- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — One of New Mexico's top health officials said about one-quarter of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state involve people who had no symptoms. Human Services Secretary David Scrase said that percentage represents a huge number when talking about a pandemic. Scrase said Friday that New Mexico has been able to keep its cases from skyrocketing like Arizona, Texas and other states because it has kept in place the stay-at-home order and established other counter measures aimed at limiting spread. New Mexico has 10,260 cases and officials say the rate of spread is on a downward trend.
- SPECIAL SESSION-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico representatives have unanimously passed a proclamation celebrating Juneteenth without making it an official state holiday. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when enslaved Blacks in Galveston, Texas, were informed of their freedom. Democratic Rep. Sheryl Stapleton of Albuquerque said the slaves of Galveston knew emancipation was only the first step toward true freedom that is still elusive. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham created a council on racial justice earlier this month to prepare an anti-racism agenda for consideration by legislators in 2021. State legislators are pushing forward in a special session with temporary election reforms and an overhaul of state spending in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
- BANKING RECORDS-PRIVACY PROTECTION
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court has ruled that prosecutors can obtain a person's banking records using a warrantless grand jury subpoena without violating the individual's right to privacy under the state's Constitution. In a unanimous decision Thursday, the justices concluded that a district court properly allowed the use of five years of personal financial records as evidence in a pending criminal case against a Taos couple facing charges of tax evasion and other finance-related offenses. The high court rejected the married couple's argument that the state's Constitution provided greater privacy protections for their financial records than offered under the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.
- ELECTION 2020-VP
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden is facing growing calls to select a Black woman as his running mate as an acknowledgement of their critical role in the Democratic Party and a response to the nationwide protests against racism and inequality. The shifting dynamics were clear late Thursday when Amy Klobuchar took herself out of contention. The white Minnesota senator told MSNBC that "this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket." The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has already pledged to select a woman as vice president. After the police killing of George Floyd, many Democratic strategists say there's growing consensus that the pick should be a Black woman.
- AMERICA PROTESTS-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Crews in Santa Fe , New Mexico, have removed a statue of a Spanish territorial governor from a city park amid a national debate over the appropriateness of monuments and other markers that recognize historical figures. The statue of Don Diego de Vargas was taken down Thursday ahead of a planned protest. In addition to the de Vargas statue, Mayor Alan Webber is calling for the removal of two other monuments that many Native Americans find offensive. The mayor also promised to revive a commission that will evaluate every statue and monument in the centuries-old city.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico State University is rolling out plans for students, faculty and staff as they prepare to return to campus in the fall. The document released this week outlines the steps the university will take to ensure what officials said would be a welcoming and functioning campus environment when classes begin Aug. 19. University officials say the plan is a living document and can be updated as more is learned about the novel coronavirus and as best practices evolve. The university planned a town hall for Thursday afternoon. The number of positive tests in New Mexico now stands at 10,153.
- SPECIAL SESSION-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A proposal to distribute absentee ballots directly to registered New Mexico voters without a request or application was rejected by a state Senate panel at the outset of a special legislative session aimed primarily at shoring up state finances. The committee's Thursday vote means absentee ballots will continue to be available only by request in New Mexico. Lawmakers are confronting a 25% decline in estimated state government income for the coming budget year as the coronavirus pandemic takes its economic toll. An amended election reform proposal advanced to the Senate floor that would allow more time before an election to request an absentee ballot.
- AP-US-SUPREME-COURT-IMMIGRATION
PHOENIX (AP) — President Donald Trump says he'll renew his effort to end legal protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the United States as children. Trump on Friday denounced a Supreme Court ruling that the administration improperly ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2017. Through executive action, Trump could still take away the ability of 650,000 young immigrants to live and work legally in the U.S. With no legislative answer in sight in Congress, uncertainty continues for many immigrants who know no other home except America, but many are vowing to keep fighting for the program and for a pathway to citizenship.