AGP Executive Report

New Mexico Tech & Industry: New Mexico announced a $150 million fund aimed at turning research strengths into homegrown companies, with a big push for quantum, aerospace/defense, advanced energy, and bioscience. Local Tech Governance: Sierra County approved an 18-month data center moratorium after residents raised concerns about water and environmental impacts, adding to a growing wave of local pushback. Quantum Hardware in NM: Maybell Quantum says it has deployed dilution fridges at New Mexico’s Roadrunner Quantum Lab, signaling continued buildout of quantum research capacity. Space & Science: DOE launched the first 278 projects under its Genesis Mission, using AI to accelerate scientific discovery and national defense work. Spacewatch: Astronomers are lining up to observe a rare lunar impact from a discarded SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage. Public Health Tech: CDC reported measles cases topping 2,260 across 44 states, with summer travel driving new exposure events. Cybersecurity: Chick-fil-A confirmed a credential-stuffing breach of its loyalty accounts, highlighting ongoing risks from reused passwords. Environment & Water: New Mexico State Parks updated actions at Elephant Butte Lake as drought drops reservoir levels and exposes debris.

DOE & AI Science: The Department of Energy announced the first 278 projects under its Genesis Mission, a push to use AI for discovery and national security, with $293M available and work spanning nuclear energy, critical minerals, chip design, and fusion. Local Tech & Water: Sierra County approved an 18-month data center moratorium after residents raised concerns about water and environmental impacts tied to the Spaceport-area growth debate. New Mexico Energy Research: New Mexico’s Board of Finance approved $31.2M for NMSU’s IDEAL Center to modernize its grid and energy testbed for next-generation reliability tech. Colorado River Crisis: Basin states are racing toward a new Colorado River operating plan as Lake Mead and Powell hit record lows, threatening power and water supplies across millions. Public Health: CDC reported 2,260 measles cases across 44 states, driven by summer travel and low MMR coverage pockets. Tech Policy & Safety: Nevada courts found Meta likely violated consumer protection law over Messenger end-to-end encryption safety claims for children, issuing a preliminary injunction. Space Watch: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 upper stage is set to hit the Moon Aug. 5, and astronomers are gearing up for a rare, precisely predicted lunar impact.

Public Health: CDC says cyclosporiasis cases have surged past 4,000 in 41 states, with a six-week reporting lag likely meaning numbers will keep climbing. Infectious Disease: Venezuela reports three hantavirus deaths, with officials stressing no sign of human-to-human spread. Water & Energy: Lake Mead and Lake Powell hit record-low combined levels, raising alarms for hydropower and Southwest water planning. Workforce & Training: New Mexico won $900,000+ to expand registered apprenticeships across construction, healthcare, IT, and cybersecurity. STEM & Health Research: UNM’s Project MESA ran a free bilingual autism summer clinic, training future speech-language pathologists while supporting families. Space Weather: NOAA warns a geomagnetic storm could bring auroras farther south than expected across much of the northern U.S. Local Schools: Los Alamos Public Schools grad Zachary Sestric earned a $1,000 scholarship from the New Mexico School Boards Association. Dementia Research: UNM researchers report carbon dioxide may help clear tau in the brain, building on earlier CO2-based findings.

AI & Safety: A Senate hearing highlights how Character.AI’s chatbot allegedly blurred human-machine boundaries and failed to warn when a teen expressed suicidal thoughts. Fintech Regulation: Nevada AG Aaron Ford urged federal regulators to deny bank charters to high-risk fintechs, warning consumers could be exposed to predatory practices. Drug Pricing Antitrust: Ford also announced a $29.6M multistate settlement with Glenmark over alleged generic-drug price inflation and reduced competition. Grid Resilience: With heat and Lake Mead declines stressing the power system, Buckeye Power Systems points to growing rolling-blackout risk across states including New Mexico. Space/Defense: Rocket Lab shares rose after a $266M Space Force contract for 12 suborbital launches. New Mexico Research: UNM researchers reported a potential CO2-based approach to help clear tau before it accumulates, building on earlier low-level CO2 work. Local STEM/Community: UNM’s Project MESA ran a free bilingual autism clinic training future speech-language pathologists through play. Water Crisis: Lake Mead and Lake Powell hit record-low combined levels, underscoring urgency for Colorado River cuts. GIS & Fire Memory: A Highlands University GIS specialist’s map of the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire won an international Esri award.

Quantum in Albuquerque: Maybell Quantum is moving into the Roadrunner Quantum Lab, bringing cryogenic hardware and staff to help other teams run dilution-refrigerator systems. Cancer tech at UNM: UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center is using an MRI-linear accelerator to tighten radiation targeting and adjust plans in real time, with early patient treatments already underway. Water protection under threat: Research says the Roadless Rule helps supply clean drinking water to tens of millions; repeal could raise treatment costs and harm rivers in New Mexico and the region. Monsoon and the Colorado River crunch: Forecasters warn the 2026 North American monsoon may ease drought locally, but won’t meaningfully refill Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Rural health funding: New Mexico’s Health Care Authority is accepting applications for a $47M Rural Health Innovation Fund aimed at underserved rural, frontier, and tribal areas. Local tech policy: El Paso adopted tougher rules for future data center development, adding setbacks, noise mitigation, and a special permit with public oversight. New Mexico business oversight: A complaint seeks a special audit of New Mexico Environment Department contracting tied to Apaluma, a digitization firm linked to a former cabinet secretary. Security systems test: Sandia National Labs ran a field exercise for rapidly deployable portable security tech, combining sensors, radar, cameras, and communications in rugged conditions. Sports-tech adjacent: The New Mexico Athletic Commission tabled proposed rules that would ban bare-knuckle fighting, citing a need for more research.

Antitrust & Media: A federal judge paused the $110B Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger for at least two weeks after a coalition of states sued, setting up an Aug. 3 fight over whether the deal would crush competition in film and TV. Public Safety Tech: Sandia National Labs ran a field exercise at Coyote Canyon to test rapidly deployable portable security systems that combine drones, sensors, radar, cameras, and communications for faster decisions in remote terrain. Rural Health: New Mexico’s Health Care Authority is accepting applications for a $47M Rural Health Innovation Fund aimed at expanding care in underserved rural, frontier, and tribal areas. Environment Oversight: A progressive group is seeking a special audit of New Mexico Environment Department contracting tied to Apaluma, Inc., alleging procurement and conduct-code issues. STEM in Schools: Albuquerque Public Schools is expanding personal finance education, with APS requiring the course for students as more districts adopt it. Tech & Kids: Meta faces a Tennessee trial over claims Instagram was designed to be addictive for teens, echoing New Mexico’s own recent tech accountability case. Local Tech/AI Education: APS is reviewing a charter high school proposal focused on STEM and AI-based architectural modeling. Archaeology: Eastern New Mexico University highlights the Blackwater Draw site’s global significance as researchers continue excavations of very early human activity.

Meta Trial Watch: Tennessee is taking Meta to court over claims Instagram was engineered to be addictive and harmful to teens, with the state seeking penalties and orders to change features like autoplay and notifications. AI Security: New Mexico State University researchers describe “GhostWriter,” an attack that can secretly plant false long-term memories in AI agents via hidden prompts or untrusted content. Local STEM & Education: Albuquerque educators are seeking approval for a charter high school blending STEM, AI literacy, and project-based learning with Spanish and Middle Eastern history and architecture. Nuclear Workforce: Los Alamos National Laboratory expands its plutonium workforce partnerships, paying for more than 30 students from New Mexico schools to gain hands-on experience. UNM Research Funding: UNM launches the NM SPARK program, funding early- and mid-career faculty projects ranging from autonomous decision-making to lithium extraction and AI in education. Energy & Water Pressure: A new report highlights how drought in the U.S. West is forcing fights over Colorado River water, including pressure from data centers and industry. Tech Policy in Motion: DoorDash asks New Mexico to create rules for tiny automated delivery vehicles that could operate on residential roads and sidewalks.

Space & Design: A Los Altos graphic designer’s eclipse glasses are now part of Artemis II’s lunar-flyby kit, showing how art and mission planning can meet in real hardware. STEM Education: Albuquerque educators are seeking APS approval for Andalusia Natural Sciences Academy, blending STEM, project-based learning, responsible AI literacy, and local Spanish colonial and Middle Eastern history. Nuclear Workforce: Los Alamos National Laboratory is expanding its Plutonium Workforce Development partnerships, paying for 30+ New Mexico students to gain hands-on experience tied to pit production. UNM Research Funding: UNM launched NM SPARK, selecting 11 faculty for seed and multi-year grants spanning AI in education, lithium extraction, diabetes training research, and infrastructure crack prediction. Tech Policy in Motion: DoorDash wants state rules for tiny automated delivery vehicles on sidewalks and bike lanes, pushing back against city-by-city fees. Water Stress: A new Rio Grande settlement sets tougher accounting and compliance costs for New Mexico, with climate-driven dryness raising the stakes. Health & Data: A case involving a missing Los Alamos worker alleges her phones were wiped before she was found, reigniting questions about investigative gaps.

Rio Grande Water Fight: New Mexico and Texas finally reached a Supreme Court settlement over Rio Grande management, but compliance could cost $150M and may require cutting well withdrawals as climate change tightens supplies. UNM Research Boost: UNM launched the NM SPARK program, funding 11 faculty projects with seed grants for work ranging from AI in education to lithium extraction from local brines. Astronomy in New Mexico: Using the VLA, scientists mapped hidden structure in the Orion Nebula and revised estimates of gas mass, revealing a previously unknown cavity. Data Center Power Pressure: Oracle/OpenAI’s Project Jupiter is headed to an October air-quality hearing, with critics warning the microgrid plan could roll back air-quality progress. AI + Supercomputing at LANL: NNSA plans two new Los Alamos supercomputers—Mission and Vision—co-designed with HPE and NVIDIA, targeting deployment in 2027 and 2028. Public Health Tech & Policy: A new look at Medicaid vs. Medicare reimbursement shows big gaps that can affect access to specialized eye surgeries. Local Tech Governance: DoorDash is seeking state approval for tiny automated delivery vehicles in New Mexico, while some officials worry cities could be blocked from adding rules. Sports Tech Spotlight: Josh Kerr shattered the men’s mile world record in London, crediting months of planning and running-shoe innovation.

Orion Nebula Breakthrough: Using New Mexico’s Very Large Array plus China’s FAST telescope, astronomers report a major correction to a basic Orion Nebula measurement and reveal a previously unseen gas cavity. UNM Research Funding: UNM launched its NM SPARK program, funding 11 early- and mid-career faculty projects ranging from AI in education to lithium extraction and concrete-crack prediction. Data Centers vs. Air Quality: New Mexico’s Environment Department set an October hearing for Project Jupiter’s air permit, as critics push for more renewable power and warn about emissions from the Santa Teresa hyperscale build. Supercomputing at LANL: NNSA plans two new Los Alamos supercomputers—Mission and Vision—co-designed with HPE and NVIDIA, targeting faster discovery timelines. Public Health Coverage: A new analysis finds 36.8% of Americans rely on public insurance, with New Mexico among the highest-coverage states. Healthcare Labor Offshoring: Reporting highlights U.S. hospitals using remote nursing staff in the Philippines to cover shortages, raising questions about care quality and worker pay. Wildfire/Extreme Weather Pressure: A Reuters roundup describes smoke, floods, and fast-growing fires across the U.S., stressing emergency response capacity. Conservation Policy Shift: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized downlisting the razorback sucker, while broader Trump-era endangered-species rollbacks could weaken protections for other imperiled wildlife. Local Tech & Community: Chaves Soil and Water Conservation District won a statewide conservation award, spotlighting irrigation efficiency, weed control, and rangeland restoration.

Healthcare & Labor: Hospitals are increasingly using remote nursing staff in the Philippines to cover U.S. shortages, raising questions about care coordination and worker pay. Public Lands & Jobs: National Park Service employees in the Mountain West voted to unionize, citing staffing cuts, low pay, and housing strain. Conservation: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized downlisting the razorback sucker from endangered to threatened, paired with a limited-take rule tied to conservation. Tech & Supercomputing: NNSA plans two new supercomputers at Los Alamos National Laboratory—Mission and Vision—built with HPE and NVIDIA, targeting deployment in 2027–2028. Local Environment & Permitting: New Mexico Environment Department will hold an October hearing on the Project Jupiter air permit for an AI data-center microgrid in Santa Teresa. Opioids & Accountability: A state auditor report says many New Mexico cities and counties are spending opioid settlement funds slowly, with gaps in reporting. AI in the Spotlight: An ASRS update compares Medicaid vs. Medicare payment rates for vitreoretinal surgeries, highlighting access pressure from reimbursement differences. Community Safety: AAA and FBI data point to vacation-time burglary risk, with New Mexico among the higher-rate states. Space & Science: NASA says the Perseids could be especially dazzling in 2026, with best viewing before dawn. Sports Tech: An autonomous AI golf commentator will join broadcast coverage for the New Mexico Open.

Energy & Climate Risk: A new federal analysis warns Lake Powell’s water could fall to a level where Glen Canyon Dam can’t generate electricity, threatening power for about 6 million homes and businesses across the West. Local Tech & Environment: New Mexico’s Environment Department will hold an October hearing on Project Jupiter, a Santa Teresa data-center microgrid tied to Oracle and OpenAI, with critics flagging major greenhouse-gas impacts. AI in Government: A GAO report urges the VA to build an “AI-ready workforce” as it modernizes disability claims, warning generative AI can raise accountability risks. Quantum/AI Research: Sandia and the University of Michigan announced a five-year partnership to push quantum and AI tools toward market readiness. School Transportation Electrification: NM Voices says districts can apply for $54 million in electric school bus funding, including charging infrastructure support. Public Safety & Health: A New Mexico DOJ investigative report highlights high out-of-school suspension rates in Gallup-McKinley County Schools, with sharp disparities for Native American and Hispanic students. STEM & Community: UNM welcomed new president Steve Goldstein with an early focus on listening across the university’s research and healthcare mission.

Conservation Win: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service downlisted the razorback sucker from endangered to threatened, citing decades of recovery work across the Colorado River basin. New Mexico Energy & Air Quality: New Mexico Environment Department set an October hearing for Project Jupiter’s data-center air permit, with critics warning the fuel-cell plan could roll back air-quality progress. Radio Astronomy in NM: NSF, NRAO and the U.S. Naval Observatory are teaming up on a pathfinder for the Next Generation Very Large Array, with operations based in New Mexico to support ultra-precise space science and Earth-orientation measurements. Quantum & Advanced Tech Funding: Economic Development New Mexico opened a targeted federal match grant tied to its $150M R&D fund, aimed at quantum, advanced computing, energy, aerospace/defense and bioscience. Education & Literacy: Albuquerque Public Schools hit multi-year reading goals for early grades but fell short in middle-school math, with Native students showing major reading gains. Tech for Regulation: Apaluma secured $5.55M seed funding to turn fragmented government regulatory records into a searchable, mapped system for faster permitting and analysis. Grid & Community Solar: New Mexico regulators moved to overhaul community solar rules to unblock stalled projects and speed up subscriber-based solar rollout.

New Mexico Data Centers & Air Quality: The NM Environment Department set an October public hearing in Sunland Park for Project Jupiter’s air quality permit, with the case hinging on fuel-cell plans tied to natural gas pipelines and emissions concerns. Grid & Energy Tech: A new push to coordinate Western electricity markets is moving through regulators, as FERC pressures CAISO and Southwest Power Pool to address “seams” that can raise costs and strain reliability. Water, Power, and Climate Stress: Reports highlight how shrinking Colorado River storage is cutting hydropower output and pushing higher electricity prices across the region. Mars Science: NASA’s Perseverance rover found signs that repeated asteroid impacts built a thick rock sequence at Jezero Crater, helping scientists reconstruct early solar system bombardment. Space Telescopes & Exoplanets: Astronomers reported an atmosphere on rocky exoplanet LHS 1140b, boosting prospects for habitable environments beyond Earth. Public Health & Policy: A major billing change for maternity care is set to start in January, shifting obstetrics coding away from bundled payments. Wildfire Smoke: Canada’s wildfire smoke is worsening air quality across the U.S. and Canada, with experts linking harsher fire seasons to climate extremes. Genetic Data Accountability: Multistate actions continue over the 23andMe genetic data breach, with settlements limited by bankruptcy funds.

23andMe Data Breach Fallout: A multistate coalition says it reached a $29.6 million settlement with Glenmark over alleged generic-drug price-fixing, while separate 23andMe bankruptcy settlements keep rolling out—states report limited payouts (like $18 million total in one case) tied to the 2023 genetic data breach. AI, Water, and Power: New Mexico’s Project Jupiter is back in the spotlight as the state land commissioner again denies a natural-gas pipeline request meant to fuel the hyperscale data center’s microgrid. Local Water Stress: Cimarron council hears worsening reservoir levels and transfer-station misuse, with officials urging voluntary conservation before mandatory restrictions. Broadband for Remote Communities: Adtran says Oso Internet Solutions is extending fiber connectivity to the Ramah Navajo Reservation, aiming to improve access for homes, schools, and healthcare. Autonomous Delivery Push: DoorDash asks New Mexico lawmakers to create a legal path for small delivery robots on state roads. Wildfire Readiness: Fire managers are pre-positioning crews and aircraft as drought and hot, windy conditions strain response capacity across the West. Health & Safety: A new study on facial recognition finds accuracy varies with both the person being recognized and the viewer’s recognition skill, raising equity concerns. Community Tech & STEM: New Mexico’s quantum sector gets a $1.2 million boost for growth efforts, including work tied to Los Alamos.

New Mexico Tech & Policy: DoorDash is asking New Mexico lawmakers to create a legal path for autonomous “personal delivery devices” (Dot robots) to operate on local roads, aiming to handle short trips (3–5 miles) up to 20 mph while supporting human dashers. Cybersecurity & Public Safety: A New Mexico Department of Public Safety profile highlights how its Cybersecurity & Compliance Bureau protects criminal-justice systems and keeps services running under cyber threats. Quantum & Lab Partnerships: The University of Michigan and Sandia National Laboratories announced a five-year strategic partnership to expand joint research, share specialized facilities, and boost researcher/student exchanges. AI Infrastructure Watch: A report flags how AI’s power and cooling demands are pushing data centers toward unconventional locations, from distributed setups to marine and space-based concepts. Health Data & Consumer Protection: Attorney General Liz Murrill joined a multistate settlement tied to the 23andMe genetic data breach, with limited immediate recovery from bankruptcy funds. Antitrust & Media Tech: Twelve states sued to block Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery merger, arguing it would reduce competition and raise prices. Space Science: NASA’s Perseverance rover reported ancient Mars rock layers formed by repeated asteroid impacts at Jezero Crater. Environment & Water: Coverage of PFAS regulation pressure and ongoing Western drought impacts underscores mounting strain on water and public health systems.