The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast

President Donald Trump is set to be the main speaker at Turning Point's "Build the Red Wall" event on April 17.

Trump's appearance will kick off the midterm election season in Arizona, a battleground state that has candidates associated with Turning Point on the July ticket.

It's still early in the election cycle for the president's visit, but can Trump help Turning Point build a "red wall" in a midterm cycle that's shaping up to be pretty good for Democrats?

A Republican political strategist joins The Gaggle this week to discuss the President's visit.

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Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Jesse Hunt

Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Hansen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Stephanie Murray

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amanda Luberto⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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As we approach the 2026 midterms, the next big fight in the election process is already brewing. Trump rolled out an executive order intended to limit mail-in voting to people screened by the Postal Service and the Department of Homeland Security as U.S. citizens.

Mail-in voting is something Arizona has done since 1991 and it's become one of the most popular ways to cast a ballot in the state, peacefully electing both Republicans and Democrats to office.

This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Stephanie Murray are joined by Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.

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Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Secretary of State Adrian Fontes

Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Hansen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Stephanie Murray

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amanda Luberto⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and County Recorder Justin Heap have been in a bitter legal battle for months on who is in charge of what parts of the election process.

They continue to fight over minute details that could have a major impact come November. The 2026 election in Maricopa County will help decide control of Congress, the state Legislature and the outcome of a very competitive governor's race.

This week on The Gaggle, we discussed the county's readiness for the elections with Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairperson Kate Brophy McGee, a Republican.

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Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairperson Kate Brophy McGee

Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Hansen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Stephanie Murray

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amanda Luberto⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Hansen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Stephanie Murray

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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.

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Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Laura Gersony

Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Hansen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Stephanie Murray

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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.

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Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh

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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.

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Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804

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Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shawn Raymundo

Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ron Hansen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Stephanie Murray

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