Guests - Rachel Keshel, Karrin Taylor Robson, Betsy Smith

Rachel Keshel: Fighting for Election Integrity and Family Court Reform

State Representative Rachel Keshel (LD17) joined Kathleen Winn to discuss her ongoing legislative work and plans for re-election.

The conversation began with updates on Tucson's recent city council elections, which will require a recount between Kevin Dahl and Sadie Shaw. Looking ahead to future races, Keshel confirmed she will be running for re-election, citing the need to "fix leadership at the state level" under Governor Katie Hobbs.

Keshel expressed how much she missed working with former representative Corey, describing him as "such a smart legislator." She also shared her positive impression of Kirk Weiler, who is running for Corey's former seat. Weiler previously competed in the 2022 primary, where Keshel described him as "a wonderful competitor" who is "very conservative" and "a constitutionalist."

Legislative Priorities and Katie Hobbs' Record

When asked about her legislative focus, Keshel highlighted election integrity as a continuing priority, noting that "two-thirds of Americans just really don't have a lot of faith that our elections are being run well and free and fair."

Keshel criticized Governor Katie Hobbs' record-setting use of vetoes, even on "very practical, common sense legislation" that had bipartisan support. She expressed optimism about Andy Biggs potentially defeating Hobbs in 2026, suggesting he could attract voters that Kari Lake couldn't.

The conversation touched on other important statewide races, including Secretary of State where Alex Kolodin is running. Keshel criticized current Secretary Adrian Fontes, describing him as someone who "literally makes his own rules up that a lot of times are against state statute or unconstitutional."

Family Court Reform Initiative

A significant portion of the conversation focused on Keshel's work reforming Arizona's family court system, which she described as "very broken." This initiative, which began last August when the issue "was dropped into my lap," has become one of her primary legislative focuses.

"I've been working with Representative Lisa Fink... We have seen firsthand the families, the devastation that is happening to some of these families and especially these kids that are either placed with the abusive parent," Keshel explained. "I've seen kiddos with bruises all over their bodies."

Keshel described holding hearings where families could testify about their experiences with the system, calling their stories "absolutely gut wrenching." The issue has garnered attention beyond Arizona's borders, with Keshel recently testifying before the Idaho legislature about similar problems in their state.

"We're going to start working together, the two legislatures, and we're trying to get Florida involved and some other states so we can get some legislation drafted together that can kind of be a blueprint for other legislators across the country to follow," she said.

Keshel highlighted that this effort is gaining bipartisan support, with some Democrats "very quickly becoming interested" after having "their eyes open" to the problems in the system. This cross-party cooperation could help get bills signed by the governor rather than vetoed.

One of the toughest bills Keshel plans to work on involves a mother named Hope Mater, whose two children were murdered by their father after she had warned courts about his mental instability and begged them not to allow overnight visits.

Keshel identified several issues within the system: some judges lack education on domestic violence, court-appointed officials who are "making massive amounts of money exploiting these families," and a disconnect between family court and the Department of Child Safety (DCS).

"DCS is going, 'Oh, we don't wanna go there.' So they just kind of back off," Keshel explained regarding custody situations. "And then these parents who are trying, and it's not just moms, there are moms and dads that I've met who are trying to protect their kids, are just being disregarded, and then things, bad things are happening."

Winn acknowledged having previously led a group called "Pathcore Parents" that advocated for court reform, noting recent cases where children in DCS care had died. She also mentioned that Katie Hobbs had removed security for DCS workers, creating additional dangers in an already difficult job.

Karrin Taylor Robson: A Business-Minded Approach to Arizona's Governorship

Arizona gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson, a Mesa native with over 30 years of private sector experience, joined the program to discuss her campaign priorities and vision for the state's future.

Border Security and Economic Recovery

When asked about her top priority if elected governor, Robson was clear: "My number one priority is the border and the safety and security of our communities." She noted that her endorsement from President Trump stems from his confidence that she "will have his back when it comes to our border."

Robson didn't mince words about current Governor Katie Hobbs' economic record, citing a recent report showing Arizona has fallen from "number one in the nation in job growth to number 47" in less than three years.

"You have to work to have such a precipitous decline," she remarked. "How do you go from number one, which is what Governor Ducey did, to number 47 under Governor Hobbs?"

Drawing on her executive experience with DMB, where she served as Executive Vice President, Robson expressed confidence in her ability to quickly reverse this trend: "I already have people reaching out to me wanting to come and invest in Arizona and are very much looking forward to a return of a business-oriented governor."

She compared her approach to President Trump's, noting how quickly he addressed border issues upon taking office: "Within days, within days, he secured our border. He closed the border and we went from thousands and thousands of people crossing that border every day to essentially zero."

Education Reform with Focus on Third Grade Reading

Beyond economic and border issues, Robson emphasized her commitment to education reform, particularly focusing on third-grade reading proficiency.

"I want your listeners, I want every teacher, every student, every parent, every grandparent in this state to understand the importance of third grade reading," she stated passionately.

She explained the critical nature of this educational milestone: "We spend the first three years of school teaching our kids how to read, and then we spend the rest of our lives reading to learn. So if you don't know how to read at third grade level when you go into fourth grade, you're gonna continue to fall behind."

Robson plans to implement policies similar to those in Mississippi, where focusing on reading fundamentals has produced impressive results: "They went back to the basics and the science of reading. Their reading scores have gone through the roof. High school graduation rates have improved. Dropout rates have improved. And along the way, their math scores have improved."

She also expressed support for school choice, drawing on her experience as a mother of four children who each had different educational pathways through "public school, public charter school, private school."

Housing Affordability and Collaborative Leadership

Robson criticized Hobbs' moratorium on growth in rapidly expanding cities like Queen Creek and Buckeye, arguing this policy has directly contributed to Arizona's housing affordability crisis.

"When you constrain the supply of housing and you have demand, the price of housing goes up," she explained. "People in the expensive apartments, the class A apartments can't afford it. They have to go to class B and the people in the B apartments, they can't afford it anymore. So they go to C. And what happens to people in the C apartments who can't afford it? They go to the streets."

When asked how she would balance her conservative values with the need to work with cities that lean Democratic, Robson highlighted her career-long experience building coalitions:

"True conservative leadership means standing firm on your principles, but also knowing how to build coalitions and solve problems and get things done," she said. "My professional career, since graduated from law school, has been at the local level. And that's where collaboration, in particular in land use, where you often have competing interests, stakeholders from property owners, to neighbors, to business interests, you have to create an environment for collaboration to solve complex problems."

Smith and Winn: Crime in Washington D.C. and Tucson

Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association, joined Kathleen Winn to discuss President Trump's initiative to address crime in Washington D.C. and similar challenges facing Tucson.

Trump's D.C. Crime Initiative Takes Effect

The discussion began with updates on President Trump's recently announced plan to take federal control of the Washington D.C. Metro Police Department. "After President Trump's press conference with his fantastic team, talking about how the federal government, legally and constitutionally, are going to take temporary control of the Washington, D.C. Metro Police Department, today we already have video of National Guard members arriving in Washington, D.C.," Smith reported.

She highlighted concerns about leadership within the D.C. police department, noting that during a recent press conference, Police Chief Pamela Smith appeared unfamiliar with basic law enforcement concepts: "A reporter asked, Chief Smith, what is the chain of command going to be? And she didn't know what that meant. She literally said to the reporter, what is chain of command? She said, what does that mean?"

Smith characterized Smith as "a DEI hire" who previously served as chief diversity officer, arguing this prioritization of diversity over competence has contributed to D.C.'s crime problems.

The effectiveness of Trump's initiative was quickly apparent, with Brantner-Smith noting: "Members of the National Guard hit the streets last night accompanied by the FBI and the DEA officers... The multi-agency effort, which they're dubbing Operation Making D.C. Safe and Beautiful... netted 37 arrests last night. Just one night... yielded four narcotics charges and the seizure of 11 illegal guns."

She also addressed concerns about crime statistics manipulation in D.C., explaining that "it's a well-known fact, and their police union president talked about this in the national media... that the crimes, the crime stats in Washington, D.C. are manipulated." As an example, she described how armed robberies might be downgraded to simple thefts to artificially reduce violent crime statistics.

Smith reported that the D.C. Metro Police Department is currently short about 900 officers despite covering only 10 square miles, resulting in approximately 2 million hours of overtime. This staffing crisis has led the police union president to welcome federal assistance: "The police union president is running around the media this morning and saying, bring it, bring in the FBI, bring in the National Guard. We need help."

Tucson's Crime Crisis and Transit Issues

The conversation then shifted to Tucson's crime challenges, with Smith citing recent statistics: "Just this week, five murders and six shootings reported. The Tucson Police Department has recorded 79 violent crimes occurring since January 1st."

She listed numerous recent incidents: "We had an aggravated assault at Fort Lowell and Palo Verde. We had another aggravated assault on Sixth Ave. We had an aggravated assault on West River Road. This is all just within the last few days. We had a robbery on Wattmore. We had assaults on Houghton, on East Lee Street, on El Rio. We had a robbery on Sixth Street."

A significant portion of the discussion focused on violence associated with Tucson's free bus system. Winn cited a recent headline: "For at least the fifth time in six months, authorities are investigating a violent attack either on a bus or near a transit stop in Tucson related to the bus stops." She described a stabbing incident at the Ronstad Center in downtown Tucson, noting this location has been the site of multiple violent incidents.

Despite calls from "bus riders and bus drivers" to end the free fares policy, which many believe is "attracting the homeless and criminals," the Tucson City Council recently voted to maintain free bus service. Only two council members, Paul Cunningham and Nikki Lee, supported reinstating fares.

Winn expressed frustration with this decision, noting the city was previously generating "$11 million a year off our bus system" that now must be covered by taxpayers.

Smith connected these issues to broader enforcement challenges: "We've got police officers, short staffed as they are, willing to do the job, Kathleen, trying to stop this crime. But we have a prosecutor who really doesn't wanna send people to jail. And that's a problem because it's pointless to arrest people if they're not going to get punished for their crimes."

Both Winn and Smith urged Tucson residents to engage with city leadership on these issues: "People need to go to the city council meetings, they need to contact their city council member in their ward, and you can also contact the mayor's office and say, 'Hey, we're really tired of this. We're tired of hearing about crime. We're tired of being a crime victim.'"