The Pentagon did not have reliable estimates for the cost of its work supporting Homeland Security efforts on the southwestern border and did not assess the impact of those efforts on military readiness, a new report says. The report by the Government Accountability Office also chided the Defense Department for failing to fully report its border costs to Congress in 2019, and said the Pentagon and Homeland Security need to come to an agreement on the level of long-term support. Read more»

A bipartisan group of lawmakers held a meeting of a House Judiciary subcommittee with oversight on the U.S. courts to consider the excessive caseloads that plague judges across the United States, particularly in the Ninth Circuit. The hearing came three years after the Judicial Conference recommended to Congress that at least five new judgeships be created for the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Read more»

Arizona continues to be one of the worst states in the nation when it comes to funding higher education, still reeling from deep budget cuts that were made during the recession, according to a new national report. Read more»

U.S. District Judge Steven Logan rejected a request by the group Apache Stronghold for a preliminary injunction against the proposed Resolution Copper Mine on Oak Flat, saying the group did not have standing to challenge the project and questioning the merits and likelihood of success of the claim. Read more»

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz told the House Oversight and Reform Committee that the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy followed a test program in west Texas in which officials were not immediately able to reunite separated families. More than 3,000 children were separated from their families, and one advocate said this week that 611 children are still in custody years later. Read more»

In a call with AZ Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a group of election officials from the battleground states of Ohio, Michigan and Georgia said that fighting misinformation is harder when theories are spread rapidly on social media and agreed the best way to combat election misinformation is with truth, even if some refuse to believe. Read more»

The Supreme Court postponed upcoming hearings challenging the government's ability to divert Defense Department funds to border wall construction and on the administration’s so-called "remain in Mexico" policy Wednesday, after both had been reversed on the first day of President Joe Biden’s term. Read more»

President Joe Biden’s order that the Justice Department stop contracting with private prisons could eventually affect thousands of inmates, but the order does not affect Immigration and Customs Enforcement contracts with companies that hold immigrants awaiting hearings or deportation. Read more»

COVID-19 cases in Arizona may have reached a plateau after a deadly two-month surge, one expert said Wednesday, but that does not mean the pandemic is under control. Read more»

COVID-19 is on the verge of becoming the leading cause of death in Arizona, surpassing cancer and closing in on heart disease, according to the latest data from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Read more»

After the riot of Jan. 6 that ultimately left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer, as many as 25,000 National Guard troops from around the country will be deployed to Washington along with transit police officers from around the country, local police agencies and federal law enforcement authorities. Read more»

The Arizona Capitol is surrounded by two rows of chain-link fence and police presence has been increased, as authorities brace for possible violence in response to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Read more»