This week on New Mexico in Focus, correspondent Antonia Gonzales speaks with President Biden’s top tribal affairs adviser, PaaWee Rivera. The son of former Pojoaque Pueblo Governor George Rivera is working to advance Native interests as tribal communities emerge from the pandemic.

The Line opinion panel looks at population news from the Census Bureau and the Legislative Finance Committee. Recent reports show the state lags its neighbors in population growth, with key parts of the population leaving New Mexico during their prime years.

The Line also discusses a report from Searchlight New Mexico that revealed the state Department of Children, Youth and Families has been using an encryption app to communicate about cases and departmental strategy. The app deletes communications and shields work from the public eye. Now, the state attorney general says he’s asked his lawyers to look into the practice.

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Advising Biden