<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a> will pay $2.1 million to the federal government after the state was sued over a makeshift border wall made up of shipping containers to deter illegal immigration into the U.S. 
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-justice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Justice</a> brought <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/arizona-governor-doug-ducey-will-take-down-shipping-container-border-wall-one-week-after-biden-lawsuit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legal action</a> against Arizona in December 2022 after then-Governor Doug Ducey, a Republican, issued an executive order to begin placing shipping containers along Arizona’s border with Mexico four months earlier. After the DOJ claimed that the makeshift wall had been erected “unlawfully and without authority,” thereby “damaging the United States,” Ducey agreed to remove the barriers. 
Now Arizona <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/border-issues/2023/08/30/arizona-shipping-container-wall-lawsuits-expected-to-wrap-up-soon/70710370007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will pay</a> the U.S. Forest Service for environmental remediation efforts after federal officials said the containers had damaged federal land. The shipping containers had been placed along the border in Cochise and Yuma counties, where crossings have been high. The federal suit against Arizona is expected to be withdrawn after the remediation payment is complete, according to the Arizona Republic. 
“Arizona has had enough,” Ducey said in a <a href="https://archive.ph/4Zevd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> after issuing the executive order to begin placing the containers. “We can’t wait any longer. The Biden administration’s lack of urgency on border security is a dereliction of duty. For the last two years, Arizona has made every attempt to work with Washington to address the crisis on our border. Time and time again we’ve stepped in to clean up their mess. Arizonans can’t wait any longer for the federal government to deliver on their delayed promises.”
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Within 11 days of Ducey’s order, 3,820 feet of the previously open border were closed with 130 shipping containers. The initiative expanded with 6,680 feet of containers stacked two high throughout Cochise County by early November. The barriers <a href="https://kjzz.org/content/1856096/final-2m-set-settle-federal-suit-over-arizona-shipping-container-border-wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> cost around $95 million to install and about $66 million to remove after the Biden administration sued. The containers have <a href="https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/the-shipping-containers-removed-from-arizonas-border-are-up-for-sale" target="_blank" rel="noopener">since been</a> put up for sale by the state government. 
Arizona Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs opposed the construction of the barriers, saying they were ineffective. 
“It’s not land that’s our land to put things on. That’s one problem. The containers aren’t working. There’s many pictures of people climbing over them,” she <a href="https://kjzz.org/content/1831920/gov-elect-hobbs-says-she-will-stop-construction-shipping-container-wall-border">said</a>. “It’s a political stunt. It’s a visual barrier that is not actually providing an effective barrier to entry, and I think a waste of taxpayer dollars.”

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-IMMIGRATION-COURT

Arizona To Pay Biden Admin $2.1 Million After Putting Up Makeshift Border Wall

Arizona

Doug Ducey

Immigration

Joe Biden

Katie Hobbs

Politics

Southern Border

A new report suggests that venture capitalist and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona&#8217;s</a> 2022 GOP Senate nominee Blake Masters will run again for office in 2024.
Masters, who was defeated by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) last fall, is expected to announce his candidacy in the coming weeks, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/blake-masters-plans-to-enter-race-for-kyrsten-sinemas-senate-seat-886280ac" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a>. Incumbent Senator Krysten Sinema (I-AZ) is up for re-election, but the state&#8217;s 2024 Senate GOP primary could prove to be contentious. Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has suggested she could also run for the seat next year.
Masters&#8217; last campaign was one of the most watched races of the 2022 cycle as it was widely seen as a key battleground in determining control of the Senate. Kelly was one of the best-funded candidates of the 2022 cycle, having raised over $70 million over the course of the campaign. Masters’ campaign was hampered in general by poor fundraising relative to Kelly’s machine.
Kelly led for the majority of his race for re-election despite significant perceived headwinds for Democrats. During that race, the Democrat distanced himself from President Joe Biden, never requesting that Biden come to Arizona to campaign with him and demurring when asked about it by reporters.
Polls tightened between Kelly and Masters in the closing weeks of the race. With one week left until election day, the Libertarian candidate in the race, Marc Victor, announced that he was dropping out and endorsed Masters. While Victor never polled high, Masters touted the endorsement as a “major boost” in the close race against Kelly.
Ultimately, Kelly took home <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/11/11/1131245617/arizona-senate-blake-masters-mark-kelly-results" target="_blank" rel="noopener">roughly</a> 51% of the vote while Masters earned 46%.
Barrett Marson, an Arizona GOP strategist, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/30/blake-masters-arizona-senate-sinema-00113525" target="_blank" rel="noopener">predicted</a> to POLITICO that Masters could have a tough time in 2024 if Lake enters the race.
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“I think he is now under the impression that maybe Kari Lake isn’t going to run, because I’ll tell you if Lake and Blake are both in, he is wasting his time,” he said. “They occupy the same lane. They have nearly the same name. And she has much better positive name ID among Republicans than Blake does.”
Tim Pearce contributed to this report.
&nbsp;

Blake Masters

Arizona’s Blake Masters Running For Senate Again: Report

Arizona's Blake Masters Running For Senate Again: Report

2024 Election

Elections

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/united-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United States</a> military will begin training Ukrainian pilots on flying F-16 fight jets at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a>, in October, according to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pentagon</a>.
Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wWDZBkOySY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> the plans on Thursday, but was unable to give a definite number of Ukrainian pilots or maintainers who are expected to receive training beginning in October. Ryder said that “several pilots with upwards of dozens of maintainers” are expected to participate.
“The Department of Defense is announcing today that the United States will soon begin training Ukrainians to fly and maintain F-16 aircraft in support of the international effort to develop and strengthen Ukraine’s long-term defenses,” Ryder said, adding that pilots and maintainers would first go through English language training at Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio, Texas, in September.
President Joe Biden approved the third-party transfer of F-16s to Ukraine after resisting such efforts for months, arguing the move would be too escalatory for the United States’ role in the war in Ukraine. The reversal came in May when the president <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/19/world/europe/ukraine-f-16s-biden-russia.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> allies the U.S. would allow the transfer of the American technology to Ukraine.
Though the decision was made months ago, the process for training Ukrainians to fly and maintain the complex fighter jets has been a lengthy process. The jets are unlikely to have an impact on Ukraine’s current operation against Russia, which appears to have stalled with Ukraine’s forces unable to push Russia out of Crimea and the Donbas regions.
Ukraine has increased drone attacks into Russian territory as its military operations have slowed. The Russian Ministry of Defense said on Friday that Ukraine launched an overnight aerial assault on Crimea that included 42 drones and one missile. Other Ukrainian drone attacks in recent weeks have targeted Moscow and destroyed a Russian bomber near St. Petersburg, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/25/us/politics/ukraine-drone-attacks-russia.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>.
Biden has said the U.S. will back Ukraine “as long as it takes” for Ukraine to reclaim its lost territory. The president has come under criticism from Republicans who say the White House has yet to articulate a realistic strategy for U.S. involvement in the war given Ukraine’s inability to push Russia out of Crimea and the Donbas.
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Others in the GOP continue to offer support for funding to Ukraine, saying the investment is worth the cost of continuing to batter Russia’s military.

F-16

U.S. To Begin Training Ukrainian F-16 Pilots In Arizona

Department of Defense

Global Politics

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

World

U.S. Border Patrol officials <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/08/21/arizona-borders-open-floodgates-allow-thousands-into-us/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=nypost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> opened more than 100 floodgates in the southern border wall due to the annual monsoon season in Arizona, but the move allowed more illegal immigrants to flow freely into the U.S.
The federal law enforcement agency took responsibility for the open border wall doors in a <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/08/22/border-patrol-admits-its-responsible-for-open-floodgates-in-arizona-border-wall/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> to the New York Post after the outlet published exclusive images showing busloads of migrants causally walking through the floodgates. They were reportedly first opened nearly two months ago.
&#8220;USBP makes the final decision on opening gates based on operational conditions and forecasted weather,&#8221; the agency said.
Border Patrol sources told the outlet that various federal agencies, including the National Park Service, ordered the agency to open 114 floodgates along the Arizona border to allow the monsoon waters to flow easily while endangered antelope species migrate in the region. However, some federal agents said the gates should have remained closed to reduce illegal immigrant crossings.
&#8220;We tried to shut the gates, but the order came down that we had to leave them open,&#8221; one of the sources reportedly said. &#8220;You wouldn&#8217;t leave the front door of your house open in a bad neighborhood.&#8221;
Border agents shut the floodgates at the border wall but open them during monsoon seasons to maintain the structure&#8217;s condition. The department reportedly claimed the high water flow mixed with excess sediment and debris buildup could compromise its integrity.
However, the open pathway allowed approximately 1,400 migrants from China, Egypt, and other parts of the world to enter the U.S. daily over the last nearly two months.
Roughly 42,000 migrants crossed the U.S. last month through the point of entry in Tuscon, Arizona, showing a massive increase of 27,294 migrants crossing in June, according to recent data reported by Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
&#8220;We haven&#8217;t seen this many migrants since about 2008,&#8221; Adam Isacson, director for defense oversight at the advocacy group Washington Office on Latin America, told The Post. &#8220;With the end of Title 42, in a way that nobody oversaw, it seems to come back to Tucson.&#8221;
After the Biden administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-blocks-biden-administration-border-policy-limiting-access-to-illegal-immigrants-seeking-asylum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ended</a> Title 42, a Trump-era public health order that allowed for the immediate expulsion of illegal immigrants due to the pandemic, border agents recorded another nearly 145,000 migrant encounters in June — a sharp decrease from about 208,000 in June 2022.
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Large groups of migrants willingly surrender themselves to Border Patrol agents to claim asylum, Isacson said.
&#8220;Tucson has also traditionally been where smugglers concentrate Mexicans and Central Americans who don&#8217;t want to be detected,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Now they&#8217;re seeing 100 people at a time who are not running away.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s really becoming an epicenter,&#8221; he added. &#8220;This is big.&#8221;
Brandon Judd, the president a union representing Border Patrol agents, told The Post that authorities should never open the gates, claiming top USBP officials endangered agents&#8217; lives after clearing the path for illegal immigrants to cross.
Judd previously said that open gates at the southern border signal the cartels are &#8220;exploiting&#8221; the agency.
In this case, however, the union official said the situation &#8220;exploded almost immediately, which shows you how adept the criminal cartels are at exploiting any weakness at any time that we show them.&#8221;
&#8220;Those gates should never open up. What would be the reason for it? Why would you do it?&#8221;

Gates in the border wall for flooding.

Open Floodgates At Southern Border Wall Allows Thousands Of Migrants To Freely Flow Into U.S.: Report

Border Crisis

Border Patrol

Border Wall

Cartels

Illegal Immigration

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Parts of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a> have seen record rains from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tropical-storm-hilary-threatens-southwestern-united-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tropical Storm Hilary</a> after it made landfall on Sunday as Southern California faced its first tropical storm in more than 80 years. 
Hilary, previously a <a href="https://www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/deadly-hilary-hits-mexico-floods-parts-of-southern-california/1571898" target="_blank" rel="noopener">category 4 hurricane</a>, first reached land on Sunday, hitting Mexico and Southern California. At least <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tropical-storm-hilary-los-angeles-california-mexico-flooding-25c75cba2dc7aea316056effdf913817" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one person died</a> in Mexico and the storm led to thousands throughout California losing power as officials declared emergencies. It was the first tropical storm to make landfall in Southern California since <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/earth20121017.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the 1930s</a>.
The storm also impacted Nevada and Arizona, with President Joe Biden saying his administration would send personnel, supplies, and help with any rapid response and search-and-rescue operations. A magnitude 5.1 earthquake also shook parts of Southern California during the storm on Sunday afternoon, striking about 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the city of Ojai.  
“My Administration stands ready to provide additional assistance and will continue coordinating with California, Nevada, and Arizona. We will also continue monitoring the Southern California earthquake and any resulting impacts,” Biden posted on X. 
Local officials remind residents to be aware of local flash flood warnings as the storm loses its power. Palm Springs Mayor Grace Garner <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/hilary-live-updates-storm-california-rcna100908" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> residents on Monday to stay home as the city announced that it had put a “temporary fix” in place after losing 911 emergency-call service during the storm. 
&#8220;Please stay home,&#8221; she <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/hilary-live-updates-storm-california-rcna100908" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;Yes, there’s going to be sun today, and that’s fantastic. However, we have a lot of clean-up to do, we need to assess the damage, and if the roads are clear that makes our job that much easier and we’re able to get those roads open much faster if people just stay in place.&#8221;
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Not far away, a Facebook account for the City of Palm Desert <a href="https://www.desertsun.com/story/weather/2023/08/20/hurricane-hilary-live-updates-storm-nears-baja-palm-springs-road-closures-state-of-emergency-declare/70635806007/">said</a> the storm “has been unlike anything our community has faced before.”
Early Monday morning, the National Weather Service <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSLosAngeles/status/1693568640115945860" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> “all rainfall daily records have been broken” in the Los Angeles area, with some areas getting up to 7 inches. 
Death Valley National Park was closed due to flooding, with online footage showing fast-moving water flowing through the park. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Death Valley National Park is known for being hot and dry, but the park is closed now because of heavy rain and hazardous flooding from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hilary?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hilary</a>. <a href="https://t.co/qhQT4pclhP">pic.twitter.com/qhQT4pclhP</a>
&mdash; AccuWeather (@accuweather) <a href="https://twitter.com/accuweather/status/1693640656667775357?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Before the arrival of Hilary, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom declared an emergency.
“California has thousands of people on the ground working hand-in-hand with federal and local personnel to support communities in Hurricane Hilary’s path with resources, equipment and expertise. We’re mobilizing all of government as we prepare and respond to this unprecedented storm,” Newsom said.

Tropical Storm Hilary Brings Wind and Heavy Rain to Southern California

Hilary Brings Record Rains To California: ‘Unlike Anything Our Community Has Faced Before’

California

Los Angeles

Mexico

Nevada

Severe Weather

U.S.

Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-ruben-gallego-announces-campaign-for-kyrsten-sinemas-senate-seat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ruben Gallego</a> (D-AZ) took some backlash on Wednesday after he attempted to define the &#8220;cultural identity&#8221; of Republicans during a campaign event at a church in Gilbert, Arizona.
Gallego, who has announced a run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), claimed that Republican &#8220;culture&#8221; could ultimately be boiled down to firearms and &#8220;jacked up&#8221; trucks &#8220;with some cow nuts hanging in the back.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
AZ Senate candidate Rep. Ruben Gallego: &quot;If you are a Republican, you have to have a bunch of guns, a jacked up truck with some cow nuts hanging in the back. That&#39;s your cultural identity now.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/spNYL383Qv">pic.twitter.com/spNYL383Qv</a>
&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1691975011584581727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
According to a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/az-senate-candidate-claims-weapons-little-cow-nuts-trucks-define-gop-culture" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from Fox News Digital, Gallego was initially responding to a question from the audience about school shootings.
&#8220;School shooting-level casualties happen every day in the streets of America,&#8221; Gallego claimed, adding, &#8220;We don&#8217;t focus on trying to stop everyday gun violence because a lot of politicians are afraid of the NRA and the gun lobby.&#8221;
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&#8220;And also, even beyond the gun lobby, there is now weapons — and I don&#8217;t really call them guns. As a Marine, I call them weapons,&#8221; Gallego continued. &#8220;Weapons have now become more of a cultural thing. It&#8217;s like, if you&#8217;re a Republican, you have to have a bunch of guns, some, you know, jacked-up truck with some of those little cow nuts hanging in the back. That&#8217;s your cultural identity now.&#8221;
Critics quickly pointed out a few things wrong with Gallego&#8217;s blanket assessment — namely that cows, being female, did not *have* nuts.
Arizona State Rep. Austin Smith, a Republican, responded, &#8220;Cows don’t have nuts… but I guess this is his worldview outside Phoenix, very narrow minded and ignorant. DC will do that to ya!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Guns ✅ Jacked up truck ✅ Cow nuts on my truck ⭕️
I’m failing on my Republican credentials. Cc: <a href="https://twitter.com/JenWEsq?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JenWEsq</a> 
Cows don’t have nuts… but I guess this is his worldview outside Phoenix, very narrow minded and ignorant. DC will do that to ya! <a href="https://t.co/TkqOwXKBFm">https://t.co/TkqOwXKBFm</a>
&mdash; Rep. Austin Smith (@azaustinsmith) <a href="https://twitter.com/azaustinsmith/status/1692194548183920676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;If you’re gonna try to trash talk half the people of your state at least get the anatomy about nuts right,&#8221; GOP strategist Andrew Clark added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
If you’re gonna try to trash talk half the people of your state at least get the anatomy about nuts right. <a href="https://t.co/BWz1RKC4mF">https://t.co/BWz1RKC4mF</a>
&mdash; Andrew Clark (@AndrewHClark) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewHClark/status/1692046319752532154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;And if you’re a democrat you have to have a sex change, mental illness, and drive a Prius with your own nuts hanging in the back. That’s your cultural identity now,&#8221; OutKick host Tomi Lahren <a href="https://twitter.com/TomiLahren/status/1691983626873774483" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shot back</a>.
Former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, also a Republican, added, &#8220;Look at how @RubenGallego mocks hard-working Arizonans. He thinks we&#8217;re dumb hicks for owning trucks. He wants to take away our 2nd Amendment rights. He&#8217;s weirdly obsessed with testicles. Just call us deplorables &amp; get it over with, Ruben. And stay in the swamp. It suits you.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Look at how <a href="https://twitter.com/RubenGallego?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RubenGallego</a> mocks hard-working Arizonans
He thinks we&#39;re dumb hicks for owning trucks 
He wants to take away our 2nd Amendment rights
He&#39;s weirdly obsessed with testicles
Just call us deplorables &amp; get it over with, Ruben
And stay in the swamp. It suits you. <a href="https://t.co/Ap23z4SPEA">https://t.co/Ap23z4SPEA</a>
&mdash; Kari Lake (@KariLake) <a href="https://twitter.com/KariLake/status/1692036913430245531?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Gallego could be headed for a tough race in 2024, however, since incumbent Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kyrsten-sinema-gearing-up-for-re-election-bid-as-an-independent-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sinema</a> is likely to remain on the general election ballot as an independent. If Gallego and Sinema split the Democratic vote, they could leave a wide opening for any solid Republican candidate.

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023

Arizona Dem Torched For Bizarre Attempt To Define Republicans: ‘Jacked Up Truck With Some Cow Nuts’

Arizona Dem Torched For Bizarre Attempt To Define Republicans: 'Jacked Up Truck With Some Cow Nuts'

Democrats

Kari Lake

Republicans

Senate

Arizona’s public universities will no longer request “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-dei" target="_blank" rel="noopener">diversity statements</a>” on their job applications in what free speech advocates called a &#8220;huge&#8221; win.
A large portion of faculty job postings at Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University required applicants to provide diversity statements as a condition of hiring, the conservative Goldwater Institute <a href="https://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/arizona-universities-demand-applicants-allegiance-to-progressive-politics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> earlier this year.
At the University of Arizona, 28% of job postings had a mandatory diversity statement as of fall 2022. At Northern Arizona University, 73% of job postings required one, and Arizona State University had the highest portion with 81% of job postings requiring a diversity statement, according to the Institute&#8217;s <a href="https://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/policy-report/the-new-loyalty-oaths/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>.
The Arizona university system at times required job applicants to replace their traditional cover letter with a diversity statement, submit two full pages on the candidate&#8217;s activism or commitment to diversity, and sometimes even called on applicants to endorse progressive concepts like “intersectional personal identities,” the report found.
Now, however, the public universities have scrapped their DEI statement requirements on those job postings.
The Arizona Board of Regents, which governs the public university system, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/ditching-dei-statements-three-big-arizona-universities-called-huge-victory-academic-freedom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the board and state schools have never required DEI statements, but &#8220;some departments at the universities may have included a request for a DEI statement in a job application.&#8221;
However, &#8220;the universities have discontinued any requests for such statements in job applications,&#8221; the Board of Regents said.
&#8220;Some posted job applications that include a request for a DEI statement may still be found online and the universities are updating those job postings to remove the request for DEI statements,&#8221; the board added.
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The Goldwater Institute <a href="https://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/goldwater-defeats-diversity-statements-at-arizona-universities/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">argued</a> that requiring diversity statements was unconstitutional under both the First Amendment and Arizona&#8217;s state Constitution.
Arizona&#8217;s Constitution <a href="https://law.justia.com/constitution/arizona/11/7.htm#:~:text=No%20sectarian%20instruction%20shall%20be,%2C%20as%20teacher%2C%20student%2C%20or" target="_blank" rel="noopener">states</a> that &#8220;no religious or political test or qualification shall ever be required as a condition of admission into any public educational institution of the state, as teacher, student, or pupil.&#8221;
The elimination of diversity statements is a &#8220;huge victory for academic freedom and the First Amendment,” <a href="https://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/goldwater-defeats-diversity-statements-at-arizona-universities/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Goldwater Institute president and CEO Victor Riches.
“DEI programs and ‘statements’ do not produce free expression nor more diversity of thought, equal opportunities, and a culture that includes everyone in school activities because DEI’s guiding principles are rooted in the racially discriminatory worldview known as critical race theory,” Goldwater Institute senior fellow Jonathan Butcher added.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) content in university classes as well as K-12 public schools has become a hot-button issue in recent years.
Several other states have also scrapped DEI statements for public university jobs.
In April, Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/14/new-texas-bans-law-diversity-offices-state-higher-education#:~:text=The%20bill%20also%20prohibits%20diversity,and%20innovative%20colleges%20and%20universities." target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> a bill banning diversity statements as well as DEI offices across the state&#8217;s higher education institutions.
In May, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/15/desantis-defunds-diversity-and-inclusion-programs-in-florida-public-universities/#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> legislation banning diversity statements as well as state and federal funding for DEI programs at state universities.
The University of Missouri system <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2023-03-27/the-university-of-missouri-system-cuts-diversity-statements-from-its-job-postings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eliminated</a> diversity statements in hiring practices back in March after North Carolina <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/02/25/university-of-north-carolina-cancels-woke-diversity-in-hiring/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned</a> the statements a month earlier.

All Are Welcome Here

Arizona’s Public Universities Ditch DEI Hiring Statements In ‘Huge’ Free Speech Win

Arizona's Public Universities Ditch DEI Hiring Statements In 'Huge' Free Speech Win

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Education

President Joe Biden claimed on Tuesday that the Grand Canyon was &#8220;one of the earth&#8217;s nine wonders&#8221; despite the fact that there are only seven &#8220;Wonders of the World&#8221; — and all of those are man-made.
Biden&#8217;s trip to Arizona, a key battleground state that helped push him over the finish line in 2020, was primarily focused on the economy — and climate provisions included in his Inflation Reduction Act — amid <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/president-biden-finally-sits-down-for-an-in-person-interview-with-the-weather-channel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">record-breaking temperatures</a> across the nation.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Joe Biden:
&quot;The Grand Canyon — one of the earth&#39;s nine wonders — wonders of the world. Literally. Think of that. It&#39;s amazing.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/2dnDTTE0w0">pic.twitter.com/2dnDTTE0w0</a>
&mdash; TheBlaze (@theblaze) <a href="https://twitter.com/theblaze/status/1688993457493229573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The Grand Canyon — one of the earth&#8217;s nine wonders — wonders of the world. Literally. Think of that. You know, it&#8217;s amazing,&#8221; Biden said.
Critics quickly pointed out that there were only seven Wonders of the World – and the Grand Canyon was not included among them. In point of fact, both the original Wonders of the World – and the new list of wonders that was updated in 2007 — were all man-made.
The original list included the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon — but of those, the only one to truly stand the test of time was the pyramid.
The <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/new-seven-wonders-of-the-world/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">updated list</a>, as of 2007 – which was compiled after a global contest and more than 100 million votes — included seven new wonders that still stand: the Colosseum (Rome, Italy), Petra (Jordan), The Great Wall (China), Chechen Itza (Mexico), Machu Picchu (Peru), Christ the Redeemer (Brazil), and the Taj Mahal (India).
The Grand Canyon does appear on <a href="https://www.worldatlas.com/places/the-7-natural-wonders-of-the-world.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one such list</a>, which was compiled by CNN in 1997, of the &#8220;Seven Natural Wonders of the World.&#8221; That list includes Mount Everest, Paricutin Volcano, the Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls, Rio de Janeiro Harbor, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Northern Lights.
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Biden concluded his visit to Arizona with his first one-on-one interview in some time — with The Weather Channel — which aired on Wednesday.
One clip of that interview made the rounds early Wednesday morning after Biden brushed a bug off Stephanie Abrams&#8217; chest.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH: Joe Biden bushes a bug off of Weather Channel reporter Stephanie Abrams&#39; chest. 
Abrams responds: &quot;Oh thanks. Appreciate it.&quot;<a href="https://t.co/7UEdNuQAqa">pic.twitter.com/7UEdNuQAqa</a>
&mdash; Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1689270723255177216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

US-POLITICS-ENVIRONMENT-BIDEN

Joe Biden Says The Grand Canyon Is One Of ‘Earth’s Nine Wonders.’ There Are Seven.

Joe Biden Says The Grand Canyon Is One Of 'Earth's Nine Wonders.' There Are Seven

Executive

Arizona senator Kyrsten Sinema, who left the Democratic Party last year and became an independent, blasted Democratic Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, her former boss, because the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Shelter Services Program has plans to send roughly twice the amount of funding to New York that it plans to send to Arizona, a border state.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXSj86ojGIk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Speaking</a> to first responders in the border city of Yuma, Sinema was asked, “Why is the money going to New York, and who’s sending it?”
“My staff is gonna be really upset but I&#8217;m gonna tell you the truth here,” Sinema admitted. “The reason the money is going to New York is because the Speaker of the House (likely a reference to Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic Leader) is from New York and the leader of the United States Senate (Schumer) is from New York. That is how a bunch of money went to New York.”
“The Shelter and Services Program provides funds to non-federal entities that provide sheltering and other eligible services to noncitizen migrants who have been encountered by the Department of Homeland Security and released from custody while awaiting the outcome of their immigration proceedings,” <a href="https://www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness/shelter-services-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FEMA</a> states. “The intent is to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the safe, orderly, and humane release of noncitizen migrants from short-term holding facilities.”
Arizona will receive a total of roughly $69.3 million; New York will receive a total of roughly $134.6 million, according to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12367509/Im-going-tell-truth-Kirsten-Sinema-blasts-former-boss-says-decision-send-130-MILLION-migrant-money-New-York-instead-border-states-Senate-leader-Chuck-Schumer-NEW-YORK.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Mail</a>.
“Look, this is something I fought for,” she continued. “When I fought really hard to ensure that this money got included in the omnibus budget in December of last year &#8230; we fought really hard to get this in, the money was intended — and there’s language that was put in the law that said that it should be going for decompression of the border. The fact that a yeoman&#8217;s amount of this money went to New York City in my opinion is wrong because they are not a border state and they are not facing the kind of pressure that we are facing here.”
“So when I hear from folks in other parts of the country who say, ‘Oh, it’s hard, our shelters are overwhelmed,’ yeah, come live a day in the life of Yuma, Summerton, or San Luis. Just one day,” she declared.
“I am livid that the administration is sending money to a part of the country that while it has a lot of folks showing up in their shelter, they don&#8217;t have folks wandering the streets of our small towns and communities or facing heat exhaustion, showing up without basics like formula,” she said.
“People will come across the border with chicken pox. What we&#8217;re experiencing here in Arizona is matched only by what folks are experiencing in southern Texas. Those are the two communities that are experiencing this crisis. The rest of the country’s seeing some elements of it, but we are here facing the brunt. And it is wrong and unfair that that SSP money is going to places other than South Texas and South Arizona,” she concluded.

Collage Maker-03-Aug-2023-10-49-AM-9353

‘I Am Livid’: Sinema Blasts Former Boss Schumer For NY Getting Roughly Double Immigration Funding

Chuck Schumer

FEMA

Hakeem Jeffries

Kyrsten Sinema

New York

New details have emerged about where <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona">Arizona</a> teen Alicia Navarro was during the four years she was considered missing.
Navarro had reportedly been seen with an unknown man numerous times in Havre, Montana, the town where she walked into a police station last week to remove herself from the missing person list. Garrett Smith, who lived in the same apartment building as Navarro, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/29/alicia-navarro-fought-with-man-threatened-to-go-back-before-reappearance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the New York Post he heard her fighting with the man she was living with.
“I was here the other day and I heard them yelling. She did say, ‘I will go back.’ But that’s all I heard,” he told the outlet. “It was the day before she turned herself in.”
It is not yet known how Navarro got to Montana, but Smith told the Post that she and a man in his 20s had been living in the apartment complex for at least a year. Smith also said he spoke to Navarro for the first time when she said she was “looking for her uncle” near a post office. This occurred just days before she walked into the Havre police station.
“She was asking for directions. She looked scared,” he said, adding that she didn’t appear to know the area.
Navarro reportedly <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/29/alicia-navarro-told-montana-cops-she-wanted-a-drivers-license/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> authorities that she wanted to be removed from the missing person’s list so she could get a driver’s license and live a “normal life.”
“She said she was walking with her uncle and got lost and she’s looking for 6th Street,” Smith said. “I later found out that she was referring to him as her uncle.”
Jessica Nunez reported her daughter missing after she disappeared at the age of 14 on September 15, 2019. At the time, Navarro left a note saying, “I ran away. I will be back, I swear. I’m sorry.” Her mother feared that Navarro might have been lured away from home by someone she met on the internet. Nunez also noted that her daughter was diagnosed as high-functioning on the autism spectrum, the AP reported.
Navarro’s disappearance launched a nationwide search that included help from the FBI, which received thousands of tips over the years, Glendale, Arizona, police spokesman Jose Santiago said at <a href="https://fb.watch/m2hnWUMorl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a press conference</a> on Wednesday.
“For more than four years detectives here have followed up on THOUSANDS of leads,” the Glendale Police Department posted on Facebook. “This week, Alicia walked into a police department in a small town in Montana and identified herself. At that point, Federal partners, local police along with detectives here at Glendale Police began their investigation into this individual. Through our interviews, along with family members, we are confident that the now 18-year-old young lady is indeed Alicia Navarro.”
The police department cautioned that the case was not closed.
“We are continuing to investigate her whereabouts for the last four years and will do so alongside our Federal partners. Alicia is asking for privacy at this time. We are thankful we can bring some type of closure to her family. We are also thankful she appears to be in good health and happy.”

Alicia Navarro Missing Poster

New Details Emerge About Arizona Teen Missing For 4 Years Who Recently Came Forward

Crime

Missing Person

Montana

Teenagers

An Arizona teenager who disappeared from her home in 2019 has been found safe in Montana, more than 1,000 miles away.
This week, Alicia Navarro, now 18, walked alone into a Montana police station around 40 miles from the Canadian border and introduced herself, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/missing-teen-safe-arizona-montana-b3ede877b83bdb7383ceef1f60a5b72b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Jessica Nunez reported her daughter missing after she disappeared at the age of 14 on September 15, 2019. At the time, Navarro left a note saying, “I ran away. I will be back, I swear. I’m sorry.” Her mother feared that Navarro may have been lured away from home by someone she met on the internet. Nunez also noted that her daughter was diagnosed as high-functioning on the autism spectrum, the AP reported.
Navarro’s disappearance in 2019 launched a nationwide search that included help from the FBI, which received thousands of tips over the years, Glendale, Arizona, police spokesman Jose Santiago said at <a href="https://fb.watch/m2hnWUMorl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a press conference</a> on Wednesday.
“Alicia went missing in September of 2019, for more than four years detectives here have followed up on THOUSANDS of leads,” the Glendale Police Department wrote on Facebook. “This week, Alicia walked into a police department in a small town in Montana and identified herself. At that point, Federal partners, local police along with detectives here at Glendale Police began their investigation into this individual. Through our interviews, along with family members, we are confident that the now 18-year-old young lady is indeed Alicia Navarro.”
The police department cautioned that the case was not closed.
“We are continuing to investigate her whereabouts for the last four years and will do so alongside our Federal partners. Alicia is asking for privacy at this time. We are thankful we can bring some type of closure to her family. We are also thankful she appears to be in good health and happy,” they wrote.
At the news conference, Santiago noted that Navarro “is by all accounts safe, she is by all accounts healthy, and she is by all accounts happy.” He added that she hadn’t been harmed and that she wasn’t being held against her will while she was missing. She also faces no criminal charges.
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“She is not in any kind of trouble,” Santiago said at the press conference.
Lt. Scott Waite also spoke, saying Navarro had an “emotionally overwhelming” reunion with her mother, during which she was “very apologetic [as] to what she has put her mother through.”
Nunez thanked God for her daughter’s safe return.
“I want to give glory to God for answering prayers and for this miracle,” Nunez said in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=102396696282154" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a video on Facebook</a>.
“For everyone who has missing loved ones, I want you to use this case as an example,” she added. “Miracles do exist. Never lose hope and always fight.”

Arizona Teen Missing For 4 Years Found Safe In Montana

The city of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/phoenix">Phoenix</a> is working block by block to clear an infamous homeless encampment that is the target of a lawsuit from nearby business owners and residents.
On Wednesday, a crew of nonprofit and city workers cleared people, tents, and other belongings from another block of “The Zone,” Phoenix&#8217;s huge downtown homeless encampment that can sometimes <a href="https://www.azfamily.com/2022/04/01/phoenix-homeless-encampment-is-home-nearly-1000-people/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">number</a> nearly 1,000 people.
The crew cleared 13th Avenue between Madison and Jefferson streets, just one section of the sprawling encampment where tents can line the sidewalk for five or six blocks at a time.
The newly cleared area is just around the corner from Old Station Sub shop, which is owned by Joe Faillace, one of the business and property owners suing the city over &#8220;The Zone.&#8221;
The 15 plaintiffs in the lawsuit <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2023/07/07/phoenix-trial-the-zone-homeless-encampment-next-week/70385447007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">say</a> the homeless people who live in &#8220;The Zone&#8221; have perpetrated violence and property damage, harming the plaintiffs&#8217; livelihoods and quality of life. The plaintiffs say they have found stray used needles from drug use and human feces on their property and have witnessed homeless people using drugs and engaging in sex acts in public.
The city has even transported homeless people to &#8220;The Zone&#8221; and refused to enforce the law there, the lawsuit <a href="https://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/what-happened-at-phoenixs-homeless-zone-trial/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claims</a>.
In March, a Maricopa County judge <a href="https://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/victory-arizona-judge-declares-phoenixs-homeless-zone-an-illegal-public-nuisance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a preliminary injunction declaring &#8220;The Zone&#8221; a public nuisance and <a href="https://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/The-Zone-ruling-preliminary-injunction.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ordering</a> the city to clear it by July 10.
The trial in the lawsuit was held earlier this month, but a final ruling has not yet been issued on how much time the city will officially have to clear &#8220;The Zone.&#8221;
“Will the city of Phoenix abate the public nuisance if the court does not mandate them to do so?” Judge Scott Blaney asked during the trial.
The city started clearing the encampment on May 10, and Wednesday&#8217;s cleanup <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2023/07/19/phoenix-clears-block-of-the-zone-homeless-camp-amid-record-heat-wave/70422946007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">marks</a> the fifth block to be cleared.
Last week&#8217;s cleanup came amid a record-breaking heat wave in Phoenix, which had <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-weather/2023/07/19/phoenix-weather-records-broken-during-heat-wave/70430567007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">already</a> been under an excessive heat warning for several weeks this month. Temperatures were already above 90 degrees when the cleanup crew began working, and the heat had climbed to well over 100 degrees by 11am, when the street had been cleared and a city sanitation truck came by. Photos from &#8220;The Zone&#8221; this week showed homeless residents battling the heat, pouring water on themselves and being handed water bottles from crew workers.
The scorching temperatures <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2023/07/19/phoenix-clears-block-of-the-zone-homeless-camp-amid-record-heat-wave/70422946007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">encouraged</a> homeless residents, especially older residents, to seek shelter and take advantage of the air conditioning inside a nearby community center focused on the homeless.
City officials said the city plans to finish clearing &#8220;The Zone&#8221; over the next nine months, but the plaintiffs&#8217; legal team asked the court to order Phoenix to clear it by the end of the summer.
“Let the city keep doing this good thing without the burden of further court action,” one city attorney <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2023/07/11/phoenix-reveals-how-long-it-wants-to-clear-the-zone-homeless-camp/70404322007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Phoenix also <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2022/12/01/aclu-sues-phoenix-over-homeless-camp-sweeps-citations/69690675007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">faced</a> another lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, which sued the city in December over the city&#8217;s cleanups in &#8220;The Zone,&#8221; saying that police cleanups of the encampments “criminalize homelessness.”

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