SANTA FE, New Mexico — New Mexico state lawmakers will push plans to legalize marijuana, underwrite tuition-free college, respond to concerns about mass shootings and improve a beleaguered public education system during a 30-day legislative session that begins Tuesday. Political battle lines are forming on issues ranging from teacher pay increases to a proposed red-flag
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The New York Times editorial board on Sunday endorsed Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, a potentially meaningful boost for the two female senators left in the race with less than a month before the Iowa caucuses. “Ms. Klobuchar and Ms. Warren right now are the Democrats best equipped
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LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — A Las Cruces businessman has entered the contest for U.S. Senate in New Mexico, adding to a list of Republicans looking for the GOP nomination. Rick Montoya, 72, has announced his candidacy, the Las Cruces Sun News reported. Montoya is the sixth Republican who announced their run for the at-large seat
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(Editor’s note: You can see Biden’s remarks on O’Rourke and Castro beginning at the 10:15 mark of the interview in the video player above.) DALLAS, Texas — Former Vice President Joe Biden says he would consider former El Paso Congressman Beto O’Rourke to be his running mate, or for a spot in his cabinet, if
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EL PASO, Texas — El Paso city Rep. Peter Svarzbein is taking on a new role as deputy state director in Texas for Democrat Michael Bloomberg’s campaign for president. Svarzbein confirmed the new role with ABC-7 on Wednesday evening, saying “while other candidates are focused on early states, Mike is focused on Texas and Texans,
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SILVER SPRING, Maryland — President Donald Trump can’t give state and local governments “veto power” to reject refugees from resettling within their borders, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte agreed to block Trump’s executive order requiring resettlement agencies to get written consent from state and local officials in any jurisdiction where
Continue Reading Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday warned against “going to the extreme” on important election issues a day after he was assailed by his liberal competitors at the CNN/Des Moines Register Democratic debate for being too moderate. “It’s certainly the case that I would caution against going to the extreme when we can solve
Continue Reading Democratic primary rivals Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders agreed to disagree during Tuesday’s primary debate on the contents of a private 2018 dinner conversation, punctuating a growing tension between the two leading 2020 progressives over whether Sanders had told Warren that a woman could not win during a discussion about the 2020 election. After Sanders
Continue Reading Sen. Elizabeth Warren made a forceful case in Tuesday night’s debate that a woman can win the White House, tackling the unpopular question that has loomed over the presidential race since Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton since 2016 — buttressing her argument by pointing to the electoral losses of the men standing alongside her on
Continue Reading DES MOINES, Iowa — It was the last Democratic debate before the first votes are cast in the 2020 election. Tuesday night’s debate was the final face-to-face gathering of the candidates before the Feb. 3 Iowa Caucuses. The six Democratic presidential candidates participating took on foreign policy, trade, healthcare, childcare and electability at the Iowa debate. RELATED
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EL PASO, Texas — Allegations of El Paso County Sheriff’s deputies gambling using betting boards on county time surfaced Tuesday. Former deputy Joe Kluge initially made the claim in a social media post that Sheriff Richard Wiles was made aware of the gambling and turned a blind eye to it. He also alleged in an interview
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DOÑA ANA COUNTY, New Mexico – In a vote of 3 to 2, Doña Ana County Commissioners narrowly approved a 2.9 cost of living increase in the salary for the county manager on Tuesday. Doña Ana County Manager Fernando Macias will now make more than $185,000 yearly, before benefits. (You can download a copy of
Continue Reading (Editor’s note: To search for sex offenders in your region. you can visit the New Mexico Department of Public Safety’s Sex Offender Registry at this link.) SANTA FE, New Mexico — Legislators will consider changes to the state’s sex offender registration policies in response to revelations that deceased financier and New Mexico ranch owner Jeffrey
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EL PASO, Texas — El Paso city Rep. Claudia Ordaz-Perez is once again facing an ethics complaint. A resident in her district is accusing her of misusing discretionary funds. Ana Reza alleges the city representative violated a city ordinance when she used more than $1,000 dollars without council approval.Reza says Ordaz-Perez spent more than $6,300
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LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — The Las Cruces City Council spent several hours on Monday talking through a work session and presentation on the possibility of marijuana legalization in New Mexico. The discussion was prompted by Gov. Michelle Lujan-Grisham’s announced plans to push cannabis legalization during the upcoming legislative session. At the center of all
Continue Reading Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday night said that 2020 rival Sen. Bernie Sanders told her during a private meeting in December 2018 that he did not believe a woman could win the presidency. “Among the topics that came up was what would happen if Democrats nominated a female candidate,” Warren said of the meeting with
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AUSTIN, Texas — Texas will no longer accept the resettlement of new refugees, becoming the first state known to do so under a recent Trump administration order, Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday. Abbott’s announcement could have major implications for refugees coming to the United States. Texas has large refugee populations in several of its cities
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EL PASO, Texas — The Texas House of Representatives committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety heard public testimony Thursday at UTEP from people directly impacted by the mass shooting that occurred in El Paso on Aug. 3 as they looked to try to prevent future incidents. At the hearing, doctors also spoke to
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SANTA FE, New Mexico — Many sheriffs across the state are opposed to a proposal from the governor and Democratic lawmakers that would allow police or relatives to ask a court to temporarily take away guns from people who might hurt themselves or others, a New Mexico Sheriffs’ Association official said Thursday. Sierra County Sheriff
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LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was joined by several lawmakers in Las Cruces Wednesday as they announced plans to introduce a so-called ‘red flag’ gun law for the upcoming New Mexico legislative session. Speaking at the Law Enforcement Museum at the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, the governor said the proposed
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SANTA FE, New Mexico (AP) — President Donald Trump’s rationale for ordering the killing of a top Iranian general is reminiscent of the use of U.S. intelligence in the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, New Mexico congressional candidate and former CIA operative Valerie Plame said Wednesday. In comments to The Associated Press, Plame
Continue Reading AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott is warning Texans to be “particularly vigilant” over potential cyber-terrorism from Iran, suggesting that heightened tensions with the country have caused an increase in attempted attacks on state agencies. “This is something that everybody in the state of Texas needs to be concerned, prepared and be able to address,” Abbott said
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SANTA FE, New Mexico (AP) — New Mexico’s governor has delivered budget recommendations that include a new round of pay increases for public school and state government workers plus subsidies to expand early childhood schooling and provide tuition-free college. Teachers’ pay would increase by 4%, while state employees would see a 3% raise. A 2%
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SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AP) — Former Obama administration housing chief Julián Castro is endorsing Elizabeth Warren’s presidential bid, saying the Massachusetts senator is “the most qualified, best-equipped candidate to win the nomination” and defeat President Donald Trump. In a video posted Monday featuring the two former 2020 White House rivals, Castro tells Warren, “No one
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ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (AP) — Louie Sanchez, a health care businessman and a shooting range owner, is jumping in the race for an open U.S. Senate seat in New Mexico. Sanchez announced Monday he will seek the Republican nomination for a spot currently held by retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Udall. Sanchez said he is
Continue Reading One month before the Iowa caucuses kick off the Democratic primary, foreign policy is suddenly playing a central role in the wake of a rising crisis in the Middle East. Long-simmering tensions between Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden — and starkly different worldviews — are coming into sharper view. Sanders
Continue Reading SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Julián Castro has ended his campaign for the Democratic nomination for president, capping a nearly yearlong bid during which he distinguished himself as a progressive crusader but never found the polling or fundraising support to gain wide appeal. “I’m so proud of the campaign we’ve run together,” Castro said in an almost
Continue Reading Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont raised more than $34.5 million for his White House bid during the final three months of 2019 — a sign of his considerable financial strength a little more than a month before Democrats begin selecting their 2020 presidential nominee. Sanders was the second candidate vying for the Democratic nomination to
Continue Reading Amid escalating foreign policy crises and a looming Senate impeachment trial, President Donald Trump is entering 2020 with a sizable campaign war chest ahead of the presidential election. The President’s reelection campaign raised $46 million in the final quarter of 2019, the campaign announced Thursday, noting in a statement that the haul represents “the best
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EL PASO, Texas — Former El Paso Congressman and presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke has announced his next move. In an email sent to his supporters, O’Rourke said he’s creating a grassroots organization called Powered by People. O’Rourke said the goal is to help Democrats win elections in Texas. “It will give us a shot at
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