The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

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