Prices keep climbing, patience keeps thinning, and that pressure is redefining politics at every level. We open with the cost of living crunch—how 25% higher prices since 2020 and a rise in repossessions are shaping voter mood and scaring off potential contenders in New Mexico. If you run tethered to Trump, you risk moderates; if you run away from him, you risk your own base. With Latino approval shifting and filing deadlines looming, the path gets narrow fast.

Then we pull back the curtain on a Minnesota fraud web that moved from pandemic meal programs to alleged autism services kickbacks. Claims exploded from millions to hundreds of millions, with new providers multiplying overnight. Prosecutors now allege parents were paid monthly per child, with authorizations juiced to raise payouts. The uncomfortable layer: money flows through remittance networks where, according to law enforcement sources, terror groups take a cut. This isn’t a culture war story—it’s a systems story about oversight, media vigilance, and political incentives that kept guardrails loose until the numbers screamed.

We also break down a surprising Trump–Mandani “love fest,” what it signals inside the broader coalition, and why performative politics often beats policy in the headlines. Back home, DA Sam Bregman proposes legislative term limits and salaries, plus a longer session. We weigh the upside of fresh blood against the real risk of giving an overactive legislature more time to overreach. Finally, we pressure‑test a viral renewable claim against real grid math. With AI data centers and electrification soaring, nuclear energy is back: a federal loan to restart Three Mile Island’s undamaged unit and Utah’s push for small modular reactors hint at a new era. New Mexico already builds SMR components, studies designs, and produces fuel; now’s the moment to scale, modernize transmission, and become the nuclear state alongside oil and gas.

If the economy is the problem, abundant reliable energy is a big part of the solution. Lower power costs ripple into food, housing, and jobs. That’s how you cool tempers, steady households, and widen the lane for pragmatic politics. Enjoy the ride, and then tell us what leaders should tackle first. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a quick review to help more people find the show.

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