New Mexico
New Mexico’s Braver Angels offers political junkies an alternative to divisiveness
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(New Mexico News Connection) There’s evidence that respectful conversations about politics – while not changing hearts or minds – can lead to greater understanding on both sides. That’s the goal of New Mexico’s Braver Angels Alliance.
The local group is part of the larger national organization dedicated to political depolarization.
Albuquerque volunteer Pat Hirschl said often meetings cannot be held unless there’s both a red co-chair and a blue co-chair, to guarantee equal engagement about difficult topics.
“Locally we’ve had workshops, we’ve had skills training for bridging the divide in which you try to help people see how they can talk to their neighbors or their families,” said Hirschl. “There are families that are split apart by this division in the politics.”
Braver Angels takes its name from a speech by President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War, when he encouraged both sides of the conflict to call on the “better angels” of their nature, rather than see each other as enemies.
Albuquerque’s group will host a meetup at the Cherry Hills library this Thursday at 4 p.m. for a structured conversation on the topic of politics.
Hirschl said the meetings are not designed to get either side to agree with the other, but to recognize why people think the way they do based on their life experiences.
Across the country and in crucial swing states, Hirschl noted that independent voters are expected to play an outsize role in this year, and said leaders of the major parties would be smart to take notice.
“If they have any sense at all, both parties will reach out to those people who are not members of their party,” said Hirschl. “So, we’ll see – a ver que pasa – we’ll see what happens.”
The program for this year’s Braver Angels national convention focused on four issues: abortion, economic inequality and growth, free speech versus hate speech, and immigration.
The nonprofit launched in 2016 and now has 120 chapters and some 12,000 members nationwide.
Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
New Mexico
Actor Timothy Busfield turns himself in following child sex abuse allegations in New Mexico
Timothy Busfield turned himself into police on Tuesday after authorities in New Mexico issued an arrest warrant for the director and Emmy Award-winning actor accused of child sex abuse.
A spokesperson for the Albuquerque Police Department confirmed to CBS News that Busfield had surrendered. He was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center in Bernalillo County on a child sex abuse charge. The arrest warrant, which was signed by a judge, said the charge was for two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor.
An investigator with the Albuquerque Police Department on Friday filed a criminal complaint which alleged a child reported that Busfield touched him inappropriately. The acts allegedly occurred on the set of “The Cleaning Lady,” a TV series that Busfield directed and acted in.
In a video provided to TMZ, Busfield said the allegations “are all lies.”
“I did not do anything to those little boys,” the 68-year-old actor said in the video appearing to show him in Albuquerque. He said he arrived in the city after driving 2,000 miles. Busfield’s attorney did not immediately return a message seeking comment Tuesday.
The criminal complaint filed by an investigator with Albuquerque police says the boy reported that he was 7 years old when Busfield touched him three or four times on private areas over his clothing. Busfield allegedly touched him five or six times on another occasion when he was 8, the complaint said.
The child was reportedly afraid to tell anyone because Busfield was the director and he feared he would get mad at him, the complaint said.
The boy’s twin brother told authorities he was touched by Busfield but did not specify where. He said he didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to get in trouble.
When interviewed by authorities, Busfield suggested that the boys’ mother was seeking revenge for her children being replaced on the series. He also said he likely would have picked up and tickled the boys, saying the set was a playful environment.
The mother of the twins — who are identified only by their initials in court records — reported to Child Protective Services that the abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, the complaint said.
“The Cleaning Lady” aired for four seasons on Fox, ending in 2025. It was produced by Warner Bros., which according to the complaint conducted its own investigation into the abuse allegations but was unable to corroborate them.
Busfield is known for appearances in “The West Wing,” “Field of Dreams” and “Thirtysomething,” the latter of which won him an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series in 1991. He is married to actor Melissa Gilbert, who deactivated her Instagram account amid the allegations.
Gilbert indicated through a publicist that she won’t speak publicly at the request of attorneys for Busfield while the legal process unfolds.
“Her focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family,” publicist Ame Van Iden said in a statement. “Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time.”
The investigation began in November 2024, when the investigator responded to a call from a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. The boys’ parents had gone there at the recommendation of a law firm, the complaint said.
According to the complaint, one of the boys has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. A social worker documented him saying he has had nightmares about Busfield touching him.
New Mexico
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