1. UPDATED: New Mexico Remembers Bruce King

Tributes to legendary former Gov. Bruce King are pouring into the Journal's news desk today. Here are some of them, including remembrances from Gov. Bill Richardson, former Sen. Pete Domenici, former House Speaker Raymond Sanchez, Sen. Jeff Bingaman

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2. New Mexico's House Members Explain Votes on Abortion Amendment

The politically thorny issue of abortion almost derailed House passage of a landmark health care bill Saturday night. Here's how and why New Mexico's U.S. House representatives voted on the controversial abortion amendment. First, the amendme

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3. Teague to Vote Against House Health Care Bill

 Rep. Harry Teague said late Friday he will break ranks with his fellow New Mexico Democrats and oppose a landmark health care bill expected for a vote on the House floor as soon as Saturday.   Reps. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan, also Dem

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4. UPDATED: Gary Johnson's Potential Presidential Run in 2012 Hits YouTube

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is up on YouTube with a cutting-edge new ad touting his unique resume in a bid to drum up enthusiasm for a potential presidential campaign in 2012.   The short animated video, set to propulsive techno music, des

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5. Sen. Harry Reid: Health Bill May Slip to Next Year?

The seemingly endless health care debate might drag into next year, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid signaled today.   This AP story filed today has Reid backpedaling on a year-end timeline. This development already has Democrats screaming for Re

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6. Udall's Wife Wins Presidential Appointment

What does Jill Cooper Udall - wife of Sen. Tom Udall - have in common with Sarah Jessica Parker, Edward Norton, Forest Whitaker, Yo-Yo Ma and Anna Wintour? President Barack Obama has appointed them all to the President's Committee on the Arts and the

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7. Obama's Domestic Policy Advisor Talks to Journal About Economy, Insists White House Not a "Boys Club"

Melody Barnes, director of President Obama's Domestic Policy Council and his newest golfing partner, called the Albuquerque Journal today to trumpet some positive - and for this White House, much needed - economic news. She also took a moment to disp

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8. New Mexico's Sens. Like Senate Health Bill as Starting Point

As soon as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced he would include a public option in the bill he brings to the Senate floor, critics pounced with even some moderate Democrats signaling opposition.   There is no single reason for the oppositi

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9. Udall Honors Fallen New Mexico Soldier, Police Officer on Senate Floor

Sen. Tom Udall today went to the Senate floor to honor a New Mexico police officer and soldier killed in the line of duty this year.   You can watch a video of the Democratic senator's remarks here.   Here is some information about these men,

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10. Health Bill Clears Finance Committee, Bingaman Votes Yes

After months of sometimes contentious negotiations, the Senate Finance Committee passed its health care overhaul bill and one of the legislation's key architects - Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico - voted in favor of it.   The low-key lawmaker sai

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11. Bingaman Says Capitol Hill Health Care Debate Far From Over

If you were thinking that Congress might wrap up its months-long national health care debate soon, think again.   Sen. Jeff Bingaman, in his weekly call with New Mexico radio reporters today, said the debate is likely to extend into November - and

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12. Heinrich Still Calling for Public Option

A public option for health insurance might be on the ropes in the Senate, but Rep. Martin Heinrich is among 48 U.S. House members who vowed today to keep fighting for it.     Heinrich was also among a group of Democratic lawmakers who spoke at a

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13. Bingaman Supports Public Option But it Fails In Committee

Sen. Jeff Bingaman – a longtime, vocal supporter of a public option for health insurance -- voted twice today to include one as part of a health care overhaul bill in the Senate.   However, both amendments failed to pass the Senate Finance Commi

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14. Rep. Lujan Urges Obama to Reject Troop Increase in Afghanistan

Count Rep. Ben Ray Lujan among those members of Congress resisting a push for more troops in Afghanistan.   The New Mexico Democrat signed onto a letter with 57 of his House colleagues today urging President Obama to reject a troop increase. In a

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15. Roll Call Says Bingaman Critical to Health Care Bill

Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call is out with a piece this morning that describes New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman as the pivotal player in this week's Senate Finance Committee deliberations on health care.   "All Democratic eyes will be on Sen. Jeff

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16. Gov Richardson's Office Responds to CDR Investigation Conclusion

The governor is "gratified" that he and his staff have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the CDR pay-to-lay scandal.   Here's a statement just released by the governor's office. Check tomorrow's Journal for more details.   “While the U.S. Att

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17. Obama, New Mexico Politicos Mourn the Death of Sen. Ted Kennedy

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18. Political Handicapper Says Congressional Democrats in Grave Trouble

The August recess/health care issue has turned potentially disastrous for congressional Democrats, according to a respected Washington political prognosticator.Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report says the Democratic political landscape has been

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19. Heather Wilson Blasts Judiciary Comittee, Justice Dept. on Iglesias Matter

Former Rep. Heather Wilson, who today was thrust back into the controversy surrounding the dismissal of former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico, has provided the Journal with a statement that accuses the House Judiciary Committee of inaccur

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20. New Information on Domenici, Wilson, Rove, Miers and former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias

The House Judiciary Committee moments ago released thousands of pages of interview transcripts and emails that reveal new information about the roles that former Sen. Pete Domenici, former Rep. Heather Wilson, Karl Rove and former White House Counsel

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21. UPDATED: Gov. Richardson Tells CNN Release is a Win-Win

Gov. Bill Richardson told CNN moments ago that the United States and North Korea both won with President Clinton's successful negotiation of the release of two American journalists today. "It improves the atmospherics between the two countries,"

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22. Udall Pledges Support for Sotomayor

Sen. Tom Udall spoke on the Senate floor yesterday lauding Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Udall, a former New Mexico attorney general and federal prosecutor, focused on Sotomayor's empathy and the positive effect that could have on her d

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23. President Obama Calls Cash for Clunkers Overwhelming Success

Conservative commentators are ridiculing the controversial "cash-for-clunkers" car program that ran through a billion dollars in less than a week, but President Obama says it's an "overwhelming success." The White House just sent out a statement

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24. U.S. House Building Evacuated

The Longworth House Office Building - where Reps. Harry Teague and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico have their offices - has been evacuated for a suspicious package. Here's the notice Capitol Hill police sent staffers: "This is a message from

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25. Rep. Martin Heinrich is Hottest Guy on the Hill

The Hill newspaper has officially proclaimed Albuquerque's own Rep. Martin Heinrich as the Most Beautiful person on Capitol Hill in its annual listing of the top 50 Hill hotties. The first-term Democrat, lovingly photographed in moody black-and-

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26. Ex-NM GOP Chief John Dendahl Scorches Anti-Nuke Power Crowd in Denver Post Op-ed

Former New Mexico Republican Party Chairman John Dendahl is still throwing political bombs, and in a Denver Post op-ed today he targets Al Gore, Gov. Bill Richardson, Colorado Sen. Mark Udall, the late Arizona Congressman Mo Udall, and others. D

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27. Waiting at the White House While Obama Deals With a Political Brush Fire

President Obama invited 10 newspapers - including the Albuquerque Journal - to the White House today to discuss health care, but he ran a little late in order to deal with some other business, including the uproar over his comments on the Henry Louis

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28. Bingaman: Senate Won't Complete Health Care Bill Before Aug. Recess

The Senate won't meet President Obama's goal of completing health care legislation before it begins its recess on Aug. 7, Sen. Jeff Bingaman told me this morning. "That's not going to be possible," the New Mexico Democrat conceded. "But I'm stil

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29. Rep. Lujan Unveils Map Showing 3rd District Stimulus Projects

Curious about where federal stimulus money is being spent in northern New Mexico? Rep. Ben Ray Luján just used Twitter to unveil his new "Recovery at Work" interactive map, which shows you where certain projects have been - or will be - launche

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30. Rep. Harry Teague Unsure About Cause of Climate Change

Does Rep. Harry Teague think climate change is real?

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31. T. Boone Pickens Praises Teague's Support of Natural Gas

T. Boone Pickens - the billionaire Texas oil man turned green energy crusader - had some kind words for beleaguered Rep. Harry Teague in Washington this morning.  Teague, a New Mexico Democrat and fellow oil man, has taken some hard shots f

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32. National Democrats Respond to Steve Pearce Campaign Announcement

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee responded to Steve Pearce's announcement today that he will seek the 2nd Congressional District seat he held from 2003-2009. Rep. Harry Teague, a Democrat, currently holds the seat. Here's my blog

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33. UPDATED: Steve Pearce to Seek 2nd District House Seat Again

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34. Heather Wilson Headed to Sudan, Talks 2010 Guv Race

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35. GOP Blasts Teague on Cap-and-Trade Bill

Rep. Harry Teague probably saw it coming, but the national and state Republican parties are hammering him for supporting a sweeping House energy bill last week. The National Republican Campaign Committee today began using robocalls and radio ads

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36. Politico Quizzes Bingaman on Energy

Politico continues to focus on Sen. Jeff Bingaman's growing congressional clout, this time zeroing in on his role as chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. A couple of weeks ago, Politico looked at Bingaman's role in the

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37. Pete Domenici Undergoing Major Shoulder Surgery Today

Pete Domenici, New Mexico's longest-serving U.S. senator, is having shoulder surgery in Baltimore today. The former senator, who retired this year after a 36-year career, is having a reverse shoulder replacement at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Balt

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38. Senators Seek Possible National Park Designation for Valles Caldera

New Mexico's U.S. senators have asked the National Park Service if the Valles Caldera National Preserve could be included in the National Park System. The trust that governs the Valles Caldera is set to expire in 2020 and Sens. Tom Udall and Jef

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39. Rahm Emmanuel Says Immigration Reform Votes Aren't There

President Obama's chief-of-staff told reporters this morning that there aren't enough votes to pass immigration reform right now. This is not a big surprise, but as a journalist wading through the Washington double-speak I appreciate Emmanuel's

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40. Heather Wilson Pens Washington Post Op-Ed on Cyber Security

Rep. Heather Wilson - who has been lying pretty low since her defeat in last year GOP Senate primary election - turns up today with a high-profile op-ed piece in the Washington Post. Wilson, who served as New Mexico's 1st Congressional district

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41. President Obama and Sen. Bingaman Chat Outside the White House

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., shared a rare private moment with the president of the United States today after a bill signing ceremony at the White House allowing the FDA to regulate tobacco products.   It's unclear right now what they were d

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42. Former Domenici Aide to Run for State House

Nate Gentry, an Albuquerque lawyer and former staffer for Sen. Pete Domenici, has announced his candidacy for the New Mexico House of Representatives.  Gentry, a 33-year-old Republican, is seeking the District 30 Northeast Heights seat curr

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43. Rep. Lujan Introduces Net Metering Bill

Rep. Ben Ray Luján has joined with a California lawmaker to introduce a bill to spur more net metering, which would give Americans more incentive to produce their own power through solar panels and other renewable sources.  Under the proposal,

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44. Bingaman's Health Care Role Profiled in Politico

Politico compares New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman to laconic silver screen legend Gary Cooper in today's issue.  The political newspaper even goes so far as to describe the low-key Bingaman as "edgy" for being a Western state Democrat who opposed

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45. Sen. Bingaman's Energy Bill Clears Committee

After months of negotiations, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chaired by Sen. Jeff Bingaman finished work on a new national energy bill today.  Bingman, a New Mexico Democrat, hailed the legislation as a forward-thinking i

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46. Bingaman, Udall Both Met With Sotomayor Today

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47. Rep. Heinrich's Wednesday Night Floor Speech on Clean Energy

Watch it here.

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48. Louis Caldera Joins Center for American Progress as Senior Fellow

Former University of New Mexico President Louis Caldera - who resigned as director of the White House Military Office last month following an Air Force One photo op gone wrong - has a new gig.  The Center for American Progress, a self-descr

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49. Not So Fast: Another Hold on Tompkins Nomination

Yet another senator has placed a hold on Hilary Tompkins' nomination to become solicitor of the Department of the Interior. An astute reader (thanks Mike!) has alerted me to a new report in Energy and Environment Daily. While, Sen. Tom Coburn ha

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50. Sen. Udall's Meeting With Sotomayor Postponed

Sen. Udall was supposed to meet with Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor today at 5 p.m. EST but the meeting has now been postponed until next Tuesday.  Udall spokeswoman Marissa Padilla said the meeting was postponed because Sotomayor's confi

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