Democrats dominate Republicans in third-quarter fundraising and spending in tossup House races

WASHINGTON In the 30 House races that experts consider tossups in the midterm election, Democrats outraised their Republican opponents in every one in the third quarter, often by wide margins. In several cases, the Democratic candidate's fundraising in the three months from July 1 to Sept.

3 years after Colorado mine spill, victims awaiting payment

Three years after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency triggered a massive mine spill that polluted rivers in three states, the federal government still has not repaid any of the victims for the millions of dollars in economic damage they claimed. The EPA said this week it is making progress on reviewing about 380 claims for lost income, fallen property values and other losses from the 2015 spill at the Gold King Mine in southwestern Colorado.

Recording of crying children at border adds to outrage

An audio recording that appears to capture the heartbreaking voices of small Spanish-speaking children crying out for their parents at a U.S. immigration facility took center stage Monday in the growing uproar over the Trump administration's policy of separating immigrant children from their parents. Human rights attorney Jennifer Harbury said she received the tape from a whistleblower and told ProPublica it was recorded in the last week.

House Dems raised $11.2 million in April

The House Democrats' campaign arm announced on Friday that it raised $11.2 million in April, surpassing its April monthly haul from the last cycle. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee , which has been hyper-focused on online fundraising this cycle, said that nearly $3.1 million of that haul came through online donations.

US to decide best site option for nuclear weapons production Source: AP

The federal agency that oversees the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile is expected this week to release a report on the best site option for the United States as it looks to ramp up production of the plutonium cores that trigger nuclear warheads. At stake are hundreds of jobs and billions of dollars in federal funding that would be needed to either revamp existing buildings or construct new factories to support the work.

Second accuser prompts call for Nevada congressman to go

This Nov. 14, 2016 file photo Rep.-elect Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev.,right, speaks with reporters as Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., left, listens on Capitol Hill in Washington. The chairman of the House Democrats' campaign committee called on Kihuen to step down after a report Friday, Dec. 1, 2017, that he allegedly sexually harassed his campaign's finance director.

Aztec High School shooting leaves 2 students, suspect dead

Police escort buses moving students and faculty from Aztec High School after a shooting Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017, in Aztec, N.M. Buses begin to move students and faculty from Aztec High School after a shooting Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017, in Aztec, N.M. Students are led out of Aztec High School after a shooting Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017, in Aztec, N.M. The school is in the Four Corners region and is near the Navajo Nation.

Chief of staff puts out job queries amid allegations against Ruben Kihuen

The chief of staff for Rep. Ruben Kihuen is searching for job opportunities for his staff following an allegation of sexual harassment against the Democratic congressman from Nevada, which has prompted calls for Kihuen's resignation. Peter Koltak, Kihuen's chief of staff, sent an email to multiple offices on Capitol Hill with resumes for seven aides who work in Kihuen's Washington office.

Lujan Grisham plans roundtable talk on New Mexico film industry

Lujan Grisham will join a handful of Hollywood heavy hitters, including author and Santa Fe resident George R.R. Martin, for a roundtable discussion about the future of New Mexico's film industry, which generates millions of dollars annually for the state's economy. At the Oct. 19 event, which will be held at the Jean Cocteau Cinema in the Santa Fe Railyard, participants will discuss Lujan Grisham's "plans to ensure New Mexico can continue to attract investment from television and film productions."

Trump to tackle opioid addiction in White House speech

President Donald Trump is poised to deliver a major speech Thursday on fighting the opioid epidemic, the deadliest drug crisis in U.S. history. "We're going to have a big meeting on opioids tomorrow," Trump told reporters as he left the White House Wednesday en route to Texas.

American Women’s Party Puts Dems On Notice

When the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee , Representative Ben Ray Lujan , stated last week that the party would support Democratic candidates who are anti-choice in order to try and win traditionally conservative districts, he demonstrated once again how the party continues to ignore its base. This policy is no different than what other past and current Democratic Party leaders have echoed for years, and that is the problem.

Idea of Democrats funding anti-abortion candidates draws ire

In this Friday, Jan. 27, 2017 file photo, anti-abortion demonstrators arrive on Capitol Hill in Washington during the March for Life, marking the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. The current Congress is almost monolithic when it comes to abortion.

High-power Dems facing ethics scrutiny

Reps. John Conyers , the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, and Ben Ray Lujan , chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee , are being reviewed by the panel at the recommendation of the Office of Congressional Ethics , an independent, bipartisan group that examines ethics complaints and forwards what it considers the most serious cases to the Ethics Committee. As is typically the case, the Ethics Committee did not specify the allegations surrounding the three Democrats.

Republican aligned with Trump holds House seat in South Carolina special election

Republican Ralph Norman won a special election Tuesday to fill the South Carolina congressional seat vacated by Mick Mulvaney, battling to a victory closer than many expected to replace the new White House budget director. "It's a good win, and we're excited," Norman, a real estate developer who aligned himself with President Donald Trump, told The Associated Press.

New Mexico Democrats push feds to limit drilling near Chaco

The Bureau of Land Management previously agreed to defer all leases within a 10-mile radius around the park as the agency works to update its resource management plan for northwestern New Mexico. The agency is also working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs on how to best protect archaeological and cultural sites in the region.

Pro-life Democrats say abortion issue may cost party more seats in 2018

Democrats' reluctance to recruit pro-life candidates could hinder them as they try to win enough seats to retake the U.S. House next year, according to a pro-life party leader. Kristen Day, executive chairwoman of Democrats for Life of America, said the national party's stance has almost certainly cost it the chance to make a run at the seat that covers Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and said there are likely other places as well where a Democrat would be more competitive if he or she held pro-life views.

Here’s one N.J. lawmaker Democrats are wooing to take down Frelinghuysen

WASHINGTON -- Assemblyman John McKeon, a 16-year veteran of the New Jersey legislature, was home over Easter weekend when his cell phone rang. The call was from Denny Heck, a Democratic U.S. representative from Washington state who is in charge of recruiting House Democratic candidates for 2018.

A race-by-race look at the 2016 election in New Mexico

Voter stickers sit in a pile near a ballot machine at an early voting site in Albuquerque, N.M., on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016. Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver says more than one-third of the county's registered voters have already cast ballots and she expects turnout to reach 2008 levels when 70 percent of voters in the state's most populous county went to the polls.