Republican senators lashed out Tuesday at the Department of Economic Security, saying the agency is purposely cutting high-profile programs for political purposes.

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.

Republican legislative leaders are planning what could be an end run around voters to scale back the state's program of free health care. A budget plan being crafted would deny free care to nearly one out of every four people now enrolled in the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. That comes out to about 310,000.

WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans circulated a sweeping plan to drive down the cost of mortgages by expanding the federal government's role in the industry, officials said Monday night as debate opened on an economic stimulus bill at the top of President Barack Obama's agenda.

A former Republican congressman narrowly beat his Democratic rival early Wednesday to fill the House seat once held by jailed Randy "Duke" Cunningham, one of several contests in eight states closely watched as a possible early barometer of next fall's vote.

PHOENIX - Maybe Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano and majority Republicans in the Arizona Legislature won't be getting off to a bad start in their monthslong path toward agreement on a new state budget after all.

PHOENIX - Setting the stage for a possible confrontation with Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano over the state's role in fighting illegal immigration, Republican lawmakers are assembling a sweeping bill that could include provisions similar to individual bills she previously vetoed.

PHOENIX - Setting the stage for a possible confrontation with Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano over the state's role in fighting illegal immigration, Republican lawmakers are assembling a sweeping bill that could include provisions similar to individual bills she previously vetoed.

Republican legislative leaders are hoping to fix at least part of the state budget before Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano leaves, as has been reported.

Mesa Rep. Russell Pearce says House Speaker Jim Weiers should not be holding up an illegal immigration bill that would let voters decide whether local police agencies should deal with federal immigration laws.

May 2, 2005

Arizona Republicans were all smiles and high-fives on Election Night. But Democrats too seemed happy now that Republicans are in complete control of policy-making in our state. They think Republicans have been trapped into facing tough choices and unpopular decisions when they get down to the business of balancing the budget in January.

Political operative Nathan Sproul has made millions of dollars doing one thing: Building a bigger Republican Party.

Political operative Nathan Sproul has made millions of dollars doing one thing: Building a bigger Republican Party.

PHOENIX - Gov. Janet Napolitano on Tuesday released a proposed state budget with new or increased spending for education, state employees' pay and border-related law enforcement.

Kevin Tyne, Gov. Jan Brewer's chief of staff, is leaving to take a job with the Republican Governors Association. The move comes nine months after Brewer became the state's chief executive, taking Tyne, a longtime confidant, with her from the secretary of state's office. In that time, though, Tyne has come under some criticism for his management style, with two high-profile staffers leaving.

ST. LOUIS - Gov. Rod Blagojevich wasn't in on the joke. Blagojevich says he didn't realize "The Daily Show" was a comedy spoof of the news when he sat down for an interview that ended up poking fun at the sometimes-puzzled Democratic governor.

Ahwatukee Republican Women's Club members, Loraine Pellegrino, president; Mary Baumbach, second vice president; Jill Norgaard, third vice president; and Debbie Smith, Arizona Federation of Republican Women third vice president; joined nearly 1,200 registrants from 47 states, plus Puerto Rico, as elected delegates to the National Federation of Republican Women's 36th Biennial Convention in Kansas City, Mo., Sept. 29-Oct. 2. Also in attendance was Ahwatukee Foothills resident Danielle Smith, who represented the state of Arizona as a page for the convention.