by Matthew Holloway | Apr 25, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
An Arizona legislator has put out the call: he needs a second job. Arizona Representative Nick Kupper (R-LD25) put out posts to LinkedIn and X on Tuesday announcing that he is seeking to start a new role in addition to his work as a lawmaker.
Writing in a post to X, Kupper explained, “If you’re wondering, state reps make ~$35k with base pay/per diem. Once I got elected I was laid off for being a legislator. That sucks, but I’d rather go bankrupt than give up on my constituents. That being said 4 kids eat a lot, so if you know of any remote jobs I’m all ears.”
In his post to LinkedIn, he wrote, “My role as State Rep is great, but pays very little and timing wise effectively only allows me to work remote roles.”
In Arizona, the state legislature has been traditionally viewed as a part-time job. With the session running from January often through June or even July, it’s easy to see why. And while strange compared to more populous states, this is a very common system.
In Texas for example, the legislature is only convened for a maximum of 140 days every odd-numbered year, barring special sessions called by the Governor for 30-day stretches. Montana, Nevada, and North Dakota, have similar odd-numbered-year arrangements.
Salary-wise, Arizona ranks near the middle of the pack with its $24k plus per diem ranking 24th out of the fifty states. In neighboring New Mexico, the legislature receives no salary at all, only earning a $161 per diem during session. By contrast, a New York legislator earns a salary of $110k per year with per diem, totaling approximately $142k annually.
As reported in early March by AZ Free News, Arizona Legislators have taken considerable heat over Senate Concurrent Resolution 1003, a measure to effectively double their salaries to $48k along with increases in per diem payments and benefits.
One major point of contention is a disparity in pay between members who live within Maricopa County versus outside of it.
“I think there’s discrimination happening currently (with) the way members of this body and Senate are paid, when you have members that literally could get three times the total pay package because they live outside of Maricopa versus inside,” Representative David Livingston (R-LD28) told AZ Capitol Times. “This needs to be fixed.”
Sen. John Kavanagh (R-LD3) proposed a salary plan linked to inflation and dating back to 1998 in its calculations explaining, “We’re not asking the voters to really in real dollars increase our pay. We’re asking them to keep our pay at the same real dollar amount that they thought it was worth in 1998.”
The bill has passed the Senate and House Appropriations Committee and will now go to the floor of the House before potentially going to the voters in November.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Apr 25, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
“End Apartheid” and “Abolish Israel,” were scrawled in crudely drawn letters beneath the Star of David adorning the oldest Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Tucson earlier this week. The synagogue was founded in 1948 in the wake of the Holocaust by the Chabad-Lubavitch movement under Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. The rabbi himself had fled Germany during the rise of the Nazi Third Reich in 1933. The Chabad’s website states that it is “the Southern Arizona headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, considered to be the most dynamic force in Jewish life today.”
Congressman Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ06) expressed his disgust in a post to X on Tuesday sharing news that the Chabad Tucson-Young Israel Synagogue was vandalized with anti-semitic, anti-Israel graffiti.
In his post, Ciscomani wrote, “I am disgusted by this antisemitic act against the Chabad Tucson-Young Israel Synagogue. Jewish residents in Tucson deserve to feel safe in their own communities and places of worship. I strongly and unequivocally condemn this despicable act.”
Democrat State Rep. Alma Hernandez also condemned the act in a post to X writing, “Outraged to hear from my good friend Rabbi @YehudaCeitlin who showed up to his shul this morning at Chabad of Tucson to see this hateful vandalism on his wall. Anti-Zionism is Antisemitism, period and this hate is NOT welcomed in Tucson! I will continue to stand with my Jewish community. This is a synagogue NOT a political office. Shameful that its 2025 and we keep seeing this vile targeting of the Jewish community.”
According to KGUN, Monday’s incident represents the second time that the Chabad Center in Tucson has been vandalized in the past four years with a 2021 incident finding a Nazi Swastika and an anti-semitic slur painted on the building’s entrance. Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin of Chabad Tucson confirmed this in a post to X writing, “This is the second time in 3 years that a Chabad Jewish center in Tucson is being vandalized with antisemitic graffiti. This hate must stop!”
Reporting from KVOA stated that the Tucson Police Department is investigating the incident as a hate crime. Speaking to KVOA reporters Rabbi Ceitlin said, “It just shows the person who has done this, or people who have done this we don’t know who is responsible, wants to intimidate the Jewish people and we will not be intimidated,” he added, “[Hate], It’s part of the Jewish story, Jewish history.”
The incident has drawn notice internationally as well with Member of the Israeli Knesset Michal Cotler-Wunsh commenting online, “Below the Jewish Star of David – a call to abolish the Jewish nation state. A graphic demonstration of the normalization of a ‘modern’ lethal strain of an ancient ever-mutating hate, unleashed in response to the worst attack of Jews since the Holocaust, ‘justified’ by decades of peddled ‘modern-day’ blood libel of hijacked & weaponized institutions & terms like racism, apartheid, genocide…entrusted & coined to ensure that ‘Never Again.’ The writing is on the wall…of Chabad Tucson too.”
In a post responding to the incident, the Anti-Defamation League of Arizona issued a statement from Deputy Regional Director Sarah Kader who said, “Seeing news of yet another incident of vile anti-Semitic vandalism on a place of worship for Jews, on the same day as the release of ADL’s annual audit of anti-Semitic incidents, which showed a 23% increase of anti-Semitic vandalism in Arizona, is truly heartbreaking. We will never stop fighting against such hateful acts.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Apr 24, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
In a post on Facebook, the Arizona Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol announced that two suspects were arrested after another train robbery in northern Arizona resulted in the theft of a shipment of Nike shoes. As reported by Fox 10 Phoenix, the arrest took place earlier that week along the Interstate 40 between Kingman and Williams, AZ.
In the press release issued Friday, the AZDPS stated, “Several days ago, Arizona State Troopers working I-40 between Kingman and Williams were notified of a train robbery. State Troopers located one of the involved vehicles and arrested the driver. Federal Law Enforcement Agents located a second vehicle and suspect and arrested them also. The two suspects were booked into jail on multiple charges.”
As reported by Fox, Arizona has seen an uptick in train robberies in recent months, with a prominent example coming in January, which saw investigators reveal ties to the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel. In congressional testimony, Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana described the robbery saying, “Investigators have found ties to the Mexican cartel. On January 30 of this year, over $440,000 of Nike shoes were stolen off of a BNSF train. Air brakes were cut as it traveled on tracks north of Phoenix, Arizona. Federal officials have linked this to a federal cartel operating in Sinaloa.”
According to AZCentral, the cargo stolen last week also contained stolen Nike footwear, however, the full value of the stolen goods was not released as of this report. It is known, however, that both vehicles were “full of stolen Nikes,” per AZDPS.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Apr 23, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) issued a statement Monday responding to reports which suggested that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had shared “detailed information” about potential military strikes into Yemen and that President Trump is seeking his removal from office.
In the release, Hamadeh, in his capacity as a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, expressed in concurrence with President Trump that Hegseth enjoys his strong support and pointedly questioned “whether fake news reports about unrest in the ranks of the Department of Defense are intended to weaken our national security.”
In a post to X, the congressman wrote, “As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have full confidence in @PeteHegseth and his team at DoD. The fake news had its sights on him since he was first nominated, yet he’s been moving positive changes at lightning speed. Keep up the good work!”
Hamadeh reportedly urged news outlets nationwide to return to President Ronald Reagan’s motto of “’trust but verify,’ before publishing ‘news’ based on claims from individuals with no affinity for the facts or have nefarious motives.”
This would appear to reference a New York Times story’s reliance on “four people with knowledge” of an alleged Signal chat, which was purported to include Secretary Hegseth’s wife, brother, and personal attorney, and NPR’s similar reliance on an unnamed “U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly,” as a source for its story suggesting Hegseth’s imminent ouster.
Hamadeh’s office excoriated both outlets writing, “Few news outlets reported about the fact that the Biden Administration’s Department of Defense did not publicly disclose – in violation of the law – that one of the country’s two National Command Authorities, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, was unable to perform his duties.
“In contrast, it appears outlets are creating ‘news’ out of whole cloth, eroding trust in our national security baselessly to the benefit of enemies both foreign and domestic.
“Currently, a disconcerting debate is raging on social media as to what opinions and policy positions should and should not be allowed to be heard. Unlike others participating in that debate, a former U.S. Army Intelligence officer, would never call for censorship or for the silencing of opposing voices, but understands the effects of fake news and false narratives on the troops.
“Given the fact that recruiting is up across the board for our military service branches to a 15-year high and morale is up among the troops thanks to Secretary Hegseth, it is not unreasonable to suspect that those spreading clearly false rumors about Secretary Hegseth might have not have our country’s welfare in mind.”
Hamadeh concluded with an admonishment of “propogandists posing as journalists,” saying in full: “While some of us are sacrificing our time with our families and friends to tirelessly promote peace through strength, propagandists posing as journalists are trying to undermine our country by spreading lies.”
In a statement responding to the Times’ report, Department of Defense spokesman Sean Parnell issued a categoric denial of the allegations against Hegseth saying, “Another day, another old story—back from the dead. The Trump-hating media continues to be obsessed with destroying anyone committed to President Trump’s agenda. This time, the New York Times — and all other Fake News that repeat their garbage — are enthusiastically taking the grievances of disgruntled former employees as the sole sources for their article. They relied only on the words of people who were fired this week and appear to have a motive to sabotage the Secretary and the President’s agenda.
“There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story. What is true is that the Office of the Secretary of Defense is continuing to become stronger and more efficient in executing President Trump’s agenda.”
Questioned on the story by reporters during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, President Trump told reporters on the South Lawn, “He is doing a great job. … Ask the Houthis how he’s doing.” He continued, “It’s just fake news. They just bring up stories. I guess it sounds like disgruntled employees. You know, he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people.”
Hegseth himself told Fox News, “This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Apr 22, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
In what’s has become almost standard practice for President Donald Trump, he issued a post to Truth Social on Monday, effectively splitting his endorsement in the upcoming 2026 gubernatorial election between leading Republican contenders Congressman Andy Biggs and Karrin Taylor Robson.
This announcement to Truth Social makes for Trump’s fifth documented split endorsement, and his second in Arizona. In the 2024 Congressional Election for District 8, the President famously endorsed both Blake Masters and Abe Hamadeh who would go on to win the seat.
In the post to Truth, President Trump wrote, “I like Karrin Taylor Robson of Arizona a lot, and when she asked me to Endorse her, with nobody else running, I Endorsed her, and was happy to do so.”
Trump explained that his calculus changed when Congressman Andy Biggs tossed his hat into the ring “unexpectedly,” saying, “When Andy Biggs decided to run for Governor, quite unexpectedly, I had a problem — Two fantastic candidates, two terrific people, two wonderful champions, and it is therefore my Great Honor TO GIVE MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT TO BOTH. Either one will never let you down. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
The situation clearly hearkens back to the 2024 GOP Primary race for Congressional District 8 which saw Trump weigh in on a contentious six-way contest. He first endorsed Hamadeh and then endorsed Masters just days prior to the July 30th Primary. His message at the time was even similar:
“We have a very important Republican Primary Election on Tuesday for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, with two spectacular America First Candidates. Blake Masters is a very successful businessman, and an incredibly strong supporter of our Movement to Make America Great Again – He is smart and tough! Likewise, Abe Hamadeh, a Veteran, former prosecutor, and fearless fighter for Election Integrity, has been with me all the way! In Congress, we need a true Warrior who will work tirelessly with us to Grow our Economy, Stop Inflation, Secure our Border, End Migrant Crime, Support our Great Military/Vets, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment – They will both be spectacular, and I’m pleased to announce that both Blake Masters and Abe Hamadeh have my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Congressman of Arizona’s 8th Congressional District — THEY WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!
Responding to the President’s endorsement, Congressman Biggs took to X to thank him, writing, “Thank you, @realDonaldTrump! It’s been an honor to support you and fight for your agenda since 2016. I look forward to fighting along side you as Governor of Arizona, the greatest state in the nation!”
Robson responded in a post as well stating, “THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT! Today, @realDonaldTrump reaffirmed what he told me in December when he urged me to run on stage: That he supports me & has fully endorsed my Arizona First campaign. I cannot wait to be on the 9th floor as a partner to his America First agenda. Onward!”
Trump also endorsed both Tiffany Smiley and Jerrod Sessler in Washington’s 4th Congressional District in 2024 in which Sessler took the primary and lost in the General Election. As reported by Politico, he also appeared to endorse both Eric Schmitt and Eric Greitens in the 2022 Missouri Senate Primary. He was also interpreted as endorsing both Josh Mandel and now-Vice President J.D. Vance in the Ohio Senate race the same year, which Vance went on to win.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
