The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com

Redistricting is the most important story in America that no one cares about. These political maps shape the power of your vote. Today, The Gaggle sits down the three independent commissioners who have overseen the redrawing of district lines. We hear how it's done and what they would change. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Throughout 2021, Arizona's dubious review of Maricopa County's 2020 ballots, all 2.1 million of them, was a national spectacle.
Long before that effort concluded that President Joe Biden won by slightly more votes than the certified results showed, it was obvious that Doug Logan and his Cyber Ninjas team were partisans with no experience conducting what Republicans billed as a forensic audit.
Over the nearly two years since then, litigation from the Arizona Republic and others have led to the public release of 39,000 messages involving Logan, the one-time CEO of the now defunct Cyber Ninjas.
Yet despite the immense volume of now public information, we're still missing 3,000 documents from Logan. This in spite of a court order to release them. It's not clear why Logan continues to hold on to these documents. But one thing is certain the state Senate's "audit" was anything but professional or fair.
In this episode of The Gaggle, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl unpack what information Arizonans do have from Dough Logan's documents, what is still missing, and why it matters for voters moving forward. Republic reporter Ryan Randazzo examined documents along with Larry Moore, the founder of the Boston-based election technology company Clear Ballot Group.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Title 42, the pandemic-era law that authorized the quick expulsion of migrants, has expired. 
In its place, the U.S. government is implementing enforcement policies meant to reduce the number of people reaching the U.S.-Mexico border while also creating opportunities for asylum seekers to gain protection within the country.
The transition to the new policies is expected to create significant challenges as border communities, the federal agencies and the non-governmental organizations that cater to the migrant population adapt to the changes that went into effect May 12.
What is next for migrants seeking shelter in the U.S.? And how will Congress handle this political hot potato moving forward?
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gov. Katie Hobbs signed Arizona's $17.8 billion state budget into law in record time. Among the winners are Republican pet projects such as money for the Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo, funding to repair a bridge in Lake Havasu City, and Democratic wins such as more reliable funding for public schools and investment in more services for the unhoused.
But not everyone is happy with the budget or how much of it was constructed behind closed doors.
In this bonus episode of The Gaggle, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by reporters Ray Stern and Stacey Barchenger to hash out the wins and losses in this year's state budget.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Arizona Legislature is considering a plan to allow Maricopa County to hold an election on a transportation tax, but it has been a bumpy ride.
Supporters say extending a half-cent tax for transportation for another 20 years will help the county’s transportation network keep pace with continued economic and population growth.
The plan would build out Phoenix's freeway network, improve miles of major streets and expand public transit services.
But the transit provisions of what is called the Proposition 400 extension have Republican lawmakers tapping the brakes, complicating efforts to get the necessary votes to put the issue on the ballot in November 2024.
This week on The Gaggle, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by Arizona State University's Mark Roseland.
He’s a professor at the School of Community Resources and Development at ASU and is a senior sustainability scientist with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability at ASU. Roseland explains why good transportation makes a good city.
In the second half of the podcast, the hosts break down the politics of Proposition 400.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tempe votes on May 16 to either welcome or boot out the Coyotes hockey team and accompanying entertainment complex.
Proponents of the development claim that the sport and entertainment district will be a huge win for Tempe including generating nearly 7000 jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue.
Opponents claim that the city should put its energy into fixing present issues like creating more affordable housing and tackling the opioid crisis. 
If the back and forth between critics and proponents isn’t enough, there’s the ongoing legal battle after Phoenix sued Tempe, alleging the apartments proposed for the project would create a safety hazard with low-flying aircraft at Sky Harbor International Airport. 
Today, host Mary Jo Pitzl is joined by The Republic’s Sam Kmack, who covers Tempe and Scottsdale, and Taylor Seely, who covers Phoenix but is a resident of Tempe and recently moderated a debate between the Vote Yes and Vote No groups on the Coyotes area issue.
You can see the full video of the debate here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices