President Donald Trump speaks at an event in Phoenix on April 17, 2026, aimed at rallying the MAGA faithful ahead of the midterm elections. (Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy/Arizona Mirror)
A historically unpopular Trump came to Phoenix to rally the base by bragging about Iran
President Donald Trump is historically unpopular and his approval ratings are underwater in Arizona and the other six swing states he won in 2024, largely because independent voters have abandoned him. With the mid-terms rapidly approaching, the president came to Phoenix to gin up support for Republicans — not by reaching out to those disaffected voters but instead by rallying the MAGA faithful and calling for Republican Party unity...
Clockwise from left: Gov. Katie Hobbs, U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, U.S. Rep. David Schweikert. (Photos by Gage Skidmore and Cronkite News Service)
Surprise ICE detention plan scaled back from 1,500 beds to 542
Some of the Trump administration’s controversial new warehouse immigration detention centers are getting scaled back and postponed as states and cities fight back and new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reviews actions taken by his ousted predecessor, Kristi Noem.
Some states and cities have seen more communication and compromise as Mullin takes over and...
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 11, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
Mark Kelly: Pentagon can’t cite a single case supporting Hegseth’s effort to strip his rank
WASHINGTON — Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly’s legal team is urging a federal appeals court to uphold a ruling that allows the former Navy captain to keep his retirement rank and pay while his First Amendment case against the Pentagon moves forward.
Benjamin C. Mizer, partner at Arnold & Porter, wrote in a brief filed April 15 that the Defense Department violated Kelly’s constitutional rights when it...
Members of the National Guard patrol the entrance to the Union Station stop on Washington, D.C.’s Metro system, on March 25, 2026. President Donald Trump was appearing at a GOP event at Union Station that night. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)
National Guard ‘follows the Constitution,’ general says of troops possibly deployed to polls
The National Guard’s top general told Congress on Friday that it would follow the Constitution and the law when he was asked about the possibility President Donald Trump would order troops to polling places for the midterm elections.
The remarks at a U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee hearing came as Democratic lawmakers also voiced unease over...
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