A proposal by the Census Bureau could overhaul the way it questions race and ethnicity, in an attempt to “ensure that all people are able to identify themselves within one or more of the minimum categories," and "categories reflect meaningful and easy to understand distinctions.” Read more»

Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher seems to want to adjust the county's base budget upward a tad after the Great Recession forced supervisors to push it down. It's part of a plan to recruit talent and invest in roads, as the surplus reaches $159 million. Plus more in local government meetings this week. Read more»

Some years see a big gap between snowfall and the water runoff that follows, and while there is limited data on why the disparity happens, that gap has far-reaching implications for tens of millions of people who draw water from the Colorado River. Read more»

A top Biden administration official said on Friday that there was no “major influx” of migrants rushing to the southern border overnight after the expiration of the emergency public health order used to quickly expel people from the country. Read more»

A sharply divided U.S. House passed a border security package Thursday - dubbed the Secure the Border Act and approved largely along party lines - that was heavily influenced by Texas Republicans who took the reins on their party’s border agenda this year. Read more»

A redistricting battle that could decide the future of checks and balances on elections is now moot, the Biden administration told the Supreme Court, after North Carolina’s top court reversed a prior decision on partisan gerrymandering. Read more»

The Biden administration is projecting a sense of preparedness but sought to blame Congress for inaction, while Republican lawmakers attacked the administration for not taking a stronger stance on immigration, as human rights activists are sounding the alarm over a potential crisis. Read more»

In a rare sit-down with reporters, U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona said Thursday that border states are not prepared for the end of a pandemic-era measure called Title 42 used to expel millions of migrants at the border. Read more»

Health experts unanimously voted for the FDA to immediately approve the contraceptive drug norgestrel - sold as Opill and approved by the FDA decades ago for prescription-only use - for over the counter sales, the first time a birth control pill would be available without a prescription. Read more»

Thirty-five states have fewer children than they did five years ago, a situation caused by declining birth rates nationwide, but also by young families migrating across state borders in search of cheaper housing. Read more»

Former President Donald Trump’s town hall event felt like a lightning round of false and misleading claims — most of which we’ve heard before - on voter fraud, immigration, classified documents and more. Read more»

U.S. House Republicans have requested more than $10 billion in earmarks to be included in next year’s appropriations bills, despite demanding massive spending cuts as a contingent for raising the nation’s debt ceiling. Read more»

Migrants who arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border without first seeking protection in a country they passed through – or without first applying online – will largely be denied asylum under a new immigration order that’s set to go into effect when Title 42 expires. Read more»

As Title 42 ends, the Biden administration announced a rule Wednesday that drastically restricts asylum claims by migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, prompting sharp criticism from immigration advocates and civil rights groups. Read more»

A pandemic-era measure that allowed for the swift expulsion of millions of migrants at the Southwest border is set to end Thursday, and the Biden administration and state officials across the U.S. are bracing for a potential increase in asylum seekers. Read more»