The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

Every four years supporters of the Democratic and Republican parties pack convention centers and arenas to nominate their candidate for president. This year, that tradition is a bit different. Instead of large crowds and in-person festivities, Zoom meetings and video live streams took its place.The COVID-19 pandemic ousted the traditional convention, but the parties messaging is the same: both say it's the most important election ever. In 2020, Arizona is a battleground state. The Grand Canyon state has been a historically red state. Arizona has only gone to the Democrats once since 1952. That was in 1996 when republican presidential nominee Bob Dole lost the state to President Bill Clinton. Last week, we saw Democratic leaders speak at the virtual convention. This week, the Republican party takes center stage. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen break down the messaging of both political conventions and whether or not their appeals will find a home in Arizona. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Kelly, a retired NASA astronaut, is vying to become Arizona's second Democratic senator. Kelly ran uncontested in the Democratic Senate primary and will face off with Republican Sen. Martha McSally in November. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, Kelly joins hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen to discuss how he would use his position in the senate. He also weighs in on healthcare and gun reform.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizona's Congressional District 2 has a history of voting for both Republicans and Democrats, but as COVID-19 upends life for residents across the state, the question of which direction the district will lean in the 2020 election is in flux. The district is located in the southeast corner of Arizona, abutting Mexico and New Mexico. It includes parts of Tucson, Willcox, Benson, Sierra Vista and Bisbee. It’s represented by Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick. In this week's episode, listeners visit Congressional District 2. It's part of a miniseries The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast launched this year. Leading up to the election, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen introduce you to the district leaders and residents, explaining how the most pressing issues for voters could affect the 2020 election.This year, the district will play a large role in races like Arizona's U.S. Senate seat between Republican Martha McSally and Democrat Mark Kelly, the U.S. House seat between Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick and Republican Brandon Martin and the presidential race between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden. In recent years, the district has swayed in favor of Democrats. In the 2016 election, when Arizona as a whole favored President Donald Trump by a margin of 3.5 points, Kirkpatrick's district had a 4.8 point margin in favor of Hillary Clinton.But factoring in the district residents' decisions this year on who to vote for are prominent issues such as access to quality and affordable health care, job security, economic prosperity, and immigration and border security. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizona's primary election may have lacked the gravitas of November's much-anticipated general election, but there were key races to watch. This includes races in the state Legislature, which could determine whether Democrats retake the state House of Representatives for the first time since the 1966 elections. Democrats also had to choose their opponent to run in the congressional race against the embattled, five-term Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz. Other big name tickets included Joe Arpaio's attempt to regain his former job as sheriff. Where did voters land? And what, if anything, could this tell us about November's election? State Legislature reporter Andrew Oxford joined hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen to break down the election results in today's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to negotiating the next coronavirus stimulus package, House Democrats and Senate Republicans are at odds. Again.In May, Democrats, who control the House, proposed a $3 trillion plan that extended the $600 emergency unemployment benefit until January. Their plan also included an additional $1,200 stimulus check and additional funding for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. Republicans rejected the plan, but did not unveil their own until earlier this week. Their $1 trillion proposal also includes an additional $1,200 stimulus check for millions of Americans. It also offers legal protections for small businesses and schools against liability claims, with the hopes that such protections will encourage them to reopen. However, the proposal also caps federal unemployment assistance to 70% of a workers' pay rather than extending the $600 unemployment bonus. That program would be phased in over the next two months. While it's being rolled out, unemployed Americans would only receive a $200 boost to their unemployment claims. Democrats were challenging the Republican proposal even before it was officially fleshed out publicly. With markers laid down on both partisan sides, only one thing appears imminent: gridlock. And it comes at a time when many Americans are being pushed to the financial edge. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcasts, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen talk to business reporter Ryan Randazzo about the effects a delayed stimulus bill could have on the state of Arizona. They also discuss whether or not the state has the financial ability to step in and help those are unemployed while Congress stalls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In March, in-person schools shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sudden transition was difficult for teachers, students and parents alike.In recent weeks, the debate on when and how to reopen schools for in-person curriculum has made headlines across the country. The pressure to reopen this fall was amplified by President Donald Trump earlier this month. Arizona schools Superintendent Kathy Hoffman is leading in the effort to reopen schools along side Gov. Doug Ducey. In an exclusive, one-on-one interview with hosts of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, Hoffman breaks down the new steps the state is making towards getting students back into classrooms. Hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen discuss with her how they plan to keep teachers safe and the changes students will see in classrooms.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's it like to be a migrant or correctional officer in an immigrant detention facility located in a global hotspot during a pandemic?  At the Eloy Detention Center in southern Arizona, correctional officers and immigrants' rights advocates and lawyers are decrying dangerous conditions they say have exacerbated the outbreak of COVID-19 at the facility.The Arizona Republic reported July 9 that 128 staff members at the center tested positive for COVID-19. The 128 members make up nearly 41% of the workforce at Eloy. In June, a correctional officer at the facility died from potential COVID-19 complications. The center is run by CoreCivic, a for-profit private prison company based in Nashville. It is under contract from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, host Ronald J. Hansen speaks with immigration reporter Daniel Gonzalez. Hansen and Gonzalez break down the lengthy list of allegations against CoreCivic and ICE, how the company and agency have responded, and how the 2020 election plays into immigration decisions made by the federal government that might affect detention centers like these.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 1: You're not welcome hereIn the early 2000s, Arizona’s rapid population growth and investor speculation fueled a homebuilding binge in the state. Contractors took advantage of a lax employment-verification system and hired undocumented workers at a cut rate, often from Mexico, in droves.At its peak, Arizona proportionately had the second-largest undocumented population of any state in the country, behind only Nevada. About one in 12 residents was undocumented. Consumers and businesses liked the low-cost labor. But not everyone liked the changing demographics of their neighborhoods.State legislators tried to address the issue, but critics called the attempts piecemeal. Congress failed multiple times at passing immigration reform. An economic recession, a dramatic citizen’s arrest and a tragic death exacerbated tensions.To hear all five episodes, subscribe to Rediscovering: SB 1070 in your podcast app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arizona is a battleground state in national elections and could sway the outcome of the 2020 presidential race. But how did we get here? How did the state go from reliably red to purple, with the possibility to shift blue in 2020, in just a decade? To understand, go back to 2010 when Arizona surprised the nation by passing Senate Bill 1070, a sweeping and highly controversial immigration law, otherwise known as the "show me your papers" law. That's what The Gaggle's sister podcast will explore in season two of Rediscovering. The five-part series will examine what led to the bill, what its proponents sought to do, how the community and nation reacted and how its effects linger still today. Gaggle hosts Yvonne Wingett-Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen host this season of Rediscovering. They spoke with more than two dozen people including the architect of the bill, Russell Pearce. As well as former Governor Jan Brewer, Arizona's senior senator Kyrsten Sinema and young Latino and immigrant activists who were forever shaped by the legislation. Listen to the trailer to Rediscovering: SB1070 now. All five episodes drop on Wednesday, July 15. Don't miss a single one. Subscribe to our series on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher Radio, or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., is expected to face off against retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, a Democrat, in November. In the midst of a fraught race, one which will determine who controls the Senate, McSally published a memoir, "Dare to Fly: Simple Lessons in Never Giving Up." The book is an up-close look at the Senator. It sheds light on her childhood, her early years in the Air Force, her military career and her political career. In this week's episode of The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast, McSally joins hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen to discuss her book. She also weighs in on reports of Russia placing bounties on U.S. troops, the COVID-19 pandemic, health care, gun control and her return to the campaign trail.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices