• Slug: BC-CNS-Fentanyl Report Graphic Short. 250 words.
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• 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Crane McCarthy revenge. 1224 words.
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By Alex Cunningham
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Eli Crane got $900,000 worth of support from Kevin McCarthy when he won his Arizona congressional seat in 2022, according to campaign finance records. Less than a year later, he was one of eight hardline Republicans who ousted McCarthy from the speakership.

Now McCarthy is out for revenge. Using his vast war chest and web of affiliated PACs, the deposed Californian is trying to knock Crane out in the Republican primary on July 30, backing a challenger Crane’s camp has denounced as a “puppet.”

McCarthy is batting .000 so far in his quest to punish the turncoats who joined with Democrats to push him out last fall, bringing the House to a standstill for weeks until Republicans settled on a successor.

Crane, a former Navy SEAL who left college in his senior year to enlist after the Sept. 11 attacks, is seeking his second term in Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District. The vast district encompasses the northeastern part of the state and includes Flagstaff, Prescott and parts of the Valley. He lives just outside it in Oro Valley.

Continue reading “Ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s quest for vengeance faces test in Rep. Eli Crane’s primary”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Juneteenth Art. 600 words.
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By Stella Subasic
Cronkite News

TEMPE – Downtown Tempe came alive with vibrant cultural celebrations as the city hosted its annual Juneteenth Block Party Saturday. Organized by Downtown Tempe Authority, the theme for this year’s block party was Freedom of Expression. It combined history and education with immersive artistic experiences to showcase how art and activism come together to reflect on social justice and racial equality.

Event manager Tamar Burch, who recently moved to Tempe from Las Vegas, organized The Doorways art installation and worked on the block party alongside three other event managers to engage the community and support local businesses.

“Our role as event managers is to put on events that activate downtown Tempe,” Burch said. “We partner with the city to bring the community in and help the businesses down here.” Continue reading “Tempe Juneteenth celebration combines art activism with reflections on social justice, racial equality”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Abortion California. 590 words.
• File photo available.

By Morgan Kubasko
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Weeks after the Arizona Supreme Court revived a near-total abortion ban adopted decades before statehood, Democrats in California sprung into action. Through the end of November, Arizona doctors can get temporary licenses to perform abortions in California for Arizona patients.

Arizona abortion providers and abortion rights advocates voiced appreciation for the neighborly gesture.

But so far no Arizona doctors have signed up, California officials say.

Continue reading “With 1864 abortion ban repealed, Arizona doctors don’t need emergency licenses in California and none have signed up”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Small Scale Campaign.710 words.
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By Lauren De Young
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – A cheer of “Bingo!” was quickly followed by groans of disappointment and hearty laughter as a group of older adults played Biden Bingo on Thursday morning. The event was part of a new Joe Biden campaign tactic that aims to mobilize senior voters through bingo rounds, pickleball tournaments, ice cream socials and intergenerational chats.

Attendees at Biden Bingo at a Biden campaign office in Phoenix praised the event, saying that it was a more personable approach to campaigning.

“I love the concept because just sitting at my table today, I met people I had no idea were invested in helping to reelect Joe Biden,” said Dora Vasquez, executive director of the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans.

Seniors for Biden-Harris is one of the latest attempts from the Biden campaign to target specific demographics. This month, Republican Donald Trump launched Latino Americans for Trump and Black Americans for Trump. This targeted campaign strategy has blown up in the past decade or so, according to Stella Rouse, a professor in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University.

Continue reading “Joe Biden campaign tries to win Arizona seniors with bingo as Donald Trump campaign focuses on Black, Hispanic voters”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Abortion Ban Quirk. 650 words.
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By Sahara Sajjadi
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Arizonans nearly found themselves back in the 1800s.

A Civil War-era abortion ban repealed in May would have become enforceable on Sept. 26 – temporarily – if the Legislature didn’t adjourn in time.

New laws take effect 90 days after the legislative session. Through that quirk, unless lawmakers adjourned by June 28 the ban they had just repealed would be the law of the land, if only for a few days.

As a budget deadlock persisted, the specter grew that lawmakers would miss the deadline. Then, in a weekend push, they completed their work on Saturday night.

Continue reading “Arizona Legislature adjourns just in time to prevent repealed 1864 abortion ban from taking effect”

• Slug: BC-CNS-Missing Bullet. 1,886 words.
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By Xavier Brathwaite
Howard Center for Investigative Journalism

A new investigation by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University and The Texas Observer reveals San Antonio police lost a bullet after logging it in as evidence in the shooting death of an 8-month-old baby. The SAPD has a history of problems with evidence handling, the report found.

Eight-month-old Rosalinda Martinez died in April of last year after a July 2023 indictment says she was shot during a fight between her parents over a handgun. San Antonio police collected evidence from the crime scene.

Police arrested Ruby Mora and Alejandro Martinez, the baby’s parents, for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and reckless bodily injury to their child, according to court records. Mora was arrested on April 18, 2023, and Alejandro was booked a month later on May 7. Both Mora and Martinez are in jail and awaiting trial in Bexar County Court.

But San Antonio police have lost a crucial piece of evidence: a bullet.
Continue reading “How police in Texas lost a bullet tied to the shooting death of a baby”