Free Republic

A semiconductor company whose president was head of the now-bankrupt Solyndra solar energy company stands to receive $6.6 billion in funding from the Biden administration. Under a preliminary agreement, according to CNBC, a subsidiary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) in Arizona will receive the funding under the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act. The company’s president is Brian Harrison. The Washington Free Beacon reported that Harrison was CEO of Solyndra, which in the early 2000s was involved in the manufacturing of solar panels and considered at the forefront of the sustainable energy industry.

On Wednesday, while campaigning in Arizona, Joe Biden revealed that the government reached an $8.5 billion deal with U.S. chipmaker Intel to build four plants in the U.S. that will build advanced computer chips. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the deal would enable the U.S. to manufacture 20% of the world's most advanced computer chips by 2030 and create 30,000 jobs. “Failure is not an option — leading-edge chips are the core of our innovation system, especially when it comes to advances in artificial intelligence and our military systems,” Raimondo told reporters. “We can’t just design chips. We have to...

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has been in discussions for several years with both TSMC and Intel to build advanced chip manufacturing plants in the U.S. and extract U.S. supply chain needs from China and southeast Asia. It appears his efforts, and the emphasis on global supply-chain shifts from President Trump, are getting results. According to numerous media reports Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is likely to announce this week they will build an advanced chip manufacturing facility in Arizona. A manufacturing facility for advanced 5 nanometer chip manufacturing is a steep investment decision costing around $10 billion. This shift in...

Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, engaged in sexual relationships with at least two House staffers and his “very flirtatious” habits with others may come back to haunt him, The Post has learned. The 46-year-old lawmaker admitted to the two relationships — both with aides to Texas Democrats — to one source while a second person said they had recently learned of the romantic entanglements. A third source confirmed one of the dalliances, both of which are said to have been consensual and occurred during Gallego’s decade representing Phoenix in the House. The relationships are part...

A former political candidate for state and federal races in Arizona was recently arrested for an alleged disturbance reported last Friday in the Valley. Brianna Westbrook, 41, was arrested on July 10 after her former partner contacted police following an incident at a Phoenix residence, court records show. The reporting party told police Westbrook allegedly "pushed her way" into the residence holding a knife and duct tape. The two then allegedly "wrestled" until Westbrook pushed the other person onto the couch. The victim then screamed out and asked Westbrook "to stop" before Westbrook allegedly "took off running," records show. Officers...

The Arizona Supreme Court has weighed in on the conflict between the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and County Recorder Justin Heap. The Supreme Court ended the stay previously put in place by the Arizona Court of Appeals. Heap’s election plan can now be put back into place, the high court ruled. The lower court previously ruled that it was too close to an election to make changes. The board of supervisors said it was disappointed in the ruling. “The Board is disappointed with today’s decision by the Arizona Supreme Court because it reverses the stay order in Heap v....

A Los Angeles-area man pleaded guilty to felony harassment charges in ​federal court on Thursday for sending fake ransom notes posing as a kidnapper of "Today" show co-host Savannah ‌Guthrie's missing elderly mother. Derrick Callella, 42, pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment by telecommunications device, marking the only criminal conviction to date stemming from the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie from her home in Tucson, Arizona, five months ago. The charges carry a maximum penalty of ​two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. But the plea agreement with prosecutors calls for Callella, a resident ​of Hawthorne, California, to...

GILBERT, AZ — An Arizona toddler was found breathing inside a Gilbert hospital morgue after being declared dead hours earlier by an Arizona doctor, according to police records. A police report and body camera video reviewed by the ABC15 Investigators show that two Gilbert police officers saw signs of life multiple times, but the toddler was still taken to the hospital’s “cold room,” which is also considered to be the morgue. One officer wrote in the police report that the baby was pronounced dead “in error” by the Mercy Gilbert doctor even after a tense exchange about a pulse possibly...

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) faces accusations of using campaign funds for several lavish expenditures, including Disneyland, Disney World, and the Super Bowl. “Sen. Ruben Gallego repeatedly used campaign cash to fund luxury outings with his wife and to care for his children since launching his campaign for Senate in 2023, including attending the Super Bowl using a joint campaign account with Eric Swalwell,” POLITICO reporter Irie Sentner writes. More from The Daily Beast: The Arizona lawmaker used political action committee funds to pay for trips and more than $18,000 in child care since 2019, Politico reported Sunday. “He just spends...

Ali Hcaimi has a pattern of preying on elderly people, according to the prosecution. He is currently being tried for two cases, with one involving first-degree murder and robbery, and another involving just robbery. In the first case, prosecutors say he followed an elderly woman home from a bank after he saw her withdrawing $5,000 in cash. He pushed her and took her purse, which contained medication that is critical to her health. Prosecutors say he then dumped the purse and the medication.

As Arizona State University moves forward with plans for a new downtown health headquarters, a Phoenix homeowner is fighting to preserve what he says is a historically significant home that has stood for more than a century. Two months after city and state leaders' broke ground on ASU’s new health headquarters at the corner of Fourth Street and Fillmore Street, 89-year-old Robert Young remains determined to save the Louise Emerson House, a 124-year-old property in the Evans-Churchill neighborhood. “It is rich in history, and what we call historical significance, and it starts with the person who created this house,” Young...

An Arizona man was arrested days before the inauguration of President Donald Trump for threatening him when he was president-elect. Secret Service agents say Rene Ortiz made the threats through documents he left at the federal courthouses in Phoenix and Tucson, where he asked for the “court to execute the newly elected POTUS.” Agents said Ortiz, who claims to be a U.S. Marine combat veteran, brought a letter to the Phoenix federal courthouse on Nov. 5, the date of the 2024 election. In the filing dropped off at the courthouse, it reads, “I chose to execute the newly elected POTUS...

A violent Saturday morning home invasion in Chandler left an elderly man with a broken skull and his disabled adult daughter hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds. What we know: The incident occurred around 6 a.m. near Arizona Avenue and Elliot Road. Three people who looked to be in their 20s forced their way through the back door of the home and demanded car keys, according to a source with firsthand knowledge of the criminal case who spoke on the condition of anonymity. A third person inside the residence managed to hide from the intruders and call 911, said that source....

New agreement could allow Arizona to access more Colorado River water by helping expand ocean desalination in Southern California. For years, Arizona has explored the possibility of turning seawater into drinking water as a way to help offset shortages on the Colorado River. Now, state water leaders say a new partnership with California could move that concept one step closer to reality. This week, Arizona signed a memorandum of understanding with California water agencies to explore a first-of-its-kind water exchange involving desalinated ocean water from Southern California. The agreement centers on the Claude "Bud" Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant in Carlsbad,...

The Arizona Supreme Court has refused to revive the case against the state’s 11 fake electors who tried to help President Donald Trump overturn his 2020 loss, leaving its outcome at the mercy of the midterm elections. Last year, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes asked the state’s high court to reverse a trial court’s ruling that froze the case. Two years ago, an Arizona grand jury indicted 18 people who signed a document claiming to grant Arizona’s electoral votes to Trump on state fraud charges, including top Trump allies Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows. Also indicted were state Sen. Jake...

A radical Democrat congresswoman has filed a new bill to force companies to fund 12 days of paid leave for their employees to kill their babies in abortions. Rep. Yassamin Ansari, an Arizona Democrat, has introduced legislation that would require employers to provide up to 12 days of paid leave per year for workers to have abortions. The Reproductive Healthcare Leave Act, H.R. 8158, is the centerpiece of Ansari’s three-bill “H.E.R. Agenda” (Healthy, Equity, Rights) package. It explicitly covers “pregnancy terminations,” which is a whitewashing of the term abortion, along with menstrual pain, miscarriages, menopause symptoms, endometriosis, IUD insertions, vasectomies,...

Federal documents claim Phoenix Pride owes more than $400,000 and are now getting sued.PHOENIX — Phoenix Pride has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing rising operational costs and declining sponsorship and fundraising support.The nonprofit, which has operated for 40 years and hosts Arizona’s two largest LGBTQ+ events, Pride Fest and Rainbow Fest, announced the filing Friday.In a statement, Phoenix Pride said rising operational costs, a lack of sponsorships and fundraising challenges tied to the current political climate have placed significant financial strain on the organization.Chapter 11 bankruptcy allows organizations to continue operating while restructuring their finances under court supervision.Phoenix...

PHOENIX — A 31-year-old man is accused of breaking into the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office and gaining access to corpses, multiple law enforcement sources tell ABC15.

More Iranian militia types are in the news, sad to say. Even worse, they're not doing their thing on their home turf - they're in the export business. Breaking News: An Iran-backed militia commander was arrested and charged with plotting to attack Jewish sites in the U.S., including one in New York. Prosecutors say he is a leader of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia with ties to Iran. https://t.co/5FyiNgseXk— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 15, 2026Iran-backed Iraqi terrorists Kata’ib Hezbollah are reportedly seeking negotiations with the Iraqi government for the release of kidnapped American journalist Shelly Kittleson.The group is...

The World War II slogan (that’s a two, not an eleven, Ilhan) “loose lips sink ships” reminded Americans that careless talk could provide our enemies with vital intelligence. Here we are, nearly a century later, and the principle still applies. Recent events involving Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Defense secretary Pete Hegseth illustrate how public disclosures about military capabilities can still compromise our national security.AdvertisementSenator Kelly appeared Sunday on CBS’s Face the Nation. Drawing from a classified Pentagon briefing on U.S. weapons stockpiles that were depleted during operations against Iran, Senator Kelly detailed the strains on specific munitions: Tomahawk missiles,...