Tag: arizona

OF COURSE! Katie Hobbs to Skip Arizona Gubernatorial Debate Against Trump-Endorsed Andy Biggs – Biggs Campaign Responds!

Arizona Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs said on Thursday that for a second consecutive election, she will not participate in a debate. 

Hobbs previously refused to participate in her primary and general election debates in 2022 before she stole the election from Trump-endorsed Kari Lake.

In a statement, Hobbs’ campaign manager Nicole DeMont told 12 News, “We respectfully decline debate invitations in this campaign because face-to-face engagement with Arizonans is more effective than a stage designed for short soundbites and political theater.”

DeMont went on to say that Hobbs has done “more than 100 open-press events”; therefore, she’s exempt from the tradition of defending her candidacy on the debate stage.

Hobbs’ team issued a similar statement amid the controversy during the last election cycle, blaming the circumstances surrounding the debate, when she refused to square off against Kari Lake.

“Debating a conspiracy theorist like Kari Lake – whose entire campaign platform is to cause enormous chaos and make Arizona the subject of national ridicule – would only lead to constant interruptions, pointless distractions, and childish name-calling,” the Hobbs campaign said last year.

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HORROR: Whistleblower says Native Americans were drugged, locked in fake rehab houses so criminals could steal billions from Medicaid – up to 2,000 dead or missing

A massive Medicaid fraud scheme in Arizona has left up to 2,000 Native Americans feared dead or missing, with whistleblowers and attorneys sounding the alarm that the nightmare is still ongoing.

New whistleblower allegations claim vulnerable Native Americans were allegedly lured into white vans with promises of treatment, then plied with fentanyl, methamphetamine, alcohol, and other drugs before being imprisoned inside fake behavioral health homes where operators allegedly billed Medicaid for months of fraudulent “treatment.”

Arizona officials have previously estimated the fraud exceeded $2.5 to $2.8 billion, while the latest whistleblower allegations contend the broader network may have generated up to $12 billion in fraudulent Medicaid claims over time.

Even more chilling, as many as 2,000 Native Americans may be dead or missing as a result of the sprawling scheme, according to NewsNation Now.

Arizona officials knew about the fraud as far back as 2019, according to the lawsuit.

The news outlet reported:

A Navajo advocate who has blown the whistle on fraudulent “sober living” homes in Arizona says she began shining a light on the Medicaid scam targeting Native Americans after her own cousin was kidnapped by operators who plied her relative with drugs and alcohol.

“They told her she would go to Phoenix for the day and (they would) take her home. All throughout the ride they gave her alcohol,” Reva Stewart told “Jesse Weber Live” on Friday.

She said the people who took her cousin demanded personal information from her as they tried to persuade her to stay at a residence. When her cousin refused, Stewart said, they gave her a fentanyl pill and “told her that she would have to find her way home.”

When Stewart learned of her relative’s ordeal, she realized there was a connection between other missing Native Americans and white vans that were observed cruising around tribal communities.

A civil lawsuit against the Arizona government says state officials enabled what essentially was a plot to divert as many as 7,000 Native Americans to fake sober living homes in Phoenix.

Operators allegedly charged billions in Medicaid services that were not provided as handlers plied residents with drugs. An estimated 2,000 victims are still missing, attorneys have said.

During a recent interview, Stewart detailed the ongoing lawsuit and whistleblower testimony, describing conditions that resemble human trafficking more than addiction treatment.

According to whistleblower accounts, recruiters allegedly drove through tribal communities in unmarked white vans looking for vulnerable people struggling with addiction.

Victims were allegedly offered food, shelter, and treatment before being transported to bogus treatment centers.

Once inside, many never received legitimate medical care.

Instead, whistleblowers say patients were deliberately kept addicted because every additional day meant another Medicaid reimbursement.

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Anti-ICE walkout exposes how school district ‘failed’ parents, risked student safety: ‘Broken my trust’

Internal emails, messages and memos from Arizona’s Flagstaff Unified School District (FUSD) reveal that staff allegedly breached security protocol and violated several school policies by facilitating a student walkout to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) earlier this year, according to America First Legal.

Hundreds of Flagstaff high school and middle school students walked out of class to protest ICE on Jan. 28. The protest came amid national controversy over the deaths of anti-ICE activists Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota. Immediately after the walkout, many parents, citing safety concerns, expressed outrage that they were not notified that their children had been allowed to leave school premises without their consent. One parent who said they had children under the age of 12 said the “district failed us as parents.”

Documents obtained by America First Legal, a conservative watchdog group, reveal that FUSD officials knew about the walkout days in advance and also coordinated with students. The documents, which were reviewed by Fox News Digital, were obtained by America First Legal through a lawsuit forcing FUSD to comply with its public records request for records related to the walkout.

Screenshots from a district staff text group show faculty coordinating during the walkout. One staff member texted, “We have 75 plus students staged outside of fhs [Flagstaff High School] getting ready to walk.” In the same message, the staff member wrote, “Looks like we have some members of the public joining.”

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Transgender DSA Member and Former AZ Democratic Party Vice Chair Arrested After Allegedly Breaking into Home Wielding Knife and Duct Tape – Claims He Was Roleplaying

A former Arizona congressional candidate and ex-Democratic Party leader was arrested last week on charges of felony burglary at an ex-partner’s home. 

The suspect, Brianna Westbrook, has run for federal and state offices, including a failed 2018 bid for US Congress and losses in Democratic primaries for the Arizona State Senate and Arizona House of Representatives in 2018 and 2022.

According to ballotready.org, Westbrook’s professional experience includes serving as the Southwest Regional Co-Chair of the Democratic Socialists of America Immigrant Rights National Working Group from 2019 to the present, and a past stint as Arizona Democratic Party Vice Chair from 2019 to 2021.

Westbrook was reportedly arrested after a former partner told the police that Westbrook allegedly “pushed her way” into the victim’s home, while carrying a knife and duct tape, according to 12 News Phoenix.

Following a struggle inside the home, Westbrook reportedly threatened the victim and another individual inside the home before Westbrook reportedly “took off running,” according to records.

According to court documents, officers found “a knife, tape, and gloves” after conducting a search.

Westbrook, however, told police it was a “big misunderstanding” and that they were acting out a role-playing scene, which the victim has denied.

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Arizona Supreme Court Delivers Crushing Blow to Maricopa Board of Supervisors

The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday delivered a crushing blow to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors when it ended a Court of Appeals stay and reinstated a superior court’s injunctions, with modifications, that returned election-administration responsibilities of the county’s elections back to the County Recorder, Justin Heap.

The Arizona Supreme Court vacated the Court of Appeals stay from June and reinstated with modifications the “superior court injunctions governing the allocation of election-administration responsibilities between the Maricopa County Recorder and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.”

According to the Supreme Court’s News Release:

The dispute concerns which county office has the authority to perform election duties that Arizona statutes assign to “the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections.” Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap argued that those duties belong to the Recorder or to an officer designated by the Recorder.

The Board of Supervisors argued that its budgetary and administrative authority permitted it to assign those functions to a Board-appointed elections director.

The Court concluded that the Recorder is likely to prevail on the statutory interpretation issue. Relying on Arizona precedent, the Court explained that a county board of supervisors may not use its funding authority to assume or reassign statutory responsibilities entrusted to an independently elected county officer.

The Court reaffirmed that the Board has a nondiscretionary duty to fund the Recorder’s necessary expenses and may not use budgetary control to displace duties assigned by law to the Recorder or to an officer acting under the Recorder’s authority.

The Court also addressed election timing concerns. It recognized that courts should exercise caution before altering election procedures close to an election, particularly while early voting for the 2026 Primary Election is underway. However, it concluded that those concerns do not replace Arizona’s stay analysis or determine which official has legal authority under Arizona law.

To minimize disruption, the Court reinstated the superior court’s injunctions, as modified by the Recorder’s 12-point interim operational protocol.

Those temporary procedures are intended to preserve continuity during the ongoing Primary Election while the appeal proceeds. The Court also stated that either party may seek further interim modifications from the Court of Appeals.

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Top Dem Senator Under Federal Investigation Over Campaign Spending

Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) is under federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for suspected campaign finance violations, according to.

The probe originated from a whistleblower complaint filed from Southern California, the outlet reported.

The investigation centers on the use of funds from Gallego’s political action committee for family travel and related expenses. Specific examples cited in connection with the allegations include trips to Miami, Chicago, Disneyland, and Disney World.

These matters were previously examined as part of a separate congressional ethics process.

A review of federal campaign finance records from Politico detailed additional spending by Gallego’s campaign committee and his leadership PAC, Juntos PAC. The records show more than $18,000 in reimbursements for child care since 2019, including payments to an au pair company and a $400 payment to Gallego’s mother-in-law for babysitting during a campaign fundraiser.

The leadership PAC covered costs for family travel to locations including a Miami Beach hotel stay exceeding $9,000 for a birthday celebration that also involved political events, a Chicago trip with nearly $1,500 in lodging that included a fundraiser, and meals and hotels at Disneyland and Disney World totaling nearly $1,500 (excluding flights).

Family members, including Gallego’s wife Sydney, their children, and an au pair, joined multiple trips. A joint fundraising committee with former Rep. Eric Swalwell also covered expenses related to the 2023 Super Bowl in Arizona, including event tickets and a pre-game brunch.

Gallego has stated that the expenditures comply with Federal Election Commission rules. In response to the Politico reporting, he wrote that such travel with family members for campaign and fundraising purposes is permitted and occurs regularly among members of Congress from both parties, noting the rising costs of child care.

A spokesperson for Gallego described the Miami trip as part of a multi-stop political and fundraising swing and the Chicago trip as including a fundraiser and attendance at political events.

Juntos PAC, established in February 2024, has raised nearly $1.5 million, with more than half of the funds coming from corporate PACs. Leadership PACs are subject to different rules than principal campaign committees and allow greater flexibility for expenditures tied to fundraising activities.

Gallego’s office has noted that the senator proactively established a legal defense fund in the preceding month.

The investigation follows the closure of an inquiry by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. In a letter dated June 26, 2026, the committee informed Gallego that it “did not find evidence that your actions violated Federal law, Senate Rules or related standards of conduct.” The ethics inquiry stemmed from a complaint filed in April by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), which alleged campaign finance violations and inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature.

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Pro-Amnesty RINO AZ Congressional Candidate Jay Feely Defends DACA, Points to His Record of Importing Haitians Under TPS in GOP Debate

Ex-Arizona Cardinals Kicker and Arizona RINO Congressional Candidate Jay Feely came out in defense of mass migration and DACA during his GOP Primary Debate last week. 

Feely faces Arizona State Representative Joseph Chaplik, the only Trump-aligned candidate in the race, in the July 21 Primary election. Mail-in voting started on June 24.

Despite his pro-amnesty stance, a history of close ties to the Clinton family and the Clinton Foundation, support for Barack Obama, and attacks on Trump, Feely was endorsed by Trump, leaving Arizona Trump supporters scratching their heads.

During the debate on Thursday, when the candidates were asked about Obama’s controversial Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which gives amnesty to illegal aliens who arrived in the US as children, Feely appeared to defend the program.

Chaplik responded to the question of “How do you balance the humane behavior there with coming down hard on criminals?” by emphasizing the need to continue strict immigration enforcement. “The criminals, the violent drug dealers, the rapist, the murderers that are in our country, we need to get them out immediately,” he said.

Chaplik continued, “We need to make sure that we have strong workforce labor, but the criteria is American. We do not want anti-American people in this country. It does not help our country. And so, when people come across that border, and they’re chanting ‘Death to America, that’s not the person I want working in the fields, and I don’t want that person working anywhere in this country.”

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Ransom Note from Nancy Guthrie’s Alleged Kidnapper Apologized for Her ‘Accidental’ Death, Demanded Money for Her Body

The second ransom note sent to a Tucson television station shortly after the February abduction of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie claimed she had died shortly after being taken and was buried “in nature,” according to a new report.

The note, received around February 6, was a major shift from the earlier message from the same IP address that had demanded millions in bitcoin for her safe return.

The latter note adopted a “new, less confident tone” and included a “sputtering and labored” apology for her “inadvertent death,” sources told Air Mail in a detailed report on the investigation.

The person claiming to be the kidnapper reportedly floated returning her body in exchange for payment.

After the second note was received, Savannah Guthrie posted a video addressing the alleged kidnapper.

“We received your message and we understand,” Savannah Guthrie said. “We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. … This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”

Investigators with the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department were given the notes, which allegedly contained specific, non-public details about the crime scene, and flagged them as potentially credible and likely originating from the actual abductor or abductors.

These details included a broken floodlight behind Guthrie’s home and information about the Apple Watch she was wearing when she disappeared.

“There are a lot of different notes, I think, that came, and I think most of them — it’s my understanding — are not real, and I didn’t see them,” Savannah Guthrie said in an interview with NBC. “But I believe the two notes that we received, that we responded to, I tend to believe those are real.”

Several ransom notes were sent to media outlets in the days after the disappearance, including TMZ, which has confirmed the notes they received did not mention her death.

TMZ also received emails from another individual claiming to know Guthrie’s location and the kidnappers’ whereabouts in exchange for bitcoin.

One of those emails initially said “time is of the essence,” but a later message stated “time is no longer of the essence,” which Levin interpreted as possibly implying she was no longer alive.

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Report: Ruben Gallego Used Campaign Donations for Babysitting and Luxury Family Trips, Including Disneyland, Disney World, Super Bowl

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) repeatedly used campaign cash for child care and luxury outings with his family since launching his campaign for Senate in 2023.

That according to a report Sunday by Politico that scrutinized the senator’s campaign finance records and spoke with an unnamed source familiar with the lawmaker’s spending.

The Arizona Democrat used his leadership political action committee (PAC) to fund recent trips to Miami, Chicago, Disneyland, and Disney World with his family, according to the report.

Federal Election Commission records also show Gallego tapped his PAC and his main campaign committee for more than $18,000 in reimbursements for child care since 2019, including paying his wife’s mother $400 for babysitting.

Gallego also used a joint campaign account with disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) to attend the 2023 Super Bowl in Arizona with his wife, Sydney, according to the political news outlet.

According to Politico:

Federal lawmakers can legally use campaign committee funds for travel, food, events and even child care, as long as those funds are not for “personal use,” meaning they may not cover activities that would exist irrespective of the campaign, according to the FEC. Leadership PACs are not even beholden to that “personal use” rule, meaning lawmakers have broad latitude to use the money they raise as long as it has some fundraising function. Ruben Gallego has leaned into that leeway, with his three children, Sydney Gallego, her mother and their full-time au pair frequently joining the senator on donors’ dime, according to the person, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the situation.

“He just spends his campaign account like it’s his personal slush fund,” the source told the outlet. “He’s using campaign cash to live a luxury lifestyle.”

Gallego appeared unconcerned about donor funds being used to pay for family travel or child care and did not dispute the numbers.

“This is not breaking news,” he said in a statement to Politico. “With the rising costs of child care and the burden it has on the budgets of American families, Democrats and Republicans in Congress and the White House alike regularly travel with their wives and children, as is permitted by the FEC.”’

Gallego is reportedly considering a presidential run in 2028.

The source familiar with the senator’s spending habits told the outlet there was concern among some of Gallego’s aids that he would fail the required vetting to be president or vice president.

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36 Illegal Alien Commercial Truck Drivers Busted in Yuma Border Patrol Sector in 5 Days

During a five-day targeted enforcement operation, Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents arrested 52 illegal aliens during immigration stops on major Arizona highways. Of those, 36 were found to be operating commercial vehicles with licenses issued by states with sanctuary policies.

Yuma Sector agents carried out a five-day enforcement operation in mid-May, according to a social media post by sector officials. A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Transportation praised the efforts of the Yuma Sector agents this week in a message to Breitbart Texas, saying, “This is another reminder of how the Biden-Buttigieg administration failed American truckers and made our roads less safe for families.”

Officials reported that the illegal alien truck drivers were nationals of El Salvador, India, Mexico, Turkey, and Russia. Many of the individuals were working under expired work authorizations that were issued during the Biden administration. These are no longer valid, officials stated.

“USDOT is proud to support Border Patrol operations to take these dangerous foreign drivers off of our roads.” the spokesperson told Breitbart. “We need our state and local law enforcement partners to work with DHS and neutralize this threat before more innocent people die.”

This week, Yuma Sector officials announced the arrest of another Indian national, Magandeep Singh. After making contact with Singh during a traffic stop and immigration inspection, the Blythe Station agents uncovered that the illegal alien from India has an international alert and is wanted for homicide. The agents confirmed the arrest notice and processed the man for deportation.

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