Tag: arizona

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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Arizona Attorney General Shot Down by AZ Supreme Court in Lawfare Case Against 2020 Trump Electors – Plans to Seek New Grand Jury Indictment

The Arizona Supreme Court has denied Arizona Attorney General’s bid to revive her lawfare against 2020 electors in Arizona after an appeals court dismissed the case, saying Mayes misled and improperly improperly a grand jury. 

In April, 18 individuals, including Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, RNC attorney Christina Bobb, conservative attorney John Eastman, and Trump campaign adviser Boris Epshteyn, were indicted by Kris Mayes’ grand jury for challenging the stolen 2020 election and casting an alternative slate of electors for President Trump.

The charges include nine counts of conspiracy, fraudulent schemes and artifices, fraudulent schemes and practices, and forgery. “Defendants and unindicted coconspirators schemed to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency to keep Unindicted Coconspirator 1 in office against the will of Arizona’s voters,” Mayes’s indictment alleged. President Trump was named “Unindicted Coconspirator 1.”

But her case fell apart after a far-left judge allowed the defendants to argue that the charges were politically motivated. The same judge later recused himself after he was busted bashing white men and making demands that other judges in Arizona support Kamala Harris against her conservative critics.

A judge later ruled that state prosecutors improperly presented the case to a grand jury and failed to inform jurors of the Electoral Count Act, which dictates the rules of electoral vote counting and exonerates the defendants. An appeals court sided with the lower court judge, refusing even to consider the case in September.

The Gateway Pundit previously reported that Mayes sought to revive her case by appealing to the state’s high court last November.

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Phoenix Pride Files for Bankruptcy Ahead of ‘Pride Month’

Phoenix Pride, a prominent organization behind Arizona’s largest LGBTQ+ gathering, announced on the eve of “Pride Month” that it has filed for bankruptcy. 

“The filing, submitted Thursday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Arizona, showed that Phoenix Pride was seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, allowing time to continue operations while restructuring its debts under court supervision,” the Tucson Sentinel reported. 

The organization’s board of directors said in a press release that the decision “was not made lightly.” 

“Rising operational costs, economic uncertainty, shifts in sponsorship and fundraising partly due to the current political climate and administration, and increasing demands on nonprofit organizations have created circumstances we can no longer navigate alone,” the press release reads. “Like many Pride organizations and LGBTQ+ nonprofits across the country, Phoenix Pride has faced mounting financial pressures that threaten our long-term sustainability.” 

The local publication noted that Phoenix Pride’s financial woes come just months after Tucson Pride shut down “following years of financial strain and leadership problems.” 

“The sequence of events raises new questions about the sustainability of some of the state’s largest LGBTQ+ organizations as they navigate rising costs, strict budgets, internal struggles and community trust,” the report continues. 

Phoenix Pride said filing Chapter 11 gives the organization the opportunity to reorganize its finances while continuing to operate, with the board of directors saying, “Our mission has not changed.”

According to the local news report, residents at a January town hall questioned the organization’s finances, transparency, and long-term plan. In November, Phoenix Pride publicly announced that its budget was $350,000 short and blamed its troubles on waning festival attendance and the loss of major sponsors.

Court documents list three creditors or entities who allege the organization owes them money, including $11,770 to a Wells Fargo Business Elite Card account and $1,600 to Oracle Event Group, per the report.

“The largest debt is a disputed claim of $418,886.31 tied to Pride Group, LLC, an Arizona-based event services company. A disputed claim means the two organizations disagree about the amount of money owed. The details of the dispute have not been disclosed,” the report details.

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Arizona Attorney General Tells Maricopa Supervisors To Ignore Recorder’s Elections Authority

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes advised the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to ignore Recorder Justin Heap’s claim of exclusive authority on drop box establishment. 

Mayes sent a letter to the board and Heap on Friday claiming Heap’s counsel had made “unfounded threats of criminal liability” for telling the board that they would face felony charges for managing ballot drop boxes. 

Mayes cited the state’s current and past two Elections Procedures Manuals (EPMs) to back her assessment. The EPMs recognized that boards of supervisors or their designees approve all ballot drop-off locations and drop-boxes. 

“Justin Heap is wrong about drop boxes,” said Mayes. “He should immediately work with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in good faith to ensure a well run [sic] election.” 

Notice from Heap’s counsel closely preceded a vote taken by the board earlier this week to designate 12 drop box locations throughout the county for the upcoming primary election in July. These drop boxes are scheduled to become active at the end of June. 

Heap claimed the board never consulted him about the proposed drop box locations. 

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More States Enact New Laws Curbing Teachers Unions

New organized labor reforms signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week require a majority of members to be present for teachers union certification or recertification votes, increase fines for illegal strikes, and establish merit-based pay for educators.

In Idaho, after July 1, teachers unions will be prohibited from collecting dues directly from members’ paychecks, using paid time off for union activities, or recruiting new members during school hours.

A similar law in Arizona, which also bans teacher strikes and prohibits organized labor members from using any school property—even email addresses—for union activities, will be decided on by voters in the November election.

“They can’t consume taxpayer-funded resources during the school day,” said Rusty Brown, special projects director for the Freedom Foundation policy organization, which assisted state legislators with those measures and helps teachers opt out of union membership.

These ideas are expected to gain ground throughout the nation in the months and years ahead, Brown told The Epoch Times.

Individually, the Freedom Foundation’s Teacher Freedom Alliance has so far helped more than 272,535 teachers opt out of union membership, including more than 50,000 in 2025 alone, according to data provided to The Epoch Times. This includes educators in red and blue states.

At the state level, Oklahoma lawmakers have advanced legislation that would allow teachers to withdraw from a union at any time and would terminate “closed shop” provisions that prevent teachers from accessing alternative labor or professional organizations, such as the Teacher Freedom Alliance.

Brown calls this an “equal access and an end to a monopoly and captive audience bill.” Alternative organizations can offer teacher liability insurance and other benefits at a fraction of the price that traditional unions charge, he said.

Brown said he believes that the legislation could pass before Oklahoma’s session ends later this month, but the member withdrawal proposal probably won’t go through this session.

Alabama state lawmakers will consider legislation similar to Oklahoma’s next session, he said.

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Federal Judge Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Requesting Arizona Voter Data

A federal judge on April 28 dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) against Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes that sought access to state voter registration data.

Judge Susan Brnovich of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona wrote in a 13-page ruling that Arizona’s voter registration list is “not a document subject to request by the Attorney General“ and that the DOJ did not provide sufficient argument to ”convince the court” to allow access to the data.

“Accordingly, the Court will dismiss the Attorney General’s claim with prejudice because amendment would be legally futile,” Brnovich wrote.

The DOJ filed its lawsuit against Fontes’s office in January, saying he refused to provide the department with the list in August 2025.

It asked for Fontes to provide the DOJ with “the current electronic copy of Arizona’s computerized statewide voter registration list, with all fields, including each registrant’s full name, date of birth, residential address, and either their state driver’s license number, the last four digits of their Social Security number, or [Help America Vote Act] unique identifier” within five days of a court order.

The DOJ had argued that the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act require that states maintain voter lists to ensure their accuracy. Further, it said that Congress provided the attorney general with the capacity to request state voting records under Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960.

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Arizona Democratic Party Nearing $1 Million In Debt

The Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) is heading into the second quarter of this pivotal election year with a negative cash balance exceeding $720,000.

Their latest campaign finance report, filed last week, reflected total-to-date expenditures that nearly tripled their income: over $2.8 million compared to $1 million. 

For this first period, ADP’s expenditures did fall below their income: about $67,500 compared to $151,500. 

ADP experienced much stronger fundraising in the first quarter of 2022, the last midterm election year. The party’s reported income was over $370,000 and expenditures were $146,000 in that first quarter.

A stark difference was evident between ADP’s campaign finances for the last two off-years as well.

The party’s campaign finance report data for all of 2025 reflected income just below $857,000, but expenditures totaling over $2.7 million. In the first quarter of 2025, the party raised only about $210,000 and spent nearly $360,000.

Comparatively, by the end of 2023, ADP had $1.5 million more in income than expenditures. In the first quarter of 2023, ADP raised nearly $1 million and expended about $227,000.

Some among ADP leadership did warn last summer that the party would go broke by the end of the year. The party has dealt with publicized infighting for about a year.

Unlike other transfers listed, shared expenses with the Navajo County Democratic Committee (NCDC) were categorized as an “unlimited transfer” routing arrangement for ADP funds. 

NCDC has a surplus of nearly $1.6 million. Since the beginning of last year, NCDC has sent over $61,000 to ADP. 

In that same time period ADP sent back over $107,000 to NCDC, or $46,000 more than NCDC has sent. Their cycle to date reported a cash flow between the two totaling nearly $150,000. 

Navajo County accounted for ADP’s second-largest expenditure last year. 

AZ Free News contacted ADP about the state of their finances and their fiscal arrangement with NCDC. ADP didn’t respond to our inquiry.

Apart from NCDC, ADP’s number-one expenditure last year by far was $1.7 million last August to the Copper State Values PAC, established and run by Gov. Katie Hobbs’ campaign manager Nicole DeMont and treasurer Dacey Montoya. Since DeMont set up the PAC in December 2024, its primary function has appeared to be a funding arm for the Hobbs reelection campaign. 

The PAC sent back $94,500 a few months later, last December. 

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Democrat Senator Ruben Gallego Now Accused of Sexual Misconduct

I recently wrote that rumors suggested Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) might be the next domino to fall after sexual misconduct allegations took down Eric Swalwell.

Well, it’s happened. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) has confirmed that the previously unnamed senator she accused of “very disturbing” misconduct earlier this week is, in fact, Gallego.

Luna confirmed this during an interview with CBS News’ Major Garrett, who pressed her about the cryptic X post she made on Wednesday.

When Garrett asked her point-blank who she was talking about, Luna didn’t dance around it.

“We are talking about an Arizona senator that was very closely tied to Eric Swalwell,” she said, confirming it was Gallego when Garrett named him directly. She also noted that she’d already been in contact with Thune’s chief of staff and that the matter had been referred to Senate Select Committee on Ethics for investigation.

So what exactly is “very disturbing”? Luna laid it out, albeit carefully. “Without, I guess, getting too graphic, there is a woman that allegedly is coming forward with attorneys, wants to go on record about an incident that occurred between the two of them at the same time, and the event was sexual in nature, allegedly.”

Luna added that the allegations extend beyond that, pointing to what she described as two separate campaign finance violations.

Luna was clear that she was not positioning herself as an investigator. She’s one House member, not a prosecutor, not an ethics committee, and not the Senate. But she made it clear she has no interest in doing what she says too many of her colleagues have done.

”I’m not going to be like some of my colleagues that waited, you know, forever and a day to bring this information forward,” she said. “I think that if this is happening, that it needs to be dealt with.”

When Garrett asked whether any of the allegations against Gallego sounded criminal to her, she said, “I think that if it involves people that were potentially trafficked, yes.”

That’s a serious word, and Garrett pushed her on it, but Luna didn’t back down: “I think any time that you are knowingly engaging in purchasing someone for sex, that that is something that should be taken seriously.” She noted the U.S. already ranks among the worst countries in the world for human trafficking according to the State Department’s own Trafficking in Persons report.

Luna connected the dots to a broader pattern she says has been an open secret in Washington: “A lot of this behavior was circulating publicly. People had heard about it, but they didn’t present it to the appropriate authorities.” She also took direct aim at Congress’s infamous slush fund used to settle sexual harassment and assault claims quietly. Three-quarters of Congress voted to protect that fund, she noted. House Committee on Oversight had to subpoena the records, which she expects to arrive the following week.

She even acknowledged the obvious counterargument: that false allegations exist and ruin careers. But given what’s already surfaced about Swalwell and the fact that multiple members of Congress are now reportedly under active ethics scrutiny for similar conduct, she concluded that the risk of inaction outweighs the discomfort of speaking out. “Most people don’t have these types of allegations. Most people don’t have these types of rumors floating around about their offices,” she said.

“I don’t want to serve with these people. I don’t think that they should be in positions of power, and I definitely don’t like what I’ve seen in regards to how they’ve treated women specifically. It’s actually really gross when you hear about it.”

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