Free Republic

On the fifth anniversary of the notorious spill of 3 million gallons of heavily contaminated acid mine water from the Gold King Mine in southwestern Colorado, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Utah announced an agreement that ends the state’s lawsuit. Neither the EPA nor the contractors involved at the Gold King spill site are entirely off the hook for their alleged missteps that resulted in downstream damages. Lawsuits filed by the Navajo Nation, the State of New Mexico, and a group of Navajo farmers and ranchers have been consolidated, and discovery is proceeding, with a projected...

Lizer’s universally praised speech enraged Biden for President, the official organization helping to elect Joe Biden. In fact, Biden for President issued a prompt press release characterizing the speech as a disgraceful insult to the entire Navajo Nation. READ MORE.........

Navajo County Assistant Manager Bryan Layton said Friday that a man over the age of 55 was being treated for the disease amid an investigation into how it was contracted. The Navajo County Health Department encouraged people to avoid rodent burrows and keep dogs on a leash. Human symptoms of plague usually appear within two to six days of contact and include fever, chills, headaches and often a swelling of lymph nodes under the armpit.

The Washington Redskins announced Monday that they would be retiring their team nickname and logo, but had not yet decided on their new moniker. In short order, the Navajo Nation offered a new name they believe would be a fitting replacement for the NFL franchise. Two hours later, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez released a statement celebrating the Washington, D.C., area team's move, while noting that the franchise made its decision due to "mounting pressure and advocacy of Indigenous peoples...and many other warriors who fought long and hard for this change."

A leader of the Navajo Code Talkers who appeared at a Washington Redskins home football game said Wednesday the team name is a symbol of loyalty and courage — not a slur as asserted by critics who want it changed. Roy Hawthorne, 87, of Lupton, Ariz., was one of four Code Talkers honored for their service in World War II during the Monday night game against the San Francisco 49ers. Hawthorne, vice president of the Navajo Code Talkers Association, said the group's trip was paid for by the Redskins. The four men met briefly with team owner Dan Snyder but...

Remington Arms, America’s oldest gun maker, is preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and is in advanced talks for a potential sale to the Navajo Nation, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. Remington is making preparations for the Native American tribe to serve as the lead bidder to purchase its assets out of Chapter 11, the Journal reported here, citing people familiar with the matter. The report added that the filing could come with in days. Remington had previously filed for bankruptcy protection in March 2018.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Navajo Nation has a higher rate of reported COVID-19 cases than New York City, according to an analysis of state and local data sources. In fact, it appears to have the highest rates in the country, surpassing previous hot spots New York state and New Jersey. According to the Navajo Department of Health, the reservation had 4,253 cases of the illness caused by coronavirus as of Wednesday night. This means it has a rate of 2,449 cases per 100,000 based on 2010 census data that reported 173,667 people living on the reservation, which spans parts of...

PAGE, Ariz. (AP) - Authorities in northern Arizona have arrested a man for writing a racist social media post accusing Navajo people of carrying the coronavirus and calling for their deaths. The Page Police Department announced Tuesday that 34-year-old Daniel Franzen was taken into custody on suspicion of attempting to incite an act of terrorism. Police say they received reports Monday of a Facebook post that urged people to use “lethal force” against the Navajo community because they were “100% infected” with COVID-19.

Emotions ran high at the packed Resources and Development Committee meeting at Piñon Chapter last Wednesday over the issuance of the new 10 sheep unit grazing permits for residents of the Dzil Yijiin Navajo Partitioned Lands, per a resolution that was passed by the previous RDC. Black Mesa area livestock owners, who have testified several times in the past year, are tired of waiting for answers from officials, they say. “We hoped people would realize how devastating this is to us,” said livestock owner Dorothy Yazzie. “For over 40 years, we’ve been impacted by the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement and they’re...

Creators of the popular video “Baby Shark,” whose “doo doo doo” song was played at the World Series in October, are developing a version in Navajo. Pinkfong, a brand of the South Korea company SmartStudy, announced last week it is working with the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, Arizona, to create a new version of the widely popular tune about a family of sharks. The company is seeking voice actors to portray the roles of Baby Shark, Mommy Shark, Daddy Shark, Grandma Shark, and Grandpa Shark. The “Baby Shark Dance” video has garnered more than 3.9 billion views on...

While driving at night through Counselor, on U.S. 550, the horizon takes on a dusky illumination, almost like daylight, said Samuel Sage, a member of the Navajo Nation’s Counselor Chapter House, at a news conference. Bright light flares from natural gas being burned off as part of oil and gas production have become increasingly common in northwestern New Mexico, particularly since 2013 said Sage. Sage was among several environmental advocates who gathered at the state Capitol in support of a bill that, if passed, would create a four-year moratorium on any new state permits for hydraulic fracturing — a type...

Alfred K. Newman, one of the last surviving Navajo Code Talkers, died at the age of 94 on Sunday in New Mexico. Newman, who used his native language to outsmart the Japanese in World War II by helping to create an uncrackable code, died at a nursing home in Bloomfield, New Mexico. “Navajo Code Talker Alfred Newman was a hero, and he stood amongst giants,” tribal President Russell Begaye told the Arizona Republic. “We will be forever grateful for his contributions and bravery, as well as that of each and every one of our Navajo Code Talkers. They are national...

The Republican parties in Yuma, Navajo, Apache, and Maricopa counties filed a lawsuit against all state recorders and the secretary of state late Wednesday, as the Arizona U.S. Senate race still hangs in the balance. What is the issue? The groups are challenging how Arizona counties verify signatures on mail-in ballots that come into the polls on Election Day, according to a complaint obtained by the Arizona Republic. Arizona’s U.S. Senate race has no declared winner because it is too close to call. Results following Tuesday’s election showed that Republican Martha McSally earned 49.4 percent of the vote and Democrat...

The Navajo Nation has issued a statement about PTSD in the wake of a tribal leader tallying his sixth DWI arrest. Hubert Smith, interim head of the Navajo Nation Veterans Administration, was arrested after a crash last weekend. The Navajo Nation has now released the following statement: "Many of our Navajo veterans return from service with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and they don’t have access to proper treatment, care or facilities like other veterans who live closer to metropolitan areas. Navajo Nation official arrested for 6th DWI Interim Director Hubert Smith is a Veteran of Desert Shield/Desert Storm and...

President Trump invoking Pocahontas as a derogatory term during an event honoring Navajo Code Talkers cuts deep for many Native Americans. The White House denied the President was using the name as a racial slur, but several Navajo Nation leaders and residents said on Tuesday that Trump has once again managed to make the name offensive. Navajo Nation council delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty called Trump’s remark “problematic” and said his words diminish the experience of Pocahontas and all Native Americans. Crotty said in a statement that Trump’s “careless” comment is the “latest example of systemic, deep-seated ignorance of Native Americans...

The comment comes very near the beginning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msDH2zgKmXo

President Trump referred to Elizabeth Warren as “Pocahontas” at a ceremony honoring Navajo code talkers on Monday. Trump has referred to the senator from Massachusetts often by that name, a reference to Warren’s dodgy history claiming native American heritage. “I just want to thank you because you are very, very special people. You were here long before any of us were here,” Trump said. “Although, we have a representative in Congress who has been here a long time, longer than you, they call her Pocahontas!” Warren responded to the President, saying “It is deeply unfortunate that the president of the...

The prominent placement of an Andrew Jackson portrait during an event meant to honor a group of Native Americans at the Oval Office on Monday has raised questions about the White House’s message. Jackson is known for his harsh treatment of Native Americans as president, famously signing the Indian Removal Act, which led to thousands of Native American deaths as tens of thousands were forced to relocate. Some observers thought the juxtaposition of his portrait during the event with the stated purpose of honoring three Navajo code talkers was strange. [Snip] The Cherokees called Jackson "Indian killer"; the Creek called...

Full Title - The Media (Who Only Talked About the Navajo Because Of Trump) Accuse Trump Of Using Racial Slur To Navajo Today, while having an event celebrating the Navajo Code Talkers, Trump made a quip about Elizabeth Warren: "I just want to thank you because you are very, very special people. You were here long before any of us were here. Although, we have a representative in Congress who has been here a long time ... longer than you -- they call her Pocahontas!  But you know what, I like you. You are special people." The media went ballistic...

Donald Trump has been criticised for using a racial slur during an event honouring Native American veterans.The US president was welcoming three Navajo code talkers from the Second World War to the Oval Office on Monday afternoon when he referred to Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic senator, as "Pocahontas".During remarks praising their service, he said: "You were here long before any of us were here.  Although we have a representative in Congress who they say was here a long time ago. They call her Pocahontas. But you know what, I like you."Two Second World War Navajo "code talkers" stood at the podium, with a...