♪ Music Playing ♪ >> Coming up next on "Arizona Horizon", we'll speak with Arizona secretary of state Adrien Fontes about President trump's call to nationalize elections, we'll hear about a recently recognized form of dementia increase big being diagnosed.

And we'll meet the 2026 Arizona teacher of the year who found her passion in special education, those stories and more next on "Arizona Horizon."

>> "Arizona Horizon" is made possible by the friends of Arizona PBS, members of your public television station.

>> Welcome to "Arizona Horizon.

I am Ted Simons, president trump recently said he wants to, quote, nationalize the voting with the focus on, quote, 15 places, which left it unclear if he was referring to state, counties, or cities.

There is much unclear about the president's call to nationalize elections leading to concerns he'll try to interfere with the upcoming elections.

Joining us now is Arizona secretary of state.

Adrien Fontes.

Thanks for joining us.

>> Thanks for having me back.

>> I want to get to exactly what he said.

We'll hear from him.

Your thoughts on just the idea of a president nationalizing elections.

>> Well, there is nothing more unamerican.

That's just not how the country was built.

It's not what the contusion says, it's not how we America, America.

At this stage, I am disappointed that there are so many people that are just kind of going along with what he says.

There should be a human cry from every corner, particularly constitutional originalists, this should offense their sensibilities.

>> Let's hear exactly what the president said.

This was on a Podcast.

>> And they vote illegally, amazing that the Republicans are tougher on it.

The Republicans should say we want to take over.

We should take over the voting at least many, 15 places the Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.

>> The question is, what power, if any, does the president have in this particular arena?

>> Well, if you ask the constitution the answer is none.

If you ask the president, I don't know, you would probably get a better answer from the dementia doctor who is coming up about what's going on his mind.

He doesn't have any power here.

And but what he does is influence over a whole bunch of folks who he mentioned that he should not have.

And people should be very concerned about this.

I mean, he didn't even know what he was talking about many, many places, many -- we don't know.

And leadership matters in this country.

And he is the leader, duly elected, and he needs to start acting like it.

>> Elections claws, 10th amendment, no mention of a role for the president.

>> None, anywhere.

When it comes to this thing.

This is a state function.

And the States are sovereign in this federal republic and we just want to do our jobs without interference from the white house.

>> I want to get your reaction to something else he has said, and this is back in 2022.

>> Sure.

>> This is a quote, a massive fraud of this type, and he's talking about 2020, and magnitude allows for the determination of all rules, regulations and articles, even those found in the constitution.

That gets your attention, did you want it?

>> Well, it raises the hair on the back of my neck because those are the words of a dictator.

Not a dually elected president in a democracy where the people are supposed to have the power.

What he's saying is the notion of due process and the rule of law, can be suspended based on the opinion of somebody.

That's now how we do this.

We don't go guy somebody's opinion to suspends rules.

There are processes and procedures for everything that we do.

And that's because by design, the rule of law is superior to the opinion of any one person in this free society.

>> But why do we keep hearing about this, courts, audits, his own former attorney general.

>> Because dawned trump can't get over it.

He can't be man enough toed a mit that he lost 2020 fair and square.

Look, Ted, I was on that exact same ballot with Donald trouble itch lost my election and I don't complain about it.

The voters had a different opinion than reelecting me.

They had the exact same opinion about him.

But he's still hung up on this thing like some spoiled little rich kid that didn't get his way.

Until he lets it go, until he grows up and lets it go, heel here about these mythologies.

>> Among the things unsubstantiated the continued idea there was white spread fraud that 2020.

There is all the thought that voter roles are not being kept up, aren't being kept clean, monitored.

You have been criticized for that.

>> Yeah.

And my teams criticized unfairly.

The counties criticized unfairly.

Let me break some news right here on your show, Ted, exactly on this point.

Some folks criticized we use Eric are the electron Inning information system that helps a multi-state voter roll check through the system at the end of January my office referred 25 cases for prosecution to the Attorney General's Office, because we know the system works, it's part of the Arizona voters first act that we propose this is the way we do it.

And among those actually 28 cases, 25 of these vehicles voted out of Arizona and then voted in Arizona.

It took us time to get all the research done, check the signatures and make sure that we are talking about the same folks because they take it seriously.

We use these systems that our friends on the other side of the political spectrum criticize.

We use them to actually update and maintain our voter rolls.

In fact, we have got some voters that we found through the Eric system that we would not have any other way to find them and now we are using them to continue to maintain the rolls.

The systems we use work.

The people that say we don't use them, like the president, are lying.

>> The systems take how long?

This is an interesting story.

How long did it take to find these folks?

>> Once we get past the election, and we get through sort of getting these into the anonymized data up in to Eric.

It's a multi state system, we get the anonymized data back it takes time and it's okay because we want to get it right.

We got well over 300 possible cases.

We went through and did due diligence on any one.

25 voted out of Arizona and then voted in Arizona.

They have been referred to the attorney general and that's up to the law enforcement folks to take care of.

>> I gotta ask, the other three, were things involved there that were -- >> The other thing, two were double voters inside Arizona and one of them was someone who voted a ballot for someone else who had been deceased.

>> And the Eric system then worked in this particular case what if someone says 25, 20 a, come on now, there was much more fraud.

>> I'll testimony the same thing I told mark Finchem when we were running against each other years ago.

Show me the evidence.

Somebody says like the president says there are millions of people who are voting.

Show us the evidence.

Show me the names.

Show me the votes that were cast.

Show me the ballots that were issued to these ineligible or illegal voters and no one mass produced an ounce of evidence to back up then claims.

Here is the problem with that.

People are trying to make voting harder.

To try to limit the scope of access to the ballot because of the unsubstantiated claims, but there is no facts to back up the unsubstantiated claims.

So what you are doing, is you are limiting voter access, which is voter supression, based on what?

Rumors.

Innuendo.

Grievance from one person.

So all of the calls that we have, be for all of this extra scrutiny in our elections, which, by the way, I have just shown you, we already maintain real well.

They are coming from lies.

And that's what hurts our voters and that's what I am fighting against.

>> As far as, again, the folks that were prosecuted and the idea that they were doing something wrong here and you have referred to the Attorney General's Office, Democrats, Republicans, on?

What do we know about the people?

>> I am sure that we have that information.

I don't.

Because I don't care.

These are folks who utilized our system, in a way that I think was wrong enough that I have referred the case to the attorney general.

Politics is not part of this.

This is election administration with integrity and with honor.

And if somebody is abusing our system and we have the evidence to push it forward to refer for prosecution, again, I am not a law enforcement agency.

I don't do that, we leave that to Kris Mayes and her folks and I will do that.

The point here that I want to make is this, anyone that's accusing my folks, my staff, county recorders across the State, no matter what party they are with, they are accusing us of not paying attention to our voter rolls and enforcing the law.

They are dead wrong.

And they are lying.

And they need to be held accountable for making people afraid that our voter rolls are not well maintained.

>> Real quickly before you go.

Equal is having problems again what is it and why do you keep hearing about?

EQUAL is a way that voters can sign petitions to get can bats on the ballot.

Last sum we are we had the hack we think from the Iranians we put security under shaky old servers that have not been updated and up kept for years and years, even though we have asked for the funding.

That happened to get a lot shaky.

And we had a company of hours of outage, we brought it back up and everything is working fine now, this exposes a weakness in the system and that is that the security measures that we have put on top of it, are forcing too much weight onto the underlying architecture.

Which has been underfunded perennial by the legislature, we have asked the joint legislative budget committee to fund us and they have continuously refused.

And they say they want secure elections, they say they want systems that work but they are not funding them.

So I am asking for the joint legislative budget committee to get the money they allocated for CD7 special lex last year that we did not use and put it in to use for us now to shore up these systems, it's a budget neutral ask.

We just want to do our jobs.

We hope the joints legislative budget committee can come through.

>> I want to you respond that Republicans are questioning again your competence and seriousness when something like that pops up.

Especially with something that happen previously.

>> I have told them for years it will happen.

I have all the receipts, I have been telling them this is a possibility and now they want to blame me for the problem.

They don't want to blame themselves for not funding us to get it done right.

But I have the receipts.

They are deflecting because they know that they are wrong.

They know the money is there, and they don't want us to succeed for political reasons.

They don't care about the voters like they say they do.

And I am very firm in this.

I have been warning them for years.

These systems need to be updated and they have been denying us the funding to get it done.

>> If the revenue neutral funding doesn't come over to your side or the side that you think needs to go into this equal system.

Are you concerned about the primaries?

>> I have been asking for the money to improve these systems since day one.

>> Should we be concerned?

>> Yeah.

And you should be concerned enough to call your legislators and say get that money to the secretary's technicians so that they can actually shore up these systems, so that they work for us, the voters.

It's not my money.

And by the way, is whoever is the secretary of state after November, is -- if these are not fixed will inherit these problems anyway.

And it's too late to get new systems.

We are just buttresses what exists now.

This entire system needs to be replaced.

And that is also part of our regular budget ask.

>> Secretary of state Adrien Fontes, a lot to talk about here, good to have you.

Thanks for joining us.

>> Thanks for having me.

>> Yes, ma'am.

>> Welcome to check please, Arizona the show where Arizona residents recommend their favorite restaurants in this episode we are doing Braun were, barbecue and tacos.

>> I love the atmosphere.

I think every time I go I notice something new.

>> The show stopper for us was brisket.

>> Me too.

>> So good.

>> When you have the bone marrow and they pour the shot.

>> Yeah.

>> Did you do it?

>> I didn't.

[ Laughter ] >> I was with my children.

>> Watch Thursday at 7:00 p.m.

on Arizona PBS.

♪ Music Playing ♪ >> Flagstaff, home to Arizona's highest trails and some of the most unique landscapes in the south west.

These mountain ecosystems are rare and fragile, yet full of life.

Out here hike isn't just about reaching the summit.

It's about experiencing beauty that can only be found where the earth meets the sky.

Watch Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

on Arizona PBS.

>> A recently-recognized form of dementia is increasingly being diagnosed it's called late dementia and estimated to affect about a third of people aged 85 and older and 10% of those 65 and older.

To learn more, we welcome Dr.

Shaw, a geriatrician at Mayo Clinic Arizona.

Good to see you again.

>> Great to be here.

>> Late -- we are not talking late stage dementia.

>> No.

>> It's an acronym, L-A-T-E.

>> The "L" is limbic predominant the part of the brain it affects the "A" where they made the acronym from late is age related we see it a lot in patients above 80s, 90s, 100s.

Much less so in younger patients.

The TBP43 the protein that has issues and causes the problems, and "E" is encephalopathy for the dementia.

Late dementia.

>> How does it compare to Alzheimer's disease.

>> We have never had the ability to diagnose this very well.

With Alzheimer's disease, now that there are knew case of diagnosing it, both in terms of amyloid scans or blood tests or medications that are directed at amyloid.

We are now find that go people we thought for sure they have Alzheimer's disease, it's short-term memory leading the way.

That we do the scans and we find out there is no amyloid in the brain or very little amyloid.

So there must be something else going on.

Hence the hunt for what is this other thing that looks like Alzheimer's disease but is not.

And they found this protein, this TDP43 protein that gloms on no the cells and causes problems and affects slightly different areas than Al hypers disease does but haves Haaland as overlap because both afternoon the hippo campus the short-term memory part of the brain.

>> It sounded like on its own late, slower in developing, not quite as severe, but when you a say when it overlaps with Alzheimer's it's an accelerator.

>> Exactly, exactly.

So late is a very slow decline, very much focused in on short-term memory.

And much later the other things if at all for patients because it happens in later age.

But when we see patients whereunder autopsy studies where we find both Al hypers pathology with amyloid plaques and tangles and we see this TDP43 protein aggregates, that those patients seem to have had a really aggressive and quick decline with their dementia.

>> Interesting.

As far as treatment now, I mean, there has to be Alzheimer's patients right now who don't have Alzheimer's they have late.

They have to be out there somewhere.

How does the treatment diver?

>> So right now there are not any FDA approved treatments.

But there is a lot of interest in it.

Number one is maybe some of the reasons why some Al hypers disease trials and drug trials are not successful is we are treating patient with late dementia with Alzheimer's drugs so they won't work because they don't have the amyloid problems, a lot of focus making the diagnosis accurately.

And so we don't have that yet.

Other than looking at someone's slides after they have passed away underneath a meek scope of their brain cuttings.

So they are working on just like we have amyloid scans now, to figure out if we can do a TDP43 scan or such tests.

Which would then help us to figure out, oh, this person shouldn't get the Alzheimer's treatments because they would be harmful to them.

And then lots of interesting work going on in trying to figure out some effective treatments but nothing that's FDA approved, nothing ready for patients yet.

>> Maybe heart medication being tested?

>> They are trying some heart met indications and other things and mouse trials and other things, but nothing that's really specific to this protein and to the things that we -- what we would say is a really effective treatment.

It's going to take years for us to say, oh, if we diagnose this, this is a treatment.

However, it's really important prognosticly to patients and their families.

And an emphasis, from my perspective, as a geriatrician if we think it's late dimension I focus my education on memory aids and short-term memory because that's the focus and educating families this may take a long and slow decline wrath than the resistent decline.

>> Back to the clinical trials because I find it fascinate that go can be an encouraging thing to Alzheimer's research, couldn't it in if you weed out the things that shouldn't be in there maybe the treatments are more effective than we thought.

>> That's very true.

Maybe 30% or so of the people who we thought had Alzheimer's didn't.

If it you do the testing this person has also timers.

For patients who are in brain studies where they have donated their brains to science afterwards and you look at it so often we are like we could have swore this was Alzheimer's based on our neuropsychological test and the short-term memory problems and there is no Alzheimer's pathology there and this is really helping us to be able to explain that huge cap are gap.

When you talk about the slow decline, as opposed to steam.

It's still a decline.

End stage, Alzheimer's has some -- as you well know, just really rough edge stage.

Is it as rough with late?

>> It can be especially when there is other pathology going okay the challenge for a lot of these patients is because a lot of people in their 80s, 90s, and 100s is that there is other health risks that they have.

You know, because of their advanced age.

So it's sometimes hard to tease it out.

But it looks very similar in the most advanced stages.

It's just in the earlier stages, there is less of the other features we see with Alzheimer's disease and so it's still tends to be more short-term memory oriented.

>> I was going say -- >> For a longer time.

>> And the psychosis that comes with at hypers I imagine maybe less with this?

>> Perhaps.

It's hard.

We don't have as many trials, but because of the inability to date to make the diagnosis is definitive stamp.

>> Last question quickly here, this is an odd way to encourage -- is this in an odd way encouraging?

>> I think it is, the more specificity that we can have in terms of dementia diagnoses helps in therapeutics, prognostication which I think is really important for family hads and loved ones and the patients themselves.

How long do I have?

When will I get to the point of needing to be in a nursing home or being fully dependent on others for care.

It's really quite helpful because, you know, because that's the first step we can make a diagnosis, then the next step is finding treatments that will work.

And if we skip the steps, as we may have done can amyloid therapies we made end up with muddy data that leads on us longer and longer stretch.

>> Dr.

Shaw, again geriatrician Mayo Clinic Arizona, always a pleasure good to have you here.

>> Great to be here, thank you.

♪ Music Playing ♪ ♪ Music Playing ♪ >> Arizona educational foundation recently announced its 2026 teacher of the year, she is Tiffani Jaseph who teaches special education, at copper view elementary school in the school district south of Tucson think we welcome the 2026 Arizona teach everybody of the year, Tiffani, congratulations to you.

>> Thank you so much.

Thank you.

>> What -- when you first heard about it what was your reaction, what did you think?

>> I describe it as kind of a moment that stood still.

I just -- it was just absolutely incredible.

And I hugged my friend Tyler next to me and just kind of let out a cry.

And then I just -- it was just overwhelming gratitude.

>> And overtime now you have to adjust, you are a big deal now, overtime, you have become big.

Your thoughts on the recognition?

>> It's just such an honor.

And I love that I get the opportunity to have a voice for my students and my families because as you saw, I teach special education and so it's just like an honor to be able to share about them and to continue learning as well.

>> How did you get into teach something.

>> I just knew it was something that I wanted to do.

So back when I was, you know, in college, I decided I wanted to be a teacher, just never looked back.

>> Yeah.

But general education first, then kind of morphed into special education.

>> Yes.

>> Which is a special calling.

>> Yes.

>> It's so cool that you are getting this honor.

Why did you make the move?

>> Honestly I think that's the key word there is calling.

It was just something that I was interested in.

So I got my master's in special education, and from there wanted to put it into practice.

And I just -- I fell in love with it.

And I really just wanted to help the students who were more underserved and who just need more.

>> The differences in teaching general education students and special education students, there is a difference?

>> There is.

>> What are the differences?

>> The main thing is that in special education, everything is more individualized.

And so my main curriculum isn't necessarily the State standards.

It's what they need to get to these state standards.

So I am looking beyond the curriculum and I am seeing what is it they need.

How can I help them to access the general education classroom.

Some of my students don't speak Some of my students are in wheelchairs.

It's about inventiveness, it's about being as creative as possible to meet their needs.

>> I would imagine it's also about making sure that there is a general education contact there that -- it's accessible, that they are not just over here, but they are also in the entire school.

>> Absolutely.

So my school is a model school honestly for what inclusion can look like.

>> Yeah.

>> So do I my best to work with the general education teachers.

And my inclusion assistance, the ladies that work with me to help the students they do that as well.

To help them get access, how can we make it look, where can we fit the student on is works best.

We want them to engage with their peers my students are a part of the community just like everyone else.

>> You mentioned you are strength-based instruction tailored to diverse learning styles, that's that one-on-one theme, isn't it.

>> Absolutely.

Looking to see what can we do to help them learn.

How can we make this accessible for them.

>> I notice aid couple of quotes here that I want to you comment on, these are such special quotes.

Your number one curriculum is lover.

>> Absolutely.

Absolutely.

>> Explain, please.

>> I don't believe students can learn unless they feel safe and valued and emotionally and physically regulated.

If they come to a place they feel loved it will make them happy and want to learn and open all the doors for them.

>> That's evening for students with problems communicate and problems even with their emotions.

>> Especially for them honestly Those things can lead to behavior problems, they need to know that they are with a teacher that loves them, and he can make mistakes and it's a new day.

>> We can move on.

>> You want your kids to know that they have a place in the world.

Boy, is that important for these kids.

>> Absolutely.

Justice because they may have been born different or have different needs doesn't take away from the fact that they deserve to be a part of the world and be included.

>> Family, parents, probably a little more contact with them than in general education.

>> Absolutely.

I honestly because of my program I can have students for years if they come in kinder I might have them through fifth grade.

>> That's right.

>> I create meaningful relationships with the families I consider them part of my circle I can text them, they can text me.

We are a team and it's amazing.

>> That's so important for the kids to have that continuity.

>> It would seem like it would be.

>> They.

And they know if I ever a student month might be getting in trouble.

They know I will call mom or dad.

And we are on the same team.

>> Yeah.

All right, so now you are the Arizona teacher of the year, a candidate for national teacher of the year.

You are going to get a week-long trip to the space camp in Alabama, correct?

>> Correct.

>> You get an honorary doctorate from NAU.

Doctor, congratulations.

And you get to throw out a first pitch at a Diamondbacks game.

>> Yes.

>> That's a lot going on.

>> I will practice for my throw [ Laughter ] >> Good for you.

And you getting to Washington for the national.

I think you have a good shot at it.

Scott kids -- I questions some do and some know so much realize that their teacher is special.

>> I don't know if they truly do understand, right?

But I think that they -- for the students and their family I think they know something special hand especially when we had guests come in and record us.

I think they had an idea.

But to them I am just miss Tiffany.

>> Last question here, you are Arizona's teacher of the area.

Teachers are having a tough time of it this days, what's your message to teacher?

>> Just do your best to listen to your heart and follow your heart and to believe in what you do.

Because we truly are making a difference.

And just don't let the hard days won.

>> Yeah.

Yeah.

Tiffani, 2026, Arizona teacher of the year, congratulations.

>> Thank you so much.

>> We are proud of you.

Great job.

>> Thank you.

>> And that is it for now, I am Ted Simons, thank you so much for joining us you have a great evening.

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