President Joe Biden, after cruising to victory in Tuesday’s presidential preference election, switches from campaign mode into chief executive mode Wednesday, his second day in Arizona.He was scheduled to appear at noon at a massive Intel Corp. campus in southwest Chandler to announce billions of dollars in grants to the semiconductor company. The funding, designed to rebuild America’s technological leadership in semiconductors, could be spread among multiple Intel projects in Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio and Oregon, with Arizona receiving one of the largest commitments.Follow coverage by journalists at The Republic and azcentral.com throughout the day. Biden departure delays Loop 101 trafficLoop 101 saw delays Wednesday afternoon in order to accommodate President Joe Biden’s departure from Phoenix.Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter GuideThe Arizona Department of Public Safety said that the highway leading up to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport will be among the areas that are closed off. It was not specified how long the area would be closed off and the agency did not provide further details.— Dylan Wickman Biden departs from Phoenix Sky HarborAir Force One took off from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport just before 2 p.m. on Wednesday, wrapping up Biden’s trip to metro Phoenix.Prior to his Wednesday visit to Intel, Biden attended a campaign in Phoenix that kicked off a new campaign initiative called Latinos con Biden-Harris, which aims to “engage and mobilize Latino voters, communities, and leaders across the country.”— Abigail BeckBiden ‘tired of being at the end of the supply chain’ on semiconductorsA desire to lessen America’s dependence on advanced semiconductors also factored into his talk during the sunny and warm noontime hour. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the country’s vulnerability to supply chain disruptions, Biden said. Advanced chip manufacturing is making a comeback in America after 40 years.”If it was invented in America, it ought to be made in America,” he said, in reference to semiconductors.Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo earlier said Biden is “tired of being at the end of the supply chain,” adding that the CHIPS Act funding is designed to change that.The administration seeks to have 20% of advanced semiconductors made in this country by the end of the decade, up from none currently, she added.— Laura Gersony Biden says his administration ‘ignited a manufacturing boom in America’President Joe Biden took the stage just after noon on Tuesday at Intel’s Ocotillo Campus in Chandler to announce a multi-billion dollar grant for the company to build …
