Latest news with #KatieHobbs
Epoch Times
a day ago
- Business
- Epoch Times
Arizona Governor Vetoes Bill Banning China From Purchasing Land in the State
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs on June 2 vetoed a bill that would have prohibited the Chinese communist regime and state-owned enterprises from acquiring property in Arizona, according to her office. Senate Bill
Fox News
2 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
Dem governor ripped as 'total disgrace' after vetoing bill limiting Chinese land ownership near military bases
Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who is up for reelection this year, garnered backlash Tuesday after vetoing a bill aimed at preventing China from buying up land next to strategic assets, such as military bases. Arizona state Senate Majority Leader Janae Shamp said the "politically motivated veto" was "utterly insane," blaming Hobbs for being "an obstructionist against safeguarding our citizens from threats." However, Hobbs said the bill, S.B. 1109, was "ineffective at counter-espionage" and did not "directly protect" American military assets in the state. Chinese investment in land near military bases has become an increasing concern for national security hawks. Shamp, in her efforts to get the now-vetoed bill passed, cited recent Chinese attempts to lease buildings alongside Arizona's Luke Air Force Base, where the military trains fighter pilots. "Governor Hobbs's veto of SB 1109 hangs an 'Open for the CCP' sign on Arizona's front door, allowing Communist China to buy up American land near critical assets like Luke Air Force Base, Palo Verde nuclear power plant, and Taiwan Semiconductor's growing fabrication footprint," said Michael Lucci, the CEO and founder of State Armor Action, a conservative group with a mission to develop and enact state-level solutions to global security threats. "Allowing Communist China to buy up land near our critical assets is a national security risk, plain and simple, and Governor Hobbs is substantively and completely wrong when she says that SB 1109 'is ineffective at counter-espionage and does not directly protect our military assets,'" Lucci added. Lucci pointed to Ukraine's recent drone attacks that destroyed significant numbers of Russian military aircraft, noting that "proximity produces peril in asymmetric warfare." S.B. 1109, which can still pass if the Arizona legislature overrides Hobbs' veto, would have prohibited the People's Republic of China from having a 30%, or more, stake in Arizona property. Hobbs, in her defense of the veto, added that in addition to being ineffective at countering Chinese espionage efforts, the bill lacked "clear implementation criteria," which opened the door for "arbitrary enforcement." However, the bill went through a bipartisan amendment process in an effort to assuage those concerns that the legislation might lead to discrimination in land sales, according to local outlet the AZ Mirror. The initial version of the bill banned certain people and entities deemed to be national security threats from buying up land in Arizona, but following subsequent amendments the bill only sought to ban Chinese government-linked entities and its subsidiaries. In addition to Arizona, other states have proposed or passed legislation aimed at curtailing Chinese land grabs in the United States. Congress has also taken steps in an effort to effectuate change through national policy. As of March 17, according to the China-focused nonprofit Committee of 100, 27 states are currently considering 84 bills aimed at restricting foreign property ownership in some way, while Congress is currently considering seven separate bills addressing the issue. So far, the committee indicated, 22 states have passed bills restricting foreign property ownership, 17 of which were passed into law in 2024.
Associated Press
29-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Colorado man who threatened election officials asks for leniency in sentencing
DENVER (AP) — Teak Ty Brockbank posted online that Colorado's top election official should be executed and her former counterpart in Arizona should also be killed. But Brockbank, who faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced Thursday for making online threats, is asking for leniency. He says he made those posts when he was drinking heavily and socially isolated, spending his evenings consuming conspiracy theories online. Brockbank pleaded guilty in October to one count of transmitting interstate threats between September 2021 and August 2022 against Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold and former Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, now the state's governor, as well as against a Colorado state judge and federal law enforcement agents. Under a plea deal, prosecutors agreed not to pursue charges against him for having firearms he was barred from possessing because of a previous conviction or for online threats he made later. One such threat was against Griswold last year for her role in helping the prosecution of former Colorado clerk, Tina Peters. They also say he threatened judges on the Colorado Supreme Court after they removed Donald Trump from the state's ballot. The U.S. Supreme Court later restored Trump's name to the ballot. Brockbank, who was has been behind bars since he was arrested in August 2024, is asking to be sentenced to the time he has already served plus three years of supervised release and possibly six months in home detention or in a halfway house. That's less than is recommended by federal sentencing guidelines but Brockbank's lawyer, Tom Ward, said that sentence would allow him to get unspecified treatment. In a court filing in support of the request, Ward said Brockbank was a 'keyboard warrior' with no intent of carrying out his threats. Brockbank spent time on social media sites like Gab and Rumble, the alternative video-sharing platform that has been criticized for allowing and sometimes promoting far-right extremism. Ward said Rumble and Gab repeatedly delivered 'the message that the country was under attack and that patriotic Americans had a duty to rise up and act,' he said. 'His engagement with extremist content online was driven not by a malicious character, but by a misplaced desire for belonging and a tendency to not question others' underlying motives,' Ward wrote. The filing did not specify which ideas Brockbank was drawn to but it noted that Michael Flynn and Roger Stone were prominent on Rumble. Prosecutors want U.S. District Judge S. Kato Crews to sentence Brockbank to three years in prison, in part to deter others from threatening election officials. 'Threats to elections workers across the country are an ongoing and very serious problem,' wrote Jonathan Jacobsen, a Washington-based trial attorney for the Justice Department's public integrity section. Under the Biden administration, the department launched a task force in 2021 to combat the rise of threats targeting election officials. Brockbank's conviction in the fall was one of over a dozen convictions won by the unit. At the time, the longest sentences handed down was 3.5 years in prison in two separate cases involving election officials in Arizona. In one case, a man who advocated for 'a mass shooting of poll workers,' posted threatening statements in November 2022 about two Maricopa County officials and their children, prosecutors said. In the other, a Massachusetts man pleaded guilty to sending a bomb threat in February 2021 to an election official in the Arizona Secretary of State's office.
Fox News
28-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
A new law in this state bans automated insurance claim denials
As some health insurance companies have come under fire for allegedly using computer systems to shoot down claims, an Arizona law will soon make the practice illegal in the Grand Canyon State. Republican Arizona House Majority Whip Rep. Julie Willoughby sponsored the legislation, and it was recently signed into law by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. House Bill 2175 requires a physician licensed in the state to conduct an "individual review" and use "independent medical judgment" to determine whether the claim should actually be denied. It also required a similar review of "a direct denial of a prior authorization of a service" that a provider asked for and "involves medical necessity." "This law ensures that a doctor, not a computer, is making medical decisions," Willoughby said in a statement. "If care is denied, it should be by someone with the training and ethical duty to put patients first. That decision must come from a licensed physician, not an anonymous program." The law will go into effect in July 2026, so insurers will have time to be ready for the changes, if any. "Arizona families deserve real oversight when it comes to life-changing medical decisions," Willoughby said. "This law puts patients ahead of profits and restores a layer of accountability that's long overdue." The bill passed both chambers with nearly unanimous support. Several healthcare companies, like Cigna and United Healthcare, have faced accusations of using computer systems to deny claims in past years, according to ProPublica and FOX Business. Fox News Digital reached out to Hobbs' office for comment. Similar legislation was signed into law in California last year, which was dubbed the "Physicians Make Decisions Act." The lawmaker in the Golden State was specifically concerned about the rise of artificial intelligence. "Artificial intelligence has immense potential to enhance health care delivery, but it should never replace the expertise and judgment of physicians," Democratic state Sen. Josh Becker said in a December statement. "An algorithm cannot fully understand a patient's unique medical history or needs, and its misuse can lead to devastating consequences."
Axios
28-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Wealthy home renters increase in Phoenix area
The share of wealthy residents of the Phoenix metro who rent instead of own their homes is on the rise, per a Redfin analysis of the latest U.S. Census Bureau data. The big picture: Rich renters have increased in 35 of the 50 most populous U.S. metros, the real estate site reports. By the numbers: 7.9% of Phoenix-area renters in 2023 were considered wealthy, an increase of 0.1 percentage points from 2019, according to Redfin. Researchers defined wealthy renters as those with a household income in the top 20% of local incomes. In the Valley, that's a minimum of just under $160,000. The income needed to afford a house here in 2023 was $64,156. Zoom out: Nationally, 7.9% of renters qualified as wealthy, the same as in the Valley. Topping the list was San Jose, California, where 11% of renters are considered wealthy and the median home sale price in 2023 was over $1.4 million. The biggest increase in wealthy renters was seen in Raleigh, North Carolina, which experienced a jump of 2.9 percentage points to 7.7%. Tampa, Florida, had the biggest increase in median home sale price, spiking 67.4%. Meanwhile, Phoenix was third on the list with a 59.3% increase. Context: Nationally, the typical affluent renter earned more than they needed to afford a median-priced home, per Redfin. But homebuying costs have climbed faster than rents, making renting attractive for many, even those with deep pockets. Between the lines: Plenty of people also enjoy rental properties' amenities, flexibility and maintenance-free lifestyle. And some want to put extra cash toward other investments. Threat level: The Valley faces a severe housing shortage. As of 2022, Phoenix had a deficit of about 120,000 homes while experiencing substantial population growth. That shortage is driving up home prices in a city that for decades was famous for its cheap housing. Zoom in: Legislative efforts to alleviate the problem in Arizona have had mixed results. Gov. Katie Hobbs last year signed bills that open the door to more accessory dwelling units and "missing middle" housing. But efforts to encourage the building of starter homes by restricting cities' zoning authority have repeatedly faltered. Hobbs vetoed a starter homes bill in 2024, and this year's legislation stalled due to a lack of support. What we're watching: In a growing number of cities, even starter homes come with luxury price tags, according to Zillow.
