Mysterious deaths in New Mexico linked to unknown substance

MOUNTAINAIR, N.M. (AP) – Investigators in New Mexico are trying to identify a mysterious substance that may have contributed to the deaths of three people and led to more than a dozen first responders being briefly quarantined.

US-Mexico border wall construction is desecrating sacred sites, Indigenous leaders say

TECATE, Mexico (AP) – White sage burning, Norma Meza Calles gathers guests at a Mexican wellness resort into a semicircle facing Kuuchamaa Mountain and asks everyone to close their eyes and feel its presence. “This is sacred to us like a church for you all. The mountain is our healer, our psychologist,” said Meza Calles, a Kumeyaay Nation tribal leader.

New Mexico politicians grapple with oil windfall from Iran war

RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) – The global oil bottleneck in the Strait of Hormuz has generated an enviable – and politically sensitive – financial windfall on the other side of the world in New Mexico, a rare Democratic-dominated state where fossil fuels are a bedrock of progressive social services.

US-Iran talks begin Sunday in Switzerland as Tehran closes the strait over Lebanon fighting

TYRE, Lebanon (AP) – Iran on Saturday said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz because of Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon and warned that while negotiators were going to Switzerland for talks with the United States on their interim agreement, not much likely will happen if the fighting doesn’t stop.

Vance meets top Iranian officials as US looks to prod Iran to 'turn over a new leaf'

OBBUERGEN, Switzerland (AP) – U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Sunday there was an opportunity to “turn over a new leaf” with Iran as the sides held talks aimed at building out the interim deal to end the war in Iran reached by the two sides last week.

Trump cancels rule that made conservation a 'use' of public lands

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – The Interior Department is canceling a rule that put conservation on equal footing with development, as President Donald Trump’s administration eases restrictions on industries and seeks to boost drilling, logging, mining and grazing on taxpayer-owned land.

More than a media mogul, Ted Turner leaves behind a conservation legacy

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Ted Turner loved the land, and lots of it: As one of the largest private landowners in the United States, he fueled conservation work across some 3,125 square miles (8,094 square kilometers) of ranchland in several states, aiming to leave it in better shape for future generations.

New Mexico seeks child safety restrictions on Meta apps

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – New Mexico state prosecutors are seeking fundamental changes to Meta’s social media apps and algorithms to safeguard children in the second phase of a landmark trial on allegations that platforms such as Instagram have created a public safety hazard.

Utah marks a year of battling measles, with no clear end in sight

Utah has spent the past year fighting measles outbreaks – a grim milestone that could affect whether the United States can keep its measles-free designation.