Mexico, not China, is now America’s leading trading partner.  Who knew?  All we hear in relation to Mexico are issues related to the southern border.  And with that, we never have an honest discussion of the many aspects of that border relationship which span geography, natural resources and culture.  It all gets boiled down to border security.  In short, if there’s a more important bilateral relationship for the United States, I’d like to know what it is.  And now with Claudia Sheinbaum becoming the new president of Mexico, the first woman of the Jewish faith to do that, it will be interesting if she follows in the footsteps of her predecessor, Andres Manuel Lopez Orbrador, or sets a new course for our neighbor.  To discuss this important issue is Tony Payan, director of the Center for the U.S. and Mexico, at Rice University’s Baker Institute.  For a much more nuanced discussion of the relations between the two countries, listen in.