{{Firstname|Good morning}}, this week we look at how pressure is shaping outcomes across politics, security, and opportunity. From rising civic tension at home to Mexico’s decision to turn over 37 fugitives, execution is again replacing rhetoric. We explore why midterms tend to rebalance power, why Arizona sits at the center of that shift, and how critical minerals could define the state’s next chapter. We also pause on a different kind of leadership — the discipline to keep going when no one is watching — and why stories of perseverance matter in a year like this.

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Mexico’s transfer of 37 fugitives to US custody is not just a law enforcement headline. It is a strategic signal about where Mexico wants the security relationship to go in 2026, and what it is willing to do when Washington is pressing hard on fentanyl, cartel finance, and cross border criminal networks.

Here is what I am watching.

First, this strengthens a results driven posture. The list of charges tied to those transferred spans narcotics, firearms trafficking, money laundering, and human smuggling. That mix matters because it reinforces a broader view in Washington that drugs, migration, and national security are connected operationally, not rhetorically.

Second, it raises the bar for reciprocity. When Mexico takes a step this visible, US agencies and lawmakers will expect sustained follow through, including pressure on supply chain enablers, not just headline extraditions and transfers. This is where both countries either build a serious framework for joint enforcement and financial disruption, or they drift back into mutual blame.

Third, the risk is political whiplash. In an election year, security cooperation can be celebrated one week and weaponized the next. The goal should be a durable lane that protects communities on both sides of the border, without turning every operation into a political spectacle.

The next era of American industrial strength runs through critical minerals. Arizona has a real opening to lead, not just because of geology, but because we already have the ingredients investors look for: infrastructure, logistics, talent pipelines, and the ability to build at scale.

Look at what is taking shape in Yuma County around domestic cobalt processing. Cobalt is central to battery supply chains and advanced manufacturing, and the push to process more of it in the United States is about resilience and leverage, not only climate goals.

This is the leadership question for Arizona.

Do we want to be a state that ships inputs elsewhere and hopes the value returns, or do we want to anchor processing, offtake, and downstream manufacturing here, building a full ecosystem around critical minerals and advanced industry. That requires speed on permitting, clarity on workforce development, and a serious focus on power and water planning so projects can actually scale.

If Arizona moves with discipline, this is not just jobs. It is strategic relevance.

Arizona’s ESA program began with a focused intent: provide options for specific student populations, including students with unique needs. Over time, it expanded, and now universal eligibility dominates participation.

The political problem is that the program has become a proxy war, while the practical problems are stacking up: fraud cases, uneven accountability, budget uncertainty, and a growing argument that public district schools are being hollowed out as enrollment and funding shift.

With the Legislature back in session, the question is simple.

Where is the governing plan that protects choice, protects taxpayers, and protects public education as a public good.

Here are reforms that would be serious and fair.

Supporters and critics will argue about ideology. But leadership is about outcomes. Arizona can design a program that is pro family, pro accountability, and pro public education. The absence of that design is the real scandal. To date, it’s been all talk and no real action in reigning in this out of control program. Who will finally act?

This year’s Heisman Trophy tells a story far bigger than football.

Fernando Mendoza was overlooked, passed on, and told no—again and again. As a high school quarterback in Miami, he received little interest, was rejected even as a walk-on by his hometown program, and watched opportunity slip away while others were celebrated. Dozens of programs said no. Most people would have stopped believing.

He didn’t.

Mendoza kept working without attention, without guarantees, and without validation. He refined his craft in silence, betting on discipline and patience when the spotlight never came. Eventually, one door opened—and he made it count.

This season, that persistence culminated in the Heisman Trophy, making Mendoza the first Cuban American ever to win the award and only the third Latino in history to do so.

What makes his story powerful isn’t the statistics. It’s the reminder that early rejection is not a final verdict, and that belief sustained over time can outperform raw opportunity.

In a year defined by division, doubt, and noise, Mendoza’s rise is a quiet but powerful lesson: progress belongs to those who refuse to quit when no one is watching.

There is a long, stubborn rule in American politics: midterm elections almost always favor the party out of the White House. Voters use midterms as a pressure valve. Turnout drops, frustration rises, and elections become a referendum on whoever is governing, not on campaign promises made two years earlier.

That structural reality matters heading into 2026. Even in polarized times, history shows that control of Congress often shifts not because minds change, but because intensity does. The opposition votes with urgency. The party in power defends.

In Arizona, that dynamic creates a real opening. Congressional District 1 stands out as the clearest opportunity for a Democratic flip, and it’s being led by Rick McCartney. AZ-01 is competitive by design — suburban, highly educated, and increasingly skeptical of extremism. In a midterm environment, those districts are exactly where momentum shows up first.

This race won’t be decided by ideology alone. It will come down to organization, turnout, and credibility. Midterms reward candidates who feel local, grounded, and steady — especially when voters are looking to rebalance power, not burn the system down. That’s why I’ve endorsed Rick and am actively helping his campaign. I know his values, I know his approach, and I believe he’s exactly the kind of leader this moment calls for. I encourage you to take a close look at his campaign and consider supporting him.

History doesn’t guarantee outcomes. But it does set the playing field. And in 2026, the field favors challengers.

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