>> Ted: Coming up in the next hour an Arizona PBS, on Arizona horizon, the efforts on bringing phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner home and on TikTok, small businesses reaching a larger audience.

That's next on Arizona horizon.

Good evening and welcome to Arizona horizon.

I'm Ted Simons.

The state legislature passing a budget overnight, $18 billion spending plan and the first truly bipartisan budget in years and that bipartisanship was a small number of republicans refusing to vote for any increased spending and that forced the rest of the G.O.P to work with Democrats and both sides agreeing to a compromised plan and significant increases the K-12 school funding and new permanent funds to secure Democratic votes and that included $335 million to build 17 miles of fencing.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a New York gun law that limits the rights of people to handle concealed handgun.

And that was outside of the home and that law had been in place for more than a century and it ruled that the law violated the constitutional right to bare arms for protection and leaders in New York, not at all impressed by the court's decision.

>> This decision isn't just reckless, it's reprehensible and it's not what New Yorkers want and we should have the right of determination, of what we want to do in terms of our gun laws in our state.

The Federal Government will not have sweeping laws to protect us and our states and our governors have a moral responsibility to do what we can and have laws to protect our citizens because of what is going on, the instancety of the gun culture possessed everywhere up to the Supreme Court.

>> This is the most far-reaching Ann common sense gun reform law and undermines common sense laws from state that have thoughtfully made decisions about how best to protect its citizens and we've seen a a decision to undermine Roe and a decision to undermine state as rights to protect citizens and it's an outrage and this is what Donald Trump intended, to stack the court with ultra-extreme conservative justices who are so far out of step with the American people.

>> Ted: But some republicans in Congress consider today as decision a win.

>> I think this is a big win, obviously, and I look forward to reading the whole thing.

The right of self-defense is the core of the second amendment right and that's what this case in New York is about.

>> This came on a 6-3 vote and changes the vote that lower courts use going forward and other gun restrictions making it difficultdifficult to defend rules as the senate moved closer to passing a bipartisan gun safety rule and 15 republicans including Mitch McConnell joined Democrats to defeat a republican filibuster and calls for enhanced become background checks for gun buyers under 21 and guns to be confiscated if they declare the person is a danger to themselves or others.

Mercury star Brittney Griner is detained in Russia where she's deny detained since February where Russia authorities accused her of drug smuggling.

They are calling on the Biden Administration to, quote, make a deal to bring her home and Greg Stanton is cosponsoring them to release Grinr and we welcome Congressman Stanton to Arizona horizon and thank you for joining us.

We appreciate it.

The latest on Brittney Griner and what's going on out there?

>> You mention the work we're going in Congress and I'm leading the effort to get a resolution passed, a bipartisan resolution demanding the immediate release of Brittney Griner who is wrongfully detained in a Russian jail as we speak and it's a similar resolution that was passed on behalf of Trevor Reed, an American recently released from Russian jail and provide a strong sense of Congress that the administration needs to do, everything to bring Brittney Griner home.

>> Ted: How is Brittney Griner doing and what do you know?

>> I get regular briefings from the state department, a special office called the special envoy for hostage affairs.

Because she's been declared wrongfully detained, they're trying to do what it takes to bring Brittnery home and I believe that the determineation she's wrongfully detained was the correct decision to make and I believe that this resolution from Congress will give additional support to make it happen.

Look, Brittney is visited by legal counsel in Russia and we get the reports from there and, you know, she's doing the best she can under incredibly difficult circumstances and it's essential we bring her home as soon as possible.

>> Ted: She was detained in midFebruary and why is she still held and continue to be held until at least July 2nd?

>> As of today, 127 days that our friend Brittney Griner has been wrongfully detained in a Russia jail and appeared in the Russian court system a few times during that time and each time her detention has been extended without really a full explanation.

It is unacceptable that she continues to be wrongfully detained in a Russian jail and that is why we are working so hard in Congress.

I'm working so hard and making this one of my personal, highest priorities to bring her home because she is not safe in a Russian jail and needs to be brought home as soon as possible.

>> Ted: The initial response by the U.S., muted at best in a variety of ways and it was a low profile response and was that by design initially?

>> Well, look, when she was first detained, I immediately called up the Mercury organization and immediately called up Brittney's agent and said I'm in this capacity, the former mayor of phoenix, she's a friend of mine and now that I'm in this capacity as a part of Congress, I want to do everything to be supportive to bring Brittney Griner home.

And yeah, the decision was made earlier onto let the legal system in Russia run its course and not to have a lot of high profile involvement, but because she's wrongfully detained, now we need to be as loud as possible as Americans saying we need our fellow American Brittney Griner to come home as soon as possible.

That's the reason we're moving so swiftly through Congress.

>> Ted: Is there a feeling, as much as you can tell us she's used as perhaps a bargaining chip?

>> Look, I do not on this television show want to discussion the negotiations going on by the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs and anything going on in Russia and we saw what happened with Trevor Reed, an American who was detaped for detained for a long time in Russia and systemly negotiated out of that Russian jail.

I want to make sure that this administration has the support necessary, support from the community, which is so important, that we hear from Americans all over this country and to hear from Congress that they have our support to bring Brittney home.

>> There are published reports -- some sort of trade for an arm's trafficker for 25 years and something along those lines and anything to that?

These are published reports?

>> I've had classified briefings on the status of the discussions and the status of the efforts being made by the special presidential envoy to bring P Brittney Griner home and I can't discuss that in a context like this.

What I can do as a member of Congress is to be clear we will never, ever forget Brittney Griner.

She is our fellow American and I, in my capacity as a member of Congress, will do everything I can do support all efforts to bring her home and I know the community feels exactly the way I do.

That it is time.

Everyday that she is there is uninjustice as a wrongfully detained American and we need to do everything we can to bring our friend and leader home.

>> Ted: I have to ask you about this phone call snafu last weekend and what was that all about?

>> Sharell was not able to talk to her wife, Brittney Griner, that the state department realizes they need to make sure that communication occurs as soon as possible and that communication happens as soon as possible.

And it's important that Sharell and Brittney's family be given communication as to what's happening with Brittney Griner.

>> Ted: Last question and we thank you for your time.

Are you encouraged that this is going to be settled one way, shape or form and she'll get out of there soon?

>> It would be inappropriate for me to give any indication, what I think, the length of our wrongful detention might be.

My job is to get Congress behind the effort to bring her home as soon as possible so that the president, his administration and the special presidential enjoy -- no, it is our expectation that they'll work as hard and swiftly as possible to bring Brittney home and we hope and pray to bring her home as soon as possible.

If it takes longer and she is wrongfully detained for a longer period of time, it is key for her and her family to know that we will never stop fighting for Brittney.

We will not give up on bringing Brittney home.

We need to make sure that we are ready and the president and his administration has our support to bring her home as quickly as possible.

That's the best thing I can do as a member of Congress to support the effort to bring her home as soon as possible.

>> Ted: Congressman, thank you, we appreciate it.

>> Thank you.

>> Ted: Up next, a look at a controversial Saudi farming operation in western Arizona that could threaten future water supplies in phoenix.

>> A controversial sabbian farming operation in the western part of the state is threatening phoenix's future water fly and been going on for a number of years and drought conditions are making for renewed scrutiny on the deal and rob Odell has been reporting for the AZcentral.com and thank you for joining us.

Give me a 30,000-foot view of what's going on?

>> Well, we've -- like you said, evacuee heard about this Saudi farm before and what we've found out with our story, they're landlord is the state of Arizona and so it's the state of Arizona that's renting the land to the Saudi familiar and that's what's different for the report.

>> This is a Saudi farm and growing alfalfa, correct?

>> To ship to sab area to feed to their cows.

>> Ted: That's one water intensive?

>> Yes, and with the conditions, they're able to do eight our nine cuts, harvests a year.

>> Ted: This is to send back to -- to feed the cows.

>> Because they've exhausted their ground water supplies and this is ground water.

It's >> Ted: It's precious in that part of the state and what kind of -- who worked out this particular deal and gives us the particulars of -- it's a lease going on and how much are they paying and how much is the state getting and what are we losing in terms of water?

>> The state land department, the state land commissioner, Lisa Atkins and in vicksburg and the other farm is Butler valley which is a remote area, north of there and they have -- if Butler valley, they have four leases and they pay about $86,000 a year and some reports from the state land department show that the water could be worth three to four million dollars a year that they're putting on the field every year and in part, because that's a potential future water supply for phoenix.

So the Colorado river continues to go down and that's one of the places in the state that's been earmarked for the valley.

>> Ted: There are areas earmarked where they have this place and it's been taken over.

>> They lease the land to them and one of the leases they just renewed goes until 2031 and in Butler valley, the area where our potential back-up water supply could be run until 2024.

>> Ted: Other residents in western Arizona and everyone has a concern when it comes to groundwater because the groundwater could affect the groundwater there and what are they saying?

>> They don't want anyone taking their water, the valley or Saudi Arabia farms and that's why it's so valuable.

There's another area that's earmarked as potential future water supply for us and cities are making deals worth, you know, $13 million, $15 million and you can see how valuable it could be.

>> Ted: Is this reconsidered at all by anyone in state government?

>> Not that the governor and the state land commissioner, governor Doug Ducey and Lisa Atkins, they didn't want to talk to us for this story and I don't know what they're planning there are members of the legislature who want this to be -- who want the leases to be, you know, cut or renegotiated and there are two candidates for governor who have publically opposed the leases and, of course, we get a new governor in November.

>> Ted: You reported, as well, that you cut those leases and there are reimbursement costs the state would have to pay.

>> The more they improve the land, the more you have to pay the company back for the improvements they made and they've made improvements on the two properties worth at least ten million dollars.

So if you ever leased out the land again, you have to pay that money again first to give it to somebody else.

>> Ted: Again, the transfer basins holding spots or earmarked in case things go haywire, five of them around the state?

>> Yeah, five of them and some have more restrictions than others and some are out in Lapaz valley and Butler valley and the closest one and then there are a couple others and restrictions and don't look like they would be used.

>> Ted: I was going to say, are they used by other countries in terms of farming operations?

>> There are a lot of other countries in a lot of other spots.

There's another country from the Middle East that has other farms in central farming hot spots and it's really the Saudi Arabia company that are the biggest and draw the most controversy.

>> Ted: Last question before you go, water metering, people calling for water mering and raising the rents, any of that a possibility?

>> To water meter, you would have to get -- it would on the state land, under a new governor because it doesn't look like Ducey is interested and water metering in rural Arizona, that would be from the legislature.

People in both parties, but haven't been able to get it done.

>> Ted: Great reporting and farming operation if western Arizona and appreciate your time.

>> Thanks for having me.

[ ♪♪♪ ] >> Ton, the Supreme Court strikes down a gun law Amid firearms and that's after your hour of local news.

>> Ted: A pilot program has been launched to help with college education costs for kids previously in foster care and experiencing homelessness.

The program is being administered by the group earn-to-learn and we welcome the foundser Kate Hoffman and welcome to the show.

Good to see you again.

>> Good to see you.

>> Ted: Earn-to learn, what is that?

>> Earn-to-learn, a matched savings scholarship program that launched in January of 2013 in partnership with the three-state universities, Arizona state university, northern Arizona university and University of Arizona and subsequently has expanded to several expect community colleges and it's a four-year pathway, two-year pathway and piloting supporting vocational training in CTE.

>> Ted: And most recent, this two-year program targeting, focusing on should I say, fostercare kids and kids unsheltered and talk to us about this.

>> Really, the impetus to do this pilot was the success of the program, earn-to-learn over the last decade in Arizona and the fact that we had created this really comprehensive success coaching model for post secondary pathways and recognizing that the program is available to support the Pell eligible target population or low-to-moderate income students in our state and students of all ages and that lead to an opportunity to think about some of the other populations within that overall pell population and certainly foster youth and homeless youth are in that population.

And so, could this be a really interesting way for us to support foster youth who are aging out of the foster system and homeless youth out of some very, very challenging situations as they think about navigating the post secondary pathway.

>> You have a grant to help with this program.

>> Yes.

We were blessed from the Garcia family foundation, which is a philanthropic foundation in the state of Arizona.

The way the match savings program works is students save 5 $500 per academic year and matched 8-1 and the 4500 can goes toward unmet need and with the Garcia family foundation funds, it allows to provide that $500 seed grant to help foster homeless youth get into the program as a cat list catalyst into the program.

>> Ted: There's management training, financial counseling and you can't say, here, you have have to.You have to pave the road.

>> I'm the founder of earn-to-learn and this matched savings concept resonated with me and a part of that is financial empowerment and it's so critical that students who are getting ready to navigate is post secondary pathway have this and it has other components to the success coaching model including college readiness training, supporting students and we have a workforce readiness training element to the success coaching model and that's partnering with employerings torings for mentoring and an exciting way to support students as navigating a pathway.

>> Ted: How many students are involved here?

>> So earn-to-learn has stillly successfully supported three thousand students and this pilot will allow us to support up to 200 foster, youth and homeless youth in Arizona over the next two-year period and we are really so grateful for this opportunity do to do this pilot.

>> Ted: Like August, right?

>> Yes, launching the next recruitment in August to recruit the fall and it's hard to believe I'm saying this, the fall of '23, cohort and this pilot will be launched at that time.

>> Ted: Thank you and good luck.

And that it is for now.

I'm Ted Simons and thank you for joining us and you have a great evening.

Coming up on Arizona PBS, "Top Gun Maverick" flying high and meet the aerial coordinator behind the flight theme.