The Center for Biological Diversity has forwarded an Inspector General report investigating the capture and death of Macho B, the last known living jaguar in the United States. A key takeaway:

We found that the AZGFD was aware of Macho B’s presence in the vicinity of its mountain lion and black bear study in late December 2008 and January 2009, yet it did not consult with FWS, as required by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973. The ESA directs any nonfederal entity receiving federal funding to contact the appropriate local FWS office for a biological opinion when an endangered species stands the possibility of being accidentally captured. We also found that a FWS field supervisor incorrectly gave approval to AZGFD for a cosmetic necropsy of Macho B, verses a complete necropsy, because he did not know the difference between the two procedures. Thus, some organs were inaccessible, leaving doubt as to the cause of death.

Finally, evidence, which was developed as part of the ongoing criminal investigation by FWS Office of Law Enforcement and the United States Department of Justice, indicates that Macho B’s first capture by AZGFD employees was intentional. Specific details pertaining to this investigation are with the U.S. Attorney’s office in Tucson, AZ.

Read the report yourself after the jump.

Dave Devine, who has been following the sale of Fourth Avenue's Coronado Hotel by the Downtown Tucson Partnership, says he just spoke Albert Elias of the city's Urban Planning and Design Department.

Elias tells Devine that Coronado is now in escrow with a buyer that he did not disclose. But Elias did say the new owner plans to allow the current low-income tenants to remain at the Coronado.

Congressman Raul Grijalva has responded to today's split decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to lift limits on corporate political spending:

In today’s case of Citizens United V. FEC, the Supreme Court went far beyond precedent, far beyond the original intent of the Constitution, and far beyond anything the Founders meant when they protected freedom of speech for individuals. James Madison never intended for the First Amendment to apply to corporations; he meant free speech to be for the people.

As it stood, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act destroyed by the Supreme Court today did not take away access to political speech by corporations. A corporation could have spent unlimited sums of money to televise and broadcast its message at any time except immediately before primaries and general elections. This limited law was directed at keeping wealthy corporate interests from drowning out the voice of individuals just before a vote. The idea that corporations must be treated identically to human beings when it comes to political speech is a bad reading of history and an insult to the people of this country.

This outrageous ruling is a power grab by conservative judicial activists unnecessarily overturning more than a century of judicial precedent. Congress must address the incongruous and undemocratic outcome of this inflation of corporate power, starting with passage of the Fair Elections Now Act, in order to begin to return the electoral process back to the American people. Congress must move to make it clear that free speech is meant for individuals and not for corporations.

I guess this is what happens when you call your wife a cunt in public. Cindy McCain lends her support against California's Prop 8. But where was her voice against Arizona's Prop 102? She's from Arizona, right?

John McCain issues a statement that he:

"respects the views of members of his family but remains opposed to gay marriage.''

Federal Judge Roslyn Silver has ruled that matching funds will not be available for Clean Elections candidates in Arizona, although she's given Clean Elections supporters 10 days to appeal to the Ninth Circuit.

This is very bad news for Gov. Jan Brewer and state Treasurer Dean Martin, who both planned to use Clean Elections for their campaign for governor. If they qualify for Clean Elections, both will be about $775,000 for their campaigns, which is a lot less than the $2 million that Buz Mills, the still-unknown gun-range owner, has put into his campaign. (We've heard Mills is willing to spend even more than that in the GOP primary.)

We've yet to learn much about Mills and still don't know what kind of candidate he'll be, but that kind of money will buy a lot of 30-second ads that the other candidates will have a hard time countering on their low budgets.

Do you think Bob Grimm had anything to do with this: China censors Avatar.?

The Coachella lineup was finally announced yesterday with some interesting choices, like Them Crooked Vultures, MGMT, and then not so interesting, like Jack White's The Dead Weather. Then you can get your time machine on this year with Pavement, DEVO, Gary Numan, Grace Jones and Sky and the Family Stone. Oh yea, and Echo and the Bunnymen, too.

If I go this year, I'm stage busting for Gorillaz, my adopted uncle John Waters and my favorite Puerto Ricans - Calle 13:

Sen. John McCain tries to rewrite history on the underwear bomber who succeeded in only setting fire to his own sack and then gets snippy with someone who points out that he's wrong.

Talking Points Memo notes:

The one-way ticket meme lives!

Quizzing an administration official at the Homeland Security Committee Flight 253 hearing today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) pointed to a missed red flag: the fact that accused Christmas bomber Umar Abdulmutallab bought a one-way ticket with cash to travel from Lagos, Nigeria, to Detroit.

The only problem with that, of course, is that it's simply not true. As TPMmuckraker has documented, Abdulmutallab flew to Detroit on a round-trip ticket purchased in Ghana, according to the Nigerian government.

But when National Counterterrorism Center Director Michael Leiter corrected the senator, McCain didn't seem happy, admonishing Leiter, who ended up apologizing.

James Jordan and Chuck Kaufman returned from a delegation trip to Haiti only five days before the earthquake. The Tucsonans are national co-coordinators of the Alliance for Global Justice. The purpose of their trip was to investigate the human rights situation in Haiti, as well as to learn more about development programs, schools, and conditions for peasants and industrial workers.

Kaufman and Jordan spent most their time in Port Au Prince and Jacmel, the cities hit hardest by the disaster; and when they returned home they began reaching out to friends to help organize a benefit concert at Club Congress on Sunday, Jan. 31, from 3 to 11 p.m.

The cover charge is $5, but material contributions will also be collected, such as first aid and personal hygiene supplies, over-the-counter meds, blankets in good shape and dry goods, such as beans and rice. Materials supplies will be sent to World Care and 25 percent of the money raised will go to the organization to cover shipping costs. The remaining funds raised will go to Doctors Without Borders and Konpay through Haiti Reborn.

There will also be a silent auction for artwork and other items donated by local galleries, such as De Grazia and La Sirena galleries. Bands involved: Spirit Familia, Amy Rude, Salvador Duran, Jimmy Carr, The Jits, Maggie Golston, Dirk Wednesday, Hank Topless, Caliche con Carne, Naim Amor, The Sleeky Chaps, and Green Light.

According to the benefit press release:

For many years, the AFGJ has had a close relationship with the Quixote Center's Haiti Reborn and has a high opinion of the work it does there. Haiti Reborn receives a 100% wise giving rating from the Better Business Bureau, and all of the contributions it receives for disaster relief go toward efforts to provide goods and services to those in need. Specifically, Haiti Reborn is working closely with Doctors Without Borders and Konpay (a Haitian organization focusing on community development and projects including reforestation, sustainable agriculture and horticulture, and water purification).
In fact, two of the places visited by Kaufman and Jordan were quickly turned into makeshift clinics and aid centers, even before international aid had begun to arrive. For instance, Matthew 25 House, where Kaufman and Jordan stayed in Port Au Prince, has been turned into a medical clinic with the aid of Doctors Without Borders, and since the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, has been treating over 400 persons a day under dire circumstances. Likewise, the SOPUDEP school visited by the delegation has become an important center for aid distribution.

When they first found out about the earthquake, Kaufman and Jordon contacted Dave Slutes at Club Congress, and then local activists Jacqueline Mills and Gerard M. Dalencourt to organize the benefit. Dalencourt is from Haiti, where he taught school. He is now living in Tucson and is a member of Spirit Familia. Jordan is a member of Caliche con Carne.

Vince Rabago, the former chair of the Pima County Democratic Party and an assistant attorney general, will formally announce his plans to run for Arizona attorney general today.

He'll face two other former prosecutors, David Lujan and Felecia Rotellini, in the Democratic primary.

On the GOP side, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, who lost to outgoing AG Terry Goddard in 2002, is expected to face state schools chief Tom Horne in the Aug. 24 primary.