Gov & Politics
How the Trump fake elector scheme fizzled in four states
Part of Donald Trump’s plan to reverse his loss in the 2020 presidential election hinged on replacing legitimate electors in a handful of swing states with “fake electors.” In theory, these bogus Republican slates in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Nevada and Wisconsin would cast their electoral votes for the incumbent — canceling out […]
Trumpism is fascism, American-style
If you want to know what the slide into fascism looks like, go back and review Tuesday’s session of the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. It was a tragic parade of public servants relaying the vile acts of harassment they were subjected to as they did the […]
Senate committee hears testimony in support of boarding school commission
The genocidal history of federal boarding school policies and the generational impact on Native American communities were presented to the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Wednesday. Lawmakers in the committee are committed to moving a bill to the full Senate floor that would establish a truth and healing commission on the U.S. boarding […]
A prescription for disaster
More than 11 weeks after a prescribed burn escaped containment lines 12 miles north of Las Vegas, the public is finally learning more about what went wrong to cause the biggest fire in New Mexico history. In the meantime: Thousands evacuated, homes and livelihoods destroyed, a water supply imperiled, a wilderness reduced to ash. Over […]
Biden pitches a summer gas tax holiday as price hovers around $5 a gallon
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday called on Congress and state legislatures to provide a temporary reprieve from gas taxes — but members of his own party and Republicans appeared opposed, making it look unlikely on the federal level. In addition, many state legislatures are out of session for the year and aren’t expected […]
More people stuck in NM prisons beyond their release dates in recent months, LFC report shows
A growing number of New Mexicans incarcerated in state prisons are being held beyond their official release date because there are not enough resources outside the walls to meet their mental health needs. The problem is nothing new, but the number of incarcerated New Mexicans still sitting in cells under so-called “in-house parole” has increased […]
U.S. Senate moves forward on gun safety legislation
WASHINGTON — The Senate is poised to pass a bipartisan bill later this week that could become the most comprehensive federal gun safety legislation in years, including billions in new mental health funding. Senators on a procedural vote late Tuesday agreed 64-34 to start debate on the gun control bill, which would also have to […]
Trump led pressure campaign on state election officials, Jan. 6 panel says
Former President Donald Trump was directly involved in efforts to pressure state officials in Georgia, Arizona and elsewhere to overturn the 2020 election results in their states, according to evidence the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack presented Tuesday at the panel’s fourth hearing this month. Trump and his attorneys knew that […]
Major mistakes the Forest Service made in starting biggest fire in New Mexico history
A short-staffed fire crew lit a fire in a megadrought while underestimating the complexity of the climate and the value of what could be lost, review shows.
White House announces increased wages, support for firefighters
Firefighters have been working around the clock to battle one of the worst wildfire years ever in New Mexico with minimal pay that doesn’t always cover the bills. On Tuesday, the White House announced steps that the Biden-Harris administration is taking to increase wages and support systems for federal wildlife firefighters. These steps include temporary pay increases […]
Leger Fernandez: Forest Service ‘undervalued’ NM region where prescribed burn was ignited
The Forest Service’s first big error when it came to a recent escaped prescribed burn in Northern New Mexico was deeming the area where the agency ignited the fire to have only “moderate” value, U.S. Rep Teresa Leger Fernandez told Source New Mexico. The detail was included in an 85-page report released Tuesday, a review […]
Will it be Maryland or Virginia? Feds near a verdict on new FBI headquarters
WASHINGTON — Maryland and Virginia politicians vying for the prize of a new FBI headquarters have just a few months left before a crucial federal government decision. The U.S. General Services Administration is expected to pick the best of three locations as soon as September, ending nearly two decades of advocacy, confusion and frustration across […]