Congress & Federal Issues

Trump arraigned on charges in NY

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Former President Donald Trump turned himself into authorities Tuesday, on charges relating to his paying hush money to adult film performer Stormy Daniels. Trump, 76, pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of first degree falsifying business records in New York Supreme Court for allegedly buying off information that could have portrayed him in a negative light. This included allegedly paying Daniels, another woman and a doorman through an intermediary during the 2016 election cycle as a means of keeping Trump’s affairs with the women quiet. Trump allegedly provided the money even though Daniels reportedly had been open about his affair with her in previous years. Court records state that Trump and others were complicit in a scheme that “violated election laws and made and caused false entries in the business records of various entities in New York.

JCC

ABQ Jewish Community Center again part of wave of bomb threats

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For the second time in two months, Albuquerque’s Jewish Community Center was targeted with a bomb threat today. It was one of at least 10 bomb threats to different JCCs across the country. Fred Duran, a spokesman with the Albuquerque Police Department, said the bomb threat to the Albuquerque location “came through the phone.” JCC staff evacuated the building after the threat came, and APD officers found no bomb inside, according to Duran. Everything at the JCC is currently operating “back to normal,” Duran added. Similar bomb threats were directed against JCCs today in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas, New York and Alabama, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Albuquerque Newsdesk

ABQ Jewish Community Center one of over a dozen targeted with bomb threat

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Albuquerque’s Jewish Community Center is functioning back to normal Tuesday afternoon after a scare from a phoned bomb threat. The threat came in a phone call to the JCC earlier in the day, according to Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Simon Drobik. The JCC responded by quickly evacuating staff. “We then sent over the bomb squad and deemed the area safe,” Drobik said. The bomb scare came on the same day threats were made against at least 17 other JCCs in five other states, according to a report in Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

2016 elections

Cruz now sees contested convention as only hope

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After a bruising defeat in New York, Ted Cruz is retooling his outlook on how the Republican Party will pick its nominee. The U.S. senator from Texas, once hopeful he could win the nomination without a contested convention, is now conceding a floor fight is his only hope. With frontrunner Donald Trump collecting almost all of the 95 delegates that were at stake Tuesday in his home state, Cruz appears to be mathematically eliminated from capturing the 1,237 delegates he needs to secure the nomination before the convention. “We are headed to a contested convention,” Cruz said Wednesday morning in an interview on Philadelphia radio. “At this point, nobody is getting 1,237. Donald is going to talk all the time about other folks not getting to 1,237.

Susana Martinez

Martinez ignored at NY GOP gala as Trump, Cruz, Kasich push for votes

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Headlines about Donald Trump and other Republican presidential candidates sent Susana Martinez to secondary status in a New York City gala to honor the New Mexico governor. The Republican Party in New York state invited Martinez, the Republican Governors Association chair, to be the guest of honor at an annual gala that serves as a fundraiser for the party. But after the Republican presidential nomination battle stretched on to make New York a key state, all three remaining Republican candidates decided to also attend the gala. The event took place just five days before New York Republicans go to the polls. Martinez, for her part, joked about the Republican primary.

Elections

Cruz, Kasich joining Trump at NYC gala honoring Martinez

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All eyes won’t be on Gov. Susana Martinez at a New York City gala where she is the guest of honor. All three Republican candidates will be at the New York State Republican Gala that is set to honor Martinez. The gala also serves as a fundraiser for the state’s Republican party. NM Political Report reported last week that Republican frontrunner Donald Trump would attend the April 14 gathering. The New York Republican primary takes place just five days later, on April 19.

Congress & Federal Issues

Balderas joins coalition of AGs targeting climate change

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New Mexico’s Attorney General is joining 16 other Attorneys General throughout the country to combat climate change. State Attorney General Hector Balderas made the announcement on Tuesday morning in a press release. “We have been impacted by climate change, and we see its drastic effects in New Mexico—extreme drought, increased risk of severe forest fires, and the ruin of our wildlife and natural habitats,” Balderas said. “Our efforts will ensure that progress is made on climate change and that the public is fully aware of the effects on the health and well-being of New Mexico families.”

The coalition of will work together on investigations; the press release noted specifically investigations into what extractive energy companies knew about the risks of climate change and if they deliberately misled investors and the public. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman subpoenaed records from Exxon over the allegations in November of last year.