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What ProPublica Found in the Genetic Code of America’s Measles Outbreaks
The U.S. eliminated measles a quarter century ago, but to keep its “measles-free” designation, officials will have to make a strong case that the virus isn’t continuously spreading within its borders. Our analysis shows how difficult that could be.
Reporting From the Southwest
Our Southwest hub, based in Phoenix, covers 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.
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Featured Stories
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Esta oficina del sheriff dice que reformas contra el perfil racial son costosas. Auditores encontraron $163 millones malgastados.
Desde 2013, el condado de Maricopa ha aprobado $226 millones en gastos relacionados con un acuerdo destinado a erradicar el perfilamiento racial. Auditores encontraron que más del 70% fue atribuido incorrectamente o utilizado de manera indebida.
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Albuquerque Officials Take Steps to Curb Surge in Citations, Jail Stays Related to Homelessness
The changes come after ProPublica reported that charges for crimes related to homelessness have skyrocketed under Mayor Tim Keller. In 2025, people were charged 1,256 times for obstructing sidewalks — nearly six times the number in the previous eight years combined.
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This Sheriff’s Office Says Racial Profiling Reforms Are Too Costly. Auditors Found It Misused $163 Million.
Since 2013, Maricopa County officials have approved $226 million in sheriff’s office spending related to a settlement aimed at rooting out racial profiling. Auditors found that more than 70% of it was misattributed or misappropriated.
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Tucson, Arizona
Arizona Republic
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Albuquerque, New Mexico
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More Stories
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In a Private Meeting, Colorado Marijuana Regulators Acknowledge the Extent of Illegal Hemp Sales
Their remarks confirm testing done by The Denver Gazette and ProPublica, which found signs of hemp in marijuana vapes sold at dispensaries. One regulator said the extent of suspicious transactions would “explode your minds.”
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Babies Are Bleeding to Death as Parents Reject a Vitamin Shot Given at Birth
The vitamin K shot, a lifesaving injection given to newborns to prevent uncontrollable bleeding of the brain and intestines, has become collateral damage of the anti-vaccine movement.
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Colorado Marijuana Regulators Pledge Crackdown on Intoxicating Hemp
Citing potential tax avoidance and “serious risks to public safety,” the Marijuana Enforcement Division warned companies about selling illegal chemically converted hemp as marijuana.
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“The Alarm Bell”: Arizona’s Drop in SNAP Participation Signals Potential Nationwide Impact of Trump Legislation
Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act imposes stricter food stamp work requirements and shifts a larger share of the costs to states. Arizona’s swift implementation has made it more difficult to apply and caused nearly half of recipients to lose benefits.
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Este sheriff afirma que su departamento eliminó el sesgo racial. Los datos demuestran lo contrario.
Cuando Jerry Sheridan era el segundo al mando en la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Maricopa, un juez federal determinó que había socavado las reformas destinadas a erradicar el perfilamiento racial. Ahora, como jefe del departamento, Sheridan está impulsando poner fin a la supervisión judicial.
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Utah Bans Polygraph Tests for Those Reporting Sexual Assault
A state legislator was moved to sponsor the bill — now signed into law — following a Salt Lake Tribune-ProPublica investigation that showed how polygraphs can retraumatize sexual abuse victims.
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This Sheriff Says His Department Eliminated Racial Bias. Data Shows Otherwise.
When Jerry Sheridan was second-in-command at the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, a federal judge found he had undermined reforms meant to root out racial profiling. Now, as head of the department, Sheridan is pushing to end the court’s oversight.
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The Trump Administration’s “Disturbing” New Legal Strategy to Prosecute Border Crossers Is Taxing Courts and Testing the Law
One man, who admitted he had entered the U.S. illegally and was ready to be deported, sat in jail for 40 days over unfounded allegations of trespassing on military land. The Justice Department keeps pursuing similar cases, puzzling legal experts.
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Nevada Regulators Fine Peptide Providers at Anti-Aging Festival Where Two Women Became Critically Ill
Three individuals, along with the group accused of supplying the peptides, were fined between $5,000 and $10,000 for their involvement in an incident at the Revolution Against Aging and Death Festival in Las Vegas last summer.
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Election Records Handed Over to the FBI in Maricopa County, Arizona, Could Be Fatally Flawed, Experts Say
Unlike in Fulton County, Georgia, where actual ballots were seized, a federal grand jury subpoenaed digital data related to a partisan audit of the county’s vote.
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Native Students Receive Excessive Discipline in This New Mexico School District, Report Finds
The Navajo Nation report echoes a 2022 investigation by New Mexico In Depth and ProPublica that found Indigenous students were punished more harshly than other students in the state’s Gallup-McKinley school district.
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Albuquerque’s Mayor Said Arrests Were “Not the Solution” to Homelessness. Yet Jail Bookings Have Skyrocketed.
Under Tim Keller’s leadership, the city has increasingly criminalized conduct associated with homelessness, causing a growing number of people on the streets to be arrested and jailed.
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Colorado Marijuana Regulators Consider Major Changes to How Labs Test for Contaminants
Critics say the current method of allowing manufacturers to choose the samples they send to labs is vulnerable to abuse and allows contaminated products to reach dispensaries.
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Smoke and Mirrors: How Intoxicating Hemp Seeped Into the First Recreational Marijuana Market in the Country
Colorado, which once served as the model for marijuana regulation, generated billions of dollars in tax revenue while promising to keep consumers safe. Now it’s scrambling to keep harmful hemp off the shelves.
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We Tested Vapes in Colorado for Signs of Hemp. This Is What We Found.
ProPublica and The Denver Gazette set out to test whether claims of widespread substitution of hemp for marijuana were accurate, purchasing vapes at dispensaries across the Denver area.
