• Slug: BC-CNS-Arizona primary reform. 668 words.
• 2 File photos available and video (thumbnail, caption below).

By Aoife Kane
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – A campaign aiming to open Arizona’s primary elections filed its petition to qualify for the November ballot on Wednesday after collecting over 560,000 signatures.

If passed, the state constitutional amendment would let Arizona voters participate in primaries regardless of their party affiliation.

That would let more than 1.3 million independent voters who aren’t registered as a Republican or Democrat vote on those parties’ presidential primaries.

The office of the Secretary of State has up to 20 business days to certify the petition, but only 383,923 valid signatures are required.

Even if voters approve the amendment in November, it would be up to the Legislature – which is controlled by the two parties – to decide the mechanics of how nominees are picked for a general election.

If passed, the amendment would take effect in time for the 2026 primaries.

Continue reading “Arizona could see open primaries on the ballot this November, allowing independents to weigh in on presidential nominees”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Homeless SCOTUS. 1,065 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Sahara Sajjadi
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Advocates for homeless people in Arizona fear the Supreme Court has raised the risk of violence at the hands of police by upholding ordinances that criminalize sleeping in public places.

Phoenix made national headlines for months last year after a judge in Maricopa County ordered the city’s largest homeless encampment, The Zone, to be cleared. Downtown businesses had complained it posed a safety hazard.

Advocacy groups denounced the order. By November, the encampment was cleared, displacing hundreds of people.

Continue reading “Arizona’s homeless could be targeted by police under Supreme Court ruling allowing bans on public encampments”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Arizona Abortion Politics, 1,126 words.
• 2 file photos and 1 courtesy photo available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Alex Cunningham
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Democrats are banking on abortion as their saving grace in Arizona, where President Joe Biden won by just 10,000 votes in 2020 and currently lags Donald Trump in their rematch.

Arizona for Abortion Access, a coalition that includes the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, submitted a stack of 800,000 signatures Wednesday morning to get an initiative in front of voters in November.

That’s one in five registered voters.

The measure would protect access to abortion through fetal viability. In the two years since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, similar ballot initiatives have bolstered Democrats in red, blue and purple states.

Continue reading “Abortion ballot measure in Arizona could drive turnout as Biden campaigns hard on reproductive rights”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Criminal Migrants Trump, 1,050 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Benjamin Adelberg
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON –  Since President Joe Biden took office, the U.S. population has grown by at least 4 million more migrants who entered the United States illegally. 

During last week’s debate with Biden, former President Donald Trump asserted the tally includes “millions” of criminals and mental patients – an eye-popping claim not supported by government data.

The Trump campaign ignored repeated requests to provide evidence.  Continue reading “Migrant experts: Trump’s debate claim that ‘millions’ of criminals, mental patients have flooded U.S. under Biden doesn’t hold up”

• Slug: BC-CNS-DNC Trump Ads Arizona, 530 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Alex Cunningham
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – The Democratic National Committee took over Tuesday’s homepage of the Arizona Republic website with ads attacking Donald Trump as an existential threat to democracy.

The ads link to a 90-second video that shows Trump ducking a question about whether he will accept the outcome of the November election three times during last week’s prime-time debate.

The ads will run for a week on the Arizona Republic’s site, azcentral.com, according to DNC deputy communications director Abhi Rahman, starting shortly after midnight Tuesday.

Continue reading “Democrats plaster Arizona Republic website with ads calling Trump a threat to democracy, with other blitzes in Georgia, Pennsylvania”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Fake Elector Delegates. 895 words.
• File photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Grey Gartin and Keetra Bippus
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Three of the Arizona Republicans indicted as “fake electors” for their roles in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election will serve as delegates at the Republican National Convention in July. And they are defiant.

Arizona Republicans who picked them for the honor were well aware of the charges.

Continue reading “3 indicted in ‘fake electors’ scheme among Arizona delegates to RNC”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Bump Stocks. 1,090 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Sahara Sajjadi
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Bump stocks are back thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court. Some survivors of the Las Vegas massacre that left 60 people dead aren’t pleased.

That includes Justin Uhart, a gun owner who was working as a bartender at a music festival in 2017 when a man named Stephen Paddock fired over 1,100 rounds during a 10-minute shooting spree – a rampage made possible by use of a device that converts an ordinary rifle into a rapid-fire weapon.

Continue reading “Arizona survivor of Las Vegas massacre reflects on Supreme Court ruling to make bump stocks accessible”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Schweikert Targeted. 1,300 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Alex Cunningham
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. David Schweikert eked out a win in 2022 by just 3,000 votes. With abortion likely on the ballot in November, Democrats are confident they can flip the Phoenix-area district this time around, and a half dozen have lined up to try.

The district includes many of Arizona’s wealthiest suburbs, and Schweikert, a Republican, has emphasized sound fiscal policy and low taxes throughout his seven terms in Congress.

Continue reading “Democrats see abortion rights as a potent issue as they aim to topple seven-term U.S. Rep. David Schweikert”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Border Use of Force. 1,080 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Benjamin Adelberg
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported a sharp drop in the use of force against migrants at the southern border since last summer – 27% for the 12 months that ended May 31 – compared to a year earlier.

]Migrant advocates are skeptical.

The Government Accountability Office found significant underreporting in a report issued last July. One practice GAO spotlighted was counting an incident as a single event even when it involved numerous CBP officers and dozens of migrants.

Continue reading “Customs and Border Protection data shows sharp drop in use of force, but accuracy is questioned by migrant advocates”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Retro Gaming, 670 words.
• 7 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Stella Subasic
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – In the heart of downtown Phoenix, modern spaces are bringing retro gaming back to life, drawing crowds of all ages.

Leading this trend are Cobra Arcade Bar and Stardust Pinbar, establishments that have successfully merged vintage video games with a modern bar atmosphere. The combination has captivated locals and tourists, transforming downtown Phoenix into a destination for nostalgic entertainment.

Marcus Boykin, Cobra’s assistant general manager, has witnessed this transformation firsthand since the bar’s inception. “We hit the ground running,” Boykin said. “From our soft openings in January 2016, we’ve had lines out the door on weekends, and it hasn’t slowed down since.” Continue reading “Nostalgia meets nightlife: Phoenix’s Cobra Arcade Bar, Stardust Pinbar highlight retro gaming resurgence”

EDS: This is a partner story from KUNC. If you choose to use it, please fill out this form to help their tracking.

• Slug: KUNC-Phoenix Water Engineering. 2,670 words.
• 7 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Audio available.

By Alex Hager
KUNC

Brett Fleck does not have an easy job. He manages water for a city in the desert. He has to keep taps flowing while facing a complicated equation: Peoria is growing – attracting big business and thousands of new residents each year – but its main source of water is shrinking.

Standing on the edge of a sun-baked canal with palm trees lining its banks, Fleck watched water flow into the pipes that supply the Phoenix suburb.

Continue reading “Does Arizona have enough water? Phoenix-area cities are spending big to make sure it does”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Buffalo Tribal Reintroduction. 1,050 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Brianna Chappie
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Buffalo are so iconic, Congress designated them as the national mammal in 2016. Native American oral histories estimate that 30 to 60 million once roamed the plains.

After nearly going extinct, the shaggy beasts are making a comeback and soon, many could find themselves on reservations where their kind hasn’t set hoof in decades.

A bipartisan bill pending in Congress would pay to relocate some of the 20,500 buffalo from public lands across the West and Midwest to reservation lands that were historically part of the animals’ range.

Continue reading “Where the buffalo roamed: Bill would return herds to ancestral Native American lands”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Abortion Anniversary VP. 1,200 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Video available.

By Morgan Kubasko and Lauren De Young
Cronkite News

Marking two years since the Supreme Court struck down federal abortion rights, protesters marched on the court Monday, and Vice President Kamala Harris stumped in Phoenix to put a spotlight on the tussle over abortion in Arizona.

“Our work right now is absolutely directly going to affect the people of Arizona, the people of our country, but will have an impact on people around the world. That’s what’s in our hands right now,” Harris said at a reproductive freedom campaign event in Phoenix.
Continue reading “In Phoenix, VP Kamala Harris puts focus on abortion rights as advocates mark two years post-Roe v. Wade”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Fentanyl Report Graphic Short. 250 words.
• Graphic available.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Madeline Bates
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The fentanyl and opioid crisis cost Arizona an estimated $58 billion for 2023, according to a Common Sense Institute Arizona report published Monday. The nonpartisan think tank’s report included the costs of fatalities, opioid use disorder, hospitalizations and border security.

The report analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Arizona Department of Health Services and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, among others.

Continue reading “Common Sense Institute Arizona report estimates fentanyl, opioid crisis cost Arizona $58 billion in 2023”

• Slug: BC-CNS-SCOTUS guns abusers, 729 words.
• 1 file photo available.

By Sahara Sajjadi
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 on Friday to uphold a ban on gun possession by domestic abusers – a ruling that came as a huge relief to victims’ advocates in Arizona and across the nation.

“When an individual poses a clear threat of physical violence to another, the threatening individual may be disarmed,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote.

The near-unanimous ruling to affirm limitations on Second Amendment rights defied the court’s usual ideological split. The sole dissent came from Justice Clarence Thomas, who had authored a 2022 ruling that vastly expanded gun rights on behalf of the conservative majority.

Abusers use firearms as “an intimidation tactic,” said Cynthia Rodriguez, an associate director at A New Leaf, an Arizona group that helps people affected by domestic violence. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re going to use them, but it’s a tool that’s used to show power against their victim.”

Continue reading “Supreme Court upholds gun ban on domestic abusers, defying its usual ideological split on Second Amendment rights”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Congress DCCC. 805 words.
• 2 photos and 1 file photo available.

By Alex Cunningham
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – The Democrats’ House campaign arm plans to inject $2.8 million into two battleground districts in Arizona, targeting U.S. Reps. David Schweikert and Juan Ciscomani.

Both won by narrow margins in 2022 and Democrats are hoping the presidential race and concerns about abortion rights will motivate voters to put them over the top this time.

Democrats view abortion as pivotal to success in Arizona, where the state’s high court revived an 1864 law that enforced a near-total ban The Legislature repealed that ban but the issue remains top of mind for many voters.

“House Republicans are doing everything they can to chip away at reproductive freedom towards their ultimate goal of passing a nationwide abortion ban,” said U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), on a Thursday call with reporters. “We are holding Republicans accountable for their extreme anti-abortion stances. Come November we’ll take back the House of Representatives and defend our rights.”

Continue reading “Democrats spend big hoping to snag two of Arizona’s congressional seats”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Jobs Biden Arizona. 863 words.
• 1 file photo available.

By Grey Gartin
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Arizona’s unemployment rate fell in May to its lowest rate ever recorded, reaching a seasonally adjusted 3.4% and falling below the previous record of 3.5% recorded in August 2007, according to state data released Thursday.

The job boom has yet to translate into popularity for President Joe Biden, despite steps he’s taken to boost growth in manufacturing – a sector that’s seen some of the biggest gains. Polls show him trailing former President Donald Trump in Arizona.

Arizonans are sour on the economy, and pessimistic about their prospects if Biden wins reelection.

A CBS News/YouGov poll of likely Arizona voters last month found that only 17% expect to be better off financially in a second Biden term, compared to 45% if Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Continue reading “Arizona hits record low unemployment but Biden hasn’t seen political payoff from emphasis on job growth and workers”

• Slug: BC-CNS-VP abortion Phoenix. 440 words.
• 1 file photo available.

By Morgan Kubasko
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris will mark the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling striking down Roe v. Wade in Phoenix, at a campaign event focused on abortion rights.

Arizona has been a battleground for reproductive rights, and Democrats see it as a wedge issue to drive up turnout and lure independents and even some Republicans.

Harris stumped in Tucson days after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a near-total ban enacted in 1864 could again be enforced. Her latest visit comes nine days after the Legislature adjourned, ensuring its repeal of that Civil War-era ban cannot take effect even for a few days in the fall.

Harris will remind voters that Donald Trump named three of the six justices who overturned Roe, making him “responsible for overturning Roe and the chaos that has followed,” the Biden campaign said in announcing her visit.

Continue reading “Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign in Phoenix on Dobbs anniversary, putting abortion rights in spotlight”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Undocumented Spouses Protection. 1085 words.
• 3 photos available.

By Benjamin Adelberg
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Migrants and their advocates welcomed President Joe Biden’s order protecting undocumented immigrants who are married to Americans.

Under the previous rules, migrants like Karime Rodriguez – a U.S. resident for 20 years – had to leave the country to apply for a green card. Her parents brought her into the U.S. from Mexico at age 2.

The order Biden unveiled Tuesday will let such migrants complete their paperwork without leaving home, spouses, children and jobs.

That will help roughly half a million immigrants who are married to American citizens, according to the White House. The policy change will also benefit 50,000 of their noncitizen children under age 21 who also would be granted an easier path to a green card and eventual citizenship.

Continue reading “Biden announces protection for immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens and their children, but Trump’s policies threaten to take it away”