Texas A&M coach Mike Elko challenges an official

(The Center Square) - U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, is framing his campaign for governor around economic affordability, water management and border security, drawing a sharp contrast with the Democratic incumbent, Gov. Katie Hobbs.

In an interview with "The States," The Center Square's daily podcast, Biggs criticized the Hobbs administration’s fiscal and regulatory track record, arguing that Arizona has slipped under the governor’s leadership.

"Under Katie Hobbs, we've gone from being one of the most affordable states to one of the least affordable states," Biggs said, pointing to state rankings in educational attainment.

Biggs told Greg Bishop, host of "The States," that Arizona needs a change in executive leadership to reverse course.

The Center Square reached out to Hobbs and her campaign for comment, but did not get a response by publication time. The Center Square also invited Hobbs to appear on "The States" and is waiting for a response.

During the interview on "The States," Biggs acknowledged Arizona’s competitive overall tax rankings by organizations such as the Tax Foundation but argued that the state should follow national trends toward eliminating the state income tax.

Meanwhile, water management has emerged as a central flashpoint in the gubernatorial contest.

Biggs criticized Hobbs’ handling of negotiations regarding the state's Colorado River water allotment, contending that the administration relies too heavily on conservation alone rather than seeking out new augmentation strategies. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation created a plan that requires Arizona, California and Nevada to make cuts, but no cuts are required of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming.

"We have tremendous stores of underground water that we've been saving for decades," said Biggs, adding that the state must look at extraction, cleaning and distribution infrastructure to support future growth.

In terms of immigration and crime, Hobbs has defended her administration's approach to public safety and law enforcement partnerships. For example, Hobbs released a TV ad in late August to highlight “her record on delivering on border security, supporting law enforcement, and investing in public safety to protect Arizona families and communities.”

Biggs is not buying.

"She's an open borders advocate," Biggs said, pointing to the repeal of previous border barrier initiatives and the defunding of the state's border security strike force. The Republican gubernatorial candidate advocated for close cooperation with federal immigration authorities to ensure public safety.

On the legislative front, Biggs criticized Hobbs’ use of the veto pen — noting a high volume of vetoed bills during her term — while pointing to his own legislative background as evidence of an ability to build bipartisan consensus on key issues like water and rural health care funding. Republicans control a majority in both houses of Arizona's Legislature, but lack enough seats to override the Democratic governor's vetoes.

Biggs, a retired attorney who served in the Arizona House and the Arizona Senate prior to being elected a U.S. representative for the state's 5th Congressional District in 2016, also voiced firm support for preserving Arizona's right-to-work status.

A right-to-work state is one in which an employee of a unionized operation does not have to pay dues or fees as a condition of employment. While unions can and do exist in Arizona and other right-to work states, people working for those unionized businesses do not have to be members of the union. Nevada and Utah are right-to-work states. California, Colorado and New Mexico are forced unionism states or non-right-to-work states.

Hobbs has framed the election as a choice between stable leadership centered on putting Arizona first and what it characterizes as Washington-style division. Biggs countered that the incumbent has avoided debates and public forums to defend her record, maintaining that Arizona is fundamentally a center-right state ready for a change in direction.

(The Center Square) – Republican candidates in several key Minnesota races are raising concerns about immigrant gang activity as the state struggles with a series of shootings linked to Somali youth gangs in the Twin Cities.

In response to the violence, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has established a new task force to address the issue.

The BCA is also scheduled to meet with local law enforcement officials Friday afternoon to discuss ways to combat the growing problem.

With just 25 days until Election Day, the violence is emerging as a key issue in Minnesota’s election campaigns.

Republican gubernatorial candidate and state House Speaker Lisa Demuth and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michele Tafoya, a former sports broadcaster, have each issued multiple statements addressing the issue.

“The Walz status quo isn’t working,” the 59-year-old said. “Our campaign is committed to making Minnesota a safer place to live, work and raise a family. We’re listening to our local communities about the best ways to strengthen public safety and crack down on Somali gang violence.”

On Friday, she added a promise to support law enforcement.

“Enough is enough,” Demuth said. “No community should be defined by the actions of a few. And every community deserves to be safe from gang violence. I will fight to give law enforcement the resources they need to protect Minnesotans.”

Tafoya expressed similar concerns, though calling out her opponent Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan by name.

“We cannot allow Somali gang violence to continue threatening our neighborhoods and communities,” Tafoya said. “Peggy Flanagan has presided over this explosion in gang violence. This has happened on her watch. She has no answers and no solutions. Minnesotans deserve leaders who will confront this violence, support law enforcement, and demand accountability. I will.”

Republicans blame a “soft-on-crime” approach from Democrats, as well as cuts to funding for the gang activity.

Flanagan has not addressed crime recently, instead focusing on Medicaid access, the Iran war, and cost-of-living issues.

Democrat U.S. Senator and gubernatorial candidate Amy Klobuchar has briefly touched on crime, releasing a statement earlier this week regarding a thwarted terrorist attack at the Mall of America.

“This shows why we continue to need major coordinated investments in anti-terrorism and local law enforcement to stop attacks like these,” Klobuchar said. “Our state must take terrorism and violent crime head on, working with our federal law enforcement and local police departments to keep Minnesotans safe.”

This all comes as new data from both state and federal law enforcement for 2025 shows drops in violent crimes, including rapes, assaults, and theft in Minnesota.

That said, there are still some concerned about persistently high crime rates in the state’s metropolitan areas, as previously reported by The Center Square.

“A large part of violent crime in our region, especially in the Twin Cities, comes from gang activity. Our agents work closely with local, state, and federal partners to target offenders in groups that cause the most harm,” said Benni Jonsson, an assistant special agent in charge at the Minneapolis FBI office. “When we remove violent offenders and their illegal guns, neighborhoods feel safer right away.”

(The Center Square) – Findings from a new investigation into the 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires have Angelenos shaking their heads.

The independent inquiry by the UL Research Institute — commissioned by California Gov. Gavin Newsom — revealed widespread communication breakdowns, institutional disconnections and tactical errors during the catastrophic fires.

After the investigation's results were released, Joy Chen, co-founder of the Every Fire Survivor’s Network, expressed deep frustration.

“This is yet another report telling us about all the failures of the night,” Chen told The Center Square.

“We really wish that the government would focus more on fixing the problems rather than, you know, just issue another report on the failures," said Chen, whose Altadena home suffered smoke damage from the Eaton Fire.

The Los Angeles County blazes started  on Jan. 7, 2025. The Palisades Fire burned 23,448 acres in the coastal Los Angeles and Malibu area and resulted in 12 deaths and the destruction of 6,833 structures.

The Eaton Fire burned 14,021 acres in the Pasadena-Altadena area and led to 19 deaths and the destruction of 9,419 structures.

Paramedics and sheriff deputies witnessed severe ember storms and structures burning in West Altadena hours before widespread alerts were issued, according to the UL Research Institute. However, because the paramedics operated independently and were not integrated into the fire command structure, their vital observations never reached incident leaders, the institute reported.

Most residents in West Altadena, where 18 out of 19 Eaton Fire fatalities occurred, did not receive mandatory evacuation orders until it was too late. according to the new investigation. The fire was already sweeping through the unincorporated community.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Fire Department incident command center at the Rose Bowl was disorganized and unaware that the fire had pushed westward until daylight hours, UL Research Institute determined.

Regarding the Palisades Fire, the Los Angeles (City) Fire Department initially contained a smaller fire in Topanga State Park on Jan. 1.

Despite warnings from ground personnel that the site was still smoldering as dangerous red flag weather approached, the UL Research Institute report says the department failed to properly monitor or reinspect the area. The institute also found the city fire department's commanders initially overseeing the response lacked experience with large, complex wildfires. At the same time, the Los Angeles Police Department and the LAFD operated on separate, unintegrated tracks, realizing only late into the disaster that they were using conflicting evacuation maps, according to the institute.

The lack of confidence in the formal leadership led to 26 fire units deploying independently without command approval, the institute reported.

Conditions improved significantly only after the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, assumed control of incident operations on Jan. 8, 2025, the UL Research Institute said.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger called the findings serious and in need of a thorough review.

“Eaton Fire survivors, especially those who lost loved ones, deserve accountability and confidence that every lesson from this tragedy will result in meaningful change,” Barger told The Center Square in an email.

“That is why I acted quickly and introduced a motion, which the Board of Supervisors approved on October 6," said Barger, who represents the Pasadena-Altadena area on the county governance board.

Barger’s motion directed an immediate comparison of these findings with Los Angeles County’s after-action reviews to identify gaps and determine what additional actions must be taken.

“While we can’t change what happened on January 7, we have an obligation to learn from it and ensure our emergency response systems emerge stronger and ready for when the next disaster strikes,” said Barger.

Chen of Every Fire Survivor's Network said residents had to depend on themselves for communications during the Eaton Fire. In fact, Chen told The Center Square, residents had to do some of their own firefighting.

If it had not been for the pickleball WhatsApp of the Altadena Country Club, Chen said people in the area would not have had a way to contact one another and stay informed.

“We triangulated where the fire was based on who could see it from the homes,” said Chen. “Then we called everyone that we knew in harm's way as the fire was moving.”

Chen also credited the pickleball WhatsApp for helping what she described as the emergency volunteer fire brigade. People were typing into WhatsApp when there was a spot fire in their yard or their neighbors' yards. Chen and others rushed to the scenes with buckets to take water out of swimming pools to put out those spot fires.

“That's not our job. That's our government's job,” Chen said. “That's why we pay taxes.”

In the 20-some months since the fires, Chen said fire victims have continued to show up and step up for one another.

What survivors need is for the government to "fix those failures," said Chen, whose organization is reportedly the nation's largest survivor-led disaster recovery nonprofit with 10,000-plus survivors of the Eaton and Palisades fires and their allies.

Chen’s home was smoke-damaged and filled with what she described as toxic contamination. Her family had to move nine times with two teenage girls and two cats. Chen said her insurance company, USAA, paid for testing and remediation before Chen and her family moved back home last summer. Even so, Chen said they were lucky ones.

Two-thirds of Eaton and Palisades fire survivors are still displaced, Chen said, adding that at this point, people’s retirement savings are drained. Others have maxed out credit cards, and many people's housing funds are running out within the next few months, she said.

“One of the major problems has been insurance,” said Chen. “Seventy percent of Eaton and Palisades fire survivors with insurance are having delays and denials and underpayments impeding their recovery.”

Chen called that another government breakdown, noting that the state has a responsibility to regulate the industry.

EFSN has stepped in to fill the gap by collecting data on insurer misconduct, starting with over 500 firsthand accounts against State Farm last year. When the state failed to act, Chen said they brought the data to Barger and Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who immediately launched an investigation and lawsuit.

Now EFSN is expanding that effort with a new survey tracking how every major insurer is performing. Results and a consumer scorecard are expected in November.

When asked what advice she has for people who have never faced a disaster, Chen offered two recommendations. One is, watch for the release of EFSN’s insurance scorecard next month to see which companies deliver on their promises. Also, because insurers often require proof of every single possession, Chen recommended people walk through their homes and film video of every room and the items in every drawer or cabinet. People can then use artificial intelligence to reconstruct a comprehensive list of their belongings if disaster strikes, she said.

In addition, EFSN is running a weekly survivor legal education series called "Beat the Clock." With the statute of limitations for suing insurance companies set to expire on Jan. 7, 2027, for many victims, Chen said the Thursday night sessions cover vital topics such as underinsurance and policyholder rights.

“Having legal rights in insurance doesn’t do much good if you don't know what your rights are,” Chen said.

The sessions feature insurance litigators and can be accessed at efsurvivors.net.

(The Center Square) – As public education remains a concern for taxpayers, supporters of school choice programs argue that giving families more educational options can improve student outcomes at a lower cost.

More than 30 states have some form of school choice program, while 30 states have opted into the Trump administration’s Education Freedom Tax Credit Program, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2027.

Supporters of both state-level school choice programs and the federal tax credit say they give families more options to find schools that better fit their children’s educational needs.

Ryan Cantrell, chief state strategy officer at the American Federation for Children, told The Center Square that school choice programs put education dollars in the hands of parents and make them the decision makers. 

“There really isn’t a better form of accountability than a parent being able to say, ‘This school is not working for my child. I am going to take those dollars and I’m gonna go elsewhere with them,' ” Cantrell said.

As students' public education continues to struggle academically, results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show that student performance in reading and math have declined since 2019, with K-12 students as a whole at 30% proficiency. 

Lance Izumi, senior director of education studies at Pasadena, Calif.-based Pacific Research Institute, said additional education spending does not necessarily translate into improved academic outcomes.

“It’s very difficult to look at these cries for more funding as anything more than just funding the adults in the system and not helping the students,” Izumi told The Center Square. 

Izumi also said public schools are facing growing competition from charter schools, private schools and homeschooling options that participate in school choice programs. 

According to Education World Wide, homeschooled students generally score between the 65th and 75th percentiles, while the average public school student scores near the 50th percentile.

A study by the National Home Education Research Institute found that homeschooled students typically score 15% to 25% higher on standardized academic achievement tests than public school students. 

There are similar results for students who are in private and charter schools, outperforming students from public schools. 

Private school students test higher than public school students. According to National Center for Education Statistics data, 88% of private high school students apply to college, compared to 57% of public high school students. Also, College Board reports indicate that SAT scores for private school students are around 1200 out of 1600, well above the national average of 1029, according to the Council for American Private Education.  

For charter schools, academic results are generally similar to or slightly higher than those of traditional public schools. Yet a 2023 study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found that students attending charter schools made greater academic gains than their peers in traditional public schools because charter school students in mathematics advanced their learning by an additional six days over the course of a year.

In reading, they gained the equivalent of 16 additional days of learning, according to Stanford.

As charter schools aim to help low-income families, test scores from the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress in English language arts show 49.7% of charter school students met or exceeded state standards. That's compared to 49.2% of students in non-charter schools. In mathematics, 36.7% of charter school students met or exceeded standards, compared with 37.9% statewide in non-charter schools.

Meanwhile, the average cost of a school choice scholarship is roughly $6,000 per student, compared with about $18,000 in average public-school spending, according to EdChoice. 

Cantrell highlighted research from Ohio that found positive outcomes for low-income students participating in voucher programs. According to a study by the Urban Institute, students who participated in school choice programs were more likely to enroll in college than students who remained in public schools and were also more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree.

“We are spending less money and getting better results,” Cantrell noted. 

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty analyzed more than 100,000 low- and middle-income Wisconsin students between the 2018-19 and 2022-23 school years.

The review measured performance on the English Language Arts portion of the Wisconsin Forward Exam, a state assessment test for public school students and compared the results to school-choice students from similar economic backgrounds in the public school system. 

“Researchers found that, across all three of Wisconsin’s major private-school choice programs, students who remained enrolled longer consistently experienced stronger academic growth in reading than similar students who stayed in public schools,” according to the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs.  

Jorge Elorza, CEO of Democrats for Education Reform and advocate for school choice, told The Center Square that Democrats have fallen behind both politically and policy-wise on K-12 education.

“Voters are watching. They see that we have been silent on this issue," Elorza said. "Now there is a political imperative for us to reprioritize and refocus on K-12 education. And it can’t be more of the same. It can’t just be more money to be more of the same. That is not working.”

(The Center Square) – Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers clashed in a heated first debate Thursday night, trading personal attacks as the two run in the 2026 U.S. Senate race.

The debate comes as Michiganders have already begun voting, with absentee ballots being sent out beginning Sept. 24.

The campaigns both declared the night a win for their respective candidates.

“One thing that was made clear tonight – Mike Rogers is going to win in November. Mike showcased exactly what his priority is: serving the people of Michigan,” said Rogers’ Campaign Communications Director Alyssa Brouillet. “All Conman Abdul El-Sayed gave them were lies. He continues to dodge the hard-hitting questions and to leave Michiganders without answers.”

On the flip side, El-Sayed’s campaign claimed he won the debate.

“Abdul El-Sayed dominated tonight’s U.S. Senate debate, putting Mike Rogers on the defensive over his corrupt Washington record, deep ties to corporate special interests, and full-throated support for Trump policies that are crushing Michiganders with higher costs on everything from gas and groceries to healthcare,” the Democrat’s campaign said.

On Thursday night, just 26 days before Election Day, the candidates sparred over their vision for the future of the Great Lakes state – while also attacking each other personally.

Rogers questioned El-Sayed’s claim that he is a physician, while also allegedly split loyalties and ties to terrorist groups abroad.

“He's taken money from groups associated and support the Muslim Brotherhood,” Rogers said. “He has taken money from individuals on his campaign who openly support Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda. He’s taken money from the George Soros family.”

El-Sayed called Rogers a “rubber stamp” for President Donald Trump, also calling him out for putting pharmaceutical companies ahead of Michiganders.

“My opponent is gonna try to make this about him and about me,” El-Sayed said. “But in the end, this is about you. This is about whether you can afford your gas, your groceries, and can see a doctor. It’s about whether or not you trust your Senator to stand up for you against Trump.”

This Michigan U.S. Senate race is considered one of the most competitive contests in the nation, with millions of dollars pouring into Michigan from both parties.

Of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate, 33 are up for regular election in 2026, along with two special elections. Democrats currently hold 13 of the seats on the ballot, while Republicans hold 22. That means this election cycle will determine which party controls the 120th Congress. Michigan, as a battleground state, will be on the frontlines of that decision.

In 2024, Michigan’s U.S. Senate race was decided by less than half a percentage point, with U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin narrowly defeating Rogers. Rogers is running again this election cycle as the Republican nominee after receiving the party’s backing unopposed.

Rogers has received the endorsement of Trump, but it’s unclear how that might affect the election.

Following the debate Thursday night, the President posted on social media in support of Rogers.

“Mike Rogers, the great American Patriot and Republican Candidate for the U.S. Senate from Michigan, completely obliterated Mohammed El-Sayed in the big debate tonight,” Trump said. “Mohammed is a Jihadist lunatic who hates our Country, the Black People of Detroit, and wants to see the U.S. fail.”

Currently, experts consider the outcome of the race likely Democrat, while betting markets give El-Sayed a 67% chance of winning (down from 74% earlier this week).

The polling in the U.S. Senate race marks a shift from before the primary, when Rogers held the advantage over El-Sayed. Now, the most-recent polling has El-Sayed leading Rogers 47.8% to 43.8%.

That is according to the average of the five most recent polls compiled by 270toWin, with the most-recent posted on Oct. 5. The gap has widened in El-Sayed’s favor as time has passed since the Aug. 4 primary.

The next, and final, debate between El-Sayed and Rogers is currently scheduled for Oct. 21.

(The Center Square) – The execution of an Islamic jihadist at Fort Hood will be broadcast live.

Pentagon officials told the New York Times that an execution of a former Army officer convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting will be broadcast via livestream. 

An Islamic terrorist who went on a shooting rampage at the U.S. Army base in central Texas will be executed by a U.S. Army firing squad on Dec. 3, The Center Square reported.

In August 2013, after being court martialed, a military jury unanimously convicted former Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder and sentenced him to death. 

In the U.S. military justice system, death penalty cases are automatically appealed to the U.S. Army Criminal Court of Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. Hasan lost these appeals.

Hasan killed 13 people and wounded 32 after walking into a medical building where soldiers were waiting in a long line to receive immunizations and medical clearance to be deployed. Prior to opening fire, he shouted "Allahu akbar," Arabic for "God is great," used by jihadists including the 9/11 hijackers. The hijackers, Hasan, and the Islamic jihadist Boston Marathon bombers were all inspired by the same cleric based in San Diego, California, the FBI said. 

Hasan’s rampage was the deadliest shooting at a U.S. military base in U.S. history. 

Theresa M Long, MD, MPH, FS, who was there and treated patients, said, “Every patient I took care of that day had been shot 3-7 times. [Hasan] kept circling back and shooting them again and again. He executed Private Francheska Velez, a pregnant soldier. Leaders knew he was a problem and didn't deal with him because it wouldn't be politically correct.” 

She also listed the names of the 13 service members who were killed, including Michael Grant Cahill, 62, of Cameron, Texas, a civilian physician assistant and retired chief warrant officer, “who died fighting back.”

The Obama administration classified the shooting as “workplace violence,” denying service members who were killed and wounded the opportunity to receive a Purple Heart. 

In response, Texas Republicans U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, and U.S. Reps. John Carter and Roger Williams, sponsored legislation to expand the eligibility for the Purple Heart to include victims of attacks “inspired or motivated by the foreign terrorist organization,” including Fort Hood. It was enacted in 2015 and the U.S. Army announced it was awarding the Purple Heart and its civilian counterpart, the Medal for the Defense of Freedom, to eligible Fort Hood victims.

According to an FBI investigation, Hasan was radicalized by an American cleric and leader of Al-Queda, Anwar al-Awlaki. He was born to Yemeni parents in New Mexico before they returned to Yemen. He returned to the U.S. in the early 1990s to attend college in Colorado and graduate school in California.

While in San Diego, he became an imam at the Masjid al-Ribat al-Islami, where he is believed to have inspired at least two 9/11 hijackers, Saudi nationals Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar. According to multiple reports, the FBI had begun investigating al-Awlaki’s ties to terrorism as early as June 1999. They linked him to multiple terrorism plots in the U.S., including a December 2009 attempt to blow up a jetliner bound for Detroit.

According to declassified FBI documents, al-Awlaki, while he was a known terrorist at the time, spoke as an invited guest at a Pentagon lunch, Judicial Watch uncovered in an investigation.

“Anwar al-Awlaki helped radicalize the terrorist who attacked Fort Hood,” Judicial Watch’s director Tom Fitton said. He “had previously been invited to Pentagon during President George W. Bush admin. He was also almost certainly an FBI informant or source.”

According to FOIA documents Judicial Watch obtained from the FBI, the FBI was aware since at least Sept. 27, 2001, that al-Awlaki may have purchased airplane tickets for three of the 9/11 terrorist hijackers, including Saudi mastermind Mohammed Atta. On Oct. 10, 2002, al-Awlaki was detained at JFK International Airport in New York under a warrant for passport fraud, but the FBI ordered his release.

Al-Awlaki also inspired the Islamic Boston Marathon bombers, according to court records.

The Obama administration assassinated him in a targeted drone strike in Yemen in 2010.

The last time the U.S. Army executed a service member was on April 13, 1961. Pvt. John Bennett was hanged at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, after being convicted of rape and attempted murder. 

Hasan will be the first Islamic jihadist to be publicly executed via livestream in U.S. history. His execution is the first the U.S. Army is carrying out for the public to view on a military base in the U.S.

The last non-military public execution in the U.S. was on August 14, 1936, in Owensboro, Kentucky, of Rainey Bethea. He was publicly hanged after confessing to and being found guilty of raping a 70-year-old wealthy white widow, Lischia Edwards. 

Following a massive upset of then-No. 8 Florida on Homecoming, No. 14 Mizzou is riding high. But the Tigers face another challenge this week in Texas A&M. The Aggies were ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 but quickly tumbled out following losses to Kentucky and LSU. They have started to right the ship, defeating Arkansas 34-7 last week.

The Columbia Missourian spoke with Alex Miller, the digital content coordinator and do-it-all reporter for the Bryan College Station Eagle. He reviewed the Aggies season thus far and what to expect in Columbia on Saturday.

Q: What were the preseason expectations for Texas A&M?

Going into the season, (coach) Mike Elko's big thing was A&M had a chance to double down on last year's success. Now, what does that mean? I think a lot of people thought that meant getting back to the College Football Playoff. Last year, A&M made the CFP for the first time in school history, brought back some key pieces. They felt they did well in the transfer portal, and so getting back there was going to be the mark of a successful season.

Now, there were signs that A&M could very well take a step back. Two new coordinators, (Holmon Wiggins on offense and Lyle Hemphill on defense). There were questions about whether or not (quarterback) Marcel Reed could take a step further in his game. They're having to rebuild both the offensive line and the defensive line. They were losing their top offensive weapon in KC Concepcion (now with the Cleveland Browns). So, a lot of questions going into the season.

It felt like the Aggies had some adequate answers and solutions. Unfortunately for A&M, things haven't necessarily gone the way they planned. But certainly beating Arkansas soundly was a step in the right direction.

Q: What went wrong in the losses against Kentucky and LSU?

It felt like the team was lost. They didn't really have an identity. It seemed the offense was choppy and couldn't get in rhythm. The passing game never really clicked for several reasons against Kentucky. It was a lot on Marcel Reed. He just didn't make good throws. He was very inaccurate against LSU again. LSU was really aggressive on defense, he was really under pressure.

A&M was a little banged up at receiver, and that was a big thing at the start of the Kentucky game, too. On the opening kickoff, A&M loses one of its top offensive weapons in Terry Bussey to a lower-body injury on the kickoff return. He planted funny, made an awkward twist, and now he's out for the season, which was a huge blow for the Aggies. Mario Craver's been banged up the last couple of games. Ashton Bethel-Roman, he didn't play against Kentucky, so A&M really had to tap into its depth against the Wildcats. Reed didn’t have it with his arm that day, so it culminated in a recipe for disaster.

On the defensive side, too many explosive plays. Kentucky did a really great job moving guys around, opening up the tight end in some very unique ways. (I) really liked what (Kentucky coach) Will Stein did in the game plan there.

(For LSU), Sam Leavitt was running around on one leg, and it didn't really matter because A&M didn't get a great pass rush. Leavitt made some really great throws in some key moments that helped LSU take control.

Q: How did the team respond in the win against Arkansas?

A&M needed a positive result. After two really tough weeks, winning by 27 is a shot in the arm. A&M played well in all three phases. They approached the offense with a run-oriented attack, and executed the game plan as well as it could have gone. A&M was able to get Marcel Reed on the move, and they owned the line of scrimmage. The offensive line took some steps forward. They've shaken things up, added a couple of new pieces and moved guys around. It’s like they were a python. They're strangling their opponent out, not necessarily going for the kill shot.

On defense, they really just cleaned things up. They didn't allow many explosive plays. They were pretty good in coverage. They got decent pressure, forcing Arkansas' quarterback into making some errant throws.

On special teams, A&M figured out once again it has a good kicker in David Olano, who made a 57-yard field goal, tore the house down at the end of the first half. I think that was the craziest moment in the stadium (that day).

A&M and Arkansas have a weird series. A lot of these games, Arkansas is not very good, and no matter what, it still goes down to the wire. This was not the case (this year). I think a lot of people expected that to happen with how A&M was playing. Arkansas was coming off a solid performance in a win over Tulsa. A&M controlled the game start-to-finish in all three phases, and it's something to build on. We'll see what A&M has this week.

Q: What is the Aggies’ biggest strength?

I think they're really still trying to figure that out. Something that can become a strength is the run game. I think that A&M pivoted towards that in the offensive game plan last week indicates what they're thinking as well. I'm curious to see how that develops, especially against a Missouri team that had a really great game defending the run this last weekend against Florida and Jaden Baugh.

The last two years, A&M's had its way running the ball against Missouri. Whether it was Le'Veon Moss two years ago in College Station, or it was Reuben Owens II last year in Columbia. A&M's done well running the ball against Missouri, and the fact that A&M's starting to pivot towards that with Missouri on the horizon, I'm really curious to see what A&M has there and if it can actually emerge and become a strength for this team.

Special teams have been pretty good. A&M's got a kicker with a heavy leg. They've got a punter (Tyler White) who is top 10 in the nation in punt yardage right now. You can count on those guys to take care of business.

I feel like we're still trying to see where this A&M team is going.

Q: What has been their biggest weakness?

Defensively, it's the big plays. They have all new captains on this team. There have been breakdowns in communication on the field Their starting linebacker, Daymion Sanford, missed the first couple of games. You can see breakdowns in key moments in certain games, especially the losses to Kentucky and LSU.

On the offensive side, they have to get Marcel Reed going. A year ago, up until the last week of the regular season, was contending to go to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. This year, he's looked at times like a deer in the headlights. They have to figure out how to extrapolate the strengths of his game on the field in key moments, because it's there. It's just a matter of getting it to come out of him again.

They took some steps in the right direction last week against Arkansas. Now you're taking a step up in competition.

Q: How has Texas A&M been so successful against Mizzou under Mike Elko?

Going back to when Elko was the (defensive) coordinator when they played in 2021, A&M won 35-14. In all three games, A&M was able to establish the run and control the line of scrimmage. That’s a winning formula in the SEC.

It's a great coaching matchup, too. Elko is a defensive-minded coach, Drinkwitz is an offensive-minded coach. Last year was interesting with Missouri's quarterback situation, starting Matt Zollers. A&M took advantage of that. They pressured him hard, they didn't let him run. Missouri was held back, and A&M took advantage with a veteran defense and a really good pass rush.

I've also found it interesting that the last three matchups have all been day games. Two of them were morning games. A&M's benefited from not having to play at night on the road against Missouri. You think back to 2013 when Missouri won the SEC East, and they're playing A&M and Johnny Manziel in that last game of the regular season with a chance to clinch that East Division title, that place was rocking. Playing a night game in the SEC makes a big difference. A&M’s benefited from that intangible when playing on the road.

Q: What is your score prediction for Saturday’s game? Why?

It's really early in the week, but my initial inclination is Missouri will probably win the game. I really like what the Tigers are doing on offense. I really like what I've seen from Austin Simmons at quarterback. This is a game Missouri wants to win. A&M's had its number the last two years, and you can guarantee that the guys that have been around remember that. I think A&M will play better than they did against Kentucky and LSU. I think it'll be a closer game, the jury's still out on A&M.

I'll take Missouri, 31-27.

Mizzou cornerback Sione Laulea didn’t always want to be a football player. In fact, when his mother, Asinate Laulea, placed him on a Pop Warner roster when he was 5 five years old in Mountain View, California, he hated it.

Asinate’s aunt had told her about the sign-ups. Sione even received a scholarship that covered the costs of playing on the team, but his mother made sure that wasn't what kept him playing.

“He really tried to quit,” Asinate said. “He didn't. He was fine, and I said, 'Nope. You have to play. You had no choice. You had to play to the end of the season.' And I told him we paid for it, but we didn't.”

About 15 years later, the 6-foot-4 cornerback has been an impactful first-time starter for Mizzou this season. The Oregon transfer has recorded 22 total tackles, four pass deflections and an interception to start his MU career. 

Asinate had an idea that football was her son's calling. It had started when she was pregnant with Sione. She dreamed that he was meant to play football.

Sione’s grandmother, Tangikina Laulea, also had a dream that Sione would find success on the football field. She said an angel visited her, delivering a message. She added that she trusts in the Lord to make the dream come true.

When he first joined a team, the game was too hard for Sione Laulea. It was his grandfather, Alauna Laulea, after seeing Sione reach the end zone for the first time, who nudged him further toward the sport.

“I was like four or five in Pop Warner, didn't really like it. It was too physical. ... I started to like it here and there at about like 6 or 7 years old,” Sione said. “My grandpa had come to one game, scored my first touchdown, and from there he was like, ‘Oh, I'm taking you to every game. I'm gonna make sure you get to every game.’ ”

Alauna Laulea helped ensure Sione made it to practices and games, even if they were on the Christian Sabbath.

“Sundays were the days when mostly the games for Pop Warner (were), and that was something that was kind of hard for him to accept for us to miss church to play football,” Asinate said. “But he made sure Sione would at least attend sacrament before going to his games.”

His grandfather helped him find his passion for football and then to hit his stride as a talented young player. Alauna was a father figure who helped raise Sione. Sione could always hear his booming voice from the stands while he played the game he had come to love. It is a voice he struggles to live without now that he can’t hear it any more.

The grandfather lays the path for a family

Alauna Laulea immigrated to California when he was 19 years old and would do what he could to maintain stability for his family amid the change. He was able to establish himself as a leader in the Tongan community in the state. Of the roughly 75,000 Tongan immigrants in the U.S., about 26,000 live in California.

Sione has always admired Tongan culture. It started with his grandfather.

“The culture and the community are so beautiful, based on loyalty and respect and love,” Sione said. “If you ever fly to the island itself, it's called the, 'Friendly Island.' There are little to no wars going on, not involved, and just the people. It's a beautiful culture, and more than ever since the loss of my grandpa, I feel more in tune with it.”

Alauna ensured Sione embraced his Tongan roots. It all started with the church. Alauna combined three pillars that were at the top of his priorities: his faith, his family and his culture.

“I remember he'd take me to church and force me to only speak Tongan, not English, just to like give off the impression that I'm his child and he loved it,” Sione said. “I remember when my great-grandmother passed, he and I sang a song in Tongan, and everyone was so surprised because, based on my image, you couldn't tell I'm Tongan, in my opinion, and so when I sang in Tongan, then everybody was so confused and they loved it.”

Sione actively passes the love of the culture down to his siblings, cousins and others in the community. When Sione played for College of San Mateo, coach Tim Tulloch saw that in the young cornerback from Mountain View in the Bay Area's Silicon Valley.

“He's a great representation for the younger kids in the community,” Tulloch said. “What was neat was, anytime he went on a visit, he would bring his little cousins or his little siblings and try to help and you know show the way for the younger kids in the Tongan community of what's possible.”

A beacon for a people

Sione grew up in a “strictly Polynesian” household with his mom, Asinate, and three siblings: His older sister, Ola Mae, his brother, Frankie, and his youngest sister, Philomena. Sione learned to speak Tongan and English at the same time. English is now his primary language.

Alauna didn’t like tattoos. He thought the body was a temple. That stemmed from his religious beliefs as a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints. He was a mission leader of the Peninsula Third Ward in Redwood City, California. In fact, he was instrumental in the ward’s establishment.

“He would baptize so many people and bring so many people into the church. He became a person that people look up to and always ask for help and guidance, or even just prayer,” Asinate Laulea said.

The ward served as a safe space for the Tongan community to congregate and interact. There, Alauna would bring people in and guide them in their faith and offer advice for their personal lives. According to Herman Laulea, Sione’s uncle and Asinate’s brother, Alauna acted as a beacon in the community.

“He helped establish a ward where Tongan people were able to come worship and gather, and he brought a lot of people in through faith and helped a lot of people, not just strangers, but also his family members, whom he brought himself here from Tonga,” Herman said.

Sione’s grandmother said Aulana's goal was simply to help with Tongans' transitions to a new country.

“The Tongan community, we need to help because most of the people here, our culture, only we know what they need," she said.

Tangikina was a driving force, alongside Alauna, in the desire for Sione to complete a mission trip. In 2021, when Sione and his family were on a visit to College of San Mateo, the hope for Sione to go on a mission trip and his desire to keep playing football came to a crossroads.

“I told him that I want Sione to learn, when you go for your missionary work, physically and spiritually, and that's why I want Sione to serve his mission,” Tangikina Laulea said. “Then the coach told me, we can teach spiritually and physically here too.”

Tangikina Laulea walked away conflicted from that conversation, which led to her talking to her bishop at the Peninsula Third Ward upon her arrival back in Mountain View. Her bishop told her that since he was 18, he could make the decision to play football.

Losing a pillar of the community

Football was what Sione wanted to pursue, so he ended up at College of San Mateo to start his college football career. He had Alauna by his side through four of those seasons. Alauna wasn’t able to see Sione play in a Mizzou uniform. He died June 29, 2026, from a battle with soft-tissue sarcoma that develops on the wall of the digestive tract known as a GIST tumor. The tumor first appeared in 2022 and was removed in November of 2025, but reappeared in May of 2026.

“Losing him was a lot. It was very hard for me. It kind of made this the hardest part of my life, realistically,” Sione said. “Our coaches, my teammates, they all surrounded me with love and support.”

He was such a crucial part of Sione’s life in a variety of ways. Alauna was with him when he first started in Pop Warner. Just like Alauna was with Sione at the very beginning, Sione was with Alauna at his end. Sione sat in the room, just himself and Alauna, as his inspiration died.

Sione attended Junipero Serra High School, also located in San Mateo.

He was coached by Patrick Walsh at Junipero Serra. The coach, who has been there since 2001, saw Sione’s development in high school. It took some time for Sione to get going as a football player, having multitasked that and track and field, but once he came into his own, Walsh knew what he had.

“He was kind of a late bloomer for us, but a fantastic athlete, nonetheless, kind of looked like more of a track runner,” Walsh said. “He still looks like a track runner right now, but by the time his senior year came around, we knew we had someone really, really special as a football player.”

Out of high school, Sione was a three-star recruit ranked No. 2,202 in the country in the class of 2022. Laulea played 20 games at College of San Mateo, recording 15 total tackles and an interception in his first year and 27 total tackles, a sack and an interception in his second year.

After two seasons at San Mateo under Tulloch, he committed to Oregon as the second-best JUCO prospect in the class of 2024. He had offers from highly touted programs outside of Oregon, like Utah, Penn State, Miami, USC, Arizona, BYU and others.

His only offer out of high school was from Sacramento State, according to 247Sports.

Traveling the Oregon Trail in reverse

Sione had two choppy seasons with the Ducks, facing an uphill battle against a talented cornerback room and injuries. He dealt with a shoulder injury during his 2025 season. Once that season was over, he hit the transfer portal.

Looking for his third college, Laulea committed to Mizzou on Jan. 14. After only playing six games for the Ducks in 2025, a change of scenery was needed so he could see the field more. That’s where the Tigers came into play.

“I was thinking strictly about ball and not about relationships or anything like that,” Sione said. “I was just thinking (about) where could I go play some football at the highest level and get to the next level.”

Sione didn’t know how sick his grandfather was until late into the diagnosis. He endured multiple trips to the hospital, ones in which he’d leave days later. Asinate alerted Sione over the phone when things had taken a turn, allowing him to drop what he was doing in Columbia and head back to California.

Asinate didn’t tell Sione that his grandpa was sick until November 2025.

It was the summer and Sione was able to drop what he was doing and leave Columbia, where he’d arrived in January of 2026, to go see his grandfather and be with his mother, among others.

“Everything just paused. I couldn't think, I couldn't talk,” Sione said. “I just dropped a couple tears, and I told my coaches and my people around me, 'Hey, I'm going home. I'll be back. I gotta go home. I gotta go see him.' So I flew home and I went to go see him.”

The fear of not being able to see Alauna one more time was a challenging one to wrestle with while flying back to California. Sione managed to stay multiple days at the hospital with his gramps before his passing and was able to speak with him, though Alauna couldn’t talk back.

Alauna instilled plenty of wisdom and faith into his close circle and was a man of faith, love and kindness. His direct relation to the LDS church acted as a driving force in his life. He helped pass it down to his descendants.

The passing of Alauna is a test for the family’s faith. The distance between Sione and his family certainly hasn’t made that test any easier, but it is bringing them closer.

“I'm just so grateful for his faith, and always trying to help us get through it,” Asinate said. “We're trying to be strong for him, but he's actually trying to be strong for us during this whole process.”

The loss of Alauna has left a hole in the hearts of his family and those around him. It’s also created an opening in their everyday lives. A group chat was even formed with the homes of coming closer together, including Sione, his four uncles and his two sisters.

“We started up a group chat. Never had a group chat with our family, and from there we were talking about all the things we need to do,” Sione said. “Obviously, I'm out here, but they're saying how much they need to see each other, be around each other, just because with the loss of him, they have to fill it with something else.”

Rolling with the changes 

Sione’s life has changed plenty since he started his college path. He’s on his third school since 2022 and has moved from California to Oregon to Missouri. He left Oregon to earn more playing time and San Mateo to further advance his football career. Those paths have led him to Columbia.

The death of Sione’s grandpa has been hard for him for a variety of reasons.

“Sione was so attached to him because that was the only father figure that he had,” Herman said. “He didn't have anyone else that could play that role and be that person for him. I know that it is taking a toll on him, and that he is still grieving because we are all still grieving this loss, and it affects all of us very deeply.”

As the family grieves, time is helping Sione as he moves not only through his football journey, but the processing of the loss.

“I'm nowhere near healed, but (I’m) kind of at peace with knowing that he's in a better place and that he feels better,” Sione said. “So I think that kind of eases my mind in a way.”

Sione got his first tattoo when he was 13 years old and Alauna did not approve of it, though he understood Sione could make his own decisions. When Sione showed him his most recent addition, his reaction was different.

Sione had a photo of Alauna in the stands while attending a game of his at College of San Mateo etched into his skin on the left side of his chest, right where his heart lies. When Sione lifted his shirt at their family home to show his grandpa back in April, his reaction was acceptance.

Sione uses that as a reminder of what he lost and what he will always have with him.

“It means a lot to me just because every day I wake up, I see what means the most to me and why I keep going,” he said.

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