Arizona
Trump says message from Arizona senator, others ‘seditious behavior’ punishable by death
PHOENIX (AP/AZFamily) ― President Donald Trump on Thursday accused several Democratic lawmakers, including an Arizona Senator, of sedition “punishable by DEATH” after the lawmakers called on U.S. military members to uphold the Constitution and defy “illegal orders.”
The 90-second video was first posted early Tuesday from Sen. Elissa Slotkin’s X account. In it, the six lawmakers — Slotkin, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, and Reps. Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander and Chrissy Houlahan — speak directly to U.S. service members, whom Slotkin acknowledges are “under enormous stress and pressure right now.”
“The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution,” Slotkin wrote in the X post.
All of the lawmakers in the video are veterans of the armed services and intelligence community. Sen. Kelly was a U.S. Navy captain.
Trump on Thursday reposted messages from others about the video, amplifying it with his own words. It marked another flashpoint in the political rhetoric that at times has been thematic in his administrations, as well as among some in his MAGA base. Some Democrats accused him of acting like a king and trying to distract from other news, including the soon-to-be-released files about disgraced financier and sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein.
What Democrats said in the video
With pieces of dialogue spliced together from different members, the lawmakers introduce themselves and their background. They go on to say the Trump administration “is pitting our uniformed military against American citizens. They call for service members to “refuse illegal orders” and “stand up for our laws.”
The lawmakers conclude the video by encouraging service members, “Don’t give up the ship,” a War of 1812-era phrase attributed to a U.S. Navy captain’s dying command to his crew.
Although the lawmakers didn’t mention specific circumstances in the video, its release comes as the Trump administration continues attempts at deployment of National Guard troops into U.S. cities for various roles, although some have been pulled back, and others held up in court.
Are U.S. troops allowed to disobey orders?
Troops, especially uniformed commanders, have a specific obligation to reject an order that’s unlawful, if they make that determination.
However, while commanders have military lawyers on their staffs to consult with in helping make such a determination, rank-and-file troops who are tasked with carrying out those orders are rarely in a similar position.
Broad legal precedence holds that just following orders, colloquially known as the “Nuremberg defense” as it was used unsuccessfully by senior Nazi officials to justify their actions under Adolf Hitler, doesn’t absolve troops.
However, the U.S. military legal code, known as the Uniform Code of Military Justice or UCMJ, will punish troops for failing to follow an order should it turn out to be lawful. Troops can be criminally charged with Article 90 of the UCMJ, willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer, and Article 92, failure to obey an order.
How Trump, others responded
On Thursday, Trump reposted to social media an article about the video, adding his own commentary that it was “really bad, and Dangerous to our Country.”
“SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!!” Trump went on. “LOCK THEM UP???” He also called for the lawmakers’ arrest and trial, adding in a separate post that it was “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH.”
The Steady State, which describes itself as “a network of 300+ national and homeland security experts standing for strong and principled policy, rule of law, and democracy,” wrote in a Substack post on Thursday that the lawmakers’ call was “only a restatement of what every officer and enlisted servicemember already knows: illegal orders can and should be refused. This is not a political opinion. It is doctrine.”
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell challenged the theory that illegal orders were being issued.
“Our military follows orders, and our civilians give legal orders,” Parnell told The Associated Press on Thursday. “We love the Constitution. These politicians are out of their minds.”
Democrats fire back
The lawmakers involved in the video issued a joint statement on Thursday in response to the president’s comments.
The statement, in part, says the lawmakers will not be intimidated or threatened to deter them from their sworn oath to the U.S.
“What’s most telling is that the President considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law,” the joint statement read. “Our servicemembers should know that we have their backs as they fulfill their oath to the Constitution and obligation to follow only lawful orders. It is not only the right thing to do, but also our duty.
“But this isn’t about any one of us. This isn’t about politics. This is about who we are as Americans. Every American must unite and condemn the President’s calls for our murder and political violence. This is a time for moral clarity.
“In these moments, fear is contagious, but so is courage. We will continue to lead and will not be intimidated.”
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
The 2026 NFL draft is still more than a month away, and we are beginning to get more multi-round mock drafts. We have a four-round mock draft from NFL.com’s Chad Reuter.
What does that mean for the Arizona Cardinals, who have one pick in each round? In this case, it means hitting their four biggest needs with their first four picks.
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Let’s see.
Round 1, pick No. 3: Miami OT Francis Mauigoa
The Cardinals don’t overthink this pick. Mauigoa’s a strong, hard-nosed run blocker who fills a major need in Arizona and should be an NFL starter for a decade.
This pick appears to be destined for one of two routes — a tackle or a pass rusher. The question is whether they value Mauigoa over David Bailey, who goes with the very next pick of this mock draft, or another pass rusher.
The Cardinals have not done anything on the defensive edge this offseason. They have made some minor moves at right tackle.
Round 2, pick No. 34: Clemson EDGE T.J. Parker
If they don’t get a pass rusher in Round 1, it makes sense to go with one in Round 2. Parker looks the part at 6-4, 263 pounds with long 33 1/8-inch arms.
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He had 11 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss in 2024 but saw his production dip to five sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss last season.
Round 3, pick No. 65: LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier
Yes, it makes sense for the Cardinals to draft a quarterback, one they can develop a bit. Nussmeier has the tools but was very inconsistent.
Round 4, pick No. 104: Alabama DT Tim Keenan
The Cardinals have thrown bodies on the defensive line this offseason, signing three and re-signing one. Getting one on Day 3 who is more of a space-eater than playmaker would continue with this trend.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: NFL mock draft: Arizona Cardinals fill biggest needs in 4-round mock
Developers begin Fiesta Mall demolition, tearing down 80-acre site
It could take more than a week to fully raze the shuttered mall, located on an 80-acre site in Mesa.
Joel Angel Juarez, Arizona Republic
Nearly 20,000 people signed a fan initiative to attract a National Women’s Soccer League team to Mesa’s former Fiesta Mall site, its developer said.
Now known as the Palo District, the 80-acre site along Alma School Road and Southern Avenue is poised for a major transformation that its owner, Vicki Mayo, hopes will be a hub for women’s sports.
Mayo is aiming to attract Arizona’s first National Women’s Soccer League by building a 25,000-seat enclosed soccer stadium that is planned to break ground in the summer.
Her company, Sunny Day Sports, an investment firm, launched an initiative in January called the Founding Fan to showcase that the development would be a “perfect” location for a professional women’s soccer team.
She said the initial goal was to get 10,000 founding fans in 10 days, but exceeded that by reaching over 15,000 signups in that time frame. Now that number is close to 20,000 fans, she said.
The aim is to show the NWSL that metro Phoenix has a fan base and interest to sustain a team.
The 2026 NWSL season launched in March, debuting two new teams and expanding from 14 to 16 teams.
In 2028, two new teams are expected to debut, including the already announced 17th franchise in Atlanta.
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman, in her 2026 Kickoff Address, stated the 18th team would be awarded later this year, USAToday reported on March 13.
The league would not “comment on specific markets or pending bids,” said Jennifer Levine, the vice president of public relations and communications for the NWSL.
She said the league was engaging in a “deliberate, rolling expansion process with a number of world-class potential ownership groups as we look toward the future of the league.”
Mayo said she was “not at liberty to disclose” if she’s had conversations with the league to pitch Arizona and the Palo District.
Are professional soccer leagues interested in Arizona?
The state doesn’t have any top-level professional soccer leagues, neither men’s nor women’s teams, but several amateur or minor leagues exist. That includes the Phoenix Rising soccer team in the United Soccer League, a tier below MLS.
The men’s Major League Soccer organization has flirted with the possibility of coming to Arizona for years and most recently hinted it could land in Mesa at a different site. It also appears that the political will to welcome a soccer team is there, as city officials stated in 2024 that it had entertained conversations.
A women’s professional soccer team could see an easier pathway to landing in Arizona and is the focus of the Palo District, according to Mayo.
Several amateur or minor-league women’s soccer clubs have formed over the years. Most recently, the Women’s Premier Soccer League announced a new team would be based at the Peoria Sports Complex. Those teams are created both to build a fan base and to cultivate local talent.
Mayo wants to build on the state’s popularity of youth soccer and keep rising talent in the state.
The Arizona Soccer Association reported that “more than 55,000 boys and girls” are participating in 45-plus clubs throughout the state in 2026.
She said she wants women coming out of those youth programs to have an opportunity to play in Arizona.
“I want these girls that are top tier that want to play pro to be able to stay in their home state and play for their home team,” she said.
Women like Julie Ertz from Mesa, who went on to play in Chicago and Los Angeles. Ertz made 123 appearances with the women’s national team and was in the NWSL between the 2014 and 2023 seasons.
Several other women soccer players with Arizona backgrounds have gone on to play in the NWSL and on the national team.
Mayo said she hopes the planned 25,000-seat “fully enclosed, fully domed” stadium with air conditioning and a retractable grass pitch will be sufficient to attract a professional soccer team.
Details surrounding the financing of the project remained slim. The Mesa City Council in November approved the creation of a theme park district, which will provide a dedicated financing system and a board that will be in charge of that system. It was not immediately known when the board would gather for its first meeting.
What’s planned for the former Fiesta Mall site?
The Palo District is developing with a focus on women’s sports and health.
It previously announced a women’s sports wellness campus in December as an anchor and “cornerstone” project that will be a $100 million capital investment in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona.
An AI venture studio, WaveX, backed by LG Electronics, will also be featured at the site.
Two massive hotels with a combined 600 rooms are also planned at the site. The flagship hotel will tie directly into the stadium, which will bring a “VIP” experience, she said. It will be a 4 to 4.5-star property, she said.
“We’re in active conversations with a number of leading hotel chains to see which brand we’re going to solidify on and bring on,” Mayo said.
Like this story? Get more East Valley news straight into your email inbox by signing up for our free weekly East Valley Newsletter, which comes out on Wednesdays.
Is there something under construction you’d like to tell us about or find out more about? Reporter Maritza Dominguez, who covers Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek, can be reached at maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @maritzacdom.
MARICOPA, Ariz. – It’s one of the busiest times of year for weddings in Arizona, usually because the weather couldn’t be better. But this weekend, the heat is changing plans for some couples getting ready to say “I do.”
Marriage is all about adjusting and adapting — something Elle Vanderham and Reece Pocock have had to do. They thought they were going to be married in perfect March weather; instead, they’ll be tying the knot in the 100-degree desert sun.
What they’re saying:
“Everyone comes in March, so we were like perfect, we’ll do it then,” said bride Elle Vanderham. “And then they all got here and everyone is dying.”
Love is heating up in Arizona, and so are the temperatures.
“What’s that saying… when you make plans, God laughs? Yeah, so here we are,” said Dana Schwartz, the bride’s aunt.
Vanderham and Pocock are set to tie the knot this Saturday in Maricopa. The two met when Pocock would come down from Canada for work. They were hoping for mild spring weather, but now they’re preparing for triple-digit heat.
“I’m very ready,” Vanderham said. “I’m just happy I don’t have to wear a felt cap and a suit jacket.”
Schwartz has been helping set up the event. She says changes had to be made to help keep the over 200 guests from all over the world comfortable.
“We brought in coolers and misters. We’re going to have umbrellas for out there,” Schwartz said. “We had to bring in a refrigerated truck because hydration is going to be a big thing. In fact, we had to buy more. You have to adjust the order of things. It’s all you can do.”
Like many Arizonans, they’re taking the heat in stride and rolling with whatever comes — a little preview of married life. Ultimately, they’re just happy to celebrate together.
“I’m very grateful for everyone I have in my corner,” Vanderham said. “And I’m very grateful for all the Canadians who came down even though they knew it was going to be hot.”
What you can do:
If you are attending an outdoor wedding this weekend or any event outdoors, doctors recommend hydrating as much as possible and seeking shade.
The Source: Interviews with Dana Schwartz, Elle Vanderham and Reece Pocock
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