The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

Ten months ago, President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election and Arizona’s 11 electoral votes. But a review of Maricopa County's 2.1 million ballots ordered by the Republican-controlled state Senate only ended last week. Cyber Ninjas, the Florida company that oversaw the review for the Senate, found President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump by a slightly margin than the certified results showed, and raised questions about thousands of ballots cast in the election. Arizona Republic reporters spent the weekend absorbing the ballot review results and tracking reaction from across the political spectrum. In this bonus episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen, speak with Jen Fifield, Mary Jo Pitzl and Ryan Randazzo to break down the results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. Senate passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package on Aug.10, a win for President Joe Biden and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., who co-negotiated the bipartisan legislation. But what is infrastructure? And could a massive investment like this make a meaningful impact on your life? Projects could be underway as soon as next year if the legislation passes the House of Representatives and is signed into law by Biden. Those projects include broadband expansion, water projects, funding for tribal communities, public transportation, airport updates and more. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen spoke with various Arizonans to learn how this bill could impact their daily lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Benny White, a prominent Pima County Republican data analyst and Larry Moore, the founder of Clear Ballot, one of the largest vote-tabulation companies in the nation, have analyzed voting patterns using public records. Over the summer, White and Moore independently offered their expertise multiple times to the Arizona state Senate’s review of Maricopa County’s ballots. Clear Ballot had no formal role in the analysis. Arizona Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott, rejected their offer. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen speak with White and Moore who give us a sense of what they’ll be on the lookout for once the ballot-review report is released. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week 22,000 documents related to the ballot recount of the 2020 presidential election in Maricopa County were released to the public. Those include thousands of text messages and emails that shed light on key players and their involvement in the months long election audit. Still to be released are nearly 2,900 more documents that the Senate has kept hidden because they don't believe it's required under the state's Public Records Law. In those documents are conversations between contractor Cyber Ninjas and the lawmakers who ordered the ballot review. This week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, host Yvonne Wingett Sanchez is joined by two Arizona Republic reporters: Jen Fifield and Ryan Randazzo. They provide insight on how the documents were obtained, what they discovered, and what it says about the election audit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's bonus episode, we're talking about some of the 22,000 records released by the republican-controlled senate. These records are related to the review of the 2.1 million ballots in Maricopa county from the 2020 election. On Tuesday night, Ryan Randazzo, Jen Fifield and Robert Anglen began poring through those records. They include emails, text messages and videos. We'll go over some of the early highlights and how the ballot review began, who's paying for it and other tidbits we think are worth watching. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Canvassing efforts to examine the legitimacy of voter ballots for the 2020 presidential election could be illegal, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a New York-based policy institute, but that hasn’t stopped Liz Harris. Harris, who lost a race for the state Legislature in November, is the mastermind behind the “Voter Integrity Project,” an ongoing canvassing effort that began in December. Last weekend a couple dozen volunteers out to prove former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election gathered in Queen Creek. Using a mobile app that provides names, addresses and publicly available voting information of registered voters, volunteers set out to ask voters questions such as, “Can you verify the voters registered to this address?” and “Did you vote by mail or in person?” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As debates about mask mandates in schools rage on in Arizona, pediatric cases of COVID-19 are on par to surpass the cases from the winter surge. Vaccines have proven to be beneficial to people who are contracting the coronavirus, but currently children under the age of 12 years-old are too young to be vaccinated. Away from the discourse on what schools should and should not enforce, doctors are treating young kids who are being affected physically and mentally. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, co-hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen are joined by Valleywise Health Center pediatrician Dr. Salil Pradhan and Pediatric Infectious Disease specialist Dr. Angela Veesenmeyer. They take The Gaggle inside what they are seeing day to day and what they think Arizonans can expect in the new few months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan has upended the lives of Afghans as the Taliban takes power. Many are fearful of Taliban rule because of their barbaric behavior and disregard for women and children. Afghans and civilians who helped the United States during its invasion of the country after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as interpreters, drivers and in other capacities are fearful they will be viewed as traitors. They worry the Taliban will kill them and their families. The images streaming out of Kabul depict desperation, with civilians begging to flee their country. Some scaled the sides of one American airplane preparing to take off. They fell to their deaths. Others ran alongside the plane, screaming as it gained speed. Evacuation flights for U.S. citizens and Afghan refugees are underway. Many worry not all of their family and friends will be able to escape — particularly those who have cooperated with the U.S. President Joe Biden meanwhile, is facing intense criticism from both sides of the aisle for the withdrawal. He stands by his decision to exit war-torn nation. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, host Yvonne Wingett Sanchez speaks with Aaron Marquez, a U.S. Army veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan. She also speaks to an Afghan refugee who served as Aaron’s interpreter, whose real name is not used in this episode for safety concerns. He is instead referred to as Alex. Years ago, Marquez and Alex spent time traversing Afghanistan in their official capacities, helping to rebuild parts of the nation and strengthening relationships with local officials. Aaron then helped Alex build a life in Arizona, and go to college here. Now, the two are fighting a different battle: they fighting to evacuate Alex’s family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ballot review of Maricopa County’s 2.1 million ballots from the 2020 election has gone on for 16 weeks. The recounting and scanning has come to an end though. The pallets of ballots have left the Veterans Memorial Coliseum and are back at the county’s Elections Department. It also has become clear who is paying for the review: Pro-Trump, conservative groups aligned with the "Stop the Steal" effort that preceded the Jan. 6 march on the U.S. Capitol that led to a deadly riot. A final report of what Cyber Ninjas found during the audit is expected to come in the next few weeks. Arizona Senate President Karen Fann has said the review has never been about overturning the results of the election. Instead, she has said it’s about examining election procedures and to help ensure the election was conducted fairly and with integrity. She and other lawmakers have indicated they intend to use the results of the review to help pass election-related laws. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, co-hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ron Hansen are joined by two Arizona Republic reporters: Jen Fifield and Mary Jo Pitzl to help dissect the state of the ballot recount. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As parents prepare to send their kids back to in-person classes, the state is experiencing a rise in cases of COVID-19. This is in large part because of the delta variant of COVID-19, which is now the dominate strain in the state. Some health experts say Arizona is experiencing another COVID-19 surge, and the return to in-person learning has many parents and school administrators questioning how the school year will look. Why the uncertainty and how did we get here again? In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen speak with Republic reporter Alison Steinbach for a COVID-19 update, and education reporter Yana Kunichoff about what parents can expect this school year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Ducey's time as Governor is set to end in 2023, his eyes are on a more national position. An investigation by the Arizona Republic discovered that the governor was involved in a complex network of interests. A network that includes himself, a Texas millionaire, a Flagstaff gas station, the Arizona Department of Revenue, Ducey's staffers, and potentially $100 million in tax refunds. In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen are joined by USA Today investigative business reporter Craig Harris. Harris' investigation resulted in a five-part series about how Gov. Ducey governs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Critical race theory has become a rallying cry for both Republican politicians and conservative parents alike. The COVID-19 pandemic forced parents to become more aware of their children’s curriculum as they attended school virtually. While school officials maintain educators are not teaching students that racism is systemic, some parents — and Arizona lawmakers — want to make sure it isn't allowed to happen. As in-person school board meetings returned, parents packed local school board meetings denouncing critical race theory during public comment. Conservative media and Republican politicians have taken cue from former President Donald Trump as he continues to criticize the study. But what is critical race theory? When did it begin? In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen break down the rhetoric surrounding critical race theory. Joining the show are Jamal K. Donnor, an associate professor at William and Mary School of Education, and Arizona Republic city reporters Joshua Bowling and Renata Cló. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In mid-January this year, Arizona residents over the age of 21 legally were allowed to buy recreational marijuana. Passing Proposition 207, known as the Smart and Safe Arizona Act, came with the promise of increased economic revenue and new business opportunities. Since then, new promises have been made. People with pending marijuana charges in most Arizona counties were able to have them dismissed. And those with charges, convictions and arrests on their record can try to get their record expunged. Arizona has had its recreational marijuana program for about six months. Are those promises being met? In this week's episode of The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen are joined by business reporter Ryan Randazzo to take a closer look. Randazzo covers everything from solar energy to sports betting for The Republic. He has covered marijuana news since 2018. He discusses what promises have come to fruition, how much money legal recreational marijuana has made for Arizona, and where that money is going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Arizona Republic reported that former President Donald Trump and his allies sought to speak directly to members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors after the Nov. 2020 election. The Republic obtained voicemail recordings from Maricopa County through a request under the Arizona Public Records Law, which allows anyone to seek public records from local, county, and state governments. Listen now to hear these voicemails left by Republican party chair Kelli Ward and Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani seeking to speak directly with Republican supervisors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., is a staunch supporter of passing congressional legislation by bringing both Republicans and Democrats on board, an approach that has taken on increased urgency in the 50-50 split U.S. Senate. Sinema's first high-profile demonstration of her approach is the framework for the $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal she recently co-negotiated, and President Joe Biden endorsed. Twenty-one senators, 10 Democrats and 11 Republicans, have also signed on to the tentative framework, which could start soon start making its way through the legislative process. Sinema has other bipartisan legislative plans in the works. She is working closely with Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, on a plan to increase the federal minimum wage and separately with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, that seeks to address the ongoing waves of asylum seekers arriving at the southern border, which have strained the Border Patrol and local communities. But can Sinema's approach to bipartisanship in an era marked by extreme partisanship help deliver legislation beyond spending money on the nation's roads, bridges and water systems? In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen are joined by Sarah Binder, a professor of political science at George Washington University. Binder breaks down Sinema's position in the U.S. Senate to lead negotiations on infrastructure and how she compares to other centrist Democrats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week is the constitutional deadline to pass the Arizona state budget for the upcoming fiscal year. $2-4 million in surplus and the plan being rejected by 2 Republican members lead to the state budget being decided on at the eleventh-hour. This week on The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett-Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen are joined by reporter Mary Jo Pitzl to break down the details of the budget and dissect who it helps most. Later in the episode, The Gaggle is joined by reporter Rob O'Dell to discuss the failed school vouchers program and deliberate if it could come back again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., has helped clinch a long-elusive deal on infrastructure. President Joe Biden has endorsed the plan, which was cobbled together over the past weeks behind closed doors by Sinema, and nine other more moderate senators from both parties. The framework was rolled out Thursday. It calls for massive investments into the nation’s roads and bridges, water systems, internet connectivity, cybersecurity, the buses we use to get across town and get our kids to school. It would clean up lead-filled pipes, upgrade power grids and clean up drinking water for ten million Americans and more than 400,000 schools and child care facilities. It’s important to note that this framework is not finished legislation. It’s a deal among a segment of the Senate. Sinema talked with members of Arizona’s press corps after a deal was announced. She maintained on Thursday that the deal she helped broker is evidence that bipartisanship is not dead. Listen to this bonus episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast for a quick breakdown of what this infrastructure plan would mean for Arizona. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Arizona cliché "it's a dry heat" resonates for a reason. The temperature has been in triple digits for weeks, there are wildfires raging all over the state, the lakes are too low to utilize for the fires, and there's no rain in sight. It's always hot and dry with little rain in Arizona, but the water crisis is reaching a dire point. Since the turn of the century, Arizona and the West have been in one of the biggest "megadroughts" of the last 1200 years. And it’s being revved up by human caused heating. This week on The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett-Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen talk with Kathy Jacobs to get a sense of what can be done and how bad the situation is really. Kathy is the director of the Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions at the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on water policy, climate change adaptation and drought planning among others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daniel McCarthy, a successful businessman, made a name for himself in Arizona politics after mounting an unsuccessful U.S. Senate primary run against former Sen. Martha McSally in 2020. While he lost that race, McCarthy established himself as a voice of a faction of Arizona conservatives who see both major political parties as failing them. McCarthy viewed his loss to McSally as an early sign of a rigged election, a baseless claim that has wider support after former President Trump has pushed the same narrative following his defeat. McCarthy is trying to form another political option in Arizona, the Patriot Party, and that has caught the eye of Republicans trying to reshape that party. During the annual Arizona GOP meeting to elect party leadership he was booed off stage by attendees. Is McCarthy still a Republican? What does he want for Arizona policy? How will he influence the 2022 elections? Listen to this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen to hear an unfiltered conversation with McCarthy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether you turn on CNN or Comedy Central, the chances of hearing something about Arizona news on television is high. National news and comedy shows alike are covering the ongoing Maricopa County election audit, political moves from Arizona's senators and more. This week on The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen talk with Arizona Republic media critic Bill Goodykoontz about what this attention means for the state's national image. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Feb. 24 to hear arguments from federal judges across the country about the need to expand the bench including Diane Humetewa, a federal judge in Arizona and the former U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona. She testified about the longstanding, unmet need for more federal judges in her state. Arizona is one of the nation’s fastest-growing states, but the number of judges has been stagnant for most of the past three decades. This has caused a legal backlog. It's been more than 30 years since Congress passed a broad expansion of the judiciary. In that time, the nation’s population has grown, technology has raised an array of previously unimaginable legal concerns and globalization has upended the economy. Democrats and Republicans agreed at the February hearing that the nation is overdue for more judges. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen break down why and how this legal bottleneck affects Arizonans. Joining the show are Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, and Rep. Greg Staton, D-Ariz., a judiciary committee member. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A spending plan of over $12 billion for fiscal 2022 was introduced to the Arizona House on Monday. The plan calls for some pay raises, some money for education and calls for a controversial flat tax. Governor Doug Ducey’s proposed state flat tax of 2.5%, phased in over two years, is expected to cut state revenue by an estimated $1.9 billion each year. Taxpayers would start seeing lower tax rates as soon as next year. It’s being sold as “a tax cut for every Arizonan” but not everyone in the legislature sees it that way. This week on The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen, reporter Mary Jo Pitzl shares who the biggest winners and losers would be if this deal passes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizona is joining 20 other states and Washington, D.C., allowing legal sports betting after Gov. Doug Ducey signed Senate Bill 1797 on April 15, expanding gaming in the state. The law also allows tribes to operate more slot machines, new tables and more casinos in the state. When will you be able to place bets on your favorite sports teams? How will this impact Arizona’s economy? And who benefits from this new law? In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen chat with business reporter Ryan Randazzo. He'll break down all there is to know about sports betting in Arizona. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It has been nearly three weeks since Maricopa County started the ballot audit on April 23, 2021. Nearly 2.1 million ballots are being hand-counted more than six months after the election in 2020. The unprecedented political spectacle is drawing attention from national media, from CNN to Comedy Central. Trevor Noah, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver commented on the audit on their shows and national news organizations such as the Guardian and the Washington Post have touched down in Phoenix to cover what’s going on in the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Gaggle talked with Arizona Republic reporter Jen Fifield when the recount got started, but in this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen, and national elections law expert Rick Hasen will give a sense of what all of this means. This interview took place before Gov. Doug Ducey signed new legislation that would remove certain voters from the permanent early voting list. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., is a central figure in a 50-50 split Senate. Democrats hold control but only with Vice President Kamala Harris acting as a tiebreaker. Sinema, a centrist Democrat, holds outsize political power and has the ability to make or break President Joe Biden's legislative agenda. She ran in 2018 on the promise to work in a bipartisan manner. How is she doing that? What do we know about her long-term legislative goals? In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen have a one-on-one conversation with Sinema. The Democratic senator, who rarely speaks with reporters at length, outlined her legislative goals on the minimum wage and border security as well as responded to criticisms of her refusal to get rid of the legislative filibuster. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Arizona Senate's audit began nearly six months after the 2020 election at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Friday April 26. Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based company, was contracted by the state Senate to conduct the audit. Journalists had little to no access to observe the audit apart from the right-wing news outlet One America News Network. In order to observe the audit, journalists had to sign up for a six-hour volunteer shift. Arizona Republic reporter Jen Fifield was there Friday morning to work as a volunteer. She was the only journalist that day observing the election audit. She was unable to take notes while on the floor observing, but was able to do so on her phone when she stepped off the floor into a locker area. She questioned organizers about audit guidelines when she observed an issue. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, Fifield joins hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen to breakdown her experience inside the coliseum and what to expect in the coming weeks. Cyber Ninjas is expected to file its report with the Senate in 60 days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first Federal Election Campaign finance reports of the year came out last week. These documents can show how candidates raise and spend money in federal elections and provide insight on who might be running for what offices in the 2022 and 2024 elections. With time on the clock still, the first quarter report shows how the fundraising efforts of key players in the next two elections, including Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz. are starting off right out of the gate. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen highlight some of the standout fundraising and analyze why some candidates are already falling behind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that Congress has passed the American Rescue Plan of 2021, which will help sustain people and cities financially, Congress is turning its priorities elsewhere, including to issues at the border. In February, U.S. Customs and Border Protection processed 28,328 migrants. That number more than doubled to over 68,000 in March, most of them families and children. The surge of migrants who are processed and the insufficient space to hold them in Arizona led CBP to release migrants into small communities in southern Arizona. The Biden administration has received pushback from Republicans on the rollback of former President Donald Trump's immigration policies and the handling of the current migrant situation. They are calling the issue a crisis and inhumane. How many of those statements are realist or alarmist? What does the situation look like in these camps? How have the conditions along the border changed under President Biden? In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen are joined by immigration reporter Rafael Carranza to break down the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Georgia became one of the first states to pass a voting restriction law after the 2020 election on March 25. The bill includes new changes like shortening the window to request an absentee ballot, requiring more than a signature on mail-in ballots and making it illegal to hand out water to voters in line. Arizona is considered one of the next states to possibly follow and implement similar laws. Senate Bill 1485 proposes getting rid of the permanent early voting list which is used by most voters. Senate Bill 1713 adds an identification card requirement along with a signature to verify a ballot. Both of these have the broader electorate asking if Arizona could be the next Georgia. The Arizona GOP pushed back on voting fairness after President Joe Biden won the state by the narrowest margin in the country, but now one of the state's most influential business groups, Greater Phoenix Leadership, is urging the GOP to resist changes to the election process. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen talk with Sonja Diaz, the Founding Director of the Latino Policy & Politics Initiative at UCLA. She is a civil rights attorney and testified before the House of Representatives on voting in America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From 1945 to 1962, the United States conducted nuclear mining in Northern Arizona and nuclear testing in Southern Nevada. Yet the government failed to warn people in the area of the radiation risks posed by that work and the health hazards associated with it, including various forms of cancer. Then in 1990, Congress passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. It established a lump sum compensation for individuals who contracted illnesses in the aftermath of the testing. The program was later expanded in 2000 and is set to close its eligibility to individuals in 2022. Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., is sponsoring a bill to extend the eligibility to include Mohave County and Nevada's Clark County in the federal fund. Last week, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing to listen to testimony from people in the affected areas. That included Mohave County Supervisor Jean Bishop, who grew up in the affected area and developed cancer due to the nuclear testing. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen are joined by Bishop as she recounts her childhood in the impacted area. You'll also hear from Stanton on his outlook of the bill and why he took up the issue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The divide between Arizona's congressional Democrats and its House Republicans is wider than ever in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Arizona Democrats said the fallout from the insurrection is testing their will to work together. “If I’m going to advocate to the federal government, to the (President Joe) Biden people, I’m not going to jump on with people that just tried to invalidate his election,” said Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. Republicans, such as Rep. David Schweikert, also acknowledged the deeper rift and said it has been moving in that direction for years. In today's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen discuss the evolving dynamics of Arizona's congressional delegation and what that means for their ability to represent and advocate for Arizonans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick has been representing Arizonans since 2005 and announced Friday that she will not be running for re-election at the end of her term. In her career, Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz, has used her history in rural Arizona to bring more representation to smaller cities and has been a key member of the House Appropriations Committee. In January of 2020, she took some time off to treat alcoholism after a fall and returned in late February of that year. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen talk with Kirkpatrick to discuss her career and what her absence will look like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Four months have passed since Arizona certified its election results. In the subsequent months, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and the Arizona Senate have been in an ongoing legal battle over an audit of 2020 election ballots. The Arizona Senate subpoenaed the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors for access to the paper ballots and voting machines to conduct their own audit of the 2020 election results. The county argued that they legally could not handover the ballots. On Feb. 26, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Timothy Thomason ruled the Arizona Senate's subpoenas were valid. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen are joined by Phoenix City Hall reporter Jen Fifield to breakdown the legal battle and what potential precedent this could set moving forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a year of taking heat from the political left and right, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is answering his critics. Democrats such as Sen. Kyrsten Sinema criticized Ducey for being slow to protect Arizonans during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans criticized him for certifying President Joe Biden's narrow victory in Arizona during the 2020 election. On Monday, Ducey sat down with national political reporters Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen for this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast. The interview covered everything from managing COVID-19 to expanding school choice to Ducey's political plans after serving as governor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two years ago, Arizona voters rejected a GOP law to expand the state’s school voucher-style program. Despite that rejection, and against the backdrop of at-home learning in the era of the pandemic, Arizona’s Republicans are once again trying to dramatically expand the program. This year, the Arizona Senate voted not just to expand the voucher system. In fact, SB 1452 is even larger than the expansion that was repealed by voters. Under the proposed legislation, two thirds of Arizona’s 1.1 million public-school students would qualify for the program, which lets parents spend public money on private and religious schooling. The bill comes as many parents are frustrated following months of at-home education or hybrid learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans are leveraging that frustration to advocate for private schools, many of which have re-opened for in-person learning to some degree. In this week’s episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, host Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen talk to education reporter Lily Altavena and data reporter Rob O’Dell about the politics of school re-opening and school vouchers. The team discusses where in-person education stands in Arizona, what Republicans are proposing and how that would shape education for students and parents alike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizona has been in the national political spotlight recently. It was labeled a swing state heading into the 2020 elections and barely turned blue, handing Joe Biden his narrowest victory in November. While this was happening, the state's elected leaders were gathering national attention too. Republican Governor Doug Ducey has entered the final two years of his term. His future afterward is uncertain, but could include a return to private life, a run for Congress or even a White House bid in 2024. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen talk with Phil Cox, former executive director of the Republican Governor's Association where Ducey currently serves as Chairman. They'll break down where Arizona's leader could be headed next and the implications for Arizona voters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former President Donald Trump is the only president to face impeachment twice, after the House of Representatives signed a single article of impeachment on Jan. 25. The Senate began its formal trial on Tuesday, although there isn't a clear consensus on whether Trump should be held accountable for the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and what that accountability would look like. Arizona's House representatives already split along party lines when voting to impeach, prompting questions about partisan factions within our Congressional delegation. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen break down how impeachment could fracture the relationships among Arizona's elected officials in Washington and what that would mean for voters. You'll also hear audio from Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly about their reflections after the riots at the Capitol. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2020 election marked the first time in modern Arizona history that Democrats had a lead in early ballots a week before election day. Republicans closed that gap, putting the percentage of ballots returned within 1% of each other. Still, it was a shock to the system for some Republicans. Now, Republican lawmakers are looking to change how Arizonans vote, as well as how their votes are counted and audited. Everything is on the table, from mail-in voting to the permanent early voting list. In this week’s episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen break down the Republican proposals with state Legislature reporter Andrew Oxford. The conversation includes information on each proposal, how Democrats are responding to it and how it will change things for voters, if at all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Arizona Democratic and Republican parties held elections on Jan. 23 to elect their party chair. During an in-person meeting that was largely closed to the media, the Arizona GOP narrowly re-elected the fractious Kelli Ward as its leader. Democrats opted to vote for a new chair in a virtual meeting, electing Raquel Terán overwhelmingly with 75% of the vote. Terán is the state representative for Legislative District 30 in the metro Phoenix area. And she's a self-identified progressive with roots in community organizing. As Democratic chair, Terán will oversee the state's party platform and work to gain Democratic wins up and down the ballot ahead of 2022, as well as fundraise for the party and recruit candidates. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen are joined by the newly-elected Terán. She will break down the future of the party in Arizona, including questions about how progressive party's agenda will be in coming years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today is the inauguration day for President-elect Joe Biden. He becomes the 46th President of the United States of America. After the two Democratic Senate victories in Georgia, Biden has a clearer path towards setting are more liberal agenda. Biden has already released plans for his first 100 days in office, including plans for a national COVID-19 response and changes to various immigration policies. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen are joined by health reporter Stephanie Innes and immigration reporter Daniel Gonzalez to break down how the administration's early policy moves could affect Arizonans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizona Republican leaders such as Gov. Doug Ducey and Chair Kelli Ward had opposing reactions to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Ducey initially condemned the riots on Twitter and then again addressed it in Monday's State of the State address. "In the United States of America, violence and vandalism have no place in the people’s house. Perpetrators should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Let us condemn it and resolve that it never happens again," said Ducey. On the day of the attack, Ward attended a Protect the Vote rally, where she continued to question the validity of the election results. The riots at the U.S. Capitol highlight a growing fissure within the party. It’s at a crossroads, caught between moderate and extremists. With Ward likely to maintain power, the tone for the party is being set by the far-right. Is it possible for moderates to regain control? In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen speak with Kirk Adams. Adams is a former Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives. He also served as the chief of staff for Ducey from 2014 to 2018. Listen now to hear as Adams breaks down how the Arizona GOP save itself from the extremist elements. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Wednesday, during a joint session of Congress, a pro-President Donald Trump mob invaded the Capitol. The riot spilled into the Capitol as the debate over Arizona’s votes began. Republican Rep. Paul Gosar was on the microphone when debate was halted. As events developed, national political reporters Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen reached out to members of Arizona’s congressional delegation. They wanted to know where our elected officials were when the insurrection began, what they remember and how they felt. In today’s bonus episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, we’re bringing five of those conversations. You’ll hear from Democratic Reps. Tom O’Halleran, Ruben Gallego, Greg Stanton and Raúl Grijalva and Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following a year of turmoil, the next legislative sessions kicks off on Monday, Jan. 11. Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has faced criticism of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic from Republicans and Democrats alike. Although Republicans held onto their majorities in the Arizona House of Representatives and Senate, there’s disunity among both parties’ caucuses. What issues will the legislature attempt to address? And how successful will leaders from both sides be in drawing support for their causes? State government and politics reporters Andrew Oxford and Maria Polletta join this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast to preview the upcoming session with hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we wrap up 2020, The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen look towards 2021. In this week's episode, they'll breakdown five stories they are keeping their eyes on throughout the upcoming year. That includes how the COVID-19 vaccine will impact the state's recovery from the pandemic. They'll also reflect on the futures of the Republican and Democratic parties in the state heading in the the next election cycle in 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey Gaggle listeners! We're taking this week off. Thanks for joining us this year as we explored Arizona's evolving politics. We've got one more episode coming this year and we'll be back in 2021 with more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for many to pay rent. Various government protections were put in place throughout the year to protect renters against evictions, including rental assistance and eviction moratoriums. However, reporting from The Arizona Republic found that hundreds of Arizona renters may have been wrongfully evicted. And more evictions may be on the way. Reporters Catherine Reagor and Jessica Boehm join host Yvonne Wingett Sanchez on this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast. They break down how renters and landlords were protected under the CARES Act and what could happen when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's eviction moratorium expires on Jan. 1. Listen now to hear how the coronavirus pandemic strained the relationship between landlords and renters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season two of Rediscovering, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, explored the events leading up to and following the passage of Senate Bill 1070 in Arizona. The 2010 “show me your papers” law was met with pushback from Latino organizers, grassroots activists, DACA recipients and more. That pushback didn’t end after SB 1070 was signed. Latino activists continued to organize. They pushed for voter registration. They rallied around local candidates. They helped elect Democrats like Sheriff Paul Penzone and Krysten Sinema. Now, the 2020 election has come and gone. For the first time since 1996, Arizona voted for a Democrat for president. Joe Biden’s narrow victory was the work of multiple voting blocs and a confluence of events that made for an unforgettable year and an election cycle that will be looked back on for decades to come. In the immediate aftermath, we wanted to revisit some of the voices you heard in Rediscovering. In this epilogue, we’re bringing together two people from our show to discuss SB 1070’s effect on the election: Tony Valdovinos and Chuck Coughlin. Valdovinos is a Democratic organizer and DACA recipient who was called to action by SB 1070. In 2010, Chuck was an adviser to Republican Governor Jan Brewer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President-elect Joe Biden officially received Arizona's 11 electoral votes on Monday after the state certified the election results. Almost a month after the election, many are wondering how a traditionally conservative state flipped for Biden this election. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen sit down with Andrew Piatt, a Biden campaign senior adviser. Piatt previously worked as a campaign manager on Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's team in 2018. Listen now to hear what factors gave Biden the extra push with undecided voters to flip the state blue for the first time in 26 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The media" is blanket term that covers everything from social media to 24-hour TV networks to traditional newspapers like our own. Despite the catch-all nature of the plural phrase, consumers can treat news outlets as though they're singular, particularly if they disagree with the news as it's reported. In today's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, media critic Bill Goodykoontz joins hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen to discuss the changing relationship between news producers and consumers, especially during presidential elections. Unlike traditional news reporters, Goodykoontz is a columnist, meaning he's free to express opinions on election coverage that others might withhold. The trio discusses how the coverage of the election has evolved since 2016 and whether there's still room for improvement. They also discuss the rise in alternative media and what role disreputable outlets such as that could play in future elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to politics, Arizona is truly a purple state. For the first time in 24 years, Arizona's electoral votes went to a Democratic Presidential candidate. Arizona also elected Democrat Mark Kelly to the U.S. Senate. The state will now have a pair of Democratic senators in the upper chamber for the first time since 1953. At the same time, Arizona voters kept the state legislature in Republican control. If you've been a loyal listener to the The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, these election results wouldn't have come as a huge surprise, as hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen spent the last year reporting on Arizona's changing political landscape. Take a listen to this week's episode for look back at how original reporting from The Gaggle podcast and The Arizona Republic foreshadowed the 2020 election results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices