Border security tops list of voter concerns in Arizona – the ‘ground zero’ of election denial

Published

3 years ago

November 1, 2022

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They wear giant slippers with soles of carpet.

It’s the standard item for immigrants making an illegal crossing over the US border into Arizona – the crude wrap-around footwear with carpeted soles that don’t show tracks in the desert sand.

And we saw them everywhere – discarded with camouflaged jackets and trousers, worn to blend with the landscape and offer concealment from border patrols.

A sighting of dumped ‘cammo’ is the signature evidence of another one that got away.

It doesn’t work every time.

We joined a twilight patrol with a sheriff’s deputy in Cochise County, where Mexico meets Arizona. It was a late shift on the border, hovering on Highway 92 – until the handbrake turn that signified a sighting.

Roadside cameras had picked up movement on a stretch of highway, well-used as a pick-up point. People making illegal crossings are directed here by the cartels they pay for passage.

Those criminal gangs recruit drivers in the United States through social media, often teenagers. They are paid a fee, typically $2,000 a head, to pick up the immigrants and drive them north.

Our deputy’s search took him into the scrub by the roadside, underneath drains and through weeds, until his torch shone on three people, a man and two women dressed in camouflage and carpeted footwear, hiding silently in the darkened undergrowth.

Crisis levels of illicit exports

They were a sad sight – weary, dejected and eagerly clutching the water provided by the border officials who marched them into the rear of their pick-up vehicle.

The smuggling infrastructure that facilitates human traffic across the Mexican border is exploited to transport drugs, too – in crisis quantities.

Illicit export into the United States is fuelling crisis levels of use of the drug fentanyl, in particular.

Small wonder border security, as a midterm election issue, is top of the list for many in Arizona.

“We spend a lot of our time chasing the border challenges,” said Sheriff of Cochise County Mark Dannels.

“They’re running through people’s properties, breaking in, car pursuits at 100 miles an hour every day in this county.”

“In 2021, Arizona led the nation – over five million pills were seized here in southern Arizona.

“Our problem is our president, our leadership in Congress, has to change the message – has to get the politics out of it and has to have action behind it.

“We can’t get our president, or leadership of Congress, to even admit there’s an issue out here.

“It’s frustrating for me that the federal government says we don’t have a problem. It’s a huge challenge, and it’s insulting.”

Border security plays into the election priorities in Arizona.

It’s at the core of debate alongside the economy, abortion and crime – significant subject matter and yet, for many, sub-headings at these midterms.

In this voting process, the power of the vote itself is the issue threaded through the campaign.

The Democrats’ warning, from the president down, is of democracy under threat from election denial embedded in the electoral process.

The Republican Party is fielding more than 300 candidates, for various positions of power, who believe the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.

Prominent among them is Kari Lake, who is standing for the post of governor in Arizona.

She has star quality, no doubt.

The Trump-loyalist is a polished former TV anchor who glides through the campaign trail on an “Ask Me Anything” tour.

Not that anyone asks about election fraud.

There’s a reason for that – no-one doubts it in the court of Kari, Trump loyalist.

We attended her event at the Fire House in Peoria, Arizona, squeezed in alongside TV crews from Japan and France, present to witness a growing phenomenon in US politics.

This poster girl of election denialism is touted as a potential running mate for Mr Trump, should he stand for the presidency in 2024.

I spoke to several members of the audience, and they were as polite as they were strident in volunteering that “the media” was to blame for an election fraud that cost Mr Trump the presidency.

In an awkward, yet somehow matey, interaction, the crowd was encouraged by Ms Lake to turn in their chairs and wave to the “fake news” filming from the back of the room.

For them, cheerful affirmation of election denialism is as routine as it is casual, in a Republican Party that feels Donald Trump’s gravitational pull.

Doubting the integrity of an electoral process has long since evolved from a fringe concept into a mainstream and widely-held conviction – never mind there’s no evidence to suggest election fraud of any material significance.

If Ms Lake becomes governor in Arizona, and polls indicate she has every chance, it will be her job to certify the state’s count at the 2024 presidential election.

This is a Trump-loyalist who claims he was robbed in 2020; she won’t fully endorse the integrity of the midterm election she’s standing in.

I asked her: “Is the only election you’ll endorse, one that you win?”

Her answer was: “I will absolutely accept the results of a fair, honest and transparent election.”

It is a straight answer few would disagree with. It’s also one that leaves the door open to denying the integrity of the electoral process.

Who will be surprised if that doesn’t come to pass?

This is Arizona, which saw challenges, audits and lawsuits that led nowhere after the 2020 election.

It was pantomime protest that saw this state dubbed “ground zero” for election denial – that might just have been the curtain-raiser.

US

Gaza permanent ceasefire ‘questionable’, says senior Israeli official

Published

3 hours ago

July 10, 2025

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Gaza permanent ceasefire 'questionable', says senior Israeli official

A senior Israeli official has issued a less-than-optimistic assessment of the permanency of any ceasefire in Gaza.

Speaking in Washington on condition of anonymity, the senior official said that a 60-day ceasefire “might” be possible within “a week, two weeks – not a day”.

But on the chances of the ceasefire lasting beyond 60 days, the official said: “We will begin negotiations on a permanent settlement.

“But we achieve it? It’s questionable, but Hamas will not be there.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to conclude a four-day visit to Washington later today.

There had been hope that a ceasefire could be announced during the trip. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that it’s close.

Speaking at a briefing for a number of reporters, the Israeli official would not be drawn on any of the details of the negotiations over concerns that public disclosure could jeopardise their chances of success.

The major sticking point in the talks between Hamas and Israel is the status of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) inside Gaza during the 60-day ceasefire and beyond, should it last longer.

The latest Israeli proposal, passed to Hamas last week, included a map showing the proposed IDF presence inside Gaza during the ceasefire.

This was rejected by Hamas and by Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, who reportedly told the Israelis that the redeployment map “looks like a Smotrich plan”, a reference to the extreme-right Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich.

The official repeated Israel’s central stated war aims of getting the hostages back and eliminating Hamas. But in a hint of how hard it will be to reconcile the differences, the official was clear that no permanent ceasefire would be possible without the complete removal of Hamas.

“We will offer them a permanent ceasefire,” he told Sky News. “If they agree. Fine. It’s over.

“They lay down their arms, and we proceed [with the ceasefire]. If they don’t, we’ll proceed [with the war].”

On the status of the Israeli military inside Gaza, the official said: “We would want IDF in every square meter of Gaza, and then hand it over to someone…”

He added: “[We] don’t want to govern Gaza… don’t want to govern, but the first thing is, you have to defeat Hamas…”

The official said the Israeli government had “no territorial designs for Gaza”.

“But [we] don’t want Hamas there,” he continued. “You have to finish the job… victory over Hamas. You cannot have victory if you don’t clear out all the fighting forces.

“You have to go into every square inch unless you are not serious about victory. I am. We are going to defeat them. Those who do not disarm will die. Those who disarm will have a life.”

On the future of Gaza, the official ruled out the possibility of a two-state solution “for the foreseeable future”.

“They are not going to have a state in the foreseeable future as long as they cling to that idea of destroying our state. It doesn’t make a difference if they are the Palestinian Authority or Hamas, it’s just a difference of tactics.”

On the most controversial aspect of the Gaza conflict – the movement of the population – the official predicted that 60% of Palestinians would “choose to leave”.

But he claimed that Israel would allow them to return once Hamas had been eliminated, adding: “It’s not forcible eviction, it’s not permanent eviction.”

Critics of Israel’s war in Gaza say that any removal of Palestinians from Gaza, even if given the appearance of being “voluntary,” is in fact anything but, because the strip has been so comprehensively flattened.

Reacting to Israeli Defence Minister Katz’s recent statement revealing a plan to move Palestinians into a “humanitarian city” in southern Gaza, and not let them out of that area, the official wouldn’t be drawn, except to say: “As a permanent arrangement? Of course not.”

US

More than 160 people still missing after deadly Texas floods

Published

21 hours ago

July 9, 2025

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More than 160 people still missing after deadly Texas floods

There are 161 people still missing in Texas in the aftermath of last weekend’s deadly flash floods, the state’s governor has said.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, governor Gregg Abbot said the number of missing had risen markedly.

He said among the missing were five children and one counsellor from Camp Mystic – where at least 27 people were killed in the flash flooding.

At least 109 people are confirmed to have died in the floods, which took place on the 4 July weekend, but this figure has been steadily climbing ever since.

The bulk of deaths, and the main search for additional bodies, have been concentrated in Kerr County and the city of Kerrville.

The area was transformed into a disaster zone when torrential rains struck the region early last Friday, unleashing deadly flooding along the Guadalupe River.

Travis County, Kendall County, Burnett County, Williamson County, and Tom Green County were also hit.

Mr Abbot said many of those who were unaccounted for were in the Texas Hill Country area, but had not registered at a camp or hotel, posing further challenges for authorities.

Camp Mystic

Mr Abbot planned to make another visit to Camp Mystic.

The century-old all-girls Christian summer camp was badly hit by the flash floods, with at least 27 campers and counsellors dying.

Some of the victims include Hanna and Rebecca Lawrence, both eight, Chloe Childress, 19, who was among the counsellors at Camp Mystic when the flood hit, and Eloise Peck and Lila Bonner, both nine.

There were scenes of devastation at the camp as the flood water receded.

Outside the cabins where the girls had slept, mud-splattered blankets and pillows were scattered.

Also in the debris were pink, purple and light blue luggage, decorated with stickers.

‘Everything looked flooded and broken’

One of the campers, 10-year-old Lucy Kennedy, told Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, that she woke up to the sound of thunder at around midnight before the floods struck.

“I couldn’t go back to sleep,” she said. “I just had a feeling that something really bad was about to happen.”

She said the girls at the camp were told to grab blankets, pillows and water bottles and line up single file as the floodwater rose, before getting airlifted to safety.

Wynne Kennedy, Lucy’s mother, added: “When I saw her, she was wrapped up in a blanket, had a teddy bear.

“We just held each other tight, and I held her all night.”

Their home in Kerrville was also destroyed by the flash floods.

Political row

Meanwhile, a political row has unfolded parallel to the recovery efforts, with some questioning whether local authorities sent out warnings and alerts early enough.

Similarly, Democrats have criticised Donald Trump over cuts his Elon Musk-launched Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has made to the National Weather Service – but it isn’t clear whether these actually made any difference.

Wall of water

The flash floods erupted before daybreak on Friday, after massive amounts of rainfall caused the Guadalupe River to rise by eight metres in less than an hour.

The wall of water overwhelmed cabins, tents and trails along the river’s edge.

Some survivors were found clinging to trees.

Some of the campers had to swim out of their cabin windows to get to safety, while others clung to rope to make it to higher ground.

US

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs sentencing hearing confirmed

Published

21 hours ago

July 9, 2025

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Sean 'Diddy' Combs sentencing hearing confirmed

The date for Sean “Diddy” Combs’s sentencing hearing has been confirmed.

Following his high-profile trial, the hip-hop mogul was found guilty of two counts of transportation for prostitution by jurors in Manhattan, New York, last week – but was cleared of sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.

Defence lawyers argued Combs, who has been in prison in Brooklyn since his arrest in September last year, should be bailed ahead of sentencing given the not guilty verdicts for the more serious charges, but Judge Arun Subramanian denied this – citing, among other things, the rapper’s own admissions of previous violent behaviour.

The charges of sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy carried a potential life sentence. Combs still faces up to 20 years in prison for the prostitution-related offences, but is not expected to receive the maximum punishment.

After the verdict was delivered, the judge scheduled the sentencing hearing for 3 October. At a remote follow-up conference on Tuesday, with agreement from the defence and prosecution, the judge approved the date.

Combs joined the call but did not make any comment.

Any sentence will include credit for time already served – which will be just over a year by the time the hearing takes place.

During his trial, Combs was accused by prosecutors of abusing and coercing three alleged victims, including his former long-term partner, singer and model Cassie Ventura.

Jurors found the allegations did not amount to sex-trafficking or racketeering, or running a criminal enterprise – but they did find him guilty of transporting Cassie and another former girlfriend “Jane” for prostitution offences around the US, and paying male escorts to engage in sexual encounters.

Despite the guilty verdict on those charges, the 55-year-old’s team described it as “the victory of all victories”.

In an interview over the weekend, defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo said Combs had received a standing ovation from fellow inmates when he returned to jail after being acquitted of the more serious charges.

“They all said, ‘We never get to see anyone who beats the government’,” he said.

Ahead of sentencing, Combs’s lawyers will file their recommendations by 19 September, with prosecutors likely to follow a week later.

Prosecutors previously said the rapper could face about four to five years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, while the defence has suggested a two-year sentence.