Arizona
Arizona senator pushes for hearings on controversial Venezuela boat strike
WASHINGTON (AZFamily/AP) — Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is pushing for hearings on a controversial U.S. boat strike off the coast of Venezuela as military officials briefed lawmakers behind closed doors on Capitol Hill Thursday about the situation that has led to concerns about possible war crimes.
Kelly, a retired Navy Captain who sits on the Armed Services Committee, was not in Thursday’s briefing but has been calling for a full investigation into the September strike that killed suspected drug smugglers.
Lawmakers who attended Thursday’s briefing walked away split along party lines on what they saw. Republicans defended the deadly strike against suspected drug smugglers. Democrats say it crossed the line.
Briefing focused on follow-up strike
Thursday’s meeting wasn’t just about the first missile strike on that suspected drug boat. It was about a follow up strike and whether or not it was legal or a potential war crime.
Navy Vice Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley arrived on Capitol Hill to brief lawmakers about the September boat strike off the coast of Venezuela.
During the closed door meeting, Bradley showed them the full unedited version of video — the raw footage of the U.S. military opening fire on a boat suspected of carrying drugs. Following the first hit, two survivors were reportedly spotted near the remains of the vessel when a second strike was launched, killing them and leaving no survivors.
Republicans defend strikes
“The first strike, the second strike, and the third and the fourth strike on September 2nd were entirely lawful and needful and they were exactly what we’d expect our military commanders to do,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas.
Cotton defended the second attack against what he called “narco terrorists.” But Democratic Congressman Jim Himes emerged from the briefing with a different take. He questioned the second attack against what he described as two “shipwrecked sailors.”
“The decisions taken and Admiral Bradley has a storied career and he has my respect and he should have the respect of all of us, but what I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service,” said Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn.
Admiral denies “kill them all” order
Lawmakers briefed by Admiral Bradley also said he denied he was ever given any order for a second strike to “kill them all.” This goes against reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had directly ordered the follow-up strikes.
Kelly questioned Hegseth’s role in the operation.
“I mean, he says he’s not in the room. I don’t know if he was in the room or not. It would be interesting to see what the other people say. Maybe he wasn’t, maybe he was. He’s the guy that’s the ultimate responsible party for an operation,” Kelly said.
The White House said Monday that Bradley acted “within his authority and the law” when he ordered the second, follow-up strike on the alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea, according to The Associated Press.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt offered the justification for the Sept. 2 strike as lawmakers announced there will be congressional review of the U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean, the AP reported. The lawmakers cited a published report that Hegseth issued a verbal order for a second strike that killed survivors on the boat.
Leavitt in her comments to reporters did not dispute a Washington Post report that there were survivors after the initial strike. Her explanation came after President Donald Trump a day earlier said he “wouldn’t have wanted that — not a second strike” when asked about the incident.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Here’s what you need to know about Arizona State University
ASU, founded in 1886, has its main campus in Tempe, and Sparky the Sun Devil is the mascot for the school.
The Republic
Throughout the years, Arizona State University has been home to some of the most notable alumni.
The public research university based in Tempe was founded in 1885 as the Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature. Now, it is one of the United States’ largest public universities by enrollment.
Famous Sun Devils have broken into various industries, including fashion, acting, comedy, sports and politics. With more than 680,000 alumni around the world, it makes sense that a few of them ended up being such high-profile graduates.
Here are some of the most famous alumni from Arizona State University.
Steve Allen
Television and radio personality Steve Allen was the co-creator and first host of “The Tonight Show.” He also hosted a number of game and variety shows including “The Steve Allen Show,” “I’ve Got a Secret” and “The New Steve Allen Show.”
Allen’s first radio job was on station KOY in Phoenix. This was after he left ASU as a sophomore.
Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds, a former professional baseball left fielder, played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball. He was with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants, and he’s considered one of the greatest players of all time.
Bonds went to Arizona State University, where his distant cousin and university Hall of Fame right fielder Reggie Jackson attended and played baseball. He was a Sporting News All-American selection in 1985, he tied the NCAA record with seven consecutive hits in the College World Series as a sophomore and he was named to the CWS All-Tournament team in 1983 and 1984.
He was not well-liked by his teammates. His coach, Jim Brock, said he was “rude, inconsiderate and self-centered.” Bonds was almost unanimously voted off the team. Bonds graduated in 1986 with a degree in criminology. He was named ASU On Deck Circle Most Valuable Player and was inducted into the Sun Devil Hall of Fame 1999 Class.
Lynda Carter
Lynda Carter, the actress and singer best known for her role as “Wonder Woman,” was born in Phoenix and attended ASU for two years, but dropped out after being successful in beauty pageants.
Christine Devine
TV news anchor and 16-time Emmy winner Christine Devine grew up in Arizona. She graduated from Arizona State in 1987 and is a part of the Walter Cronkite School of Broadcast Journalism’s Hall of Fame.
She attended the school on the Leadership Scholarship and was on the Alumni Association board.
Doug Ducey
Republican politician Doug Ducey moved to Arizona to attend ASU, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in finance. He is a part of ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business Hall of Fame.
Ducey originally began his career in sales and marketing. He became a co-owner, partner and chief executive officer of Cold Stone Creamery in 1995. He sold the company in 2007 and was elected as the Arizona state treasurer in 2010. Ducey was the governor of Arizona from 2015-2023.
Katie Hobbs
Katie Hobbs was born in Phoenix; she grew up in Tempe and attended Seton Catholic High School in 1988. She attended Northern Arizona University and received a bachelor’s degree in social work. She attended Arizona State University for her master’s degree in social work in 1995.
Hobbs was a social worker and an adjunct professor of social work at Paradise Valley Community College and ASU before being elected to the Arizona House of Representatives, the Arizona State Senate, as the secretary of state of Arizona and the Governor of Arizona.
James Harden
Cleveland Cavaliers player James Harden played college basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils. He was named a consensus All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2009. He was also selected as the third overall pick in the 2009 NBC draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jimmy Kimmel
Talk show host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel attended ASU for two years. There, he frequently called into KZZP’s morning show and KRQQ in Tucson.
Stephenie Meyer
Novelist and producer Stephenie Meyer is best known for writing the vampire romance series “Twilight.”
She was raised in Phoenix, attended Chaparral High School in Scottsdale and took some classes at Arizona State University in 1996 and 1997.
Al Michaels
“Thursday Night Football” sportscaster Al Michaels attended Arizona State where he majored in radio and television, and minored in journalism. He worked as a sports editor for the independent student newspaper, the State Press. He called Sun Devils football, basketball and baseball games for the campus radio station, Blaze Radio. Michaels was also a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity.
He graduated in 1966.
Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson is a professional golfer who plays in the LIV Golf League. He has won 45 events on the PGA Tour, including three Masters titles, two PGA Championships and one Open Championship. He was nicknamed “Lefty” because he plays left-handed.
Mickelson was raised in San Diego and Scottsdale. He attended Arizona State University on a golf scholarship and captured three NCAA individual championships and three Haskins Awards. He also led the Sun Devils to the NCAA team title in 1990. During his collegiate career, he won 16 tournaments.
Ed Pastor
Former U.S. Rep Ed Pastor from Claypool was Arizona’s first Latino member of Congress. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from ASU and was the first in his family to attend college. He returned to the university to earn a law degree.
A part of the Democratic Party, Pastor retired after 23 years in Congress.
Dustin Pedroia
Former professional baseball second baseman for the Boston Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia attended Arizona State University. At ASU, he played college baseball for the Sun Devils alongside Ian Kinsler and Andre Ethier.
Kinsler and Pedroia competed for the shortstop position with Pedroia coming out on top. Over three years at ASU, Pedroia didn’t hit below .347 and had a career average of .384, starting all 185 games.
Pedroia relinquished the last two years of his athletic scholarship to help his coach Pat Murphy use the money to recruit better pitchers. He was named ASU On Deck Circle Most Valuable Player and was drafted by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2004 MLB draft.
Kyrsten Sinema
Former United States senator from Arizona, Krysten Sinema was born in Tucson. She completed her bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and completed a Master of Social Work degree at Arizona State University in 1999.
In 2004, she earned a law degree from Arizona State University College of Law. Then in 2012, she completed a doctorate in justice studies from ASU; in 2018 she completed an online M.B.A. from the W. P. Carey School of Business.
Sinema was an adjunct professor teaching master’s-level policy and grant writing classes in 2003 at Arizona State University School of Social Work.
David Spade
David Spade is a stand-up comedian, actor and podcaster. He has been nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.
He and his family moved to Scottsdale when he was 4. Spade attended Saguaro High School and then Scottsdale Community College before transferring to Arizona State University.
He was a member of the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon, performed stand-up at the university’s long-running sketch comedy show, “Farce Side Comedy Hour.” In the mid-1980s, he did stand-up at the Monday night comedy show at Greasy Tony’s Pizza in Tempe. He dropped out after making a decent living doing stand-up.
Kate Spade
Fashion designer and entrepreneur, Kate Spade transferred from the University of Kansas to Arizona State University.
There she joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and graduated with a journalism degree in 1985.
In college, Spade worked in sales at Carter’s Men’s Clothing in Phoenix, where she met her future husband and business partner Andy Spade who also attended ASU. Andy Spade is the older brother of David Spade.
Kate and Andy Spade went on the create fashion and lifestyle brand Kate Spade New York.
Brenda Strong
Brenda Strong earned a bachelor’s degree in music performance from Arizona State in 1982. She was also crowned Miss Arizona in 1980.
Strong is known for her roles on “Seinfeld,” “Starship Troopers” and “Desperate Housewives” – for which she was nominated for two Emmy Awards.
Pat Tillman
Professional football player for the Arizona Cardinals, Pat Tillman, first played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils. At ASU, he secured the last remaining scholarship for the team and played as linebacker.
In 1997, he was voted for Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and he was also named Arizona State’s MVP that year. Tillman majored in marketing and graduated with a 3.85 GPA, he also earned numerous academic awards. Tillman was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Tillman enlisted in the United States Army in May 2002 after four season in the NFL and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. His service in Iraq and Afghanistan received media attention after it was discovered he had been killed by friendly fire.
ASU’s Pat Tillman Veterans Center is named in his honor and offers support services for veteran students and their families.
Ayọ Tometi
Ayọ Tometi is a human rights activist, writer, strategist and community organizer. She is a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, a political and social movement that highlights racism, discrimination and racial inequality experienced by Black people in the United States, and promotes anti-racism.
Tometi graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in public/applied history from the University of Arizona in 2005 and with a master’s degree in communication studies, with a specialization in advocacy and rhetoric from Arizona State University in 2010.
Peterson Zah
Peterson Zah held several offices with the Navajo Nation and was the First Navajo Nation president from 1991 to 1995.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State in 1963. In 1995, was recruited by ASU president Lattie Coor to become a special advisor to the president of American Indian Affairs for Arizona State University. He held the position until 2011 with a focus on increasing retention and success of Native students. During his time as an advisor, the Native population of the university doubled.
Do you have a tip or a question you need answered? Reach the reporter at dina.kaur@arizonarepublic.com. Follow @dina_kaur on X, formerly known as Twitter, and on Instagram @dina_kaur.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
RCA Records
The Arizona State Fair 2026 concert lineup just got bigger.
On Monday, fair officials announced that pop star Becky G and punk/alt-rock band The Offspring are joining the 2026 Coliseum Concert Series.
The two acts join a growing list of artists scheduled to perform during this year’s Arizona State Fair, which runs weekends from Oct. 1 to Nov. 1.
Becky G will play the fair on Friday, Oct. 9. The Offspring are scheduled to perform on Friday, Oct. 16.
Both concerts start at 7 p.m. inside the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum and won’t feature opening acts.
It’s the first time The Offspring, best known for a string of ‘‘’90s rock hits, has played the Arizona State Fair.
Becky G, the Grammy-nominated pop singer behind such multiplatinum singles as “Shower” and “Mayores,” previously performed at the fair back in 2019 and 2023.
Neil Schwartz Photography
Arizona State Fair 2026 concert lineup
State fair concerts featuring marquee artists have been shaking the walls of the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the fairgrounds since the 1960s.
The rosters of legendary artists and bands who have played the fair over the decades is both enormous and legendary. Names like Bob Dylan, Nirvana, Green Day, Korn, Snoop Dogg and Johnny Cash have taken the state inside the Coliseum over the decades.
Earlier this month, state fair officials began announcing the 2026 Coliseum Concert Series lineup.
Tempe rock icons Gin Blossoms are scheduled to perform on Friday, Oct. 2. Tickets are $58.09 to $107.53. Country music recording artist Russell Dickerson will play the fair on Saturday, Oct. 17. Tickets are $53.97 to $92.08.
Additional concert announcements are expected in the coming weeks.
When do Arizona State Fair concert tickets go on sale?
Tickets for Gin Blossoms and Russell Dickerson are already available through the Arizona State Fair website.
Tickets for Becky G and The Offspring go on sale at 10 a.m. on Wednesday via azstatefair.com/concerts. A presale for subscribers to the Fair Fandom newsletter begins at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
Reserved-seat upgrades are available for all four concerts. Each concert ticket also includes admission to the Arizona State Fair.
See ‘Love Island USA’ fan reactions from week one on TikTok
Week one of “Love Island USA” Season 8 sent fans buzzing as new islanders and twists sparked nonstop reactions online.
An Arizona driver was pulled over for rushing home to watch a popular reality TV dating show.
A state trooper pulled over a vehicle going 108 miles per hour in Pinal County. The zone had a speed limit of 65 miles per hour along Arizona State Route 347.
The driver stated that she was trying to get home fast to see “Love Island.” Season 8 of the U.S. version premiered on June 2 on Peacock with new episodes airing daily except for Wednesdays.
She was arrested and booked for speeding and reckless driving; the vehicle was taken to “car jail” for 20 days, according to an Arizona Highway Patrol Facebook post.
Do you have a tip or a question you need answered? Reach the reporter at dina.kaur@arizonarepublic.com. Follow @dina_kaur on X, formerly known as Twitter, and on Instagram @dina_kaur.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
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