by Matthew Holloway | Jun 12, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona’s embattled Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs is facing new scorn and a veto override threat from Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives Steve Montenegro after what Rep. Michael Way (R-LD15) called her “most disgraceful veto yet,” of the Antisemitism in Education Act. The act, known also as HB 2867, was passed by the legislature on June 4th. If enacted, it would have “prohibit(ed) teachers, administrators, and university faculty from promoting antisemitism or forcing students to support antisemitic viewpoints in exchange for credit or advancement.” It also would have prohibited the use of public funds for “antisemitic instruction, training, or programming.”
The seemingly straightforward bill, sponsored by Way, was expected to meet with Hobbs’ approval with the Republican saying Wednesday, “This should be an easy decision for the governor. The Legislature has done its job. The public supports this. Now it’s up to the governor to do hers and show that Arizona won’t tolerate antisemitism in public education.”
But this wasn’t to be. Hobbs panned the bill, armed with a letter from Lori Shepherd of The Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center in which she emphasized inviting students “to ask tough questions about the legacy of the Holocaust today… that often touch on the history of Zionism, the founding of the State of Israel, and the persistence of global antisemitism.”
Hobbs claimed, “This bill is not about antisemitism; it’s about attacking our teachers.” She added, “It puts an unacceptable level of personal liability in place for our public school, community college, and university educators and staff, opening them up to threats of personally costly lawsuits.”
She contended the bill, “sets a dangerous precedent that unfairly targets public school teachers while shielding private school staff,” and characterized it as an attempt by the legislature to “single out and attack our public education system.”
Rep. Way quickly took to X to express his outrage writing, “In her most disgraceful veto yet, Governor Hobbs struck down a bipartisan bill to stop antisemitism in Arizona schools. I am deeply disappointed by her decision—paying lip service to opposing antisemitism while backing away from a law with real teeth. Instead of standing with Jewish students and faculty, she sided with those who promote hate and hostility on campus. This bill was aimed at prohibiting the teaching of egregious and blatant antisemitic content. To suggest that it threatened the speech of most Arizona teachers is disingenuous at best. House Republicans acted to confront antisemitism—Hobbs’ veto protects it. I will continue to stand with the Jewish community in Arizona and in my district to ensure taxpayer dollars are never used to fund violent political indoctrination.”
Speaker Steve Montenegro addressed the veto as well just over an hour later in a statement posted to X, vowing to move to a veto override before the end of the legislative session. He wrote, “Katie Hobbs has issued hundreds of misguided vetoes to date, but THIS one bolstering the hateful teachings of antisemitism in public school classrooms takes the cake. Every child deserves a quality education free of the abhorrent rhetoric that promotes hostility toward our Jewish communities. This veto is beyond the pale, and the House WILL proceed with a veto override before this session adjourns.”
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 Staff Reporter | Jun 11, 2025 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
Arizona State University (ASU) issued an email advising students on avoiding President Donald Trump’s travel ban.
The university’s action potentially interferes with a decision by the Trump administration to improve national security.
ASU sent out an email last Friday, obtained by ABC 15, telling international students to return and remain in the country until the completion of their degree so as to avoid any potential conflicts with immigration enforcement.
“At ASU, we measure success as a university not by whom we exclude, but by whom we include and how they succeed. This principle is foundational to our charter as a New American University because we know that diverse perspectives enhance the strength of our scholarly community and of our democracy. This proclamation has no effect on our fundamental institutional values. We advise you to stay in the U.S. Per the proclamation, all nationals from these countries will not be able to enter the U.S. until further notice. If you are currently not in the United States, we strongly recommend you return before June 9, 2025. If you are currently in the United States, the International Students and Scholar Center highly recommends that you do not leave the country until the completion of your degree.”
ASU has over 17,000 international students.
The New American University is a model of higher education conceptualized by ASU President Michael Crow. Its cofounder, Jerry Hirsch, is known for his longtime chairmanship of the Lodestar Foundation in Phoenix and establishment of nonprofit iterations designed to thwart Trump.
The New American University received funding from leading Democratic dark money donor George Soros in recent years.
President Donald Trump issued a travel ban last week on nationals from the countries of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The proclamation also further restricted travel on individuals hailing from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The purpose of the travel ban is to ensure enemies of the country don’t enter it, according to the president. Trump’s proclamation revealed that the foreign countries named in the travel ban had “deficient” screening and vetting procedures, with many exhibiting a “historic failure” to take back their nationals.
“The United States must ensure that admitted aliens and aliens otherwise already present in the United States do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles, and do not advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists or other threats to our national security,” said Trump.
The president cited the recent terrorist attack on protesters by an illegal immigrant in Boulder, Colorado, as an impetus for the ban. 15 individuals were injured as a result of the attack.
Trump’s travel ban doesn’t apply retroactively to visa holders hailing from the affected countries.
Exceptions to the ban also extend to lawful permanent residents; dual nationals of a designated country traveling on a passport issued by a non-designated country; foreign nationals traveling with certain nonimmigrant visas; athletes and their team members traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or certain other major sporting events; immediate family immigrant visas; adoptions; Afghan Special Immigrant Visas; Special Immigrant Visas for U.S. government employees; and immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.
The travel ban took effect on Monday, the day by which ASU advised its international students to return and remain in the country.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Jun 11, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new incentive on Monday from the Trump administration for illegal aliens who self-deport through the CBP Home App. DHS announced that illegal aliens who self-deport using the application will be forgiven for any civil fines or penalties for failing to depart, receive cost-free travel, and will still receive a $1,000 exit bonus to be paid upon confirmation of their return through the app.
The announcement came as violent riots in Los Angeles continued into their fourth day with mounting attacks against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and vehicles.
“If you are here illegally, use the CBP Home App to take control of your departure and receive financial support to return home,” Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.
She appealed to illegal aliens still in the country, “If you don’t, you will be subjected to fines, arrest, deportation and will never be allowed to return. If you are in this country illegally, self-deport NOW and preserve your opportunity to potentially return the legal, right way.”
According to reporting from the BBC, and Politico 65, illegal aliens have successfully participated in “Project Homecoming,” and received the offered free travel and $1,000 stipend. DHS told the Daily Signal that over 40,000 illegal aliens had registered with the government via the CBP Home App as of May 5th. As reported by NPR, Adam Isacson of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a nonprofit immigrant advocacy group, estimated that ICE detention centers are currently operating at approximately 125% capacity.
“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest, and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest. DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem explained at the time.
ICE confirmed to the outlet that “some ICE facilities are experiencing temporary overcrowding due to recent increases in detention populations. We are actively implementing measures to manage capacity while maintaining compliance with federal standards and our commitment to humane treatment. The reality is that these accusations do not reflect ICE’s policies or practices.”
“This is the safest option for our law enforcement, aliens, and is a 70% savings for U.S. taxpayers. Download the CBP Home App TODAY and self-deport,” Noem said.
During an appearance on Fox News Monday evening, Noem warned: “ICE will continue to enforce the law. If you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
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 Staff Reporter | Jun 11, 2025 | Economy, News
By Staff Reporter |
The inventor and top distributor of the Taser, Axon Enterprise, says it will no longer be working with the Scottsdale City Council on their new headquarters.
That’s not to say Axon will leave Scottsdale or the state. Axon leaders clarified the company only intended to keep city leaders out of discussions to establish their new headquarters going forward.
Axon President Josh Isner announced on Monday the company withdrew from negotiations with city leaders on building their new headquarters. Isner blamed the “toxic” political climate of Scottsdale City Council.
“Unfortunately, Axon is withdrawing from negotiations with the City of Scottsdale,” said Isner. “The internal politics of the City Council currently make it impossible to reach an agreement. I have never seen such a toxic environment in my life. We put a great deal on the table and we tried our best.”
Scottsdale City Councilman Adam Kwasman said he was disappointed in his fellow council members for refusing Axon’s negotiations. Kwasman said he would work on another solution to keep Axon from leaving.
“[Axon’s] offers were generous and would have benefitted both Scottsdale and Arizona as a whole,” said Kwasman. “I am saddened that my colleagues could not share in a vision that would have reduced approved density, reduced approved apartments, funded police, and built an incredible partnership between the city and one of America’s best companies.”
Isner thanked Kwasman and Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky for their efforts to keep negotiations afloat.
“You came to the table in a solution-oriented and thoughtful way,” said Isner. “It was a pleasure working with you on this and appreciate your continued support of Axon.”
Borowsky, in turn, thanked Axon for their willingness to negotiate and expressed disappointment at the impasse between the company and the council.
“Unfortunately, there were too many hurdles to overcome in order to move an agreement forward successfully,” said Borowksy. “I remain hopeful that future negotiations result in a win-win agreement that works for the community and keeps this vital employer right where it belongs – in Scottsdale.”
Not all leaders representing the area were pleased with Axon’s actions up to this point.
State Rep. Joseph Chaplik accused Axon of navigating the dealmaking process dishonestly. Chaplik told Axon to make good on their threat of leaving the state by disclosing where they planned to move their operations.
“They have divided the Republican caucus and they are now dividing the city council. They do not listen to the people of Scottsdale, who I represent. They have bypassed all proper channels to resolve their land use issues,” said Chaplik. “Their tactics included bullying, threatening and securing close door meetings. This is not how a transparent company operates.”
Although these recent negotiations didn’t go Axon’s way, the company did see wins in other areas recently. Governor Hobbs signed a bill retroactively preventing zoning decisions from becoming ballot questions. The new law nullifies a referendum effort by 27,000 Scottsdale residents challenging Axon’s planned headquarters — under that referendum, voters would have decided on the proposed headquarter’s fate in 2026.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Jun 10, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
In a statement released via X on Sunday, the group ‘Veterans for Arizona’ asked United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins why allegations against Democrat Senator Ruben Gallego have not been investigated. The allegations stem from prominent 2023 reports that Gallego claimed both his residences in Arizona and Washington, D.C., as his primary residence in order to benefit from special VA mortgage rates granted as a benefit to U.S. Veterans.
During Gallego’s 2024 U.S. Senate Campaign, Politico stated that Gallego purchased his Washington, D.C., home near the Capitol claiming that it was his primary residence on documentation for a VA home loan, while the then-Congressman and his wife also claimed their Phoenix home as their primary residence.
Citing loan documents the outlet obtained, Politico reported that Gallego’s campaign officially maintained that his primary residence is located in Arizona, as required by election law, despite the documentation of his Washington, D.C., home.
In June 2023, after the reports initially appeared in Politico, the National Republican Senate Committee raised the concern that “Gallego signed loan documents making Washington, D.C., his primary residence to obtain favorable mortgage rates, while at the same time taking advantage of homeowner tax breaks and voting in Arizona. This raises questions about whether Gallego committed fraud on his loan application.”
The NRSC also noted that the revelation of Gallego’s alleged mortgage fraud came to light just weeks after his links to a bank targeting immigrants were exposed by AZCentral. The bank was later shut down according to the outlet.
NRSC spokesman Tate Mitchell told the Arizona Republic, “If Ruben Gallego signed fraudulent documents, that will be a serious issue for him in the election — and potentially with the authorities,” Mitchell said. “National Democrats are in a serious pickle as they choose between their incumbent, Kyrsten Sinema, and accused fraudster Ruben Gallego.”
“Legally, Gallego doesn’t have to live in his district to serve in Congress, this isn’t like legislative offices or most county offices,” one election law expert told the Arizona Daily Independent. However, they added, “His campaign does have to consider the optics and potential legality of what he’s doing. Claiming two primary residences in two different states to obtain favorable terms and to meet the requirements of the loans, even though both claims can’t be simultaneously true, isn’t something the average person does or even thinks to do. So it’s another Washington D.C., elite that laws don’t apply to, running for office claiming to be for the average Joes.”
Despite the allegations against him, Gallego was successful in his Senate bid and went on to become a harsh critic of VA Secretary Collins, with the Senator announcing plans to block all VA nominations in April until Collins drops plans to make staffing cuts to the VA in accordance with the Trump administration’s demands for government efficiency. Gallego reiterated the demand in May in a letter co-signed by fellow Arizona Democrats Senator Mark Kelly, and Representatives Greg Stanton (AZ-04) and Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03).
Collins refuted Gallego’s claims however under questioning by Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ08) during a House Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing on May 15th, telling Hamadeh, “We’re not looking at doctors, we’re not looking at nurses. We’re looking at issues where we have payroll that’s being done at 60 locations, that was supposed to be centralized a long time ago, with hundreds of employees that we’re now looking to consolidate to see how we can run it efficiently and more cost effectively.”
He added, “We don’t need them all over the place, we don’t need the issues we have with human resources being run in every location, again, with hundreds of employees.”
“Frontline workers should be the happiest at the VA right now because we’re going to be freeing them up to do their job and not get bogged down with paperwork,” Collins noted per the Arizona Daily Independent.
As of this report, no investigation has been announced against Senator Gallego pertaining to the allegations raised by the NRSC following the Politico report.
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 | Jun 10, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona’s Republican Senate leadership issued a sharp condemnation of the violent anti-immigration enforcement riots, still raging in Los Angeles in a Monday press release. They also issued a direct call for Arizona’s Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes to “cooperate with the Trump Administration with enforcing federal immigration laws to keep Arizona communities safe from harm.”
According to Fox10 Phoenix, an anti-ICE protest took place in Phoenix near the Capitol building, but despite claiming to stand “in solidarity” with the violent rioters in LA, remained largely peaceful.
Senate President Warren Petersen said in the statement, “What’s unfolding in California under their radical leftist government is an atrocity. These are not protests. These are violent riots being carried out by criminal thugs with no regard for public safety. If protests here in Arizona escalate to rioting, the Hobbs Administration and Attorney General Mayes must be prepared to take action. I am calling on the governor and the attorney general to honor the oath of office they swore to uphold by cooperating with the Trump Administration on enforcement of federal immigration laws, deportations of criminal illegal aliens, and to hold accountable those who violate state laws when demonstrations spiral out of control.”
“Complete and total chaos is ensuing in California, and Democrat elected officials, including Arizona’s own Governor Hobbs, are banding together in support of this violence,” said President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope. “It is maddening that Hobbs would sign onto a letter from California’s Gruesome Newsom speaking out against President Trump for deploying the National Guard to protect American citizens from harm. Newsflash, Governor Hobbs- it’s not ‘an alarming abuse of power’ for a president to take this action to stop violent rioters. Federal law allows it.”
“Californians have found themselves in the middle of a warzone. I’m grateful the Trump Administration has mobilized the national guard, as well as marines, to stop the riots and restore order so that ICE agents can do their jobs,” said Senate Majority Whip Frank Carroll. “Anyone who harms our citizens, our law enforcement, or our military must be held accountable under the full force of the law. Arizona Senate Republicans stand with police officers, ICE agents, and our military members to ensure this violence does not spread across state lines or develop within Arizona.”
Responding to the Phoenix protest, a Phoenix Police spokesman said, “The Phoenix Police Department became aware of a group of individuals expressing their views near 10th Avenue and Van Buren this evening around 6:00 p.m. The group marched through portions of the downtown area and ultimately returned to where it began on Van Buren Street. Phoenix Police Officers along with Department of Public Safety Troopers were present and closed down streets after it was observed the group was walking in the roadway. Our duty continues to be ensuring the safety of all involved while treating everyone with dignity and respect.”
Rioting in Los Angeles, which began near the ICE detention center downtown and the Paramount neighborhood, escalated since Friday with numerous law enforcement vehicles damaged, officers injured, and several Waymo autonomous vehicles burned leading to the deployment of 2,000 National Guard Troops to protect federal property and personnel. By Monday, the deployment has ramped up to 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 United States Marines from nearby Camp Pendelton over the objections of Governor Gavin Newsom, Hobbs, and other Democrat politicians who called the deployment “ineffective and dangerous.”
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.
