As one of his last major moves in Congress leading up to the November showdown against Gov. Katie Hobbs, Republican nominee and Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ-05) is attempting to reach across the aisle to pass core priority legislation.
Biggs publicly called on Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego to secure Senate consideration and passage of his bill addressing child exploitation.
The bill, Coercion and Sexual Abuse Free Environment Act (CSAFE), passed in the House in mid-January earlier this year. Biggs urged Kelly and Gallego to work with him to root out the current flaws in the law that worsen child coercion and exploitation.
“It’s been 227 days since the U.S. House unanimously passed my CSAFE Act to deliver long-overdue legal clarity and serious consequences for criminals who coerce and exploit children,” said Biggs. “Passage of this bill would close gaps in federal law that allow predators to hide behind screens, anonymity, and outdated statutes while young lives are shattered. It’s time for action. It’s time for the U.S. Senate to pass CSAFE.”
The legislation would make it a punishable crime to coerce minors into committing self-harm, suicide, animal abuse, or other torturous or sexually exploitative acts. Those that violate this proposed law would face fines and up to 10 years in prison at minimum.
Coercion that results in the serious bodily injury of a child would bump the imprisonment maximum to 10 years, and coercion that results in death would empower a judge to sentence the offender to prison for life or as long as deemed necessary.
The bill defines coercion to include “the use of a threat, extortion, blackmail, fraud, deceit, or manipulation.”
Coercion against children often occurs online.
In late 2024, the Department of Justice arrested a 20-year-old Tucson man for producing child sexual abuse material and cyberstalking. The man, Baron Cain Martin, was indicted last October on 29 counts related to his alleged participation in a child exploitation enterprise.
Martin was allegedly a part of 764: one of the more notorious online violent terror networks, also known as child sextortion sites.
According to the indictment and DOJ announcement, Martin produced and distributed child pornography and coerced and enticed minors to engage in sexual activity under the moniker “Convict.”
Martin was also indicted on conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists; conspiracy to kill, kidnap, or maim persons in a foreign country; cyberstalking; animal crushing and distribution of animal crushing videos; and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Martin allegedly first entered the world of child sextortion in 2019. His represents the first case in which a 764 member faces terrorism charges. His case, United States v. Martin, is ongoing in the Arizona District Court.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this year directing federal agencies to coordinate on disrupting cyber crimes including sextortion, and the networks behind those crimes. The order is part of the Trump administration’s broader Cyber Strategy for America initiative.
The initiative identified six pillars for improving cybersecurity: shaping adversary behavior, promoting commonsense regulation, modernizing and securing federal government networks, securing critical infrastructure, sustaining superiority in critical and emerging technologies, and building talent and capacity.
An action plan for implementing this initiative is forthcoming.
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Republican Rep. Abraham Hamadeh (AZ-08) said Arizona has a “captured government” after Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes declined to prosecute Gov. Katie Hobbs over allegations involving political contributions connected to Sunshine Residential Homes and rate increases the company received from the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS).
Hamadeh made the remarks during an appearance on James T. Harris’ “The Conservative Circus,” calling Mayes’ two-year criminal investigation “a sham” that he said was intended to clear Hobbs before the November election.
“Arizona has a captured government right now,” Hamadeh said.
Congressman Hamadeh is not surprised that @KrisMayes dropped the investigation into crooked @KatieHobbs.
Mayes is the illegitimate attorney general BECAUSE Hobbs withheld evidence when she was Secretary of State. They are in cahoots. This was a sham released sixty days before… pic.twitter.com/OJwDggjUKw
— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) August 25, 2026
“The most important thing we have to do this November is get rid of both Kris Mayes and Katie Hobbs.” Hamadeh said. Hamadeh accused Mayes and Hobbs of protecting one another and said the state’s news media had failed to hold either official accountable.
“The attorney general is not going to hold the governor accountable,” Hamadeh said. “This is what you call a captured government. So it is up to We the People to show them accountability by voting them out of office.”
The congressman also tied the decision to his continuing claim that Mayes is an “illegitimate attorney general,” arguing that Hobbs withheld evidence while serving as secretary of state during Hamadeh’s unsuccessful challenge to the 2022 attorney general election. Mayes defeated Hamadeh by 280 votes after a recount, a result later recounted in an Arizona Court of Appeals decision rejecting Hamadeh’s request for a new trial.
Mayes announced earlier this month that her office found no evidence of a quid pro quo connecting Sunshine’s political contributions to the company’s DCS rate increases.
“After two years of investigation, consisting of multiple interviews, reviews of campaign-finance records, procurement records, bank documents, and State emails and chats, totaling over one terabyte of data, including more than 100,000 documents, the investigation has not uncovered any evidence of the necessary quid pro quo to support a bribery charge,” Mayes said.
The attorney general’s seven-page legal memorandum said investigators conducted 12 interviews and reviewed campaign-finance records, procurement documents, bank records, and state communications. The memorandum concluded that prosecutors lacked evidence establishing a reasonable likelihood of conviction for bribery or related offenses.
Hobbs declined an in-person interview and submitted two written statements through her attorneys on Aug. 17, according to the memorandum. She stated that she had never discussed Sunshine’s rates or DCS contracting decisions with Sunshine founder and CEO Simon Kottoor or anyone affiliated with the company. Hobbs also denied directing anyone to intervene and said Sunshine’s political contributions did not influence state agency decisions.
Sunshine gave $200,000 to the Arizona Democratic Party before Hobbs’ 2022 election, $100,000 to her inaugural fund and another $100,000 to the state party in August 2023. Kottoor and his wife, Elizabeth, also made contributions to Hobbs’ gubernatorial campaigns.
The company received a mid-contract rate increase in May 2023 that raised its payment to $195 per bed, followed by an increase to $234 per bed during an April 2024 contract renewal. The AG memorandum said Sunshine’s rate increased 56% between 2019 and 2024. Two other providers received larger percentage increases over that period while retaining lower daily rates.
Mayes’ Investigation found that DCS officials knew about Sunshine’s political contributions as they considered its request. Then-DCS official Robert Navarro told colleagues during a February 2023 meeting that Sunshine was likely to seek an increase and was a donor to Hobbs, according to the memorandum. Navarro told investigators that the donations created perceived pressure. The Attorney General’s Office concluded that any perceived pressure resulted from Navarro’s own knowledge of the contributions and found no evidence that Hobbs or her office directed DCS to increase Sunshine’s rate.
The memorandum concluded that Sunshine’s rate increases resulted from its leverage as one of Arizona’s largest congregate-care providers. Sunshine accounted for approximately 20% to 25% of the state’s non-Division of Developmental Disabilities group-home beds. DCS officials told investigators that the company had threatened to move beds to the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, which paid higher rates to house unaccompanied migrant children. Officials said losing Sunshine’s capacity would have strained the foster-care system and reduced beds available to keep siblings together.
Mayes called for legislation increasing transparency around political contributions from state contractors when she announced the decision. Hobbs previously vetoed two bills sponsored by Republican Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope (R-LD16) that would have required certain companies seeking state contracts or grants to disclose political contributions and required agencies to retain procurement records.
Mayes’ criminal division recommended closing its pay-to-play investigation while keeping the matter open for the limited purpose of assisting the Arizona Auditor General. A separate review involving the Auditor General and Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell remains ongoing. The Arizona House has also commissioned an independent investigation.
Reports of violent crime dropped by double digits last year, according to the latest federal reporting.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released its Reported Crime in the Nation Statistics for 2025 last week, which reflected some violent crimes dropping by nearly 20% nationwide.
According to the FBI, its Uniform Crime Reporting Program reflected that 2024-2025 marked the largest year-to-year decline in violent crimes in nearly 100 years. The FBI began those estimations in 1936.
Nationally, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter offense reports decreased by more than 18%. Rape offense reports decreased by nearly 8%. Aggravated assault reports decreased by more than 18%. Property crime decreased by more than 12%.
Additionally, the FBI reported that the murder rate for 2025 tied with the lowest murder rate on record, which occurred in 1955 and 1956: 4.1 per 100,000 inhabitants.
21,499 reports of aggravated assault: a 10% decrease from 2024 (24,067) and a 7% decrease from (23,121)
363 reports of homicide: a 10% decrease from 2025 (407) and 23% decrease from 2023 (477)
2,867 reports of rape: a 10% decrease from 2024 (3,192) and 14% decrease from 2024 (3,361)
3,785 reports of robbery: a 23% decrease from 2024 (4,969) and 20% decrease from 2023 (4,775)
These first two years of the Trump administration, from January 2025 through the latest reporting in August 2026, there have been 32,811 reports of aggravated assault, 495 reports of homicide, 4,281 reports of rape, and 5,804 reports of robbery in Arizona.
In a similar capture of the first two years of the Biden administration, from January 2021 through August 2022, there were 25,899 reports of aggravated assault, 540 reports of homicide, 4,081 reports of rape, and 5,034 reports of robbery.
The last two years of the Biden administration, from January 2023 through August 2024, there were 39,485 reports of aggravated assault, 735 reports of homicide, 5,529 reports of rape, and 8,123 reports of robbery.
The entirety of Biden’s administration, there were 80,643 reports of aggravated assault, 1,616 reports of homicide, 11,825 reports of rape, and 16,594 reports of robbery.
The entirety of Trump’s first administration, there were 94,824 reports of aggravated assault, 1,640 reports of homicide, 14,111 reports of rape, and 26,652 reports of robbery.
FBI Director Kash Patel released a preview of reported crime data for 2026 which reflected a continued decline in violent crimes.
According to the report, preliminary trends established by reports made from January through June 2026 reflect violent crime down by more than 10%, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter down by 23%, rape down by more than 18%, robbery down by more than 19%, and aggravated assault down by more than 7%.
The agency also shared that there was a 2.4% increase in law enforcement agencies submitting their crime data compared with the previous year.
The FBI also reported on law enforcement feloniously killed in the line of duty. Last year, 53 law enforcement officers were killed; a decline from 2024. According to the agency, more law enforcement officers were feloniously killed from 2021 to 2024 than any other consecutive four-year period.
The White House claimed the declining crime rates as the result of the Trump administration’s focus on “unprecedented enforcement” along with the support of a Republican trifecta.
The FBI reported a 90% increase in violent crime arrests, a 13% increase in child predator and human trafficker arrests, and the capture of nine of the Ten Most Wanted fugitives and four of the Most Wanted Fraudsters.
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Arizona is facing a lawsuit for its practice of providing in-state tuition to illegal aliens while denying those benefits to citizens in other states.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its lawsuit against the state on Thursday.
Arizona voters narrowly approved in-state tuition for illegal aliens through the legislatively referred ballot measure, Proposition 308, in 2022. The proposition, heavily backed by progressive out-of-state dark money, also repealed a statute prohibiting illegal aliens from receiving state-funded financial aid.
“Prop. 308 constitutes blatant unequal treatment favoring illegal aliens over U.S. citizens. Worse, such preferential treatment is squarely prohibited and preempted by federal law[,]” stated the complaint. “Arizona law rewards an illegal alien with eligibility for in-state tuition, based on residency within Arizona, while explicitly denying eligibility for resident tuition rates to U.S. citizens who are not Arizona residents.”
According to a January report from the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting, at least 720 illegal aliens have received in-state tuition at Arizona public universities and colleges since 2022. More than 400 of those illegal alien students attended Arizona State University.
Those totals may not be reflective of the whole, since only seven out of 22 schools were reportedly able to provide that data.
The DOJ estimated the total of illegal alien students represented $10.5 million in reduced tuition.
Worth noting: The financial calculations used in this lawsuit misinterpret AZCIR's findings. The number of students reported was cumulative since the program began, up until the fall 2025 semester (not in a single semester) pic.twitter.com/2jBVgNR1fr
As cited by the DOJ, federal law prohibits states from giving post-secondary education benefits to illegal aliens while denying them to American citizens residing in other states.
“Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a State (or a political subdivision) for any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such a benefit (in no less an amount, duration, and scope) without regard to whether the citizen or national is such a resident,” states 8 U.S.C. § 1623(a).
The DOJ is also suing New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington for offering similar taxpayer-funded higher education to noncitizens. About half of the states in the union and the District of Columbia award in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens.
These lawsuits are the culmination of an effort directed by President Donald Trump last spring.
Last April, Trump issued an executive order calling on the four states to end in-state college tuition for illegal aliens and ordering the attorney general to take the actions necessary to ensure the end of those practices.
“The Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security and appropriate agency heads, shall identify and take appropriate action to stop the enforcement of State and local laws, regulations, policies, and practices favoring aliens over any groups of American citizens that are unlawful, preempted by Federal law, or otherwise unenforceable, including State laws that provide in-State higher education tuition to aliens but not to out-of-State American citizens that may violate 8 U.S.C. 1623 or that favor aliens in criminal charges or sentencing,” read the executive order.
Attorney General Kris Mayes, through spokesman Richie Taylor, said the DOJ’s interpretation of the law was flawed, echoing an opinion issued by her office last year.
“Proposition 308, as written and approved by Arizona voters, doesn’t condition eligibility on residence, which is what the government alleges,” stated Taylor. “It conditions eligibility on whether a student attended and graduated from an Arizona high school (or homeschool equivalent). That’s the standard the voters wrote into law — tied to where a student attended school and where they graduated, not their residency.”
Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ-05), the Republican nominee for governor, immediately expressed support last year for Trump’s executive order to end disparities in tuition benefits for in-state students
“President Trump is right — US citizens shouldn’t pay more for college tuition than illegal aliens,” said Biggs.
President Trump is right – US citizens shouldn’t pay more for college tuition than illegal aliens.
I have supported legislation sponsored by @DrPaulGosar to clarify federal law and ensure illegal aliens don’t get benefits that Americans don’t.
Gov. Katie Hobbs has supported and sought to expand eligibility for in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens. During her inaugural State of the State Address in 2023, the governor asked the Republican-led legislature to earmark $40 million in the budget to provide in-state tuition for illegal aliens.
HAPPENING NOW – @GovernorHobbs is meeting with a group of young undocumented immigrants brought to Arizona as children. They’re sharing how the “Promise for Dreamers” program would benefit them. It would allocate $40 million for scholarships that would go to Dreamers. @KTAR923pic.twitter.com/iUKsSL8Qmc
Republican nominee for attorney general Warren Petersen is calling on Attorney General Kris Mayes to be more transparent about her decision to dismiss the pay-to-play investigation into Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Petersen said in a statement that Mayes has a duty to release all interview and deposition transcripts, referring to the seven-page analysis released earlier this week as a “cliffs notes report” lacking key information beneficial to the public.
“If Mayes is confident in the integrity of her investigation, she should have no problem allowing Arizonans to judge for themselves,” said Petersen. “Release the files.”
Mayes opened up her investigation into Hobbs more than two years ago based on allegations that the governor had engaged in pay-to-play with Sunshine Residential Homes, a group home operator that served as a major donor to Hobbs’ inauguration fund, her secret legal fund, and the Arizona Democratic Party.
A timeline of events and donations first put together in a June 2024 report by the Arizona Republic indicated that Hobbs had used her authority to ensure Sunshine Residential Homes got the rate increase it had sought and initially failed to secure.
Although Republican elected officials positioned themselves as the first to take investigatory action, Mayes called for them to stand down and announced she would take on the investigation. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and Auditor General Lindsey Perry were told that their investigatory efforts would be “[in]appropriate” that would potentially “jeopardize the integrity” of the investigation into Hobbs.
However, both Mitchell and Perry have continued their independent investigatory efforts. Erin Pellett, a spokesperson for Mitchell, was unable to provide an estimated end date for their investigation.
An advisory team formed specially within the Arizona House for the purpose of investigating the pay-to-play allegations also obtained outside counsel earlier this year and launched their own investigation into the matter. That team also has not published its findings.
And then last week — a little more than two years after Mayes announced her investigation, and several days after Hobbs made clear in a letter from lawyers that she wouldn’t do an in-person interview with Mayes — Mayes published a seven-page memorandum clearing Hobbs of any wrongdoing.
The attorney general declared that her investigation of more than 100,000 records, including the records of 12 interviews with others close to the matter, had failed to uncover evidence of bribery.
Some felt the investigation fell improperly short in its scope. Mayes had been asking Hobbs to sit for questioning for months, but never secured that interview. The language of the report also indicated that modes of communication outside of official state channels weren’t investigated.
Arizona Republican Party Chair Sergio Arellano toldThe Center Square that Hobbs had lied about sitting for an interview, and that Mayes had shielded Hobbs from taking accountability on her lack of transparency.
“For months, Hobbs looked Arizonans in the eye and claimed she was ‘in touch’ with the [attorney general’s] office. That was a straight-up lie. She explicitly refused to sit for an interview,” said Arellano. “This is the Arizona Democratic Socialist playbook, plain as day: Delay, deny, delete the evidence, and declare ‘no quid pro quo’ when the political calendar gets tight.”
Petersen similarly accused Mayes of protecting Hobbs.
“Kris Mayes made a calculated decision to protect her political ally, Katie Hobbs, in the now-infamous pay-to-play scandal,” said Petersen. “After dragging the investigation out for two years, Mayes buried her announcement on a Friday afternoon, knowing the weekend would temper questions about the integrity of her investigation. Arizonans deserve transparency and truth about what happened with the Hobbs’ [sic] Administration and Sunshine Residential.”
I'm calling on Kris Mayes to release all transcripts for any interviews and depositions from the pay-to-play scandal. She needs to be transparent and share the evidence with the public. Her cliff notes report is missing important information that everyone deserves to hear… pic.twitter.com/wXvCoRB8sx
Democratic congressional nominee Amish Shah declined an invitation to participate in an Arizona PBS discussion with Republican nominee Jay Feely, leaving Feely as the only First Congressional District candidate on the program.
“As for the Democratic candidate, Amish Shah, he declined our invitation to participate in tonight’s discussion,” Arizona Horizon host Ted Simons said at the opening of the segment.
Arizona PBS presented the interview as part of its “Candidates in Conversation” series. The station described the district as Arizona’s wealthiest congressional district and identified northeast Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and Fountain Hills among the communities it includes.
Feely greeted Simmons and asked, “Is it you or me they don’t like?”
“I haven’t figured it out,” Simons replied. “We’ll work that out later.”
Feely subsequently characterized the planned appearance as a debate and accused Shah of avoiding scrutiny.
“It’s disappointing that Amish Shah hid from tonight’s debate,” Feely wrote on X. “Arizonans deserve a representative willing to show up and stand by their convictions. Shah knows his socialist views & support for Bernie Sanders are deeply unpopular. He’s hoping you never learn who he really is.”
It's disappointing that Amish Shah hid from tonight's debate.
Arizonans deserve a representative willing to show up and stand by their convictions.
Shah knows his socialist views & support for Bernie Sanders are deeply unpopular. He's hoping you never learn who he really is. https://t.co/pQkXYL1Ffq
Shah’s campaign has not publicly explained his decision to decline the Arizona PBS invitation.
The interview began with the economy. Feely identified affordability as the most pressing issue facing district residents, citing conversations at doors and campaign events.
“People in general care about the economy,” Feely told Simons. “They care about the future for their children. You know, when you go to the grocery store, you look at prices. When you buy gas, obviously that’s a big one as well.”
The top issue for citizens across this district is affordability — groceries, gas, and improving the cost of living.
I’m running to lower your bills.
The policies Amish Shah endorses would take more money out of your pocket, raise your taxes and create hyperinflation again. pic.twitter.com/RINUFaGgix
Feely said reducing regulations could lower housing costs and argued that wage growth would help households absorb higher prices. He also defended President Donald Trump’s use of tariffs as leverage in trade negotiations.
Asked whether he would support a proposed tariff of 50 percent or more on Canadian goods, Feely said he did not expect the tariff to take effect.
“It’s not going to happen,” Feely said. “He uses it as leverage. Everything he does is about leverage to get the best deal for America.”
Feely later acknowledged that tariffs can raise prices in the short term. He said the policies should be evaluated according to whether they encourage domestic manufacturing and produce more favorable trade agreements.
Simons also questioned Feely about the national debt and federal entitlement spending. Feely said Congress would have to address mandatory spending and begin a discussion about the long-term finances of Social Security.
Shah’s current campaign platform calls for rolling back Trump’s tariffs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and expanding access to health coverage. His campaign describes him as a supporter of universal health care and says he would work to reduce premiums and prescription drug prices.
The candidates’ differences over health care became part of Feely’s closing argument.
When Simons asked whether Feely wanted Trump to campaign in the district, Feely said he would remain consistent with the positions he took during the Republican primary. Trump endorsed Feely during that contest, and Feely said the two had known each other before either entered politics.
No tax on tips. No tax on overtime. No tax on Social Security for seniors.
90% of the people benefiting from these cuts earn less than $100,000 a year.
“I think it will come down to a choice of two things in this district in particular, two visions of where the country is going,” Feely said during the exchange. “You have common-sense measures of Republicans on the right, and you have socialist measures and a Bernie Sanders-type guy in Amish Shah, who has campaigned for him. He talked at some of the DSA rallies and believes in crazy policies that they want to implement.”
My opponent and I have completely different visions for America.
Amish Shah is Bernie Sanders Democrat.
He campaigned with Democratic Socialists of America, who support no borders, no prisons, and no private property rights.
Simons attempted to return Feely to the question about Trump.
“No borders, no prisons, no property rights,” Feely continued. “These are ideas that I don’t think resonate with the people in the First Congressional District or normal, average people around the country.”
“If he were here—” Simons began.
“He could have been here to defend himself,” Feely replied.
Shah appeared at an April 2019 Arizona for Bernie 2020 town hall in Phoenix. The video of his remarks identifies the event as paid for by Phoenix Democratic Socialists of America and states that it was not authorized by a candidate or candidate committee.
Shah spoke in support of Sanders and a universal, single-payer health care system during the event.
“We have a system that is based on the free market, and there are a lot of things that are wrong with that,” Shah said in the recorded remarks. “We need universal, single-payer Medicare for All throughout this country.”
Shah said during the appearance that health care policy was “one of the first things that drew me to Bernie as a candidate.” His current campaign platform continues to describe him as a supporter of universal health care, with an emphasis on expanding coverage, protecting Medicare, and lowering prescription drug prices.
Simons pressed Feely a second time on whether he wanted Trump to campaign in the district, citing its narrow Republican advantage, large population of independent voters, and Trump’s approval ratings.
Feely responded that he would continue knocking on doors, conducting town halls, and speaking with independent voters.
“I handle that by talking to people, by going door to door, town halls with independents, anyone that wants to talk to me and hear our story and why we care about people and how I want to do that in Congress and do it the right way,” Feely said. “That’s how you handle it. You have those conversations and you communicate with them.”
Shah was also the Democratic nominee in 2024, losing to Schweikert by approximately four percentage points. Shah and Feely will face each other in the general election.
