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The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast
The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast
Author: The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com
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Helping you keep up with what matters in Arizona's political news. Each week we interview politicians, public figures or journalists to break down one local issue and how it affects your life in Arizona.
Coming to you every Wednesday morning, The Gaggle is hosted by The Arizona Republic's national political reporters Ron Hansen and Stephanie Murray, and is produced by Amanda Luberto.
514 Episodes
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The polarization over data center expansion is one of the best examples of the new business climate in Arizona. Some want the state to be on the forefront of the "AI revolution" while others aren't sold on it's economic benefits.
Arizona is one of the fastest growing hubs for data centers, with more on the way.
This has people questioning what it means for not only the state's resources, but also its tax dollars and impact on its job market.
This week on The Gaggle, we're joined by two experts to discuss how the Valley and the country are being economically impacted by the growth of data centers.
Email us! thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com
Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804
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Guest: Corina Vanek, Michael Hicks
Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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These days you can bet on just about anything from the palm of your hand: pocket cash on the outcome of an Arizona Diamondbacks game or the Super Bowl. But now, you can also win money betting on politics.
Gamblers can wager the outcome of the war with Iran, the winner of the Arizona governor's race and how long Karoline Leavitt's White House press conferences will last.
The new gambling landscape has created a regulatory headache for Arizona, the federal government and the fast-growing prediction market companies fueling all these wagers.
This week on The Gaggle, we talk with a gaming law and sports betting attorney who is tracking prediction market legal battles across the country.
Email us! thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com
Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804
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Guest: Daniel Wallach
Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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The 2020 election is apparently still not over.
President Donald Trump has two states that he hasn't gotten over losing, Arizona and Georgia, under his conspiratorial microscope again. Tusli Gabbard, the FBI and the US Justice Department are hunting for proof the 2020 election was stolen.
And Arizona's Senate President, Warren Petersen, gave the FBI full access to voting records.
This week on The Gaggle, we talk about the political fallout of the situation and why the Trump administration is dipping back into this well.
Email us: thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com
Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804
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Guest: Stacey Barchenger
Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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Jeffery Epstein has dominated attention seven years after his death. His wealth, social circles and varied interests ensured the digital trail of his life would lead in many directions.
But not many could have guessed that he would posthumously delay the seating of an Arizona congresswoman or that his email threads would catch the University of Arizona in an uncomfortable lie.
Among shocking photos and ghastly electronic interactions, these are some of the ongoing surprises from the Epstein files.
This week on The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast, we break down which Arizonans are in the Epstein files, what politicians are and are not saying about the files, and how the Epstein files are creating shockwaves throughout Arizona, Washington, D.C., and the world.
Email us! thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com
Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804
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Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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Lawyers are there with guaranteed expertise to help sort out your issues, even when time and money can be scarce.
But the guaranteed expertise doesn't necessarily go all the way to the top. At least not in Arizona.
Now there is a stream of complaints from customers being misled, mistreated and scammed, and the Arizona Supreme Court might be rethinking its oversight.
This week on The Gaggle, we talk with an Arizona Republic reporter about her recent investigation into the Arizona Supreme Court's decision to loosen ownership rules for law firms.
Email us! thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com
Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804
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Guest: Laura Gersony
Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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In late January, Homeland Security agents raided 15 locations of Valley sports bar Zipps after receiving a tip 11 months beforehand that they were employing undocumented immigrants.
E-Verify was set up in 2008 to bar the demand for illegal workers, but in 2025, the Arizona Republic found that no state law enforcement agency is routinely looking for violations. Employers often ignored it.
This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we talk with someone from the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank that examines all layers of America's immigration system.
Email us! thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com
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Guest: Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh
Hosts: Ron Hansen
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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There's a bitter feud between two city leaders. The mayor's top staffer is under a mysterious investigation and is being confined to his house during work hours. And the biggest controversy at the center of it all is a parking garage.
What sounds like a made-for-TV political drama is real life for Scottsdale and it's tearing the conservative-majority city government apart.
This week on The Gaggle, we talk with The Republic's Scottsdale city reporter for an update on the drama happening in the West's most western town.
Email us! thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com
Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804
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Guest: Shawn Raymundo
Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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Political candidates just filed their quarterly campaign finance reports, one of the few times that the public can peek inside political campaigns to see who is giving money to politicians and what those candidates are doing with the cash.
The reports for hotly contested races like Governor, Congressional District 1 and more give us an insight into how they might do in the primaries.
So as the saying goes, this week, we follow the money.
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Guest: Brendan Glavin
Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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For the second time this month, a U.S. citizen has been shot and killed by federal agents during a surge in immigration enforcement in Minneapolis.
The raids, protests and the new dimension of Second Amendment rights has gotten the attention of Arizonans as the presence of national agents has increased in the state.
This week on The Gaggle, we talk with guests on both sides of the issue as it expands in Phoenix and across the state.
Email us! thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com
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Guest: Erica Connell, Art Del Cueto
Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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Being the largest county in the state, Maricopa County will play an immense role in settling Arizona's biggest races in the 2026 midterms this year.
Over the last few years, the county has done relatively well ensuring the process is safe, efficient and without major hiccups.
But that doesn't mean there haven't been problems, nor differing opinions on how to handle them.
This week on The Gaggle, we are joined by Supervisor Thomas Galvin, a Republican member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to talk about the county's litigious relations with Republican County Recorder Justin Heap, the future of election security, data centers and his personal advocacy for bringing hockey back to the desert.
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Guest: Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin
Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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For the fourth time, Gov. Katie Hobbs offered her vision for Arizona's legislative priorities for 2026.
She touched on affordability and political violence, but noticeably left out some key topics.
This week on The Gaggle, we are joined by Republic reporters who cover the Governor's Office and the Arizona Legislature to walk us through what Hobbs covered in her speech and what it all means.
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Guest: Stacey Barchenger, Ray Stern
Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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In January 2021, President Donald Trump leaned on Arizona officials to disregard the state's certified 2020 election results to present an alternative selection of electors. These Republican "fake electors" tried to deem Trump the winner in Arizona, although the state went to Joe Biden.
Years later, Democrat Kris Mayes' office got indictments of the 11 Republican electors and 7 others, but has yet to go to trial for most of the defendants.
This week on The Gaggle, we are joined by Republic reporter Stacey Barchenger. She brings us up to date on the ongoing fake electors' case, the importance it has to Mayes' bid for reelection, and if it can be closed this year.
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Guest: Stacey Barchenger
Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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Goodbye 2025 and hello 2026!
Another packed election year is among us and races for Governor, Attorney General and more are expected to be noteworthy. The legislature will be working across the aisle (maybe) with an even tighter budget, Turning Point USA figures out who they are without Charlie Kirk and the weight of a Trump endorsement will be debated.
This week on The Gaggle, we are joined by members of the Arizona Republic politics team. In a roundtable discussion, they describe what they are watching for in Arizona politics in 2026.
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Guest: Stacey Barchenger, Ray Stern, Laura Gersony, Stephanie Murray
Host: Ron Hansen
Producers: Amanda Luberto, Madison Knutson
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We are taking some time off for the holiday this week and we hope you are too! We'll be back next week, but for now, enjoy a break. Thanks for listening to us all year!
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This is normally a time when Canadians take a break from the cold and spend their time — and money — here in the desert for some sunshine. But this year, we have plenty of sunshine but a lack of Canadians.
The friendly neighbors to the north are feeling insulted and economically punished by President Donald Trump. He implemented and raised tariffs on Canadian goods and has stated that he would like to see it become the 51st state in the union.
This week on The Gaggle, we are joined by two experts to discuss the impact a lack of Canadian visitors is having on Arizona.
Read Michael's story here
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Guest: Michael Salerno, Miles Zimbaluk
Host: Ron Hansen
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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In just a few short weeks, Arizona lawmakers will return to the Capitol to work through another year's budget, consider any legislative needs and take up oversight of Gov. Katie Hobbs' administration as they see appropriate.
But lawmakers are working with a tighter purse than usual, and the looming midterm election will have a lot of influence over the decisions made and the laws that get passed.
This week on The Gaggle, we're joined by The Republic's state politics reporter Ray Stern.
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Guest: Ray Stern
Host: Ron Hansen
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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Artificial intelligence is making its way into everything in American life: the stock market, journalism, medicine and more.
Now major universities like Arizona State are buying into the future of AI by combining it with their offered education.
This week on The Gaggle, we explore the role AI has at ASU, the future of AI in universities and how the concerns are being met.
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Guest: Helen Rummel
Host: Ron Hansen
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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We are off this week to enjoy the holiday and we hope you are too. Have a safe and lovely holiday, Gaggle listeners.
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Since Charlie Kirk's death, Turning Point USA and its supporters have completed the tour he began, recently making the final stop at the University of California, Berkeley, which resulted in protests and arrests.
In some ways, the chaotic setting underscored the early turbulence for Turning Point after Kirk's death. The organization, so strongly connected to his persona, faces not only grief but pressure to reboot itself.
But the unifying power of Kirk feels missing. So, what is the future of Turning Point in the conservative ecosystem?
This week on The Gaggle, we are joined by a Republic reporter who has been covering Turning Point since Kirk's death and was in Berkeley for the last stop of that college tour.
Email us! thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com
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Guest: Stephanie Murray
Host: Ron Hansen
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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Adelita Grijalva is best known for not getting to start her job in an unprecedented act by Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. After a seven-week delay, the Speaker has set a time to formally swear in Rep.-elect Grijalva for Nov 12.
She holds the key to potentially forcing a vote in the House of Representatives to release files on an investigation into Donald Trump and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
But she is also looking forward to getting to work for her constituents.
This week on The Gaggle, we are joined by Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva to discuss the delay in her swearing-in, the longest government shutdown in history and what she wants to accomplish on Capitol Hill.
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Guest: Adelita Grijalva
Host: Ron Hansen
Producer: Amanda Luberto
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