{"podcast":{"title":"Mesa News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now!","slug":"mesa-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7559357","podcast_index_feed_id":7559357,"rss_url":"https://feeds.fastcast.ai/the-mesa-daily-news-now.xml","website_url":"https://thednn.ai/","image_url":"https://image.fastcast.ai/podcasts/the-mesa-daily-news-now.jpg","author":"The Daily News Now!","episode_count":901,"summary":"Hosted by Corey with the Story, Mesa News Today delivers fast, focused daily updates on the stories shaping Mesa—from local news and business to culture, sports, and community developments. Designed for quick, on-the-go listening, each episode brings you up to speed in minutes. Produced by AI for speed, consistency, and global scale, the show is part of The Daily News Now network—bringing local news to every city in the world and keeping communities connected. Mesa News Today is your daily snapshot of what’s happening in your city. Advertise on DNN: advertise@thednn.ai","last_synced_at":"2026-07-24T14:18:43.264316+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/mesa-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7559357"},"episode":{"title":"Arizona ESA Audit: $100M in Risky Deals Unreviewed","slug":"arizona-esa-audit-100m-in-risky-deals-unreviewed","published_at":"2026-05-14T03:22:25+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/mesa-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7559357/arizona-esa-audit-100m-in-risky-deals-unreviewed","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/mesa-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7559357","url":"https://api.fastcast.ai/audio/564f9475-0c30-4a9e-ac87-9343d20190ac.mp3","audio_url":"https://api.fastcast.ai/audio/564f9475-0c30-4a9e-ac87-9343d20190ac.mp3","summary":"Arizonas Auditor General uncovers significant issues in the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, with over one-third of high-risk transactions having problems like missing paperwork or spending on banned items. Nearly $100 million in risky deals lack proper review. The program, which allows parents to pull kids from public schools and use state funds for private options or homeschooling, has grown to a $1 billion operation but lacks adequate oversight. Auditors flagged 25 high-risk transactions totaling over $86,000, including therapy without proof and items under the auto-approval limit. They recommend stricter accountability, more staff, and tech upgrades to protect taxpayer dollars. Support the show: Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN: advertise@thednn.ai This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting. Report issues to feedback@thednn.ai. View sources & latest updates: https://sources.thednn.ai/ca3ed7285ca6008d","meta_description":"Arizonas Auditor General uncovers significant issues in the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, with over one-third of high-risk transactions having…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":83,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/mesa-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7559357/episodes/arizona-esa-audit-100m-in-risky-deals-unreviewed/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/mesa-news-today-2-min-news-the-daily-news-now-7559357/arizona-esa-audit-100m-in-risky-deals-unreviewed.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}