Trump tours, touts border wall; critics blast his ‘little pep rally’ in midst of pandemic
PHOENIX - President Donald Trump toured a new section of border wall in Yuma, crediting it not only for reducing border crossings and drugs but also for helping prevent "a coronavirus catastrophe" on the southern border, a claim derided by Democrats at time when COVID-19 infections are surging.
Immigration advocates criticize Trump’s new visa restrictions
PHOENIX – President Trump extended a freeze on green cards for new immigrants and signed an executive order to suspend new H-1B, L-1, J and other temporary work visas for skilled workers, managers and au pairs through the end of the year.
Trump in Yuma to mark 216 miles of border wall, still a work in progress
PHOENIX - President Donald Trump is set to visit Yuma Tuesday to mark the completion of 216 miles of border wall - well shy of the 450 miles he vowed to have built by the end of this year. But experts note that, with elections this fall, the administration has a powerful incentive to keep pressing ahead.
COVID-19 in Arizona: Phoenix mayor says mask requirements won’t be enforced at Trump rally
An Arizona sheriff tested positive for COVID-19 but says he will not wear or enforce face masks, while some Arizonans wait more than 10 hours in the heat to receive testing.
COVID-19 in Arizona: Phoenix City Council votes to mandate masks
PHOENIX – The Phoenix City Council voted 7-2 to mandate face masks outdoors and in businesses in light of Doug Ducey’s decision to allow city councils to implement and enforce their own mandates.
Census field workers back on Navajo Nation, with work cut out for them
Experts can cite any number of historical and logistical reasons why Native Americans have relatively low response rates to the Census, but they point to a very new, and very specific challenge this year - COVID-19, which has hit tribes hard while keeping enumerators out of the field..
Ducey recommends mask use, tells cities and counties to make and enforce local rules
PHOENIX – Pledging harsher enforcement of state rules for restaurants and public spaces, Ducey allows local leaders to mandate the use of face masks in public.
COVID-19 in Arizona: Medical professionals urge mask mandate
PHOENIX – With cases of COVID-19 in Arizona rising by more than 1,000 a day, members of the medical community have written letters asking state officials to issue new pandemic guidelines.
COVID-19 in Arizona: Native American communities hit harder than some states, research finds
PHOENIX – Arizona sets a single-day record for new cases; more swab testing will be available in Phoenix; tiny Guadalupe reports high infection numbers; and more headlines from around the Grand Canyon State.
Mayors: COVID-19 followed by second ‘pandemic’ of police relations
WASHINGTON - Cities were already grappling with the health and economic impact of COVID-19 when protests uncovered what one mayor Thursday called the "second pandemic" - a fractured police relationship with minority communities.
Ducey says state will keep reopening despite surge in COVID-19 cases
PHOENIX – Facing rise in COVID-19 cases, politicians and health experts voice concern for Arizona’s plans to continue reopening businesses that were shut down in March. In other news, state health officials reported a total of 31,264 cases of COVID-19 and 1,127 deaths.
Floyd’s brother testifies to House, as lawmakers debate best way forward
WASHINGTON - The brother of George Floyd, whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked nationwide protests, told a somber House committee Wednesday that he hopes his testimony can bring changes so that Floyd's "death will not be in vain."
