I joined Phoenix radio station KJZZ-FM's Here and Now show to talk about Arizona's Senate and congressional races, including Congressional District 8, earlier today. Click here to hear the show.

Arizona Republic columnist Robert Robb continues to unpack the grand-jury revelations from last week:

The most disturbing aspect of the grand jury transcripts is the lack of any evidence in support of the bribery charge brought against Judge Gary Donahoe.

Thomas and Arpaio charged Donahoe with bribery on Dec. 9. In response to criticism, they kept saying that they had plenty of evidence to support the charge and were eager to present it.

Well, whatever they had was presented to the grand jury on January 4, through testimony by the sheriff's chief deputy, David Hendershott. There was nothing.

Bribery requires a specific person to make a specific offer. So, who offered a bribe to Donahoe? Hendershott didn't say. What did the bribe consist of? Hendershott didn't say. Did Donahoe solicit a bribe from anyone? There was nothing to even remotely indicate that in Hendershott's testimony.

Without a bribe, all that's left are decisions Donahoe made that Thomas and Arpaio thought improper or wrong. Making improper or wrong decisions is not a criminal offense.

The grand jury transcript exposes the Donahoe criminal charges as a naked attack on the independence of the judiciary.

Read the whole thing here.

The Tillman Story Trailer from Blurb Books on Vimeo.

Let's hope The Tillman Story comes to the Loft Cinema.

Well, it wouldn't be a Republican primary if Sarah Palin didn't somehow get involved.

Robert Mayer, the former Tucson Tea Party activist who is now backing Jonathan Paton in the Congressional District 8 race against Jesse Kelly, has posted two videos in which Kelly busts on St. Sarah for endorsing too many moderates.

Kelly responds via email: "Taping me will still not distract voters from Paton's record of voting for big-spending budgets and against tort reform."

Espresso Pundit wonders if it's enough to bring Sarah to CD8 in support of Paton. Even the right Facebook post could be the game changer the former state lawmaker needs in a tight race that will decide the Republican nominee to face Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. It would surely get the TV stations to pay attention to the race on the final weekend.

Mayer's second video after the jump.

Brewer shoots down Goddard's call for a half-dozen debates:

"The voters of Arizona know who Governor Jan Brewer is and her record of accomplishments over the past 28 years.

"Similarly, the voters of Arizona know who Terry Goddard is and his 30-year record of failures: Wrong on Prop 200, wrong on SB1070, wrong on Obamacare, wrong on English Language Learners, just to name a few.

"Now Mr. Goddard wants to weigh in on the issues. Where has he been? For over a year, the Governor has challenged Goddard to provide a definitive plan to help resolve Arizona's fiscal crisis. She challenged him to join her in supporting Prop 100. His response? 'It’s not my job.'

"Terry Goddard is Obama's Arizona apostle.

"Governor Brewer will participate in the televised debate sponsored by the Clean Elections Commission on September 1st. The scheduling of any possible future debates will be revisited after that time. In the meantime, we anticipate that Mr. Goddard will use his campaign funds to try to redefine 30-year record of failure. We look forward to seeing his TV commercials in the weeks to come."

Here's the Conservatives for Congress ad busting on Republican Jonathan Paton that we talked about yesterday. Check out what's written on Paton's sash.

Paton spokesman Daniel Scarpinato:

Jonathan thought a caricature in the Weekly was flattering, but a marionette? Wow. If this group's phony push poll were even remotely accurate, why would they still be attacking Jonathan Paton? People who live in glass puppet houses shouldn't throw stones.

Jill Lawrence profiles U.S. Sen. John McCain for Politics Daily:

Then I ask him about Sen. Lindsey Graham's remark to The New York Times, that Graham understands his friend's moves away from risky past positions because "John's got a primary. He's got to focus on getting re-elected."

McCain interrupts me. "Lindsey knows that I don't change in my positions," he says. "I have not changed in my positions. I know how popular it is for the Eastern press to paint me as having changed positions. That's not true. I know they're going to continue to say it. It's fundamentally false. Not only am I sure that they'll say it, you'll say it. You'll write it. And I've just grown to accept that."

Fortunately, I have saved the trust question for last in my six-minute encounter with McCain. What would you say, I ask, to Republicans who wonder if they can trust you? "We gotta go," Buchanan says, as McCain says, "Oh come on, come on, come on," and Buchanan continues with "Jill, come on, come on," and McCain is getting into the car.

"You're not answering?" I ask through the protests. "I'll answer," he says, turning toward me. "I'll say I'm proud of my record, I'm proud of my leadership, I'm proud of leading the fight against the stimulus package and Obamacare and the leadership role I played in the Senate and with Republicans. And they're very happy with me. Call Mitch McConnell or Jon Kyl or anybody else."

I thank him for answering the question, which addresses a central argument Hayworth is making against him. But Buchanan still has things to say, the gist being that integrity and honor are the most important things to John McCain, and how can I even ask him about trust?

Read the whole thing here.

Democrat Terry Goddard is challenging Gov. Jan Brewer to a half-dozen debates. Guess that means he believes she'll beat Matthew Jette next week.

Here's the release from the Goddard campaign:

Attorney General Terry Goddard today issued a challenge to Jan Brewer, calling for six public debates in locations across Arizona before the General Election on November 2, 2010.

"I propose Jan Brewer step up with me and debate the issues that matter most to Arizonans. In these incredibly difficult times, the people of our State deserve answers, not just sound bites," said Attorney General Terry Goddard.

Full text of the challenge letter can be read here. In it, Goddard voices the concerns of many Arizonans that our State is plummeting downhill. He wrote,

"Arizona is facing critical decisions that will affect each and every Arizonan for better or worse for decades. Arizona's budget deficit for this fiscal year is over a billion dollars while thousands are struggling to find or keep jobs. Arizonans are seeing their homes go into foreclosure and their neighborhoods deteriorate. Our schools rank among the worst and funds for vital social services have been cut or eliminated. The tourism industry has been seriously damaged and many our greatest treasures - our parks - are closed."

Goddard's challenge includes a proposed schedule of debate topics and locations that touch

A spokeswoman for California Pizza Kitchen said this morning that the company is opening a location at the Tucson Mall. An opening date has not been set, but the restaurant is expected to start hiring sometime this fall.

It should be noted that the restaurant serves far more than pizza. Recent additions to the menu include Korean barbecue tacos and clam linguini with a lemon-cream sauce. The cocktails don't look bad, either.

The Tucson Weekly, the alternative to bland daily journalism in the Sonoran Desert, has partnered with GoTime.com to launch a definitive Tucson Happy-Hour Guide—on the Web (happyhours.tucsonweekly.com), on mobile Web (hh.tucsonweekly.com) and as apps for the iPhone, Android and Blackberry.

“This Weekly happy-hours app may just change my life,” said Tucson Weekly editor Jimmy Boegle. “Now, when I want to find the nearest cheap booze, all I need to do is click on the app on my smart phone, and it’ll tell me where to go using GPS technology—so I can get my drink on as quickly as possible!”

The Tucson Happy-Hour Guide has up-to-date listings of happy-hour offerings from bars, clubs and restaurants across the Old Pueblo. As of now, some 150 happy hours are listed—with more being added on a constant basis.

More good news: The Tucson Happy-Hour Guide apps and sites don’t only work in Tucson; they also work in 50 other cities around the country. GoTime.com’s extensive database currently includes more than 25,000 happy hours across the United States.

The Tucson Happy-Hour Guide is completely free for both users and the listed bars and restaurants. Businesses that are not listed, or that want to make changes to their happy-hour information, can e-mail [email protected] or contact the Tucson Weekly.

“We have amazing bars and restaurants in Tucson,” said Tucson Weekly advertising manager Jill A’Hearn. “This happy-hour guide does a fantastic job of showing off the great deals they’re offering.”