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Former President Donald J. Trump on Sunday called Blake Masters, the failed Arizona Senate candidate considering a second run next year, and told him he didn’t think Mr. Masters could win a primary race against Kari Lake, the former news anchor who ran unsuccessfully for governor last year, according to two people briefed on the conversation. Mr. Trump’s delivery of this blunt political assessment — which could indicate that Mr. Trump may endorse Ms. Lake if she has a relatively open path to the nomination — is at odds with Mr. Trump’s posture so far this political cycle, in which he has shown more restraint in endorsing candidates than he had in the 2022 midterms. Mr. Trump’s call on Sunday came days after a report that Mr. Masters, a 37-year-old venture capitalist, was preparing to make a second run for the Senate in the swing state after his loss to Senator Mark Kelly, the Democratic incumbent, in 2022. Ms. Lake, who lost a bitter contest with Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, is looking at announcing a Senate campaign in the first half of October, two people familiar with the matter said.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Blake Masters, Masters, Kari Lake, Trump’s, Mark Kelly, Katie Hobbs, Kyrsten Sinema Organizations: Senate, Democratic, Gov, Democrat, Republican Party Locations: Arizona

☆ A 72-year-old woman in Phoenix got her power cut over a $51 bill when it was 107 degrees — and she died. Her memory is behind efforts to stop future deaths.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Stephanie Pullman, 72, died after her power was shut off over a $51 late bill. Pullman's death in 2018 led to changes in how power companies deal with overdue bills in the summer. A recent heatwave in Arizona has the governor asking power companies to put policies in writing. The medical examiner's office said Pullman died from "environmental heat exposure " combined with cardiovascular disease after the shutoff. Electric utilities can choose to pause disconnections from June 1 through October 15 or pause them on days forecasted to be above 95 degrees Fahrenheit or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Persons: Stephanie Pullman, Stacey Champion, Pullman, Patrick T, Fallon, Katie Hobbs Organizations: Service, Arizona Public Service, Getty, Arizona Corporation Commission, APS, Tucson Electric Power, ACC, National Weather Service, Gov Locations: Arizona, Wall, Silicon, sweltering Arizona, Phoenix, Mohave, Santa Cruz, Maricopa County, shutoffs

☆ $7,200 for Every Student: Arizona’s Ultimate Experiment in School Choice
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Sarah Mervosh | More About Sarah Mervosh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Cecilia Maes, the superintendent of Alhambra Elementary School District, near Great Hearts Christos’s Phoenix location, has no shortage of ideas of what she could do with more money: Give raises to teachers. “In public schools, we are committed to every child who walks through our doors, regardless of the challenges,” Dr. Maes said, echoing critics who say that children with the fewest resources and highest needs tend to be left out of the school choice frenzy. Patrick Wolf, a University of Arkansas professor who studies school choice and has supported vouchers, said that expanding eligibility “pulls in a broader customer base,” which builds political support. Steve Perez, a 38-year-old mortgage loan officer who says he is politically independent, will use vouchers to send four children to Great Hearts Christos. “What parent wouldn’t,” he asked, “given this opportunity, choose what they believe to be a superior education if they can?”

Persons: Cecilia Maes, ” Dr, Maes, Katie Hobbs, Patrick Wolf, Steve Perez, ” Organizations: Elementary School District, Hire, Democrat, Republican Legislature, University of Arkansas Locations: Hearts

☆ Arizona continues to allow a company to pump enough water to support a city of 50,000 to grow crops for Saudi Arabia's cows while some state residents have had their water supply cut off
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Arizona has taken steps to lower residents' water consumption as it combats a long-term drought. Meanwhile, the spigot flows freely for the Saudi-owned company, Fondomonte, WaPo reported. For years, that information was unavailable to Arizona due to little state oversight and regulations, the Post reported. Meanwhile, state and city officials throughout Arizona have taken steps to cut back residents' water usage. In January, Scottsdale also cut off the water supply for about a thousand Rio Verde residents, citing extreme drought conditions.

Persons: WaPo, Jordan Rose, Fondomonte, Katie Hobbs, Hobbs Organizations: Saudi, Service, Washington Post, Arizona PBS, Post, Scottsdale City, Gov Locations: Arizona, Wall, Silicon, Saudi, Fondomonte, Butler Valley, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Rio Verde

CNN —Following his defeat in the 2020 election, President Donald Trump spoke to Arizona Gov. Trump also repeatedly pressured his vice president, Mike Pence, to help him find evidence of fraud and overturn the 2020 election results. The Washington Post first reported on Trump pressuring Ducey on overturning the election results. As Ducey was certifying the election results in November 2020, Trump appeared to call the governor – with a “Hail to the Chief” ringtone heard playing on Ducey’s phone. Governor Ducey defended the results of Arizona’s 2020 election, he certified the election, and he made it clear that the certification provided a trigger for credible complaints backed by evidence to be brought forward.

Persons: Donald Trump, Doug Ducey, Ducey, Trump, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Pence, CNN Pence, Jack Smith, Brad Raffensperger, Smith, Raffensperger, “, Daniel Scarpinato, Governor Ducey, ” Trump, ”, Democratic Sen, Mark Kelly, Karrin Taylor Robson, Taylor Robson, Kari Lake, Lake, Katie Hobbs Organizations: CNN, Arizona Gov, Publicly, Republican, Trump, Ducey, Washington Post, Senate, Democratic, GOP, Arizona, of Regents, Stone Creamery, for Free Enterprise Locations: Arizona, Georgia, Fulton County

☆ Arizona is running out of water. Big Tech data centers are partly to blame.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The area has several data centers that use lots of water. In 2021, all the company's data centers consumed 4.34 billion gallons of water. But these data centers have a part to play in Arizona's water shortage. Why do big tech companies build data centers in the middle of a desert? Microsoft said in 2021 that its Arizona data centers would use "zero water" for cooling using adiabatic cooling, which uses outside air instead of water.

Persons: Katie Hobbs, hasn't, there's Organizations: Google, Bloomberg, Microsoft, Meta Locations: Arizona, Phoenix, Mesa

☆ Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs revokes authority of counties to pursue abortion-related prosecutions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Katie Hobbs signed an order blocking county attorneys from prosecuting abortion-related cases. Hobbs has shifted the authority of such cases to the Arizona attorney general's office. Katie Hobbs of Arizona on Friday signed an executive order that bars local prosecutors from pursuing abortion-related crimes, a move that seeks to fortify abortion rights in the politically-competitive swing state. In the executive order, the Democratic governor has stripped the authority of prosecutors and subsequently shifted powers to the state's attorney general, Democrat Kris Mayes. The Arizona legislature is still controlled by Republicans, with Hobbs serving as a check on any conservative legislation that comes to her desk.

Persons: Katie Hobbs, Hobbs, —, Kris Mayes, Wade, Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer, Rachel Mitchell Organizations: Local, Service, Democratic, Republican, Pinal County Attorney, New York Times, The Times, Republicans Locations: Arizona, Pinal County, Maricopa County

☆ Arizona governor slams the brakes on Phoenix development because it doesn't have enough water
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Arizona will halt approvals of new developments that don't plan for alternate water sources. The new rule applies to the Phoenix area, whose population just topped 5 million in 2022. The state is also under federal pressure to use less water from the Colorado River. But regulators won't be approving new developments in areas around Phoenix that depend solely on groundwater supplies. Hobbs said a study of the project showed that it will require water sources other than groundwater.

Persons: Katie Hobbs, Hobbs, Phoenix, John Burns Organizations: Service, Los Angeles Times, Democrat, LA Times, Developers, Census, John Burns Real Estate Consulting, Gov Locations: Arizona, Phoenix, Colorado, Arizona , California, Nevada, Chandler, Houston, John Burns Real Estate Consulting . Arizona

☆ Arizona sets limits on construction around Phoenix as groundwater dwindles
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Arizona will not allow new housing construction in the Phoenix area that depends on groundwater, a decision that comes as the state grapples with a multi-decade drought and diminishing water supplies. The decision by the Arizona Department of Water Resources applies only to groundwater supplies and would not affect current homeowners who already have an assured water source. Earlier this year, Arizona projected that developers planning to build homes in the desert west of Phoenix don't have enough groundwater supplies to execute those plans. The decision would allow developers to continue to build in the affected areas but would require them to find alternatives to groundwater supplies. During a nationwide housing shortage, developers are hoping to build homes in growing metropolitan regions such as Phoenix despite water shortages.

Persons: Florence Wednesday, Katie Hobbs Organizations: Arizona Gov, Arizona Department of Water Resources, U.S . Locations: Pinal County, AZ, Florence, Arizona, Phoenix, Colorado

☆ Phoenix homeless camp to be cleared after neighbors sued. What happens to vulnerable residents remains unclear
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Gabe Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Rayann Denny lives in a tent in a homeless encampment in Phoenix. So for now, the crew of helpers has stepped up its years-old effort to try to get residents off the streets. Katie Hobbs this year vetoed one such bill, saying it only served to make homelessness “less visible.”Debbie and Joe Faillace own the Old Station Sub Shop near where a homeless encampment developed. A person walks through a homeless encampment on April 18 in Phoenix. “I think we have a lot of work to do.”Stefanie Powell, right, lives in a tent at a homeless encampment in Phoenix.

☆ Kyrsten Sinema, eyeing GOP voters, knocks 'both political parties' when asked about election deniers in Arizona
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In 2024, Sinema would likely need support from conservative voters who doubt the 2020 election. "Well, we're currently living in a climate where it's okay to say things that aren't true," Sinema said. "What I think we're facing in our country today is this situation where people don't know what's true and what's not true," said Sinema. Sinema again blamed "the two political parties" for becoming "more extreme." Lake says she's "seriously considering" a Senate campaign, and Sheriff Mark Lamb, already running in the GOP primary, has also cast doubt on the validity of the 2020 election.

☆ Kyrsten Sinema’s Party of One
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Robert Draper | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Katie Hobbs, who received almost 11 percent of the Republican vote in her 2022 victory over the far-right Kari Lake. Sinema, even before she left the party in December, had become the Democrat whom Democrats love to hate. In January 2022, after her refusal to pass voting rights legislation by discarding the Senate filibuster that stood in the way, Sinema was censured by Arizona’s Democratic Party. “The decision was really a no-brainer,” a former state party official told me, adding that the censure resolution was supported by more than 90 percent of Arizona’s Democratic precinct committee members. Hobbs, on the other hand, relied heavily on the turnout of a progressive base that might have reacted poorly to Sinema’s presence on the stump.

☆ These are the top Senate races to watch in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

They have reason to be hopeful: Democrats face a daunting 2024 Senate map that puts them on defense in 23 of the cycle's 34 races, including multiple seats considered ripe for GOP challenges. The grim outlook has some Senate Democrats considering retirement, even after the caucus expanded to a 51-49 majority following a better-than-expected showing in the midterms. Jim Justice, reportedly the state's richest man and one of its favored contenders for the Senate race. But the 2024 Senate race in Ohio is currently considered a toss-up, as Republicans have made significant gains in the state in the last two election cycles. Sabato's Crystal Ball and the Cook Political Report both say the Michigan Senate race leans Democratic.

☆ Opinion: Gun control after Louisville shooting has a chance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Max Burns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Meanwhile, Democrats — once wary of mentioning gun control at all — have finally rediscovered their voice. See heated gun control discussion between lawmakers in the halls of Congress 01:19 - Source: CNNDemocrats’ rising confidence in fighting for gun reform comes against a backdrop of tireless coalition-building from gun safety activists and community organizers across the country. Everytown credits at least 51 pieces of state-level gun safety legislation passed in 2022 to their state-by-state strategy. Over the summer, an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found that 59% of American adults think it’s more important to control gun violence than to protect gun rights (35%) — “its highest point in nearly a decade.” These figures have surely factored into Democrats new assertiveness on gun control. “Republicans look completely unreasonable when they won’t even discuss background checks, gun safety measures like storage or red flag laws,” Del Percio warned.

☆ Arizona Legislature Expels Republican Lawmaker Over Conspiracy Theory
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Arizona state House on Wednesday voted to expel Rep. Liz Harris, a Republican. Harris was expelled after inviting a conspiracy theorist to a committee hearing in February. Harris had previously promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory and authored a debunked report alleging mass voter fraud in the 2020 election. Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the Arizona Republican Party. Harris is the third state lawmaker to be removed from office by her colleagues this year.

☆ The battle over abortion access could return to the ballot box in four states in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Millions of Americans lost legal access to abortion after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The GOP used state ballot initiatives banning same-sex marriage to juice turnout, including in the critical state of Ohio. "The majority of Arizonans support safe, legal abortion, and we need to roll back many of the restrictions that are in place now." Two abortion rights groups are teaming up to put the question before voters in 2024. The ballot box might also be abortion rights advocates' best hope as the unicameral legislature appears to be on the verge of breaking a filibuster to pass a 6-week abortion ban.

The new rules adopted by both GOP-led chambers effectively shield members and their staff from public records requests, making investigations into any potential wrongdoing far more difficult. The exemptions from public records laws and the ability to destroy emails after 90 days apply to both chambers. Because the chambers adopted the changes via rule changes, not legislation, Republicans were able to bypass the need for Democratic Gov. Legislatures having the ability to shield themselves from public records laws is not unheard of. Minnesota, Iowa, Oklahoma and Massachusetts also have laws in place effectively exempting state legislators from public records requests, according to record request nonprofit MuckRock, though it remains exceedingly common for lawmakers in states where such exemptions don't explicitly exist to avoid complying with public records laws.

☆ Arizona might have to stop construction on homes for more than 800,000 people if it can't find another water source
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Housing plans for upwards of 800,000 people in Arizona might be put on hold because of the state's challenge with water. Newly elected Governor Katie Hobbs made a point to recognize the state's water struggles in her State of the State address on January 9. The state water finance board is reviewing plans for a new water desalination plant, which could help convert groundwater or water imported from Mexico into usable water. However, researchers like Kathleen Ferris at Arizona State university say the plant probably won't be available in time to mitigate the water shortage that Arizona is already experiencing. "We should not be allowing this growth to occur when the water isn't there," Ferris told the Arizona Republic.

☆ Arizona suburb sues the city of Scottsdale for cutting off its water supply
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A saguaro-cactus lined road where new homes are being built in in Rio Verde Foothills, Arizona, on January 7, 2023. An Arizona suburb has filed a lawsuit against the city of Scottsdale after the city cut off the community from its municipal water supply amid extreme drought conditions and declining water levels in the Colorado River. In the lawsuit, filed Thursday in Maricopa County Superior Court, residents in the unincorporated community of Rio Verde Foothills are seeking an injunction against Scottsdale to force the city to resume water services. The dispute comes after the federal government last year announced unprecedented water cuts in Arizona due to water shortages along the Colorado River. Earlier this month, hundreds of homes outside of Scottsdale could no longer access water from the city, leaving residents with no reliable source of water.

Arizona Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs is taking the state’s child protective services agency in a radically different direction in the wake of a ProPublica-NBC News investigation into the racial disparities that have plagued the child welfare system here. This week, Hobbs, a Democrat, announced that she has selected Matthew Stewart, a Black community advocate, as the new head of Arizona’s Department of Child Safety. Arizona’s child welfare system has long disproportionately investigated Black families. After leaving DCS, Stewart formed the community organization Our Sister Our Brother, which has fought the department for more equitable treatment of Black and also low-income parents. Child welfare experts in the state and families affected by the system praised Stewart’s selection, though some wondered how much change he could bring about even in DCS’ top position.

☆ America's democracy survived Trump in 2022. But what about 2023?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Tara Setmayer | Tara Setmayer Is A Resident Scholar At The University Of Virginia Center For Politics | A Senior Adviser At The Lincoln Project. She Is A Former Gop Congressional Communications Director. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

That led hundreds of election deniers to run for offices across the country in 2022. But in 2022, American democracy became an issue outside the political norm for voters’ consideration. But it wasn’t just the outcome of the election that signaled that our democracy was still holding on in 2022. Thankfully, the majority of them did, with the exception of professional election deniers like Kari Lake, who lost the Arizona governor’s race to Katie Hobbs. Not since the tumultuous political climate of the 1930s has American democracy faced such a perilous era.

☆ Arizona Attorney General Recount Shows Narrow Victory for Democrat Kris Mayes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Zusha Elinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Kris Mayes said ‘democracy is truly a team sport’ in a statement thanking voters. Arizona officials released recount results Thursday confirming that Democrat Kris Mayes won the race for state attorney general over Republican Abraham Hamadeh by 280 votes out of some 2.5 million cast. The narrow victory for Ms. Mayes capped a string of victories by Democrats in Arizona over Republican candidates who were backed by former President Donald Trump, including Secretary of State Katie Hobbs’s defeat of former television news anchor Kari Lake in the governor’s race.

☆ Arizona judge rejects Katie Hobbs' request to sanction election denier Kari Lake
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

An Arizona judge on Tuesday rejected Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs’s request to sanction defeated Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake over her failed effort to overturn the state’s election results. The suit was rejected by the Superior Court in Maricopa County on Saturday. Hobbs had asked the court to award her over $600,000 to compensate for fees and expenses accrued in defending against Lake’s lawsuit. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson said in Tuesday’s ruling that Lake’s claims in the lawsuit were not groundless. The lawsuit had targeted Hobbs, who is currently Arizona’s secretary of state and becomes governor next week, along with top officials in Maricopa County.

WASHINGTON — The 2022 midterm elections were full of surprises. Republicans began the year favored to notch big victories, yet they fell short and barely captured control of the House. Lake was widely seen as the election-denying candidate with the best chance to win a statewide race in a key battleground in the 2022 elections. Secretary of state contenders who echoed Trump’s fabricated claims of a stolen election lost, including Mark Finchem in Arizona, Kristina Karamo in Michigan and Jim Marchant in Nevada. Their wins led Democrats to win every competitive House race and gain control of the state House for the first time in more than a decade — although recent vacancies have called that majority into question.

☆ Arizona judge rejects governor-elect's request to sanction election denier Lake
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jim UrquhartDec 27 (Reuters) - An Arizona judge on Tuesday rejected Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs's request to sanction defeated Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake over her failed effort to overturn the state's election results. The suit was rejected by the Superior Court in Maricopa County on Saturday. On Monday, Hobbs and Maricopa County deputy attorney asked the court to sanction Lake and her attorneys, alleging that Lake had filed a "groundless" lawsuit for a "frivolous pursuit." Hobbs had asked the court to award her over $600,000 to compensate for fees and expenses accrued in defending against Lake's lawsuit. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson said in Tuesday's ruling that Lake's claims in the lawsuit were not groundless.

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