Say goodbye to No Labels and hello to the Arizona Independent Party, a new home for candidates who don't necessarily fit with either major political party.

Why it matters: The rebranded party can provide opportunities to candidates who don't want to run as Republicans or Democrats without forcing them to meet the steep hurdles required for independent candidates — those who aren't registered with a recognized party — to get on a ballot.

• Candidates who don't run under a recognized party must collect substantially more signatures because they skip the primary and go straight to the general election.

Driving the news: Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has approved the No Labels Party of Arizona's name-change request, effective Dec. 1.

• Former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson, the No Labels Arizona chair, said the party polled members on several options and "Arizona Independent Party" was the winner.

State of play: He told Axios the party's goal is to "democratize" elections by opening doors for more candidates and voters.

• The party will be open to any candidate who wants to run, and voters won't have to register with the Arizona Independent Party to participate in its primary.

The intrigue: The party won't adopt a traditional platform but will have a general "statement of beliefs"— from increasing education spending to balancing the federal budget; an all-of-the-above energy policy; support for the military and law enforcement; opposition to excessive regulations, taxes and fees; and support for civil rights, equal rights, property rights and free trade.

• Johnson acknowledged that some positions could deter people on the far left or right.

Yes, but: While the party is using those principles to recruit candidates and voters, Johnson said candidates won't be required to support them all to get the Arizona Independent Party's endorsement.

• Candidates will have to sign a pledge, which has yet to be finalized, showing support for an open primaries measure that was on the 2024 ballot and a commitment to working with people who have opposing political views.

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The "single-most important chip" — the Blackwell GPU that powers artificial intelligence — is being manufactured in the U.S. for the first time at TSMC Arizona, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang announced in Phoenix last week.

Why it matters: This milestone represents some of the first fruits of the Trump administration's push to build AI technology in the U.S., and is yet another indication of Arizona's leading role in the American semiconductor industry.

Driving the news: Huang visited TSMC's semiconductor manufacturing facility in Phoenix on Friday to announce the advance.

• "You built something incredible, but you will realize in time that you are part of something historic," Huang told several hundred TSMC employees who gathered to celebrate.

What they're saying: "TSMC Arizona is expected to create thousands of high-tech jobs and attract a broad ecosystem of suppliers," Nvidia and TSMC said in a joint statement.

The intrigue: Jensen said Nvidia has been a customer of TSMC for 30 years, when both companies were fledgling.

• He said he's watched TSMC grow into the industry's quiet giant — the most advanced, most efficient and most affordable semiconductor manufacturer in the world.

The bottom line: "TSMC is underappreciated by the world, but we're the largest company in the world and we appreciate them greatly," Jensen said.

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The Silver Alert system, designed to help find missing senior citizens, has been replaced with a new, expanded program dubbed the SAFE Alert, or Seek And Find Alert.

The big picture: The previous system had a 98% success rate, with most missing individuals located within 18 hours, The Arizona Republic reported.

State of play: SAFE Alerts, which took effect on Sept. 26, will be issued by the Arizona Department of Public Safety for missing individuals ages 65 and older and those who have been diagnosed with a developmental or cognitive disability, dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

How it works: Information about the missing person will be distributed through the state's Emergency Alert System (which is sent to local broadcasters) and displayed on Arizona Department of Transportation billboards.

Between the lines: Arizona also instituted a new Turquoise Alert program earlier this year for people who go missing under mysterious circumstances. There is no age or health requirement for a Turquoise Alert.

• It was designed to aid in finding missing Indigenous people but can be issued for any missing endangered person in the state.

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😈 The Sun Devils pulled off an upset win over No. 7 Texas Tech on Saturday, putting them back in the top 25. (ESPN)

🏈 The Cardinals dropped to 2-5 after losing 27-23 to the Packers. (Arizona Sports)

🪧 Thousands of people demonstrated peacefully against President Trump at "No Kings" protests across the Valley. (Arizona Mirror)

☕ Phoenix's Moxie Coffee won gold in the Global Coffee Awards' filter coffee single origin experimental processing method category for the U.S. and Canada. (AZcentral)

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The Dubai chocolate craze has now infiltrated the cookie market.

Why it matters: After Austin-based cookie purveyor Tiff's Treats unveiled its Dubai chocolate flavor in early September, supplies that were supposed to last one to two months ran out in some locations in a matter of a few days.

• Tiff's Treats co-founder Tiffany Chen told Axios earlier this month, the week before it planned to release the cookie, it had a waitlist roughly 10,000 entries long.

State of play: The chocolate cookie is filled with pistachio cream and shredded phyllo dough known as kataifi and topped with chopped pistachios.

• "It was the most popular flavor we ever launched, right out of the gate," Chen tells Axios.

The big picture: The way that Tiff's — which has 75 retail spots across 13 states, plus 85 delivery-only locations — had to scramble to satisfy consumers offers a view into the global food supply chain.

Zoom in: There are pickup and delivery locations in Phoenix, Chandler, Gilbert and Scottsdale.

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