Free Republic

...in seeking to fill the Senate seat that Republican Pete Domenici held for 36 years, more should be required. There is too much party intransigence on both sides in Washington. Ronchetti says he would work to end it; Luján, as the consummate party insider, is steeped in it. The last time New Mexico had bipartisan representation from its senators was when Domenici and Sen. Jeff Bingaman held the seats. They often disagreed, but they worked together on behalf of their home state. The election of Ronchetti is a chance to bring back that bipartisan team. And Ronchetti, who exudes energy,...

The question of whether to embrace the Black Lives Matter movement and its leadership as a whole and ignore or dismiss anti-Zionism/antisemitism coming from within it as relatively inconsequential or to call it out for institutional antisemitism has become a point of contention within the Jewish community. What are the arguments on each side?

Energy produced on federal lands and waters plays a critical role in America’s energy revolution, accounting for 12% of U.S. natural gas production and nearly a quarter of U.S. oil production. Here’s what’s projected to be at stake for U.S. energy leadership if a federal leasing and development ban is enacted according to new analysis prepared by OnLocation using EIA’s National Energy Modeling System (NEMS) which is used to produce their Annual Energy Outlook.

"Wow" was all I was able to say as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Blackhawk flew alongside the U.S.-Mexico border and the difference between the old "wall" system and the new wall system under construction came into view... The old "wall" that covers large lengths of the border is laughably easy to get over. It consists of barbed wire fencing, held together by fragile-looking wooden posts and Normandy barriers intended to stop illegal vehicle crossings. "I think you can see for yourself...it's a political narrative, right? They want to score some political points by saying, 'Oh, it's just...

The window for the final round of testing of Virgin Galactic’s rocket-powered spacecraft opens later this week as the company inches toward commercial flights. Virgin Galactic President Mike Moses updated New Mexico lawmakers on the progress during a meeting Monday. He said the space tourism company already has done nine flights from Spaceport America in southern New Mexico, including two glide flights by the spaceship. While the exact date has yet to be determined, the upcoming test will mark the third space flight for Virgin Galactic and the first from New Mexico. Moses called it a big milestone for an...

On the evening of October 7th, Gale and Marietta Shell, who live about five miles north of Springer, in Colfax County, discovered their young horse had been shot dead sometime between 6:30 and 7:00 p.m. Their property, which faces I-25, and has a large display of pro-Trump flags on large flag poles, could have been a target due to their outspoken support for President Donald Trump and could be a possible reason why their property was targeted. According to Marietta Shell, the corral fence where the young filly, which is valued at $4,500, was located was not visible from the...

The two largest U.S. energy firms, Chevron Corp and Exxon Mobil Corp, have increased their share of campaign donations to Democrats this year, according to latest filings, amid a looming battle over fracking. The vast majority, 85% of all oil and gas donations this election, have flowed on behalf of U.S. President Donald Trump, other Republican candidates and conservative causes, according to data from campaign researcher the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP). However, oil majors have put more money into Democratic coffers as some polls show Democratic challenger Joseph Biden with an as much as 10 percentage point lead and...

A New Voice for Justice are five judge candidates for New Mexico Supreme Court and Court of Appeals determined to put the law above politics. The first thing these judicial candidates did was qualify for public financing to ensure that they would not be influenced by outside interests. They are committed to work in the best interests of the people and bring common sense to the criminal process. With over 100 years of experience between them, Ned, Kerry, Barbara and Gertrude know we can do great things if we work together, follow the law and uphold the Constitution. A New...

have noticed that the closer we get to the election, the more hateful the rhetoric from the opposing party becomes. I must be doing something right if my adversary is working so hard to make me look bad. I have been portrayed as heartless and as a person who doesn’t care about children or workers. In reality, I am an educator who actually left the profession to do something more for “my kids.” That is why I am running – for our future generations. I am proud to be endorsed by the New Mexico Right to Life Committee, the New...

Former President Barack Obama said in an interview with on the “Pod Save America” podcast on Wednesday that President Donald Trump didn’t “have the patience and the focus to really substantially change a lot of U.S. foreign policy.” Tommy Vietor asked, “You spent countless hours with Vice President Biden talking about national security. What did you learn about how he thinks about diplomacy and counterterrorism and the use of military force that others would not have seen?”

Protesters pulled down a controversial war monument in the heart of the Santa Fe Plaza Monday afternoon during an Indigenous Peoples' Day demonstration. Around two dozen protesters were seen using straps to pull down two sections of the obelisk. Local business owner Jorsiak Borchers described how the scene unfolded. "There were a group of people dressed in black, and they began to climb the monument in the center of the Santa Fe Plaza. They threw a rope around it. Cheers and applause of everyone to tear it down. A lot of cop cars came quickly into town. A lot do...

360 miles completed, 221 miles under construction, 157 miles under pre-construction. (738 Total)

The border wall is well underway in southern New Mexico. And James Johnson couldn’t be happier. The third-generation farmer, wearing sunglasses, blue jeans and dusty work boots, beamed as he talked about the wall that winds alongside the southern edge of his farm, about 12 miles west of Columbus. “It’s beautiful. I mean, we’re ecstatic,” Johnson, the owner of Carzalia farms, told the Journal... Just over a year ago, Johnson told the Journal he was “eager” to see the wall built and even granted the federal government an easement to get the ball rolling. Johnson said that construction began on...

Outgoing U.S. Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico tops a list for secretary of the Interior Department for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, according to a national news outlet. Also being considered is Democratic U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico and U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat and leader of the House committee on natural resources, according to Bloomberg News. The Interior Department oversees concerns crucial to the West and the nation, including grazing, parks and recreation, and oil and gas extraction on federal land. The agency also oversees coastal drilling, among other environmental concerns. A spokesman for...

Mexico on Friday ordered the military to deploy along its southern border to block a migrant caravan that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador suggested was linked to the US election. Thousands of mostly Honduran migrants were traveling through Guatemala, heading for the United States via Mexico, just weeks before a tense US presidential vote in which immigration is a key issue. “It seems very strange to us. It’s very strange that this caravan leaves on the eve of the election in the United States,” Lopez Obrador told reporters. “It has to do with the election in the United States. I...

According to a recent Albuquerque Journal poll, the U.S. Senate race in New Mexico could be one to watch. This is the open seat being vacated by retiring Senator Tom Udall (D-NM). Ben Ray Luján, a Democrat representing the 3rd Congressional District, currently edges his Republican opponent, former KRQE-TV meteorologist, Mark Ronchetti, 49 to 40 percent. Brian Sanderoff of Research & Polling Inc., the company conducting the poll, warned, “Ben Ray Luján has a comfortable lead, but he’s not at the 50% mark that helps candidates sleep better at night.” Ronchetti bested two rivals in the June 5th Republican primary to advance to...

Former governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson, who has been accused by Virginia Roberts of having sex with her on Jeffrey Epstein’s orders when she was underage — faces a slew of new allegations. Richardson, 72, “has been accused of raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks while in office – money which allegedly funded a luxury and debauched lifestyle including ‘sexual services and favors,” according to a recently unsealed legal complaint obtained by DailyMail.com.

Full Title: Former New Mexico Democratic Governor Bill Richardson is accused of raking in hundreds of thousands in bribes and kickbacks to fund debauched lifestyle including 'sexual services and favors'. ........................................ The scandal plagued former governor of New Mexico - who Virginia Roberts claimed she had underage sex with on Jeffrey Epstein's orders - has been dragged into the mud once again. Career politician Bill Richardson has been accused of raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks while in office - money which allegedly funded a luxury and debauched lifestyle including 'sexual services and favors', according...

No excerpt allowed from Bloomberg, story here.

Sandia National Laboratories has paused all inclusion and diversity training in the wake of a memo from the Trump administration that called such sessions “divisive, un-American propaganda.” The director of the labs said in an email to the workforce that the pause is temporary, and that inclusion and diversity are still critical to lab operations. “This is a pause, not an end to our I&D training,” James Peery, director of Sandia National Labs, wrote in a message to lab employees, which was obtained by the Journal. “We continue to believe that inclusion and diversity are critical to providing exceptional service...