Saguaro Signal desk
State Capitol
The governor, Legislature, agencies, and the choices made at 1700 West Washington.
Capitol
Goldwater sues to block ESA measure; Primary Day rules and an ICE body-cam pledge
Goldwater Institute’s suit to block an ESA initiative is an ask, not a ruling; Primary Day voters get a faster way to speed counting; and Tom Homan pledges ICE body cams on traffic stops after recent shootings. Competence beats theater if the paperwork matches the promises.
Capitol
Donna Hamm: A force for prison reform
Donna Hamm became the voice for Arizona prisoners when they had none. After four decades of advocacy, she has cemented herself as the foremost advocate for the incarcerated and thorn in the side of carceral agencies across the state. The post Donna Hamm: A force for prison reform first appeared on Arizona Capitol...
Capitol
Arizona's New Budget Needs a Ledger, Not Another Victory Lap
Both parties are claiming Arizona's new tax package. The public deserves the annual math behind the four-year headline.
Capitol
Feds roll back habitat protections, leaving Arizona with risk and the bill
A federal rollback of habitat protections shifts responsibility to states. Arizona now faces a choice: gear up fast, or watch projects stall while wildlife loses time it doesn’t have.
Capitol
The feds no longer protect endangered species habitat. States say they can’t pick up the slack.
The Trump administration is removing protections from the key places where endangered species live, saying states can keep the areas safe. But experts say states aren’t equipped for the task. Earlier this month, the Trump administration finalized a major change to the Endangered Species Act, rolling back...
Capitol
Allegations Keep Circling Gallego. The Rules May Save Him. Judgment Will Not.
Ruben Gallego won a June ethics reprieve, but his ties to Eric Swalwell and a new report of consensual relationships with House aides put judgment, not just rules, at issue.
Capitol
Arizona’s budget, built on guesses: Publish the math before the bill comes due
Hobbs’ budget chief says a July 4 federal rewrite forced Arizona to “guess” on key dollars. That puts assumptions, not arithmetic, at the center of the 2026 plan. Publish the math, the contingencies, and the results.
Capitol
Prisons, PAC cash and poll watchers: What Friday’s Capitol edition says about Arizona governing now
A Friday dump of hard results and harder questions: a court-finalized prison healthcare takeover, a PAC-money headline tied to Senate leadership, and election prep colliding with a new Supreme Court guardrail.
Capitol
Ben Henderson: Surveying the chessboard of Arizona’s budget
For Ben Henderson, the state budget process is like a game of chess — that is, if you replace the board with a pile of spreadsheets and the pieces with […] The post Ben Henderson: Surveying the chessboard of Arizona’s budget first appeared on Arizona Capitol Times .
Capitol
Arizona Capitol Times – July 17, 2026
Capitol
Horne thinks better student discipline will help retain teachers
PHOENIX — The state’s top education official said this week that improving student discipline could increase teachers’ job satisfaction and make them less likely to leave the profession. Superintendent Tom […] The post Horne thinks better student discipline will help retain teachers first appeared on Arizona...
Capitol
South Carolina’s fast Senate appointment keeps the math, and fiscal stakes, steady for Arizona
A rapid GOP-to-GOP appointment in South Carolina keeps the Senate math intact, limiting surprise shifts in federal spending fights that affect Arizona’s bottom line.
Capitol
Gallego Appears to Blame Swalwell Freindship for Latest Staffer Indiscretions
Arizona Senator cries ‘gossip’ while acknowleging relationships ‘allowed’ under staff rules The post Gallego Appears to Blame Swalwell Freindship for Latest Staffer Indiscretions appeared first on Arizona Globe .
Capitol
House Dem Leader Jeffries hammers Trump, asks for teachers union help in midterms
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries rallied a key group for his party Thursday, telling the American Federation of Teachers’ national convention that, if successful in November’s midterm elections, a Democratic majority in the House would pursue several progressive policies. The New York...
Capitol
Keshel, Reim, Farnsworth Top House, Senate in 2026 RLCAZ Scorecard
List singles out top legislators fighting for liberty, and those that don’t The post Keshel, Reim, Farnsworth Top House, Senate in 2026 RLCAZ Scorecard appeared first on Arizona Globe .
Capitol
Kelly presses DNI pick on 2020 answers as Arizona officials seek clear, apolitical briefings
Kelly challenged DNI nominee Jay Clayton over 2020 hedging, warning of politicized intelligence that could cloud local election confidence.
Capitol
After the Hacienda Healthcare rape, Arizona built a group home watchdog. Now it’s being defunded.
An independent oversight program created in response to a horrific rape, meant to protect some of Arizona’s most vulnerable people, will cease at the end of this year unless it finds a new funding source, a casualty of Arizona’s newest bipartisan state budget. In 2018, a 29-year-old woman who had developmental...
Capitol
House clock vote puts Arizona’s schedule in the spotlight: clocks stay put, coordination changes
House advances permanent daylight saving time. Arizona already on standard time since 1968, so clocks here would stay put, but year-round alignment with Los Angeles and a persistent in-state split with the Navajo Nation could follow if the Senate...
Capitol
Report flags 1,000-plus unmet help requests for Indigenous survivors. Arizona needs the denominators.
A survey cited by the Arizona Mirror reports 1,000-plus unmet help requests for American Indian and Alaska Native survivors after federal funding cuts. Arizona now needs the denominators, time frame, and in-state breakout to target any fix.
Capitol
CDC nominee on shaky ground following US Senate confirmation hearing
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention didn’t appear to secure the support needed to take over the public health agency during a lengthy and often tense confirmation hearing Wednesday. While Dr. Erica Schwartz told lawmakers on the U.S. Senate Committee...
Capitol
House moves to end clock changes; Arizona impact hinges on bill details
House passes the Sunshine Protection Act 308-117 to end clock changes. For Arizona, nothing changes yet. The state’s next move depends on what the final bill says and when it takes effect.
Capitol
Indigenous violence survivors see fewer services after federal cuts
Organizations serving American Indian and Alaska Native survivors of violence say reductions in federal funding have led to over 1,000 unmet requests for help, according to a new report. The Urban Indian Health Institute, an Indigenous health research group, surveyed 201 tribes, tribal organizations and urban...
Capitol
Trans Former AZDEM Vice-Chair Busted after Alleged Knifepoint Break-In
Controversial leader’s incident featured in story posted by Libs of Tik Tok The post Trans Former AZDEM Vice-Chair Busted after Alleged Knifepoint Break-In appeared first on Arizona Globe .
Capitol
US House passes bipartisan bill to make daylight saving time permanent
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted Tuesday to make daylight saving time permanent nationwide in a bipartisan move that pushes the country one step closer to ending the long-contested ritual of semiannual clock changes. The House passed the measure, called the Sunshine Protection Act, 308-117. Its future in the...
Capitol
Lettuce eyed as source of cyclospora outbreak sickening thousands across 31 states
As state and federal officials work to identify the source of the recent outbreak of the intestinal illness cyclosporiasis, Michigan health officials have identified lettuces or salad greens as one potential culprit. “Early information has shown lettuce as a common product that regularly comes up during the...
Capitol
Darline Graham, Lindsey’s sister, sworn in as his US Senate replacement
WASHINGTON — Sen. Darline Graham joined the U.S. Senate Tuesday, temporarily filling the seat of her late brother, Lindsey Graham. Darline Graham was sworn in just a day after South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her, as a Republican, to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term. President Donald Trump...
Capitol
Democratic governors warn OMB grant overhaul could pinch maternal and reproductive care in Arizona
Democratic governors warned OMB that a proposed overhaul of federal grant rules could jeopardize maternal and reproductive care. For Arizona’s clinics and counties, even a technical tweak from Washington can mean delayed hires, cut hours, and fewer appointments.
Capitol
Monitors, observers and the making of a calm Election Day in Arizona
Arizona organizers are training hundreds of locals as election observers amid a report that the Trump DOJ plans to send election monitors to the state. The plans, not yet outcomes, put a premium on clear rules and calm execution at polling places.
Capitol
Democratic governors say proposed changes to federal grants would harm reproductive healthcare
A coalition of 23 state governors and the governor of Guam, all Democrats, submitted a joint comment to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget on Monday objecting to a proposed rule that would drastically change the federal grantmaking process, saying it threatens programs related to maternal health and...
Capitol
South Carolina US Sen. Lindsey Graham dies after ‘brief and sudden illness’
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham died on Saturday night of a “brief and sudden illness,” the South Carolina Republican’s office announced early Sunday. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” the statement added. Graham, who...
Capitol
Trump administration targets state AI laws over ideology
The Trump administration is continuing its pushback against state artificial intelligence laws that it views as ideologically biased, proposing a new Federal Trade Commission policy. The proposed policy statement, which is open for public comment through July 31, would affect how the FTC regulates AI companies. The...
Capitol
Historians warn Trump’s Smithsonian attack seeks to rewrite the American story, not correct it
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s latest attack on the Smithsonian Institution represents an attempt to replace a shared American history with his own ideology, academics said as the Smithsonian defended its longstanding position as a nonpartisan actor. A July 4 White House report accused the Smithsonian...