HEATHER WILSON

Democrat Melanie Stansbury has won election to Congress for New Mexico to fill a vacant seat previously held by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

A special congressional election is testing the pulse of politics in the Albuquerque metro area and a few outlying rural communities at a turning point in the pandemic and economic recovery.

In a time of changing sensitivities, an ancient sport struggles to justify itself.

WASHINGTON – Federal officials intercepted an envelope addressed to the White House that contained the poison ricin, a U.S. law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Saturday. A preliminary investigation indicated it tested positive for ricin, a poison found naturally in castor beans, the U.S. official said. The U.S. official was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Federal investigators were working to determine where the enveloped originated and who mailed it. In 2014, a Mississippi man was sentenced to 25 years in prison after sending letters dusted with ricin to President Barack Obama and other officials.

(Editors note: Contains language that may offend some readers)Anti-horse racing activists greet Breeders Cup patrons at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, U.S. November 1, 2019. REUTERS/Rory CarrollBy Rory CarrollARCADIA, Calif. (Reuters) - Horse racing is animal cruelty and should be banned, protesters who greeted patrons on the first day of the Breeders Cup at Santa Anita Park said on Friday. The protest group say roughly 2,000 horses die every year at U.S. race tracks, although the industry says that figure is inflated. Wilson held a picture of G Q Covergirl, a mare who was euthanized last week after she injured her front two legs during a training run at Santa Anita. REUTERS/Rory CarrollWilson said public perception of the sport was changing and noted that 34 race tracks in the U.S. had closed since 2000.

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump's nominee to become the second-highest-ranking U.S. military officer denied sexual assault allegations against him at his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday. "Nothing happened, ever," Air Force Gen. John Hyten, the outgoing head of the U.S. military's Strategic Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations did not find sufficient evidence to charge Hyten in the matter. The latest revelation comes as the Pentagon deals with 6,053 reports in 2018 of sexual assault. "Sexual assault happens in the military.

He succeeded another acting defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan, who suddenly resigned last month. Shanahan aimed to permanently replace Jim Mattis, who resigned as defense secretary in December over policy differences with President Donald Trump. The churn is far more widespread than just the U.S. defense secretary or the Army and Navy leadership. Heather Wilson, who had been considered a contender to replace Mattis, resigned at the end of May as U.S. Air Force secretary. David Norquist, who had been the Pentagons comptroller, has been performing the duties of the deputy defense secretary since Shanahan replaced Mattis.