The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

A joke that is so overused it's not even funny anymore: Congress can't get anything done.But with a new split Congress, the joke might be reality, and Arizona’s congressional delegation is helping set the tone. Republican Rep. Andy Biggs helped lead a rebellious faction within the GOP in a fight over the House speakership that forced days of drama over that normally routine matter. Republican Paul Gosar is among those who have clamored for aggressive investigation of the Biden administration.Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s defection from the Democratic Party gives the Senate a new operating dynamic as well.As Capitol Hill adjusts to a new normal, important issues like the debt ceiling and border security hang over the nation’s unresolved policy agenda.This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Ron Hansen is joined by two political experts, Wendy Schiller of Brown University and Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute, to dissect what to expect from Congress this session. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Residents of the Rio Verde Foothills community just north of Scottsdale are facing dry taps and no immediate solution. The unincorporated land has for years relied on the City of Scottsdale to process the water that gets hauled up to the community.Scottsdale has been warning the community for many years that its water processing services is not a permanent solution, particularly in light of the city's drought plan. Rio Verde is not under Scottsdale's jurisdiction, and as such the city is not required to provide any services to the community.Several solutions have been proposed to address the water crisis, but nothing was solidified before the deadline of January 1, 2023.How did we get here? And why?In this episode of The Gaggle, we explore those questions and try to make sense of a very complicated situation. This week, county watchdog reporter Sasha Hupka, who's been covering the situation, joins us. Audio Producer Kaely Monahan fills in for our regular host Ron Hansen, who is out this week.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizonans heard the plans from a new Governor for the first time in 8 years as Democrat Katie Hobbs started her second week in office.In her State of the State address, she set the tone for her legislative priorities for 2023 and emphasized a desire for bipartisanship. It didn’t take long for some of the Republicans in the Legislature to make clear they have little desire to find common ground on issues like abortion rights.Hobbs spent much of her speech talking about public education, another area where she and her Republican lawmakers will have to avert a rapidly approaching funding deadline that could abruptly end the school year for some and unleash broad, new doubts about the state’s commitment to education.This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Ron Hansen is joined by reporter Stacey Barchenger and partner at Ascent Media, Daniel Scarpinato. Daniel helped write these speeches as an aide to former Gov. Doug Ducey. He ended his tenure with the governor as Ducey’s chief of staff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s 2023 and Arizona has a new governor, a U.S. senator without a party affiliation, a more conservative Legislature and familiar issues to face in this new year.So how will all that play out?Today on The Gaggle, host Ron Hansen is joined by The Arizona Republic's Mary Jo Pitzl and Stacey Barchenger to hash out what the start of a new political era looks like for Arizona. Tops on the list are issues surrounding abortion access, how to tame inflation and how to get approved funding into school budgets.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re taking a break this week to celebrate the holidays with our loved ones. In the meantime, be sure to check out our 2022 retrospective episode from last week. Or catch up on our exit interview with Governor Doug Ducey. We’ll be back with a fresh episode in the new year.  As always, thank you for listening, subscribing, and sharing our show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The year 2022 was filled with political ups and downs and drama seemingly from every corner in Arizona. The year began with Gov. Doug Ducey’s final State of the State address. Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, shared his firm views that the 2020 election was not stolen.We covered Ukraine, Uvalde and Roe v. Wade, all before diving into the 2022 midterm elections. We heard from the youth, the independents, and from candidates themselves.We sadly said goodbye to Yvonne Wingett Sanchez as she embarked on her next endeavor, but welcomed The Arizona Republic’s politics team as regulars whom you’ve grown to know.In this episode, we have a special roundtable with some familiar voices to our podcast: Mary Jo Pitzl, Ray Stern, Stacey Barchenger, Robert Anglen, Sasha Hupka and Ryan Randazzo.Together, each reporter will discuss 2022's politics and give their roses – the good things; thorns – the not so good things; and buds – things they are hopeful about.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Jan. 2, 2023, Katie Hobbs will take up the mantel as governor of Arizona. Passing the baton is Gov. Doug Ducey, who is ending his second term in the highest elected position in the state.Ducey entered the Governor's Office at a turbulent time. Arizona was dusting off the vestiges of the Great Recession. His tenure included a teacher-led revolt at the state Capitol for higher wages and a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic.Through it all, Ducey kept Arizona's budget in the black, stood firm to his oath to support the state and U.S. Constitutions, and secured a long-term goal of giving Arizona parents the right to choose the school they want to send their children to.The Gaggle sat down with the governor in his office at the state Capitol to reflect on his eight years in office.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A generation ago Arizona voters chose to bar college students who are undocumented from receiving in-state tuition discounts. It came amid a rising climate of frustration about the southern border and a stalemate on immigration reforms.Today, Arizonans are still frustrated about the border and immigration laws haven’t changed, but Arizona voters have.During the recent elections, voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 308, which allows undocumented students to pay for college at in-state tuition levels.In this episode of The Gaggle, we'll take a closer look at what Prop. 308 will do, who it will help, and how it will impacts Arizona as a whole.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For some Republicans, the fight for the midterm election isn't over. Raising doubts over Arizona's voting machines and complaints that the state takes too long to tally votes was the fuel behind those who showed up at the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday morning.These normally forgettable functions of election administration are suddenly the subject of a pair of lawsuits that add a chaotic coda to a disappointing election for Republicans in Arizona and across the country.After illegally going through with a hand count of their votes, Cochise County did not reach their deadline for certification.And officials in GOP-controlled Mohave County threatened to delay their election certification, before relenting late Monday.This could result in two Republicans losing their races.This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Ron Hansen is joined by reporters Sasha Hupka and Mary Jo Pitzl to make sense of what the issues are, what is being done about it, and what Maricopa County has said in response. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Gaggle team is taking the week off to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family. We'll be back next week with a brand new full episode. As always, thank you for listening and subscribing. We all wish you a very happy Thanksgiving! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices