To reduce strategic vulnerabilities and lessen global environmental harm, Congress should speed the domestic production of key metals and minerals. The U.S. already adheres to the world’s strictest mining safety and environmental standards. It makes no sense to tolerate China’s continued stranglehold over these key commodities.

There is growing congressional interest in finally confronting China over its predatory trade practices. But while talk continues in Washington over the right policy response, China keeps picking off key parts of U.S. manufacturing, including the automotive industry.

There are plenty of news commentators who say America’s workers are doing just fine. They see low consumer prices, low unemployment, and a booming stock market as signs that all is well. But out in the real world, things are more worrying. Millions of Americans are barely subsisting on retail work in shopping malls and restaurants. And the kinds of jobs available to them are now declining in quality.

Pork getting expensive? Blame the Chinese. That's not the official position of the Arizona Farm Bureau Federation which on Tuesday reported its quarterly prices of a typical market basket of items.

As tensions between the U.S. and China escalate, Washington is waking up to the threat posed by Beijing’s longstanding espionage and cyber hacking. But there’s another looming problem – and one that’s been overlooked for too long: America’s growing dependence on China for prescription drugs.

As the recent trade war with China has escalated, Beijing has implied that it may retaliate by withholding rare earth minerals. Such a strategic vulnerability – and America’s alarmingly high reliance on imported minerals and metals – is now in the spotlight for all the world to see.

Tourists visiting Arizona spent a record $21.2 billion in the state last year. And they would have spent more if gasoline had been more expensive.

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.”

Arizona schools chief John Huppenthal sparred with his Republican primary challenger, Diane Douglas, Tuesday evening in a debate that focused on the state's new Common Core school standards but also touched on anonymous blog posts Huppenthal made that forced him to apologize.

Gov. Jan Brewer will lead a trade mission to Taiwan to promote Arizona businesses, build trade relations and encourage tourism.