• Slug: CN2GO
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THIS IS YOUR CRONKITE NEWS 2GO BRIEFING.

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I’M ALEXANDRA MORA MEDINA. (  go to story ) 

HEADLINE: USCIS announces online filling for DACA renewal forms

SUMMARY: 

THE U-S CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK THAT INDIVIDUALS WHO PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS STATUS CAN NOW FILE ONLINE. IN A STATEMENT, USCIS DIRECTOR, UR JADDOU (Uer Ja-doo) SAYS THIS EXPANSION IS ESSENTIAL TO MAKE THE PROCESS EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE. AND SOME DACA RECIPIENTS AGREE.

“It’s so much easier to be able to submit like your documentation and have like a record through a portal through the USCIS website”

THATS REYNA MONTOYA, CEO OF ALIENTO AND DACA RECIPIENT. SHE SAYS THIS OPTION WOULD ALLOW RECIPIENTS TO HAVE MORE ACCESS AND A MODERNIZED SYSTEM TO SUBMIT APPLICATIONS. ALIENTO HAS HELPED HUNDREDS OF DACA RECIPIENTS RENEW THEIR PETITIONS. MONTOYA SAYS  THE ONLINE OPTION WILL MAKE THE PROCESS SMOOTHER AND FASTER.   

“Coming after how COVID really choked some of the backlogs like we still have USCIS working a huge backlogs around legal permanent residents. So I think that being able to have a digital, it really allows to expedite the process.” 

MONTOYA SAYS SHE APPRECIATES THIS OPTION FROM THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION BUT WANTS TO SEE MORE DONE. SHE, LIKE MANY OTHERS, HAS BEEN WAITING FOR A PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS PROMISED THROUGHOUT HIS TERM.

USCIS CONTINUES TO ACCEPT THE LATEST PAPER VERSIONS OF ALL FORMS BY MAIL.

HEADLINE: Blood shortage raises questions about who can donate (John Brown/ 2:02 ) 

HOST INTRO 

SINCE THE AIDS EPIDEMIC, GAY MEN HAVE BEEN PROHIBITED FROM DONATING BLOOD. BUT NOW, DURING ONE OF THE BIGGEST BLOOD SHORTAGES EVER, PEOPLE ARE ADVOCATING FOR A POLICY CHANGE. CRONKITE NEWS REPORTER JOHN BROWN EXPLAINS.

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IT STARTED IN 1983. THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION  BANNED MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN  FROM DONATING BLOOD DUE TO H-I-V AND AIDS CONCERNS.  IN 2015, THE BAN WAS CHANGED TO 12 MONTHS. TWO YEARS AGO THE F-D-A CHANGED IT AGAIN – THIS TIME TO 3 MONTHS. 

<REP. GREG STANTON, DISTRICT 9, HITS: :22-:26 / RUNS :04 SECONDS>

“There is a massive blood shortage in the United States of America right now.” 

VO

That’s ARIZONA CONGRESSMAN  Greg Stanton.

MANY ARE FRUSTRATED WITH THE F-D-A’S POLICY, INCLUDING JOHNNY MARTIN, AN OPENLY GAY MAN WHO IS ADVOCATING FOR A CHANGE.

<JOHNNY MARTIN, VOTING RIGHTS ORGANIZER, ARIZONA FAITH NETWORK, HITS: :48-1:03, RUNS: 15 SECONDS >

“There’s nothing about being a gay person or a gay man in particular that makes my blood any more dangerous or you know less desirable when it comes to somebody who you know may need their life saved by that kind of donation.”

THE SOUTHWEST CENTER IN DOWNTOWN PHOENIX IS ACTIVELY WORKING TO COUNTER MISINFORMATION ABOUT BLOOD DONATIONS AND OFFERS HEALTHCARE TO L-G-B-T-Q PLUS INDIVIDUALS. CASEY SIMON IS THE SENIOR DIRECTOR AT THE CENTER. 

SIMON IS FED UP THAT POLICY CHANGES HAVE NOT BEEN UPDATED. AND HE SAYS THERE HAS BEEN ENOUGH RESEARCH TO PROVE THAT BLOOD DONATIONS BY L-G-B-T-Q PLUS MEN DO NOT LEAD TO DISEASES LIKE H-I-V OR AIDS. 

<CASEY SIMON/ SENIOR DIRECTOR, HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS/SOUTHWEST CENTER> 

“I could go and lie, to donate blood. But should I have to, is to question and, and really, that’s where the stigma comes in.”

CONGRESSMAN STANTON, A DEMOCRAT,  CALLS THE F-D-A’S AND OTHER POLICIES ANTI-SCIENCE. HE SAYS THERE IS NO FACTUAL EVIDENCE TO THE ASSERTION.

<CONG. GREG STANTON>

“The reality is we need blood to help save lives, and I know there are so many gay men that would love to help others by by giving blood. So we don’t want to engage in self defeating public policy.”

AS FOR NOW, THE F-D-A’S REQUIREMENT THAT LGBTQ MEN WAIT THREE MONTHS TO DONATE BLOOD REMAINS IN EFFECT. BUT STANTON ALONG WITH OTHERS HOPE THAT ONE DAY THAT WILL COME TO AN END. 

JOHN BROWN, CRONKITE NEWS. 

HEADLINE: Cardinals Quarterback Kyler Murray sits out new Cardinals season

SUMMARY: Kyler Murray will not play next season until the Cardinals give him an extension and pay raise on his next contract. 

THE ARIZONA CARDINALS STAR QUARTERBACK KYLER MURRAY MAY NOT PLAY FOR THE CARDINALS NEXT SEASON UNTIL HE HAS A NEW CONTRACT. REPORTS COMING OUT THURSDAY INDICATE HE’S LOOKING FOR A CONTRACT EXTENSION. THAT’S AFTER THE TEAM HAD A ROUGH OFFSEASON AND LOST THE EVENTUAL SUPER BOWL CHAMPION RAMS.

AFTER THE PLAYOFFS ENDED MURRAY TOOK TO INSTAGRAM WHERE HE REMOVED  ALL POSTS REGARDING THE CARDINALS. 

WITH MOST EXTENSIONS BEING DEALT OUT TO PLAYERS AFTER THE NFL DRAFT CONCLUDES AT THE END OF APRIL, CARDINAL FANS AND TEAMMATES WILL HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE  WHO THE FORMER HEISMAN QUARTERBACK WILL END UP PLAYING FOR NEXT SEASON.  

HEADLINE: UA player declares for draft

SUMMARY: Sophomore guard Bennedict Mathurin has declared for the NBA draft after two seasons with the Wildcats.

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA SOPHOMORE BENNEDICT MATHURIN (Math-rin) ANNOUNCED WEDNESDAY  HE WILL LEAVE  SCHOOL EARLY AND DECLARE FOR THE 20-22 NBA DRAFT. 

THE STANDOUT GUARD PUT UP GREAT NUMBERS THIS SEASON HELPING LEAD ARIZONA TO THE NUMBER ONE RANKING DURING THE SEASON AND AN NC-DOUBLE- A TOURNAMENT BID. 

THE 6 FOOT 6 INCH GUARD GOT THE WILDCATS ALL THE WAY TO THE “SWEET 16” WHERE THEY LOST TO THE HOUSTON COUGARS. 

MATHURIN IS THE PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR AND A CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICAN. HE SHOULD BE A LOTTERY PICK COME JUNE’S NBA DRAFT. 

HEADLINE: Suns Game anticipation

SUMMARY: The Clippers and Pelicans face off in Friday night’s play-in game, as the winner will face the Suns in round 1.

THE NBA PLAYOFFS BEGIN THIS WEEKEND FOR THE PHOENIX SUNS. THEIR FIRST GAME IS ON SUNDAY EVENING, BUT WITH ONLY DAYS TO GO BEFORE TIPOFF THE SUNS DON’T KNOW THEIR OPPONENT. THAT’S BECAUSE  OF THE NBA’S CHANGE LAST SEASON TO HOW THE PLAY OFFS ARE DONE. 

THE SUNS WILL PLAY THE WINNER OF FRIDAY NIGHT’S MATCHUP BETWEEN THE LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS AND NEW ORLEANS PELICANS. WHOEVER WINS THAT TOURNAMENT WILL PUNCH THEIR TICKET FOR THE PLAYOFFS AND 48 HOURS LATER PLAY PHOENIX. 

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WE HAD HELP TODAY FROM JOHN BROWN AND JUSTIN TORRES. OUR SHOW WAS PRODUCED BY KIRSTEN DORMAN.

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YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THE STORIES YOU HEARD IN TODAY’S NEWS UPDATE, BY GOING TO CRONKITENEWS-DOT-AZPBS-DOT-ORG. 

THAT’S ALL FOR YOUR CRONKITE NEWS 2 GO. I’M ALEXANDRA MORA MEDINA . 

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