In the wake of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination, comments from Arizona Democrats and some media figures struck a sour note Thursday. Their remarks drew swift and widespread condemnation across social media.
Most prominently, an initial comment from Governor Katie Hobbs calling for “lowering the temperature of our politics” has generated outrage, seen by many as a critique of Kirk.
Hobbs wrote in a statement, “I am deeply saddened by the news of the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I am saddened for Charlie’s family, friends, and Arizonans as they mourn his loss, and I am saddened for our country as our politics have descended into horrific violence. This tragedy is not about who Charlie Kirk supported politically. It is about the devastating loss of a father, a neighbor, and an Arizonan who called this state home, and whose life was cut short by senseless violence.”
Hobbs’ statement took a turn, however, with her adding, “We must stand together in rejecting violence, lowering the temperature of our politics, and recommitting ourselves to the values of civility, respect, and community that American democracy requires.”
The comments from Arizonans in general and groups like the Arizona Free Enterprise Club (AZFEC) were immediate and scathing.
“Katie Hobbs uses Charlie Kirk’s assassination to lecture conservatives that they need to ‘lower the temperature.’ Everything Charlie did was civil, engaging political opponents in open dialogue with ideas and arguments. Sorry Katie, we won’t back down,” AZFEC posted on X.
Katie Hobbs uses Charlie Kirk's assassination to lecture conservatives that they need to "lower the temperature." Everything Charlie did was civil, engaging political opponents in open dialogue with ideas and arguments. Sorry Katie, we won't back down.
Garrett Lewis, Host of The Afternoon Addiction on 550 KFYI, replied, “All Charlie did was have civilized discussions and he showed respect to everyone, including those that disagreed with him. You evil freak.”
Pro-life commentator ‘Sanctity of Life’ responded with a harsh critique writing, “What should concern you and others who are prominent in the Democrat party is to change the tone of the party rhetoric that incites violence. Until that happens no one will take you Democrats seriously. We’re sick of being demonized and threatened for disagreeing with you!”
Gerald Bourguet, the now-former Lead Suns writer for PHNX Sports and co-host of the Phoenix Suns Podcast, was severely criticized after posting a lengthy thread blasting Kirk just hours after his death. The post resulted in PHNX Sports making “the decision to part ways,” early Thursday morning.
"Political differences" are not the same thing as spewing hateful rhetoric on a daily basis, and refusing to mourn a life devoted to that cause is not the same thing as celebrating gun violence. Just so we're 100% clear on that.
In a post to X announcing the decision, PHNX Sports wrote, “The opinions expressed by our employees do not represent the views of PHNX or ALLCITY Network. We take matters involving violence very seriously and are committed to ensuring that ALLCITY remains a safe place for our employees and community alike. We have addressed this matter with the individual and made the decision to part ways.”
The decision was praised by Tyler Bowyer of Turning Point USA, who wrote, “As a subscriber to @PHNX_Sports, thank you @Espo for making the right decision. Won’t forget that.”
As of this report, no public reaction has been issued by the Phoenix Suns.
In just the first week of September, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought criminal charges related to illegal immigration against 218 defendants.
Among these cases, 107 aliens faced charges for illegally entering the United States, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). 100 aliens were charged for re-entering unlawfully, along with eleven suspects charged for “smuggling illegal aliens into and within” the state as part of ‘Operation Take Back America’.
As reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO), the September cases were either referred or supported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
In the previous week, the last of August, 233 individuals were charged, showing a slight dip in apprehensions week-over-week. Still, the DOJ has maintained an overall consistent pace, with 107 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the U.S., and 108 aliens charged for illegally entering.
This afternoon, a federal grand jury in Tucson indicted Julio Cesar Aguirre on five counts, including Attempted Carjacking Resulting in Death.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office highlighted a few notable cases, including one involving a Mexican national, Jose Uriel Meraz-Aguilar, 20, who U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested along with three other people. Aguilar was reportedly “wearing camouflage and carpet shoes,” and “attempted to travel north through the desert toward Interstate 8, but became separated,” a common scenario for human smugglers. Two of his companions were rescued and received medical care for dehydration and heat exhaustion.
According to the USAO, “Agents learned that Meraz-Aguilar was being paid to serve as a foot guide for the Salazares Cartel, and that he had left the individuals behind in the desert on cartel instructions.”
In a similar case, Edwuin Lucino Hernandez-Cordero, also a Mexican national, was charged with Conspiracy to Transport an Illegal Alien. The USAO’s report stated, “Hernandez-Cordero had previously been pulled over in July 2025 while transporting five illegal aliens. Subsequent investigation linked Hernandez-Cordero to stash houses in Glendale and Phoenix run by a human smuggling organization. Hernandez-Cordero and his associates were identified as drivers and caretakers involved in transporting illegal aliens throughout the United States for profit.”
In aggregate, the DOJ publicly reported weekly data under ‘Operation Take Back America’ shows that for the past 27 weeks since the operation’s announcement, about 20,000 individuals have faced charges ranging from immigration violations, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses, to conspiring with narco-terrorist cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
Robert “Bob” Corbin, a longtime Arizona public official who served as state Attorney General and played a pivotal role in some of the state’s most high-profile legal cases, has died. He was 96.
Corbin’s career in public service spanned decades, beginning as Maricopa County Attorney and later as a member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. In 1979, he was elected Arizona’s Attorney General, a position he held through the 1980s.
Known for his commitment to integrity in government, Corbin gained recognition for prosecuting public officials accused of corruption and for pursuing justice in the 1976 car-bomb killing of Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles — a case that shocked the state and the nation. His work in that era helped shape Arizona’s reputation for taking on organized crime and political misconduct.
Maricopa County Chairman Thomas Galvin expressed condolences, saying Corbin “was a man of integrity and a selfless public servant” whose leadership left a lasting mark on the state. “He played a central role in landmark judicial cases, went after officials who violated the public trust, and prosecuted those responsible for the murder of journalist Don Bolles,” Galvin said in a statement. “As both an attorney and elected official, I am humbled to follow in the footsteps of someone so influential and principled.”
Beyond his courtroom and public service record, Corbin was respected across party lines for his measured approach to law enforcement and governance. He also served as president of the National Rifle Association in the early 1990s, a role that reflected his deep involvement in public policy beyond Arizona.
Corbin is survived by his wife, former state senator Lori Klein Corbin, along with family, friends, and colleagues who remember him as a man deeply devoted to both his work and the people of Arizona.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
President Donald Trump has done an admirable job at defanging the IRS, which was converted into a weaponized agency targeting their political enemies.
Chief Justice John Marshall famously pronounced early in our nation’s history that “the power to tax is the power to destroy.”
The Democrats inside the Biden IRS took that to heart. They hired thousands of new IRS agents to harass businesses, rich people, and, in some cases, Republican donors. Some of the lieutenants to the infamous IRS enforcer Lois Lerner, the woman who aimed her agency’s auditing guns at conservative groups, are still active at the tax agency.
One of the most noxious of Biden’s left-over regulatory rules applies to partnerships – an increasingly common form of business organization and expansion. Microsoft’s revenues/profits flow down through its business partners.
Business partnerships are vital contributors to the U.S. economy. A 2024 study by Ernst and Young for the Small Business Entrepreneur Council found that 10 million Americans work for these partnerships, and they generate $1.3 trillion in GDP.
The IRS evidently thinks they are TOO successful.
A gang of holdovers from the Biden administration and the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, Ron Wyden of Oregon, are trying to administratively change the taxation of pass-throughs and partnerships and subject these entities to “guilty until proven innocent” audits. The changes would alter the “economic substance doctrine” which determines how the taxes on a business’s profits are applied to the partners. If the entities are found liable for increased tax assessments, they could face a giant tax bill AND a confiscatory 60% strict liability penalty.
These partnership rules are admittedly murky and may need updated protections against potential tax evasion abuses. But this rewrite of the tax laws would be applied WITHOUT CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL. The Trump admin promised to end this illegal rewrite of the tax laws, but because of the turmoil at the IRS – with a revolving door of IRS Commissioners – the Biden-era rules still stand.
Meanwhile, Wyden has introduced legislation to codify these new rules into law. Get this: the Joint Committee on Taxation scores these IRS “reforms” as a potential $730 billion business tax increase over the next decade.
If the IRS isn’t told to cease and desist, they could be the perpetrators of the largest non-congressionally approved tax increase in American history.
The Trump administration is supposed to be easing the tax burden on our businesses and employers to make them more globally competitive, not handing them a three-quarter trillion-dollar tax INCREASE.
Trump or Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent should fix this tax raid on business before it reverses some of the job-creating benefits of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill.
Stephen Moore is a contributor to The Daily Caller News Foundation, a visiting senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, and a co-founder of Unleash Prosperity.
Border Patrol is stepping up enforcement along the U.S.-Mexico border with new “prosecution enhancements,” according to Jason E. Schneider, Acting Chief Patrol Agent for the Rio Grande Valley. The policy applies harsher federal charges to both illegal aliens crossing the border and smugglers.
In a post to X, Chief Schneider announced that the “RGV Border Patrol is now using tougher federal charges against illegal crossings & smuggling, including: 18 USC 2339 – Aiding Terrorists, 8 USC 1326 – Illegal Reentry, 8 USC 1324 – Alien Smuggling, 8 USC 1325 – Illegal Entry.”
Prosecution Enhancements in Effect
RGV Border Patrol is now using tougher federal charges against illegal crossings & smuggling, including: • 18 USC 2339 – Aiding Terrorists • 8 USC 1326 – Illegal Reentry • 8 USC 1324 – Alien Smuggling • 8 USC 1325 – Illegal Entry pic.twitter.com/hQd0HdGLjS
— Jason E. Schneider, (Acting) Chief Patrol Agent (@USBPChiefRGV) September 6, 2025
In an infographic, the post from Schneider announced, “The Border is Closed.”
Under 18 U.S.C. § 2339A and 18 U.S.C. § 2339B, U.S. law says, “Whoever provides material support or resources or conceals or disguises the nature, location, source, or ownership of material support or resources, knowing or intending that they are to be used in preparation for, or in carrying out” a terrorist attack will face punishments ranging from fines to 15 years in prison, or if the death of any person should be connected to their action, a life sentence.
In a follow-up comment, Schneider wrote, “Cross illegally & you will face serious consequences. Honor First!”
— Jason E. Schneider, (Acting) Chief Patrol Agent (@USBPChiefRGV) August 1, 2025
Schneider was named acting chief patrol agent following the removal of former RGV Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez. In a statement released to Valley Central in early August, U.S. CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott explained, “CBP does not comment on specific disciplinary actions,” however, he alluded to “misconduct—on or off duty—by a few,” and “refusing to accept misconduct of even a few, regardless of rank.”
He stated in full:
“We will continue to adhere to our core values: Integrity is our cornerstone. We are guided by the highest ethical and moral principles. Our actions must bring honor to ourselves and our agency. Misconduct—on or off duty—by a few distracts from the honorable service of the many. CBP leadership under the Trump Administration are extremely proud to support the agents that honorably protect America every day by refusing to accept misconduct of even a few, regardless of rank.”
