By Grey Gartin, Benjamin Adelberg and Aoife Kane Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – Of the contenders Vice President Kamala Harris is vetting as a possible running mate, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is the only one who’s been to space, traveling over 20 million miles for NASA.
But does he have the right stuff to join the Democratic ticket?
“This is not about me,” he told reporters at the Capitol on Wednesday. “This is about the future of this country.”
WASHINGTON – The first skateboard Di’Orr Greenwood ever rode was a cheap plastic one her grandpa had given to her younger brother.
“He had so much fun on it that I wanted a little bit of that fun, too,” she said.
When she was 22, an arson fire left the family home in ashes. They lost almost everything. But Greenwood found some old skateboards unscathed by the fire, and a tool for wood burning that her late uncle had taught her to use.
Slug: BC-CNS-Proposition 314. 1,000 words. By Alex Cunningham.
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By Alex Cunningham Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – Proposition 314 would make it a crime under Arizona law to cross the border illegally – allowing police to arrest anyone who can’t prove U.S. citizenship or legal residency and state courts to order deportations.
Even if voters approve the measure in November, it faces high legal hurdles.
Immigration enforcement is a federal power, and federal courts have so far blocked similar laws in Texas and other states. Advocates for civil liberties and migrants warn that such “show me your papers” laws put Americans with darker skin and accents at risk.
PHOENIX – The WNBA All-Star game returned to Phoenix for the third time last weekend, bringing in fans from across the country and internationally to witness the world’s best players.
Team WNBA prevailed over the Women’s National Team, 117-109, in front of a sellout crowd Saturday at the Footprint Center, with Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale earning the All-Star MVP award after a 34-point performance in her third All-Star game appearance. The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game averaged 3.4 million viewers on ABC, making it the most-watched WNBA telecast since opening weekend in 1997, according to Front Office Sports.
Fans also flocked to downtown Phoenix to see rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. Reese scored 12 points and had 11 rebounds to become the first rookie with a double-double in an WNBA All-Star game, while Clark’s 10 assists set an All-Star rookie record of her own.
The weekend festivities kicked off with Friday night’s skills competitions, including an obstacle course-style skills challenge, a 3×3 exhibition game and a 3-point contest. Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray became the first player in WNBA history to win both the skills challenge and the 3-point contest in the same year.
A huge focus of the weekend was fan engagement, as the league hosted events like the WNBA Live fan festival in Phoenix. Fans of all ages participated in shooting contests, waited in line for meet-and-greets with their favorite players and purchased a variety of All-Star-themed merchandise.
After Team WNBA’s victory Saturday and the ensuing awards presentation, ESPN reporter Holly Rowe spoke to the loud Phoenix crowd. Her message was received by applause and cheers from players and fans alike.
“I feel really comfortable saying that this has been the best WNBA All-Star game we have ever seen in this league,” Rowe said.
Arike Ogunbowale celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer in the second half, where she scored 34 points in an MVP-worthy performance at Footprint Center. (Photo by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)From left: Aliyah Boston, Allisha Gray, Caitlin Clark and Arike Ogunbowale celebrate after Ogunbowale’s basket to end the third quarter in Saturday’s 2024 WNBA All-Star Game. (Photo by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark takes warmup 3-pointers in front of a fan’s sign that reads, ‘Caitlin from the Logo,’ at Footprint Center. (Photo by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)Fans were greeted Saturday with a unique T-shirt designed by Kelly Malka across their seat backs ahead of the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game at Footprint Center. (Photo by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)A’ja Wilson stretches for Team USA before the start of the WNBA All-Star game Saturday at Footprint Center. (Photos by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, a starter for Team WNBA, goes for a layup surrounded by Team USA players in the second half of Saturday’s 2024 WNBA All-Star Game at Footprint Center. (Photo by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)Kahleah Copper goes for a layup for Team USA in the first half, defended by Aliyah Boston in Saturday’s 2024 WNBA All-Star Game at Footprint Center. (Photos by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game averaged 3.4 million viewers on ABC, making it the most-watched WNBA telecast since opening weekend in 1997, per reports. (Photo by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)Arike Ogunbowale earns WNBA All-Star MVP for the second time in her career Saturday at Footprint Center. (Photo by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)Team WNBA’s Angel Reese finished the game with a double-double, putting up 12 points and 11 rebounds, in Saturday’s All-Star Game. (Photo by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)Mercury veteran Diana Taurasi hugs Vanessa Bryant after Team USA’s 117-109 loss to Team WNBA Saturday at Footprint Center. (Photo by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)Nikkole Bonner wears a shirt featuring A’ja Wilson and Angel Reese that reads, ‘I came to see the vet vs the rookie,’ Saturday at Footprint Center. (Photos by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)Fans had the opportunity to meet current and former players at the WNBA Live fan festival held at the Phoenix Convention Center, including A’ja Wilson. (Photos by Grace Hand/Cronkite NewsPhoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner hugs second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who visited Team USA’s practice Friday at the Player 15 Group facility. (Photo by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones reacts to missing the final shot in the 3-point challenge Friday at Footprint Center. (Photos by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)Allisha Gray celebrates with former University of South Carolina teammate A’ja Wilson after winning the 3-point and skills competitions Friday at Footprint Center. (Photos by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey high-fives enthusiastic young fans before competing in the skills challenges Friday at Footprint Center. (Photo by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey high-fives enthusiastic young fans before competing in the skills challenges Friday at Footprint Center. (Photo by Grace Hand/Cronkite News)
WASHINGTON – James Holeman’s first encounter with the deadly toll that illegal migration takes came in August 2018 on his first patrol with Aguilas del Desierto, a group devoted to rescuing missing migrants.
It’s a gruesome reality for volunteers whose goal is to save lives. They don’t reach everyone in time.
His small group was assigned to scour an area called Growler Valley, about 30 miles from Ajo – his home – and 75 miles from Yuma. They found two sites with human bones that day – 13 individuals desperate enough to brave some of the most unforgiving terrain in the country.
WASHINGTON – Arizona’s Democratic delegates, federal lawmakers and governor have rallied behind Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s new presidential nominee.
President Joe Biden’s announcement on Sunday upended the race for the White House, and he quickly endorsed his vice president. Democrats around the country have followed his lead.
“There is an outpouring of endorsements and support from Democratic Party officials and delegates here in Arizona, and we look forward to her being our nominee,” Lupe Conchas, a vice chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, said Monday.
EDS: An earlier version of this story incorrectly incorrectly quoted E-Beth Marshall in the 20th graf. The story below has been corrected, but clients who used previous versions are asked to run the correction found here.
Slug: BC-CNS-Arizona IVF. 1,785 words.
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By Lauren De Young Cronkite News
PHOENIX – It was Christmas Day 2012 when E-Beth Marshall and her husband’s lives were shattered.
“We finally got to go and tell everybody that we are pregnant, and then on Christmas Day, we ended up miscarrying,” Marshall said. “It was heartbreaking.”
MILWAUKEE – Arizona Republicans were awestruck after a week devoted to all things Donald Trump – dazzled by a high-spirited finale and moved to tears in some cases as he recounted his narrow escape from an assassin’s bullet just five days earlier.
“I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” he said Thursday night as he accepted the party’s nomination for the third time in eight years.
“Yes, you are! Yes, you are!” delegates packed into a downtown Milwaukee arena chanted back near the end of the 2024 Republican National Convention.
MILWAUKEE – After four speech-filled nights at the Republican convention, Arizona delegates said they’ll return home more enthused than ever about former President Donald Trump.
State Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Scottsdale, a first-time delegate, said the Fiserv Forum felt “electric,” especially when Trump arrived Monday, two days after an assassination attempt.
“You can’t get more drama than that,” he said.
The electricity peaked again Thursday night as Trump accepted the nomination, and delegates said they’ll leave Milwaukee with a sense of Republican unity around Trump that was even stronger than when they arrived.
MILWAUKEE – The year Donald Trump won the presidency, the Republican platform declared that “traditional marriage and family, based on marriage between one man and one woman, is the foundation for a free society.”
The party reaffirmed the 2016 platform four years later during the pandemic.
Slug: BC-CNS-Trump Divine Intervention. 630 words. By Keetra Bippus.
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By Keetra Bippus Cronkite News
MILWAUKEE – Among the red, white and blue crowd at the Republican National Convention, the support for former President Donald Trump is palpable. Some Arizona delegates admire the achievements of his first term and view him as a strong leader and businessman.
For others, it runs deeper – especially since Saturday, when a sniper’s bullet nicked his ear in a shocking assassination attempt that failed when Trump turned his head slightly at precisely the right moment.
WASHINGTON – Many younger workers don’t believe they will ever see a dime of Social Security benefits.
“I think the program will be shut down by the time I stop working,” said Peter Fairbanks, 24, a territory manager in Phoenix at a company that sells skin care products.
The skepticism is widespread, though Gen Zers and Millennials also tend not to worry much about benefits they may or may not collect in four or five decades. So the issue may not make much difference to them on Election Day, Arizona political experts say – unless one of the presidential contenders comes up with a plan to ensure the program’s survival.
Slug: BC-CNS-Fake Electors Merch. 600 words. By Amaia J. Gavica.
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By Amaia J. Gavica Cronkite News
MILWAUKEE – At street corners all around the Republican National Convention, vendors have set up shop with merchandise that celebrates Donald Trump.
Beneath large white tents, tables are piled high with T-shirts, mugs, hats and more with the former president’s likeness. On the streets, individuals sell magnets with the words, “You’re killing us Joe.”
“We’ve been selling Trump merchandise since before President Trump took office,” said Anthony Montgomery, a South Carolinian making sales to lines of people under large tents near the Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee.
WASHINGTON – Police and firefighters in Arizona who suffer from PTSD could soon use workers’ compensation to cover therapy that involves the psychedelic drug commonly known as ecstasy or molly.
That depends on the Food and Drug Administration, which plans to vote next month on approval of MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder.
MILWAUKEE – The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has opened the doors to a flood of new possibilities in politics – including convincing deepfakes and the rapid spread of disinformation.
“We should consider (AI) to be a significant risk to American democracy,” said David Harris, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley who studies AI, misinformation and democracy.
The growing availability of AI tools means that creating realistic – but fraudulent – video, audio and photos of politicians is cheaper and more accessible than ever.
MILWAUKEE – Former President Donald Trump has vowed to deliver the “largest deportation operation in American history,” envisioning the removal of some 15 million people living in the country illegally.
The latest Republican Party platform echoes that promise, and says the GOP “is committed to sending Illegal Aliens back home and removing those who have violated our Laws.”
It’s a potentially inflammatory plan in a battleground state like Arizona, which shares a 370-mile border with Mexico. At the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Arizona delegates offered mixed views about mass deportation, though all who discussed the idea with Cronkite News agreed that border security is a top priority.
MILWAUKEE – Cheers erupted from the Arizona delegation at the announcement Monday that Donald Trump had picked Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his vice president.
Some of the state’s Republican delegates conceded they don’t know much about Vance – a lawyer, best-selling author and former Trump denouncer who was elected less than two years ago – but said they trust the former president’s stamp of approval.
“I’m not that familiar with him, but I’m sure he’s great. If Trump picked him, I know he will be the best … person for the job,” said Joe Neglia, an at-large delegate from Tempe.
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By Lauren De Young Cronkite News
PHOENIX – A dust and rain storm rolled through the Valley Sunday night, building on a slow but thundering start to Arizona’s monsoon season. While some may look forward to the monsoon season, as the storms bring lower temperatures, those with asthma prepare for discomfort and distress.
During the Arizona monsoon, a weather season that typically lasts from June through September, thunderstorms and heavy rains pummel the state. These thunderstorms mix a “perfect recipe” that spells trouble for asthmatics, according to Dr. Janna Assar, a Banner Health family medicine physician.
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By Amaia J. Gavica Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – Last month was the hottest June on record in Phoenix, with an average temperature of 97 degrees. The city’s heat wave last summer, with 31 straight days at 110 degrees or above, blew past the 18-day record set in 1974.
With Rocky Mountain snowpack declining, the Colorado River system has been in drought for two decades. Around the country and globe, wildfires, floods, droughts and extreme weather have become more extreme, prolonged and frequent.
Climatologists have no doubt the climate is changing – for the worse, and because of human activities that trap greenhouse gases.
But Arizona Republicans in Congress reject the scientific consensus that the climate is changing, that human activity is the culprit, and that it may already have reached or passed a dangerous tipping point.
WASHINGTON – Phoenix Rep. Greg Stanton of Phoenix on Thursday joined a growing chorus of congressional Democrats calling on President Joe Biden to end his reelection effort, as Republicans unleash a torrent of attacks aimed at capitalizing on the president’s struggles.
In Arizona’s closely watched Senate race, Kari Lake hit Rep. Ruben Gallego for failing to repudiate Biden since a debate two weeks ago in which the 81-year-old Biden repeatedly lost his train of thought and appeared to stare blankly.
