ICE raids lead to questions about Arizona's employment law
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 Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804 Follow us on X, Instagram and Tik Tok Guest: Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh Hosts: Ron Hansen Producer: Amanda Luberto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Scottsdale's city government soap opera continues
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 Follow us on X, Instagram and Tik Tok Guest: Shawn Raymundo Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray Producer: Amanda Luberto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What 2026 midterm political donations in Arizona show us
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. Email us! thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804 Follow us on X, Instagram and Tik Tok Guest: Brendan Glavin Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray Producer: Amanda Luberto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Two sides on deadly ICE actions and protests
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 Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804 Follow us on X, Instagram and Tik Tok Guest: Erica Connell, Art Del Cueto Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray Producer: Amanda Luberto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Supervisor Galvin talks Heap, housing & hockey
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. Email us! thegaggle@arizonarepublic.com Leave us a voicemail: 602-444-0804 Follow us on X, Instagram and Tik Tok Guest: Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin Hosts: Ron Hansen, Stephanie Murray Producer: Amanda Luberto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices