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»

Climatologists say years of worsening conditions across the West will take far more than this winter's storms to recuperate, and about 25% of the West still remains in drought — compared to 74% at the start of the water year this past October. Read more»

A group of congressional Democrats asked a billionaire real estate developer Monday to get specific about big-ticket gifts he has given Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, as lawmakers investigate the jurist’s ethical conduct. Read more»

A jury of New Yorkers took less than three hours to find Donald Trump liable Tuesday on counts of battery and defamation, in a stunning end to the former president's federal trial on civil claims that he raped writer E. Jean Carroll in 1996. Read more»

May 11 will mark the end of the federal public health emergency for COVID-19, bringing changes to health care and public benefits, including changes in the cost of COVID-19 tests and treatments and the potential loss of access to free COVID-19 vaccines for people who are uninsured. Read more»

New banking regulations proposed by federal watchdogs don’t go far enough in countering potential problems, but could help lower bank fees and calm financial markets and nerves, leading to a more stable financial system, according to some economists. Read more»

The purchase of Vidler Water Company by D.R. Horton is a clear indication of where the West is headed, as the need grows to find creative new water supplies that will allow national builders to keep building even as regulators try to clamp down on unsustainable growth. Read more»

With Title 42 set to expire this week, eliminating a pandemic-era policy that fast tracked migrant expulsions, Gov. Katie Hobbs vowed to partner with local officials while counting on federal aid programs to ease the expected strain on border communities. Read more»

As Title 42 enters what is supposed to be its final week, migrants waiting in Juárez for an opportunity to enter the United States have lost much of their hope that the end of the pandemic-era policy will make reaching their destination any easier. Read more»

Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is stepping down at the end of June after 2½ tumultuous years leading the nation’s primary public health agency — and much of the Biden administration’s effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more»