Tag: New Mexico

Arizona GOP Chair Gina Swoboda Secures Favorable Court Ruling Allowing Election Integrity Group to Review Voter Rolls

Tom Pappert
Gina Swoboda Courtroom

Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) Chairwoman Gina Swoboda secured a favorable court ruling for her election integrity group, the Voter Reference Foundation (VRF), and will gain access to New Mexico voter roll data.

U.S. District Court Judge James Browning in New Mexico made a ruling on Friday in the case brought against that state by the VRF that was largely favorable to Swoboda’s group, with reports indicating VRF was given permission to post voter rolls online and was given access to voter information previously withheld by the New Mexico Secretary of State.

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New Mexico Sues Facebook and Instagram for Hosting Child Sexual Abuse, Solicitation, and Trafficking Content

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New Mexico is suing Facebook and Instagram for creating “prime locations” for sexual predators to share child sexual abuse, solicitation, and trafficking content.

NM Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a civil suit filed against Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday, alleging that “certain child exploitative content” is ten times “more prevalent” on Facebook and Instagram than on pornography site PornHub and the adult content platform OnlyFans.

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Biden-Appointed Judge Declines to Block New Mexico Gun Ban

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A federal judge declined on Wednesday to block Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s ban on firearms at parks and playgrounds.

U.S. District Judge for the District of New Mexico David Urias, a Biden appointee, declined to block Lujan Grisham’s emergency public health order banning firearms from being carried in public parks and playgrounds from taking effect, according to the court document. Urias temporarily blocked Lujan Grisham’s initial 30-day order banning all firearms from being carried in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County on Sept. 13, prompting her to issue the amended order two days later restricting guns only in specified areas.

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New Mexico Gov. Partially Reverses Gun Ban, Narrows Scope to Parks and Playgrounds

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Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday amended an order banning gun possession that was restrained by a federal judge, seeking to narrow its focus to certain areas, according to an announcement on social media.

Grisham’s initial order, announced on Sept. 8, banned the possession of firearms outside private property in the city of Albuquerque and its encompassing Bernalillo County after declaring gun violence a public health emergency, which prompted widespread condemnation, including from gun control advocates. On Friday, Grisham wrote she would be narrowing the scope of the order to public parks and places where children gather, according to a post on Twitter, now known as X.

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New Mexico Attorney General Says He Will Not Defend Governor’s Gun Ban Stance

Just the News

New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez announced Tuesday that he will not defend Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a fellow Democrat, in multiple filed lawsuits opposing her gun ban.

“I do not believe that the Emergency Order will have any meaningful impact on public safety,” Torrez’s letter reads. “I do not believe it passes constitutional muster.

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Steubenville Catholic Trade School Forges Ahead Despite Obstacles in Ohio’s Regulatory Hurdles

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A Catholic trade college plans to enroll students starting in fall of 2024, but said it continues to train people interested in learning craftsmanship while it works through the regulatory process and other hurdles.

The College of St. Joseph the Worker in Steubenville, Ohio is “shifting the start date back so that we can finish the state approval process,” Alex Renn, the school’s communications director, told The College Fix via email.

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Alleged Crime Family Orchestrated Multi-State Illegal Immigrant Smuggling Ring, Feds Say

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Several members of a family allegedly coordinated a scheme to smuggle illegal immigrants across the southern border and into the U.S. interior, according to Border Report.

Authorities arrested six members of the Lopez family, while four others remain on the run, according to Border Report. The group allegedly operated in New Mexico, Arizona, California and Virginia, Jorge H. Uribarri, assistant special agent with Homeland Security Investigations in El Paso, said, according to Border Report.

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Western Caucus Introduces Copper Industry Protections Bill

The Center Square

A group of Republicans announced on June 8 that they’ve introduced the Copper is Critical Act to Congress as a protection against potential future environmental restrictions upon the industry.

The bill comes shortly after U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s recent restrictions on drilling and mining on public land in northwest New Mexico. Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., views this as a threat to his home state, where copper mining is a leading industry, largely conducted on public and indigenous land.

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Biden Energy Official Under Scrutiny for Family Ties to Environmental Lobby

The Center Square

Republican lawmakers are raising concerns about a Biden administration official’s questionable family ties to far-left groups lobbying lawmakers.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., chair of the Committee on Natural Resources, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland this week demanding records, communications, documents and more related to allegations that Haaland’s family members may be unethically connected to anti-fossil fuel groups.

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California Accuses Florida of Shipping Migrants as Plane with More Arrives in Sacramento

Just the News

Two privately chartered planes carrying Latin American migrants from New Mexico have arrived in Sacramento since Friday, and California officials are blaming Florida for flying migrants to the state’s capital. 

After the first plane arrived, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, said Saturday that he met with the migrants and could confirm they possessed documents purporting to be from the Florida State government.

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Maine Governor’s Expert Witness for Bill to Legalize Abortion Until Birth Authorized Abortion on New Mexico Woman Who Died from Complications of Procedure

Susan Berry, PhD

The OB/GYN tapped by Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) to champion her bill that would allow abortions up until birth has been found to have authorized the 24-week abortion of a woman who later died in Albuquerque from complications due to the procedure.

Dr. Shannon Carr was named in the wrongful death lawsuit filed against her employer, Southwestern Women’s Options (SWO), the Maine Wire reported Friday.

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State Senate DFLers Vote to Abandon Electoral College for National Popular Vote

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DFLers in the Minnesota House and Senate voted this month to transform American presidential elections by abandoning the Electoral College.

The Senate voted along party lines, 34-33, on Wednesday to pass an elections omnibus policy bill that includes a provision that would have Minnesota award its presidential electors to the candidate with the most votes nationwide. Republicans unsuccessfully tried to remove that language from the bill.

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Advocates Warn of ‘Desperate’ Movement to Undermine the Electoral College

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An organization’s efforts to circumvent states’ rights are “getting desperate” as they try new ways to push their interstate compact through state legislatures, two pro-Electoral College advocacy groups told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The National Popular Vote (NPV) is a group initiative to reform the U.S.’ two-step, Electoral College system by ensuring that the candidate with the most popular votes nationwide becomes the president. Now that NPV has enacted its interstate compact in all of the “easy,” bluer states as a standalone bill, it is getting creative to force the law through in swing states like Minnesota, Nevada, Michigan and Maine, Trent England of Save Our States and Jasper Hendricks of Democrats for the Electoral College told the DCNF.

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Border: 205,000 Apprehensions, Gotaways in February as Gotaways Increase in West

The Center Square

More than 205,000 foreign nationals were apprehended or reported as gotaways after illegally entering the southwest border in February, according to preliminary data obtained by The Center Square from a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent. The agent provided the information on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation; it only includes Border Patrol data and excludes Office of Field Operations data.

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Sinema Leans on California to Join Colorado River Water Pact

The Center Square

As six states wait for California to join its Colorado River Basin water use agreement, Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema called on the state to be willing to seal the deal.

In a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation on Tuesday, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado all agreed to work toward finding the best way to distribute the water source, which is facing drought conditions, but California was the missing signature.

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Democratic Secretaries of State Warn ‘Independent State Legislature Theory’ Would Upend Elections

The Center Square

Thirteen Secretaries of State led by Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court in Moore v. Harper, a case that will have the court considering the “independent state legislature” theory.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Moore v. Harper in December, a case brought forth after the Republican-controlled North Carolina Legislature adopted a new congressional voting map based on 2020 Census results. A group of Democratic voters and nonprofit organizations alleged the map was a partisan gerrymander that violated the state constitution and challenged it in court, according to Ballotpedia.

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New Mexico Will Allow Illegal Migrants to Obtain Law Licenses

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New Mexico will allow illegal migrants to obtain law licenses by waiving consideration of applicants’ immigration status, the state’s Supreme Court said Monday.

Applicants still have to graduate law school, pass the bar exam and undergo character vetting, according to the rule. Previously, applicants had to provide proof of citizenship, permanent resident status or work authorization for the licenses.

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30 Months into the COVID-19 Pandemic, at Least a Dozen States Are Under ‘Emergency’ Orders

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In October 2020, the Michigan Supreme Court stripped Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of the unilateral powers she was using when she declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whitmer had been using a 1945 law – which was prompted by a three-day race riot in Detroit three years earlier – that had no sunset provision in it and didn’t require approval by the state legislature.

In May 2021, Whitmer told a news agency that if she still had that 1945 state-of-emergency law, she would use those powers, but not for anything related to a pandemic.

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New Mexico County Refuses to Certify Election Results over Machine Concerns, Igniting Legal Battle

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A New Mexico county has been ordered by the state Supreme Court to certify its primary election results and threatened with legal action by the state attorney general after the county commissioners refused to do so over concerns about Dominion vote-counting machines.

The three Republican members of the Otero County Commission, in their role as the county canvassing board, decided to not certify the June 7 primary results because of their distrust of the Dominion machines, the Associated Press reported. The commissioners also voted last week to recount the ballots by hand, discontinue using the Dominion machines, and remove ballot drop boxes.

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Record Number of Hispanic Republicans Are Running for State House in Border State

The Center Square

A record number of Hispanics in New Mexico are running for state House seats as members of the Republican Party, Axios reported Tuesday.

The state, which has the highest percentage of Hispanics in the country, has 18 Hispanic Republicans campaigning to be elected to the Democrat-controlled state House of Representatives, Axios reported. The candidates are largely running competitive districts, both urban and rural.

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Voter Reference Foundation Sues New Mexico for More Transparent Voter Rolls

Cooper Moran

The Voter Reference Foundation (VRF) filed a federal lawsuit against Democrat Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and Democrat Attorney General Hector Balderas in an attempt to secure more transparent voter rolls.

According to a press release from the group, they “filed a First Amendment lawsuit in federal court against top Democrat officials in New Mexico to ensure the public’s right to view public voter rolls is not blocked.”

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Two U.S. House Races to Watch: New Hampshire’s 1st and New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional Districts

Aaron Gulbransen

The campaigns for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District and New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District are two races that are important to the GOP’s chances at taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. Representatives Chris Pappas of NH-1 and Teresa Leger-Fernández of NM-3 are two Democrat incumbents that could find themselves out of a job in November if their Republican challengers have their way.

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Alexis Martinez Johnson Is Effectively the Republican Nominee for New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District

Aaron Gulbransen
Alexis Martinez Johnson

Engineer and mom Alexis Martinez Johnson is effectively the Republican nominee for New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District.

Martinez Johnson achieved over 87 percent of the vote in the recent 3rd-district GOP pre-primary convention. While Martinez Johnson still technically has to run in primary, because of her strong showing at the pre-primary convention, no other candidate is on the ballot.

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Fossilized Footprints Found in New Mexico Believed to Be 23,000 Years Old

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Fossilized footprints found in New Mexico show that human beings were living in North America roughly 23,000 years ago, the Associated Press reported Friday.

The footprints were found in a dried-up lake bed in the White Sands National Park in 2009, according to the Associated Press. Scientists and the U.S. Geological Survey analyzed seeds embedded in the footprints to determine that fossils were 22,800 to 21,130 years old.

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Law Professor Accuses University of Violating Federal Trade Commission Rules with Mask Mandate

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A business law professor who has been put on paid leave for refusing to wear a mask in class is defending his actions with an unexpected authority: the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

“[B]y requiring employees to wear a mask, you are promoting the idea that the mask can prevent or treat a disease, which is an illegal deceptive practice,” David Clements, who teaches consumer law at New Mexico State University (NMSU), told provost Carol Parker in a Sept. 13 letter.

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Biden Gears Up for Renewed Fight Against Oil and Gas

The Center Square

A federal judge has ruled the Biden administration must resume allowing oil and gas leasing on federal land and waters, but the administration is saying it will not go down without a fight.

The Biden administration said it will appeal a court ruling allowing the leases, the latest development in a months-long battle between President Joe Biden and the oil and gas industry, even as gas prices continue to rise.

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Music Spotlight: Max Gomez

Bethany Bowman

Being a journalist from Nashville, there plenty of talented guitar players that I meet and interview. But I don’t find many traditional, western folk stylists who appreciate the old sound of blues mixed with some Americana. Max Gomez is the exception to the rule.

Gomez was raised in the rarefied musical micro-climate of northern New Mexico. He got a job playing guitar alone and singing when he was 15 in his hometown of Taos, New Mexico. His job was to play at this fancy steak house bar where people would come out to dance. He was supposed to play the guitar in such a way so they could dance.

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Senate Confirms Deb Haaland of New Mexico as Interior Secretary

The Center Square

Former U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico, who opposes fracking and oil drilling on federal lands, was confirmed as President Joe Biden’s new Interior secretary Monday in a narrow, 52-40, vote.

Haaland, who will become the first cabinet secretary of Native American descent, was criticized by many Republicans and supporters of the U.S. oil and gas industry as being extreme on climate change.

“America’s energy workers will be disappointed, but this close vote is hardly a ringing endorsement for Deb Haaland and the Biden anti-energy agenda,” Power The Future’s Western States Director Larry Behrens said in a statement. “With 40 Senators voting against her confirmation, it’s clear many across the country don’t trust Deb Haaland to run a critical federal agency.”

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Trump Lawyers Bombshell: We Have More Than Enough to Overturn the Election

Corinne Murdock

President Trump’s lawyers hosted a press conference saying they have more than enough evidence to overturn the election. Attorneys Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis gave the joint preliminary presentation.

Giuliani offered state-by-state breakdowns outlining evidence of voter fraud; Powell delved into the fraud committed using electronic voting systems, including Dominion Voting Systems; and Ellis explained how the legal process would work to investigate the alleged multi-tiered orchestration of fraud that occurred.

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New Mexico Legislator Flees Home After Receiving Threats

The Associated Press

A New Mexico state senator said he fled his house after receiving anonymous threatening telephone messages following his criticism of a protest outside the state Capitol against coronavirus restrictions.

State Sen. Jacob Candelaria said Sunday that he received the series of profanity-laced telephone telephone messages after he issued the criticism Saturday night in a TV appearance.

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Legendary Treasure Hunter Forrest Fenn Confirms: Trove of Riches Hidden in Rocky Mountains Finally Found

The Associated Press

A bronze chest filled with gold, jewels, and other valuables worth more than $1 million and hidden a decade ago somewhere in the Rocky Mountain wilderness has been found, according to a famed art and antiquities collector who created the treasure hunt.

Forrest Fenn, 89, told the Santa Fe New Mexican on Sunday that a man who did not want his name released — but was from “back East” — located the chest a few days ago and the discovery was confirmed by a photograph the man sent him.

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Steven Carrillo, the Suspect in Santa Cruz County Sheriff Deputy Damon Gutzwiller, Was Member of Elite Military Team

The Associated Press

An active-duty U.S. Air Force sergeant accused of killing a Northern California sheriff’s deputy in an ambush-style attack was a leader for a military base’s elite security force, officials said Monday.

Staff Sgt. Steven Carrillo has been arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting Santa Cruz County sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller and wounding two other officers Saturday. He is expected to be charged with first-degree murder.

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Small Segments of Border Wall Matter in Stopping Illegal Aliens, Brian Kolfage Says During We Build the Wall Symposium

Jason M. Reynolds

We Build the Wall sponsored a symposium Saturday to discuss border security issues and a “can-do attitude” that led to its construction of one segment of border wall.

The event was titled “Symposium at the Wall: Cartels, Trafficking, and Asylum.” The location was Sunland Park, New Mexico, near El Paso, Texas, where the organization built its first section of wall.

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We Build the Wall Approaches Record of Top GoFundMe Page, Founder Brian Kolfage Says

Jason M. Reynolds

  We Build the Wall is on the verge of becoming GoFundMe’s largest ever fundraising campaign, founder Brian Kolfage says. Kolfage made the announcement Monday in a press release. He said the record belongs to TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund which is a major force in the “MeToo” movement. TIME’S UP’s GoFundMe page, which is closed to donations, says it raised $24,206,200 of its $24.5 million goal. That page was created on Dec. 20, 2017. The last update was in December 2018. As of Monday evening, We Build the Wall’s GoFundMe page had raised $24,066,879. Kolfage posted on We Build the Wall’s GoFundMe page update section, “JOB WELL DONE! Watch our new video you will LOVE IT! We are about to surpass the liberal #MeToo movement for the largest Gofundme ever. Theirs was funded by hollywood celebs, ours American patriots. Lets get it done!” The post links to this YouTube video here. Regarding TIME’S UP, Kolfage said in his press release, “I’m not going to say anything about them because I’m busy building BIG BEAUTIFUL BORDER WALLS like the one we just finished in Sunland Park, NM! “I may be a tad biased, but I believe that all of us…

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International Commission Says It Will Lock Private Border Gate at Night But Unlock It During the Day for Maintenance of Federal Dam

Jason M. Reynolds

  The U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) announced Tuesday it will lock We Build the Wall’s private gate at night “due to security concerns” but open it during the day. “Our border wall & gate are secure again and we still have not had a single breach. I want to thank the IBWC for acting swiftly and we look forward to working with you on our future projects,” We Build the Wall founder Brian Kolfage tweeted. Our border wall & gate are secure again and we still have not had a single breach. I want to thank the IBWC for acting swiftly and we look forward to working with you on our future projects! @RyanAFournier @Rambobiggs @sethweathers @gehrig38 @SaraCarterDC @StumpforTrump pic.twitter.com/uD8rhB4P7L — Brian Kolfage (@BrianKolfage) June 12, 2019 Kolfage also tweeted, “Thank you IBWC for your dedication to allow us to protect the citizens of sunland park and El Paso.” Thank you IBWC for your dedication to allow us to protect the citizens of sunland park and El Paso. @Rambobiggs @RyanAFournier @StumpforTrump @LouDobbs @SaraCarterDC @NoLongerIgnored @gatewaypundit @realMikeLindell @cnnbrk @FoxNews @sethweathers https://t.co/TKFmOieBL5 — Brian Kolfage (@BrianKolfage) June 12, 2019 The IBWC’s press release is here. It…

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We Build the Wall Founder Brian Kolfage Posts Plethora of Tweets Showing Immigrants Crossing Border, Including Armed Men He Says Are Cartel Members

Jason M. Reynolds

  We Build the Wall founder Brian Kolfage is pulling out all the stops in reporting on the flood of illegal aliens pouring through the southern border, including providing shocking video and photos of armed alleged cartel members. Kolfage on Sunday tweeted a link to a story by KTSM showing an alleged armed cartel member leading immigrants across the border two miles from the wall he built. He said, “Hats off to our videographer our Phil, he sits out in the desert in a ghillie suit all day getting our incredible video! We’ll keep exposing the crisis until it’s resolved. We have many more breaking videos to release and won’t stop!” Hats off to our videographer our Phil, he sits out in the desert in a ghillie suit all day getting our incredible video! We’ll keep exposing the crisis until it’s resolved. We have many more breaking videos to release and won’t stop! https://t.co/07S41QLLPa — Brian Kolfage (@BrianKolfage) June 10, 2019 The KTSM story is available here. We Build the Wall finished the first half-mile section of the border wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico on June 2, Battleground State News reported. The organization has published a map showing where…

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All About the Wall: The Tennessee Star Report Welcomes Back Neil McCabe from OANN to Speak About New Mexico’s Completion and the Star County Bid

Julie Carr

  On Friday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Michael Patrick Leahy spoke with special guest and his former Breitbart colleague, Iraq war veteran and current Army Reserve Sergeant Neil McCabe of One America News Network. Back from the border, Washington-based reporter for One America News Network,  McCabe spoke to the team about the We Build the Wall team in Sunland Park New Mexico, Brian Kolfage’s plan to install his purple heart into the wall which was just completed, and how to get Mexico to stop letting people through to the United States by upping the Trump trade game and stop pretending the Mexican government has anything to do with running Mexico. Leahy: Speaking of Mexico, we are joined on the line here now by our good friend Neil McCabe with OANN. And Neil was on the ground in Sunland Park, New Mexico where the We Build the Wall team was building that wall. Neil welcome! McCabe: Hey guys. Good to be with you. Leahy: So, bring us up to speed on the latest of that wall. I…

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We Build the Wall Finishes First Half Mile Section in New Mexico

Jason M. Reynolds

  The first half mile section of the border wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico was completed Sunday, even as armed drug cartel foots soldiers probed the wall over the weekend. “Foreman Mike” of We Build the Wall was featured in an update late Sunday morning on YouTube and the organization’s other social media accounts. At that point, about 39 feet of the section remained to be done. There is still work to do on the roadway and lighting, Foreman Mike said on this version of the We Build the Wall video on Twitter feed of organization founder Brian Kolfage. Foreman Mike projected the entire project would be completed Tuesday. Foreman Mike with wall building equipment overview. DONATE https://t.co/h4K1VZWToC @StumpforTrump @Rambobiggs @RyanAFournier @realDonaldTrump @realDonaldTrump @gatewaypundit @BreitbartNews @SandraSmithFox @PeteHegseth @kilmeade @HeatherChilders @JudgeJeanine @DRUDGE @gehrig38 pic.twitter.com/8kjsyKv4mJ — Brian Kolfage (@BrianKolfage) June 2, 2019 Work resumed last week after Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea backtracked on his claim the wall violated city law, after the city had issued a cease and desist order, Battleground State News reported. Foreman Mike said on Sunday’s video that crews were working around the clock and pointed out the formidable, mountainous terrain. The wall runs up a 31…

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Work Resumes on Private Border Wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico

Jason M. Reynolds

  Construction has resumed on the three-quarters of a mile private border wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico, according to KOB. Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea backtracked on Thursday on his claim the wall violated city law and that it was too high. “Upon further investigation, we have determined this is under and M-2, which is industrial zoning and does allow up to 35 feet, as we understand at this moment,” Perea said of the 18-foot-high fence. Construction is expected to be completed in the next several weeks. The city claimed We Build the Wall did not have a building permit and denied city officials access to the site. We Build the Wall strongly denied both charges, Battleground State News said. The wall is being built on private land owned by American Eagle Brick Company. Perea said he and his family received death threats, KVIA said. He also confirmed work on the border barrier has resumed even though City officials “issued permits in error” prematurely for the lights and fence. We Build the Wall founder Brian Kolfage said it has 10 more projects ready but would not provide details about locations, KFOX 14 said. Kris Kobach, the legal counsel, said the…

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