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Arizona’s Largest County Frequently Pursues the Death Penalty. It Rarely Secures That Sentence.

In nearly 350 death penalty cases Maricopa County prosecutors pursued over 20 years, just 13% ended in a death sentence. The numbers indicate the need for a more deliberate and transparent process to decide capital charges, experts say.

Reporting From the Southwest

ProPublica’s seven-person reporting unit based in Phoenix covers the Southwest, including Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah. Many of these states are among the fastest-growing in the country, and the region is experiencing rapid changes to the climate, economy, demographics and other trends that will shape the nation’s future.

Trump Pledged to “Make America Healthy Again,” Then Cut a Program Many Tribes Rely on for Healthy Food

The USDA has ended a program that dozens of tribal food banks say has helped them provide fresh, locally produced food that is important to their traditions and cultures.

DOJ Abandons Effort to Address Phoenix’s Treatment of Homeless People

The Justice Department retracted findings of constitutional violations in Phoenix and five other jurisdictions. Advocates say the move could further embolden cities and police departments to marginalize homeless people.

Arizona Has Recovered Just 5% of Taxpayer Dollars Lost in a $2.5 Billion Medicaid Fraud Scheme

The state has so far indicted more than 100 individuals and recouped $125 million. But despite state and federal efforts, it’s likely that most of the stolen taxpayer money won’t be recovered, officials say.

Local Reporting Network Partners

ProPublica is supporting local and regional newsrooms as they work on important investigative projects affecting their communities. Some of our past and present partners in the region:

Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona
Arizona Republic
Phoenix, Arizona
New Mexico In Depth
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Searchlight New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Santa Fe New Mexican
Sante Fe, New Mexico
Rocky Mountain PBS
Denver, Colorado

Tennessee’s Law on School Threats Ensnared Students Who Posed No Risks. Two States Passed Similar Laws.

Despite an outcry over increased arrests in Tennessee, two states — Georgia and New Mexico — followed its lead by passing laws that will crack down harder on hoax threats.

He Died Without Getting Mental Health Care He Sought. A New Lawsuit Says His Insurer’s Ghost Network Is to Blame.

The mother of Ravi Coutinho, the subject of a recent ProPublica investigation, is suing Centene for publishing “misleading” information that gave her son a false impression about the kinds of mental health care that were actually available.

Director of Arizona Medicaid Agency Resigns Following Fraud Scheme Response

Under Carmen Heredia’s leadership, the agency withheld payment to more than 300 businesses as it investigated fraud allegations. The state’s swift response left patients homeless, ProPublica and the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting found.

Utah Farmers Signed Up for Federally Funded Therapy. Then the Money Stopped.

Farmers are dying by suicide at the third-highest rate by vocation in Utah. But after a federal program offering mental health support ran out of money, the state did not continue it.

New Law Increases Oversight of Arizona Sober Living Homes

The legislation follows a ProPublica and Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting investigation on a $2 billion Medicaid fraud scheme that targeted Native Americans seeking drug and alcohol treatment.

Utah Ex-Therapist Scott Owen Sentenced to Prison for Sexually Abusing Patients

Owen’s 15-year-to-life prison term follows a 2023 investigation by The Salt Lake Tribune and ProPublica that uncovered a range of sex abuse allegations against the ex-therapist, who claimed to be a specialist for struggling gay Latter-day Saints men.

New Utah Law Seeks to Crack Down on Life Coaches Offering Therapy Without a License

Some therapists who lose their licenses transition to the unregulated life coaching industry, an investigation by The Salt Lake Tribune and ProPublica found. A new law makes it clear that only licensed therapists can provide mental health treatment.

A New Mexico District Says It’s Reduced Harsh Discipline of Native Students. But the Data Provided Is Incomplete.

Following an investigation by New Mexico In Depth and ProPublica, Gallup-McKinley County says it cut down on long-term suspensions for Indigenous children and implemented policy reforms. But the state has not made it easy to verify these claims.

Utah Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing Patients “Using His Position as a Therapist”

The plea comes after an investigation by The Salt Lake Tribune and ProPublica about the former therapist, who built a reputation as a specialist for struggling gay Latter-day Saints men.

“Lucharemos”: Trabajadores humanitarios temen que el cierre de un campamento en la frontera de Arizona ponga en peligro a los migrantes

Durante los últimos dos años, organizaciones religiosas y humanitarias han proporcionado alimento y ayuda a los migrantes en un campamento cerca de Sasabe. Justo antes de que Donald Trump asumiera el cargo, los voluntarios fueron instruidos a desalojar tierras federales.

“We Will Fight Back”: Aid Workers Fear Closing a Camp on the Arizona Border Will Endanger Migrants

For the past two years, religious and humanitarian organizations have provided food and aid to migrants at a camp near Sasabe, Arizona. Just before Donald Trump took office, volunteers were told to clear off federal land.

Dozens of People Died in Arizona Sober Living Homes as State Officials Fumbled Medicaid Fraud Response

Arizona officials acknowledged that a fraud scheme targeting Indigenous people with addictions cost taxpayers $2.5 billion. But they haven’t accounted publicly for the number of deaths tied to the scheme.

Elon Musk’s Boring Company Is Tunneling Beneath Las Vegas With Little Oversight

Given Musk’s role advising President-elect Donald Trump on ways to slash regulations and government oversight, Boring and the Vegas Loop project might be a harbinger for the country.

Arizona Regulators Closed a Failing Charter School. It Reopened as a Private Religious School Funded by Taxpayers.

Arizona’s acclaimed voucher program provides zero transparency into private schools’ history, academic performance or financial sustainability to help parents make informed school choices.

The American Oil Industry’s Playbook, Illustrated: How Drillers Offload Costly Cleanup Onto the Public

Oil executive Tom Ragsdale walked away from his old wells, making the pollution left behind the state of New Mexico’s problem. His tactics, however, are ubiquitous in the industry.

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What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

Photo of Sharon Lerner
Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

Photo of Andy Kroll
Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

Photo of Melissa Sanchez
Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

Photo of Jesse Coburn
Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.

Most Read

    The DOGE 100: Musk Is Out, but More Than 100 of His Followers Remain to Implement Trump’s Blueprint

    At least 38 DOGE members work, or have worked, for one of Elon Musk’s companies. Meanwhile, nearly two dozen DOGE officials are making cuts to the same federal agencies that regulate the industries that employed them.

    Portland Spent $1.3 Billion to Improve the Lives and Safety of Its Homeless People. Then Deaths Quadrupled.

    The city responded to an increase in homeless deaths by intensifying encampment sweeps and adding emergency shelter at the expense of permanent housing. Experts say this has perpetuated the problem.

    Local Reporting Network

    “The Intern in Charge”: Meet the 22-Year-Old Trump’s Team Picked to Lead Terrorism Prevention

    One year out of college and with no apparent national security expertise, Thomas Fugate is the Department of Homeland Security official tasked with overseeing the government’s main hub for combating violent extremism.

    EPA Drops Legal Case Against the GEO Group, a Major Trump Donor, Over Its Misuse of Harmful Disinfectant in an ICE Facility

    A complaint filed under the Biden administration alleged that on more than 1,000 occasions in 2022 and 2023, the GEO Group had its employees use the disinfectant, which causes irreversible eye damage and skin burns, without proper protection.

    Senators Demand Transparency on Canceled Veterans Affairs Contracts

    Following a ProPublica investigation into how DOGE had developed an error-prone AI tool to determine which VA contracts should be killed, a trio of lawmakers said the Trump administration continues to “stonewall” their requests for details.