Arizona
Checks & Imbalances: Self-Dealing In Florida, Billionaire Backers In Arizona
Welcome to the Checks & Imbalances publication. At present we have a look at a committee that raises funds for Trump’s PAC and enterprise, in addition to whom billionaires are backing in Arizona’s Senate race.
One Of Trump’s Political Committees Spent 61% Of Its Working Funds At Mar-A-Lago
One of Donald Trump’s joint-fundraising committees spent 61% of its working price range at Mar-a-Lago, the previous president’s membership in Palm Seashore, Florida.
The committee, often called the APL Victory Fund, raises cash on behalf of three teams: Trump’s management PAC, named Save America, a second entity known as APL PAC and eventually the marketing campaign of Anna Paulina Luna, a conservative commentator working for the Home from Florida.
Because the time of its founding in Could 2021, the APL Victory Fund has reported working bills of simply $56,000, in line with the most recent Federal Election Fee filings, which monitor spending by means of March. Nearly all of that comes from a $34,000 cost to Mar-a-Lago on Dec. 2. On Dec. 7, the APL Victory Fund hosted a fundraiser on the membership, charging visitors $1,000 per ticket, in line with a duplicate of the invitation obtained by Florida Politics. Trump spoke on the occasion. Anna Paulina Luna, whom Trump endorsed in September, had beforehand spent one other $8,300 of marketing campaign cash on the membership.
Since Trump misplaced the 2020 election, the previous president has been charging the committees of dozens of Republicans searching for his endorsement, amassing greater than $1.4 million within the course of. As well as, his enterprise has been gathering cash from his personal political teams, taking in additional than $1 million that manner. The $34,000 Mar-a-Lago cost represents a mix of the 2 enterprise fashions, because it comes a joint-fundraising committee that gathers cash for (a) one in all Trump’s endorsees and (b) one in all his personal committees.
Representatives for APL Victory, Luna and the Trump Group didn’t reply to requests for remark.
Welcome To The Newest Situation Of Checks & Imbalances
That is the net version of the Checks & Imbalances publication, normally despatched to inboxes Mondays and Thursdays (however not this upcoming Monday, because it’s July 4). It’s free. To be sure you don’t miss a problem, subscribe.
Please assist this work, in case you can, by subscribing to Forbes. Any suggestions or options? E mail me at zeverson@forbes.com. And you’ll observe me on Twitter at @z_everson (or Mastodon at @z_everson@mastodon.social). Thanks!
In Case You Missed It
Winklevoss Twins Workforce Up With Peter Thiel To Help Arizona Senate Candidate Blake Masters
“Peter Thiel isn’t the one billionaire supporting Arizona Senate hopeful Blake Masters,” stories Kyle Mullins:
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the 6-foot-5-inch twins who parlayed a $65 million settlement with Mark Zuckerberg right into a multibillion-dollar cryptocurrency kingdom, have donated $50,000 apiece. Texas banker Andrew Beal additionally threw in $75,000.
No, it’s not a lot cash in comparison with the $10 million Thiel contributed in 2021 or the $3.5 million he reportedly added in Could. However nonetheless, the Winklevoss and Beal donations present that Masters has managed to impress some billionaires past Thiel, his former boss.
Persevering with Irresolutions
Updates on Checks & Imbalances’ earlier reporting
Former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) appealed his conviction on Thursday, the day after a judged sentenced him to 2 years probation for mendacity to the FBI, reported KETV. Fortenberry’s marketing campaign paid no less than $778,000 to the legislation agency that represented him in his trial.
*****
Reps. Marie Newman (D-Sick.) and Steve Palazzo (R-Miss.) misplaced their primaries on Tuesday. Each lawmakers have been going through ethics investigations: Newman for allegedly providing federal employment to a main opponent, whereas Palazzo is accused of misusing marketing campaign funds and official sources.
*****
John Eastman has now raised $232,000 for his authorized protection fund by way of the Christian crowdfunding website GiveSendGo, after hauling in $50,000 over a 48-hour period this week. Within the earlier 4 months, it had raised simply $10,000.
Trounced By Thiel: Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly’s Richest Donors Give Little Whereas Peter Thiel Shells Out For Competitor
Sen. Mark Kelly’s (D-Ariz.) billionaire backers aren’t spending like these of his potential opponent, Blake Masters, stories Kyle Mullins:
They’ve made some donations. Daniel Lubetzky, creator of the Variety snack bar, gave $10,000 to a joint-fundraising committee backing Kelly. Lubetzky’s spouse, Michelle, added $15,800. Their $25,800 mixed contribution, equal to 0.26% of Thiel’s largest donation, qualifies as the most important billionaire present to Kelly because the begin of 2021, in line with the most recent Federal Election Fee filings.
Oopsies
Former Rep. Gabby Giffords’ (D-Ariz.) PAC, which works for harder gun legal guidelines, reported an nameless contribution of $20,000, a potential violation of campaign-finance guidelines, which cap nameless distributions at $50, in line with the FEC. The PAC’s response is due by Aug. 3.
Monitoring Trump
- “Trump Group Pays for Jan. 6 Attorneys, Elevating Issues of Witness Stress” (The New York Instances)
- “GOP megadonors activate Trump after Jan. 6 hearings, look to DeSantis, Pence, different 2024 hopefuls” (CNN)
- “Politics trumps enterprise in Fact Social’s warfare on Large Tech” (Reuters)
- “Donald Trump No Longer in Contempt of Courtroom in New York Probe, After $110,000 in Fines” (Bloomberg)
- “The Home choose committee investigating the January 6 Capitol assault is intently targeted on telephone calls and conversations amongst Donald Trump’s kids and high aides captured by a documentary film-maker weeks earlier than the 2020 election, say sources accustomed to the matter. The calls amongst Trump’s kids and high aides befell at an invitation-only occasion on the Trump Worldwide resort in Washington that befell the evening of the primary presidential debate on 29 September 2020, the sources mentioned.” (The Guardian)
- “A Trump-appointed official who will get an essential vote on whether or not Trump broke election legal guidelines spoke at a Texas GOP occasion the place he was billed as part of the ‘Trump Elections Workforce’” (Insider)
- “Former Giuliani affiliate Lev Parnas sentenced to twenty months in jail” (The Washington Put up)
- “The ticketed Independence Day Celebration on the Trump Nationwide Doral Resort is bought out” (The Miami Herald)
Editor’s Picks
- “State Lobbying Disclosure: A Scorecard” (OpenSecrets)
- “Dem teams see windfall following repeal of Roe” (Politico)
- “Abortion rights advertisements swamp social media” (Axios)
- “How Charles Koch Bought the Supreme Courtroom’s EPA Resolution” (The Intercept)
- “Members of Congress name for an investigation of Intuit’s lobbying practices amid mounting TurboTax controversies” (OpenSecrets)
- “Backstage of Wells Fargo’s company PAC” (Fashionable Info)
- “Democratic Rep. Alan Lowenthal is one in all Congress’ most energetic inventory merchants, and he simply violated a federal conflicts-of-interest legislation. Once more.” (Insider)
- “Buttigieg-founded PAC to again down-ballot Democrats in 2022 midterms” (Politico)
- “New Crypto Tremendous PAC Has Deep Pockets—and Outdated Connections” (The Every day Beast)
- “New in lobbying: Angola extends $312,500/month contract with Squire Patton Boggs SPB International for six months by means of finish of the yr.” (Twitter/Julian Pecquet of The Africa Report)
- “ASPCA picks up Sen. Booker staffer” (LegiStorm)
- “Former Massachusetts Legal professional Normal Martha Coakley Re-Joins Foley Hoag as Co-Chair of the State Legal professional Normal Follow” (Foley Hoag)
In Closing
“Joint 2 joint, nothing comes at no cost
For those who present your love, you may get with me”
– Prince, “Joint 2 Joint”
Arizona
How to watch Arizona State football vs. UCF: TV channel, live stream, prediction
The Arizona State football team is 5-0 at home this season.
But they have yet to play in front of a crowd like the one expected at Mountain America Stadium on Saturday afternoon vs. BYU.
“We’ve already sold out [for the BYU game],” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said during his Monday press conference. “There’s like a thousand person wait line for tickets. For The Valley to be able to experience what they get to experience, which is an unbelievable college football environment on Saturday, is what we need to get people bought back into here. That there’s nothing that can replicate it. We haven’t had one like this yet since I’ve been here.”
In the biggest game for Arizona State (8-2) in more than a decade, they are 3.5-point favorites over BYU (9-1). The winner will have a great shot at a berth in the Big 12 football championship game. The loser will be all but eliminated.
Quarterback play will be a huge factor on Saturday. Over the last three weeks Arizona State redshirt freshman QB Sam Leavitt has arguably been the best quarterback in the nation. In wins over Oklahoma State, UCF and Kansas State, Leavitt completed 65% of his passes for 740 yards and 9 touchdowns, with no interceptions. He also rushed for 69 yards.
BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff, a senior, has had a big season, throwing for 2,283 yards and 19 touchdowns, and rushing for 312 yards and 4 TDs. But he has struggled in the passing game the last two weeks. He completed just 45.5% of his passes and didn’t throw a TD pass in BYU’s 22-21 road win over rival Utah. In last week’s 17-13 home loss to Kansas he passed for just 192 yards, with one TD and one interception.
Which QB will rise to the occasion on Saturday? Stay tuned. Here are the details on how to watch and follow Arizona State’s Big 12 showdown vs. BYU on Saturday:
Arizona State vs. BYU TV Channel, Live Stream, Betting Odds
Who: Arizona State (8-2, 5-2) vs. BYU (9-1, 6-1) in a Big 12 football game
When: 1:30 p.m. MST | Saturday, November 23
Where: Mountain America Stadium | Tempe, Arizona
Live Stream: Stream Arizona State-BYU live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)
TV Channel: ESPN
Our Prediction: Arizona State 30, BYU 27
Betting Odds: Arizona State is favored by 3.5 points per FanDuel Sportsbook
Live Updates, Highlights: Follow the game on Arizona State On SI for live updates and big-play highlights throughout Saturday’s matchup
More Arizona State & Big 12 Analysis
Arizona
Flagg quiets Arizona crowd as Duke aces road test
TUCSON, Ariz. — Seconds after No. 12 Duke’s players ran onto the court for pregame introductions at the McKale Center on Friday night, someone in the crowd hurled a beer can in their direction.
That moment did not define the largely positive and vibrant atmosphere at the arena, where Cooper Flagg’s 24-point effort led the Blue Devils to a 69-55 win over No. 17 Arizona.
But throughout the game, building security and local police gathered near Duke’s tunnel and the team’s family and friends section because of concerns that additional objects would be thrown, sources told ESPN. Those same security and police personnel also entered the Arizona student section at halftime to address at least one fan’s behavior.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer said he didn’t notice the off-court chaos, a metaphor for the way his team responded in its first true road game of the season.
“I didn’t even see that,” Scheyer said afterward about the beer-can incident. “First of all, I thought the environment and atmosphere was top notch. I mean, people were respectful. I thought there was just a big-time college basketball crowd, but at the end of the day, the crowd doesn’t control how you defend, how you sprint back on defense, how you take care of the ball.”
More than 14,000-plus gathered for the highly anticipated matchup involving a pair of teams that hadn’t met in Tucson since the 1980s. The notable personalities in the crowd gave the game a prime-time vibe. Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, and his teammates faced an Arizona squad led by Caleb Love, a preseason All-American.
Mike Bibby and Gilbert Arenas, a pair of former NBA stars who anchored some of Arizona’s greatest teams, sat in the front row. Phoenix Suns star Bradley Beal found his seat next to theirs early in the game, and Beal’s teammates Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen — who starred on Duke’s 2014-15 national title team — sat behind the Blue Devils’ bench.
Bryce James, son of LeBron James and a prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, also attended the matchup with his mother, Savannah James.
Flagg delivered his best performance this season in another high-profile matchup, more than a week after he committed multiple turnovers in the final seconds of a loss to Kentucky in the Champions Classic in Atlanta. Arizona seemed to corral him in the first half, but Flagg dominated after the break, scoring 16 points.
Flagg, who shot 10-of-22 from the field, also finished with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal.
“He is tall, athletic and he can finish over a lot of bodies,” Arizona’s Jaden Bradley, who led his team with 18 points, said of Flagg. “He’s just super athletic. I feel like we did a good job of containing him in the first half. I think we just went away from the game plan and then didn’t talk, didn’t communicate as a group and he found openings in our defense. He provides mismatch problems for them. We get a smaller guard on him, he can take us inside and use his strength, his height advantage. We get a bigger guy on him, he can play quick, play fast and be able to shoot over the top or get by him.”
As his team entered halftime, Scheyer said, “We’ve been here before,” referencing Duke’s halftime lead over Kentucky in the Champions Classic loss. But Duke avoided a similar fate Friday when Flagg, Tyrese Proctor (8 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds) and Kon Knueppel (13 points, 3-for-6 on 3-pointers) wouldn’t yield.
“It was a high-level college basketball game,” Flagg said. “It was really physical, and they’re a very physical team. So I guess I found my footing [in the second half].”
Arizona entered the game ranked top five in adjusted tempo on KenPom and the Wildcats were also the top offensive rebounding team in the country. But against the Blue Devils, Arizona scored only six points on fast breaks and grabbed only six offensive rebounds.
After the game, the fears of security and police personnel were not realized. There were no further incidents, and Duke’s players, staff, family members and friends all safely exited the building without issue.
The Blue Devils, who next face No. 1 Kansas in Las Vegas on Tuesday, had weathered storms on and off the court in their first true road test. Scheyer said he was impressed by his team’s resilience in a hostile environment, especially as Arizona tried to close the gap late.
“I thought there were a couple of stretches at the beginning of the second half late when I think it got cut to eight points … but to have the maturity to answer and then come back on defense, I think that’s a credit to these guys,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of game situations this year and in the preseason [in practice], but it’s really the maturity by them.”
Arizona
By the Numbers: Seahawks vs. Cardinals
The Seahawks and Cardinals are set to do battle at Lumen Field in Seattle on Sunday. This will be the first of two meetings over a three-week span between the NFC West rivals.
What numbers and themes are relevant in this game between frequent divisional opponents?
The Seahawks have won five straight games against the Arizona Cardinals. They last lost to Arizona on November 21, 2021, in Seattle. The Seahawks held the Cardinals to just 30 total points in the teams’ two matchups last year.
That is Kyler Murray’s record as a starter against the Seahawks. He hasn’t beaten Seattle since October 2020. That includes being sacked 12 times over the last three games. The Seahawks will need to continue to pressure Murray to keep him contained. Otherwise, he can hurt them with his legs or downfield in the passing game.
That is how many points per game the Seahawks are allowing in their last two games as a defense. The defense has stepped it up after an abysmal showing against the Buffalo Bills. The Cardinals have the 13th-ranked scoring offense and 12th-ranked total offense in the NFL. If Seattle can ride this momentum on defense, they should be able to beat the Cardinals a sixth straight time.
Yards per rushing attempt by the Cardinals. That is the second-best in all the NFL. The running back tandem of James Conner and Trey Benson, alongside the lethal legs of quarterback Kyler Murray, make the Cardinals one of the most dynamic running teams in all of football. The Seahawks need to be disciplined in their run defense. If they are caught in the wrong gaps or miss tackles, the Cardinals could control the game on the ground.
Arizona’s pass rush win rate is next to last in the NFL. One of their top pass rushers has been former Seahawks first-round pick L.J. Collier. Dante Stills leads the team with 3.5 sacks. They rank 23rd in sacks as a team. Seattle’s offensive line needs to take advantage of not facing a stellar pass rush and give Geno Smith ample time to take shots downfield.
Yards receiving for running back James Conner against the Jets. He is a big play threat in the passing game as well as on the ground. The defense will need to be aware of Conner’s whereabouts at all times. They cannot afford to let Conner create big plays in the passing game, as he did against the Jets two weeks ago.
The Seahawks need to set a goal of getting at least 23 first downs. The Cardinals are 0-4 when they allow their opponents to get at least 23 first downs and 6-0 when they hold teams under 23. The Seahawks have only reached 23 first downs once. Incredibly, they got 38 first downs in their loss to the Lions. Racking up first downs is a positive result of having an offense in sync and sustaining drives. The longer Seattle can sustain drives, the less chances Kyler Murray and Arizona’s offense will have to make impact plays.
The Seahawks’ record over their six home games this season. This is a shocking development after the Seahawks enjoyed one of the best home-field advantages in all of the NFL for the better part of a decade. This includes having lost four straight. Their last win at home came on September 22 against the Dolphins. This game is a big opportunity to flip the script at home after a tough stretch.
Game Preview: Can Seahawks Retake NFC West Lead vs. Cardinals?
Noah Fant Questionable to Suit Up For Seahawks vs. Cardinals
Back Healthy, Abraham Lucas ‘Big Time Difference Maker’ For Seahawks’ O-Line
Seahawks Look To Restore Home-Field Advantage
‘Fruits of Labor’ Pay Off For Seahawks C Olu Oluwatimi
-
Business1 week ago
Column: OpenAI just scored a huge victory in a copyright case … or did it?
-
Health1 week ago
Bird flu leaves teen in critical condition after country's first reported case
-
Business7 days ago
Column: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
-
Science4 days ago
Trump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
-
Politics6 days ago
Trump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
-
Technology5 days ago
Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
-
Lifestyle6 days ago
Some in the U.S. farm industry are alarmed by Trump's embrace of RFK Jr. and tariffs
-
World6 days ago
Protesters in Slovakia rally against Robert Fico’s populist government