AZ State Rep. Justin Wilmeth

Given the recent spike in gas prices, I felt it important to mention that I have been a relative sole voice in the legislature trying to tackle the real problem in the fuel market, that being gas supply. See my video testimony in front of the California Senate in 2024 as proof. Over that same time, I’ve seen colleagues run bills that are a bit like empty calories - sure, it tasted good, but it provided no real benefits. While I’m supportive of the general prospect of finding ways to keep fuel prices affordable, the fuel market operates on the principles of supply and demand. When there’s low supply and high demand, prices go up. When there’s higher supply and lower demand, prices go down. That’s just how a free-market economy works. But local fuel prices are also tied to and respondent to worldwide commodity concerns. A major war, a pipeline break, a weather event can all spike prices. No House bill will ever prevent that. Arizona is also subject to federal Clean Air Act requirements that necessitate a reformulated fuel instead of conventional gasoline for Maricopa County and portions of Pinal County. I am committed to continue working on real efforts to ensure Arizonans have access to reliable and affordable gas. Ultimately, the only thing that can bring about more stable, affordable prices in Arizona is for more supply to come to the state. A second pipeline from Texas is coming in a couple of years, so that will be helpful. American energy independence is the only way to provide truly affordable energy and we need our friends with major oil deposits such as Texas and California to keep drilling for oil and refining it for the entirety of the American market.

BREAKING: The United Arab Emirates is preparing to help the U.S. and other allies open the Strait of Hormuz by force, a move that would make it the first Persian Gulf country to become a combatant, after being hit by Iranian attacks. Emirati diplomats have urged the U.S. and military powers in Europe and Asia to form a coalition to open the strait by force, adding that the Iranian regime thinks it is fighting for its existence and is willing to bring the global economy down with it in a chokehold on the strait. The U.A.E. official said the country was actively reviewing how it could play a military role in securing the strait, including efforts to help clear it of mines and other support services. The Gulf state has also said the U.S. should occupy islands in the strategic waterway including Abu Musa, which has been held by Iran for a half-century and is claimed by the U.A.E. Story: wsj.com/world/middle-e…

Nothing but gratitude for the men and women of this great nation. It is time to fly.

The future is back!

In January 2026, the United States overthrew Nicolás Maduro and seized operational control of Venezuela’s oil exports. In February 2026, the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran that closed the Strait of Hormuz. These are not separate events. They are the same strategy executed in sequence. Before the first bomb fell on Tehran, the US had already redirected 900,000 barrels per day of Venezuelan crude away from China and toward American, European, and Indian refiners. Chevron, Vitol, and Trafigura now market PDVSA oil under General License 52, with all proceeds flowing to a US Treasury account. China’s share of Venezuelan exports collapsed from over 600,000 barrels per day to 48,000 in February, a 67 percent drop in weeks. The US did not announce this as war preparation. It announced it as democracy promotion. But the barrel does not care what you call it. Now connect the second move. China buys 80 to 91 percent of Iran’s oil exports, approximately 1.38 million barrels per day transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is now closed. Iran’s export infrastructure is under sustained bombardment. Kharg Island, which handles 90 percent of Iranian crude, is on the Pentagon’s contingency list. In two months, the United States has cut China off from its two largest non-traditional crude suppliers simultaneously: Venezuela by regime change, Iran by war. Combined, China has lost access to roughly two million barrels per day of supply it was receiving 60 days ago. This is why Dar is in Beijing today. China is not mediating the Iran war out of altruism or diplomatic ambition. China is mediating because it is running out of affordable oil. The country that controls 90 percent of the world’s rare earth processing, that supplies BeiDou navigation to Iranian missiles and neodymium magnets to American interceptors, that holds the leverage to end or extend this war, is sitting at the negotiating table because the United States methodically cut its energy supply lines before the first missile was fired. The grand bargain is not a theory. It is a pressure system. The US needs Chinese rare earths to rebuild 2,400 depleted Patriot interceptors. China needs Hormuz open and Venezuelan barrels restored. The US controls the Venezuelan spigot. China controls the rare earth pipeline. Each side holds a chokepoint the other cannot survive without. The deal writes itself: rare earth guarantees for oil access, semiconductor export relief for Hormuz security, Taiwan status-quo assurance for NPT compliance. Every variable has a price. Every price has a counterparty. And both counterparties are now desperate enough to pay. Venezuela was the opening move. Iran is the middle game. Beijing is the endgame. The molecule that connects all three is crude oil, and the country that controls where it flows controls the terms of the peace. The US did not stumble into this war. It secured alternative supply, redirected barrels away from its principal competitor, launched the campaign that closed the competitor’s primary import route, and is now negotiating from a position where the competitor must choose between its rare earth leverage and its energy security. That is not improvisation. That is the most sophisticated energy weapon deployed since the 1973 Arab oil embargo, except this time, America is not the victim. It is the architect. The arithmetic leads to Beijing. It always did. The only question was whether Beijing would arrive at the table voluntarily or be starved into it. The answer, as of March 31, is the latter. open.substack.com/pub/shanakaans…

@WhiteHouse The heart looks into space to be away from earth. - Richard Jefferies

For all humanity. 🚀🇺🇸

👀🚀🌕

BACK TO THE MOON 🚨: Artemis II has been rolled out to the launch pad, targeting a liftoff on April 1st.

I agree with all of the below. I’m the House AI Committee chairman and know this tech is here to stay. And supportive of continued advances! However, the baseball fan in me still feels that the human element - imperfections and all - is a key aspect to the game. I’m unsure if I want automated ball/strike counts. I guess I’ll watch this season and see how it changes the spirit of the game.

@JustinWilmethAZ They want to live in a dictatorship . Just a different kind of dictatorship.

LIVE: Three days ahead of launch, experts provide updates on our @NASAArtemis II test flight. This mission marks a key step toward long term exploration of the Moon and future missions to Mars. twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

This is high comedy to me. Protest? Absolutely - do your thing. I’ll always support that regardless of if I agree with the reason. But at least understand what the hammer and sickle truly stands for - the deaths of over 100 million people at the hands of violent dictators who would kill them for doing what they’re doing right now.

To my American friends, I want to speak from the heart, because this moment truly moved me as a Japanese citizen. When President Trump made that Pearl Harbor joke, it wasn’t just humor to us. It felt like a weight I’d carried my whole life was suddenly lifted. My chest tightened, and honestly, tears came close. For 80 long years, we Japanese have lived under a heavy shadow — the constant expectation to apologize, to reflect, to stay in “guilt mode.” Even though we’re the closest of allies, that old wound never fully healed. We felt bound by the past, by the Constitution America helped write for us, always a little smaller, always needing to prove we were sorry enough. But in that single joke, Trump did something powerful. He turned a painful history into a shared laugh between equals. It was like he was saying: “Hey, it was a long time ago. We’re good. Let’s move forward — as brothers.” No more endless atonement. No more living in the shadow of being the “former enemy.” The curse broke. Japan feels free to stand tall again. Right now, cherry blossoms are blooming beautifully all across Japan. 🌸 This spring, the sakura feels like a perfect symbol — a fresh beginning. Not two nations stuck in old roles, but true equals, proud brothers, shoulder to shoulder, ready to build the future together. To the American people: We don’t want to be subordinates forever. We want to be your real partners — strong, proud, and loyal. The kind of allies who ride or die together. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, America. The strongest alliance in the world is rising again — as equals, as brothers, forever. #PhoenixRising 🇯🇵🤝🇺🇸🌸

After U.S. forces turned China’s most advanced anti-stealth radar—the JY-27A—into little more than lawn art, Xi reportedly ordered the execution of its chief designer, Yang Wei. Engineering with Chinese characteristics…

SO TRUE! 🚀 🌕

“The only thing worse than a communist is an incompetent communist.” So true! This is why Rubio has been my presidential choice e for quite some time now. Doing amazing as Sec of State.

The trophy is heading to Tempe! For the fourth time in Regents' Cup history, Arizona State University is the Regents' Cup Champion!

And the 2026 Regents’ Cup is complete! @ASU won the team title, led by the champions of the Oxford debate competition, Jake Dueck and Sam Luna. @NAU’s Benjamin Winkler won the Storytelling competition. The theme of the Cup this year was “Liberty & Responsibility.” The whole point of the competition was to get students active and involved in civil discourse - a seemingly lost art these days. It’s good to know this next generation is ready to take on this cornerstone of what makes America great. @AZRegents

🚨Report: NASA is canceling plans for a lunar-orbiting space station and instead will invest $20 billion to build a permanent base on the Moon’s surface. The agency says it plans to conduct crewed lunar landings every six months.