Small-business leaders upset as House passes second coronavirus bill

WASHINGTON - Business leaders pushed back Monday against a coronavirus relief bill the House passed over the weekend that calls for extended sick leave, as well as new funding for testing, school lunches, senior nutrition and more.


Officials say primary voting will go on, with COVID-19 precautions

TEMPE - The Democratic presidential primary will be held Tuesday as scheduled, despite the COVID-19 pandemic that has driven some other states to cancel in-person voting, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said in a statement Monday.


Ballot zombies: Early voters’ choices made moot by Democratic shakeup

WASHINGTON - When voters go to the polls Tuesday, they will be handed a ballot listing 18 Democrats who were running for president - 12 of whom have pulled out of the race since the ballots were printed in December. Voters next week know that; early voters did not.


Court ruling on Cuccinelli reverses – for now – limits on asylum claims

WASHINGTON - Soon after being named acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Ken Cuccinelli sharply reduced the amount of time migrants have to make their case for asylum. One problem - Cuccinelli was not legally the acting director, a court ruled, voiding the policy in the process.


Endorse check: Value of Arizona endorsements mixed in presidential race

WASHINGTON - Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who got the most Arizona endorsements, dropped out of the presidential primary. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders got none and is polling at a steady 30% in the state. Campaigns tout them, but analysts say endorsements "matter a lot less than they used to."


Sanders reaches for inclusivity, slams Biden at Phoenix rally

PHOENIX – Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, battling Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination, called on thousands of supporters days ahead of the 11th Democratic debate, which will be in Phoenix.


Plan to equip all DPS officers with body cameras has some public advocates skeptical

PHOENIX — Local activist groups weigh in on Gov. Doug Ducey’s budget plan to provide all Arizona state troopers with body cameras in the next fiscal year.


Trump touts economic accomplishments to receptive Latino business group

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump told an audience of Latino business leaders Wednesday that Hispanics are seeing economic gains across the board as a result of tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks that have led to " the booming Trump economy."


House passes $8.3 billion coronavirus bill; Biggs one of two ‘no’ votes

WASHINGTON - The House late Wednesday approved $8.3 billion in emergency funding to combat the coronavirus outbreak. The bill passed by an overwhelming 415-2 vote - with Reb. Andy Biggs, R-Peoria, counting for one of the two "nays."


Knowledge of the Holocaust wanes for millennials, Gen Z

PHOENIX – Studies show that knowledge of the Holocaust is declining, even as anti-Semitism is on the rise and survivors mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Oskar Knoblauch has told his story of surviving the Krakow ghetto in Poland to hundreds of students and supports making Arizona the 13th state to mandate genocide education.


Advocates think health care funds safe – for now – but worry about trend

WASHINGTON - Arizona health care advocates are confident that President Donald Trump's plan to slash billions from health services is "dead on arrival" in Congress - but that doesn't mean they're happy with the administration's direction.


Socialism shares stage with conservatism at annual CPAC conference

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Grand Canyon University student Talesa Jaramillo-Ortiz was excited to be celebrating with like-minded activists at the Conservative Political Action Conference here - even as she worried about the specter of socialism in this fall's elections, a theme that permeated the annual event.