NMiF discusses President Trump’s funding cuts and potential war crimes

This week, New Mexico in Focus heads to the Institute of American Indian Arts. For the second time in as many years, the institute's future is uncertain as President Trump threatens to cut billions in funding for higher education, including more than $350 million from minority-serving programs.

That puts IAIA squarely in the crosshairs. President Shelly Loew spoke to host Nash Jones about her first year leading the college, whether she expects Congress to reject Trump's cuts again, and how this financial uncertainty has affected her students.

Executive Producer Jeff Proctor sits down with constitutional and international law expert Joshua Kastenberg to delve into the war in Iran - how it began and how it's going. Proctor asks the law professor and former Judge Advocate General how war crimes are defined - and by whom - and to consider whether he has seen any evidence of Trump or the U.S. military committing them in Iran.

Earlier this month, a state District Court judge ordered Republican state Rep. Rebecca Dow to be removed from the ballot following allegations she had filed flawed paperwork in her reelection bid. Earlier this week, the state Supreme Court reversed that decision and reinstated Dow's candidacy. We hear from Dow just moments after the justices ordered her back on the ballot.

In March, UNM named Ryan Berryman to be its next vice president and director of athletics. Berryman has been connected to Lobo sports since he was a teenager and, at 32, is one of the youngest ADs in Division I sports. The Albuquerque Journal's Geoff Grammer joins Senior Producer Lou DiVizio to discuss the new department head and consider what Berryman's tenure could mean for the Lobos on the football field, the basketball court - and beyond.

NMiF airs on NMPBS 5.1 (KNME HD) on Friday, April 24, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 21 at 7 a.m. and streaming on the PBS video app. Involved, informed, in-depth media: watch New Mexico in Focus again online shortly thereafter.

Host
Nash Jones

Segments
Trump Threatens Again to Cut NM Native Arts School Funding
Correspondent
Nash Jones

Guest
Dr. Shelly Lowe (Navajo), president, Institute of American Indian Arts

Presidential Powers and the War in Iran
and
How Trump's Online Posts Open Door for War Crimes in Iran

Correspondent
Jeff Proctor

Guest
Joshua Kastenberg, professor, UNM School of Law

State Supreme Court Orders Rep. Dow Back on Ballot
Correspondent
Nash Jones

Guest
Rep. Rebecca Dow, R-Truth or Consequences

New Leadership at UNM Athletics Department
Correspondent
Lou DiVizio

Guest
Geoff Grammer, Sportswriter, Albuquerque Journal

New Mexico in Focus is the New Mexico PBS prime-time news magazine show covering the events, issues, and people shaping life in New Mexico and the Southwest. NMiF takes a multi-layered look at social, political, economic, educational, and art issues, exploring them in depth with a critical eye to provide context beyond the "news of the moment."

NMPBS Executive Producer, Public Affairs is Jeff Proctor. New Mexico in Focus's senior producer for public affairs is Lou DiVizio. Host and producer of New Mexico in Focus is Nash Jones. The producer is Antonio Sanchez, and the multimedia journalist is Cailley Chella.

Funding for New Mexico in Focus is provided by the McCune Charitable Foundation and Viewers Like You. Funding for the Your New Mexico Government Project comes from the Thornburg Foundation and New Mexico Local News Fund. Funding for Our Land: New Mexico's Environmental Past, Present & Future is provided in part by the Neeper Natural History Programming.