BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Thursday on new efforts to keep nuclear arms out of dangerous hands, but their sharp differences over Russian backsliding on democracy spilled into an open and sometimes-prickly exchange.

March 8, 2005

WASHINGTON - President Bush praised Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' steps toward peace and democracy on Thursday and predicted that Palestinians will reject candidates of the militant group Hamas in upcoming parliamentary elections.

LOS ANGELES - When the last new Guns N' Roses album came out, there were no iPods or digital downloads. There was no "American Idol." No music blogs. No MySpace.

No one who has taken even a quick look at the fiscal crisis confronting Gov. Jan Brewer believes that there are easy answers.

In those days before kids, I was fast asleep when the phone by my bed rang at about half past six in the morning. It was my father calling. Planes had flown into the World Trade Center. America was being attacked. I knocked on the door of my guest bedroom to awaken a visiting friend. Together, thousands of miles from New York and Washington, we experienced the day - the fall of one tower and then the other, the attack on the Pentagon, the confusion, the rumors, the terror - the way most Americans did: watching television in stunned silence. It's not just that we all still remember where we were when we heard; it's that at that very moment we knew we would always remember.

Individuals or groups that want to propose their own laws or constitutional amendments would face an additional hurdle under the terms of a measure approved Monday by the Senate.

BUDAPEST, Hungary - President Bush, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hungary's bloody revolt against communist rule in this Eastern Europe nation, was urged Thursday to make sure the U.S. fight against terrorism doesn't stomp on human rights.

WASHINGTON - Jason Alexander is taking a break from his theater directing debut in Los Angeles to host the patriotic music extravaganza "A Capitol Fourth" in Washington on Tuesday.

Residents going directly to state officials with education concerns foster an environment that erodes local control, members of a panel discussion said Friday to educators from around Arizona.

The Senate voted 16-12 on Monday to impose new restrictions on spending on recall elections.

Less than 12 weeks after filing its initiative and launching a petition drive, the Quality Education and Jobs campaign has collected more than 175,000 signatures, exceeding the amount necessary to qualify for the November ballot.

What is going on in this country? Congress passed a law about health care insurance requirements and the president and his czars exempted certain contributors and favorite unions from following the law. Congress passed a health care bill that included a controversial taxpayer-funded abortion provision and the president believes that he has the power to nullify the law with a “presidential directive.” Congress passed immigration laws and the president decided to not enforce them.

UNITED NATIONS - Unbending in spite of widespread opposition, President Bush returned to the United Nations on Tuesday to try to marshal support for a deliberate transition to democracy in Iraq.

Regardless of the outcome of the presidential race on Tuesday night — if there is an outcome on Tuesday night — the debate on the Electoral College will be renewed. It is every four years, and that is as it should be.

Our political system is not a democracy but a republic. We retain in Arizona certain rights of direct democracy in the form of initiative, referendum and recall, but in the main we elect our state and local leaders for fixed terms for the same reason we elect federal ones: To govern with the consent of the governed.

A Senate panel added one more hurdle in the path of those seeking to oust a public official through a recall.

If democracy were an "American Idol" contestant, the phone lines would be jammed: We have a winner!

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -President Bush, preparing new Air Force officers for war, cast the fight against terrorism as a struggle between freedom and tyranny similar to World War II and the Cold War.

Surprised by the level of interest Scottsdale residents have in how they are represented at City Hall — though few others are — members of the City Council are lining up behind referring to voters the question of a district electoral system for their seats.

Jose de la Isla, guest commentary

Mesa voters are being asked to make changes to the city charter during the Nov. 6 election, most of which impact elections and the city’s leadership.

This election year and next will define the direction this nation should take for its future. It is imperative, that we the voters correctly choose leadership, not based on the grounds of one’s political loyalty, religion, intolerance, or ignorance of facts, but whose policies best fit our nation. This country hasn’t been this divided since the pre-Civil War era.

After months of searching and an intense interview process, the city of Phoenix has named Daniel V. Garcia as its new police chief.