North Koreans in Santa Fe to Meet Gov. Richardson

(NEWSER) - The tentative thaw continues in North Korea relations. On the heels of Bill Clinton's trip, Bill Richardson hosted two high-ranking officials from the North today at the governor's mansion in New Mexico and declared that Pyongyang is sending a "positive vibration" about detente. “What I sense was, one, the temperature has really cooled down in the relationship,” Richardson told MSNBC. “I think the Clinton visit has helped a lot.” More»

(AP) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and former members of his administration will not face charges in a yearlong pay-to-play investigation, a source tells the AP. A federal grand jury has been probing whether lucrative work on state bond deals was improperly awarded to a Richardson donor—derailing his nomination as Commerce secretary in the Obama administration. Top Justice Department officials made the call, says an insider: "It's over. There's nothing. It was killed in Washington." More»

(NEWSER) - Bill Clinton has met with reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, official state media reports. The Korean news agency described Clinton as "courteously" conveying a message from President Obama, saying he and Kim shared a "wide-ranging exchange of views." But the White House denied that Clinton was bearing such a message, calling the trip a "solely private mission." The former president arrived in Pyongyang today in an unmarked aircraft, in an effort to free detained journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee. More»

Mixed reactions greet return of Santa Fe's political dynamo

(NEWSER) - His cushy Cabinet post yanked out from underneath him, Bill Richardson is heading home to the state that made him a national player, reports the New York Times. And while New Mexico might be a let-down for Richardson, (“Sometimes your own dreams and plans must take a back seat to what is best for the nation,” he says) not everyone is happy to see him ride back into town either. More»

Only New Mexico's shows up to meet Mexican counterparts

(NEWSER) - The governors of border states in the US and Mexico have been holding a conference to discuss cross-border issues every year for 30 years, but the tradition appears to be withering, the AP finds. New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez was the only one of the four US border state governors to make an appearance this year. Arizona's Jan Brewer and California's Jerry Brown cited pressing issues to deal with in their states, while Rick Perry is away from Texas and on the campaign trail. More»