Popular proxies: Close to 10% of House votes cast by proxy since 2020

WASHINGTON - House members have cast more than 31,000 proxy votes during more than 700 roll calls since 2020, or about 10% of all possible votes in that time. But what started as a COVID-19 emergency measure has become a routine that some say is being abused.


‘Only the beginning’: Brandon Act meant to reduce barriers, stigma for military members seeking mental health help

PEORIA – The legacy of Brandon Caserta of Arizona lives on in the Brandon Act, which allows service men and women to seek mental health help outside the military to reduce barriers and the stigma of self-reporting.


States win delay, for now, in White House plan to end Title 42 at border

WASHINGTON – White House officials said Tuesday that a potential court order delaying the end of Title 42 would only worsen the border crisis that state officials claim they are trying to prevent by seeking the order.


Oklahoma tribes strike back at critics ahead of Supreme Court arguments

WASHINGTON - Oklahoma’s Five Tribes are pushing back against critics of tribal sovereignty, as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a case Wednesday that could solidify the impact of its 2020 ruling that recognized reservations over nearly half of Oklahoma.


Group plans appeal in effort to keep Biggs, Gosar, Finchem off ballot

WASHINGTON - A voters' advocacy group said it will appeal a Maricopa County judge's decision to dismiss its lawsuit that sought to ban three GOP lawmakers from the ballot for their support of the Jan. 6 insurrection.


Border numbers hit highest level in 20 years, as end of Title 42 looms

Border officials last month apprehended the most migrants at the southern border in at least 22 years, presenting a new challenge for the Biden administration's plan to end enforcement of Title 42 at the border just weeks from now.


Court allows Jan. 6 suit against Georgia lawmaker; could affect 3 in Arizona

WASHINGTON - A federal court said Georgia voters can press their claim that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's support for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol disqualifies her from the ballot, the same charge that has been filed against three Arizona lawmakers.


‘I just like being able to breathe’: Phoenix travelers react to halt of travel mask mandate

PHOENIX – Many travelers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport were relieved to fly without masks after a federal judge halted a mandate that has been in effect and extended several times since January 2021.


Arizona Senate race nets $61.5 million; Kelly one of top U.S. fundraisers

WASHINGTON - Arizona Senate hopefuls had raised more than $61.5 million by March 31, led by Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., whose almost $39 million in campaign contributions was the second-highest in the nation among Senate candidates this cycle.


Migrants wait at the border while U.S. battles over lifting COVID-19 ban on processing asylum applications

NOGALES, Sonora, Mexico – Thousands of immigrants wait along the U.S.-Mexico border for the lifting of Title 42, a policy enacted by the Trump administration that banned migrants and asylum seekers as a public health and safety measure during the pandemic. With stories of violence and leaving their lives behind in an instant, they are stuck at border crossings like Nogales, Sonora, thanks to a political battle in Washington, D.C.


Cyber experts were braced for Russian attacks before Biden’s warning

WASHINGTON - When President Joe Biden said businesses have a "patriotic obligation" to protect their networks from likely Russian cyberattacks, Arizona cybersecurity officials agreed with a nod - and a shrug. They were already on high alert and had seen an uptick in attacks.


Ukrainian official details horrors of Russian invasion, asks Arizona lawmakers for help

PHOENIX – Dmytro Kushneruk, the consul general of Ukraine in San Francisco, detailed the horrors of war in Ukraine and asked for assistance for citizens of the country during a special joint session of the Arizona Legislature.