Free Republic

Sen. John McCain is charging the Obama administration’s foreign policy is “delusional” and says Secretary of State John Kerry’s global diplomacy has “accomplished nothing except mileage.” In an appearance on MSNBC, the Arizona Republican also calls Russian President Vladimir Putin a “meglomaniac” and “pariah.”

Several U.S. colleges are giving financial aid directly to students who are young illegal immigrants, extending the debate about helping people in the United States illegally at the expense of Americans who are in need of similar opportunities. Such opportunities have opened up since resident Obama's 2012 executive action that deferred deportation to millions of young people brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents. However, they still are largely ineligible for state or federal student aid. ... This policy not only encourages new illegal immigration, but comes at the expense of the college dreams of young Americans," Stephen Miller,...

Original Title:Immigration Officer Union Sounds Alarm Over DHS Order for Millions of Blank Work Permits, Green Cards A union that represents thousands of federal immigration officers is raising alarm after the U.S. government ordered supplies to create millions of blank work permits and green cards, touching off speculation that the Obama administration may be preparing executive action on immigration. The Associated Press reported last week that the new federal contract proposal from the Homeland Security Department would allow the government to buy enough supplies to make as many as 34 million immigrant work permits and residency cards over the next...

An attorney for Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona’s Maricopa County is asking the judge who ordered federal bureaucrats not to implement President Obama’s amnesty-by-memo plan to order a hearing over the administration’s apparent refusal to abide by the order. Sen Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also raised the issue of compliance with the court order, too. “Violating an unambiguous federal court order by defying its instructions to cease and desist a particular activity would represent a significant breach of your authority, and would be an escalation in abuse of our separation of powers,” Cruz wrote to administration officials. “For a president and...

The letter below from Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva of Arizona speaks to the worst sort of witch hunt tactics that we’ve seen yet. I suspect that pulling on these threads will backfire on Grijalva, as this will motivate a lot of people to join the fight against this sort of “climate McCarthyism” The letter is reproduced in full below, with the original PDF also available. It’s like he’s got Mann’s #kochmachine delusions ideas.

Cellphone, Internet, and telephone services across half of Arizona went dark on Wednesday after vandals sliced a sensitive fiber optic cable, according to those familiar with the situation. The incident is raising concerns about the safety of U.S. infrastructure.

The Dem Congressmen Boycotting Netanyahu are the Same Old Hamas SupportersPosted By Daniel Greenfield On February 26, 2015 @ 6:02 pm In The Point | 12 Comments There are a lot of stories about the Dem members of Congress boycotting Netanyahu’s speech. But most of the names on the list are longtime opponents of the Jewish State.The boycott lists consists of two groups. Congressional Black Caucus members who are offended on Obama’s behalf and can smell racism anywhere.The other consists of opponents of Israel.It’s instructive to compare the list of boycotters to the 54 members of Congress who signed...

A full list of the Democrats who have confirmed they're missing the speech follows: SENATE - 4 members Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) Sen. Patrick Leahy (Vt.) Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Sen. Brian Schatz (Hawaii) HOUSE - 26 members Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.) Rep. G.K. Butterfield (N.C.) Rep. Andre Carson (Ind.) Rep. James Clyburn (S.C.) Rep. Steve Cohen (Tenn.) Rep. Peter DeFazio (Ore.) Rep. Diana DeGette (Colo.) Rep. Donna Edwards (Md.) Rep. Keith Ellison (Minn.) Rep. Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.) Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (Ill.) Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.) Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas) Rep. Barbara Lee (Calif.) Rep. John Lewis (Ga.)...

While the entire nation focuses on the growing threat of radical Islamic attacks in the West, there’s still an ongoing war on the southern border of the United States and it just got a lot worse. Thanks to Obama’s willingness to allow undocumented illegal immigrants into the U.S. military, a situation bound to happen finally did. A 34-year-old Arizona Army National Guardsman NCO by the name of Raul Portillo was recently busted in an undercover sting and accused of helping Mexican drug cartels safely transport large loads of cocaine and marijuana over the border. Portillo, a man suspected of living...

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Officials say all services have been restored following act of vandalism that left people across northern Arizona without the use of the Internet, cellphones and landlines for several hours. During Wednesday's outages, businesses couldn't process credit card transactions, ATMs didn't function, law enforcement databases were unavailable, and even weather reports were affected in an area stretching from north of Phoenix to Flagstaff, about 100 miles away.

WASHINGTON—The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to move Loretta Lynch, President Barack Obama ’s nominee for attorney general, to the Senate floor for a final confirmation vote. The committee approved the nomination of Ms. Lynch, currently Brooklyn’s U.S. Attorney, by a vote of 12 to 8. Republican Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Orrin Hatch of Utah joined all of the committee’s Democrats in voting yes. Ms. Lynch has so far generated little animosity from Republican senators, even those who ended up voting against her. Many praised her work as a prosecutor and some said...

Kansas appears on the verge of becoming among the most welcoming states to people who want to pack heat. A bill promising Kansans the ability to carry concealed firearms — without taking safety training or weathering the background checks required in most of the country — won initial approval in the state Senate on Wednesday. The change, expected to pass Thursday to a likely receptive House, would make Kansas a “constitutional carry” state. That would mean citizens would not need a permit to carry a hidden gun. The bill would maintain the current permit process for people who want to...

U.S. Border Patrol agents are expressing frustration that a multi-million dollar park project in San Diego’s Tijuana River Valley region, including a butterfly garden, will make it harder for them to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border in that area. Among the obstacles of concern are snowflake barriers, rebar-lined irrigation systems, low-posted bollards and iron gates. The project is shaped in accordance with an environmental impact report from 2006. Much has changed since then, according to National Border Patrol Council Local 1613 spokesman Gabe Pacheco. “These obstacles are going to make securing the border more difficult and more dangerous,” Pacheco said. “Agents...

Arizona U.S. Sen. John McCain said something on CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday about the U.S.’s handling of the ongoing standoff between Russia and Ukraine that surprised host Bob Schieffer. “I’m ashamed of my country, I’m ashamed of my president and I’m ashamed of myself that I haven’t done more to help these people,” McCain said. “It is really, really heartbreaking.” McCain was expressing his frustration with how the U.S. and major European powers like France and Germany have failed to stop Russian president Vladimir Putin’s advance on Ukraine. “I believe that German chancellor and president of France legitimized for...

members of the Arizona National Guard, including military recruiters were discovered working as “muscle” and “traffickers” for Mexican drug gangs .. About 12 National Guard were identified as suspects in one of the FBI’s biggest government corruption cases ever, which was almost totally ignored by government officials in Washington and major national news outlets On Friday in federal court, a non-commissioned officer (non-com) with the border-state Arizona’s Army National Guard was sentenced to federal prison for his role in protecting drug traffickers by using his military position to provide security for shipments of cocaine being transported from Mexico into the...

While a federal judge’s injunction has halted the implementation of President Obama’s sweeping executive actions from November, it appears U.S. Customs and Border Protection never got the news. According to CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske, the relaxed border enforcement guidelines that accompanied Obama’s executive actions should continue apace, unaffected by the judge’s ruling. In an email sent to CBP agents on Wednesday and later obtained by NRO, Kerlikowske conceded that the federal judge’s action meant agents “should not consider” Obama’s new and expanded deferred action guidelines when processing illegal immigrants. But border protection and enforcement are apparently a different matter. Kerlikowske’s...

Elon Musk isn’t afraid to shake things up, and he did so again with accusations that US defense contracts awarded to a competitor were the product of corruption. SpaceX, Musk’s orbital transport firm, has been competing for a major contract to put US Air Force satellites in orbit. With a dearth of private investment in space and the end of the US space shuttle program, SpaceX has quickly leapt to the fore of aerospace firms with the help of contracts from NASA to provide re-supply missions to the International Space Station and develop a manned spacecraft to fly astronauts there....

TUCSON, Arizona (AP) — Brenda Armendariz, her husband and their two Mexico-born children were hoping to resolve their constant fears of being deported after President Barack Obama issued his latest executive orders on immigration. Related Stories 1. Immigrants disappointed but not deterred by judge's ruling Associated Press 2. Federal judge stalls Obama's executive action on immigration Associated Press 3. The Texas Lawsuit Challenging Obama's Immigration Executive Actions Will Be Thrown Out -- If the Judge Follows the Law Huffington Post 4. Key issues in the states' lawsuit over immigration Associated Press 5. Key Issues In Lawsuit Over Immigration CBS Dallas...

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Brenda Armendariz, her husband and their two Mexico-born children were hoping to resolve their constant fears of being deported after President Barack Obama issued his latest executive orders on immigration. But now that a federal judge in Texas has blocked Obama's efforts to protect four million more immigrants, her family is disillusioned and her children feel stuck as the president's offer of temporary legal status moves frustratingly beyond their reach. About a third of the immigrants now living in the United States illegally would be eligible for temporary protection if Obama's latest orders are upheld in...

Mesa County commissioners on Tuesday directed Mesa County Attorney Patrick Coleman to draft a notice of intent to sue the federal government over the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s listing of the Gunnison sage-grouse as a threatened species. Gunnison County filed its own notice of intent in December to bring civil action against the Fish and Wildlife Service for, the county believes, improperly listing the bird as a threatened species and naming Gunnison County and acreage in a handful of other Colorado and Utah counties, including Mesa, as critical habitat for the sage-grouse. Mesa County decided to follow with its...

A state-level bureaucrat is standing up to the the central government planners is a most unusual way. Arizona’s superintendent of public instruction, Diane Douglas, has informed all school districts in the Grand Canyon State that they have blanket authority to ignore all federal nutrition mandates regulating school fundraisers. "Forcing parents and other supporters of schools to only offer federally approved food and snacks at fundraisers is a perfect example of the overreach of government and intrusion into local control," Douglas said in a statement. "I have ordered effective immediately, that the ADE Health and Nutrition Services division grant exemptions for...

After two years of watching how‭ ‬one man‭ ‬presides over the‭ ‬Arizona State Senate,‭ ‬I can no longer withhold my opinion:‭ ‬Andy Biggs lacks the courage of his convictions.‭ ‬I refer specifically to his obstruction of Article V legislation that would add Arizona to the growing list of states applying to Congress for a‭ ‬convention to propose amendments to the Constitution.‭ ‬He‭ ‬claims to‭ ‬fear that state legislators‭ ‬– such as himself and‭ ‬89‭ ‬of his closest colleagues‭ ‬-‭ ‬would lose control of the agenda,‭ ‬risking a re-write of‭ ‬the‭ ‬entire Constitution,‭ ‬despite copious‭ ‬and credible‭ ‬evidence‭ ‬dispelling‭ ‬such concerns...

President Obama’s pick to serve as the next attorney general is having a hard time finding Republican supporters. To be confirmed by the Senate, Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch only needs four Republicans to support her nomination. But it is unclear where those votes will come from. Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah) is the only Republican so far who has signaled his intention to vote for Lynch, though several others have spoken favorably about her. But many Republicans are expressing concerns about Lynch's stance on immigration and what they suggest is a lack of “independence" from the White House. Lynch’s confirmation...

Speaker of the House John Boehner called on President Barack Obama Monday to make a decision on the Syrian conflict, but not without the approval of congress first. "The Syrian regime has blatantly crossed President Obama's red line, the White House has acknowledged, by using chemical weapons on its people," the Ohio Republican wrote in a statement. "The options facing the president are complicated, have far-reaching ramifications, and may require significant resources." "That's why, if he chooses to act, the president must explain his decision publicly, clearly, and resolutely," he added. "The president is commander-in-chief. With that power comes obligations,"...

Two members of the Senate are pressing for significant changes to how presidents consult with Congress on sending the military into war. Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., unveiled legislation on Thursday that would repeal the 1973 War Powers Resolution, often ignored by presidents of both parties, and replace it with a new law that requires greater consultation and a congressional vote within 30 days on any significant armed conflict. …

Wounded warrior retired Senior Airman Brian Kolfage was startled by a strange sight as he wound his way through Davis Mountain Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz. — Old Glory, with rainbow stripes replacing the alternating red and white. It was a sight one might see at University of California, Berkeley, perhaps — but a military base? “For those of you with military ties, you’ll understand the stark contrast between military and civilian life, and ultimately know duty comes before self,” he wrote for The Blaze. “More specifically, it’s one of the Air Force’s three core values that is drilled...

Senator Ted Cruz, the boat-rocking limited government constitutional conservative Senator from Texas, provided another one of his patented cross examinations of a smoke-blowing government official at a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Cruz, the son of legal immigrants from Cuba, asked Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano about border security measures – the so-called “triggers” – contained in the “Gang of Eight's” immigration bill. Specifically, Senator Cruz asked, “If there are no objective metrics, if it is simply the subjective assessment of a host of factors, how can we have any confidence that the border will be secured and that any...

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Controversial Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio and his top lieutenants will face a civil contempt-of-court hearing in April for repeatedly ignoring judicial orders arising from a 2007 racial-profiling case, a federal judge ruled on Thursday. U.S. District Court Judge Murray Snow ordered the evidentiary hearing to be conducted after determining there was sufficient evidence to move ahead with the proceeding that could result in penalties against Arpaio, four other individuals, and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

House Speaker John Boehner’s on-staff amnesty advocate Becky Tallent is in talks with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s potential presidential campaign for a job, meaning if she takes it she’d leave Boehner’s office. Tallent is former chief of staff to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)—having personally crafted the amnesty bill McCain and the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) introduced in the twilight years of the George W. Bush administration—and then also worked on immigration policy for the Bipartisan Policy Center. “Jeb’s team is looking to hire Rebecca for policy,” a former George W. Bush White House aide told Breitbart News. “The...

The Obama administration has ordered federal agents responsible for protecting one of the nation’s busiest and most crime-infested regions near Mexico to stop apprehending drunk drivers, according to an internal government memo that also concedes an officer that elects to detain them is “acting within the course and scope of his employment.” Obtained by Judicial Watch this week, the notice is titled “Enforcement Options With Alcohol-Impaired Drivers” and directs the 4,000-plus U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Tucson, Arizona sector to “release” individuals under the influence and “allow them to go on their way.” The document acknowledges that this feels...

State schools Superintendent Diane Douglas lashed out at Gov. Doug Ducey after he overturned her attempted firing of two state Board of Education employees, accusing him of infringing on her statutory and constitutional duties and of surrounding himself with a cabal of Common Core supporters.Douglas asserted that she has the right to hire or fire Board of Education employees. She noted that a law says the Board of Education can hire staff “on the recommendation” of the superintendent of public instruction. “Governor Ducey apparently views himself as both governor and superintendent of Schools,” Douglas said in a press statement.On Wednesday,...

CBP officers at the Douglas port of entry seized 300 rounds of ammunition that was taped to the body of a man who was crossing into Mexico. Officers sent the 27-year-old man for further questioning on Feb. 10 as he attempted to cross into Mexico, according to a Customs and Border Protection news release. Officers searched the man and found six boxes of 9mm ammunition that were in his waistband and taped to his thighs. Officers seized the bullets and arrested the man.

PHOENIX — Declaring state law to be above all others, a Senate panel voted Tuesday to both block federal gun laws they believe violate the Second Amendment and punish the city of Tucson for enacting its own restrictions. They also agreed to bar state and local governments from helping any federal agency that collects metadata like phone and email records without a warrant. Any official who cooperated would be forever barred from holding public office. And if that isn’t enough, the same committee declared that county sheriffs are supreme, meaning they can arrest federal officials — including police — who...

Senate Democrats’ filibuster of a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security that would block deportation amnesty is not about the immigration issue but about respecting President Obama, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday. “This is not a question of protecting illegal people in our country, it’s a question of respecting the authority of the president of the United States,” Mrs. Pelosi, California Democrat, told reporters at her weekly press conference at the Capitol. Current funding for the Department of Homeland Security runs out Feb. 27, but Senate Democrats are blocking the spending bill that includes a prohibition...

It didn’t take long for one of the GOP establishment’s most public faces to reveal why House Speaker John Boehner’s amnesty advocate Becky Tallent was pushing last week to revive the once-dead border bill from House Homeland Security Committee chairman Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX). In a lengthy Senate floor speech on Wednesday, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ)—a member of the “Gang of Eight” amnesty group from last Congress that failed to get its bill through both chambers—said that Republicans shouldn’t “poke the president in the eye” by fighting to stop his executive amnesty.

There were more than 2,300 homes and condos in the foreclosure process last month. That is up 104 percent from December. Statewide that increase is 109 percent from January 2014. The jump in foreclosures comes as the Phoenix housing market tries to shake off a slow 2014 where low demand for homes and tough mortgage qualifications stymied sales. Foreclosure activity was also up in states such as Ohio, New Jersey, Maryland and California and metropolitan areas such as St. Louis, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The worst cities for foreclosures include Atlantic City, Las Vegas and eight Florida markets including...

The bronze likeness of the late Sen. Barry Goldwater, R-Ariz., was unveiled in Statuary Hall Wednesday, becoming the latest addition to the 50-state statue collection in the Capitol. “He earned the nickname ‘Mr. Arizona’ because he had a love affair with our state. It’s magnificent beauty and its freedom loving people. And Arizona loved Barry back, in part because Arizonans saw themselves in him,” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said at the ceremony. “Our state never had a better champion than Barry Goldwater. And we’re so very proud that his rich legacy will continue to be honored here at the United...

PHOENIX — Gov. Doug Ducey urged the "faith-based community" and abortion foes to step up to help the state deal with the thousands of children born who now in state care. "I am proudly pro-life" the governor told a rally of members of the anti-abortion Center for Arizona Policy. "And I look forward to working with you on those issues." But Ducey said there are things that need to happen. "We have 16,900 children that are now outside of the womb and are wards of the state," he continued. "And I'm asking for your help as an organization, the faith-based...

Sadly, she was allegedly killed by the Jordanian air raid attacks according to ISIS who held her hostage, although the United States says there is no evidence to that effect. The truth of how Kayla Mueller, 26, died may never be discerned. However, despite the sadness at her needless death, the myth that she was wonderful altruistic young woman should be exposed. This is another Rachel Corrie propaganda story in the making, and the western media is falling for it again, or embracing it on purpose. Kayla Mueller was a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) who spent at...

<p>A conservative Republican two-term state legislator from western Arizona says she is considering a possible primary challenge to U.S. Sen. John McCain in 2016.</p> <p>State Sen. Kelli Ward said in a statement Sunday night that she's been approached by many Arizonans urging her to run for Senate. Ward said she's listening and speaking with people and that a Senate candidacy "is something under active consideration."</p>

DEVELOPING: The parents of Kayla Mueller, the Arizona woman who was taken hostage by ISIS in August 2013, confirmed Tuesday their daughter died while in the hands of the terror group. "We are heartbroken to share that we've received confirmation that Kayla Jean Mueller has lost her life," Carl and Marsha Mueller, of Prescott, Ariz., said in a statement. "Kayla was a compassionate and devoted humanitarian. She dedicated the whole of her young life to helping those in need of freedom, justice, and peace." The family received information from their daughter's ISIS captors over the weekend that was authenticated, according...

‘ISIS Is Here’: Islamic State Graffiti in AmericaPosted By Dawn Perlmutter On February 10, 2015 @ 12:45 am In Daily Mailer,FrontPage | 6 Comments On February 4, 2015 the head of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, Michael Steinbach said that the FBI has seen children as young as 15 recruited by the Islamic State aka ISIS, ISIL. Two days later FBI Director James Comey said there are open cases looking into individuals who may be connected to ISIS in every state in the Union except Alaska. Evidence of the Islamic State’s successful recruiting efforts in America is literally written on...

The Islamic State is claiming one of its hostages, a 26-year-old American female aid worker, is dead, according to the Site Intelligence Group, a website that monitors extremists The terrorist group claimed she died when a Jordanian aircraft struck the building in which she was located in Raqqa, Syria. Jordanian fighter jets bombed Islamic State sites on Thursday, after the militants burned to death a captured Jordanian pilot. The State Department told Sky News earlier this week it was working "very hard" to free the aid worker.

Speculation only.

Islamic State militants have released a statement claiming that a female American aid worker has been killed during a Jordanian air strike, it has been reported. The 26-year-old woman is understood to be the last US hostage held by the terror group, which had been demanding $6.6 million for her release. Her death is not yet been verified by independent sources and it is unclear when she might have been killed by missiles from a Jordanian war plane or whether she was executed by militants, the Site Intelligence Group reported.

FORT HUACHUCA — A woman held a sign as she sat on a bleacher in the Barnes Feld House Wednesday night. It read: “I’d wait for you forever, but 292 days is long enough.” Little did she know the sign should have read 293 days, because that is the length of time she actually had to wait for her soldier to come back home, after spending more than nine months in the troubled areas of the Middle East and Afghanistan. It wasn’t until after midnight — precisely 15 minutes into Thursday morning — before the unnamed soldier was one of...

SIERRA VISTA — As a piper played “Going Home,” the cremains of 13 veterans were carried by soldiers, sailors and airmen, and placed on a table on the amphitheater stage at the Southern Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery. It was time Saturday afternoon to give the final salute to the 13, whose remains had not been claimed except by the Arizona part of the Missing in America Project (MIAP). It was not the first time such a ceremony has been held at the state-operated cemetery, on land which once was part of Fort Huachuca, until the Army turned the acreage over...

FORT HUACHUCA — The Renegades of the 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion are leaving. Well at least 60 percent of the 500 soldier-strong battalion are heading to Afghanistan, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on a nine-month deployment. The last remaining battalion of the 11th Theater Tactical Signal Brigade on the fort, the 40th has been deployed to global hot spots, even prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the United States. Symbolically, the battalion’s commander Lt.Col. David A. Thomas and the unit’s Command Sgt. Maj. John E. Reinburg cased the battalion’s colors held by Spc. Edward...

FORT HUACHUCA — It was about 9:57 p.m. Wednesday when a Delta commercial jet touched down at Libby Army Airfield. Inside the plane were 257 soldiers of the 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion returning from a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The plane’s main cabin door door opened at 10:07 p.m. and soon the soldiers began walking down the steps to be greeted by senior post officers and others of the 40th who were on hand to welcome them back to their home turf. At the bottom of the steps was the commander of...

And now for a lighter moment from last night’s debate, or at least the weirdest moment. Jim Hoft calls this Ron Paul’s Checkpoint Charlie moment, but it’s really more like an apex of Paul’s paranoid band of libertarianism. In this exchange, Paul opposes building a border fence because he doesn’t believe it represents American values, which is a fair enough argument that one usually hears from Democrats. He then tips over into hilarity when he suggests that the US government might use it to stop Americans from fleeing to, er, Mexico:CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO I immediately noted on...