Category: The West

Seminar Unpacks Democrats’ Role in Undermining Democracy: Experts Weigh In on 14th Amendment, Presidential Eligibility

Rachel Alexander
Kamala Harris

Davos in the Desert, a civic organization in Arizona, held a daylong virtual seminar last Friday addressing how Democrats are destroying democracy. The event, titled Defending Democracy, featured numerous national experts, including Donald Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar John Eastman. Eastman spoke about whether Kamala Harris is ineligible to be president due to the natural-born citizen requirement of the 14th Amendment, whether that amendment applies to illegal immigrants, and how the Democrats are scheming to invoke its Section 3 to prevent Trump from taking office if he wins the presidential election. 

Shawn Smith, who served more than 25 years in active duty for the United States Air Force, including as a colonel and now leads Cause of America, a nonpartisan nonprofit establishment to help grassroots American citizens restore integrity and trust in our elections, spoke about election laws the Democrats are violating.

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Kari Lake Blasts ‘Extreme Makeover Version’ of Ruben Gallego During Their Only Senate Debate

Rachel Alexander
Arizona Senate Debate

Kari Lake and Ruben Gallego participated in their only U.S. Senate debate Wednesday evening, hosted by the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission. Lake hit the issue of border security repeatedly, referencing Gallego’s “dumb stupid border wall” comment, while Gallego, who referred to “illegals” when discussing the border, tried to pick apart previous statements she’d made based on technicalities.

Gallego provided his opening statement first. He criticized Lake for saying she is the authentic governor since there was fraud in the 2022 election, and complained about election officials receiving threats. However, Lake herself and many election integrity investigators regularly receive death threats, but these threats are not reported in the media.

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68 Protesters Charged over Arizona Anti-Israel Encampment at Arizona State University After Judge Previously Dropped Case

Tom Pappert
ASU Palestine Protest

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) on Wednesday announced new charges against 68 individuals who allegedly participated in the April anti-Israel encampment at Arizona State University (ASU) after the case was previously dropped due to a lack of specific charges.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell on Wednesday announced new misdemeanor trespassing charges for 68 people accused of defying police orders to leave an anti-Israel encampment at ASU’s Tempe campus in April.

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Former President Donald Trump Appoints Harmeet Dhillon to Lead Election Integrity Team in Arizona

Kaitlin Housler
Harmeet Dhillon

Harmeet Dhillon, a conservative attorney and Trump campaign advisor, was appointed by former President Donald Trump to lead a new ‘Election Integrity team’ in Arizona to “stop Democrat interference” and “secure” the state’s elections, the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) announced Tuesday.

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Sen. Bill Hagerty, Rep. Andy Biggs Lead 60 Congressmen in DOJ Letter Demanding Answers on Non-Citizen Voting

Tom Pappert
Hagerty and Biggs

Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) led 60 members of Congress in a second letter to the Department of Justice DOJ to demand answers about non-citizen voters in the United States.

Biggs’ office explained in a press release that lawmakers previously sent a letter demanding information from the DOJ on July 12, and had yet to receive a response by their October 2 letter.

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Ruben Gallego Leads Kari Lake by 10 Points in Arizona Senate Race Ahead of Wednesday’s Debate

Just the News
Ruben Gallego and Kari Lake in front of Arizona state capitol building

Democratic Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego is leading Republican Senate hopeful Kari Lake by 10 points as of Monday, according to a Napolitan News Service poll that was released ahead of the candidates’ first and only debate on Wednesday night. 

The poll, conducted from Sept. 30 through Oct. 2, found that 52% of respondents indicated they would support Gallego, while 42% said they would vote for Lake. Five percent said they were not sure which candidate they would cast a ballot for, and one percent said they support another candidate.

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Pushing Prop. 139, Misleading Ads by Planned Parenthood and Unions Claim There Is a ‘Ban’ on Abortion in Arizona

Rachel Alexander
Abortion Ad

The Planned Parenthood Action Fund and unions are running ads in Arizona promoting Proposition 139, the Right to Abortion Initiative. Funded also by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, the ads contain misleading language about Arizona’s current law, such as stating abortion is illegal. 

An ad titled “Waiting” states twice that there is a ban on abortion in Arizona. However, state law currently permits abortions up until the 15th week. Abortion hasn’t been illegal in the state for many years. After the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade in 2022, a judge suspended Arizona’s old law prohibiting most abortions. The Arizona Legislature then passed a law permanently rescinding the law, leaving in place the new 15-week law enacted in 2022.

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Arizona Local News Journalist Releases Book Titled, ‘The Case for Open Borders’

Tom Pappert
Author Todd Miller, "Build Bridges not Walls"

A local news journalist in Tucson, Arizona was interviewed on Sunday after releasing a book titled, “The Case for Open Borders,” in which he argued the Biden-Harris border policies that allowed more than 12 million illegal immigrants to enter the country in four years are not actually “open borders,” which he suggested would provide a boon to the American economy and “fundamental fairness” to billions of people who were not born United States citizens.

Tucson-based Arizona Luminaria journalist John Washington appeared Saturday on the “Horizonte” program on Arizona PBS to discuss his new book, which was released earlier this year.

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State Sen. Jake Hoffman Launches Investigation Into Whether Arizona’s State Universities Gave Kamala Harris Campaign Students’ Phone Numbers

Rachel Alexander
Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman

State Senator Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek) announced Sunday evening that he was launching an investigation into how students from Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University received text messages from the Kamala Harris presidential campaign on the last day before voter registration ends in the state. Hoffman, who chairs the Senate Committee on Government, expressed concern that it might violate FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy act that protects students. Hoffman told The Arizona Sun Times on Sunday, “I was made aware of this breach of security by dozens of students today, and intend to throw the full weight of the Arizona Senate into ascertaining how the Harris campaign acquired these students’ legally protected personally identifiable information.” The College Republicans at ASU broke the story on X on Sunday. They posted, “150,000 students from ALL Arizona universities including ASU and UofA have received a text from Kamala Harris’ campaign telling the students to vote for her. If Kamala Harris has access to all of Arizona college students’ phone numbers, what ELSE do they have?” 🚨MAJOR BREAKING: 150,000 students from ALL Arizona universities including ASU and UofA have received a text from Kamala Harris' campaign telling…

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Commentary: Hispanic Entrepreneurs Have an Affinity Towards Trump’s Economic Agenda

Admin
R&R Upholstery in Phoenix

Arizona is home to a dynamic small business ecosystem — nearly one-fifth of which are Hispanic-owned. This entrepreneurial community — along with the state’s 2.3 million Latino residents — will have a big voice in the upcoming election. As a Hispanic small business owner myself, it’s obvious which candidate’s policy agenda will foster more economic opportunity.

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Woman Caught with 13 Pounds of Fentanyl, 50k Pills in Luggage at Phoenix Sky Harbor

The Center Square
Fentanyl bust Arizona

Although passengers will sometimes get their bottle of water thrown out going through airport security, one traveler had much bigger problems, according to an announcement from the Phoenix Police Department on Tuesday.

Phoenix PD airport officers arrested a woman headed to Atlanta for having 6 kilograms of powdered fentanyl, as well as 50,000 fentanyl pills in their checked bag. The Transportation Security Administration will scan bags that people decide to keep in the cargo hold of a plane during a flight, and authorities arrested the women at the airport once the drugs were discovered, according to a Facebook post from the department.

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Elon Musk Taunts Sen. Mark Kelly over Claim Endorsement of Trump Tied to Tax Cuts

Tom Pappert
Elon Musk, Sen. Mark Kelly CNN interview

Elon Musk taunted Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) in a post to his social media platform, X, after the Democrat suggested the Tesla, SpaceX, and Starlink boss is motivated to support former President Donald Trump by the tax cuts enacted under Trump’s first administration.

Kelly received the taunt after claiming the comments Musk made at the rally held by former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday were “hypocritical.”

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Arizona Supreme Court Rules That Votes Will Count in Open Primary Proposition

The Center Square

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Friday that votes for an open primary ballot initiative will be tabulated, upholding the trial court ruling that even though almost 40,000 signatures were deemed invalid, any litigation was “moot” as the proposition had already been printed on the ballot.

“We are disappointed in the ruling of the court on this matter,” said Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. “Our organization proved that the special interest groups attempting to hijack Arizona’s elections systems lacked the minimum number to qualify for the ballot to even be considered by voters in November.”

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Arizona Sued for Withholding Names of over 200,000 Registered Voters Who Did Not Provide Proof of Citizenship

Daily Caller News Foundation
Adrian Fontes

America First Legal on Thursday announced a lawsuit against Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes for refusing to hand over the names of over 200,000 registered voters who have allegedly not provided proof of citizenship.

Fontes is breaking the law by refusing to comply with a records request that demands the names of roughly 218,000 individuals who are registered to vote, but did not provide proof of citizenship, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit comes just weeks before Election Day, with former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris remaining in a dead heat in the state.

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Ruben Gallego Reportedly Ends Police Press Conference After Questions About Past Criticism for Law Enforcement

Tom Pappert
Gallego Press Conference

Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) reportedly ended a press conference with Arizona law enforcement abruptly after reporters asked about his evolving stance on police reform.

A press release published by Gallego’s congressional office reveals he held the press conference alongside Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers and Arizona Police Association (APA) President Justin Harris, who is also a member of the Glendale Police Department.

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Transgender Arizona State University Student Allegedly Assaults Kari Lake’s Daughter over Her Discussion of Donald Trump

Rachel Alexander
Ruby Halperin

A transgender student at Arizona State University (ASU) allegedly assaulted Kari Lake’s daughter, Ruby Halperin, last week while she was registering voters on campus. According to the police report, Rebecca Kimpel threw his entire drink at her, hitting Halperin and her paperwork, and told ASU Police that she was upset about the students talking about GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Kimpel was charged with assault and released.

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Attorney Issues Videos with Evidence Refuting DOJ’s Report Alleging Wrongdoing by Phoenix Police Department

Rachel Alexander
Police Badge

An attorney for the Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs (AZCOPS) is releasing videos refuting the Department of Justice’s June report, which claimed that the Phoenix Police Department violated the rights of suspects during various incidents. Steve Serbalik has issued five videos so far, revealing key details about the incidents that the DOJ selectively left out of its report.

One of the incidents involved an arrest for domestic violence, labeled U10. Serbalik explained in the video how the DOJ left out facts that exonerated the police officers. They were addressed in police reports, videos, and other data released by PPD to refute the report.

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Arizona Secretary of State Admits ‘We Don’t Know’ Number of Non-Citizens Registered to Vote After Ditching AZGOP Meeting

Tom Pappert
People Voting

Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) Chair Gina Swoboda told The Arizona Sun Times that Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes did not contact her office to reschedule a meeting this week to discuss the 218,000 registered voters who may not be citizens of the United States.

It was revealed last month that Arizona does not have proof of citizenship records for nearly 100,000 voters in Arizona. A second election integrity issue was raised by Fontes to Swoboda on Friday, when the AZGOP chair issued a press release announcing a meeting was scheduled between the Secretary of State and the party.

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Conservative State Senator Suing City of Tucson for Prosecuting Her over Alleged Criminal Speeding

Rachel Alexander

State Senator Justine Wadsack (R-Tucson) is filing a lawsuit against Tucson after its police department after city prosecutors pursued criminal charges against her relating to a traffic stop in March.

Wadsack did not receive a speeding ticket during the stop and denied to the police officer that she was traveling 71 on Speedway Blvd in the city. Although the officer told her he caught her on the radar driving that fast, the Tucson Police Department (TPD) admitted later there was no radar evidence.

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Ruben Gallego Asks Arizona Court to Keep Divorce Records Sealed amid New Details About Second Marriage to Lobbyist

Tom Pappert
Ruben Gallego family

New details have emerged about the marriage between Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) and his second wife, Sydney Barron Gallego, as the date approaches for a court to decide whether records from his divorce from his first wife, Kate Gallego, should be unsealed.

Attorneys for Ruben Gallego, his ex-wife Kate Gallego, and The Washington Free Beacon are expected in court on October 10 to review proposed redactions to their divorce case after the conservative news publication sued and obtained a ruling demanding the Gallegos propose redactions ahead of a public release.

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Multiple Recent Polls Show U.S. Senate Race Between Kari Lake and Ruben Gallego Is Neck and Neck

Rachel Alexander
Ruben Gallego, Kari Lake

The Kari Lake campaign highlighted some new polls on Friday showing her race against Ruben Gallego for the U.S. Senate is neck and neck. There are 20 independent polls which show that the race is averaging less than two points apart, with Gallego barely in the lead. 

The campaign noted that the results correlate to a new poll Rasmussen Reports issued last Wednesday, “the pollster that called Donald Trump’s 2016 victory when no one else said he could win.” In 2023, after the election problems began so Rasmussen’s polls were “wrong” in 2020 and 2022, the political poll aggregator site 538 site still rated the pollster a respectable “B” for accuracy. 

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Federal Court Blocks Arizona from Election Manual Changes to Regulate Speech, ‘Disenfranchise’ Voters over Delayed Certification

Tom Pappert
U.S. District Court Judge Michael Liburdi

A federal judge on Friday night issued a ruling that blocks changes to the Election Procedures Manual (EPM) attempted by Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes that would have restricted speech and potentially forfeited votes from entire counties who declined to comply with deadlines set by the state.

U.S. District Court Judge Michael Liburdi, who was nominated by former President Donald Trump, temporarily blocked Fontes’ proposed rule change that would give his office the power to decline to accept the votes from an Arizona county that refused to certify its ballots, even if local officials presented concerns about fraud.

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Conservative Roxana Holzapfel Spars with Democrat Lauren Kuby During Debate for Legislative District 8 State Senate Race

Rachel Alexander
Arizona debate

One of the most contentious races in the Arizona Legislature is for the open state senate seat in Legislative District 8. The Arizona Clean Elections Commission sponsored a debate between the two candidates earlier this month. Rozana Holzapfel, a Hispanic small business owner and former police officer new to politics, is running against Democrat Lauren Kuby. Kuby, who Holzapfel described as a “perennial candidate,” is running on a far left progressive platform in the Tempe-based district touting union endorsements and championing the abortion up until birth Proposition 139.

Kuby described herself in her opening statement as a “proven advocate for environmental consumer and worker protections. I spearheaded Tempe’s Climate Action Plan, as well as innovations in … solar energy adoption. … My values and vision … embrace social, environmental, racial and economic justice … I’m running to be a champion for climate solutions, for abortion access…”

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‘Don’t CA My AZ:’ Arizona Group Warns of a Democratic Majority

The Center Square

As Arizona has the potential to flip to a Democratic majority this election, groups like the Arizona Free Enterprise Club are speaking out against the changes Democratic policies could make to the state, or the “Californization” of Arizona.

The Arizona Free Enterprise Club launched the “Don’t CA my AZ Campaign,” which aims to educate voters on the Democratic policies that have previously been proposed by legislators that mimic legislation currently in action in California.

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Threat Against Arizona High School Came from ‘Outside of this Country,’ Law Enforcement Confirms

Tom Pappert
Chaparral High School SUSD

Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther confirmed on Thursday the threat that required Chaparral High School to lock down on Wednesday came from outside the country during an appearance on KTAR News 92.3 FM.

Walther told The Mike Broomhead Show host Mike Broomhead the threat “was from outside the country,” but called police in Scottsdale claiming he had taken hostages in a high school bathroom in Arizona after making a “series of 911 calls.”

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Prop. 312 Would Give Tax Refunds to Property Owners Hit with Homeless Costs

The Center Square
Homeless Person

Arizona voters will have the opportunity to decide if property owners should be allowed to receive a property tax refund to cover “reasonable” costs accrued by unmitigated public nuisances related to homelessness, vandalism, property crime and drug use.

The property owner – either commercial or residential – would need to document the expense and be able to prove that it was a direct result of the government failing to enforce relevant public nuisance laws.

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Local Mainstream Media Holds Panel Discussion Addressing Why the Public Doesn’t Trust Them

Rachel Alexander
Arizona Talks event

The civic organization Arizona Talks put on a panel discussion Tuesday evening addressing the topic, “Can we restore public confidence in the media?” The participants were mostly local mainstream media, with the exception of KTAR talk show host Jim Sharpe, a libertarian. The Arizona Republic’s executive editor told people to get off social media, and the general manager for PBS said unlike people who believe in “conspiracy theories,” the media looks at facts before coming to a conclusion. 

The discussion was moderated by former state legislator Heather Carter, who was considered a liberal Republican while in the legislature and who has since re-registered as an independent. She said a recent poll from the Center for the Future of Arizona found that 85 percent believe that news media coverage of political parties and candidates running for office has created more division.

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Oversight Project Releases Video Purportedly Showing Non-Citizens Confirm Intention to Vote in Arizona

Tom Pappert
Oversight Project Video

The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project on Thursday released video it claims shows non-citizens in Arizona confirm they intend to vote in the November elections, including several who indicated a political preference for Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump.

A video released by the Oversight Project and Muckraker founder Anthony Rubin purportedly shows non-citizens confirming they are registered to vote in Arizona and intend to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in November.

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Prominent Conservative Sues the State Bar of Arizona over ‘Politicized Star-Chamber-Like Weaponization’ Targeting Conservative Attorneys

Rachel Alexander
Lawyers

David Mast, a former government contractor, founder and former chair of Citizen Taxpayers of Utah, and president of AZ Voters Rights, filed a lawsuit against the State Bar of Arizona last week alleging it targets conservative attorneys. Mast said due to creating fear among attorneys, he is unable to find any to represent him in lawsuits related to conservative causes, violating his “constitutional rights to freedom of expression, association, and petition,” which is “viewpoint discrimination.”

He filed the lawsuit pro se, without an attorney, since he “is unable to find an attorney either within or without Arizona who is willing to file this suit due to likely retaliation by Defendants.” Kari Lake often jokes that eventually she will have to represent herself in her election lawsuits since she will be unable to find any attorneys left who dare to assist her. One of her key attorneys, Bryan Blehm, is currently suspended. 

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Arizona School Choice Lawsuit Alleges Spending Restrictions Are Unlawful

The Center Square
Classroom

The Goldwater Institute is suing Attorney General Kris Mayes over what they believe are overly-stringent restrictions on universal Empowerment Scholarship Account program purchases.

The complaint alleges that there were “legal threats” made by Mayes to Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne asking that purchases by parents made outside of “pre-established curricula” should not be approved.

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Signs of Controversy: Arizona Landscape Dotted Roadside Displays Featuring Gallego’s Crude Commentary

Rachel Alexander
Ruben Gallego

The Arizona landscape is becoming dotted with black and yellow signs featuring offensive statements made by Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03). Gallego, who has a history of making crude remarks to constituents and political opponents, is running for U.S. Senate against Republican Kari Lake.

On Sunday, Lake posted a photo on X of a sign by the side of the road that said, “Gallego forced COVID-19 shots,” quoting him saying, “Suck it up, deal with it.” Gallego posted the crude remark on X in response to a Marine who objected to being required to get the jab. He also said to the soldier in the apparently now-deleted post, “Shut the f*** up.” 

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Judge Rules It’s Too Late to Challenge Arizona Open Primary Proposition

The Center Square

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Frank Moskowitz ruled today that a proposition that would establish open primaries in Arizona will have the opportunity to be voted into law by Arizonans, even though almost 40,000 voter signatures have been invalidated.

Even though ballots have already been printed with the proposition on it, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the superior court look at the evidence of duplicated signatures provided by the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. Special Master Christopher Skelly submitted his report yesterday, showing that 35,478 of the submitted signatures were indeed duplicates.

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Ruben Gallego Runs for Senate on Open Borders Record as Violent Crime Soars in Arizona

Rachel Alexander
Ruben Gallego

Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) is running against Republican Kari Lake for U.S. Senate in Arizona on a record of opposing border security measures. Even though the state is facing staggering increases in violent crime, breaking records, Gallego hasn’t appeared to flip-flop back on most of those positions. 

On his campaign website, Gallego declares, “our border communities are not the war zones that news stations often portray them as … Ruben has been on the forefront of sensible, comprehensive immigration reform in Congress … [and has] spoken out against extremist right-wing policies.” Gallego lists 13 issues his website, including LGBTQ+ and abortion, but nothing specifically about crime. 

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Behind the Bench: Insights into Arizona Judges Up for Retention

Rachel Alexander

Arizona voters will choose whether to retain 69 judges up for retention election this fall, the bulk from the Maricopa County Superior Court.

The Arizona Sun Times worked with a team of researchers and insiders to produce a report informing voters on the partisan leanings and contentious decisions from 48 of those judges. Voters angry with judges who found ways to dismiss election lawsuits challenging corruption in the 2020 and 2022 elections have vowed to boot those judges out of office. County officials begin mailing early ballots on October 9.

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Arizona City Scraps Legally Dubious Public Comment Policy

The Center Square
Surprise City Council

The Surprise City Council unanimously scrapped its public comment policy as it faces a lawsuit from a local activist’s removal from a recent meeting.

The rule limited the ability to “lodge charges or complaints against any employee of the City or members of the body” during council meetings public comment period and instead required people to refer their issues to the city manager instead. The motion was introduced by Councilman Jack Hastings, who said on Friday that “people should be able to voice their concerns and criticize their government and elected officials” in an announcement to X on Friday.

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John Eastman Appeals California Disbarment over His 2020 Election Legal Work, Calls the Prosecution Orwellian

Rachel Alexander

Donald Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar, John Eastman, filed an opening brief with the California State Bar Court last week appealing his disbarment for assisting Donald Trump with legal representation regarding the 2020 election illegalities. California Disciplinary Judge Yvette Roland formed her opinion by determining that Eastman’s legal opinions were wrong and that there was no election wrongdoing.

The brief said, “[T]his prosecution should never have taken place. It is, rather, a manifestation of George Orwell’s dystopic depiction of authoritarianism — statements by the Government, no matter how demonstrably false or suspect, must be accepted as truth.”

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Hobbs’ Donor Accused of Abusing Marijuana Dispensary ‘Social Equity’ System to Bully Competitors

Rachel Alexander
Moe Asani, D2 Dispensary

Mohit “Moe” Asnani, a wealthy marijuana entrepreneur who contributed to Governor Katie Hobbs and other Democrats, is coming under fire for allegedly abusing the controversial Social Equity Ownership Program that was set up to award marijuana dispensary licenses to business owners affected negatively by previous laws restricting marijuana. Asnani is accused of preying on these disadvantaged dispensary owners, convincing them to give up their special licenses to him. 

The Social Equity Ownership Program, which was established when Arizona voters passed Proposition 207 in 2020 legalizing recreational marijuana, granted 26 dispensary licenses to prospective owners who have had run-ins with the law related to marijuana, or are related to someone who has. 

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Arizona Secretary of State: Nearly 100,000 State Voters Incorrectly Listed as Providing Proof of Citizenship

Just the News

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) said Tuesday that nearly 100,000 voters were incorrectly registered in the state as providing proof of U.S. citizenship, even though they had not done so.

Fontes explained that there was an error in state systems that labeled the roughly 97,000 voters as providing documented proof of U.S. citizenship, Votebeat reported. The Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) provides the state’s voter registration system with driver’s license information, and the error occurred in that process. Affected voters had first obtained Arizona driver’s licenses before October 1996 and were issued duplicate replacements before registering to vote after 2004, Fontes said.

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Report: A Tipped Workers Minimum Wage Credit May Actually Help Arizonans

The Center Square
Waiter

A new report put out by the Arizona Common Sense Institute has found that allowing employers to pay tipped workers 25% less than the state minimum wage could actually help secure jobs for employees in the restaurant and service industries.

The report is an analysis of Proposition 138, an amendment that would allow for tipped workers to be paid 25% less per hour than the minimum wage if any tips received by the employee were not less than the minimum wage plus $2 for all hours worked. Arizona voters will decide the measure’s fate in the upcoming general election.

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After Arrest of Citizen Goes Viral, Surprise Councilman Seeks to End Controversial Ban on Criticism

The Center Square

Surprise Councilman Jack Hastings wants to get rid of the city’s public comment policy that has landed the city in legal hot water.

“On Tuesday, at our next City Council Meeting, I will make a motion and/or vote to remove the rule that prohibits complaints against elected officials and city staff members during the public comment portion of our meetings,” he posted on Friday. 

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Trump Leads Harris in Arizona as Kari Lake Narrowly Trails Rep. Ruben Gallego in Race Called ‘Essential’ for Democrats

Tom Pappert
Kari Lake with Donald Trump

A poll released Sunday found former President Donald Trump continues to hold a slim lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in the wake of their debate last week.

The poll found Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) with a comparable lead over former newswoman Kari Lake in Arizona’s race for the U.S. Senate, after a Democratic strategist called the race “essential” for the party to retain its senate majority.

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Democrat Strategist Admits ‘We Don’t Hold The Majority if We Lose Arizona’ as Polls Show Narrow Race Between Kari Lake, Ruben Gallego

Tom Pappert
Gary Peters, Ruben Gallego, Kari Lake

U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), acknowledged on Wednesday his party will lose its narrow majority in the U.S. Senate if former newswoman Kari Lake should beat Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) in the race to replace Senator Kyrsten Sinema this November.

Peters made the remarks to Cronkite News, which reported the chief Democratic strategist for the Senate revealed his party “can’t keep control of the U.S. Senate” without electing Gallego.

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Report: An Increase in Glendale’s Minimum Wage Could Derail the City’s Economy

The Center Square
Worker

Glendale residents will have the opportunity to decide whether or not to raise minimum wage and benefits for hotel and event workers this November. The Hotel and Event Center Minimum Wage Protection Act, proposed and funded by the Worker Political Action Committee, will be on the ballot this year and while it seems to stem from good intentions, a report from the Common Sense Institute of Arizona says it could have detrimental economic impacts.

The initiative not only states that hotel and event centers workers must earn a minimum of $20 per hour, but it would also set a limitation on the amount of square feet a room attendant is required to clean before the employer must pay twice the hourly wage, it would require employers to distribute service charges to the employees who performed those services and lastly, the city of Glendale would be required to enforce these rules.

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Arizona Man and Three Others Charged with $178 Million COVID Fraud

The Center Square
Court and Money

An Arizona man and three associates have been charged in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration of at least $178 million in loans meant to help small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Eric Karnezis, 43, from Sedona, Arizona, has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering in a 23-count indictment. His co-defendants are Lynisha Wells, 47, and Nikkia Bennett, 43, both from Chula Vista, California, and Fredrico Williams, 48, from San Diego.

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