Politics + Government
2019 selections & reflections from the Nevada Current’s staff
Note: 2019 was the Current’s first full year of publication. To look back on the year, each member of the Nevada Current staff picked a few stories (or commentaries in my case) they wanted to highlight. Maybe it was a story that had the most impact, or one they worked on most, or something that didn’t […]
Nevada ACA enrollment drops amid ‘political headwinds’
Enrollment in Nevada’s new state-run health care exchange dropped by just over 6,000 for 2020, news that comes amid a hectic few weeks for the health care discussion nationally. “It’s likely it had to do with the same reasons as in years past — uncertainty,” said Heather Korbulic, executive director of the Silver State Health […]
Trump has appointed judges at a breakneck speed. More are coming.
WASHINGTON — The GOP-controlled U.S. Senate heads into 2020 with few major legislative victories but a significant one on the judicial front: a dramatic reshaping of the federal bench. Over the past three years, the Senate has confirmed 185 of President Trump’s judicial nominees, more than any of the last five presidents at the same […]
AOC, Cruz make all-Spanish case for Sanders
This weekend, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders presidential campaign held several events in Nevada including an all-Spanish language town hall featuring one of the most high-profile Latinas in Congress, New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The town hall was held entirely in Spanish, but the meaning of the event was clear in any language: Sanders wants […]
The folly of oil & gas leasing in Nevada
The Silver State is made up of thousands of acres of beautiful landscapes. From sandy deserts, forested mountain slopes, snow covered mountains, grassy valleys, Nevada has a lot to offer in terms of natural beauty and outdoor recreation. Until now, I haven’t had much of an opportunity to explore the landscapes beyond my hometown of […]
Biden immigration plan modest for 2020, but more ‘evolved’ than Obama’s
If former Vice President Joe Biden represents the moderate lane of the Democratic Party, then immigration policy has come a long way. “Joe Biden understands the pain felt by every family across the U.S. that has had a loved one removed from the country, including under the Obama-Biden Administration, and he believes we must do […]
House Dems decry Trump’s food stamp cuts: ‘Ebenezer Scrooge would be proud’
WASHINGTON — The morning after they voted to impeach President Donald Trump, a group of U.S. House Democrats gathered outside of the Agriculture Department’s headquarters to berate the administration for a policy that’s expected to knock about 700,000 people off food stamp benefits nationwide. As about a dozen House lawmakers huddled against the cold, Rep. […]
Nevada delegation on NAFTA rethink: Happy happy joy joy
A day after voting to impeach the president, the U.S. House came together to overwhelmingly pass the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The measure easily passed the House Thursday, 385 to 41, with bipartisan support, including every member of the House from Nevada. If ratified by the Senate, the deal would replace the North American Free […]
Tagalog trainings pop up ahead of Nevada’s caucus
Ano ba ang Demokratikong Pagpupulong ng Partido ng Nevada? In Tagalog, it translates to “What is the Nevada Democratic Caucus?” More campaign materials and presidential candidates are expected to cater to the rising Asian American Pacific Island community, especially Nevada’s growing Filipino population. On Feb 22 when Nevada becomes the third state to vote in […]
Lee not rattled by political risk of impeachment vote
WASHINGTON — Nevada Rep. Susie Lee cast perhaps the riskiest vote yet of her budding political career Wednesday when she backed an effort to impeach the president, who narrowly won her district in 2016. She joined the state’s other Democrats in the U.S. House — Reps. Steven Horsford and Dina Titus — in voting for […]
Charter school approval comes with warning: Be inclusive (or else)
A legislative directive aimed at increasing diversity within Nevada’s expanding charter school population now has one of its first guinea pigs. The Nevada State Public Charter School Authority board on Tuesday conditionally approved the creation of Pinecrest of Northern Nevada with the explicit expectation that its student body immediately reflect the socioeconomic diversity of Washoe […]
Panel seeks to suspend judges for cussing, clothing and coveting clerks
A two-day hearing to determine whether the actions of Las Vegas Justices of the Peace Amy Chelini and Melanie Tobiasson warrant suspension without pay turned into an indictment of the Judicial Discipline Commission, the panel passing judgment on the women. Chelini and Tobiasson are alleged to have engaged in “a pattern of abusive, intimidating, condescending […]