Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State and an advisor to 12 of our Presidents, died on November 29, 2023 at the age 100. Among other accolades, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomacy in ending the war and in Vietnam and was credited for being the person responsible for opening Mao’s China to the US and the world. But Kissinger was not o…

Raul Torrez, who took office on January 1, 2023 as our Attorney General, is changing the Office in ways that seem to embody a different philosophy. The examples are many: cooperate rather than fight plaintiffs in the Yazzie education lawsuit, criminal charges against police officers, and starting a new Civil Rights Division. AG Torrez is undertakin…

In a landmark 2018 decision, the court in Yazzie/Martinez held that the State was violating New Mexico students’ constitutional right to a “sufficient education”. The State was therefore required to invest in the programs and services that have proven successful in raising outcomes for Native Americans, English Language learners, those with disabil…

Today we listen back to an interview with renowned Albuquerque civil rights lawyer, Nancy Hollander, who was portrayed by Jodie Foster in the 2021 film, the Mauritanian. The film portrays Hollander’s fight to free her client, Mohamedou Slahi, from US prison in Guantanamo, Cuba. Slahi had been “extraordinarily rendered” to Jordan from his home in Ma…

Today’s guest is Michael S. Vigil, a former undercover DEA agent in Mexico, who rose to be the DEA’s Chief of International Operations worldwide. In our March 2023 show, Vigil traced the origin and development of the Mexican drug cartels. This month New Mexico People Place and Ideas’ host Stephen Spitz focuses on how that history affects Mexico tod…

How does stress affect brain function and conduct? Can be stress passed on epigenetically ( not experientially) to succeeding generations? Can the effect of stress on the brain actually be measured and mapped via non-invasive neuroimaging of the brain? The Mind Research Network at UNM has been doing such brain scans since 1997 to better understand …

By early Spring New Mexico had already experienced its two largest wildfires in history as well as the McBride fire, which destroyed more than 200 homes in Ruidoso. Is this the new normal? And are controlled burns really the answer given that the disastrous Hermits Peak fire that ended up destroying more than 300 homes and displacing thousands of N…

From potters to political game changers, women have been shaping New Mexico history for centuries. However while NM’s Historic Roadside Markers program began in 1935, as of 1996 it was unclear how many women had been so recognized. That year Patricia French, after stopping to read a historic marker on the Santa Fe trail, wondered out-loud to her fr…

Sunday, May 28 is the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 mile race. The Unser family, Al, Bobby, and Al Jr., have won the 500 a record nine times. Our guest is racing legend Al Unser, who passed away on December 9, 2021 and who still holds the record for most Indy wins. New Mexico People Place and Ideas host Stephen Spitz sat down with Al in 200…

Politics inside New Mexico’s “Roundhouse” are notoriously complex with legislative success dependent on personal connections, intra-party rivalries, the power of lobbyists, and basic deal making. This year saw a change in House leadership, a different more friendly vibe, and push-back against the Governor’s agenda by fellow Democrats. Meanwhile, th…