Here is your Cronkite News lineup for Friday, July 26.

• For news story questions, contact Julia Thompson at julia.thompson.1@asu.edu.
• For sports story questions, contact Shemar Woods at shemar.woods@asu.edu.
• For clean versions of video, contact Allysa Adams at aadams1@asu.edu.

If not linked below, stories promised for today, along with photos and links to multimedia elements, will post to our client site at cronkitenews.jmc.asu.edu/clients.

TODAY IN NEWS

Speech, book signing, more: Kari Lake prominent at RNC after modeling campaign after Donald Trump

MILWAUKEE – In the days after a would-be assassin tried to kill former President Donald Trump, Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake shrugged aside calls for politicians to soften their rhetoric and refrain from stoking divisions. The political climate is actually “good,” she said at one point during a whirlwind week at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee at which she lashed out at the news media and reiterated claims that she actually won the 2022 election for Arizona governor, which the courts have repeatedly tossed out. Lake is heavily favored to best Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in Tuesday’s GOP Senate primary. The winner will face Rep. Ruben Gallego of Phoenix, who is uncontested in the Democratic primary for the seat being vacated by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent.

Slug: BC-CNS-Kari Lake. 1,250 words. By Keetra Bippus.

Photos available.

TODAY IN SPORTS

EDs: A team of Cronkite journalists and content creators are in Paris as the world comes together for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Be on the lookout for more Olympics-related content over the coming days and weeks. 

5,000 miles away from Paris Olympics, Valley’s French bakeries find connection with community

PARIS – Several bakeries in the Valley embody French culinary tradition, offering authentic pastries and bread that resonate with Arizona locals, and celebrating cultural heritage in anticipation for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Slug: Sports-Valley French Bakeries. 700 words. By Abigail Scott.

Photo, video available.

ASU women’s golf program showcases strength with five Olympians in Paris

TEMPE – As the Paris Olympics begin, Arizona State’s Missy Farr-Kaye’s fingerprints are all over the golf competition as the Sun Devils women’s coach. Five of her former Sun Devils will represent Tempe on the world stage in a show of the program’s longstanding success.

Slug: Sports–ASU women’s golf Olympics. 641 words. By Aya Abdeen.

Photo available.

THIS WEEK IN NEWS

Proposed federal commission would investigate abuses at Native American boarding schools that operated until the 1970s

WASHINGTON – From 1819 until 1969, hundreds of thousands of Native American children were forcibly removed from their homes and sent to boarding schools – sometimes hundreds or even thousands of miles from their families. The schools were run by churches and the federal government with a clear purpose: to strip Native Americans of their cultures and force them to assimilate. Abuse was rampant. Overcrowded and unsanitary, the schools became breeding grounds for tuberculosis and other diseases. An estimated 40,000 children died in these boarding schools. Arizona was home to 59 of these schools. A move is underway in Congress to bring accountability to the federal government for promoting these policies.

Slug: BC-CNS-Native Boarding Schools. 830 words. By Brianna Chappie.

Historical photos available.

Kids Online Safety Act could pass the Senate soon amid calls to protect minors online

WASHINGTON – Congress hasn’t passed a law protecting children online since 1998. Advocates are hoping that changes soon. The Kids Online Safety Act would require tech companies to protect minors from bullying, sexual exploitation, and material that promotes suicide and eating disorders. KOSA would also add privacy protections and limit how minors’ information is collected online. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy gave the measure a boost in June when he called for warning labels on social media platforms. KOSA has 70 co-sponsors in the Senate, including Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona.

Slug: BC-CNS-Youth Social Media. 1,065 words. By Morgan Kubasko.

File photo available.

Kirsten Engel slams Juan Ciscomani over links to Patriot Academy, a Christian nationalist group, as Arizona congressional race simmers

WASHINGTON – Tucson Congressman Juan Ciscomani, who enjoys a reputation as a relatively moderate Republican, has long been active with a group that promotes the goal of Christians stewarding the nation’s morality through “biblical citizenship.” “I can wholeheartedly say that nothing in my life has given me a clearer direction for my life than Patriot Academy,” the first-term Republican wrote in a 2010 blog post. That was about four years after he first attended a session from the Texas-based organization, which says it seeks to “train citizens to understand and influence government policy with a biblical worldview.” He attended again in 2007 and 2008, brought the program to Arizona in 2013, and sat on the board of directors for 14 years. Kirsten Engel, his unopposed Democratic challenger, labels Patriot Academy a “Christian nationalist” organization hellbent on merging church and state. She argues that his extensive ties to the group – highlighted on a website she launched last month – show him to be “an extremist” like its hard-line anti-abortion leaders.

Slug: BC-CNS-Ciscomani Patriot Academies. 800 words. By Alex Cunningham.

Photos available.

Sen. Mark Kelly’s short political history and years of public service being vetted by Kamala Harris’ campaign for potential vice president pick

WASHINGTON – Of the contenders Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign 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.” Kelly is a newcomer to politics, elected less than four years ago. He may lack the executive experience of others on Harris’ short list, but he has a far more moderate image than Harris, and other attributes that also could balance the ticket.

Slug: BC-CNS-Kelly VP Assess. About 1,400 words. By Grey Gartin, Benjamin Adelberg and Aoife Kane.

File photo available.

Arizona’s Proposition 314, authorizing local enforcement of federal immigration law, would face legal hurdles if approved

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.

Slug: BC-CNS-Proposition 314. 1,000 words. By Alex Cunningham.

Photos available.

Skateboarding gives Navajo and other Indigenous people an outlet for artistry and heritage

WASHINGTON – Skateboarders from the Navajo Nation and other Indigenous groups “shredded it” at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. The sport has proven to be an outlet for artistry and heritage and a thriving subculture in Indigenous communities. It was on full display with Arizona skateboarders and skate artists at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, the largest annual cultural event in Washington, D.C.

Slug: BC-CNS-Indigenous Skateboarders. 1,230 words. By Brianna Chappie.

Photos available.

Migrants regularly die in searing Arizona heat, but the desert often claims the remains and death toll is uncertain

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. “The desert is very efficient at making people disappear,” Holeman said. “The people that die there often don’t have somebody looking for them, but they still matter.” More than half the deaths among migrants in the Americas occur in the U.S.-Mexico border region, according to the International Organization for Migration. IOM called it the deadliest land crossing in the world in 2021. May through September is the hottest and deadliest time of year at the border, according to Pima County’s Medical Examiner Greg Hess. The precise toll is unknown. The Department of Homeland Security says 9,520 people have been found dead since 1998 after crossing from Mexico. But many others are never discovered, and the true number is likely much higher.

Slug: BC-CNS-Migrant Heat Deaths. 1,165 words. By Benjamin Adelberg.

File photos, graphic available.

Gov. Katie Hobbs, other Arizona Democrats rally behind Kamala Harris for presidential nomination after Joe Biden bows out

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. By Monday evening, Harris had rounded up public support from about half the delegates needed to clinch the nomination, according to surveys from the Associated Press and other news outlets. Sen. Mark Kelly – touted as a potential running mate – threw his support to her within hours of Biden dropping out. Gov. Katie Hobbs waited more than 24 hours, long after most other Democratic governors had weighed in.

Slug: BC-CNS-Harris Arizona Democrats. 970 words. By Alex Cunningham and Grey Gartin.

Photos available.

‘Commodification of life:’ Some religious leaders oppose IVF, causing tension among churchgoers struggling with infertility

PHOENIX – Reproductive technologies have increasingly been scrutinized by religious leaders. In June, the Southern Baptist Convention made headlines when it voted to oppose the use of in vitro fertilization, citing the excess of embryos made, stored and sometimes experimented on through the process. “It’s not that technology is bad, and there are technologies out there that are safe and that do uphold the dignity and sanctity of human life,” said Anthony Cox, lead pastor of Mercy Hill Church and Arizona trustee on the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. “Southern Baptists want to affirm the dignity and value of every human life, no matter what stage of development, no matter the location, whether that’s in the womb or outside of the womb.” But some Arizonans experiencing fertility issues are struggling with how religious organizations view embryos as it relates to IVF.

Slug: BC-CNS-Arizona IVF. 1,785 words. By Lauren De Young.

Photos available.

THIS WEEK IN SPORTS