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Comic, July 14, 2025

How Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ could impact health care for New Mexicans

On July 4, President Donald Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a bill that could have major impacts for the people of New Mexico. The bill’s major items include extending tax cuts from Trump’s first term as president, which were previously due to expire at the end of the year, modifying eligibility requirements for Medicaid enrollees, changes to SNAP benefits, changes to student-loan repayment options and increased funding for border security.

Shark and Ray Awareness Day is a splash at Albuquerque Biopark

On Friday, July 11, the Albuquerque BioPark Aquarium hosted its annual “Shark and Ray Awareness Day” event. It highlighted these aquatic animals, bringing attention to their unique attributes and the threats to their survival. Visitors were given a chance to meet the BioParks sand tiger, sandbar, nurse and zebra sharks. Volunteers and docents attended tables that taught visitors about sharks and rays.

REVIEW: “F1” is a high paced spectacle, but lacks depth

The blockbuster film, “F1,” released on June 23, is an enjoyable experience for everyone, from the most diehard Formula 1 fans to someone who's never watched a race. The film has high-paced action, impressive filmmaking and classic sporting drama, even if the plot is fairly predictable and lacking in originality. The film follows the grizzled racing veteran, Sunny Hayes, played by Brad Pitt, as he makes his unexpected return to the F1 track. He joins the fictional struggling team APXGP, managed by his old racing teammate, Ruben Cervantes, played by Javier Bardem. It’s said that if APXGP can’t win a race by the end of the season, then Cervantes will be forced to sell the team, though it's not fully clear why they must win a race in order to prevent the sale.

REVIEW: Lorde’s exploratory album, ‘Virgin’ doesn’t find much new

On June 27, 2025, New Zealand singer Lorde released her fourth studio album, “Virgin.” The album keeps the melancholic, almost meditative quality of Lorde’s discography while exploring some new themes — gender and the politics of the body — alongside old themes like relationships, growing up and ambition. One of my favorite aspects of this album is actually its cover. It’s an X-Ray of Lorde’s uterus. In the image, you can see dark spots for her zipper, belt buckle and IUD. 

Affordable Housing in Albuquerque; what’s being done

Lack of affordable housing is a modern-day hydra in many American cities — Albuquerque is no exception. In 2022, the median affordable home price for a renter with a median household income was $163,000. The median home price in Albuquerque that year was $315,000, 93% more than the median affordable home price, according to the City of Albuquerque’s Housing Needs Assessment. The causes of this crisis range from income not keeping up with rent or property prices to low supply of properties available to people, according to Housing New Mexico and the City of Albuquerque.

OPINION: A preview of the Lobo men’s basketball team

After the end of the 2024-25 season, the University of New Mexico’s men’s basketball team was ravaged by the transfer portal and coaching carousel. With an entirely new roster, Lobo fans are unsure of what to expect from this year’s team. Here’s a breakdown of the new roster that Head Coach Eric Olen assembled.

OPINION: A preview of the Lobo women's basketball team

The University of New Mexico’s women’s basketball team and Head Coach Mike Bradbury are hoping to build on their 18-14 record from last season. The team managed to retain some key talent but due to the ever-changing landscape of college basketball, it also lost multiple players to the transfer portal and graduation. Here's a look at the returning players and new additions to the roster, starting with the returning players.

UNM archive reveals decades of clergy abuse

On June 7, the University of New Mexico’s Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections released the first portion of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe Institutional Abuse Collection. The documents include personnel files from 1968 to 2016 and depositions collected between 1991 and 2015. These materials show internal Church communications, reports of abuse and the response to decades of allegations from across the state.

REVIEW: PinkPantheress’ ‘Fancy That’ has fans turning heads

On May 9, 2025, PinkPantheress released her new album “Fancy That.” The British singer has amassed huge success since the beginning of her career, with approximately 2.7 billion streams on Spotify. You may recognize her from the song “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” with Ice Spice, or “Pain,” a song that first gained popularity on TikTok. The unique process of production is one of the defining features behind her success.

New Mexico National Guard starts assisting Albuquerque Police

On June 5, the New Mexico National Guard began assisting the Albuquerque Police Department with administrative tasks, according to a statement from APD Director of Communications, Gilbert Gallegos. In a statement to the Daily Lobo, Gallegos said the National Guard is helping with “non-law enforcement duties,” including monitoring surveillance cameras at the Real Time Crime Center and helping with scene perimeters. National guard members will not be on the University of New Mexico campus because they are working solely with APD, not UNMPD, according to Gallegos.

OPINION: Bobbleheads of the week — NBA Finals edition

This week saw one of the most exciting NBA Finals in many years; it was the first time the series went a full seven games since 2016 and it was full of close games. It featured one team full of rising stars and the reigning MVP — the Oklahoma City Thunder — and an underdog team whose path to the finals was filled with near-impossible comebacks at every step — the Indiana Pacers. The series had quite a few heroes who were expected to be great, and were, like the OKC Thunders’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and role players who tried to will their team to victory.

OPINION: Why New Mexico Democrats should be terrified of primary challengers

f New Mexico’s Democratic incumbents are sleeping easy, they might want to set an alarm. Across the country, a political undercurrent is turning into a wave — and it’s not coming from the right. In New York City, a progressive insurgent named Zohran Mamdani has proven that establishment Democrats are no longer safe in reliably blue states. That same undercurrent could begin to stir in New Mexico, where young, progressive challengers might be eyeing the 2026 primaries with serious intent — and real potential. On June 24, Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist and state assemblyman, toppled New York’s ex-governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democratic dinosaur with deep institutional backing, in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary.

Trump administration cuts LGBTQ+ youth crisis hotline

On July 17, the Trump administration will be shutting down a national suicide and crisis hotline intended to assist LGBTQ+ youth, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The service is provided as part of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and sometimes known as the press 3 option. It has routed nearly 1.3 million calls since its introduction in September 2022. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline will continue to operate without the subnetwork service. LGBTQ+ high school students are over three times more likely to have seriously considered suicide within the last year than cisgender and heterosexual students, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary and Trends Report.

Guild Celebrates Juneteenth with ‘Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not be Televised)’

On June 19-20, the Guild Cinema hosted a special showing of “Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not be Televised)” in honor of Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the day that news of Emancipation reached Texas — the last state to be informed. “Summer of Soul” focused on the Harlem Cultural Festival, a free summer music and cultural fest that was held during the summer of 1969 in Harlem in New York City. It was hosted by Tony Lawrence and filmed by Hal Tulchin. The festival was recorded, but the footage sat untouched and unseen for more than 50 years, until directors Questlove and Hal Tulchin combined the recording with testimonies from artists, organizers and attendees to create “Summer of Soul.”

Comic, June 23, 2025

New Mexico United dominates San Antonio FC in overtime

On Saturday, June 21, New Mexico United snatched another win — in a heart pounding overtime United surged past San Antonio FC and left the pitch having jumped to first place in the West Conference, after winning the game 4-2. Under the blazing sun United got ready to defend their winning record. The early minutes of the game unfolded slowly. Both teams were locked in a physical battle which resulted in multiple fouls causing United to earn a penalty kick. Jaylin Lindsey calmly stepped up and converted, putting New Mexico on the scoreboard with a confident strike.

Hair braiders to be able to practice without a cosmetology license

Starting July 1, hair braiders will be exempt from the requirement of a cosmetology license to practice hair braiding due to the recently signed “Exempting Hair Braiding from Provisions of the Barbers and Cosmetologists Act.” Four State House Representatives — Rep. Janelle Anyanonu (D-Albuquerque), Rep. Harold Pope (D-Albuquerque), Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero (D-Albuquerque) and Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Albuquerque) — sponsored the bill. The bill would open up the opportunity for many black people to start small businesses in New Mexico, stimulating the local economy, Herndon said.

Bookworks hosts Raha Gopal Bhattar with ‘Queering Constellations’

On June 10, Albuquerque bookshop book works hosted a talk with artist Raja Gopal Bhattar on their latest book “Queering Constellations,”a collection of poetry, prose, coloring pages and interactive activities. Bhattar is a Gender-Queer organizer, speaker and author originally from India. According to their website, they are currently Program Manager for the Social Justice and Career Advancement Academy for Association of California Community College Administrators. Bhattar said that “Queering Constellations” is meant to be a conversation. The book is meant to be explored in any order, creating a unique experience for each reader.

REVIEW: ‘Conclave’ is a blessed viewing experience

Released in Oct. 2024 and propelled back into relevance by the passing of Pope Francis, “Conclave” includes a star-studded cast who elevate the already fantastic story. The film follows Cardinal Lawrence — played by Ralph Fiennes — who must oversee the election of the next pope in his role as Dean of the College of Cardinals.