Stories

Browse major news stories and see what officials have said.

Aug 31, 2026

A Fifteen-Foot Wall of Water Comes Down Bright Angel Creek at the Bottom of the Grand Canyon — Two Dead, About Fifteen Unaccounted For, 62 Airlifted Out, and Arizona's Delegation Answers in One Voice Across Party Lines

At about 2:30 p.m. Mountain time on Saturday, August 29, 2026, a flash flood tore down Bright Angel Creek at the bottom of Grand Canyon National Park, in the corridor that runs past Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab Trail — the most heavily used inner-canyon route in the park, and one of the hardest places in the United States to evacuate. Hikers described a fifteen-foot wall of water arriving with almost no warning. One evacuee, Erica Viola, told ABC News: "We just heard people yell, 'Run, run, run!' And there's 40 of us running through this deep, muddy water, trying to make it to the bridge. Once we got to the bridge, that's when this 15-foot wall of water came through." The flood destroyed a footbridge, knocked out the trans-canyon water pipeline that serves visitors on the rim, and closed Phantom Ranch and the North Kaibab Trail. Because there is no road to the canyon floor, the rescue had to be flown: the National Park Service and the Arizona Department of Public Safety airlifted at least 62 people out over Saturday night and Sunday. By Monday, August 31, the Park Service had confirmed two deaths and said roughly fourteen to fifteen people "may be missing or unaccounted for," and was asking anyone who knew of hikers or backpackers in the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29 to call in. A flash flood watch remained in effect, with more monsoon storms forecast over already-saturated ground. The political reaction was notable mainly for what it was not: a fight. Gov. Katie Hobbs, Sen. Mark Kelly and Sen. Ruben Gallego — all Democrats — and Rep. Andy Biggs, a Republican whose politics overlap with theirs on almost nothing, all issued statements within roughly 24 hours of one another, each thanking the rescuers and directing people to the Park Service. Gallego, whose statement also addressed tribal constituents, said the flooded area does not include the Havasupai reservation and that no tribe members had been reported missing. Rep. Eli Crane, whose district contains the park, had toured both rims with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on August 28 — the day before the flood — for a briefing that included, among other things, strain on the park's core water infrastructure.

“A terrifying and tragic situation.”
Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) · Aug 31, 2026

Aug 28, 2026· Updated

The Justice Department Sues Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington Over In-State Tuition for Dreamers — Bringing Its Running Total to 21 States, and in Arizona Suing to Void a Law the Voters Passed Themselves

On Thursday, August 27, 2026, the Justice Department filed suit against Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington over state laws that let undocumented students who graduated from in-state high schools pay in-state tuition at public colleges. The four filings brought the administration's running total to 21 states sued over the same policy. The Arizona case is the most politically loaded of the four: the policy at issue, Proposition 308, was approved directly by Arizona voters in 2022. The Justice Department's complaint calls it "blatant unequal treatment favoring illegal aliens over U.S. citizens" and argues it is preempted by federal law. Arizona's attorney general answers that Prop 308 does not turn on residency at all — it turns on where a student went to high school and graduated — and that the fight is fundamentally about states' rights. Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting has estimated more than 3,600 noncitizens could qualify; at least 720 have received in-state tuition, including 432 at Arizona State University. The governors of Oregon and Washington both said they would defend their laws. Arizona's two Democratic senators issued a joint statement calling the suit an attack on people "deeply rooted in America." Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward framed the filings as enforcement of "Congress's clear prohibition on placing aliens over citizens."

“Dreamers are Americans in every way. They grew up here, went to our schools, and are contributing to communities across Arizona. Making college more expensive for young people who are deeply rooted in America does nothing to fix our broken immigration system or make our country safer.”
Mark Kelly (D-AZ) · Aug 28, 2026

Interior Finalizes the Deepest Colorado River Cuts on Record — 1.25 Million Acre-Feet a Year, With Arizona Absorbing 760,000 — as Lake Mead and Lake Powell Fall to Levels Not Seen Since 1963

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum signed the Record of Decision and the 2027–2028 Operating Guidelines for the Colorado River on August 21, 2026, ordering the Lower Basin states to cut 1.25 million acre-feet of water use a year — Arizona 760,000, California 440,000, Nevada 50,000 — and adopting a ten-year decision framework through 2036. Combined storage in Lake Powell and Lake Mead is now lower than at any time since Powell began filling in 1963, after a record-low 2025–26 snowpack. Arizona Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly, who had warned three weeks earlier that the draft framework could place an "unfair burden" on their state, welcomed the final plan and said every basin state now needs to do its part. Gov. Katie Hobbs said the plan saved Arizona from cuts that "would have crippled our economy" while protecting Upper Basin reservoirs at Lake Mead's expense. Gov. Gavin Newsom called it "a necessary step." Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, the only Republican governor among the three Lower Basin states, was the harshest, saying the federal government is "positioning to short Nevada" — the state with just 1.8 percent of the river's allocation.

“We are grateful for the Seven Basin States, the thirty Basin Tribes, Mexico, and many other basin stakeholders who have provided the feedback and voluntary arrangements necessary for the development of the 2027-2028 Operating Guidelines.”
Doug Burgum (R-ND) · Aug 21, 2026