The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

Voters across Arizona headed to the polls Tuesday to cast their vote in the 2024 primary election.A low voter turnout resulted in few complications on primary election day. There were no noteworthy technology glitches or long lines deferring voters from participating.But that doesn't mean that everything will be smooth sailing on the big day in November.This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by reporters from the Republic's politics team to dissect who the big winners were, how election day went, and what that could mean for November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The election process is being carefully watched. From security cameras at county offices to candidates monitoring polling places, there are eyes and ears on alert to ensure the safety of the voting process.But another group plays a key role in ensuring the integrity of the vote: election observers.With less than a week before the 2024 primary election in Arizona, these observers are already at work. They're watching as early ballots are being processed at county election offices.These volunteers are often overlooked on election day, but they are an important part of the voting process.This week on Election Dissection, an elections series of The Gaggle podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Mary Jo Pitzl and Sasha Hupka talk with some people who watch democracy in process.Jeff and Robin Greeson have been observers with the Maricopa County Democratic Party since 2018. They tell Election Dissection how the job really works and lessons they've learned over the past few years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Republican National Convention is underway in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this week, and Donald Trump is the GOP's official pick for president. But Trump's bombastic attitude and brash words aren't new to American politics. Sixty years ago, another grandiloquent and explicitly extreme presidential candidate appeared on the scene: Barry M. Goldwater.For longtime Arizonans and political historians, the name Goldwater is synonymous with "extremism" and the man who voted against the 1964 Civil Rights Act. For conservatives, he was a leader they could rally behind during a time of immense change. Just who was Goldwater and was he really as extreme as history says he is?In this episode, we look back at that historic campaign between Goldwater and Lindon B. Johnson. Want to learn more about Arizona's unique brand of extremism? Subscribe to Rediscovering. Season 4 "The Roots of Radicalism" drops Monday, July 22. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Saturday, former President Donald Trump was shot at during his campaign stop in Butler, Pennsylvania. Three people were injured including the presidential nominee, who suffered an injury to his ear as a bullet skimmed the side of his head.One man died while shielding his family from the gunshots. The assassination attempt is still under investigation, but the gunman has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh.Meanwhile, the Republican National Convention starts today in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Along with his newly announced running mate J.D. Vance, the Senator from Ohio, delegates voted today that Trump will lead the GOP on the 2024 Presidential ballot.On this bonus episode of The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by political consultants from both sides of the aisle to examine the potential political fallout from the shooting at Trump’s rally, and how it could affect the November general election.Joining the show are Constantin Querard, a GOP political consultant and the founder and president of Grassroots Partners, a consulting and public affairs firm, and Alfredo Gutierrez, former state senator and a longtime force in Arizona Democratic politics.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the end of July, Arizonans will vote in the primary election to say who will represent them for the Republican and Democratic parties. But the work is already underway on the ballot for the November general election. A legislative panel signed off on the language that describes what ballot propositions would do, and last week, supporters of three citizen initiatives brought in petitions with a combined 1.8 million voter signatures.Arizonans decided that abortion access, a minimum wage increase and the opportunity to create open primaries were topics they wanted to vote on in November.All three are currently under review to ensure there were enough valid signatures to make the ballot in November.This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Mary Jo Pitzl is joined by state politics reporters Stacey Barchenger and Ray Stern to discuss the citizen initiatives that collected enough signatures and the likelihood you'll see them on the November ballot.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year, Americans will choose their next president and many other lawmakers, and decide which initiatives to enshrine in local law. It's a practice made possible by rebels of the British Crown more than two centuries ago. Since then, America has evolved dramatically, and the stage is set for history to be made once more this November.However, instead of looking ahead, we are looking back at the start of it all.On July 4, 1776, 56 men signed a document declaring 13 British colonies as one United States of America.By this charter, they formed a new country - one free from a distant king's rule. The Declaration of Independence showcased the rights and beliefs of the new country. It was a written record of what America would stand for and was signed by the nation’s founding fathers.To honor the country’s 248th birthday, The Gaggle presents a reading of the Declaration of Independence. Here to read the country’s founding document are reporters and other staff members at The Arizona Republic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ballots for the July 30 primary election will soon be arriving in voters' mailboxes.In Maricopa County, a postal worker will drop off a distinctive, light yellow oversized envelope. Some counties will get light green. Others will get light blue. But they will each have been filled right here in the Valley.These ballots get tailor-made for each voter, down to a personalized QR code to ensure that your vote is connected with your county and your voter ID. It will have the partisan races that pertain to where you live, from the Senate down to your local school board.Creating these ballots is a detailed process that starts months in advance of the primary. Thousands of pounds of paper and gallons of ink are used to ensure you have the opportunity to voice your opinion.And for about half of the country, all of it gets done in Phoenix, Arizona.This week on Election Dissection, an elections series of The Gaggle podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Mary Jo Pitzl and Sasha Hupka take a field trip to Runbeck Election Services to get an upfront look at what it takes to build a ballot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On June 13, the U.S. Department of Justice released a long-anticipated report on its investigation into the city of Phoenix and its Police Department. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division laid out the results of the 126-page report after a nearly three-year investigation.Thus far, the reaction from the majority of Phoenix City Council has been fairly muted. Police union officials categorically denied those allegations.In this episode of The Gaggle, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl sit down with The Republic's criminal justice reporter Miguel Torres and Phoenix reporter Taylor Seely to dig further into the report and what the political reaction has been so far.Read the full story on the DOJ report on The Arizona Republic at azcentral.com.Episode transcript can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At least $2.3 billion has been milked from Arizona taxpayers since 2019 in a shocking fake rehab program that mainly targeted Indigenous communities. Scammers posing as legitimate workers or counselors for sober living communities in Phoenix would patrol areas where Native Americans would gather to buy and consume alcohol. They would then pick up people who were intoxicated on drugs or alcohol and take them to Phoenix. Once there they'd have them sign up for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, or AHCCS. Once signed up, the victims would have their AHCCS accounts billed for alleged mental health treatment or addiction rehabilitation. But none of these treatments were ever provided.But the fraud cut deeper than just loss of money. Victims found themselves stranded in the Valley, blackmailed and with no real support. Some even lost their lives in these fake sober living homes."For years, these providers have allegedly defrauded the state of millions of dollars while creating a large-scale humanitarian crisis that disproportionately affects Arizona’s tribal communities," Gov. Katie Hobbs said at a press meeting."This is tragic," Attorney General Kris Mayes added. "What has happened is tragic and outrageous. And, and I’ll just speak for myself as the attorney general of this state, I believe the state of Arizona owes our tribal nations an apology. In this episode of The Gaggle, host Mary Jo Pitzl sits down with the reporters who covered the story: Stephanie Innes, Arlyssa Becenti, and Richard Ruelas.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Judges are getting more scrutiny these days, from the U.S. Supreme Court to Arizona’s top justices to local jurists.U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas have been the topic of numerous news stories that raise ethical questions about the justices' actions as members of the high court. In southeastern Arizona, Cochise County Judge John Kelliher Jr. has drawn outsize attention for his conduct: Four formal complaints about this courtroom demeanor in two years.What does all of this mean for the public confidence in the judicial system? Are we reaching a tipping point of lack of confidence more broadly? Or is this just all par for the course in a time of political teeth-gnashing?In this episode of the Gaggle, we prob those questions and more. Hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl sit down first with Arizona Republic reporter Sarah Lapidus. She has followed Kelliher’s track record with the Judicial Conduct Commission and explains why he continues to draw complaints that lead to high-profile reprimands.Then, Keith Swisher, a professor of legal ethics at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers School of Law, shares his views on what is going on at this moment in time and how the judicial process is perceived. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices