WASHINGTON, DC — President Joe Biden this week will impose a moratorium on new oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters, both the Washington Post and the New York Times reported Tuesday morning citing administration insiders who have been briefed on the draft of the plan. The moratorium’s announcement, which is expected on
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VICTORIA, Texas — A federal judge in Texas on Monday asked the Biden administration to clarify its 100-day pause on deportations as he considers a lawsuit to block the moratorium. Over the weekend, Texas, which is suing the Biden administration, submitted a Fox News report to the court that cited an internal email instructing Immigration
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AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Legislature on Monday began an every-10-year redistricting process that could diminish El Paso’s representation in the state House of Representatives. Census estimates through 2019 show that El Paso’s population has stagnated since the last census in 2010, while Texas continued rapid growth. If those estimates are confirmed by 2020 census
Continue Reading WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Justice Department’s inspector general is launching an investigation to examine whether any former or current department officials “engaged in an improper attempt” to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Inspector General Michael Horowitz said Monday that the investigation will investigate allegations concerning the conduct of former and current
Continue Reading WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Supreme Court has brought an end to lawsuits over whether Donald Trump illegally profited off his presidency. The justices on Monday threw out Trump’s challenge to lower court rulings that had allowed lawsuits to go forward alleging that he violated the Constitution’s emoluments clause by accepting payments from foreign and
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WASHINGTON, DC — Dominion Voting Systems has sued former President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani for defamation after he pushed the “Big Lie” about election fraud on his podcast and TV appearances. Dominion is seeking more than $1.3 billion in damages. “Just as Giuliani and his allies intended, the Big Lie went viral on
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WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Justice Department revealed new charges Saturday against a Texas man who allegedly participated in the Capitol attack and posted online death threats against Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a U.S. Capitol Police officer. Garret Miller of Dallas faces five criminal charges stemming from the Capitol insurrection, including trespassing offenses and
Continue Reading SANTA FE, New Mexico — New Mexico’s liquor laws may undergo their most significant changes in 40 years if legislation allowing for home deliveries and the creation of a new restaurant license gets signed into law. A bill introduced by Rep. Dayan Hochman-Vigil, D-Albuquerque, seeks to make major changes to New Mexico’s liquor laws by allowing
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CARLSBAD, New Mexico — President Joe Biden’s 60-day moratorium on new oil and natural gas leases and drilling permits is prompting widespread concerns in New Mexico, where spending on education and other public programs hinges on the industry’s success. Top Republicans in the state as well as local leaders in communities that border the Permian Basin
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UPDATE, Jan. 22: An El Paso attorney maintained Friday that plans to have a historic district downtown that includes the Duranguito neighborhood are now effectively dead since a majority of property owners in the area have come out in opposition to it. Mark Osborn of the Kemp Smith law firm represents (on an unpaid, pro
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SANTA FE, New Mexico — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed the first bill of the 2021 legislative session, which funds legislative operations in the state capitol, including an unprecedented amount of security spending in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington D.C. House Bill 1 provides around $32 million in
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SANTA FE, New Mexico — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit from the jailed founder of Cowboys for Trump, tossing the effort to block or avoid possible financial disclosure requirements as a political group in New Mexico. The lawsuit filed in June 2020 from Couy Griffin and Cowboys for Trump was in response to mounting
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday sued the Biden administration over its 100-day deportation pause, citing an 11th-hour agreement between Texas and the Trump administration that required the Department of Homeland Security to consult with the state before making changes. It’s the first lawsuit challenging one of the Biden administration’s immigration
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WASHINGTON, DC — Seven Democrats in the U.S. Senate have filed an ethics complaint against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for his role lending “legitimacy” to false claims of election fraud ahead of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection in the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. In a letter addressed to the Senate
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AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Tribune held interviews Friday with three new members of the Texas Senate: César Blanco, D-El Paso; Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio; and Drew Springer, R-Muenster. Tribune politics reporter Alex Samuels moderated the discussion. The new state senators — all former members of the Texas House — discussed their priorities as they head to the Texas state
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UPDATE: AUSTIN, Texas — Following word that National Guard units from across the nation had been banished to a parking garage near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday night ordered the return of Texas’ Guard troops to the state. I have instructed General Norris to order the return of the
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LIVE BLOG: The Latest details and developments on Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration WASHINGTON, DC — Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, declaring that “democracy has prevailed” and summoning American resilience and unity to confront the deeply divided nation’s historic confluence of crises. Denouncing a national “uncivil war,” Biden
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SANTA FE, New Mexico — Portions of the state Capitol, known as the “Roundhouse,” were briefly evacuated Wednesday afternoon and nearby residents were told to shelter-in-place as a police bomb squad examined an item in a statehouse parking lot. The Santa Fe Police Dept. and New Mexico State Police said they were alerted to a
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EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Just four years ago, the ‘Make America Great Again’ movement helped former President Donald Trump pull off an improbable win. In the years that followed, President Trump placed three justices on the U.S. Supreme Court and appointed hundreds of federal judges. He saw the economy rise and fall with the
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SANTA FE, New Mexico — New Mexico lawmakers are confronting daunting challenges as they began a 60-day legislative session this week amid an unrelenting coronavirus pandemic and concerns of violence at a Statehouse guarded by troops and encircled by fencing, barricades and mobile security cameras. Proposals aimed at reviving the economy and rebooting classroom learning are at
Continue Reading FORT WORTH, Texas — Another name missing in President Donald Trump’s flurry of pardons is “Tiger King” Joe Exotic. His team was so confident in a pardon that they’d readied a celebratory limousine and a hair and wardrobe team to whisk away the zookeeper-turned-reality-TV-star, who is now serving a 22-year federal prison sentence in Texas. But he
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AUSTIN, Texas — A federal investigation against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton remains in play after his name was absent Wednesday from a last-minute list of pardons in the waning hours of Donald Trump’s presidency. The investigation centers on allegations that Paxton committed bribery, abuse of office and other crimes. Paxton’s top deputies reported him to the FBI
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EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The United States remained on high alert for the presidential Inauguration Day after the recent riot at the U.S. Capitol. Cities across the country prepared to ward off threats of violence Wednesday and El Paso was no exception. The special agent in charge (SAIC) of the FBI El Paso Field
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EL PASO, Texas — A recent surge of activity among nationalist and white supremacy groups has kept intelligence agencies busy working to ensure a peaceful transfer of power as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take over. In the aftermath of the riots in Washington, D.C. dozens of people who took part have already been arrested
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ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico — An Otero County commissioner and founder of the group Cowboys for Trump, who was arrested on charges stemming from the U.S. Capitol riot, is now the target of a recall effort as his fellow commissioners on Tuesday demanded his resignation and federal prosecutors sought to hold him without bond as a “danger.”
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WASHINGTON, DC — President Trump released a video farewell message on his last full day as President, describing his accomplishments and offering luck and “best wishes” to the incoming administration. The video struck more of a conciliatory tone than more recent messages from Trump. “This week, we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in
Continue Reading WILMINGTON, Delaware — After his final night at home before his inauguration as the 46th president of the United States, President-elect Joe Biden wished Delaware farewell in remarks at a “send-off event” before he headed to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday afternoon. Biden will no longer be taking an Amtrak trip from Wilmington to Washington, as he
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HOUSTON, Texas — Texas on Tuesday reported more than 300 new Covid-19 deaths for the fifth time time in the past week as the toll of the pandemic across the U.S. surpassed 400,000 deaths. Health officials also confirmed more than 8,000 new cases as hospitalizations continued to hover around 14,000. Officials in the border city of Laredo
Continue Reading ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico — Otero County commissioner Couy Griffin, who is also head of Cowboys for Trump, is the talk of the town, and for good reason. Griffin joined a large group of Trump supporters who stormed the nation’s Capitol building on Jan. 6th. Although he did not go inside the building, he joined the group
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SANTA FE, New Mexico — After the New Mexico Legislature meets on Tuesday, lawmakers will decide whether the state should legalize marijuana in 2021. “New Mexico can lead the country in a legalization framework that protects the medical program,” said State Rep. Javier Martínez of Albuquerque, who plans to introduce the bill in the 55th
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