>> Ted: What's ahead for the November general election and that's next on Arizona horizon.

Good evening and welcome to Arizona horizon.

I'm Ted Simons and fall-out continues over The FBI search of former President Trump's Florida residence.

Attorney general mayor garland to seal the search warrant from the FBI action at Mar-a-Lago and trump and his lawyers can unseal the details of the search.

If they do, a judge will rule on that tomorrow.

As for Garland, he said today, the search was his decision after making the required finding that a crime had possibly been committed.

>> I personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter.

Second, the department does not take such a decision lightly.

Where possible, it is standard practice to seek less intrusive means to scope any search undertaken.

>> Ted: The "New York Times" reported that the justice department issued a subpoena to trump back in the spring in regards to the classified documents and investigators believed trump improperly removed from the White House and suggests the justice department tried other methods to retrieve the documents before sending FBI agents on this unannounced search.

Allies say the subpoena proves trump and his team were in some way cooperating.

A new study shows the arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the planet and it's been warming at this rate for the past few decades and researchers say heat trapping emissions from the burning of fossil fuels is causing ash arctic amplification and this is recorded from 1979 through 2021.

>> Economic news, mortgage rates are up 5% and comes from Freddie Mac and interest rates hitting highest levels since June and there are signs that the housing market is starting to stabilize.

And the price of gas continues to drop and national average for a gallon of regular gas is below $4 following a high of $5 a gallon in June and one reason is a price in demand as folks are driving less because they don't want to apply pay high prices at the pumps.

>>> The board of supervisors is set to canvas this election on Monday and for an overview and what to expect in November's general election, we welcome Steven Richard.

Eight days to compete and what is that above or below average?

>> Below average and the vast, vast majority of ballots and that's faster than average, as well, and the thing that we did this year that we're proud of, every single early ballot by Sunday, before election day Tuesday, over 600,000, we had ready to release at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday election night.

>> Ted: We had 867, 868 and the highest level for a primary?

>> Most participants ever for a primary.

>> Republican Democrat, and republicans increased?

>> Yes, but we'll break those numbers down in the canvas and have not digested all of those yet and we're happy with how things went and like I said, a lot of people voted.

>> Ted: The board canvass Monday and for those that are not sure, explain that.

>> How they voted, where they voted, what went well and what well, and if you're interested, this is dry and the place to go and always encourage people to tune in and a lot of information about the elections if you look for it and we try to make this accessible on our website, but there is really the core of it.

>> Ted: Right.

And any problems on election day at election centers?

>> So assessed by the usual rubric of long lines, it was a success.

We had 210 on election day opened on time for all 27 days of the voting period.

Additionally, we didn't have any lines until the end of the day and right before about 7:00 p.m., we got a crush of people in anthem and surprise.

So a few lines that built up around that time, and otherwise, to lines.

>> Ted: Any reports of intimidation or stolen pens, which we were hearing a lot about?

>> We did.

We had a report of stolen pens and prompted the county attorney, thou now steal the county's prompt and how we handed the pens out and a speed bump in the day that was otherwise smooth and issues with elections, whether whether printers that go down and a million people participating and this is a high volume affair and things we want to do better.

>> Ted: No reports of intimidation?

>> We have received reports and assessing those, working with the county attorney's office to see if anything worth action.

Importantly, nobody got deterred from voting and that's the most important thing and we've seen that happen in historic years and happen in other counties, in Arizona and that would just break our hearts.

>> Ted: Your biggest concerns going in, what were they?

>> The safety of the voters and workers, top of mind and then explaining to people and I think we did a good job of all of the security mechanisms of ensuring your ballot is accurately and fairly tabulated.

We could have reset expectations of what the process will look like.

We forget that we think about this everyday and it's been two years since most people have gone through a state-wide election.

>> Ted: I've seen criticism that eight days is too long.

>> We did release almost 70% at 8:00 p.m. and what hobbled us, we received 122,000 early ballots dropped off on election day.

>> Ted: That's always the case and why do people do that?

>> Because we're procrastinators.

>> Ted: Every election, please don't do that because it slows things down.

>> I made my wife do it, and you better have that in the mail the next day and we can take it and process it and verify your signature and everyone wants to confirm the identity of the individual voter and that doesn't happen instantaneously.

We have to scan it in and take that signature and compare it and send it to audit queues and only then can we start the.

>> Ted: Did you see this as some kind of a test?

>> Absolutely.

I can't think of a county under more scrutiny than Maricopa county.

We were certainly the bell of the ball and sometimes that brings wonderful things and a lot of encouragement from throughout the country and people from Kansas or Massachusetts who have written in to tell us how they think elections should be done and, of course, elections are local creatures by state law.

>> Ted: Did you feel some, especially in one, the republican party, some that wanted to see problems?

>> I think there have been people looking for criticism the entire time and maybe we disappointed a few of those people and some of them criticized me for the thing in Pinal county.

You know, it's interesting, but I feel for our brothers in arms down there and so that's the type of thing we're trying to forestall again.

>> Ted: Let's talk about the criticism and Steven Richards and the entire board are a team of crooks and Charlottetons and this is election time talk.

How do you take stuff like that?

>> You take it with a bare, I beer, I guess.

This is unfounded and one, you know, what I would say to someone like that, we had republicans involved in all stages of this process.

We had republican observers and the republican party chair who was involved this to process and received high compliments, from the RNC's attorney.

When you're criticizing the election process, we're all involved in the process.

>> Ted: You see Irony.

I remember talking to you and you wanted to depoliticize this office.

Do you see the Irony?

ItIt seems more politicized than ever and coming from the right.

>> I can't imagine people will be lining up to take my job.

[ Laughter ] >> Undoubtedly, someone will run and, you know, it's a hazardous industry now and that is highly unfortunate and I don't think it's a healthy thing for society.

>> Ted: What can be done to make it less hazardous?

Can anything be done to make people think there's less Hankie pangy?

>> We're working to educate and inform.

We're seeing success walking people through the process and the campness which the critics reside.

The people who come to our facility met us as human beings were far less apt to make those criticisms.

>> Ted: What did you learn from last week to put in place or are those two different beasts all together?

>> No, and we'll follow the same basic framework and extend that in anthem and in surprise.

Better forecasts for the public exactly what type of results they can see on election night and in the proceeding days.

>> Ted: Overall, you're pleased with all how things went.

>> We did exceptionally well and we had record-breaking turn-out and served customers well and people had more access than ever before.

You know, if people weren't happy with the results, that's the one thing we can't help you with.

>> Ted: All a pleasure.

Up next, a teacher looks at why test scores in kids of other countries outdoor perform kids in the U.S. A new book on why students in other countries outperform kids in the U.S. on math, science and it's entitled "stealing" from the world's best schools and welcome.

Good to have you.

>> It's a pleasure and honor to be back.

>> Ted: You went aren't world here and toured how many schools looking at how they do things.

>> I visited about 170 schools, and mostly in the 17 highest performing educational countries in The world based on Pisa and this test is a test they give every three years and measures how our students here in America, Rhode Island compares to other countries throughout the world.

We're about number 25 and China is first in math, reading and science.

That's our greatest competitor and that's what they're doing.

>> Ted: What did you see in these schools and I'm focusing on the world "tests" and achieve the in that direction as opposed to innate, creativity, innovation and those things.

>> This test is a special test and not only measures what you actually learn in those subjects, but applications and so, it's a good relative sample to see who is going to lead and innovate in the future and that'sthat's what the Pisa is all about.

>> Ted: So what did you find out there?

>> I found something that Arizona doesn't seem to be doing and as you're well aware, you no longer need a college degree to be here.

So this type of thinking is impossible in a high performing Pisa country.

The quality of the teacher is the post important thing and they recruit from the top five, ten, 15 and, basically, in the top 25% of the university cohort and many of our teachers, unfortunately, come from the bottom 25% of the cohort.

Here is the thing that I want people to understand.

They set the standard, the starting salary of their educational systems at about the same of what a starting engineer would make.

So they then recruit from the cohort of doctors, lawyers, architects and engineers.

>> Ted: They put more on teachers.

>> You can look at facilities and a curriculum and you can look at a professional development, but the teaching force is the most important and for some reason, I hate to say, but Arizona hasn't figured that out.

>> Ted: And we've done enough talk on that subject and I'm green in the face.

>> I know, I've watched them.

>> Ted: Again, are kids in the other countries, what are they learning?

Are they learning to apply what they've been taught to the real world and why is that it kids from all over the country or world want to come to the U.S. in terms of post-secondary education?

You've seen a difference?

>> Yes.

So I'm not here to talk about post-secondary education.

That's the weirdest thing.

Still mostly, we have the best university system in the world and it's the K-12 system that we have gotten so wrong.

>> Ted: What do we do?

Besides paying teachers more, more self-esteem, what do we?

>> In Finland, for every ten applications, one in ten is accepted and any university has that in the U.S., it's impossible.

You won't find it.

So they've created a system where they don't constantly bashing and they pay the teachers and they support the teachers and so, people, those people that want to be doctors and lawyers and things want to be an et educator and they created that environment and we haven't created that.

>> Ted: Stealing from the word'sworld's best schools and what do we steal?

>> If there's anything to understand, I said the greatest problem in America is we're not going out seeing what the best in the world is doing.

Of the 170 schools I visited, on two occasions had they seen an American.

I'm not talking about American tourists.

Researchers and so, where do they see a lot from?

Asia.

Where do they see the most from?

They told me, China.

China is not happy with being number one in math, reading and science.

They want to lead for the future.

We need to see what the best are doing.

Business, industrialized benchmarking, need to go out and see what they're doing.

We are not doing those things and that's why our educational system here looks like the polar opposite and one last thing.

In the United States, I would say we're on our own planetary orbit and I'm sorry to say, but I think Arizona is going down its own black hole.

>> Ted: Stealing from the world's best school and Keith Bauer, good to see you and thank you for your work.

>> Thank you for having me here.

♪♪ >> Satellite river project inviting to apply for a free solar system along with covered parking and joining us is SR the nonprofit and you have a friend here with you, as well.

>> The star of the show and this is bacon.

>> Ted: Bacon just yawned and thanks a lot.

Let's talk and Erica, solar for nonprofit and what is this?

>> SRP is a program we're proud of and this does so much good in the community for not only organizations that receive the systems, but for the whole community and how it works, we have customers who donate to the program and with that money, we actually install solar canopies in their parking lots which contribute solar energy to their energy bills.

Thereby lowering their energy bills.

>> Ted: Are there requirements?

>> Have to be a 501C3 and the SRP service territories in the valley area and in other words, pay their electricity bills to SCP and have a parking space to put that solar coverage structure.

>> Ted: As far as the humane society, how did little bacon get involved?

>> We actually got our solar panels and the support structure installed in march of this year and absolutely amazing.

So the Arizona humane society has an upward of 115 to $130,000 in electricity bills each and every year.

So this is absolutely amazing to not only be able to lower costs so that way we can save more sick and injured pets throughout the valley and do this in a sustainable way.

>> Not only is this helping veterinary clinic while waiting in the cars if they have a naughty child, or like I mentioned with The costs, they'll be able to be saved.

This will save additional 200 patients in puppy ICU or five hundred patients in the bottled baby ICU, orphaned kittens.

>> Ted: They get help with their power and structurally with the covered parking.

>> And reduces covered emissions which is a huge part of it.

>> Ted: In terms of SRP's portfolio, how does that fit?

>> We're on a path to had 205 205 205 megaWatts of power and we've done 53 systems at nonprofits across the valley.

>> Ted: Is there a quota and how does that work?

>> This is completely finished by SRP customers and I have to stress that.

This program would not exist if it were not for customers if they didn't put dollars with their electricity bill, as little as $3 a month can go towards this program and keep it running and keep giving the systems to nonprofits.

>> Ted: Is there a thought of expanding or changing the program and you say go here or how does this work?

>> If go on your you go on your SRP my account, it says are you interested in donating to solar for nonprofits you can elect out much you want to donate or call SRP, of course.

>> Ted: Are there thoughts of expanding the program?

>> I don't know that, but if we get more funding, anything is possible.

[ Laughter ] >> Ted: Anything is possible, including little bacon jumping around.

>> Application period is open and we have to stress that if there's organizations out there hearing this, we would ask that they get the applications in right away as soon as today your tomorrow because it ending August 4th.

14th.

>> Ted: You have to have the parking because if you don't have the space, it won't work.

>> This comes at a premium in Arizona.

>> Ted: How are you doing at the humane society?

>> Amazing!

So as you may know, the summer is ours our busyiest time with cats and kitten and saving pets in the heat and having the support of organizations like SRP to be able to allow saving more than 15,000 sick, injured and abused and naughty kittens like bacon is incredible and as a nonprofit, every dollar counts with the pets in our community.

>> Ted: How long have you been involved and how long ago was that?

>> So they were installed of march of this year and then I believe there are plans for the new campus, as well.

>> Ted: You'll expand?

>> That's right.

>> They applied last year and summertime last year and they got their system march of this year.

>> Ted: Once you apply and accepted, how long of a process does it take?

>> It was under a year, but supply chain and that sort of thing can slow it down, but we go out and it includes two years of free maintenance of the system.

>> Ted: Very good.

Hardwood toGood to have you here and thanks for joining us and that is it for now.

I'm Ted Simons and thank you for joining us.

You have a great evening!