Politics + Government
Abortion has Republicans navigating political landmines in search of cover
Nevada’s top Republican candidates, some endorsed by national anti-abortion rights forces, are eschewing a chance to potentially slash the 24-week limit on terminating pregnancies in Nevada by nine weeks, a position that could confound pro-abortion rights voters energized by the repeal of Roe v. Wade and the prospect of a Republican-controlled Congress. “I think it […]
House Republicans outline agenda in bid for control in the midterms
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans gathered inside a warehouse in Southwestern Pennsylvania on Friday to outline the legislation they’d try to enact if voters give them back control of that chamber following the November midterm elections. Speaking from an HVAC factory in Monongahela, about an hour south of Pittsburgh, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said […]
Breaking systems, harming families
Last month, I read with awe the incredible Caitlin Dickerson story in The Atlantic. The piece delved into what really happened with Trump’s family separation border policy in 2018. The piece is long and sprawling and presents a lot of details about ICE and the Dept. of Justice, leaders of Homeland Security, folks in the […]
Tribal law enforcement boosted under bill proposed by members of Congress from the West
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers re-introduced legislation Thursday to provide more resources for tribal law enforcement, an issue they say has become more urgent as Congress begins to consider how to respond to a July Supreme Court case that complicated state-tribal criminal jurisdiction. The bill, introduced in the House by U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego […]
Groups shift to registering, turning out young voters through issues like climate crisis
While polls show economic issues and particularly inflation are top of mind for likely voters, some groups are hopeful that political messaging focused on climate issues will help drive first-time voters — especially young ones – to the polls. On Tuesday, as part of National Voter Registration Day, the Nevada Conservation League and Chispa held […]
Senators want stricter rules to protect privacy of patients seeking abortion services
The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling overturning the nearly 50-year precedent of Roe v. Wade and South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham’s introduction of a federal abortion ban bill both ushered in new legal concerns about the long-sensitive subject of health data privacy. While the federal government clarified that Health Insurance Portability and […]
Conspiracy theories are dangerous even if very few people believe them
There is an open question among pundits and researchers: Do more Americans believe in conspiracy theories now than ever before? But as a scholar of conspiracy theories and their believers, I am concerned that focusing on how many Americans believe conspiracy theories can distract from their dangers. Even if most people dismiss conspiracy theories or […]
PR work for ‘Big Oil’ helped stymie climate action, U.S. House Democrats say
WASHINGTON – Public relations firms aligned with oil and gas companies have tested the limits of their industry ethics and caused major slowdowns to federal climate change policy, Democrats on a U.S. House panel said at a hearing last week. The firms’ conduct went beyond the bounds of ethical public relations work, Democrats on the […]
U.S. Senate delays same-sex marriage vote until after midterm elections
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate won’t vote on legislation to secure marriage equality for millions of Americans until after the midterm elections, bipartisan negotiators announced Thursday. The move follows weeks of behind-the-scenes discussions among five U.S. senators from both political parties who have been drafting an amendment to the House-passed legislation that they hoped would […]
Retailers endorse Lombardo, skip U.S. Senate race for now
A Nevada retail industry association is casting its lot with Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, a Republican, over Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak in the state’s gubernatorial race, and is taking a pass in the race for U.S. Senate and three of four House races. “Governor Sisolak was given an impossible task of navigating the pandemic, […]
Democracy: Use it or lose it
Republicans, as they continue to call themselves, have good reasons to be against democracy. Their nominee lost the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections. And yet on two of those five occasions, their candidate ended up in the White House anyway. And the framers of the U.S. Constitution, in an unsavory […]
Nevada Republican House candidates pan Graham’s abortion ban bill; Laxalt mum
Two Nevada candidates for Congress Tuesday said they opposed a federal abortion ban bill proposed by South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. A third Republican in a competitive House seat did not respond to requests for comment, and nor did Republican Senate candidate Adam Laxalt. “If we take back the House and the Senate, I […]