Grand Canyon University announced today that it is reversing a long-standing policy and will now extend equal health and employment benefits to its same-sex married employees. The decision comes after months of public and media scrutiny, and a promise by GCU president Brian Mueller to revisit the official policy. In…
Republican Presidential candidate Ben Carson told Arizonans that if elected president, he would seal the entire U.S.-Mexico border with a double-fenced wall within a year of taking office. His statement came in response to a question asked during a live half-hour telephone town hall meeting: “How practically and quickly can…
If you were worried that the Democrats’ second presidential debate will infringe on your fun weekend plans, we’re here to help, because as everyone knows, politics and drinking games are a great combination. Here are the details: the two-hour debate starts at 7 and will be co-hosted by CBS News,…
A big crowd of fast-food workers and their supporters marched through downtown Phoenix Tuesday afternoon demanding a $15-an-hour minimum wage and union rights. “In today’s economy and with the cost of living, $15 an hour is the bare minimum needed to get by,” said Gilbert Romero, one of the organizers…
Immigration advocates used words like “frustrated” to describe their reaction to the news that a federal appeals court has dealt another setback to President Barack Obama’s plan to shield millions from deportation. In a 2-1 ruling issued Monday night, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided to uphold a…
In what is increasingly looking like a tit-for-tat game of politics, mere days after Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva formally introduced federal legislation declaring 1.7 million acres around the Grand Canyon a national monument, his colleague, Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar, introduced another piece of legislation intended to undermine it. In a…
Supporters of a municipal identification card that Phoenix residents could use to access city services or use as a valid proof of identity say Phoenix City Council members have the votes to approve the plan but have refused to do it. “At this point, there is very little excuse for…
Masked protesters marched up and down Camelback Road waving shredded American flags, shouting expletives, and flipping off passing drivers as part of a worldwide show of discontent organized by hacktivist collective Anonymous. Phoenix authorities warned nearby businesses of possible violence and a squad of bicycle-mounted police officers hovered nearby, but…
A conservative non-profit group that helped drive former Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne from office today called on the U.S. Attorney for Arizona to investigate Arizona Corporation Commission Chair Susan Bitter Smith for possible federal crimes. In a press conference held outside the U.S. Attorney’s office in downtown Phoenix, Tyler…
Once again, Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar has harsh words for those who disagree with him; though unlike in the past, his latest comments aren’t directed at the Pope or Planned Parenthood, or what appears to be his favorite target, the Environmental Protection Agency. This time he’s going after a Congressional…
After many citizens across Arizona learned that Planned Parenthood Arizona was purposefully excluded from the State Employees Charitable Campaign, they channelled their fury into swift and proactive responses. One state employee, Aanya Rispoli, started an online petition demanding Governor Doug Ducey and the SECC put Planned Parenthood back on the…
Arizona Senator John McCain thinks this year’s Republican presidential candidates need to “man up” and be less picky about their demands for televised national debates. “I think their complaints are legitimate, but come on, man, up and move on. I think it’s OK if the temperature isn’t exactly 67 degrees,”…
Migrant advocates today announced a November 20 march against deportations and family separations on the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s executive action on immigration. Last November , the president announced a series of orders on immigration that he said were meant to prioritize the deportation of “felons, not families.” But…
For the first time in more than 30 years, Arizona state employees cannot voluntarily make a charitable donation from their paychecks to Planned Parenthood Arizona through the State Employee Charitable Campaign. The SECC is the government entity that helps state employees contribute to local non-profits through payroll deductions or one-time…
A new survey of Arizona Republicans shows that Ben Carson is now more popular than Donald Trump. Conducted by MBQF Consulting, the poll found that 25.5 percent of registered Republicans would cast a ballot for Carson if the election were held today, while only 24.8 percent want Trump in the…
Get excited, Phoenix because it’s time for round three of the frenetic yelling fest otherwise known as the Republican Presidential Debate! The theme of the night is “your money, your vote,” which might normally sound like a snooze-fest, but with the combined business acumen of Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina…
A new op-ed in the Washington Post penned by President Barack Obama’s former chief of staff, William M. Daley, blames the Republican Party’s current dysfunction on Arizona Senator John McCain’s “reckless” choice of Sarah Palin for his presidential running mate in 2008. Daley calls McCain “one of the party’s more…
The word “alien” is a technical term defined by Merriam-Webster as “relating, belonging, or owing allegiance to another country or government.” But U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego says it’s “dehumanizing and offensive.” He recently signed on to co-sponsor a bill, introduced by Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), that would strike the word…
Federal inspectors charged with investigating allegations of abuse in immigrant detention centers appear to be helping to perpetuate it, a new report states. The report released Wednesday by the National Immigrant Justice Center and the Detention Watch Network, follows months of protests from immigrant-rights activists over the death of 31-year-old Mexican…
Local Muslim woman Sumayyah Dawud says a civil rights organization defending her in a religious-discrimination case against the Phoenix Police Department dropped her as a client after learning she is transgender. The Council on American and Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights organization in the country, offered to represent…
It’s hard to say why U.S. Senator John McCain is so frequently the butt of late night TV jokes. Maybe it’s his relentless willingness to say or do anything for votes? Maybe it’s his “maverick” unpredictability and love of the spotlight? Or maybe it’s just that he’s such a good…
Within a 24-hour period, both a state and federal judge handed down two separate decisions about medication abortions in Arizona —- decisions plaintiffs are calling “major victories for the pro-choice movement, women, and the reproductive health of women in Arizona.” In the first, a 2012 state law that placed restrictions on…
