Nation

Denish: DOGE And Musk Impact New Mexicans

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By DIANE DENISH
Corner To Corner
diane@dianedenish.com

Elon Musk has been dominating the headlines recently with his slash and burn efforts as head of “DOGE” – the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

The world’s richest man is everywhere, firing federal workers, in the Oval Office, you name it.

I wanted to learn more about Musk, so I listened to the biography of Musk by Walter Isaacson (20 hours). I’ve also read a slew of business articles about Tesla, SpaceX and Musk’s current endeavor DOGE.

Here is what I learned.

He’s a South African by birth. Although he once attended an anti-apartheid Read More

Amid Federal Crackdown, DEI Bill Clears First Committee In New Mexico Legislature

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Co-sponsor Sen. Shannon Pinto, D-Tohatchi

By MARGARET O’HARA
The Santa Fe New Mexican

DEI is not dead yet in New Mexico. 

Amid increasing hostility from the Trump administration toward diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, a state Senate committee on Sunday advanced a “Diversity Act” that would create positions in the State Personnel Office and other agencies to lead DEI efforts. 

The Health and Public Affairs Committee — the first stop for Senate Bill 356 as the 60-day legislative session heads into its final two weeks — voted 6-3 to approve the proposal after less than 15 minutes Read More

LANL: Research Unravels Mysteries Of Lightning’s Origins

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Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory are studying the origins of lightning. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Researchers from Los Alamos National Laboratory have discovered that cosmic-ray showers seem to play a pivotal role in triggering lightning flashes; the research was published in the journal JGR Atmospheres.

“Scientists still don’t fully understand how lightning starts in thunderstorms,” said Xuan-Min Shao, of Los Alamos’ Electromagnetic Sciences and Cognitive Space Applications group and lead author of the new study. “Using our 3D radio frequency mapping and polarization Read More

Musk/Trump And CDC – Laying The Foundation For The Next Pandemic

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By RICHARD SKOLNIK
White Rock

The staffing and budget cuts that Musk/Trump are taking to CDC will do immeasurable harm to the health of Americans and to the health of people globally. These harms will take many years to overcome and must be stopped now.

Eliminating critical personnel and funds will immediately harm CDC’s ability to detect, prevent, and help us respond to infectious disease threats. It will harm our preparedness to deal in a timely manner with the next emerging infectious disease, at a time when vaccination rates are falling and bird flu poses potentially grave risks to us and to Read More

New Mexico Delegation Opposes Plans To Use Kirtland And Fort Bliss For Immigration-Related Operations

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NM Delegation News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) sent a letter to President Donald Trump and Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Pete Hegseth opposing the Trump administration’s reported plans to use military installations, including Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) and Fort Bliss, to create a nationwide network of military detention facilities.

“Using our military installations for these purposes threatens Read More

Luján, Rosen, Markey Introduce Legislation To Prevent The Political Weaponization Of The FCC

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U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media, and U.S. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) announced the introduction of the Broadcast Freedom and Independence Act, legislation that would prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from revoking broadcast licenses or taking action against broadcasters based on the viewpoints they broadcast.

The legislation would reaffirm the importance of the independence of the FCC, including that the President Read More

‘This is Not Normal’ Stansbury Speaks Up Against Trump

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U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury

STATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) released the following statement after President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress:

“This is not normal. And, we refuse to normalize it. 

“Tonight, I participated in a walk-out of the joint address to Congress because we refuse to normalize the reckless and illegal dismantling of vital federal programs, the firing of thousands of Americans, and the undermining of our national and global security. 

“50 years ago, Members of Congress held a walkout of the 1975 State of Read More

U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján Presses Budget Office Nominee On Firing FBI Victim Specialist, Attacks On Social Security

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Sen. Ben Ray Luján helped lead opposition to Project 2025. Courtesy photo

STATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of Senate Committee on the Budget, pressed Dan Bishop, the nominee to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), on firing career civil servants and Elon Musk’s attacks on Social Security following President Trump’s Tuesday night Joint Address to Congress.

Luján shared the story on behalf of a New Mexican who was fired as an FBI victim specialist, saying, “I am not waste, fraud, and abuse. I am not the enemy. I’m not expendable. Read More

Red Lipstick Brigade Invites Community To Gather March 9

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Courtesy Image

COMMUNITY News:

The local Red Lipstick Brigade invites the community to join them at a gathering at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 9 at Ashley Pond.

The purpose of the gathering is to give folks a chance to peacefully demonstrate their unhappiness with the current national situation. People are asked to show up wearing red lipstick and are encouraged to wear clothing with messages and bring hand held placards with their specific grievances. For example: I Stand With Ukraine, I Support the National Park Service, etc., but emphasize is NO VULGARITIES.

This link shares the history of red lipstick Read More

Samizdat Bookstore & Teahouse Author Talk: Jeff Colvin

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COMMUNITY News:

Samizdat Bookstore & Teahouse is hosting Jeff Colvin, author of Avoiding Apocalypse: How Science and Scientists Ended the Cold War, for an author talk 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 18 at Fuller Lodge.

There will be tea before the talk and a book signing afterwards.

Avoiding Apocalypse tells the little-known story of the worldwide scientists’ boycott of the Soviet Union that set in motion an astonishing sequence of events.

Starting simultaneously with the rise to power of an obscure Soviet bureaucrat named Mikhail Gorbachev, the scientists’ boycott led to the end not only of the Read More