On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on a deal between Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to avert a default on the country’s debts, to the chagrin of many Republicans and Democrats.
Conservatives made the case that the deal doesn’t scratch the surface of the spending that needs to be cut, while Democrats were angered over the lack of supposed “climate” provisions, among other reasons.
The bill passed by a vote of 314-117. 149 Republicans voted for the bill, 71 voted against it, 165 Democrats voted for it, and 46 voted against it.
This is how New Mexico’s three-member U.S. House delegation voted on the bill:
On Thursday, far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wished New Mexicans a “Happy #Pride” to the “LGBTQIA2S+ folx.”
She wrote, “Happy #Pride month to all the LGBTQIA2S+ folx in New Mexico! “Pride” means something different to all of us, but this month we take time to celebrate who we are – and honor those who paved the way for change. #LoveIsLove.”
“As LGBTQ+ rights are under attack in so many states, New Mexico will not go backward. During the last session, I was proud to sign legislation making sure gender-affirming care remains available in New Mexico. This state will remain a haven for queer people everywhere,” she added.
As LGBTQ+ rights are under attack in so many states, New Mexico will not go backward. During the last session, I was proud to sign legislation making sure gender-affirming care remains available in New Mexico. This state will remain a haven for queer people everywhere.
— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) June 1, 2023
The post featured a picture of the “Progress Pride” flag, which Northwestern University claims added colors to the original rainbow supposedly include transgenders and “people of color.”
“The flags black and brown stripes represent marginalized LBGT communities of colour, community members lost to HIV/AIDS, and those currently living with AIDS,” wroteNorthwestern.
The designer, Daniel Quasar, said the flag was meant to “shift focus and emphasis to what is important in our current community climate.” It has been used by the radical fringe parts of the LGBT community.
According to the Portland Art Museum, the governor’s long alphabet of letters and numbers, “LGBTQIA2S+,” means “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Two-Spirit.”
In the 2023 Legislative Session, the governor promoted extreme laws that exposed local governments and schools to lawsuits if they did not facilitate abortions or “gender-affirming care,” meaning transgender surgeries and puberty blockers.
The Democrats also expanded the state’s “Human Rights Act” to include “gender identity,” creating new opportunities for lawsuits.
In previous years during the month of June, which has been coopted as “pride” month, Lujan Grisham and then-House Speaker Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe) stood on the roof of the capitol holding LGBT pride flags.
Gov. Lujan Grisham and then-Speaker Egolf hoist Pride flags atop the Capitol in Santa Fe
In the past, Lujan Grisham touted her support for “pride” month to the “LGBTQ+” individuals. Apparently, she added new letters to her alphabet in 2023.
Happy #PrideMonth! I’m proud to lead a state that welcomes every member of the LGBTQ+ community & is committed to ensuring a New Mexico that values & protects every New Mexican, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Wishing everyone a celebratory and safe #Pride! pic.twitter.com/6rd5XLUoLD
— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) June 3, 2019
Russia is banning more Americans from its soil amid its armed conflict with Ukraine started in February 2022. According to Russian state media, TASS, the total number of U.S. citizens banned from the country has reached 963.
“Russia seeks no confrontation and remains open to honest, mutually respectful dialogue, distinguishing the American people, who invariably enjoy our respect, from the US authorities, who foment Russophobia, and those who serve them. It is these individuals who are put on Russia’s ‘blacklist,’” the Russians wrote.
Here are all the New Mexicans who are banned from entry into Russia:
New Mexico’s largest city, Albuquerque, has become a warzone under Democrat Mayor Tim Keller, being one of the deadliest cities in the United States, and crime forcing businesses to flee after skyrocketing crime led to devastating losses.
Murder and pillaging are the norms in Albuquerque, with tent cities, and waiting times for police to arrive at the scene of a crime can take 40 minutes or even longer.
For crime alone, not to mention the other slew of issues the Democrat mayor has passed, including $30,000 crosswalks, bans on plastic bags (that are now overturned), and bureaucratic “equity” offices, Keller is hinting at yet another term in the city despite the abysmal record.
In response to a question from New Mexico PBS about seeking another term in 2025, Keller said, “That’s certainly what I’m looking at right now. It’s not a secret.”
“I’m talking about groundbreakings in the State of the City, but if we’re looking at completions, we’re looking at like 2026, 2027, and so right now, that’s driving me to say, ‘Hey, I want to make sure to be here to stick around for that,’ and even getting out of consent decree,” he continued.
The major shift from the far-left mayor toward seeking another term comes after he won the 2021 municipal election for a second term against two candidates, one of them being former Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales.
He won about 56 percent of the vote to Gonzales’ 26 percent and the radio talk show host’s 18 percent. Both candidates appeared to have split the vote in Keller’s favor and avoided a runoff election since the mayor narrowly won above a 50 percent majority.
‘“The foundation that we’ve built to deal with crime and homelessness includes things like the Gateway Center, and our community safety department, and even the 100 new officers we have in the pipeline at the academy, and our crime-fighting initiatives through the Roundhouse to stop the revolving door – so this winter is really important,” claimed Keller on election night.
So far, Albuquerque remains failing in its supposed attempts to stem the effects of crime, and KRQE 13 News reported that Keller has so far failed to meet his 95 percent operational compliance level at the Albuquerque Police Department.
Another Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham administration official is leaving, this time State Police Chief Tim Johnson, who announced his retirement Tuesday after heading the force for four years.
The governor has appointed W. Troy Weisler to take Johnson’s place. Weisler is currently the deputy chief for strategic development, special projects, communications, and recruiting.
“I am grateful to the governor and to the people of New Mexico for entrusting me with this great responsibility,” said Deputy Chief Weisler. “Society is changing, technology is rapidly evolving, and the need for public safety and honorable men and women to serve has never been greater. State Police now has access to unprecedented resources, and I am looking forward to quickly deploying them to address the most pressing needs of law enforcement and the people of New Mexico.”
NM State Police Deputy Chief Weisler
“I admire Deputy Chief Weisler’s dependability, calm disposition, and laser focus on the task at hand,’ said Chief Johnson. “His leadership and experience have greatly assisted me during the last four years and he is perfectly suited to take command of NMSP. I have no doubt the department will move forward in a manner which will serve our communities well.”
New Mexico State Police Chief Tim Johnson
The move by Johnson comes after a particularly violent few weeks for the department, including a Saturday biker gang shootout in Red River that left three dead and many injured.
The latest departure from the Lujan Grisham administration is not surprising, as her entire reign has been marred with a lack of continuity in any department, with short-tenured cabinet secretaries and appointees leaving for various reasons from her scandal-plagued regime.
On Memorial Day, most public officials used the somber holiday to honor and remember the fallen U.S. soldiers who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country’s freedoms.
However, that did not stop New Mexico’s far-left Democrat U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich from politicizing the day to promote his radical abortion stance.
“Service members and their families are stationed according to need. That means 40% of active-duty servicewomen live in states that have banned or restricted abortion,” he wrote on Twitter.
“We have a bill that will make sure they have access to reproductive care, regardless of where they live.”
Service members and their families are stationed according to need. That means 40% of active-duty servicewomen live in states that have banned or restricted abortion.
We have a bill that will make sure they have access to reproductive care, regardless of where they live.
New Mexicans responded as expected, with Ronnie Lucero of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly writing in reply, “It’s Memorial Day and this guy is talking about killing babies.”
Another wrote, “You are disgusting. Speaking about abortion rights on Memorial Day. I don’t think the unborn fought and died for our freedom. DISGUSTING!”
“When you think @MartinHeinrich couldn’t sink any lower on a day of remembering the ones that served and sacrificed. He [somehow] sabotages this day. By mixing abortion into this day of remembrance,” wrote another New Mexican.
One person opined, “Never miss an opportunity even if it’s disgusting. Then again you are what you tweet!!!”
Heinrich supports unrestricted abortion up to the date of birth. He is running for a third term in his seat amid rumblings he is trying to position himself for the governorship in 2026, as incumbent abortion up-to-birth Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, is term-limited.
The “intelligence” community was desperate to smear the Hunter Biden laptop story that was proven true, and media outlets were forced to issue retractions. But those now admitting their faults do not include the 51 “intelligence” experts who co-signed a letter attempting to discredit the story as “Russian” disinformation.
Hunter and Ashley Biden, children of Joe Biden, attend the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II).
The 51 wrote that “this is Russia trying to influence how Americans vote in this election, and we believe strongly that Americans need to be aware of this,” adding, “There are a number of factors that make us suspicious of Russian involvement.”
Among the detractors are at least two University of New Mexico faculty members.
Doug Wise, former Defense Intelligence Agency deputy director, and former senior CIA operations officer, teaches at the University of New Mexico. The New York Post contacted him for comment on the now-debunked Russian disinformation hoax he propped up in the letter, but he did not respond.
In 2019, he spoke at length about a lecture regarding Afghanistan, saying he doesn’t consider himself an “expert” on relations with the country, but apparently, he finds himself to be an expert on Joe Biden’s son’s laptop full of disgraceful information that has lead to criminal charges.
Doug Wise official CIA portrait.
He later said in 2023, “All of us figured that a significant portion of that content had to be real to make any Russian disinformation credible.”
Wise claims that critics, “whether they‘re members of the conservative journalist community, conservative politicians or just ultra-right wing extremists, they haven’t paid attention to the content.”
“I don’t regret signing it because the context is important,” he added. “Remember [former Mayor and Trump lawyer Rudy] Giuliani had just been in Ukraine trying to dig up evidence on the Bidens and he met with a known Russian intelligence official” — an apparent reference to pro-Moscow Ukrainian politician Andriy Derkach.
Another faculty member who signed the now-discredited letter is Emile Nakhleh, the former director of CIA’s Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program and former CIA senior intelligence analyst. He is now a research professor and director of National Security Programs at the University of New Mexico.
Emile Nakhleh speaking in 2013. Screenshot via C-SPAN.
He has doubled down on his support for the misinformation written in the letter, telling the New York Post, “I have not seen any information since then that would alter the decision behind signing the letter. That’s all I can go into. The whole issue was highly politicized and I don’t want to deal with that. I still stand by that letter.”
According to figures compiled by the Rio Grande Foundation (RGF), Albuquerque Public Schools is spending an insane amount of taxpayer dollars per student while enrollment in the school declines.
“Albuquerque Public Schools, the State’s largest district unveiled its FY 2024 budget (next school year) and it’s a doozy. As noted on the APS website, total district spending for the upcoming fiscal year will be $2.16 billion,” wrote the group.
RGF noted, “According to the just-passed budget (which we obtained) the District’s enrollment will have dropped (again) to 68,902. So, dividing the $2.16 billion budget by 68,902 students gets you a mind-blowing spending number of $31,349 PER STUDENT!”
“That’s an increase of almost 69% since 2020 PER STUDENT. Will APS or any of New Mexico’s other school districts be able to move the needle on student outcomes or is the State just pouring good money after bad?”
On average, education systems nationwide spend $15,120 per pupil in K-12 public education annually, according to figures from the Education Data Initiative. That means APS delves out more money than double the national average per student.
Despite the high spending, the school district has only a three percent higher graduation rate than the state at 80 percent versus the state average of 77 percent.
“Public Schools in Albuquerque Public Schools School District have an average math proficiency score of 52% (versus the New Mexico public school average of 25%), and reading proficiency score of 75% (versus the 58% statewide average),” according to Public School Review.
On Thursday, Democrat New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham sidestepped the state Legislature to unilaterally create an “Office of Special Education” within her New Mexico Public Education Department.
“The governor — who sidestepped the legislative process in creating the agency through an executive order — joined educators, families and top state education officials at Lowell Elementary School in Albuquerque to announce the effort, framing it as an opportunity to create streamlined services that stretch from birth through college,” reported the Santa Fe New Mexican.
A bill to do just this died in the 2023 Legislative Session amid concerns over local control of such programs in the state. The bill never got a vote in the state House of Representatives.
“I’m not waiting one more minute to get the services and the supports and the education that every student in New Mexico needs,” the governor said, echoing previous remarks she made when she forced through a special session to legalize recreational marijuana in 2021.
At the time, she screamed during a virtual meeting with a group of supporters, “We’re gonna have a special session in a week or so, and we’re gonna get cannabis because I am not gonna wait another year. We’re gonna win it, and it’s gonna have the social justice aspects that we know have to be in a package!”
“This is an elevation of special education,” Lujan Grisham said of her new executive order-sanctioned office, despite New Mexico children being woefully underserved by the failing governmental departments already in place to supposedly protect them, such as the PED and the Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD).
Now, the state will have a new bureaucratic office to likely mismanage disability issues in schools. Currently, the state ranks last out of every other state in the nation in education.
It is currently unclear what portion of the PED budget would be allocated to the office since the Department did not get funding in the 2023 Legislative Session for the then-nonexistent office. The latest move by the governor not only usurps the Legislature’s powers to create the office but also its appropriation power.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s rule that regulates waterways in a unanimous 9-0 decision.
The Court’s decision on Sackett v. EPA narrows Waters of the United States (WOTUS), instructing the government to define a waterway as a “continuous surface connection” to major water bodies.
The New Mexico-based eco-left group bemoaned the decision on Twitter, writing, “Everyone should be troubled by this Supreme Court ruling on #SackettvEPA. The #SCOTUS decision puts polluters over people, resulting in extreme consequences for the @EPA’s ability to protect our nation’s waters.”
Everyone should be troubled by this Supreme Court ruling on #SackettvEPA. The #SCOTUS decision puts polluters over people, resulting in extreme consequences for the @EPA’s ability to protect our nation’s waters.
Another leftist group in the state, Amigos Bravos, wrote, “The Supreme Court just issued a ruling that severely weakens the Clean Water Act in Sackett v. EPA, putting New Mexico’s communities, public health, and local ecosystems at risk – especially those most vulnerable to pollution and intensifying climate disasters.”
BREAKING: The Supreme Court just issued a ruling that severely weakens the Clean Water Act in Sackett v. EPA, putting New Mexico’s communities, public health, and local ecosystems at risk – especially those most vulnerable to pollution and intensifying climate disasters. #WOTUS
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer angrily wrote in a statement, “This MAGA Supreme Court is continuing to erode our country’s environmental laws,” adding, “Make no mistake – this ruling will mean more polluted water, and more destruction of wetlands.”
Apparently, Schumer is unaware that every SCOTUS judge voted for the decision — including the three leftist justices Sonya Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Joe Biden’s White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also blasted the decision, saying Thursday, “It will jeopardize the sources of clean drinking water for farmers, businesses, and millions of Americans.”
UPDATE: Democrat New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham bemoaned the decision in a statement via Twitter:
I have directed my administration to immediately begin identifying any regulatory gaps that we can fill at the state level, working together across agencies, the Legislature, communities and with other partners to make sure our water and our public health remain protected.
— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) May 26, 2023
