Almost 200 people turned out last Monday night at Albuquerque’s Bataan Memorial Park to protest the strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran. Speakers addressed the crowd, who waved signs at passing motorists along Lomas Boulevard as the sun dropped below the horizon.

The New Mexico Department of Health announced Friday four new cases of measles have been identified in detention facilities in southern New Mexico. Officials said the cases were brought into the facilities by inmates who transferred in from another state.

As climate change makes wildfires more frequent, researchers from here at the University of New Mexico say the smoke — which can drift for thousands of miles — is linked to worse mental health. The new study found a week after exposure to wildlife smoke participants’ mental health scores were at their lowest, but after three weeks scores were close to normal.

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced Thursday the New Mexico Department of Justice is reopening an investigation into allegations of criminal activity at Jeffrey Epstein’s former ranch outside of Santa Fe. Special agents and prosecutors will seek immediate access to the full unredacted federal files on Epstein.

The New Mexico Senate passed the Medical Malpractice Changes bill Tuesday night with only two votes against after arguing for almost three hours over ammendments eventually left off the bill. New Mexico has some of the highest malpractice payouts in the country, and House Bill 99 limits the damages awarded to about $900,000 for an independent provider and up to $6 million for a hospital.

Medical licensure compacts have been a priority this session as lawmakers attempt to address the health care worker shortage. One bill would allow dentists and dental hygienists licensed in other states to practice here more easily. But with less than a day left in the session, that bill appears to have stalled.

Just one day after it was created by the state legislature, the "Epstein Truth Commission” met for the first time this morning. The Commission announced the beginning of an investigation into illegal activity at sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s former Zorro ranch outside of Santa Fe. The commission will issue subpoenas and compel testimony if necessary to get the “full picture” of what happened on the nearly 10,000 acres of remote high desert.

Over the weekend, the Senate approved a tax package that includes provisions that would exempt affordable housing projects from paying tax on construction and labor. The bill is hurtling through the legislation process as the final day of the legislature this Thursday looms ever closer. The bill passed its second committee on Friday, only two days before Sunday’s Senate floor vote.

Lawmakers are once again debating how to reform New Mexico’s medical malpractice laws this session, reigniting a long-running fight over balancing patient rights and the cost of practicing medicine.

This week on Let’s Talk New Mexico, we’ll be discussing the bill going through the Roundhouse trying to reform New Mexico's medical malpractice system and what supporters are saying will help recruit and retain health care workers, while opponents push back.