>> Coming up in the next hour on Arizona PBS on Arizona horizon, a look at the controversial border control policy known as title 42 and on reaction to title 42 from border control and women of color running for office.

That's ahead on Arizona PBS.

Good evening and welcome to Arizona horizon.

A new poll shows that Arizonans are very much against republican party efforts to end the state's vote-by-mail system.

The survey from the politcal consulting firm highground shows 62% of those questioned opposed the move to end early voting with 32% in favor.

The republican party has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of early voting.

The Biden Administration extended the freeze on federal student loan payments to continue through August 31st and they were scheduled resume after putting pause early in the pandemic and the White House gave borrowers additional time affecting 43 million Americans who owe $1.6 trillion in student debt held by the Federal Government.

And the U.S. is expected to announce new sanctions against Russia tomorrow and this after reported atrocities in the Ukrainian city of Butra and elsewhere and this will be coordinated with a group of seven nations with a ban on all new investment in Russia, increased restrictions on financial institutions and state-owned businesses along with Russian officials and their family members.

It's the latest effort to punish Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. Army general mark Milley described how he sees the war in Ukraine.

>> We are witness to the greatest threat to peace and security of Europe and, perhaps, the world in my 42 years of service in uniform.

They are threatening to undermine not only peace and stability but peace and stability that my parents a generation of Americans fought so hard to defend.

>> Milley appeared before the house armed services committee with a 2023 budget proposal and most dealt with the Russian assault on Ukraine.

>> Title 42 is a public health policy giving broad powers including to turn away migrants at the border.

The Biden Administration is planning to end this and we hear from Darius Amiari.

Thank you for having me.

>> This is a HHS regulation put in place in march of 2020, by then the Trump Administration, and used effectively to exclude migrants or asylum seekers from coming into the United States.

>> This just happened to be because of the pandemic.

>> Yes.

It dates back to the 1940s, and it was to prevent the introduction of communicable diseases into the United States and then, fast-forward to more recently, at the time, I believe, the idea was to use it to effectively shut the borders down and limit immigration.

>> How would it work?

It seems maybe expedites the process?

>> Used to exclude -- it was mainly used to exclude noncitizens or non-lawful permanent residents or non-Visa holding without status from admission into the United States and typically someone comes to the border, presents their claim and is vetted and then potentially able to seen an immigration judge and litigate their case with the implementation of title 42 back in march of 2020, essentially what was happening, their claims were not heard because they couldn't be introduced to the United States in the first place.

>> Because of the pandemic?

>> And preventing the spread of Covid-19.

>> Fast forward, May 23rd?

>> When the title will not longer be used by the Biden Administration per recommendation of the CDC.

>> Why are they doing this?

>> That the CDC has reevaluated the position and determined that because of the mitigation tools that are available to prevent the spread of Covid, be it vaccines or contact tracing or separation or because of just the lack of numbers of Covid cases around the United States, the premise of needing this to keep it out of the country is no longer there.

>> Is it true, as well, are we vaccinating folks along the border?

>> My understanding, people are admitted to the United States are vaccinated, as well.

>> That's part of the reasoning, as well, for the Biden Administration.

>> To limit the amount of exposure, to limit the spread of virus.

>> Along with Missouri and Louisiana filing suit that it will overwhelm border patrol agents and overwhelm the situation at the border and what are the arguments on that side in.

>> The arguments, exactly, that eliminating title 42 is a measure of preventing people from coming into the United States will increase the influx of migrants to the border seeking asylum and knowing title 42 is no longer seeking their cases, will increase the caravans and coming to be admitted and seeing a huge influx of numbers.

>> Biden Administration on the other half says yeah, there are other ways to deal with this and doesn't have to be an overwhelming situation.

What is that?

>> The Biden Administration as a tool to mitigate that will do a revamping of the asylum process and going to introduce more agents, agents to hear federal claims to vet the cases before they're introduced into the court system.

>> And I read somewhere DHS says those unable to establish a basis to remain in the U.S. will be removed.

>> That's right.

So what will happen is, the claim of -- the predicate claim will be heard and if they determine that the claim is not valid and not substantiated under asylum laws, they could be removed or have measures to ask for reconsideration or see a judge and that's a stark contrast from what's happening now.

>> It sounds like right now within, what, ten, 15 minutes, the whole situation is figured out.

If the title 42 goes away, little longer of a process.

>> A little longer of a process.

>> Can be.

If someone is admitted on the basis they have a credible fear and have the right to pursue their asylum claim and get to a judge, it could be months or years.

>> How long did it impact immigration?

>> A lot, a lot.

In my experiences, one of the most in the decade plus I've been doing immigration law.

Over one million applicants to the border, whether asylum or for other reasons were denied or excluded and a lot of impact on families, separation of families.

In some instances, people have faced extortion, kidnapping and death in some instances.

>> So that impact, how does it change now?

>> You will see more numbers of apprehensions at the border and I think knowing title 42 is no longer in place may encourage some to seek asylum and if the Biden Administration's proposed changes to the asylum's structure going into effect, that could mitigate that, as well.

>> Interesting stuff and good tough.

Thank you.

>> The president of the Navajo nation working to improve infrastructure on the nation's lands.

[ ♪♪ ] >> Navajo nation president met with the Biden Administration administration cabinet officials and earlier today, we ask the president about what was discussed and thank you for joining us and good to see you and we want to talk about the transportation secretaries back in Washington and what was discussed?

>> Thanks for having us on the show, Ted.

You know, our visit with our congressional delegation and secretary Holland and secretary Buttigieg went well.

We are doing our very best to put the monies that we receive to use efficiently.

I don't know if your viewers know that it is very difficult to get projects developed in a timely fashion here in the Indian country.

This is not just Navajo for all of the tribes throughout the country.

We're compared to the bureau of land management lands.

So there's a lot of regulations, policies and laws that slow these types of projects down, but we have hopeful and with the new administration there, the Biden, Harris administration, that we can update some of these older old laws, regulations so that projects can get completed in a timely way.

And we have seen through the care's act funding that we ran out of time and now we have to put some of those projects that we didn't finish with the care's act onto the American rescue plan act project listing.

And we're still dealing with these, we call it red tape, the bureaucracy.

And we are working with our secretaries in order to streamline the processes in the Navajo nation.

>> Does this involve right-of-way issues and what's going on here?

[ Laughter ] >> We have to deal with the department of interior and the BIA, checkered land areas and work with the bureau of land management and the park services.

And, of course, we have to do environmental clearances that's under the USEPA and if it deals with roads, then it's the federal highway administration under USDOT.

So there's many agencies that oversee federal lands here in the United States and on tribal lands, as well.

So we've been very patient.

But since there are deadlines in these funding allocations, we are pressing on, you know, the administration to change some of these so that projects can get done efficiently.

But let me just say, too, we can talk about transportation.

That's another issue, a whole different agency that we have to deal with, that if we're talking about broadband, we have to deal with another agency.

And water lines, we have to deal with the Indian health services under health and human services and those are three of many more.

>> Because of the conversation, were they listening and did they understand and are there plans to streamline these processes?

This sounds like a jungle out there.

>> Right.

With secretary Hollands and secretary Buttigieg meeting with us, including the White House.

We met with the White House staff.

And you know, this started several months ago.

We developed a white paper that recommended some of these changes in the regulation policies and even laws.

See, some of three deficiencies, the red tape, it doesn't need legislative approval.

It could be just between the secretaries and that's what Congressman Holland out of Arizona wrote to both Holland and Pete Buttigieg to look at ways and there's been precedents set back in the 1980s, where the BLN and federal highway's administration had an agreement to where the BLN delegated certain responsibilities so that roads could be fixed quicker and even put gravel in.

We noted that precedent and we said, why can't you do that again for those roads that are overseen by the bureau of Indian affairs under the department of interior.

And so that was a start to our discussions and, matter of fact, some of what we recommended in our white paper, actually, was referenced and included in the infrastructure investment and job's act.

>> Wow!

>> And with tribal nations.

>> That's an achievement in itself and that's a good going there.

Last president, secretary Holland, first native American secretary, does that make a difference and do you feel like your voice is heard in a different way?

>> Our voices are heard in this administration and I appreciate the White House, the Biden, Harris administration, having us meet at the table and we have met with many of the cabinet membered this far and that just shows that this administration is look out.

With Deb Holland, the women to be a cabinet member, she knows what tribes deal with on a daily basis in any country and just brings a different perspective, I'm sure, to the entire cabinet.

And she's our voice and we appreciate President Biden appointing her to that position, as well as all secretaries to the Navajo nation.

The first lady of the United States, Jill Biden, came to the Navajo nation.

So we're enjoying some attention and I hope it continues into the next few years.

>> Good to hear.

The Navajo nation president, always a president, sir, and thank you for your time.

>> Thank you, Ted.

>> Tonight, we speak to the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations about atrocities in Ukraine and coming up on Arizona PBS.

>> The Southwest Shakespeare company in Mesa is a founder of the Shakespeare festival and we spoke about how her background affects her work and congratulations on the position with the Southwest Shakespeare and this is fantastic!

So glad to be here.

>> Why did you want this position?

You have been all around and based in New York and we'll talk more about your background and why did you want to come out to Southwest Shakespeare?

>> It's a beautiful place and I came to visit in 2019.

I wasn't just visiting.

I was doing my show here and play I in an all female and they invited us to come out and do our all female and I came here and it was beautiful and very lovely and I watched Southwest Shakespere and I saw what was happening and I said this is a great place to be and work.

>> Did it surprise you a little bit?

>> It didn't surprise me as much as I was happy.

I was happy to see how good they were doing.

>> You know, these little small Shakespeare companies, there are many across America, over 200, and when I came here, I said, this is a good one.

>> You were founder of the festival, as we talked about and lots of experiences around the country, doing different things.

And, you know, fluent and how do you put that into Southwest Shakespeare?

>> I put it in by just coming and when I come, all of myself shows.

All of my upbringing, and all of the things that make me me, my spirity, the things I learned in black theater.

The things I learned in my father's Hispanic culture and all of those things are a part of me and everywhere I go.

I used to work hard because I was a Shakespeare girl and then I said, Deborah Amne, that's too much work.

How about you take who you are, in you're living room, at church, in the park and bring it all to the table and speak like you speak and let it be OK and let folks love you for who you are.

You don't have anything to prove.

>> That sounds excellent and yet I think of Shakespeare and Shakespeare is so intimidating and on that different rail as everything else is and classically trained and you have to have that with Shakespeare and how do you put all of that into the Bard?

>> You are to put it all in because when you do Shakespeare, my teachers tell me, you have to bring all of yourself to Shakespeare and share it with the world to be effective.

A lot of people have a hard people because the artists are not connected, maybe, and sometimes we don't truly understand and those of us who have not had the training to do Shakespeare, we try it and it's not so good and sometimes those are naturals and try it and they're brilliant.

So you have to do what I call practice, practice, practice and more practice and so that you become excellent at it.

And I say what you practice, you become good at it.

>> When you were younger, what first attracted you to Shakespeare?

>> I have to tell you plainly and straight, the king James Bible.

>> Interesting.

>> I didn't know that, though, at first.

There was a troupe of black actors from the Palo theater at the Victoria five and they were performing Shakespeare and I was saying, what are they saying?

That's interesting.

I didn't get the rhythms they were speaking with, the poetry, I didn't think it was the same as the king James Bible and I grew up in the church and hearing those things all of the time, he that Dwell shall abide under the shadow of the allmighty and my king, not name my boys so that my nails are anchored in thine eyes, who doesn't understand that.

And once you put the flavor on it, it is easier.

>> I've never heard it explained that way, but it makes sense.

>> Indeed.

The writing around the same time as the Bible was created.

>> So intimidated and don't know why they're saying it.

King James version Bible and acting like it's next to their heart.

>> You know, with the Bible, as we talk about that really quickly, we practice it.

So it's the same with Shakespeare and a language that has to be practiced and pulled apart, to be really understood plainly.

Sometimes you read those parables and you're, like, what?

[ Laughter ] >> You're a new artistic director of Shakespeare and what makes good theater?

>> Good theater is is exciting and easier to understand and good theater has great music and great words and great directors and brilliant actors and people who are willing to works a group, a teen, a family, a unit and people coming together, all together as one to tell some stories, stories that help shift and change people's lives.

>> If one component is not as high as the other component, can the family bring that up?

>> If you're part is lacking a little, I can help you or bring in someone else to help you and it's about the core coming together, coming together to really -- at the end of the day, what is the story and what are we all doing to tell it?

>> Well, congratulations again.

A New York girl at the Southwest Shakespeare theater and you must be excited?

>> I am and having a great time.

>> Best of luck.

>> Thank you for having me.

>> Join Arizona PBS and the Walter Cronkite school with the host of fining your roots at ASU on Sunday, April 30th.

There will be a discussion between Dr. Gates and Dr. Bass, Jr.

There will be a behind-the-scenes for finding your roots and answering questions by you, our viewers and visit us for more information.

>> And that is it for now and I'm Ted Simons and thank you for joining us and you have a great evening!

Coming up in the next half hour, Japanese relocation camps across the country including one here in Arizona are being recognized for their role in history and women of color running for office.