A made-for-media event took an unscripted turn Monday when a handful of toddlers at a homeless shelter decided to hug, touch and sit on the laps of U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Arizona Congressman Harry Mitchell, who were in Mesa to kick-start a nationwide volunteerism campaign initiated by President Obama.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama plans to nominate Sen. Judd Gregg as commerce secretary on Tuesday, the White House confirmed on the eve of the announcement as the New Hampshire Republican disclosed an apparent deal that would keep his seat out of Democratic hands.

WASHINGTON - President Bush picked Carlos Gutierrez, the chief executive officer of cereal giant Kellogg Co., as commerce secretary Monday, working to build a new economic team to help sell second-term overhauls of Social Security and the tax code.

CHICAGO - President-elect Barack Obama named New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as commerce secretary on Wednesday, filling a top economic post in troubled times and placing a second former campaign rival in his new Cabinet.

September 2, 2004

Manufacturing still has a future in Arizona and across the United States as long as companies innovate and adjust to changing times, according to the chief advocate for manufacturing in the Bush administration.

WASHINGTON - Treasury Secretary John Snow has signaled to the White House he is ready to resign once President Bush has picked a successor, administration officials and people close to Snow said Thursday.

At least Romney had binders. Binders full of qualified women to fill cabinet positions, that is. Democrats mercilessly pounded Romney for the binders comment he made during the 2012 presidential campaign, but I’ll bet the Obama campaign now wishes Romney had passed the binders on to Obama since it seems he’s having a hard time picking women to fill his second term cabinet positions.

PHOENIX (AP) — The mayors of Phoenix and Tucson lead a trade mission to Mexico this week as part of effort to foster relations with Arizona's largest trading partner.

WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama is likely to choose Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano to be secretary of homeland security, top Obama advisers and several Democrats said Thursday as the shape of Obama's Cabinet begins to emerge.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. - The Commerce Department is sending teams of experts into countries known for piracy and counterfeit goods in an effort to combat intellectual property theft abroad, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said Wednesday.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. - The Commerce Department is sending teams of experts into countries known for piracy and counterfeit goods in an effort to combat intellectual property theft abroad, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said Wednesday.

When it comes to elections, state attorneys general, like secretaries of state, have important, constitutionally defined roles. The secretary of state administers elections and the attorney general is called upon to investigate alleged violations of election law.

Glenn Hamer: It is one thing to joust with Sen. Jon Kyl over his position, but it is an entirely different matter for cabinet secretaries to write letters to the chief executive of a state and threaten funding if support isn't provided. Once a law is passed, it needs to be fairly and impartially administered.

Mesa Sister Cities Association has elected its first Hispanic female president. Ana Cadillo, community relations manager for Southwest Ambulance, was named president of the organization, which works to foster relationships and understanding between Mesa and other nations.

WASHINGTON - Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, whose name became synonymous with color-coded terror alerts and tutorials to the public about how to prepare for possible attack, is resigning, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

The president and chief executive officer of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce is out of line in his attack on the working class (“Senate Appropriations Committee personnel reform vital to state’s business growth,” AFN, March 23).

Transportation officials on Tuesday warned Gov. Janet Napolitano and four other Western governors of a pending transportation crisis that could the threaten the country’s trade and commerce if something isn’t done soon.

BEIJING - Raising the stakes in an increasingly bitter trade spat, China threatened on Thursday to raise import duties on some U.S. products following a World Trade Organization ruling that Washington’s tariffs on steel are illegal.

WASHINGTON - In a buying spree aimed at easing trade tensions with the United States, China signed contracts worth $1.7 billion on Wednesday with Boeing and General Electric to buy 30 Boeing 737 planes for five Chinese airlines. GE will supply the engines.