Voices of Enchantment

Would you ever call New Mexico “New America”? We weigh in on the renaming idea, the controversy over rogue AI agents, and unanswered questions surrounding the Capitan Mountains plane crash.

Recorded at the AKC hangar, Shane Barnwell and Senator Bill Soules also discuss flooding in southern New Mexico, Elephant Butte, Trump’s video about Gabe Vasquez, and the governor’s debate disagreement.

Then we wrap up with our Triple Crown: Top 3 Movies. Which movies make your list?

Leave your picks in the comments.

In this episode, we cover a packed week in New Mexico: speed cameras in Santa Fe getting shot on their first day and still writing citations, the decades-long APD DWI corruption scandal, and a deadly Albuquerque fight over how spicy a pot of enchiladas was. We talk about New Mexico's drought pushing bears into neighborhoods and wolves into conflict with ranchers, and why the state's "Wild West" reputation may be keeping celebrities away.

On politics, we break down the 2026 governor's, Senate, and Attorney General's races, the high-stakes fight for southern New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District between Gabe Vasquez and Greg Cunningham, and House Speaker Mike Johnson's visit to Albuquerque to campaign against Vasquez. We also cover a big update on Project Jupiter after the New Mexico Supreme Court blocked the data center's air quality permit from moving forward.

We close out the episode by crowning our Triple Crown of Inventions, the three greatest inventions of all time, and one of Senator Soules' picks might just surprise you.

Senator Bill Soules joins Voices of Enchantment to talk about his new book, "1000 Feet High: Ancient Trails to Modern Tales of Southwest New Mexico," including some of his personal favorite trails across the region.

We also dig into New Mexico's education system and where state funding is actually going, plus other news and politics shaping the state right now.

Watch for more conversations on New Mexico politics, policy, and the stories behind them.

#NewMexico #VoicesOfEnchantment #NewMexicoPolitics #NewMexicoEducation

Two months' worth of New Mexico news, all in one sitting. Shane Barnwell and Senator Bill Soules catch up on the 2026 legislative session, the state's budget crunch, the drought and early wildfire season, and the wide-open governor's race — before landing on the real story: Doña Ana County government in freefall, with the county manager fired, a scathing state audit, and the undersheriff turning on his own county attorney.

Also this episode: the Kimberly Skaggs case and the Flock camera debate it reignited, the debut of our new segment "The Triple Crown of New Mexico Meals," and a closing look at Project Jupiter — why four state senators went public, the community backlash, and the August 11 listening session at Corbett Center. Plus, what a World Cup red card, a golfer's phone call to the president, and an NCAA court ruling all have in common.

In the first episode of Voices of Enchantment, Shane Barnwell and Senator Bill Soules introduce themselves and the purpose behind the podcast: having real conversations about New Mexico, the people who call it home, and the issues shaping our state. This episode covers a little bit of everything, from what is happening in New Mexico to life outside the legislative session, community stories, and random conversations along the way. Senator Soules also discusses his book The Sausage Factory and his new book, 1000 Feet High: Ancient Trails to Modern Tales of Southwest New Mexico.