn, including by ramping up outreach to producers and veterinarians and monitoring over 120 dedicated NWS traps and over 8,000 fruit fly traps along the border.
The results have been remarkable. Since the first confirmed case of NWS in the U.S. on June 3, the same month only saw 31 total cases within our borders, all of which are now inactive. Even better, July saw just 12 cases, and only 3 cases overall are active today. To put that in perspective, Mexico had over 30,000 cases last year alone. Clearly, our efforts are bearing fruit.
The fight is not over, but as the presence of NWS declines, so does the threat to our ranchers. That’s why it is now safe to reopen U.S. livestock ports of entry on our southern border, which have historically played a critical role in the American cattle trade—especially in recent years, as the U.S. cattle herd has reached a 75-year low. Live imports from Mexico make their way to U.S. feedlots and eventually end up on dinner tables across America.
The port in Douglas will be the first to reopen on August 24 due its low-risk profile and because the bordering Mexican state of Sonora remains the lowest-risk Mexican state for NWS and maintains some of the strongest livestock inspection and movement controls anywhere in Mexico. After evaluating the success of the initial reopening, we will then consider reopening the ports in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, and Columbus, New Mexico, to live cattle, bison, and horses.
Make no mistake, these reopenings are contingent on Mexico making continued forward progress and meeting all enhanced USDA requirements. Every animal entering the U.S. will fully comply with our comprehensive import protocol, which requires preventive treatment for NWS, multiple inspections before an animal approaches our border for import, and inspection by USDA for any trace of NWS.
If at any point we determine there is an imminent threat to our domestic herd, we will not hesitate to immediately pause the reopenings. Protecting American livestock will always come first, and we will continue using every tool at our disposal to support the ranchers who raise them and to eliminate NWS once and for all. Our nation’s food security—and, therefore, our freedom—depend on it.
Brooke Rollins serves as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
