Richardson Reportedly Cleared in Pay-to-Play Probe

(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»

UN ambassadors get special permission to leave New York

(NEWSER) - Two North Korean diplomats at the UN are traveling to Santa Fe to meet with Bill Richardson, the New Mexico governor and former UN ambassador, reports CNN. The meeting is taking place at Pyongyang's request, according to the governor's office, and will focus on clean energy technology. Richardson has visited North Korea several times, most recently in 2007 to reclaim the remains of Korean War veterans. 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»

New Mexico chimps win reprieve

(NEWSER) - Some 186 elderly chimpanzees formerly used in invasive research have been given a temporary reprieve from more experiments. The National Institutes of Health, which had planned to transfer the chimps from their home at an NIH facility in New Mexico to a Texas research facility, has announced that the chimps will be allowed to remain in retirement while it carries out a two-year review of the need to use them in biomedical research, reports CNN . More»