There are two young people without masks taking temperatures of press and attendees for the Latinos for Trump Roundtable in Phoenix - he couldn't get a reading on me and just waved me through
Fernando and Laura Pasurto from Tucson say their grandson was killed in 2016 by a man who was in the country illegally:
“I understand its not going to bring him back, but if we don’t build the wall, it might be somebody else’s family member that gets killed by an illegal alien.”
Ronald Ore-Giron from Gilbert, AZ. He believes a Biden presidency would lead to socialism in America.
“I am a Latino immigrant. We come from socialist countries. We understand the poverty and the chaos of socialism, and we don’t want that here."
Crowd starting to gather inside a ballroom at the Arizona Grand Resort for an event promoted as a "Latinos For Trump" roundtable
Press guidance for the event: "Please bring a mask or mouth-nose cover. You are encouraged to wear it at all times"
There are several hundred people here and I'd say less than half are wearing masks
President Trump says "this is supposed to be a round table but its more like a rally"
Trump on Biden: "He'll surrender your entire country to the radical left."
On Democrats: "They got rid of bail. They get of all the things you need."
Governor Ducey says to Trump "You, personally, delivered" and thanks the President for responding with PPE and other supplies when Arizona asked for help from the federal government with the COVID-19 response
Members of the Latino round table are now speaking - Representative T. J. Shope tells President Trump 3 times that his fiance in the crowd is wearing a dress by Ivanka Trump
Jimmy Chavez, chairman of the National Troopers Coalition: "I think we can all agree that safer communities provide economic stability"
"As a law enforcement officer, we appreciate your support and we will be there to offer the same support back to your administration"
Jorge Rivas, Sammy's Mexican Grill owner, says "your tweets have really helped" his business.
Trump: "Cool"
Rivas talking about the response he received when he put up a sign saying Latinos Support Donald Trump:
"We got a big backlash, but we stayed strong."
Says they have been organizing car parades for the President
Trump on the controversy surrounding Rivas' support of the President: "I said 'you know it's not very Presidential, but I'm going to do a tweet for Sammy and his beautiful wife'"
Rivas gets a standing ovation for saying that Black Lives Matter supporters need to focus more on raising their own children. One audience member yelled out "Preach it brother!!"
Business owner Moses Sanchez says instead of lip service like Latinos are used to getting from politicians, President Trump delivered. Says a ppp loan helped him get through the shutdown.
Lea Marquez Peterson, Arizona Corporation Commission member, says she is fighting “radical California energy polices”
Trump: "Not gonna happen here"
Pam Kirby, former Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board member, says "We must stop the radical indoctrination that's happening in our classrooms and instead teach our children to love our country, including to stand for the American flag"
Trump says his handlers told him this event (now going on 2 hours) would take a third of the time, but once the panel members started talking, he wanted to listen - Trump thanks all participants
Narrator: "Masks were not required"
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EXCLUSIVE: Investigation finds "ASTRONOMICAL" death rate in Maricopa County jails. With 43 deaths in 2022 and 43 in 2023, they are among the deadliest jails in the country. But you wouldn't know that, because the deaths were underreported — until now. azcentral.com/story/news/loc…
A review by The Arizona Republic of Maricopa County's in-custody jail deaths from 2019 through 2023 found the death rate was among the highest of major jail systems in the country, and four times the national average.
The death rate for Maricopa County jails in 2023 was twice as high as jails with similar populations, as well as jail systems with much larger populations.
NEW: Bombshell internal investigation conducted by Arizona's new prisons director reveals "State is in no position to conduct an execution" azcentral.com/story/news/loc…
According to the newly appointed Arizona Department of Corrections director, no written records exist from the previous administration on where the state’s death penalty drugs came from, how they were procured or who prepared them.
The revelations came amidst the case of death row prisoner Aaron Gunches. The state supreme court is considering a petition that would compel Gov. Hobbs to carry out the execution of Gunches, despite her previous statement that she would not. azcentral.com/story/news/loc…
BREAKING: @GovernorHobbs has appointed a Death Penalty Independent Review Commissioner, and @AZAGMayes has filed to withdraw a motion for the only pending death warrant, effectively pausing executions in Arizona.
"The Commissioner is tasked with reviewing and providing transparency into the Arizona Department of Corrections lethal injection drug and gas chamber chemical procurement process, execution protocols, and staffing considerations." azgovernor.gov/office-arizona…
"The Commissioner will then issue a final report that includes recommendations on improving the transparency, accountability, and safety of the execution process."
BREAKING: Governor Hobbs has appointed Dr. Ryan Thornell, Deputy Commissioner of the Maine Department of Corrections, to take over Arizona’s troubled prison system. His first day in office will be January 30. azcentral.com/story/news/loc…
Thornell has worked in corrections for more than 18 years. He has a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati, and a Doctorate in Political Science from the University of South Dakota.
Governor Hobbs' office said Thornell has experience "reforming a wide variety of adult corrections areas, challenging the status quo and implementing 21st century, normalized corrections practices."
IMPACT: @GovernorHobbs & @AZAGMayes condemn Arizona's "barbaric" practice of inducing the labor of pregnant prisoners, vowing to stop it – AND – @AthenaSalman pledges to introduce a bill protecting the autonomy of incarcerated medical patients. azcentral.com/story/news/loc…
.@GovernorHobbs calls forced inductions "wrong and inhumane."
"The choice of when and how to give birth is deeply personal and that does not change just because someone is incarcerated. The reproductive rights of all women must and will be safeguarded and respected."
@AZAGMayes: "Our office will be working with Governor Hobbs to ensure this barbaric treatment of incarcerated pregnant women does not continue moving forward."
A tipster shared these pictures with me. Apparently prison labor was used to set up the inauguration of Arizona's new governor today at the state capitol in Phoenix. The incarcerated workers were hurried away from the event as volunteers and staff arrived.
Arizona quite literally runs on prison labor, and apparently will continue to do so under the new administration. Our cities and towns are maintained by incarcerated people who are forced to work for pennies a day. Read our @azcentral investigation here: azcentral.com/in-depth/news/…
It's no secret - the current Department of Corrections director told the legislature that Arizona communities would “collapse” without cheap prison labor. azcentral.com/story/news/loc…