Ariz. Nabs $39K for Border Fence on First Day

It's a long way to $50 million, but Arizona lawmakers are happy with the first day's results of their pitch for donations to build a border fence. Their newly launched website got 884 online donations for a total of about $39,000 in its first 17 hours, reports the AP. Republican state Sen. Steve Smith wants to raise at least $50 million to put a secure wall along the Mexican border. Arizona Republic columnist EJ Montini, however, thinks it's a pie-in-the-sky ruse on the part of lawmakers to distract the public from their scandals. (More Arizona stories.)