An interjection by Arizona’s Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes has led to the AG and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne trading rhetorical fire after Phoenix’s Kyrene School District voted to adopt a “Staff Social Emotional Wellness Policy.” That policy appears to run afoul of guidance from the U.S. Department of Education, risking the withholding of $1.5 million in federal funding.
In a statement reported by The Center Square, Mayes said that Horne has no legal basis for what she described as him threatening the districts.
“Rather than do his job and ensure that funds appropriated by Congress and the Legislature reach Arizona schools — as the law requires — Superintendent Horne is choosing to engage in ideological nonsense at the expense of students and teachers,” she said.
She added that the districts should, “ignore baseless, politicized threats from the State Superintendent’s office, which has no legitimate role whatsoever in blocking the distribution of these federal funds.”
In a post to X, Horne stated: “On DEI, AG Mayes is wrong and risks $770 million Ignoring federal guidance is not optional.”
Horne: On DEI, AG Mayes is wrong and risks $770 million Ignoring federal guidance is not optional
For immediate press release: April 17, 2025 Contact: Communications@azed.gov https://t.co/LcEuSYOLdL
— Arizona Department of Education (@azedschools) April 17, 2025
In a stern response to Mayes, Horne issued a statement, “I spent four years as Attorney General, and I follow the law strictly. The Arizona Department of Education has been responsible for distributing both federal and state education dollars to the schools for many decades and we must do so in accordance with the law. The U.S. Department of Education has issued guidance that requires my department to certify that all public districts and charters that take federal money use those funds according to that guidance, and that cannot be ignored. If I did, we would risk losing nearly $770 million in total federal funding to all public schools. That is obviously unacceptable, but the Attorney General is either unconcerned or unaware of that catastrophic scenario.”
The Arizona Department of Education (AZED) said in a press release, “Attorney General Kris Mayes is wrong in claiming that the Arizona Department of Education has no legal authority to withhold federal funds to districts and charters that fail to comply with new guidance regarding Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs, according to Superintendent Tom Horne.”
The department added that on April 3rd and again on April 9th, AZED through its Grants Management System, issued notice to all public districts and charters in Arizona on the guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and an attestation that the guidance will be followed.
“Under the guidance, districts and charters have until April 24th to certify compliance. Failure to do so will require the state – as the fiscal agent – to put a hold on federal dollars. To date, approximately 350 districts and charters out of 658 have certified compliance.”
The guidance from the DOE is as follows:
“Given the text of Title VI and the assurances you have already given, any violation of Title VI—including the use of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (“DEI”) programs to advantage one’s race over another—is impermissible. The use of certain DEI practices can violate federal law. The continued use of illegal DEI practices may subject the individual or entity using such practices to serious consequences, including:
l . The use of the provisions of 42 U.S.C. 2000d-l to seek the ‘termination of or refusal to grant or to continue assistance under such program,’ eliminating federal funding for any SEA, LEA, or educational institution that engages in such conduct. [1]”
Demonstrators supporting the Trump administration, Elon Musk, and Congressman Abe Hamadeh have lined the busy thoroughfare of Bell Road to peacefully counter-protest the “Indivisible” group, who have been holding an anti-Hamadeh, anti-Trump protest for the past two weeks.
The demonstrators, from several local Republican legislative districts, have turned out in growing numbers to support Hamadeh, Musk, and Trump. In a post to X, one user wrote, “Today’s support for Congressman Abe Hamadeh! We love the Happy Warrior!!!”
“Well, we became aware of what was going on with the ‘indivisible’ group and there being a dislike of everything conservative, especially with Abe and Elon Musk. And we felt the need to share our feelings, which are much in the opposite realm of the protest group. So, we felt we should get out and counter that protest and share our beliefs that we appreciate Hamadeh, we appreciate Elon Musk, we appreciate what’s going on in Washington, D.C.”
Jacobs stated that the demonstration saw as many as 35 supporters from Legislative District 28 as well as a number from neighboring LD29 on Monday. She said they also saw as many as 40 from LD28 and several more from LD29 on Tuesday.
When asked if the demonstrations will continue, Jacobs replied, “If they’re going to be there, then we plan to be there.”
One of the organizers of the demonstration, Republican LD29 Chairwoman Lisa Everett, told AZ Free News that the demonstrations came about when she and others saw the protests against Hamadeh. “I said, ‘Oh no we can’t let that stand.’ And I organized some folks and yes we are out there every Monday. We get there a little before the other guys do, so we can get some prime real estate, and we hold our signs, and we have a great attitude. And… well I do my best to make sure that the two groups don’t mix because we don’t want anything ugly happening,” Everett said.
She continued, “And you know, when you get in large groups, you know things can happen. And so the leader of their side and I actually have spoken so everybody has agreed to try to keep the groups separate, but we both believe in the First Amendment so that’s why we are demonstrating.”
Everett added, “We support what is going on in our government now. You know, I made some signs for folks to carry that say ‘We voted for this,’ because we did! It’s very funny to me that the left walks around saying ‘No one voted for Elon Musk,’ and you know I can’t help myself. My response is, ‘No one voted for Anthony Fauci,’ so that’s my comeback to them because it’s a true statement.”
On support for Rep. Hamadeh in the district, Everett told AZ Free News, “The reality is Congressman Hamadeh supports President Trump, and President Trump ran on the whole concept of DOGE. We’re going to look at everything. And if you objectively look, many presidents, including Democrats, have talked about government waste and that we need to get to the bottom of it. And we need to clear things out. Sadly, there’s a lot of misinformation out there. I mean there are, bless their hearts, there are people that genuinely think that because of Elon Musk, they’re not going to get their Social Security anymore. And that’s just not the case. The reality is, the 200-year-old people are not going to get Social Security anymore. We support Abe Hamadeh because he’s a true patriot. He served our country well. Great, honest man, and he is truly living the American Dream which is amazing.”
The “Yes for Glendale” campaign, supporting passage of Propositions 401 and 402, is countering the narrative of Worker Power, the political arm of the California-based labor union UniteHere. “Yes for Glendale” is seeking to address what it calls “false rhetoric.”
According to campaign Chairman and VAI Resort President and CEO Grant Fisher, “The facts are on our side. These out-of-state activists can try to mislead Glendale voters, but we’re separating fact from fiction. The truth is that by voting YES on Propositions 401 and 402 upholding the Glendale City Council’s multiple unanimous approvals of the VAI Resort’s zoning, Glendale voters will be ushering in a transformational resort development that will generate more than 2,000 new jobs and more than $2 billion in new tax revenues for community services like public safety, while at the same time telling a California labor union that its self-serving political agenda isn’t welcome here.”
The campaign published a brief set of fact checks in a press release addressing a series of claims allegedly made by Worker Power.
“FALSE CLAIM: By voting no, Glendale can preserve the real estate for a park or green space. (Source: Arguments submitted by opponents of Proposition 401, including Councilmember Lupe Conchas, for the publicity pamphlet; opponents’ campaign literature.)
FACT: This space was never going to be a park. The sliver of land located to the east of the VAI Resort that is being fought by Worker Power is an area zoned for ‘Development,’ not zoned for parks.
Back in 2007, a prior developer planned to develop it as a mix of a restaurant, a public market, retail shops, urban gardens, an art facility and housing for artists-in-residence, as well as parking. The City’s General Plan Map calls out its proposed use in 2007, referring to it as ‘Parks and Open Spaces,’ but it has NEVER been used for that purpose. The City of Glendale never developed it as a park or as an open green space. While it was once used for agriculture, it has been an undeveloped dirt lot with no grass, shade trees, or seating areas for over 10 years.
FACT: The current developers of VAI Resort have dramatically reduced the amount of water the project will use since taking over construction and operations in 2022. The resort is anticipated to reduce its water usage by 50% when compared to its previous zoning. Moreover, the resort will use 80% less water than the farmland that once occupied the same site.
FALSE CLAIM: The City of Glendale has extended VAI Resort an overly generous tax incentive. (Source: Phoenix Business Journal, July 28, 2023; argument submitted by Hector Jaramillo for publicity pamphlet.)
FACT: A tax incentive known as a Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET) was included in a package between Glendale and the original developers, not the current developers. There is no GPLET between VAI Resort and the City of Glendale, and the current developers have informed the city they are not pursuing one. (Source: Phoenix Business Journal, June 26, 2024.)”
Fisher added, “VAI Resort will be a world-class destination for Glendale that will create jobs, generate billions in new revenues for core city services, and be environmentally responsible. Vote YES on Propositions 401 and 402 to make this project a reality and send these out-of-state activists back to California.”
As previously reported by AZ Free News, the Yes for Glendale campaign launched officially in early April and has already found support from prominent West Valley leaders such as Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers, Maricopa County Supervisor Debbie Lesko, and Speaker of the House Steve Montenegro.
The leader of the Chandler Unified School District (CUSD) governing board declines to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance, worrying some CUSD families over the implications.
A video obtained by board meeting attendees shows CUSD Board President Patti Serrano exercising her First Amendment right by standing with her hand over her heart and refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Many of those who protest the patriotic recited verse are usually in protest of the current state of the country or the very existence and idea of America.
The Pledge of Allegiance represents a citizen’s oath of loyalty to the American flag and the republic it symbolizes, defined as an indivisible “one nation under God” that affords liberty and justice for all its citizens.
AZ Free News contacted Serrano about her refusal to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance. We did not receive a response.
Last month, a CUSD community member asked Serrano about her refusal to participate. Serrano said she would not respond publicly about her reason for not reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, since it was not an agenda item for that meeting.
“I won’t participate in any discussion at this time,” said Serrano. “Public comment is not a time for engagement, and I’m more than happy to reach out to you personally.”
Serrano’s refusal to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance aligns with her other progressive values: legalizing abortion, increasing gun control, advancing LGBTQ+ ideologies in minors, and supporting Islamic terrorist groups aligned with Palestine.
When Serrano took her oath of office for the board in 2023, she swore on the book, “Life is a Banquet,” rather than the Bible. The book, written by Arizona State University (ASU) professor and Drag Story Hour Arizona founder David Boyles, describes the sexual experiences and explicit fantasies of a fictional minor male who goes on to reject the values of his conservative, Christian parents and adopt the progressive ideologies of ASU students.
Boyles likened Serrano taking her oath of office on his book to the Biblical account in which God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac.
Also in 2023, Serrano helped organize the appearance of Democratic Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib for an ASU protest in the weeks following the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. Tlaib has advocated for the eradication of Israel from the land. Serrano organized the event as the southwest regional coordinator for the Progressive Democrats of America.
Following Serrano’s role in the Tlaib affair, CUSD families called for Serrano’s resignation. Their call to action was dwarfed by the appearance of around 150 supporters from inside and outside the district at a board meeting, mobilized by former CUSD board member Lindsay Love. Love was also one to inspire controversy during her time on the board for publicizing political views similar to those held by Serrano. Love left the board after one term, citing tensions with the CUSD community as her reason for not seeking reelection.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
All of Arizona’s 15 counties are now undertaking efforts to remove any illegal aliens from their voter rolls following a lawsuit filed by America First Legal (AFL), a right-wing nonprofit.
There is no certainty as to how many — if any — illegal aliens exist on Arizona’s voter rolls. There are nearly 50,000 individuals registered to vote in the state that only vote in federal races because they did not provide proof of citizenship. These voters are known as “federal-only” voters.
AFL filed its lawsuit last year and secured settlements in waves, first from Yavapai and Mohave counties last year and then the remaining counties last week. Per a press release from AFL on Monday, all 15 county recorders are now obtaining assistance from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to verify the citizenship status of all registered voters who have not provided proof of citizenship.
AFL explained it filed the lawsuit because it believed the county recorders were not “utilizing all available resources” for citizenship verification, despite Arizona law requiring monthly voter roll maintenance to purge noncitizen voters; federal law also permits state and local to seek confirmation of citizenship status.
AFL senior counsel James Rogers expressed further confidence in Arizona’s election integrity going forward with these settlements.
“This settlement is a great result for all Arizonans. This will help County Recorders find and remove any aliens on their voter rolls,” said Rogers. “It will also potentially enfranchise federal-only voters whose citizenship is confirmed, which would allow them to vote in State and local elections. AFL congratulates each of Arizona’s 15 County Recorders for taking this bold and important step for election integrity in the State.”
AFL filed the lawsuit on behalf of Strong Communities Foundation of Arizona, also known as “EZAZ,” and registered voter Yvonne Cahill.
As reported by AZ Free News, there were over 11,600 federal-only voters who cast a ballot in the 2020 presidential election.
On the day of his inauguration earlier this year, President Donald Trump issued an executive order requiring the DHS secretary and personnel to equip state and local governments with all necessary resources and tools to secure confirmation of citizenship and immigration status. Trump followed up this directive with another executive order last month directing DHS to share its citizenship and immigration status database with states.
Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap said he plans on complying with the settlement once he secures an IT team.
“We will have transparency in our elections. We will have integrity. One citizen, one vote. But I am unable to do that when the office of the Recorder is being deliberately gutted by insiders who like the status quo…” said Heap. “I wasn’t elected to beg unelected bureaucrats for the right to carry out the will of the voters and my statutory duties. Maricopa County needs to stop playing games and let me do my job.”
🧵I am eager to send DHS a request allowing us to check Maricopa County’s voter rolls against their database of non-citizens.
But I can’t do that without an IT team.
I am committed to delivering on the promises I made during my campaign… https://t.co/j4ADGyvOfc
— Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap (@azjustinheap) April 9, 2025
Heap was referring to an ongoing disagreement with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors over the reduction of his office’s authorities under an agreement executed months before Heap took office.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
Kari Lake will reportedly be detailed to the U.S. Department of State under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to unconfirmed reports from anonymous sources who spoke to The Washington Post. The story has since been amplified by other establishment media outlets absent any official release from the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the State Dept., or the White House. Lake has been serving as Senior Advisor for the USAGM, parent agency of Voice of America.
Lake, who recently joined the USAGM, had been tasked with helping “USAGM implement the policies and strategies needed to streamline the agency, its networks, and its grantees,” according to an email from acting USAGM Chief Executive Roman Napoli. If the anonymously sourced reports put forward are true, they suggest that, following a recommendation from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and White House Special Government Employee Elon Musk, the Trump administration could be preparing to shutter the USAGM and Voice of America (VOA) entirely and are detailing Lake to the State Department to continue her work there.
Yes, shut them down.
1. Europe is free now (not counting stifling bureaucracy). Hello??
2. Nobody listens to them anymore.
3. It’s just radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1B/year of US taxpayer money. https://t.co/PnmN4erD91
As The Washington Post reported, “Lake’s move is intended to help her coordinate closely with USAGM and the State Department to scale back the agency and its affiliated outlets to their statutory minimum, a third person familiar with her movements said:
‘She will be detailed over to State to accomplish this mission.'”
Lake told The Washington Post in a statement, “I remain committed to effectuating President Trump’s mission to modernize and reform the way we tell America’s story around the world while protecting the interest of the American taxpayer,” neither explicitly confirming nor denying her potential reassignment.
She added, “In order to do that effectively, we look forward to working with interagency counterparts including the Department of State under the strong leadership of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.”
Lake speaking in plural form as “we” could suggest that rather than merely herself, the remaining staff of USAGM and VOA may be folded into the Department of State entirely, a similar fate to what befell another formerly independent agency targeted by DOGE: the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
According to the Post, Lake presented the upcoming changes as a continuation of her current role in the Trump administration saying, “I am thrilled to be working on behalf of President Trump and this administration. He put me in this role because I’m a fighter. And I’m disgusted how Washington DC and this agency, in particular, has been screwing over hardworking Americans.”
As recently as March 15th, the USAGM announced that Lake was active in her role and in compliance with an Executive Order from President Trump (Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy), which had initiated a series of measures to “eliminate the non-statutory components and functions to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”
Among other actions, this included the abrupt cancellation of “obscene over-spending including a nearly quarter-of-a-billion-dollar lease for a Pennsylvania Avenue high-rise that has no broadcasting facilities to meet the needs of the agency and included a $9 million commission to a private real estate agent with connections.”
Lake famously made the determination at that time that “This agency is not salvageable.” She added, “From top-to-bottom this agency is a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer—a national security risk for this nation—and irretrievably broken. While there are bright spots within the agency with personnel who are talented and dedicated public servants, this is the exception rather than the rule.”
