I know who Cheeto will pardon first

Rape? Florida? 

Definitely in Cheeto's wheelhouse.

If it even gets that far - Pam Bondi, Cheeto's pet AG nominee may simply tank the case before it ever gets to that.

From AP -

NY federal judge denies bail for two real estate brokers and their brother in sex trafficking case

Two luxury real estate brokers and their brother accused of raping dozens of women over two decades will remain in jail to await their trial on sex trafficking charges, a federal judge in New York City ruled Wednesday.

Judge Valerie E. Caproni heard bail arguments before agreeing with two federal magistrate judges in Florida who previously ruled that the three brothers should remain locked up as a danger to the community.

The men, who all reside in Miami, were not in Manhattan federal court because they remain jailed in Florida. They have pleaded not guilty. Caproni also found that they were a risk to flee.

[snip]

In an indictment unsealed last month and a detention letter, New York prosecutors alleged that Oren Alexander, 37, and Tal Alexander, 38, using their wealth and influence they gained by brokering deals on high-end properties in New York City, Miami and Los Angeles, teamed up with sibling Alon Alexander, 37, to rape and sexually abuse women from at least 2002 to 2021. Several of the victims, a prosecutor said Wednesday, were minors.

Flying drones: playthings of folks who don't give a damn about their effects on others

Their owned and/or used by people who are selfish and seeking entertainment.

From LA-ist -

Water-dropping Super Scooper aircraft is grounded after colliding with a civilian drone

A water-dropping Super Scooper aircraft sent from Canada to battle fires ravaging the L.A. area has been grounded after colliding with a civilian drone on Thursday, officials said.

The collision took the aircraft, which was being used to fight the deadly Palisades Fire, out of commission to repair a fist-sized hole in its wing at a time when firefighters are struggling to increase containment. No injuries were reported and the plane was slated to return to service on Monday.

Those who interfere with firefighting efforts can be (and should be!) prosecuted.

From KABC in LA -

FBI working to piece together drone that damaged super scooper while battling Palisades Fire

The FBI released new photos of a damaged water-dropping super scooper firefighting aircraft that collided with a drone over the Palisades Fire.

According to officials, the plane collided with a privately-owned drone, causing significant damage to it. The drone put a 3x6 hole in the aircraft, causing a 20- to 30-minute delay in the aerial firefight.

[snip]

During a news conference Thursday, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman reiterated that anyone caught flying a drone faces severe consequences.

"If you're thinking that it's fine to send a drone up in the area for your own amusement, or you want to get information that nobody else can get, and you do it in one of these areas that for which drones are not permitted ... you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted and you will be punished to the full extent of the law," he said.

According to the FAA, you can still be arrested and fined, even if TFRs are not in place.

"Even if a TFR is not in place, drone pilots should avoid flying near wildfires," the FAA states. "It's a federal crime to interfere with firefighting aircraft regardless of whether restrictions are established, and violators can face stiff penalties."

And it's not just flying drones over wildfires and obstructing efforts to combat the devastation caused by the fires.

From Athlon Sports via MSN -

Drone Costs Justin Fields Chance To Play in Steelers' Loss To Ravens

[snip]

Fields played two non-consecutive snaps in the first half of his NFL playoff debut, but when he was about to get a chance for a big moment later in the game, it was stolen by a drone.

The audience watching exclusively on Prime Video was left in the dark when a Steelers play was blown dead before the snap in the third quarter and the game was sent straight to commercial break with no explanation. 

Alternate broadcast footage posted by an account on X showed that Fields had entered the game under center for the 2nd and 1 play as Pittsburgh attempted to rally, down 28-7.

Fields did not come back on the field when they replayed the down. Four plays later, Wilson threw a 36-yard touchdown to George Pickens. Wilson failed to convert the momentum into a full comeback after that, but Fields did not play another snap in the game.

Sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung later confirmed on the broadcast that the Steelers-Ravens stoppage was after "NFL security spotted a drone over the top of the stadium."

Welcome to America in the 21st century.

Legislative schedule - week starting 1/12/2025

Well. the Arizona lege will be back in session...so it will be necessary to hide the children and small animals.

And to protect democracy from their depredations.

While most agendas are just about introducing committee members and staff, some very bad bills will be under consideration.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4, generally at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, generally also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

On Monday, 1/13 

-

House Health & Human Service is on the calendar at 2 p.m. in HHR4, but their agenda states the committee won't be meeting.

House Public Safety & Law Enforcement is on the calendar at 2 p.m. in HHR1, but their agenda states the committee won't be meeting.

On Tuesday, 1/14 

-

House Commerce meets at 2 p.m. in HHR5.  On the agenda: no bills; they'll be acting as the Commerce Committee of Reference and conducting a couple of sunset reviews of a couple of executive departments.

House Education meets at 2 p.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda: four bills after they act as the Education Committee of Reference and conduct a sunset review and an audit review.  The bills: HB2022. a guns in schools bill; HB2029, requiring schools to teach internet security/safety practices to students; plus a couple of bills related to the reviews that they are conducting.

House Natural Resources, Energy & Water meets at 2 p.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: no bills, just some presentations.

Senate Appropriations meets at 2 p.m. is SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills, just a presentation from JLBC.

Senate Natural Resources meets at 2 p.m. in SHR1. On the agenda: no bills, just multiple presentations, mostly from industry lobbyists.

On Wednesday, 1/15 

-

House Judiciary meets at 9 a.m. in HHR4.  On the agenda: no bills; it's meeting as the Committee of Reference and conducting a couple of sunset reviews.

Senate Government meets at 9 a.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: three bills.  SB1013 would impose a requirement on municipalities and counties that would mandate that the council/board overseeing that entity pass a fee increase by a 2/3 majority.  The bill was proposed by Senate President Warren Petersen, so it'll pass. SB1015, from Wendy Rogers (R-bigot), would bar municipalities and counties from placing a tax or fee on blockchain technology.  SB1039 is John Kavanagh's annual effort to put a minimum time limit bon how long HOA's have to keep a recording of a meeting.

Senate Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency meets at 9 a.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills.

Senate Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency Committee of Reference meets at 9:10 a.m. (or upon the adjournment of the regular committee) in SHR109.  On the agenda:  no bills; a couple of sunset reviews.

House Ad Hoc Committee on Election Integrity and Florida-Style Voting Systems meets at 1 p.m.in HHR4.  On the agenda: no bills, just a discussion of inflicting Florida-style election practices on Arizona.

Senate Education meets at 3 p.m. in SHR1.  On the agenda: Two bills and some presentations about education funding in AZ.  The bills - SB1021, Wendy Rogers' move to have ROTC students classified as "in-state" students and SB1028, John Kavanagh's proposal relating to high scool graduation requirements.

Senate Judiciary and Elections meets at 3 p.m. in SHR2.  On the agenda: one bill, and it's BAD.  SB1011 from Warren Petersen (and co-sponsored by most of the Rs in the state senate) is the latest anti-democracy effort to place restrictions on early voting.  My guess is that Petersen plans to run for Congress as a MAGA candidate or is angling for a spot in the Trump administration.

Senate Public Safety meets at 3 p.m. in SHR109.  On the agenda: no bills, just a presentation.

On Thursday, 1/16 

-

House Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee of Reference meets at 11 a.m. in HHR3.  On the agenda: no bills, just a sunset review (interestingly, both this committee and Senate RAGE.COR will be conducting a sunset review of the Arizona Exposition and State Fair Board). 

On Friday, 1/17 

-

Senate Health and Human Services and House Health & Human Services Joint Committee of Reference meets at 9 a.m.in HHR1.  On the agenda: no bills, just five sunset reviews and one special audit.

Apparently, I touched a nerve...

...but while they may have ruffled certain sensibilities, my statements are still true.

A couple of days ago, I wrote a post criticizing the content of a two proposals to be considered by the state legislature.

This roused the ire of the author of the two proposals, State Sen. John Kavanagh.

Actually, the bill's language *does* add more than animal control officers and elected officials to statute -

He still hasn't refuted my actual criticism of his proposal.

Are "poison pill" clauses issued to all AZ legislators, or does John Kavanagh keep some in his desk drawer?

He sure seems to put them into any bill that he proposes that might otherwise be considered decent.

For example, he's proposed SCR1005, which, if approved by the voters, would index compensation for legislators to inflation.  The biggest issue with that?  He specifically exempts other state-level officials from that.

His phasing - "B. The salaries of those holding elective state offices OTHER THAN THE OFFICE OF STATE LEGISLATOR..."

Note - ALL CAPS is his proposed new language.

Still, while bad, that pales next to the depravity of his SB1038.

That includes language that would classify assaults of certain public transit employee, railway workers, airport workers, employees of law enforcement agencies, animal control officers, and all elected officials as aggravated assaults (not the "depraved" part).

Nope.  The depraved parts (and *yes*, I said "parts")  -

"D. IF A PERSON IS CONVICTED OF COMMITTING AGGRAVATED ASSAULT ON A PEACE OFFICER PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION AND THE TRIER OF FACT DETERMINES THAT SECTION 13-701, SUBSECTION D, PARAGRAPH 17 APPLIES, THE PERSON SHALL BE SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS MORE THAN WOULD OTHERWISE BE IMPOSED FOR THE OFFENSE. THE ADDITIONAL SENTENCE IMPOSED UNDER THIS SUBSECTION IS IN ADDITION TO ANY ENHANCED PUNISHMENT THAT MAY BE APPLICABLE UNDER THIS SECTION OR CHAPTER 7 OF THIS TITLE. THE PERSON IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR SUSPENSION OF SENTENCE, COMMUTATION OR RELEASE FROM CONFINEMENT ON ANY BASIS, EXCEPT AS SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZED BY SECTION 31-233, SUBSECTION A OR B, UNTIL THE SENTENCE IMPOSED IS SERVED THE PERSON IS ELIGIBLE FOR RELEASE PURSUANT TO SECTION 41-1604.07 OR THE SENTENCE IS COMMUTED."

This seems to be the "all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others" part.

"H. AGGRAVATED ASSAULT PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION A, PARAGRAPH 1 OR 2 OF THIS SECTION COMMITTED ON AN EMPLOYEE OF A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY IS A CLASS 2 FELONY...."

Class 2 felonies include (but aren't limited to) things like manslaughter, rape, sex trafficking, and child molestation, and Kavanagh wants to equate some assaults of police officers to those acts.

My guess is that if this one is approved by the legislature (possible, given the composition of the state legislature), and makes it past the governor's veto pen (unlikely, but she could have a bad day), this one may run into Constitutional issues.

Something that Kavanagh has run into before with his pro-police/anti-society legislation.

Arizona's ESA scam: the names may change, but the grift goes on

In at least one instance, the name *did* change, but the grift did not.

From ProPublica, dated 12/31/2024 -

Reporting Highlights

• An Opaque System: Arizona imposes no transparency or accountability requirements on private schools that receive taxpayer dollars through the state’s voucher program.
• Buyer Beware: Voucher parents shopping for a school say it’s hard to obtain independently verified information on the quality of instruction or financial stability of private schools.
• Opposed to Reform: As other states replicate Arizona’s program, voucher advocates oppose requiring publicly funded private schools to meet the same educational standards as public schools.

One afternoon in September, parents started arriving for pickup at Title of Liberty Academy, a private Mormon K-8 school in Mesa, Arizona, on the eastern outskirts of Phoenix.

Individually, the moms and dads were called in to speak to the principal. That’s when they were told that the school, still just a few months old, was closing due to financial problems.

[snip]

For instance, the state never informed parents who were new to Title of Liberty and were planning to spend their voucher money there that it had previously been a charter school called ARCHES Academy — which had had its charter revoked last school year due to severe financial issues. Nor that, as a charter, it had a record of dismal academic performance, with just 13% of its students proficient in English and 0% in math in 2023.

[snip]

Arizona does no vetting of new voucher schools. Not even if the school or the online school “provider” has already failed, or was founded yesterday, or is operating out of a strip mall or a living room or a garage, or offers just a half hour of instruction per morning. (If you’re an individual tutor in Arizona, all you need in order to register to start accepting voucher cash is a high school diploma.)

There is “nothing” required, said Michelle Edwards, the founder and principal of ARCHES and then of Title of Liberty, in an interview with ProPublica. It was “shocking how little oversight” the state was going to provide of her ESA-funded private school, Edwards said.

ARCHES is now Ethos Foundation (actually, when using the website of Arizona Corporation Commission [ACC], clicking on ARCHES inactive listing pulls up Ethos' information), and Edwards is listed as a director, President, and CEO of Ethos.

Also from the article -

One mom had even discovered the school by window shopping: It was in the same strip mall as her orthodontist’s office, next to a China Palace, and she’d noticed the flags outside with Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints imagery. (The school was not formally affiliated with the church.)

[snip]

For instance, the state never informed parents who were new to Title of Liberty and were planning to spend their voucher money there that it had previously been a charter school called ARCHES Academy — which had had its charter revoked last school year due to severe financial issues. Nor that, as a charter, it had a record of dismal academic performance, with just 13% of its students proficient in English and 0% in math in 2023.

A storefront operation with earlier financial and academic issues continuing to have issues?  And the taxpayers picking up the tab?

Is anyone shocked that it continued to operate?

Elected official - "Wahhh! Society's laws don't apply to me!"

Of course, the Arizona Court of Appeals doesn't agree.

Of course2, said official probably isn't worried, because when he was governor, Doug Ducey stacked the AZ Supreme Court with people who are as despicable as the elected official.

From AP, dated 12/31 -

Arizona official who delayed county’s 2022 election certification didn’t have immunity, court says

An appeals court has rejected an Arizona official’s argument that felony charges against him for delaying certification of his rural county’s 2022 election results should be dismissed because he has legislative immunity.

In an order Tuesday, the Arizona Court of Appeals concluded Cochise County Supervisor Tom Crosby’s duty to certify the election results wasn’t discretionary. The court also said certifying election results is an administrative responsibility and that legislative immunity doesn’t apply to Crosby’s situation.

The decision is here.

Legislative schedule - week starting 1/5/2025

Next week will be pretty quiet at the state legislature, but not entirely so.  The legislative session starts the following week, so activity will pick up then.

However, that's subject to change.  It's best to keep an eye out for changes.

Monday, 1/6 thru Thursday, 1/9 - Nada

Friday, 1/10 - Senate Government Committee of Reference meets at 10 a.m.in SHR1.  On the agenda: no bills, just a sunset review/propaganda-fest about the Arizona Governor's Regulatory Review Council.

As the committee is chaired by Jake Hoffman and vice chaired by Wendy Rogers, there may be some drool involved.

Actually, if you attend the meeting, wear some hip waders. :)

"Wahhhh!" in Musk-speak: "Wahhh!" I'm gonna sue!"

It seems obvious that Musk has learned one thing from Cheeto - the is no bad press, only opportunities for litigation for profit.

From Politico -

Musk warns of lawsuits over media coverage of Tesla Cybertruck explosion

Tesla CEO Elon Musk warned he’d consider suing media outlets over their coverage of the Cybertruck explosion that took place outside of the Trump hotel in Las Vegas Wednesday.

Musk “should consider suing outlets who framed the story like this,” conservative activist Robby Starbuck posted on X, along with a screenshot of an article about the incident from Business Insider, which is owned by Axel Springer, POLITICO’s parent company. “These headlines are sabotaging @Tesla’s brand by making people think it caught on fire. There’s about 1 Tesla fire for every 130 million miles traveled. Other cars have 1 every 18 million miles.”

10 dead, dozens wounded in terrorist attack in New Orleans

 Information is still sparse, so I won't speculate on whether this was a homegrown attack or had some international roots.  I have my suspicions, but  I'm not going to give vent to them until there is more information out there.  

Some already have done so already, with their priorites/actions saying a LOT - at 8 a.m. AZ time, NBC, CBS, and ABC were covering this with special reports; Fox was covering the lawsuit by Justin Baldoni over his sexual harassment of Blake Lively.

From AP -

Driver rams New Year’s revelers in New Orleans, killing 10. FBI investigating as ‘act of terrorism’

A driver rammed a vehicle into a crowd of New Orleans revelers early on New Year’s Day, killing 10 people and injuring 35 others in what the FBI is investigating as an act of terrorism.

The driver was killed in a firefight with police following the attack around 3:15 a.m. Wednesday along Bourbon Street in the city’s bustling French Quarter, the FBI said.

Jimmy Carter passes away

Arguably, he was the most woefully underrated to ever be POTUS (actually, he was a joke to those who were intimidated by his decency) and, almost inarguably, he was the best former POTUS ever.

Pic courtesy BBC

From CNN -

Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president, dies at age 100

The death of former President Jimmy Carter will constitute a rare event in America: a state funeral.

Public observances honoring Carter’s legacy will be held in Atlanta and Washington, DC, followed by a private interment in Plains, Georgia, according to the Carter Center.

The full statement on Carter's passing, from President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, courtesy whitehouse.gov, is here -

Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian.

Over six decades, we had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well.  

With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us. He saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe.

He was a man of great character and courage, hope and optimism. We will always cherish seeing him and Rosalynn together. The love shared between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is the definition of partnership and their humble leadership is the definition of patriotism.

We will miss them both dearly, but take solace knowing they are reunited once again and will remain forever in our hearts.

To the entire Carter family, we send our gratitude for sharing them with America and the world. To their staff – from the earliest days to the final ones – we have no doubt that you will continue to do the good works that carry on their legacy.

And to all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility. He showed that we are great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong.

To honor a great American, I will be ordering an official state funeral to be held in Washington D.C. for James Earl Carter, Jr., 39^th President of the United States, 76^th Governor of Georgia, Lieutenant of the United States Navy, graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and favorite son of Plains, Georgia, who gave his full life in service to God and country.

The statement of former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, courtesy Medium.com, is here -

For decades, you could walk into Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia on some Sunday mornings and see hundreds of tourists from around the world crammed into the pews. And standing in front of them, asking with a wink if there were any visitors that morning, would be President Jimmy Carter — preparing to teach Sunday school, just like he had done for most of his adult life.

Some who came to hear him speak were undoubtedly there because of what President Carter accomplished in his four years in the White House — the Camp David Accords he brokered that reshaped the Middle East; the work he did to diversify the federal judiciary, including nominating a pioneering women’s rights activist and lawyer named Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the federal bench; the environmental reforms he put in place, becoming one of the first leaders in the world to recognize the problem of climate change.

Others were likely there because of what President Carter accomplished in the longest, and most impactful, post-presidency in American history — monitoring more than 100 elections around the world; helping virtually eliminate Guinea worm disease, an infection that had haunted Africa for centuries; becoming the only former president to earn a Nobel Peace Prize; and building or repairing thousands of homes in more than a dozen countries with his beloved Rosalynn as part of Habitat for Humanity.

But I’m willing to bet that many people in that church on Sunday morning were there, at least in part, because of something more fundamental: President Carter’s decency.

Elected in the shadow of Watergate, Jimmy Carter promised voters that he would always tell the truth. And he did — advocating for the public good, consequences be damned. He believed some things were more important than reelection — things like integrity, respect, and compassion. Because Jimmy Carter believed, as deeply as he believed anything, that we are all created in God’s image.

Whenever I had a chance to spend time with President Carter, it was clear that he didn’t just profess these values. He embodied them. And in doing so, he taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service. In his Nobel acceptance speech, President Carter said, “God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace.” He made that choice again and again over the course of his 100 years, and the world is better for it.

Maranatha Baptist Church will be a little quieter on Sundays, but President Carter will never be far away — buried alongside Rosalynn next to a willow tree down the road, his memory calling all of us to heed our better angels. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from this remarkable man.

They have other things to deal with right now, so this won't matter to them, but my deepest condolences go out to his family and friends on their loss.