Charles McConnell

Washington Correspondent, Cronkite News

United States of America

The key to any democracy is a well-informed people.
I'm a new school journalist with an old school view, adapting to the constantly changing industry while bringing important stories to readers and viewers.

Portfolio

Favorite Stories

The Arizona Republic
11/16/2015
A movement to rid 'alien' from federal immigration laws

WASHINGTON - Gilbert resident Belen Sisa, who arrived in the United States from Argentina 15 years ago, says it's time to stop using "inhumane" language to describe large swaths of people - people who call America home.

The Tucson Sentinel
09/17/2015
Az Rep. Gosar to skip pope's address in protest

WASHINGTON - When Pope Francis delivers a history-making address to a joint session of Congress, Rep. Paul Gosar won't be there. Gosar, a Catholic, said he decided to stay away because he is "ashamed" of the pope's position on the "false science" of climate change and what Gosar sees as a failure to speak out against radical Islam and Planned Parenthood.

Cronkite Borderlands Project
06/17/2015
Love him or hate him, few doubt Ortega's political skill

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - To some here, President Daniel Ortega remains the revolutionary liberator who helped wrest control of Nicaragua in 1979 from the 43-year, U.S.- backed reign of the Somoza family.

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Cronkite News - Arizona PBS
12/07/2015
A House divided - but for Arizona lawmakers, maybe not so much

WASHINGTON - Arizona's congressional delegation may not be as polarized in its votes as headlines would make it appear. Cronkite News compiled voting scorecards for this Congress from six interest groups across the political spectrum and looked to see how far apart House members from different states' delegations were.

Cronkite News - Arizona PBS
12/02/2015
Gallego, McSally reflect, remain positive, as freshman year winds down

WASHINGTON - Arizona Reps. Martha McSally and Ruben Gallego knew when they were sworn in to their seats in Congress in January that there were problems with partisanship and productivity in Washington. And Washington, for the most part, did not disappoint.

KTAR.com
11/25/2015
Arizona, national driving deaths on the rise after sharp drops in 2014

WASHINGTON - After years of steady declines, driving deaths in Arizona have risen sharply this year, mirroring a "troubling" national trend in which lower gas prices and more drivers are translating into more fatalities. The latest numbers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that 32,675 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2014, and 770 of those were in Arizona.

Phoenix Business Journal
10/29/2015
Arizona ranks low for average college student debt

WASHINGTON - Arizona college graduates in the class of 2014 had the fifth-lowest student debt in the nation, finishing their schooling at four-year, non-profit schools with an average bill of $22,609, according to a new report.

The Arizona Republic
10/28/2015
Report: Arizona student debt among lowest in nation

WASHINGTON - Arizona college graduates in the class of 2014 had the fifth-lowest student debt in the nation, finishing their schooling at four-year, non-profit schools with an average bill of $22,609, according to a new report.

KTAR.com
10/09/2015
In red-state Arizona, fervent supporters await Bernie Sanders' visit -

WASHINGTON - Republican-dominated Arizona might seem an unlikely place for left-leaning Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders to find votes, but what his supporters there lack in numbers they more than make up for in fervor. The Vermont senator has evoked "an interest I have not experienced since I was in college in the '60s," said Lawrence W.

Cronkite News - Arizona PBS
10/08/2015
House OKs bill giving tribes more control over mineral resources

WASHINGTON - The House approved a bill Thursday that aims to streamline the process of licensing energy projects on tribal lands, by shortening the time for federal approvals and limiting public comment on environmental impacts.

The Arizona Republic
10/02/2015
Stopgap budget has $700 million to replenish funds shifted to wildfires

WASHINGTON - When Congress passed the short-term budget that headed off a government shutdown Wednesday, it included $700 million to replenish U.S. Forest Service accounts that had been raided in recent months to fight wildfires While they welcomed the money in the stopgap budget bill, federal officials said this week that more needs to be done, as the practice of transferring money to bolster a chronically underfunded firefighting account has been "getting worse every year."

Cronkite News - Arizona PBS
09/23/2015
Catholic lawmakers talk about balancing private faith, public life

WASHINGTON - When the pope addresses a joint session of Congress in a history-making address Thursday, he will likely talk about hot-button issues like climate change and immigration. Catholic lawmakers say they will listen - but they won't take the pope's word as gospel.

Eastern Arizona Courier
09/27/2015
Arizona delegation splits on party lines as House OKs abortion bills

WASHINGTON A sharply divided House on Friday passed two strong anti-abortion bills that supporters said would help stop an American "genocide," but which critics derided as a political "farce" to appeal to pro-life voters. Lawmakers voted largely along party lines to approve one bill to strip federal funding for Planned Parenthood for a year and a second bill, sponsored by Rep.

Arizona Capitol Times
09/08/2015
Congress returns from recess facing long to-do list, short calendar

WASHINGTON - When Congress returns today from a five-week vacation, its members had better be rested. They face a laundry list of issues, ranging from a vote on the Iran nuclear deal to a possible Planned Parenthood funding fight to gun control - not to mention the "elephant in the room," passage of a federal budget by Sept.

Cronkite News - Arizona PBS
08/27/2015
Ripples in Chinese economy could make waves for Arizona businesses

WASHINGTON - What happens in China, doesn't necessarily stay in China. For Arizona, which exported more than $1 billion to China in 2014, the economic turmoil currently being experienced by one of the state's biggest trading partners could cause ripples that are felt back home.

FOX Sports Arizona
08/27/2015
President Obama honors Phoenix Mercury at White House for 2014 WNBA title

WASHINGTON - Even star athletes can get awestruck. "It's just overwhelming when you're in the room with the president of the United States," said Diana Taurasi, a three-time U.S. Olympian and the Phoenix Mercury's star guard. "These are moments that you'll cherish, you know, for the rest of your life."

Arizona Capitol Times
08/26/2015
Financial advisers, economists urge calm in face of market volatility

WASHINGTON - The stock market has been buffeted by historic drops over the last week, but economists and financial advisers in Arizona were telling investors Tuesday that it's still "too early to be concerned." They said volatility is normal in the markets and pension funds and other investments are designed for the long term.

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