[♪ THEME MUSIC ♪] >>> COMING UP IN THE NEXT HOUR OF LOCAL NEWS ON ARIZONA PBS, ON "ARIZONA HORIZON," HOW NEW CORPORATE COMMISSION RULES COULD LEAD TO DECREASED RATES FOR APS CUSTOMERS.

ON ON "CRONKITE NEWS," HEAR ABOUT THE GREAT AMERICAN OUTDOORS ACT, WHICH PROVIDES FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PARKS, TRIBAL SCHOOLS AND OUT DOOR SPACES.

AND ON AND ON "BREAK IT DOWN," A LOOK AT HOW MANY CHILDREN ARE REALLY ADDICTED TO VIDEO GAMES.

IT'S ALL COMING UP IN THE NEXT HOUR OF ARIZONA PBS.

>>> GOOD EVENING, AND WELCOME TO "ARIZONA HORIZON."

I'M TED SIMONS.

U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT RELEASED ITS FIRST-EVER RANKING OF ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS.

THE RANKINGS ARE BEING QUESTIONED BY SOME EDUCATION OFFICIALS WHO SAY TEST SCORES CAN BE A REFLECTION OF INCOME?

FAMILIES.

THE MARICOPA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISEORS SAID, ACCEPTED THE RESIGNATION OF STEVE CHUCRI.

HE SAID THERE WAS NO COVER UP, BIDEN WON.

THE COUNTY HAS NOW TAKEN APPLICATIONS TO REPLACE HIS SEAT.

MODERNA IS ASKING THE FDA TO AUTHORIZE A HALF DOSE OF THEIR VACCINE.

IT SAYS A CLINICAL TRIAL SHOWED A THIRD DOSE INCREASES ANTIBODIES.

>>> AND PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 60 SHOULD NOT TAKE A LOW-DOSE ASPIRIN DOSE FOR PREVENTION OF HEART ATTACKS.

THAT'S A REVISION OF A 2016 DECISION THAT PEOPLE SHOULD TAKE A LOW-DOSE AMOUNT DAILY.

>>> THERE COULD BE A RATE REDUCTION FOR CUSTOMERS.

"THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC" AND "USA TODAY" REPORTER RYAN RANDAZZO HAS BEEN COVERING THIS STORY AND JOINED US WITH THE LATEST.

RYAN, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

THE COMMISSION IS VOTING TO CUT THE GUARANTEED RATE RETURNS FOR AP -- GIVE US THE BACKGROUND.

>> UTILITIES SPEND MONEY ON POWER LINES AND THEN THEY HAVE A HEARING ON TRYING TO RECOVER ANY AMOUNTS OF MONEY THAT HAVE BEEN SPENT.

IT IS EXTREMELY LOW FOR A UTILITY, ESPECIALLY FOR THIS ONE.

>> SO FOR EVERY DOLLAR SPENT ON RETURNING POWER, THE UTILITY NOW SAYS HOW ABOUT 8.7%.

>> YES.

>> HOW SURPRISED ARE YOU AT THAT?

>> I WAS SHOCKED.

YOU OFTEN SEE ONE OR TWO THAT WANT TO CRACK DOWN ON A THESE COMMISSIONS.

BUT THEY ALMOST ALWAYS GET THREE OR FOUR ON THEIR SIDE.

SO SOMEONE MIGHT USE THE BULLY PULPIT TO GRILL THEIR EXECUTIVES.

BUT THIS VOTE REALLY WAS SURPRISING.

>> AND FROM THE ENDS OF THF SPECTRUM, JUST CONTINUE OLSON AND SANDRA WAS IN AGREEMENT.

AND PETERSON WAS THE ONLY NO VOTE.

>> WELL, THE COMMISSIONER BASICALLY PLEADED FOR DAYS NOT TO DO THIS.

THEY SPENT SOME TIME DISCUSSING THIS IN PRIVATE.

THEY CAME OUT OF THAT MEETING AND VOTED FOR THIS.

I HAVE TO THINK SHE WAS LIPPING TO THE CEO AT ASP WHAT SAID IF YOU DO THIS, WE ARE GOING TO NEED TO COME BACK TO YOU ANOTHER SOME POINT.

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE WRITE DOWNS, AND THAT IS GOING TO COME BACK ON CUSTOMERS.

SO HE MADE THESE NOT-VEILED THREATS, BUT HE SAID THESE THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN.

>> MAYBE AS CHAIR SHE TOOK THAT POSITION.

LET'S TOOK MORE ABOUT ASP'S RESPONSE.

THE QUOTE, I'M DOING EVERYTHING I CAN IS CHANGE THE CULTURE.

THE COMMISSION DIDN'T BUY THAT?

>> NO, NOT AT ALL.

AND THERE IS YEARS OF HISTORY HERE.

WHEN THE COMMISSIONER REQUESTED THAT INFORMATION AFTER BEING REELECTED.

SO THOSE WERE NO ACTS.

THERE WAS THE 2017 RATE HIKE, HI CUSTOMERS DIDN'T UNDERSTAND.

MORE THAN HALF OF THE CUSTOMERS WERE NOT ON THE BEST RATE PLAN FOR THEM.

SO THIS HAS BEEN YEARS OF BAD BEHAVIOR BY THE UTILITY.

>> IT SOUNDED LIKE THE CUSTOMER-SERVICE ISSUES PLAYED A BIG ROLE.

IS THAT ACCURATE?

>> FOR SURE.

THEY INTRODUCED THESE NEW VERY COMPLEX SCHEMES.

AND THERE HAS BE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE RATE PLANS.

AT TIMES EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO EXPLAIN HOW THESE RATES WORK, AND THE REGULATORS FINALLY HAD NO WHY ELSE TO GO.

AND AS YOU NOTED COMMISSIONER OLSON WANTED TO SLASH RATES.

>> AND THIS IS GOING TO HURT OUR ABILITY TO BARROW AND, IF THE WANTED TO MOVE IN A MORE GREEN DIRECTION IT WILL BE MORE DIFFICULT.

>> SURE.

AND FEWER PEOPLE WILL WANT TO INVEST IN THE COMPANY.

APS HAS MADE A PLEDGE TO INVEST IN GREEN ENERGY, SOLAR, BATTERIES, AND MORE WIND PROJECTS.

AND THEY ARE SAYING WE RESPONDENT BE ABLE TO DO THIS NOW.

>> ANY OF THOSE ARGUMENTS, COULD THEY SWAY CUSTOMERS FOR A FINAL VOTE?

>> NONE OF THE THINGS THEY HAVE APPROVED SO FAR ARE FINAL, AND BECAUSE OF THAT, THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT SOMEONE COULD PASS OR PROPOSE AN AMENDMENT TO REVERSE A DECISION.

I DON'T THINK IT IS LIKELY THOUGH.

>> AND, AGAIN, EVERYTHING WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DEALS WITH APS.

BUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE BILLS?

>> IT LIKELY MEANS AN INCREASE IN RATES.

MOST OF THE PARTIES WEREN'T WILLING TO GIVE IT EVEN MOST OF WHAT THEY WANTED, BUT NOW IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE GOING TO LEAVE WITH LOWER RATES.

AND YOU ARE SHOCKED BY THIS, AREN'T YOU?

>> I REALLY AM.

>> RYAN RANDAZZO, GREAT JOB REPORTING ON THIS, THANK YOU, SIR.

WE APPRECIATE IT.

>> THANK >> UP NEXT ON "ARIZONA HORIZON," HOW SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES COULD IMPACT THE HOLIDAY SHOPPING SEASON.

>>> SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES HAVE BEEN A CONCERN FOR A WHILE.

WE TALKED ABOUT THIS WITH HITENDRA CHATURVEDI OF ASU'S W.P.

CAREY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS.

HITENDRA CHATURVEDI, GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY.

WE'RE TALKING SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES AND SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

ARE THOSE CONCERNS VALID?

>> YES, ABSOLUTELY.

THERE ARE SOME ISSUES THAT SEEM TO BE ON EVERYBODY'S TONGUE NOWADAYS.

SO, YES.

>> AND HOLIDAYS ARE NOT THE BEST OF TIMES FOR SUPPLY CHAINS ANYWAY, CORRECT?

>> THAT IS CORRECT.

MANY PEOPLE GIVE A LOT OF ANALOGIES.

BUT LET ME GIVE A SMALL ANALOGY OF WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN OVER THE HOLIDAYS.

BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS, THINK OF SUPPLY CHAIN BEING A PYTHON, AND IMAGINE A SUPPLY CHAIN BEING A PIG, AND THE HOLIDAYS ARE COMING UP, AND THAT PIG TURNS INTO ON ELEPHANT.

SO THAT IS THE PROBLEM WE'RE GOING TO FACE.

THE SUPPLY CHAIN IS ALWAYS STRESSED TO THE LIMIT, AND THE HOLIDAYS WILL STRESS IT EVEN FURTHER.

>> I AM SEEING EVERYTHING FROM CARS TO BOOKS.

>> YES, EVERY SECTOR IS GOING TO BE HIT.

BOOKS BECAUSE THEY ARE DEPENDANT ON RAW MATERIAL LIKE PAPER.

SO YOU ARE GOING TO SEE SHORTAGES THERE.

SO THE WAY YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT THIS ENTIRE SUPPLY CHAIN AND ANY SUPPLY CHAIN KNOWS THE STRENGTH OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN IS THE STRENGTH OF THE WEAKEST LINK.

AND IMAGINE YOU ARE GOING TO WORK IN THINK MORNING, AND YOU GO THROUGH TRAFFIC LIGHTS, AND THEN YOU GET ON TO THE FREEWAY.

AND NOW IMAGINE EVERY TRAFFIC LIGHT IS A TOP AND GO.

EVERY TRAFFIC LIGHT.

AND THE MOMENT YOU GET ON TO THE FREEWAY, THAT FREEWAY IS NOW A SINGLE LANE INSTEAD OF A FOUR-LANE.

AND WHEN YOU GET OFF, AGAIN, YOU GET INTO LIGHTS THAT ARE STOP AND GO.

SO 30 DAYS GET TRANSLATED INTO 90 DAYS.

>> AND AGAIN, LABOR SHORTAGES.

AND WAS THIS SOMETHING THAT STARTED DURING THE PANDEMIC AND HAS NOW JUST STUCK AROUND?

>> WHAT HAPPENED THAT HISTORICALLY, WE CREATED A SUPPLY CHAIN FOR THREE KEY IMPORTANT FACTORS.

AND THESE TWEAK EVERY INEFFICIENCY OUT OF A SUPPLY CHAIN.

SO WHEN COVID HIT.

THE SUPPLY CHAIN DID NOT HAVE ANY WIGGLE ROOM.

SO WHAT HAPPENED WAS IN ASIA -- LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT AS MY FIRST TRAFFIC LIGHT, YOU HAVE FACTORIES THAT ARE SHUTTING DOWN, AND THE VACCINATION RATES ARE VERY, VERY LOW.

SO PORTS ARE GETTING SHUT DOWN.

SO LET'S SAY THIS STUFF GETS MOVED ON TO THE SHIP.

SO NOW THE SEA FAIRERS, PEOPLE WHO MAN THESE BIG SHIPS ARE FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES WITH VERY LOW VACATION RATES.

AND YOUR VIEWERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW BIG AND MASSIVE THIS SUPPLY CHAIN IS.

IT MOVES ABOUT 25 MILLION CONTAINERS JUST BETWEEN NORTH AMERICA AND ASIA.

25 MILLION CONTAINERS.

AND IT IS SOMEWHERE AROUND $14 TRILLION ON SHIPS.

THESE SHIPS HAVE THE CAPACITY TO CARRY 20,000 CONTAINERS.

WHAT THAT MEANS IS -- JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA -- ONE SHIP THAT IS CAPABLE OF CARRYING 15 TO 18,000 CONTAINERS, AND THERE COULD BE 1.4 MILLION DISHWASHERS ON A SINGLE SHIP.

SO THAT'S 16% OF OUR ANNUAL SUPPLY.

SO WHEN THEY ARRIVE AT A PORT, YOU HAVE LABOR SHORTAGES AT THE PORT, AND THE QUANTITY HAS GONE UP BY 30%.

SO YOU HAVE 60, 70 SHIPS BEING ANCHORED OFF OF THE PORT, COMBINE THAT WITH THE SHIPS THAT ARE DOCKING, AND YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT HALF A MILLION CONTAINERS JUST IN THE PARKING LOT.

>> HITENDRA CHATURVEDI, A SUPPLY CHAIN EXPERT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.

>>> ASU ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR. DAVID BRAMAN IS USING PERSONALIZED MEDICINE TO STUDY THE ORE RINS OF ALZHEIMER'S.

RECENTLY SPOKE TO DR. BRAFMAN ABOUT HIS RESEARCH.

DOCTOR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

VERY INTERESTING RESEARCH.

TALK TO US ABOUT THIS.

>> YEAH, SO WHAT MY GROUP DOES IS WE TRY TO MODEL WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE BRAIN WITH ALZHEIMER'S.

AND THESE CELLS ARE DERIVED FROM PATIENTS, AND YOU REPROGRAM THESE CELLS TO ESSENTIALLY TAKEN THE CHARACTERISTICS OF EARLY DEVELOPMENT.

AND WE'RE ABLE TO GUIDE THESE CELLS INTO NEURONS AND OTHER CELLS IN THE BRAIN IN A DISH OUTSIDE OF THE PATIENTS BODY TO UNDERSTAND AND MIMIC THE ORIGINS OF ALZHEIMER'S.

>> SO YOU ARE WATCHING FOR THE FIRST SIGNS SO NEIGHBOR YOU CAN BETTER PREDICT AND HEAD THIS THING OFF AT THE PASS.

>> EXACTLY.

AND MY GROUP STUDIES THE GENETIC UNDERPINNINGS OF THE DISEASE.

AND NOW WE'RE ABLE TO MIMIC THE GENETIC COMPONENTS OF THE DISEASE.

AND UNDERSTAND WHY SOME FOLKS ARE MORE RESILIENT.

>> IS THERE A MOLECULAR PROFILE TO THE DISEASE?

>> YEAH.

THE ISSUE WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE IS THAT IT'S SO COMPLICATED, AND IT EFFECTS SO MANY PROFILES AND PROCESSES, THAT IT IS HARD IDENTIFY.

BUT THERE ARE SOME CLUES BETWEEN FOLKS THAT DEVELOP ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.

SO THESE ARE THESE TWO PATHOLOGICAL PROFILES.

THE FIRST IS THIS STICKY PROFILES, AND THEN THESE TANGLES.

AND SO YOU FIND A LOT OF THE DRUG-DEVELOPMENT COMPANIES, ARE TARGETING THESE TO REVERSE THE DEBT TRY MENTAL EFFECTS OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.

>> AND A LOT OF TIMES BY THE TIME IT IS FIRST SHOWN IT IS TOO LATE, ISN'T IT?

>> YEAH.

THAT IS ANOTHER ASPECT OF THE DISEASE THAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO TREAT.

THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION BECOMES QUITE DIFFICULT.

BUT AS IT RELATES TO THE WORK THAT MY LAB DOES, WE'RE TRYING TO IDENTIFY GENETIC MARKERS, AND THEN YOU CAN INTRODUCE THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS EARLIER.

AND AN EXAMPLE IS PEOPLE WHO HAVE A HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF DEVELOPING BREAST CANCER, SO YOU CAN TAKE MEASURES TO LOWER THE RISK.

SO IF THERE ARE GENETIC RISK FACTORS, THEN PERHAPS IN THE FEATURE FOLKS THAT HAVE THESE WE CAN HAVE AN INTERVENTION.

>> WILL YOU HIT A POINT OF SWAPPING BAD GENES FOR GOOD GENES.

>> YEAH.

I THINK THAT IS ANOTHER FACTOR THAT FOLKS HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT.

AND USING THIS GENOEDITING.

AND IT IS A VERY INTERESTING APPROACH.

IT IS STILL VERIER EARLY ON, BUT ALZHEIMER'S WOULD BE ONE OF THE MORE DIFFICULT DISEASES TO DO THAT WITH.

>> BUT AS YOU REFERRED THERE, THIS COULD BE USED FOR OTHER DISEASES AS WELL, NOT JUST ALZHEIMER'S.

>> YEAH.

YEAH THIS FIELD OF MEDICINE, PEOPLE THINK TYPICALLY OF CELL-DAMAGED THERAPIES.

AND THIS FIELD HAS REALLY GROWN IN YEARS, BECAUSE OF NEW OPTIONS OF POTENTIALLY CORRECTING THE DISEASE, AND CORRECTING GENETIC FACTORS WITHIN THE BODY.

>> VERY GOOD.

WHAT IS NEXT ON YOUR RESEARCH?

>> YEAH, SO WHAT MY GROUP IS NOW REALLY FOCUSED ON IS FINDING THESE PROTECTIVE FACTORS.

AND THERE ARE NUMEROUS PROTECTIVE FACTORS IDENTIFIED.

AND THEN THERE ARE THESE RARE FACTORS THAT PROSECT AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.

SO HOW CAN WE MIMIC THESE PROTECT FACTORS?

>> VERY GOOD.

DR. DAVID BRAFMAN, SOUNDS VERY ENCOURAGING, THANK YOU, SIR.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>>> AND THAT IS IT FOR NOW.

I'M TED SIMONS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

YOU HAVE A GREAT EVENING.

♪ >>> COMING UP IN THE NEXT HALF HOUR OF LOCAL NEWS ON ARIZONA PBS.

ON CRONKITE NEWS HEAR ABOUT THE GREAT AMERICAN OUTDOORS ACT.

AND ON BREAK IT DOWN, A LOOK AT CHILDREN AT VIDEO GAMES.