Free Republic

A long-simmering feud between establishment Republicans and Tea Partyers broke into full view Thursday, with Sen. John McCain accusing younger colleagues of overplaying their hands and tempting Democrats to change Senate rules that protect the minority party. Tactics for dealing with the government’s budget and debt became the latest quarrel In a string of them between McCain —sometimes joined by....

Tatum Raetz graduated from kindergarten this week, just three days after her police officer father was killed while investigating a drunk driving case. But the 5-year-old girl definitely felt her father’s presence at her ceremony, thanks to nearly 300 uniformed officers standing in his place at her Phoenix elementary school.

After launching deliberations Tuesday afternoon, a jury weighing whether or not Jodi Arias will be sentenced to death has announced they are unable to reach a unanimous decision. After briefly entering the courtroom just before noon on Wednesday, a judge ordered them to continue deliberating. READ: Jodi Arias: A timeline of a sensational murder case PICTURES: Jodi Arias pleads with jurors for life sentence The judge encouraged them to "write down issues, questions, laws or facts on which we can possibly help." "I am merely trying to be responsive to your apparent need for help," the judge said. I do...

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) backed down from a previous promise his spokeswoman made to Breitbart News that he would consider voting in favor of amendments to the Senate's immigration bill that would close a loophole allowing illegal immigrants immediate access to state and local welfare.

The former U.S. Attorney for Arizona could be disbarred, after an investigation found he lied to the Justice Department about his role in trying to discredit the federal whistle-blower who exposed the botched gun-running scheme known as Fast and Furious. An Office of Inspector General report showed that Dennis Burke -- the former chief of staff for Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano appointed as U.S. Attorney for Arizona by President Obama in September 2009 -- lied when asked if he leaked sensitive documents to the press meant to undermine the credibility of ATF whistle-blower John Dodson. The IG report also...

A hot microphone caught Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) coordinating which way members of the “Gang of Eight” who serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee would vote on immigration bill amendments, Breitbart News has learned. “Do our Republicans have a pass on this one if they want?” the microphone caught Schumer saying.

President Barack Obama has an important new ally as emboldened Republicans work to derail his agenda: John McCain. The shift is striking: The 2008 rivals never got along throughout Obama’s first term in office. McCain has been Obama’s chief tormentor on issues ranging from the budget to Benghazi, tartly saying in late 2010 that the two men had “no relationship.” Yet during one of Obama’s toughest times as president, there was McCain, sitting down last week with him in the Oval Office for a private strategy session. At the urging of new White House chief of staff Denis McDonough, who...

Why does the U.S. Constitution make no mention of education? Because the Founding Fathers understood that the education of children must be at the local level. We now stand at the edge of a cliff as the federal Common Core State Standards continues its march across the country. How did we get here? In 2009, the U.S. Department of Education blackmailed the states with stimulus money in the form of Race to the Top (RTTT) grants. If states wanted to get out from under No Child Left Behind, and wanted more funding they had to agree to adopt the Common...

Phoenix police are in a race against time in processing guns that the city purchased at recent gun buyback events. A new Arizona law that hasn't yet taken effect bars cities and counties from destroying guns turned over to police at buyback events and instead requires that the guns be resold. The Arizona Republic reports (http://bit.ly/19QbpVe) that Phoenix's program brought in 979 weapons in two sessions earlier this month and an additional 937 guns on Saturday. The law will go into effect 90 days after the legislative session ends, which could be any day. Police are already struggling to process...

At his Arizona State University commencement speech last Wednesday, Mr. Obama noted that ASU had refused to grant him an honorary degree, citing his lack of experience, and the controversy this had caused. He then demonstrated ASU's point by remarking, "I really thought this was much ado about nothing, but I do think we all learned an important lesson. I learned never again to pick another team over the Sun Devils in my NCAA brackets. . . . President [Michael] Crowe and the Board of Regents will soon learn all about being audited by the IRS." Just a joke about...

Obama Warns of IRS Audit In Response to ASU Snub ------------------------------------------------------------ President Barack Obama delivered the keynote commencement address Wednesday at Arizona State University after the college decided against bestowing an honorary degree upon him. And from the sounds of things, they better watch their backs. Now before I begin, I'd just like to clear the air about that little controversy everyone was talking about a few weeks back. I have to tell you, I really thought this was much ado about nothing, but I do think we all learned an important lesson. I learned never again to pick another...

TUCSON- A convenience store clerk who was stabbed early Friday morning has died from his injuries. According to Sergeant Chris Widmer with Tucson Police, 22-year-old Erick Bridges passed away Saturday afternoon. Bridges was stabbed at the AM/PM at 7601 E. Tanque Verde around 1 a.m. Friday. The suspect is described as a thin white and Hispanic man in his 20s, 5-feet-8 inches. He was wearing a grey "hoodie" and jeans and had a dark backpack. Anyone with information is urged 9-1-1 or 88-CRIME.

The days of the old horse cavalry of the U.S. Army are generally now only seen in movies. But on Fort Huachuca those days of the late 1800s are still alive through the all-volunteer B Troop, 4th Cavalry Regiment (Memorial), honoring a unit which served on the post at various times from 1884 to 1912. Unlike the days of old when the unit protected settlers when America’s westward expansion was at its highest a few years after the end of the Civil War, today’s mission of the small unit is to honor and remember those B Troopers — and by...

by John HillStand With Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio is facing an unprecedented campaign to recall him from office. This follows a re-election campaign last year which saw unprecedented amounts spent on both sides, as George Soros committed $10 million to oust "America's Sheriff". Joe was forced to spend his entire 'war chest' of $8 million to (barely) hold onto office - the closest race of his career. Why?Why is the Left in America so focused on a single county's Sheriff, and willing to spend Congressional-level funds to defeat him? Well for starters, Sheriff Joe is the biggest national symbol in...

The Homeland Security Department has granted legal status to 99.2 percent of all illegal immigrants who have applied under President Obama’s new non-deportation policy for young adults, according to the latest numbers released Friday. That’s a slight drop from the 99.5 percent approval rate reported last month. The policy, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, grants legal status to most illegal immigrants under the age of 31 who came to the U.S. before age 16 ... DACA is seen as a test-run should Congress pass a broad legalization for the 11 million illegal immigrants estimated to be in the...

Arizona scored a huge victory against President Obama’s tyranny! A federal court UPHELD my Executive Order and Arizona's law denying driver's licenses to illegal aliens who President Obama has allowed to remain in our country under his outrageous deferred action program. The court ruled that Obama’s program DOES NOT preempt Arizona’s ability to determine who can receive a driver’s license. This is a great victory for state’s rights and the rule of law! Let me be clear: this fight has never been about the “Dreamers.” As Governor, I have taken an oath to uphold the laws of Arizona and I...

SIERRA VISTA — U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has ordered the furlough of defense department civilians to begin in early July. Tuesday, Hagel directed 11 furlough days for civil service employees, half of the 22 days which were initially anticipated. Its impact on Fort Huachuca will not be immediately known, as the defense secretary’s decision is the starting process, post spokeswoman Tanja Linton said Tuesday afternoon. In his message, the defense secretary said the department “is facing a historic shortfall in our budget for the current fiscal year.” The sequestration law, which went into effect on March 1, imposes...

(CNSNews.com) – The Department of Interior is providing $472,150 grant funding to increase the survival of two endangered fish species by “training” them to “recognize and avoid predators.” “The objective of the proposed project is to determine if training increases Bonytail and Razorback Sucker survival when exposed to predators,” the grant abstract states. “This proposal builds upon the 2012 Bureau of Reclamation assistance agreement with the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) tasked with investigating the potential for training Bonytail and Razorback Suckers to recognize and avoid predators. “One of the early conclusions of the prior work is that the...

Regulators have closed a small bank in Arizona, bringing the number of U.S. bank failures to 13 this year. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Tuesday seized Central Arizona Bank, based in Scottsdale, Ariz. The lender, which operated a single branch, had roughly $31.6 million in assets and $30.8 million in deposits as of March 31. Western State Bank, based in Devils Lake, N.D., agreed to assume all of the failed bank’s deposits and to buy essentially all of its assets. …

SIERRA VISTA — Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has ordered the furlough of Defense Department civilians to begin in early July. Today, Hagel directed 11 furlough days for civil service employees which is half of what was initially anticipated.

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) told Breitbart News he thinks Attorney General Eric Holder needs a refresher course on the U.S. Constitution in the wake of reports that the Department of Justice secretly obtained two months of the Associated Press's phone records. Gosar expressed concerns that President Barack Obama’s “enemies list” continues to grow, especially in light of revelations that the IRS targeted conservative and Tea Party organizations. “On one hand, I am encouraged to hear that the Attorney General obtained warrants first. Score one for the Fourth Amendment,” Gosar said in an email. “But I remain concerned about the First...

SIERRA VISTA — The Sierra Vista Fire Department is looking to the community to design a memorial honoring those that lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 that will house a piece of the World Trade Center recovered from the wreckage. The deadline for registering for the competition, which is open to all residents of the county who are 15 years old and older, is May 30, while designs must be submitted prior to June 20. The memorial will be incorporated into the Maltese Cross layout on the south side of Fire Station 263 on Giulio Cesare...

by John HillStand With Arizona Three weeks after the shooting in Sandy Hook, CT, when politicians were using the murders as an excuse to grab the guns of law-abiding Americans, one lawman was calling instead for school kids to be defended. Maricopa Country, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio denounced efforts to ban guns, saying "bad guys will always get their guns", and that gun control "never solves the problem". So on January 9th the Sheriff announced he would deploy 500 armed volunteers to patrol outside 59 schools in metropolitan Phoenix.  Joe's 3,000-strong “Posse”  has participated in the many “immigration sweeps” the Sheriff...

Chris Crane, president of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers union, spoke to Mark Levin on The Mark Levin Show Thursday evening. Crane recently testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the immigration bill working through Congress. Crane explained how President Obama and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano have, since the administration’s start, “attempted to shut down” border enforcement and “absolutely” tied law enforcement’s hands.

Buckeye is more than 2,000 miles from Washington, D.C., but this week, Arizonans will have the opportunity to visit a war memorial from our nation's capital a little bit closer to home. ...The wall opens at noon to the public and there will be an evening ceremony with guest speaker Sarah Palin at 6 p.m....

"Superficial" "A source close to the Senate negotiations [says] that two senators who voted against the background check bill would vote for it after minor, superficial changes." - Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC, May 6, 2013ACTION: Senators who voted pro-gun last month are under intense pressure - by Senate Democrats and Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s hit ads - to switch their votes.  We need to keep applying the heat and let them know that gun owners are ready to help in any Senate campaign, no matter which state, to defeat ANY SENATOR who votes for gun control.LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FROM WASHINGTON, DC. It’s...

The jury has rendered its verdict — Jodi Arias is guilty of first-degree murder — but the trial is far from finished. The same jury now returns to the courtroom Thursday to decide whether she deserves to die for killing her one-time boyfriend on June 4, 2008 at his suburban Phoenix home. The sheer brutality of the attack and previous testimony from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner that Travis Alexander did not die a quick death will be at the heart of the prosecution's argument that Jodi should receive the ultimate punishment for her crime. Alexander was stabbed and slashed...

Jodi Arias spent 18 days on the stand sharing intimate, emotional and oftentimes X-rated details of her life before a rapt television and online audience. She had hoped it all might convince a jury that she killed her one-time boyfriend in self-defense. But the eight men and four women on the panel didn't buy it, convicting Arias of first-degree murder after only about 15 hours of deliberations. Jurors will return to court Thursday to begin the next phase of the trial that could set the stage for Arias receiving a death sentence. It's a punishment that Arias herself says she...

per Drudge - Verdict reached in Jodi Arias Trail

A week ago, he noted on his Facebook page that his poll numbers after voting no on Toomey/Manchin put him somewhere south of “pond scum.” Today, this. He won’t face the voters again for five and a half years, but he shares a home state with Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly. They can hurt him by campaigning against him in 2018 more than they can anyone else in the Senate. No wonder he’s looking for ways to flip: Republican Sen. Jeff Flake told CNN he is willing to reverse his opposition to expanding background checks for guns if the Senate...

On the same day that the 2013 NRA Convention began in Houston, TX Barack Obama was in Mexico telling an audience that “most of the guns used to commit violent crimes here in Mexico, come from the United States.” What he didn’t tell that audience was that his administration is responsible for Operation Fast and Furious, a program in which the ATF told reluctant gun store owners to sell high-powered guns to bad guys who would then ‘walk’ those guns to drug cartels in Mexico. Yet, Republicans and gun rights activists have avoided bludgeoning those in the administration and on...

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer Thursday vetoed Senate Bill 1439 which would have made Arizona the second U.S. state to recognize gold and silver as legal tender. In a letter to Arizona State Senate President Andy Biggs, Brewer said, “While I believe the concern over a devalued dollar as a result of an unsustainable federal deficit is justified, I am unable to support this legislation.” “I believe the provisions in this legislation need to be more carefully examined and there should be prior coordination with those government agencies tasked with the oversight of these transactions,” she stressed. See also: Navigating gold,...

MCALESTER, Okla. (AP) - A Krebs man who was in the country illegally has pleaded guilty to raping and impregnating an 11-year-old girl. The man entered his plea Monday and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. On Wednesday, Pittsburg County District Attorney Farley Ward told the McAlester News-Capital that DNA test results show the defendant had gotten the child pregnant. The Associated Press isn't naming the man because doing so could identify the victim. The man was first arrested in 2011 for assault and transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. He was deported later that year, but Oklahoma...

Two of the three suspects arrested in connection with an attempted robbery that ended with one of the suspects getting shot, made their initial appearances in Yuma Justice Court on Tuesday afternoon. -------------------------------cut-------------------------- Katz went on to tell the court that Rivas was the alleged getaway driver in the crime and waited in the car around the corner while Estrada and his brother approached the victim. "The victim was in town visiting a family member and was standing outside a residence when he was approached by two males," Katz said. "They demanded his wallet, when he didn’t comply, they demanded...

Two people are in custody following what police believe was an attempted murder on Monday night. The Yuma Police Department says they responded to the Desert Palms Mobile Park on West 28th Street after receiving a report of shots being fired. The victim of the robbery stated that two male subjects had approached him as he stood in front of his trailer and demanded his money. The victim stated that one of the subjects had been armed with a handgun. The victim had also been armed with a legally concealed handgun, and upon being threatened, the victim and the suspect...

The Supreme Court’s 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education is one of the great landmarks of American history. It is also a good example of the fact that the law is not about the law. Maybe one in 500 college students ever has read the decision, and probably very few Americans could tell you much about the legal questions involved in Brown, but the moral question at the heart of the case — whether an apartheid regime of “separate but [formally] equal” would be allowed to stand in these United States — is well understood. It was well...

Democratic leaders are wooing staunchly pro-gun candidates to run in pivotal Senate races at the same time they are discussing a strategy for bringing gun control legislation back up for debate. The two-pronged effort has prompted Republicans to accuse the Senate Democratic leadership of hypocrisy, but Democrats say it is simply smart politics. The question is whether two of the Democrats’ most promising potential candidates in Montana and South Dakota will pay a price for the leadership’s political maneuverings in Washington. Or will recruiting candidates who do not support President Obama’s gun control agenda have any effect on Democratic fundraising...

SIERRA VISTA — On a hot Monday afternoon, a dozen of people protested the use of drones — unmanned aerial vehicles — by the United States. The group gathered across the street from Fort Huachuca’s main gate. It was part of a national protest which occurred at other military installations across the United States on Monday. At Fort Huachuca there is training for operators and maintainers in the U.S. military for drone programs. During the 90 minute protest, one man, “David,” spoke with the protestors, agreeing on the need to ensure unmanned aerial vehicles are not be used to spy...

CONCHO — There is an old saying about eating crow when one is in the wrong, but what happens to a crow who makes a faulty decision? One such bird who made the wrong decision paid the ultimate price, and then some. A small brush fire in Old Concho was started around 1:30 p.m. on April 22 by a crow that was wiresitting on a telephone pole. According to Vernon Fire Chief James Borrego, the crow touched the wire in such a way that the bird caught fire and fell to the ground. The area where the crow fell was...

Friday, April 19, was the last chance for bills still progressing through the legislature. If a bill didn’t make it through hearings in both chambers and, if necessary, was heard in a Conference Committee by April 19, it is effectively dead. April 23 marked the 100th day of the session, which per the Arizona Constitution, normally means the end of the session. We expect this legislature to go on longer, mainly to deal with budget issues. Of the 17 pro-rights bills firearms bills filed this session, and despite a supposedly pro-rights majority in the legislature, only the 3 bills listed...

Two people trying to smuggle drugs inside their underwear were arrested by border officers this week in separate incidents. On Wednesday afternoon agents say they found a pound of methamphetamine inside the underpants of an 18-year-old U.S. citizen who was riding in a border shuttle van stopped for an inspection at a checkpoint on Interstate 19 near Amado, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release. On Thursday night a 23-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested at the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales after officers say they found four pounds of heroin in her bra. The combined...

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - Gun activist Ken Rineer says Tucson's January 8th gun buy back was a waste of taxpayer money. He says the 45 officers who worked at the event and who took the guns to be destroyed, cost the taxpayers nearly $10,000. "We used over 40 officers to take care of a 'turn-in' that realized no benefit," he says. He was able to get a copy of the Tucson Police Department's Special Operation's Plan for the Ward 6 Gun Buy Back. The plan outlines the purpose, mission and areas of operations. It also assigns officers to...

Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox is urging Republican Gov. Jan Brewer to veto a bill requiring cities and counties to sell guns turned over to police at community buyback events rather than having them destroyed. Wilcox sent a letter to Brewer Wednesday pleading with her to veto the bill and keep the guns from returning to the streets where they could be used for violent acts. The Arizona House and Senate have approved House Bill 2455. Republican backers say destroying guns turned over to local governments is a waste of taxpayer resources. Wilcox is a Democrat who champions gun...

When you see the image of 61-year-old Larry Ruthenberg pushing his mother, 89-year-old Doris, through a store in her wheelchair, you probably think there's a caring son looking after his elderly mother. But Gilbert Police see something very different. They see the duo caught in the act; stealing. "They kept pretty much to themselves," said Timothy Thomas, who lives in Mesa. He says the two moved in to the home next door for a short time in March. What he noticed about his new neighbors was their huge amount of stuff. "There were all of these trucks and stuff parked...

Buried within the 844 pages of the bipartisan immigration bill -- amid historic shifts in policies such as a path to citizenship for 11 million unauthorized immigrants -- are pet provisions of the senators who crafted it. South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham wants more visas for the meat industry, a major employer in his state

On Monday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said that including a "path to citizenship" for illegal immigrants in any comprehensive immigration bill would jeopardize the likelihood of the legislation passing. “I think if instead the bill includes elements that are deeply divisive--and I would note that I don’t think there is any issue in this entire debate that is more divisive than a path to citizenship for those who are here illegally--in my view, any bill that insists upon that jeopardizes the likelihood of passing any immigration reform bill,” Cruz said at the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing, according to CNS News....

TEMPE, AZ - Police say a resident fired shots at two suspects who broke into a Tempe home on Thursday. Tempe police spokesman Mike Pooley said a woman heard a knock at the door of her home near McClintock Drive and Guadalupe Road and thought it sounded odd. Pooley said she went to the garage for a gun and by the time she got back two people were in her home. She shot at both of them, but it's unclear if either one was struck, Pooley said. Pooley said two suspects are in custody and two more got away. The...

Several Republican lawmakers are calling for the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings to be tried as an enemy combatant, rather than as an ordinary criminal. “It is clear the events we have seen over the past few days in Boston were an attempt to kill American citizens and terrorize a major American city,” read a Saturday statement from Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.). “The accused perpetrators of these acts were not common criminals attempting to profit from a criminal enterprise, but terrorists trying to injure, maim, and kill...

President Barack Obama delivered an impassioned speech Thursday at the memorial service for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. But that was to be expected. We all know Obama can give a stem-winder. What wasn’t expected was that this would be by far the toughest week of the Obama presidency—the first time I can remember the president being dealt an unequivocal policy defeat. Only the “shellacking” of the 2010 midterm comes close, and even there a case can be made that achieving the decades-old progressive dream of universal health care was worth losing the House of Representatives and a filibuster-proof...

Rep. Louie Gohmert today warned the world that “radical Islamists” are being trained to “act like Hispanic[s]” to get into the United States from Mexi “We know al Qaeda has camps over with the drug cartels on the other side of the Mexican border,” the Republican from Tyler said on C-SPAN Wednesday morning. “We know that people that are now being trained to come in and act like Hispanic when they are radical Islamists. We know these things are happening. It is just insane not to protect ourselves, to make sure that people come in as most people do. They...