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u.s. news Diamars 19 Juli 2022

GOP establishment steps up push to block Trump ally in Ariz

(AP) — Arizona Gov. the divide between the GOP they think will be best for
Doug Ducey has already establishment and Trump. the responsibility,” Ducey
helped block one of for- told The Associated Press.
mer President Donald The push for Robson is rem- “In Georgia, the voters said
Trump’s allies from win- iniscent of how many lead- Brian Kemp, and I’m hopeful
ning the Republican nom- ing Republicans, including in Arizona, they’ll say Karrin
ination for governor in a Ducey, rallied around Geor- Taylor Robson.”
crucial battleground state. gia Gov. Brian Kemp in the
Now he’s hoping for a re- final stretch of his ultimately As an incumbent seeking re-
peat in his own backyard. successful bid to fend off a election, Kemp had an advan-
Trump-endorsed primary tage over his primary rival,
Ducey is part of a burgeon- challenger. David Perdue, and ultimately
ing effort among establish- defeated him by nearly 52
ment Republicans to lift up Few states have been as cen- percentage points. Without
little-known housing devel- tral to Trump’s election lies as an incumbent on the ballot
oper Karrin Taylor Robson Georgia and Arizona, the two — Ducey faces term limits —
against former television closest 2020 battlegrounds the GOP contest in Arizona
news anchor Kari Lake, who where he pushed aggres- will likely be much closer.
is backed by Trump. Other sively to overturn the results
prominent Republicans, in- and fumed when Kemp and But what once looked like an
cluding former New Jersey Ducey refused to go along. insurmountable lead for Lake could prove significant in a
Gov. Chris Christie, have Trump has already faced a could end in a more competi- close race. Beyond Ducey Pence, who notably split with
also lined up behind Robson setback in Georgia, and the tive finish. With early voting and Christie, Robson has Trump in Georgia and cam-
in recent days. Aug. 2 race in Arizona is already underway, Robson lined up support from former paigned alongside Kemp,
among his last opportuni- is drawing on her family’s U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon, who praised Robson as “the only
On Monday, Robson’s cam- ties to settle scores and install vast fortune to drown out dropped out of the governor’s candidate for Governor that
paign announced the en- allies to lead states that may Lake who, despite Trump’s race and endorsed her. The will keep Arizona’s border
dorsement of former Vice prove decisive if he decides to endorsement, has lagged in Border Patrol union, mean- secure and streets safe, em-
President Mike Pence, who run again in 2024. fundraising. Robson had out- while, broke with Trump and power parents and create
will campaign with her spent Lake more than 5 to 1 backed Robson, citing in part great schools, and promote
on Friday — the same day “In Arizona, people are in- as of the end of June. Lake’s prior statements sup- conservative values.” Pence
Trump is scheduled to hold a dependent minded, much porting a pathway to citizen- said he was ”proud to sup-
rally for Lake, creating a split- like they are in Georgia, and The final maneuvering by ship for people living in the port her.”
screen moment underscoring they pick the person that some leading GOP figures country illegally.

Texas state police launch internal review of Uvalde response

(AP) — The Texas De- has said it would examine the room sooner. more than three hours of from inside the rooms, and
partment of Public Safety actions of its own officers The findings of an investiga- newly released body cam- that his understanding was
announced Monday an in- in the two months since the tive committee released Sun- era footage from the May 24 the officers on one side of
ternal review into the ac- deadliest school shooting in day were the first to criticize tragedy amounted to the full- the building knew there were
tions of state police who Texas history. both state and federal law en- est account to date of one of victims trapped inside. Still,
had dozens of troopers forcement, and not just local the worst school shootings in no one tried to breach the
and agents on the scene Texas DPS said in a statement authorities in the South Texas U.S. history. classroom.
during a slow and chaotic the review would “determine city for the bewildering inac-
response to the Uvalde if any violations of policy, law, tion by heavily armed officers “At Robb Elementary, law The committee didn’t “re-
elementary school massa- or doctrine occurred” during as a gunman fired inside two enforcement responders ceive medical evidence” to
cre. the response to the attack that adjoining fourth-grade class- failed to adhere to their active show that police storming
killed 19 children and two rooms. shooter training, and they the classrooms sooner would
The review comes as a damn- teachers in a fourth-grade failed to prioritize saving in- have saved lives, but it con-
ing new 80-page report re- classroom. It said the review Footage from city police of- nocent lives over their own cluded that “it is plausible
leased over the weekend by was launched last week. ficers’ body cameras made safety,” the report said. that some victims could have
the Texas House revealed public hours later only fur- survived if they had not had
wide failures by all levels of Texas DPS Director Steve ther emphasized the failures The gunman fired approxi- to wait 73 additional minutes
law enforcement. The find- McCraw has previously — and fueled the anger and mately 142 rounds inside for rescue.”
ings put more than 90 state called the law enforcement frustration of relatives of the the building — and it is “al-
troopers at Robb Elementary response to the shooting an victims. most certain” that at least 100 The findings had at least one
School during the May 24 “abject failure.” He has put shots came before any officer immediate effect: Lt. Mari-
tragedy. much of the blame on the “It’s disgusting. Disgusting,” entered, according to the re- ano Pargas, a Uvalde Police
school district’s police chief said Michael Brown, whose port, which laid out numer- Department officer who
It is the first time Texas DPS for not breaching the class- 9-year-old son was in the ous failures. Among them: was the city’s acting police
school’s cafeteria on the day chief during the massacre,
of the shooting and survived. — No one assumed com- was placed on administrative
“They’re cowards.” mand despite scores of offi- leave.
cers being on the scene.
Nearly 400 law enforcement Uvalde Mayor Don
officials rushed to the school, — The commander of a Bor- McLaughlin said an inves-
but “egregiously poor de- der Patrol tactical team wait- tigation would be launched
cision making” resulted in ed for a bulletproof shield to determine whether Par-
more than an hour of chaos and working master key for gas should have taken com-
before the gunman was fi- a door to the classrooms mand of the scene. He also
nally confronted and killed, that may have not even been disclosed for the first time
according to the report writ- needed, before entering. that some officers had left
ten by an investigative com- the force since the shooting
mittee from the Texas House — A Uvalde Police Depart- but did not provide an ex-
of Representatives. ment officer said he heard act number, saying it was as
Together, the report and about 911 calls that had come many as three.