A small business owner in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/albuquerque" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Albuquerque</a> shot and killed a man who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/crime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke into</a> his shop in the night.
The man, who refused to be identified for his own safety, said he was sleeping in his newly-purchased smoke shop in the International District, when a man broke in and began waving weapons at him. The store had already been broken into twice before. Albuquerque Police are investigating the shooting as a &#8220;justifiable homicide.&#8221;
&#8220;PD detectives are investigating an overnight shooting as a justifiable homicide,&#8221; police said in a <a href="https://www.cabq.gov/police/news/apd-investigating-shooting-as-justifiable-homicide" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news release</a> over the weekend. &#8220;Detectives learned the owner of the business &#8230; shot an intruder who appeared to [sic] breaking in with burglary tools. The man who was shot by the business owner died as a result of gunshot wounds. He has not yet been identified. Detectives are working with the District Attorney’s Office as they continue to investigate the business owner’s claims of self-defense. The man was released from the scene after an interview with detectives.&#8221;
According to local news outlet <a href="https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/albuquerque-business-owner-speaks-out-on-fatal-shooting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KOB 4</a>, the incident occurred in the early morning hours on Saturday. The shop owner told the outlet that there had already been two break-in attempts, and he had been sleeping in the store since the first one. The shop has not even opened for business yet.
The owner was woken up in the middle of the night by scratching sounds coming from the side wall of the shop. Unbeknownst to the owner, a man had been scratching through the outer wall of the store. About an hour later, the man broke through the wall.  He pushed over several boxes of merchandise and entered the store, carrying a hammer and an axe or a chisel of some sort. The owner, fearing for his life, grabbed a gun and told the intruder to leave or he would shoot. Instead of leaving, the burglar approached him, swinging his tools, so he fired. The owner then called police.
Images of the hole included with KOB&#8217;s report showed a large opening in the wall, with insulation ripped away and the interior wall and floor molding destroyed. As of Monday, the owner said he has since boarded up the hole, and will be installing more security cameras soon.
Shop owners sleeping in their stores in an effort to thwart burglars is a growing trend across the country. The Daily Wire reported in January that restaurant and bar owners in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/houston-restaurant-owners-are-sleeping-in-their-businesses-armed-to-keep-out-burglars-because-of-citys-lax-bail-policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Houston </a>are sleeping in their establishments, armed, in order to protect them from robbers. The owners said that their businesses have been broken into repeatedly, sometimes by the same suspect. They placed the blame on Houston’s bail policies, which have resulted in more criminals out on the streets.
A 2021 investigation from ABC affiliate KTRK found that Houston’s bail policies have allowed more criminals back onto the streets. The outlet found that in 2011, just 3.5% of cases filed in Harris County court resulted in the defendant being released on felony bond; in 2021, the defendant was released in 18.8% of cases, nearly six times as often.
The investigation also found that criminals were committing more crimes while out on bail. In 2011, just 3.5% of cases involved a defendant who was already out on at least one existing felony bond; in 2021, that number leaped to 19%. Of those cases, 968 accused felons allegedly committed four or more new crimes since being released on bond. One case investigated by the outlet found that the offender was out on 13 separate bonds.

Crime scene at night

Albuquerque Small Business Owner Shoots, Kills Would-Be Burglar Who Tunneled Through Wall

Albuquerque

Crime

New Mexico

Police

U.S.

Filming of the movie “Rust” is set to begin this week after a roughly 18-month hiatus following the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Principal photography on the movie will resume on Thursday at the Yellowstone Film Ranch in Montana, a Rust Movie Productions representative told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/18/entertainment/alec-baldwin-rust-filming-to-resume/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>. The filming location moved from its original set in New Mexico after Hutchins’ death.
Hutchins was killed by a bullet shot from a gun held by actor Alec Baldwin, who is also one of the film’s producers, in October 2021. Prosecutors have charged Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter alongside the movie’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was responsible for the weapons used on set. A preliminary hearing for the charges has been scheduled for May.
The film’s producers had previously planned to resume filming in January, though the month came and went without operations resuming.
Hutchins’ widower Matthew Hutchins is now counted among the show’s producers. He stepped into the role as part of an agreement reached after he sued Baldwin and the film’s production companies and other members of the crew over his wife’s death.
The judge in the lawsuit <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/judge-says-alec-baldwin-settlement-224227111.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sealed</a> the details of the settlement on Monday, saying that the interests of Hutchins’ 10-year-old son overrode any interests in public disclosure.
“What is driving my decision is really the interests of the minor child. And that is one of the very most powerful reasons to seal a matter,” said District Court Judge Bryan Biedscheid said.
Baldwin’s attorneys had <a href="https://people.com/movies/alec-baldwin-criticizes-lawsuit-filed-by-halyna-hutchins-family-rust-shooting-misguided/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">argued</a> for the lawsuit to be dismissed.
“The loss of a daughter and sister is undoubtedly painful in any circumstance,” the actor’s legal team said in court documents. “Yet Plaintiffs — who had been distanced from Halyna physically, financially and emotionally for years before her death — have no viable cause of action against Defendants. This action is especially misguided.”
The shooting incident killed Hutchins and wounded another crew member, director Joel Souza, who was hit by the bullet that killed Hutchins. Baldwin was holding the gun that fired the bullet while he was rehearsing a scene that the crew was preparing to shoot. Baldwin held the gun pointed in Hutchins’ direction when it discharged.
Baldwin has denied pulling the trigger on the gun, and he has pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him over the cinematographer’s death.
A report later <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/08/15/1117577604/alec-baldwin-fbi-report-movie-shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> by the FBI on the circumstances surrounding Hutchins’ death said that the gun could not have been fired without its trigger being pulled. The actor’s legal team responded that the FBI’s findings had been “misconstrued.”

Alec Baldwin

‘Rust’ Production To Resume 18 Months After Cinematographer’s Death

Celebrities

Halyna Hutchins

Montana

A fight is brewing once again over feral cattle living in the wilderness of New Mexico’s Gila National Forest.
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is planning to kill potentially dozens of wild cattle in the <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/gila/specialplaces/?cid=stelprdb5039821" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sprawling</a> Gila Wilderness of over half a million acres. The USFS <a href="https://apnews.com/article/deer-new-mexico-business-climate-and-environment-animals-da88efdc900cda817d7a3c206ada4f8b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">closed</a> the Gila to visitors on Monday, and beginning Thursday, it plans to hunt cattle in the rugged Gila terrain by helicopter for four days.
The USFS has conducted an operation like this before; last year the federal government sent a team to hunt cattle via helicopter. The operation killed 65 wild cattle, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/08/us/feral-cattle-gila-national-forest.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">riling</a> local landowners, ranching interests, and state lawmakers. The New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, which represents ranchers across the state, unsuccessfully sued last year to stop the culling before it took place. In December, the New Mexico Livestock Board denounced the operation as an act of animal cruelty.
“We know that those animals don’t need to be in there,” NMCGA President Loren Patterson <a href="https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/officials-announce-plan-to-kill-feral-cows-in-gila-national-forest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last month. “We also believe that this aerial gunning program, just like last year, will just be a population control, but doesn’t solve the problems associated with those feral cattle. We want those animals removed in a humane way.”
Cattle carcasses found after last year’s operation were sometimes found with broken limbs, or their entrails hanging out. A few carcasses were found in the national forest’s rivers, raising concerns about water quality. The government removed the carcasses from the river after they were reported.
<div id="attachment_503862" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-503862" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-503862 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Dead-in-river-back-side-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Dead-in-river-back-side-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Dead-in-river-back-side-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Dead-in-river-back-side-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Dead-in-river-back-side-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Dead-in-river-back-side-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Dead-in-river-back-side-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Dead-in-river-back-side-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Photo courtesy Rachel Gabel, The Fence Post Magazine.</div>
The Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) are under pressure from environmental groups to remove the cattle from the Gila National Forest. The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and other activist groups say the livestock damage habitats of animals protected under the Endangered Species Act. The environmentalists have pushed the federal government through legal challenges to adopt more aggressive plans to remove the feral cattle.
Over more than two decades, the federal government held nine roundups and removed a total of 211 cattle from the Gila. The USFS estimates that 50 to 150 feral cattle remain in the wilderness area, and ranching interests maintain that the remaining cattle should be removed through herding, not bullets.
The gathering operations are dangerous and pose a risk to the people and animals involved, according to the Forest Service. The difficulty and ineffectiveness in herding cattle in the Gila in part prompted the government to opt for aerial shoots after a 2020 <a href="https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/lawsuit-challenges-trump-administrations-failure-to-protect-endangered-species-from-livestock-on-arizona-new-mexico-waterways-2020-01-13/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> by the CBD.
“The remote location, the steep, difficult terrain, vast territory, and access restricted to foot or horse due to the designated Wilderness status are limiting factors, along with the wild, uncooperative nature of the feral cattle themselves,” USFS spokesman Ivan Knudsen told The Daily Wire in an email.
“The Gila Wilderness feral cattle do not behave like domesticated cattle, but tend to scatter more like deer; and when captured, tend to thrash and flail, which makes roundup and capture difficult and dangerous for the contracted cowboys, their horses and dogs. Approximately half of the cattle captured using ground-based roundups die or must be euthanized due to stress or self-inflicted injury during capture,” Knudsen said.
Sarah Falen, who runs Wild West Advocacy and has been working with opponents of the USFS shooting operations, said that much of the government’s problem in herding the cattle is its choice of contractors. Falen told The Daily Wire that the government hired contractors who specialized in gathering feral horses, not cattle. In addition, the roundups were held sporadically, allowing the feral cattle to breed and replace much of their numbers lost to herding.
While the roundups are time intensive, ranchers and critics say the operations are preferable to sniping cattle from a helicopter – for the welfare of the livestock and a host of other reasons that concern ranchers in the surrounding area.
One of the foremost concerns is habituating the Mexican gray wolves that hunt and scavenge the Gila to the taste of cattle. In a <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/627074358/USFS-Decision-Memo">decision memo</a> posted last week, the USFS recognized such concerns but said it “does not have any evidence that wolf scavenging on the cattle carcasses has any known effect on the wolf depredation rates on livestock.”
Falen pointed to a USFWS finding that said two Mexican gray wolves were seen last year feeding on the carcasses of the dead cattle. The Forest Service cited the USFWS in its memo: “Last year, after the Forest Service lethally removed feral cattle in the Gila Wilderness Area, two wolves were attracted to the carcasses, stayed in the area for several months, then moved back into their normal areas without preying on live cattle.”
Mexican gray wolves, a species protected under the Endangered Species Act, threaten livestock in some areas the wolves’ territory runs across ranch land, and ranchers’ concerns about the predators are increasing as the federal government rebuilds wolf populations. In Arizona, the state is <a href="https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-ranchers-to-be-paid-for-removing-livestock-carcasses">paying</a> ranchers to remove carcasses of dead livestock beyond the reach of wolves in the Gila to limit the potential for conflict. In 2018, the USFS <a href="https://www.wlj.net/top_headlines/rancher-loses-grazing-permit-after-wolf-kill/article_14f6c60c-9ec3-11eb-a473-d384807b89b9.html">revoked</a> the grazing permit from a New Mexico rancher who killed a Mexican gray wolf in the Apache National Forest, located northwest of the Gila.
Ranchers “have problems with [wolves] all the time,” Falen told The Daily Wire. “I actually work on a Mexican wolf project and some of the ranchers in that area say that in some years, they think that almost as much as 50% of their calf crop is killed by wolves.”
The deaths can be difficult to tally, she said. The government often contests ranchers’ claims that wolves killed a calf. Officials assume that a calf found eaten by wolves may have died by other causes, and the wolves’ feeding took place later.
Ranchers are also concerned that a sniper may shoot a stray animal that belongs to a nearby ranch by mistake. The USFS has <a href="https://www.abqjournal.com/2562702/comment-period-closing-on-plan-to-get-rid-of-feral-cattle-in-the-gila.html">dismissed</a> those concerns, saying that only one branded cow has been removed from the Gila since removal operations began.
The feral cattle that now inhabit the Gila are the descendants of a herd once legally run on federal land under a grazing permit. Environmentalists have continued to emphasize the threat the agricultural industry poses to sensitive habitats where endangered species congregate and live.
The federal government has emphasized the dangers the feral cattle pose to endangered species, as well. In its decision memo, the USFS posted several pictures of what it said was sensitive habitat destroyed by feral cattle.
“The presence of feral cattle within the Gila Wilderness has resulted in resource damage, especially to riparian areas where cattle congregate during warmer drier months,” the USFS memo says. “In recent years, Forest staff have documented occurrences of resource impacts from feral cattle, such as severe over grazing.”
<div id="attachment_503865" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-503865" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-503865 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/USFS-overgrazing-1024x515.png" alt="" width="1024" height="515" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/USFS-overgrazing-1024x515.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/USFS-overgrazing-300x151.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/USFS-overgrazing-768x386.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/USFS-overgrazing.png 1218w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Photo courtesy U.S. Forest Service.</div>
Falen said the photos showed damage that could have been from cattle, but also could have been from elk or deer. The government, by blaming at most 150 animals for habitat damage in a 560,000-acre wilderness, is exaggerating the toll the wild cattle are taking on the area, she said.

New Mexico Sign

Federal Helicopter Teams Set To Gun Down Wild Cattle In New Mexico. Ranchers Are Furious.

Agriculture

Federal Government

Readers Pass

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alec-baldwin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alec Baldwin</a> scored a substantial legal victory Monday when the Santa Fe County, New Mexico, district attorney dropped the gun enhancement charge against the actor in the case over the shooting death of &#8220;Rust&#8221; cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The dropped charge means Baldwin will not face any longer than 18 months in prison, even if he is convicted of involuntary manslaughter, TMZ <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2023/02/20/alec-baldwin-rust-fatal-shooting-da-drops-gun-enhancement-charge/">reported</a>. For Baldwin to be convicted of the gun enhancement charge, prosecutors would have to prove that he brandished the firearm with intent to harm or intimidate a person. 
&#8220;In order to avoid further litigious distractions by Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys, the District Attorney and the special prosecutor have removed the firearm enhancement to the involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the &#8216;Rust&#8217; film set,&#8221; a spokesperson for First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/alec-baldwin-scores-win-rust-fatal-shooting-case-da-drops-firearm-enhancement">told</a> Fox News Digital. &#8220;The prosecution&#8217;s priority is securing justice, not securing billable hours for big-city attorneys.&#8221;
With the gun enhancement charge tacked on, Baldwin would have faced a mandatory five years behind bars if convicted, Fox News reported. Earlier this month, Baldwin’s lawyers challenged the charge, arguing it was unconstitutional. 
&#8220;The prosecutors committed a basic legal error by charging Mr. Baldwin under a version of the firearm-enhancement statute that did not exist on the date of the accident,&#8221; a legal filing stated.
Baldwin was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alec-baldwin-charged-with-involuntary-manslaughter-over-2021-rust-shooting">charged</a> with involuntary manslaughter last month over the fatal shooting of Hutchins in October 2021. In a probable cause statement, prosecutors <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alec-baldwin-charged-with-involuntary-manslaughter-over-2021-rust-shooting">allege</a> that Baldwin “drew the revolver from the holster, pointed it at Halyna Hutchins, and fired the weapon.”
The actor has maintained that he is not responsible for Hutchins’ death on the set. 
“I feel that someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me,” Baldwin told ABC News&#8217;s George Stephanopoulos in December 2021. “I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don’t say that lightly.”
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the person allegedly responsible for handling guns on the movie set, also faces an involuntary manslaughter charge.

D.A. Drops Key Charge Against Alec Baldwin In ‘Rust’ Shooting Case

D.A. Drops Key Charge Against Alec Baldwin In 'Rust' Shooting Case

District Attorneys

Shooting

A decades-long drought and population growth has left the Colorado River over-leveraged and in dire need of a new management plan before the water runs out for millions of Americans.
 Negotiations between seven states to reapportion the river’s water have been deadlocked for months, and the federal government is threatening to break the deadlock with its own management plan — whether the states like it or not.
The Department of the Interior has given Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming a deadline to reach an agreement twice, and each time the states blew past it without reaching consensus.
The federal government’s request is unprecedented in U.S. history. The Colorado River supplies water for roughly 40 million Americans. The Bureau of Reclamation has asked the Basin states to cut water usage by about one-third.
The latest deadline passed on Wednesday with six of the seven states agreeing on a plan to cut water usage, with only California dissenting. The Golden State put forward its own plan emphasizing its priority rights over the Colorado River that have been a part of the legal framework governing the basin for a century.
The lack of consensus increases the chance that the Bureau of Reclamation will devise its own plan and force the basin states to follow it whether they like it or not. The bureau needs a plan soon in order to model the water level of the river and its reservoirs and complete an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the basin. The EIS will inform the Department of the Interior’s long-term water management strategy.
The Colorado River has been governed under the same rough legal framework of water apportionment for the past 100 years, though it has been updated as new infrastructure has been added and court cases have been settled. The body of law that governs the basin is collectively known as “<a href="https://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g1000/lawofrvr.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Law of the River</a>.”
The cornerstone of that legal framework was set in 1922 in an agreement called the Colorado River Compact. The agreement divided the basin into upper and lower halves and guaranteed each 7.5 million acre-feet of water from the river. The Mexican Water Treaty of 1944 allotted 1.5 million acre-feet of the Colorado River to Mexico. One acre-foot is about the amount of water two or three households use in a year.
The upper basin, where the Colorado River originates, consists of parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming and is above the river’s two reservoirs: Lake Powell, behind Glen Canyon Dam, and Lake Mead, behind Hoover Dam. The lower basin states – Arizona, California, and Nevada – are located roughly below the reservoirs and can pull from them, whereas the upper basin must rely on the river’s natural flow.
<div id="attachment_497819" style="width: 569px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-497819" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-497819" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Colo-River-Basin-states-3-559x576.webp" alt="" width="559" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Colo-River-Basin-states-3-559x576.webp 559w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Colo-River-Basin-states-3-291x300.webp 291w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Colo-River-Basin-states-3-768x791.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Colo-River-Basin-states-3.webp 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 559px) 100vw, 559px" />Colorado Foundation for Water Education</div>
The 1922 agreement that set out the apportionment for the upper and lower basins may always have been too optimistic. The compact <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2022/07/11/running-dry-in-the-american-west/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">estimated</a> the Colorado River’s annual flows at 17 million acre-feet. In the century since, the river has averaged about 12 million acre-feet annually. The compact, we now know, was drawn up during the river’s wettest season in the past 500 years, according to Shawn Regan, vice president of research at the Property and Environment Research Center.
In addition to poor planning and population growth, the river is under stress from an extended drought that has beat down on the American West for over two decades. A study <a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-science-west-megadrought-f02449c2db4f0ebeb1557bb39504c62d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> last year suggests that the West is the driest it’s been in 1,200 years.
“In the Colorado River Basin, the period from 2000 through 2021 has been the driest 22-year period recorded in more than 100 years of record-keeping,” Tanya Trujillo, an experienced water lawyer and Interior’s assistant secretary for Water and Science, <a href="https://www.doi.gov/ocl/colorado-river-drought-conditions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Congress in 2021. “The reservoir system was 95 percent full in 2000, but as of September 28th, Colorado River system reservoirs sit at just 39 percent, the lowest levels since they began to fill.”
The water level has continued to drop since Trujillo’s testimony. The strain is evident in the Colorado River basin’s two major reservoirs. Lakes Powell and Mead are both at all-time lows. Lake Mead, in particular, has made a number of ghastly headlines over the past year as its water level has dropped, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sixth-set-of-skeletal-remains-found-in-lake-mead" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealing</a> sunken ships and bodies weighted and sunk to its lake bed.
Officials across the seven states fear what could happen as each reservoir approaches two low-water <a href="https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2022/05/16/what-is-dead-pool-a-water-expert-explains/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">benchmarks</a>, each of which would have severe consequences.
The first and highest benchmark is known as the minimum power pool elevation: the level at which the lakes need to sit in order for their dams to produce hydropower.
The Glen Canyon and Hoover dams produce power for millions of Americans. Should that power be cut off, the worst effects could be mitigated by siphoning power from other parts of the U.S. electrical grid.
The scenario officials are seeking to avoid at all costs, which would likely have catastrophic effects, takes place at the lower benchmark, a condition known as “dead pool.” If the reservoirs reach dead pool status, no more water can flow downriver from the lakes. The effects would be disastrous for cities such as Los Angeles, which <a href="https://viterbi.usc.edu/water/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gets</a> half its water from the Colorado River, and Las Vegas, which <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/31/us/california-water-proposal-colorado-river-climate/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gets</a> 90% of its water from the Colorado.
Despite the urgency, officials across the seven states have not been able to agree on a way to collectively cut down water usage from the Colorado by two to four million acre-feet as the Interior Department has requested. The brunt of the responsibility to cut has fallen on the lower basin states. The upper basin states are only <a href="https://www.coloradoriverdistrict.org/imbalances-in-the-colorado-river-basin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pulling</a> about half their legal allotment of water because the drought has crippled the river upstream.
The lower basin states cannot agree on how to implement the cuts. The two sides on Wednesday clashed to a large extent on California’s insistence that priority water rights, a feature of the current legal framework that give priority to claims to the Colorado River’s water made earlier, still apply.
“[D]espite big disagreements about how to approach this, we have unanimity among all seven states that very deep cuts in Lower Basin water use are needed,” University of New Mexico professor and Colorado River expert John Fleck <a href="https://www.inkstain.net/2023/02/deadpool-diaries-the-numbers-in-the-states-two-proposals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> Wednesday. The two sides both presented plans based on cuts that scale up as the water level in Lake Mead falls.
“The difference is in timing,” Fleck wrote. “California’s cuts don’t kick in until later – essentially a gamble on good hydrology once again helping us avoid conflict by letting us use more water in the short term.”
Officials in Arizona, which has the second-largest water usage in the lower basin behind California, recognized California’s legal claim, but said the approach simply is not realistic.
“If you want to model cutting off most or all of the water supply of 27 million Americans, you can go through the exercise but implementing that on the ground would have the direst consequence for almost 10% of the country,” Southern Nevada Water Authority general manager John Enstminger told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/31/us/california-water-proposal-colorado-river-climate/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>.

Lake Mead near Hoover Dam

Over 40 Million People Rely On Water From The Colorado River. It’s Dangerously Close To Drying Up.

Arizona

California

Colorado

Department of the Interior

Drinking Water

drought

Lake Mead

Prosecutors have charged actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alec-baldwin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alec Baldwin</a> with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021 on the set of the film &#8220;Rust.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Mexico</a> First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced the charge during a press conference on Thursday morning, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/alec-baldwin-charged-manslaughter-fatal-shooting-set-rust-d-says-rcna7189">NBC News</a>. Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who was the armorer on the film set where Hutchins was fatally shot, will be charged with involuntary manslaughter, as well.
New Mexico criminal law classifies involuntary manslaughter as a fourth degree-felony carrying a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison.
First assistant director David Halls agreed to plead guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon, according to Carmack-Altwies&#8217; office.
Hutchins&#8217; family released a statement through its attorney, Brian Panish, after the charges were announced.
“We want to thank the Santa Fe Sheriff and the District Attorney for concluding their thorough investigation and determining that charges for involuntary manslaughter are warranted for the killing of Halyna Hutchins with conscious disregard for human life,&#8221; the <a href="https://twitter.com/Angenette5/status/1616109017511890944">statement</a> said. &#8220;Our independent investigation also supports that charges are warranted. It is a comfort to the family that, in New Mexico, no one is above the law. We support the charges, will fully cooperate with this prosecution, and fervently hope the justice system works to protect the public and hold accountable those who break the law.”
The charges come after the Santa Fe Sheriff&#8217;s Office turned over a 500-page report on its investigation to prosecutors in October. The report contains redactions, but the investigation <a href="https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/santa-fe-co-sheriff-releases-full-rust-shooting-investigation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that Baldwin fired a gun with live ammunition. The report also paints a chaotic picture of what happened the day of the shooting, as well as documents repeated problems with firearms on the set.
A report signed by the New Mexico chief medical investigator found Hutchins&#8217; death to be an &#8220;accident,&#8221; according to CNN.
“Review of available law enforcement reports showed no compelling demonstration that the firearm was intentionally loaded with live ammunition on set. Based on all available information, including the absence of obvious intent to cause harm or death, the manner of death is best classified as accident,” the report <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/19/entertainment/rust-movie-shooting-alec-baldwin-charges-decision/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Baldwin has rejected culpability in Hutchins&#8217; death. In December 2021, Baldwin <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/baldwin-on-if-he-feels-guilt-for-killing-halyna-hutchins-no-someone-is-responsible-its-not-me">told</a> George Stephanopoulos in an interview on ABC News that &#8220;I didn’t pull the trigger&#8221; of the prop gun that fired and killed Hutchins. Baldwin further denied responsibility in Hutchins&#8217; death.
&#8220;I feel that someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me,&#8221; Baldwin told the host. &#8220;I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don’t say that lightly.&#8221;

Alec Baldwin Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter Over 2021 ‘Rust’ Shooting

Alec Baldwin Expected To Face Manslaughter Charge Over 2021 ‘Rust’ Shooting

Many cities that cracked down on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/homelessness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">homelessness</a> have been hit with legal challenges over their new restrictions.
New York City, Dallas, and other cities that tried to aggressively address their homeless problem — and the drug, crime, and public nuisance issues that accompany it — are now <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-cities-get-tough-on-homelessness-legal-battles-follow-11673960273?mod=us_lead_story" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defending</a> their policies in court.
In New York City, civil rights groups are attempting to block Mayor Eric Adams&#8217; initiative to hospitalize homeless people who are severely mentally ill and appear to be a danger to themselves.
“If severe mental illness is causing someone to be unsheltered and a danger to themselves, we have a moral obligation to help them get the treatment and care they need,” Adams <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/11/29/nyc-to-involuntarily-commit-more-mentally-unstable-people/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> when he announced the plan.
In December, several civil rights groups <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-city-plan-to-involuntarily-hospitalize-some-mentally-ill-homeless-faces-legal-challenge-11670540243?mod=article_inline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> a federal judge to block the policy, claiming it is unconstitutional and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
New York&#8217;s policy sometimes involves confiscating homeless people&#8217;s belongings as they are removed from public property and taken to a hospital. The city&#8217;s move comes amid concerns that the city&#8217;s homeless crisis is becoming more visible and spiraling out of control.
Also last month, Dallas was <a href="https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/dallas-sued-for-banning-panhandlers-from-standing-on-medians-15486363" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> over its October policy restricting people hanging around road medians, where homeless people often panhandle. City officials said the policy is for public safety because people can get hit by passing cars. However, the homeless people and their advocates who sued the city argued the policy violates their First Amendment rights.
Albuquerque was <a href="https://www.kxan.com/news/national-news/ap-new-mexico-city-sued-for-hounding-harassing-the-homeless/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> last month by homeless people and the ACLU of New Mexico for removing homeless encampments and arresting and fining people living on the street, allegedly violating their civil rights.
Similarly, Phoenix was <a href="https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/aclu-sues-city-of-phoenix-stop-sweeps-homeless-camp/75-232de857-bdf8-411d-9e13-e8250fe89d70" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> last month by the ACLU of Arizona over sweeps of a huge homeless encampment downtown.
“Rather than confront its housing crisis head-on and invest in sustainable solutions to homelessness, the City is terrorizing the very people it should be helping,” the complaint reads.
In San Francisco, which has one of the nation&#8217;s worst homeless and drug crises, homeless people and their advocates sued the city for fining and arresting homeless people as a way to get them out of public spaces. They also complained that the city throws out homeless people&#8217;s tents and other belongings without enough warning.
Recently, the Ninth Circuit federal appeals court has limited what some West Coast cities with severe homeless crises can do to address the problem if they can&#8217;t offer appropriate shelter.
“It is a serious, serious, problem, probably the biggest crisis we’re facing right now, and I think these decisions are at the heart of what has gone wrong here,” attorney Theane Evangelis, who <a href="https://www.gibsondunn.com/lawyer/evangelis-theane/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defended</a> an Oregon city&#8217;s homeless policy in the 9th Circuit, told <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-cities-get-tough-on-homelessness-legal-battles-follow-11673960273" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a>.
“They’ve caused paralysis at a time when we need action,” Evangelis said.
A federal judge has temporarily banned San Francisco from taking those actions to combat the homeless issue, citing Ninth Circuit rulings.
Back in 2021, Austin was sued for not doing enough to address the city&#8217;s homeless problem. A group of Austin business owners and others <a href="https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/save-austin-now-business-owners-say-austin-is-failing-to-enforce-camping-ban-in-new-lawsuit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> the city for not enforcing its public property camping ban.

Demonstration Held At NYC’s City Hall Against Mayor Adams’ Plan For Mentally Ill Homeless

Cities That Cracked Down On Homelessness Get Hit With Legal Challenges

Dallas

Homeless

Mental Health

Mental Illness

New York

New York City

A failed New Mexico political candidate allegedly paid men to shoot up the homes of other lawmakers after he lost his 2022 election bid, according to police.
Solomon Peña, who ran for the state House as a Republican, was arrested on Monday in connection with a string of shootings that the Albuquerque Police Department said targeted the homes of various Democratic lawmakers, according to the <a href="https://www.abqjournal.com/2565117/solomon-pena-arrested-in-shootings-targeting-new-mexico-democratic-politicians-homes.html">Alburquerque Journal</a>. The victims include two county commissioners and two state lawmakers, all Democrats. No one was injured.
&#8220;Peña, an unsuccessful legislative candidate in the 2022 election, is accused of conspiring with, and paying four other men to shoot at the homes of 2 county commissioners and 2 state legislators,&#8221; said Police Chief Harold Medina.
Police said five people were involved in the string of shootings, at least two of which were allegedly committed by others and one of which was allegedly committed by Peña. His alleged involvement was deciphered, in part, using cell phone records.
Peña has been relatively quiet since he failed to win the 14th district, which has historically been Democratic but was recently redrawn. His last tweet from his campaign account was posted on November 15. It said he was &#8220;researching my options.&#8221;
According to the Albuquerque Journal, Peña has been in trouble with the law before, having served nearly 7 years in prison for theft beginning in 2008. His conviction was the subject of scrutiny during the campaign, and his political opponent, Rep. Miguel P. Garcia, tried and failed to have him disqualified over it. Garcia ended up winning by 3,600 votes.
Peña disputed the election results, and according to the <a href="https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-ex-gop-candidate-arrested-in-shootings-at-lawmakers-homes/">Associated Press</a>, confronted some county and state lawmakers over the results. The conversations didn&#8217;t go anywhere, and the shootings started in the following weeks.

Close-up shot of someone counting money

Failed NM Political Candidate Paid For Shootings At Lawmakers’ Homes, Police Say

Failed NM Political Candidate Paid For Shootings At Lawmakers' Homes, Police Say

Politics

A New Mexico judge and her pets were allegedly killed in a murder-suicide by her husband, according to police.
Village of Los Ranchos Municipal Judge Diane Albert, 65, died in the Friday shooting allegedly at the hands of her husband Eric Pinkerton, 63, who also shot and killed several pets before turning the gun on himself, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff&#8217;s Office (BCSO).
&#8220;A friend of the decedents contacted deputies after receiving a troubling message from Eric Pinkerton. Upon arrival deputies located the decedents inside the residence along with several dead animals,&#8221; the BSCO&#8217;s Twitter account noted.
&#8220;Eric Pinkerton is believed to have shot his wife and several animals in the house before shooting himself,&#8221; it added, confirming the identities of the two deceased individuals.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is believed to be a Murder-suicide. A friend of the decedents contacted deputies after receiving a troubling message from Eric Pinkerton. Upon arrival deputies located the decedents inside the residence along with several dead animals. <a href="https://t.co/d5cA7ERdZk">https://t.co/d5cA7ERdZk</a>
&mdash; BCSO (Sheriff) NM (@BCSONM) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCSONM/status/1596615695516639232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Local KOAT-TV <a href="https://www.koat.com/article/bcso-homicide-in-nw-abq/42071323#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that dispatch information said, &#8220;He left a voice-mail to his friend stating that he murdered his wife and his dogs and his cat. And he is about to murder himself.&#8221;
Police conducted a welfare check following the reported message at 820 Ranchitos Rd. NW in Los Ranchos, where they discovered the bodies of the couple and dead animals.
&#8220;We are heartsick hearing the news of this senseless tragedy,&#8221; Los Ranchos Administrator Ann Simon <a href="https://www.kunm.org/kunm-news-update/2022-11-28/mon-nm-supreme-court-justice-cites-security-concerns-in-pushing-exemption-to-public-records-law-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;Diane Albert, our elected municipal judge, was a longtime Los Ranchos resident, a brilliant mind, and a friend. We can&#8217;t ignore that this happened on the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women.&#8221;
KUNM Radio in New Mexico <a href="https://www.kunm.org/kunm-news-update/2022-11-28/mon-nm-supreme-court-justice-cites-security-concerns-in-pushing-exemption-to-public-records-law-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a> that Albert was a municipal judge for the Village of Los Ranchos, which borders Albuquerque. The judge also served as a former planning and zoning commissioner for the North Valley community, was a Los Alamos County commissioner, and was the president of the Bike Coalition of New Mexico.
Several other state leaders shared tributes on social media regarding the judge&#8217;s death.
&#8220;I am shocked and heartbroken by the senseless shooting death of Diane Albert, Municipal Judge for Los Ranchos, NM, former Los Alamos Co. Councilor and an accomplished &amp; beloved individual. My thoughts are with her many friends, her family and the entire community of Los Ranchos,&#8221; New Mexico Lt. Gov. Howie Morales tweeted on Sunday.
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I am shocked and heartbroken by the senseless shooting death of Diane Albert, Municipal Judge for Los Ranchos, NM, former Los Alamos Co. Councilor and an accomplished &amp; beloved individual. My thoughts are with her many friends, her family and the entire community of Los Ranchos.
&mdash; Lt. Governor Howie Morales (@LtGovMorales) <a href="https://twitter.com/LtGovMorales/status/1596977747368124416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;This terrible tragedy is a stark reminder of how much more we have to do to end the scourge of domestic violence in New Mexico,&#8221; he added.

Untitled design Police car – fast moving with bright flashing lights

New Mexico Judge And Her Pets Killed By Husband In Alleged Murder-Suicide, Police Say

Animals

Judge

Murder

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Mexico</a> mother used her children to allegedly traffic a fatal dose of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fentanyl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fentanyl</a> to their father, according to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-justice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Justice</a>.
Authorities arrested and charged Magdalena Silva Banuelos, 46, with distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/mother-accused-using-children-mule-fatal-fentanyl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> on Tuesday. Silva Banuelos’ boyfriend and father of her two sons died in an airport bathroom in May after overdosing on fentanyl.
“I feel for these children. To lose one parent due to the actions of the other is a calamity for a child,” U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham said in a statement. “This defendant allegedly concealed fentanyl – a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin – in her own minor sons’ luggage. This drug has stolen too many futures and ruined too many lives. The Justice Department remains determined to hold accountable those who spread it.”
Silva Banuelos faces up to life in prison if convicted. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years.
The defendant placed her two sons, ages 8 and 10, on a flight from Albuquerque to Dallas on May 31 to visit her on-again, off-again boyfriend — the boys&#8217; father. Surveillance video shows the father meeting his sons at the gate, going through their luggage, and entering a nearby airport bathroom at 10:26 p.m., according to authorities. The man died a short time later after overdosing on fentanyl.
At a November 17 detention hearing in New Mexico, prosecutors said the defendant “used her minor children to mule drugs.”
Investigators recovered a makeup container holding more than a gram of fentanyl from inside the bathroom stall the man died in. Investigators also recovered a series of text messages between the defendant and the deceased that, according to authorities, suggest she knew about the fentanyl and trafficked it to him using their children. According to the DOJ, the messages said:
<blockquote>“Hey you need to be careful,” she wrote a few hours before he died.
“Yes ma’am. Very slow and easy,” he replied.
“Just one and then wait you’ll see,” she said. “Just one.”
“Ok cool. Thank you. Will do,” he said.
“No passing out on the kitchen floor,” she responded. “Seriously you could od. No dying on the kitchen floor … It’s going to f*** you up!!!&#8221;</blockquote>
“This arrest and detention is yet another example of the devastation that fentanyl continues to reap on families throughout the country. The actions of Ms. Banuelos risked the lives of her minor children by concealing a highly potent drug in their luggage during a flight from Albuquerque to Dallas,” Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) acting Special Agent in Charge W. Guy Baker said. “The DEA will continue to work side-by-side with our state and local partners in investigating drug related poisonings and overdose deaths to hold those accountable for their actions.”

Fentanyl

Mother Charged With Using Sons Ages 8, 10 To ‘Mule’ Lethal Dose Of Fentanyl To Their Father

Department of Justice

Texas

Incumbent New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham defeated her Republican opponent, Mark Ronchetti, in the state&#8217;s gubernatorial race, <a href="https://results.decisiondeskhq.com/national/2022-senate">according</a> to a projection by Decision Desk HQ.
Ronchetti ran a much closer race in the closing weeks of the campaign to unseat Lujan Grisham than was expected in a state President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2022/governor/nm/new_mexico_governor_ronchetti_vs_lujan_grisham-7646.html">won</a> by nearly 12 points in 2020. Lujan Grisham, like Democrats across the United States, ran against strong electoral headwinds driven by high inflation, rising crime, and other issues. Biden’s sagging popularity also weighed down Democratic excitement.
Lujan Grisham, 63, sought to make abortion a key issue in the race. “I want to make clear what the stakes are in this election,” Lujan Grisham <a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-elections-new-mexico-campaigns-gun-politics-0f630a67c550c0ecdfadf4f535fb6730">said</a> in the campaign&#8217;s second debate. “A woman’s equality and right to make deeply personal health care decisions is on the ballot in New Mexico.”
Ronchetti ran on moderate abortion policy, supporting a 15-week abortion ban with exceptions for rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is at risk. He also supported a ballot measure for New Mexicans to vote on if they support further restrictions.
Ronchetti, a 49-year-old former meteorologist, largely focused his campaign on education, crime, and economic issues.
The New Mexico gubernatorial race was complicated by the Libertarian candidate Karen Bedonie. Republicans accused Bedonie of running as a spoiler to take some of Ronchetti’s vote and help Lujan Grisham win a second term in office. Bedonie <a href="https://www.abqjournal.com/2545975/bedonie-ronchetti-cant-win-govs-race-with-me-in-the-way.html">denied</a> the allegations.
Bedonie said in an October 16 video posted to her Facebook page that “the only comfort I find in this race is that man cannot win with me in the way. … That man cannot win this race. He will never be governor as long as I’m alive and well, and in this race.”
In the final days of the campaign, an Albuquerque attorney <a href="https://www.abqjournal.com/2546162/tv-station-faces-claims-debate-questions-were-leaked.html">posted</a> what he said were screenshots of text messages showing Lujan Grisham’s 2018 campaign coordinated with a KOB-TV ahead of the local outlet’s debate.
Ronchetti <a href="https://markronchetti.com/bombshell-texts-reveal-kob-provided-debate-questions-and-script-to-michelle-lujan-grisham-weeks-in-advance/">called</a> for the news station to begin an internal investigation into the alleged texts to verify if Lujan Grisham did receive debate questions ahead of time, and if so, to investigate whether the New Mexico governor received a similar advantage ahead of this year’s debate. The Ronchetti campaign also ran a billboard with the word “cheater” over Lujan Grisham’s likeness outside of a rally Biden held with the governor last week.
Lujan Grisham’s campaign accused Ronchetti of “cooking up bizarre and ridiculous conspiracy theories about Gov. Lujan Grisham’s 2018 victory.”
Lujan Grisham was also <a href="https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/former-spokesman-who-accused-lujan-grisham-of-abuse-breaks-silence/article_532aff34-5609-11ed-82f0-e3a564f86e66.html">dogged</a> by allegations she groped a former staffer. James Hallinan, who worked as Lujan Grisham’s communications director for her 2018 campaign, accused the governor three years ago of groping him. Hallinan’s allegations have resurfaced in the governor’s race in attack ads against Lujan Grisham.
Grisham has denied Hallinan’s accusations. Expense reports from Lujan Grisham’s campaign reveal that it had paid out a settlement to a law firm representing Hallinan. The payments were titled “legal expenses” without explicit mention to Hallinan’s allegations.

Michelle Lujan Grisham

Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham Wins Second Term In New Mexico Governor Race: Projection

2022 Election

2022 Midterms

Elections

President Joe Biden will stump for Democratic <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Mexico</a> Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham ahead of her closely-contested race.
The White House announced Thursday that Biden would travel to New Mexico to attend events with Grisham on November 3. No additional details were given, but the events will occur less than a week from Election Day of the 2022 midterms; it also comes in the middle of a series of campaign events that Biden will attend in Florida and Pennsylvania. The news comes as a new poll showed Grisham trailing Republican challenger Mark Ronchetti.
Insider magazine politics reporter Bryan Metzger shared a screenshot of the White House&#8217;s official announcement. &#8220;On Thursday, November 3, the President will travel to New Mexico for events with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and other state and local officials,&#8221; the announcement said. &#8220;Additional details to follow.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Biden going to *New Mexico* next Thursday <a href="https://t.co/EPIDgPrJEN">pic.twitter.com/EPIDgPrJEN</a>
— bryan metzger (@metzgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/metzgov/status/1585710720603283461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
While the White House did not announce the specific reasons for the trip, the circumstances indicate that the White House is attempting to boost Grisham in the final days of the campaign.
Vice President Kamala Harris visited the state Tuesday to attend a fundraiser at the University of New Mexico, the <a href="https://www.abqjournal.com/2543226/vice-president-visits-nm-to-campaign-for-lujan-grisham.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Albuquerque Journal</a> reported. Biden&#8217;s visit also comes in the middle of two other campaign events that Biden will attend for Democrats in key races. Biden will attend a rally on November 1 in Miami Gardens, Florida, where he will stump for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist and Senate candidate Val Demings, the <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/elections/2022/10/26/biden-trump-miami-rally-crist-demings-rubio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tampa Bay Times</a> reported. Then on November 5, Biden and former President Barack Obama will attend campaign events for Democratic Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro and Senate candidate John Fetterman in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Biden and Harris are also attending a fundraiser for Fetterman on Friday, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/10/24/obama-biden-campaign-fetterman-shapiro" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Axios</a> reported.
Biden&#8217;s trip also comes after a new poll from the <a href="https://www.thetrafalgargroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/NM-General-Poll-Report-1024.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trafalgar Group</a> showed that Grisham is trailing Ronchetti in her re-election campaign. The poll showed that Ronchetti, a former weatherman for Albuquerque-based news station KQRE, leads Grisham by just over one point, 46.6%-45.5%; 4% of voters were undecided. Grisham is struggling from the fallout over her COVID policies; as well as <a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-new-mexico-campaign-finance-michelle-lujan-grisham-health-37c0fe2024e62fef22a9bea8c180c535" target="_blank" rel="noopener">controversy from 2021</a> in which she allegedly grabbed a gay male staffer&#8217;s genitals, then reached a $150,000 settlement with the staffer to quash claims of sexual harassment.
Ronchetti reacted to the news of Biden&#8217;s appearance on <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkRonchettiNM/status/1585723001936306176?s=20&amp;t=EuaNVjUSdo0B83qeJUdXow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>. &#8220;I look forward to Pres. @JoeBiden coming to New Mexico to campaign for @Michelle4NM,&#8221; Ronchetti said. &#8220;Biden-MLG policies have led to higher gas prices, open borders, and drugs in our neighborhoods. New Mexicans know how out of touch Joe Biden and MLG are with kitchen table issues.&#8221;
&#8220;Our campaign is excited to have President Biden come to town!&#8221; Ronchetti&#8217;s campaign manager, <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffglassburner/status/1585723497485021184?s=20&amp;t=XQ2JAXY6dIfI6rQd5l2-hg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jeff Glassburner</a>, added in a tweet of his own. &#8220;Can he stay in New Mexico a couple days and not just one?&#8221;
Republican Governors&#8217; Association spokesman <a href="https://twitter.com/willreinert/status/1585724493577695232?s=20&amp;t=iedOmxPXcsPAHypiZpj2hw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Will Reinert</a> said that Biden&#8217;s campaign stop was trying to fill an enthusiasm gap among Democratic voters. &#8220;A sign of a major enthusiasm gap,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;@Michelle4NM thought she could win running on abortion &#8211; the 3rd most important issue to voters. @MarkRonchettiNM centered his campaign around #1 &amp; #2 most important issues &#8211; economy &amp; crime &#8211; and it&#8217;s paying dividends.&#8221;

President Joe Biden

Biden To Stump For Embattled New Mexico Governor As Poll Shows Her Trailing Republican Challenger

governor

Joe Biden

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