Nevada governor slams Biden for locking up mineral-rich land in new monuments

Misty Severi

March 21, 08:49 PM March 21, 08:49 PM

Gov. Joe Lombardo (R-NV) blasted President Joe Biden on Tuesday for locking up 500,000 acres of mineral-rich land in Nevada and Texas. He said the move would be tough on Nevadans for generations.

Lombardo said the White House did not respond to any of his concerns before the announcement of the 506,000-acre Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in southern Nevada. Lombardo said his office reached out.

BIDEN TO LIMIT DEVELOPMENT ON 500,000 ACRES IN TEXAS AND NEVADA WITH NEW MONUMENTS

"Since I took office, the Biden White House has not consulted with my administration about any of the details of the proposed Avi Kwa Ame national monument which, given the size of the proposal, seems badly out of step," Lombardo told WHD News in a statement.

"Upon learning that the President was considering unilateral action, I reached out to the White House to raise several concerns, citing the potential for terminal disruption of rare earth mineral mining projects and long-planned, bipartisan economic development efforts. While I’m still waiting for a response, I’m not surprised," he added.

Biden announced the creation of the Avi Kwa Ame and Castner Range national monuments in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday. The projects will severely limit development in the areas, including limits to drilling, mining, and possibly the construction of renewable energy facilities. Nevada contains many lithium deposits, a key mineral for green energy technologies.

"This kind of ‘Washington Knows Best’ policy might win plaudits from unaccountable special interests, but it’s going to cost our state jobs and economic opportunity — all while making land more expensive and more difficult to develop for affordable housing and critical infrastructure projects," Lombardo said. "The federal confiscation of 506,814 acres of Nevada land is a historic mistake that will cost Nevadans for generations to come."

The Avi Kwa Ame designation honors tribal nations that consider the area sacred, the White House said. Avi Kwa Ame is home to one of the world’s largest Joshua tree forests and is part of Biden's goal of conserving at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.

In a separate action on Tuesday, Biden directed Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to consider initiating a new national marine sanctuary designation to protect all U.S. waters around the Pacific Remote Islands.

DeSantis to barnstorm early primary states amid 2024 chatter

Ryan King

February 28, 03:45 PM February 28, 03:45 PM

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) will reportedly traverse at least three early presidential primary states over the coming weeks, touting his record as 2024 chatter looms.

His travel itinerary will feature a trip to Iowa in March, with stops in Davenport and Des Moines, followed by a visit to Nevada and then Manchester, New Hampshire, while his team also mulls a possible trip to South Carolina as well, the New York Times reported.

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Top of the agenda for DeSantis will likely be his new book, The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival, which hit bookshelves Tuesday, but privately the venture is considered a test of the political waters as the governor eyes an entrance into the 2024 Republican primary field.

Candidates typically venture into battleground states in the run-up to a campaign launch. Over recent weeks, a cadre of prospective candidates such as former Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) have crisscrossed battleground states such as New Hampshire, Iowa, and South Carolina as they mull a run.

One distinction from other Republicans such as Pence, who have released a book and then embarked on book tours, is that DeSantis plans to hold speaking engagements to outline his so-called blueprint for the nation discussed in his book.

Florida has strict rules that oversee what can be accepted as a gift, which may hinder DeSantis's ability to embark on a traditional book tour, per the report.

DeSantis will skip the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., this week and avoid a split-screen with former President Donald Trump at the grassroots conservative venue.

However, he is expected to attend the Club for Growth’s private donor retreat in Palm Beach over the weekend and make an appearance at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library as well.

Last weekend, DeSantis huddled with conservative influencers and donors at the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, not far from Mar-a-Lago.

DeSantis has routinely polled as the top GOP challenger to Trump and has said he will unveil his 2024 intentions after the next Florida legislative session, which starts next month. He is currently in second place after Trump in a hypothetical GOP primary, per the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate.

The 12 states that could decide control of the Senate

Ryan King

November 07, 06:30 AM November 07, 06:30 AM

While forecasters are generally bullish that the GOP will capture the House on Election Day, the battle for the evenly divided Senate is widely considered a toss-up.

Given the 50-50 split, a single seat could tip the scales of power in the upper chamber, prompting both parties to pour enormous sums of money in hopes of swinging battleground races their way.

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A slew of factors, such as historical trends favoring the opposition party, late-breaking scandals, bleak economic news, concerns over candidate quality, and more, have given both sides heartburn as they brace for Nov. 8.

The Cook Political Report currently ranks four Senate contests as a toss-up: Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. Of those seats, Republicans are defending one, while Democrats are running incumbents in three.

Beyond these four, there are competitive races in several states in which polling favors one candidate, but the result could go either way.

Here is a look at 12 Senate races to watch on Election Day.

Georgia

Widely seen as a pickup opportunity for Republicans, given Georgia's history as a ruby-red state, the showdown between Republican Herschel Walker and incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) is a nail-biter.

A seasoned orator from the famed Ebenezer Baptist Church, Warnock first won the seat during a special election runoff that took place after the 2020 election. His victory was pivotal to Democrats clinching control of the Senate. Polling has oscillated between him and Walker, who has been dogged by a flurry of recent scandals.

Most recently, Walker has reckoned with reports that he encouraged two ex-girlfriends to have abortions — allegations he vehemently denies. The accusations fly in the face of his staunch anti-abortion platform.

In the Peach State, Senate candidates must garner a majority in order to win outright. Candidates shy of the 50% mark must compete in a runoff election, meaning the Warnock-Walker showdown might not be over on election night, given that both are currently polling below that threshold.

Pennsylvania

The two parties have been engaged in a fierce Senate battle ever since incumbent Pat Toomey (R-PA) announced his retirement in 2020. Led by a Democratic governor and a Republican state legislature, Pennsylvania is a true battleground state, having voted Republican for the 2016 presidential election and Democratic for the 2020 presidential election.

For months, the Keystone State appeared poised to flip to the Democrats, whose nominee, John Fetterman, held a commanding lead over Republican Mehmet Oz. The GOP hopeful had been battered by a contentious GOP primary and then immediately entered the general election weathering an onslaught of attacks from the Fetterman campaign, which painted him as a rich, out-of-touch carpetbagger.

But things took a turn in recent weeks as concerns over Fetterman's health rose to the fore. The lieutenant governor suffered a stroke just days before his primary and has been left with lingering speech and auditory impairments that were on full display during his debate with Oz last month.

Fetterman has argued that he was being upfront with voters about his verbal hurdles, despite declining to release his medical records, and insisted that he expects to get better with time.

Oz recently captured a slim lead in the RealClearPolitics polling average for the first time.

Nevada

Although Democrats managed to win both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections in the Battle Born State and currently enjoy control over the governor's office as well as the state legislature, Republicans have performed strongly in a spate of recent polling.

That includes a slim GOP lead in the state's Senate race between incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and her Republican rival, Adam Laxalt. Throughout the race, Laxalt and Cortez Masto traded barbs on inflation and the 2020 election, which Laxalt has suggested was "rigged."

Laxalt is a political scion whose father and grandfather were prominent in Nevada politics; he served as the state's attorney general from 2015 to 2019. Cortez Masto succeeded the late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and has served one term in the upper chamber as the only Latina senator. She initially held a small lead over Laxalt in polling, but that began to shift in September.

Latinos are an important voter bloc in Nevada, and Republicans have been keen on making inroads with them this election cycle.

Arizona

Once seen as a reliably red state, Arizona has become purple in recent cycles, electing two Democratic senators and President Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Republicans entered 2022 seeking to retake lost ground in the Grand Canyon State.

Initially, incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) held a commanding lead over Blake Masters, but the Republican foe has narrowed the gap in recent weeks, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.

Masters has projected a conservative populist persona, casting himself as a champion for working-class voters disaffected by inflation and an immigration crisis at the border. Kelly has distanced himself from President Joe Biden on issues such as immigration and sought to put Masters on defense over abortion and his ties to former President Donald Trump.

Last week, Libertarian hopeful Marc Victor dropped out of the race and backed Masters, though it is unclear how big of an impact that will have on the outcome.

Wisconsin

Incumbent Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson (R) narrowly won his previous elections in 2010 and 2016 and was widely considered one of the most vulnerable incumbent Republican senators heading into the 2022 cycle.

Initially, Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes pulled ahead of him in polling, but that began to shift in late September, coinciding with an apparent rebound for Republicans across the country. Barnes enjoyed late-in-the-game Democratic firepower, with former President Barack Obama stumping for him.

The campaign has mirrored many other showdowns between Republicans and Democrats, featuring attacks between the duo on inflation, crime, abortion, energy prices, and other issues that are top of mind for voters.

In 2020, Biden narrowly won Wisconsin by less than half a point, while Trump had won by less than 1 point in 2016, making the Badger State a true battleground.

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New Hampshire

Maggie Hassan (D-NH) is among the most vulnerable incumbent Senate Democrats in the country. Seeking to mount a strong challenge, national Republicans courted popular Gov. Chris Sununu for the New Hampshire race but were dealt a blow when he opted to run for reelection as governor instead.

After Republican Don Bolduc nabbed the Republican nomination, Hassan opened up a sizable lead in polling that has begun to wither dramatically in recent weeks. Bolduc has wavered on whether he believes the 2020 election was stolen, changing his answer to that question multiple times, which has provided fodder for Hassan.

New Hampshire swung blue this last election cycle, opting for a Democrat in both the presidential election and congressional contests.

Yet New Hampshire has the reputation of being a perennial swing state, and Republicans currently have control of the state legislature and governor's mansion.

Ohio

While many forecasters believe the Buckeye State leans Republican, Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) voices confidence that he can eke out an upset in the race to fill outgoing GOP Sen. Rob Portman's seat. His Republican foe, author and venture capitalist J.D. Vance, has run as a MAGA-style populist and consistently leads Ryan in polling.

Ryan has anguished over the lack of support he received from national Democrats, insisting his race is winnable. He also highlights instances in which he's bucked the party, including on matters such as student loan forgiveness and Title 42. His pitch to voters is that he would be an independent voice in the Senate.

Once a critical swing state, with its Rust Belt working-class voters, Ohio has seemingly taken a right turn, voting for Trump as well as a Republican governor and state legislature. If Ryan manages to pull off a victory in a red wave year, it would be a considerable blow to the GOP, as it needs to defend all of its currently held seats.

North Carolina

Democratic-aligned groups have pumped a sizable amount of money into the North Carolina Senate race late in the game after seemingly holding back as Democrat Cheri Beasley challenges Republican Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) for the open seat.

Obama recently cut an ad for Beasley in the hope of boosting her prospects in a fairly tight race. Meanwhile, Budd has enjoyed the support of Trump, who was rankled by outgoing Sen. Richard Burr's (R) vote to convict him during his second impeachment trial.

Budd has the lead in polling, and the seat is rated "leans Republican" by the Cook Political Report.

Washington

Although below the political radars of many, Democrats have reportedly been scrambling behind the scenes to bolster incumbent Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) in her race against Republican Tiffany Smiley in Washington state. Murray leads Smiley in polling, but her advantage is dramatically smaller than the roughly 19-point margin Biden enjoyed in 2020.

Smiley is a political newcomer who has hammered Murray and Democrats more broadly on economic issues. She has also nearly closed a 9-point gap with Murray, indicating that political headwinds for Democrats could be on her side in the traditionally blue stronghold.

Florida

Once widely seen as a critical swing state, Florida has trended red recently. Incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has opened a commanding lead over Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) in polling, but the contest is still worth keeping an eye on. Demings has outraised Rubio and mounted a scrappy campaign against him.

Many voters in the state were recently pummeled by Hurricane Ian, whose aftermath became a major issue in the race in the weeks that followed.

Colorado

Of all the Republican senators vying for Senate this cycle, only one seems to have rankled Trump: Colorado's Joe O'Dea, who overcame a Democratic spoiler campaign for the GOP nomination. O'Dea has publicly rebuked Trump, prompting the former president to proclaim, "MAGA doesn't vote for stupid people with big mouths."

Colorado has leaned Democratic in recent cycles, but O'Dea has run a surprisingly strong campaign against incumbent Sen. and former presidential candidate Michael Bennet (D-CO). Prominent Republicans such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President George W. Bush have backed O'Dea in the contest.

Utah

In one of the most unconventional political moves, Utah Democrats opted not to run a candidate from their party against incumbent Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), figuring independent contender Evan McMullin stood a better chance against him in the Republican stronghold of Utah than any of their potential candidates.

Recent polling has shown Lee with a sizable lead over McMullin, who has bashed him for his actions surrounding the 2020 election, but the race garnered national attention after multiple polls suggested a relatively tight race.

If McMullin were to win, he says he wouldn't caucus with either party. Still, a hypothetical victory would cost the GOP a seat and make the Senate math more favorable for Democrats.

SEE IT: Hoover Dam transformer bursts into flames

Victor I. Nava

July 20, 03:55 AM July 20, 03:58 AM

A transformer caught hearth at the foundation of Hoover Dam on Tuesday, but the incident did not disrupt electric power staying produced at the facility and no one particular was hurt.

The fire and apparent explosion at the base of the 726-foot-substantial hydroelectric electric power making facility was caught on video clip by tourists who shared footage on the blaze on social media. The hearth was extinguished close to 30 minutes right after the blast and posed no chance to the power grid, according to officials.

"At about 10 a.m. (PDT) the A5 transformer at Hoover Dam caught hearth and was extinguished by the Reclamation/Hoover fireplace brigade at roughly 10:30 a.m.," Jacklynn Gould, regional director for the Bureau of Reclamation, reported in a assertion.

"There are no injuries to visitors or staff. There is no risk to the electric power grid and electricity is even now becoming generated from the powerhouse. We are investigating the bring about of the hearth and will provide supplemental updates as they are available," Gould's statement concluded.

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Online video footage of the incident clearly show a fire and black billowing smoke rising from just one of the dam's transformers in the vicinity of exactly where the Colorado River flows into the dam.

Visitors browsing the facility found on the Arizona and Colorado border mentioned they heard an alarm seem and felt the floor rumble beneath them, according to the .

“A ton of black smoke just exploded in the air. It seemed practically like a mushroom and then a fire adopted,” William Herro, 13, of San Francisco, instructed the .

Hoover Dam commenced operating in 1935. The facility is regarded as a National Historic Landmark, and it supplies energy to 8 million persons in Arizona, Nevada, and Southern California. The enormous dam is operated and preserved by the Bureau of Reclamation.

Joe Lombardo wins Republican nomination to obstacle Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak

Kate Scanlon

June 15, 03:22 AM June 15, 03:22 AM

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo gained Nevada’s Republican principal for governor Tuesday and will go on to challenge Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak in the basic election.

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Polling confirmed Lombardo so much forward of his key rivals, a crowded Republican area such as Reno attorney Joey Gilbert, previous Sen. Dean Heller, and North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, that Lombardo mentioned in a discussion late previous thirty day period that, “for all sensible purposes, this main is over” and urged the celebration to coalesce around him to defeat Sisolak.

Previous President Donald Trump endorsed Lombardo, saying in an April assertion that he would “fiercely safeguard our underneath-siege Second Amendment, oppose sanctuary metropolitan areas, support our law enforcement, veto any liberal tax enhance, guard life, and protected our elections.”

But the Nevada GOP bucked both of those Trump and polls of its possess voters to endorse Gilbert, who was reportedly the only applicant in the discipline to just take section in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., with video clip demonstrating him on Capitol grounds.

The nonpartisan election investigation group Cook dinner Political Report ranked Nevada’s typical election gubernatorial race as a toss-up, earning the seat a possible pickup possibility for Republicans.

Judge throws out rape lawsuit in opposition to Cristiano Ronaldo

Jenny Goldsberry

June 11, 01:58 PM June 11, 01:58 PM

A U.S. District Court decide in Nevada dismissed the rape lawsuit versus soccer participant Cristiano Ronaldo on Saturday.

Judge Jennifer Dorsey threw out former model Kathryn Mayorga's case simply because her attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, was performing in "negative religion." The full circumstance was dismissed, somewhat than Stovall currently being disqualified, for the reason that "only disqualifying Stovall will not get rid of the prejudice to Ronaldo," Dorsey explained.

"This situation has devolved into a clash over the plaintiff’s procurement and use of the defendant’s cyberhacked legal professional-customer privileged paperwork to revive extensive-considering that-launched statements ... although I figure out the gravity of this sanction and impose it reluctantly and only soon after comprehensively assessing the universe of sanctions jurisprudence and thoroughly weighing all factors, I grant the motion and dismiss this scenario with prejudice," Dorsey wrote in her 42-web page order.

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Mayorga accused Ronaldo of forcing himself on her in a Las Vegas resort in 2009. Ronaldo acknowledged they experienced sexual intercourse but mentioned their experience was consensual.

Mayorga stated she was pressured to indicator a nondisclosure settlement and agreed to acknowledge $375,000 not to pursue prison prices. The Saturday dismissal was portion of a civil action she brought in 2019.

In 2018, Mayorga's lawyers requested that police reopen the rape investigation. A 12 months later on, Clark County District Legal professional Steve Wolfson concluded there was not plenty of proof "over and above a acceptable question" that her promises had been respectable and opted not to cost the soccer player.

'Abuse of power': Ousted Nevada county formal alleges Democratic retribution

Ryan King

June 08, 07:23 PM June 08, 07:23 PM

Jenna Waltho was agitated more than how area commissioners in a populous section of Nevada would steamroll decrease advisory boards on vital improvement selections when she declared her candidacy for one particular of the seats. Now, she is alleging very similar knavery directed her way for daring to challenge her aged boss’s colleague in an election.

Democratic Clark County District A Commissioner Michael Naft appointed Waltho as his scheduling commissioner last year but successfully moved to oust her from the put up previous thirty day period immediately after she informed him in September about her intent to run from his Democratic colleague, District F Commissioner Justin Jones.

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“They preferred to make it tough for me and sluggish down my marketing campaign,” she advised the Washington Examiner. “But that is just not the case. It really is not slowing me down. It is not preserving me peaceful. If something, it is the opposite. And I am continue to a voice for the neighbors and [I still] go to town board conferences to be there to assistance them.”

Clark County, household to Las Vegas and additional than 2 million people today, is the greatest county in Nevada in conditions of populace. The county has a complete of seven commissioners that oversee county govt operations. Waltho lives in District F but had been appointed by Naft, who signifies District A.

Naft asserted he moved to boot Waltho from her purpose simply because she has injected politics into the post. Waltho had been registered as an unbiased when he appointed her scheduling commissioner but became a Republican soon prior to she announced her candidacy final September. All seven of the county’s commissioners are Democrats.

“From my check out, I assume she has tried out to use that role politically, and that’s actually the place that experienced to conclusion for me,” Naft claimed, in accordance to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Waltho’s expression as arranging commissioner, which would make recommendations on land use zoning procedures, experienced been slated to final right up until January 2025. She was replaced by Liane Lee. Waltho explained she is unaware of Lee having any prior land use or zoning knowledge. The Washington Examiner attained out to the Clark County Preparing Division for comment.

Waltho mentioned she experienced to begin with been chosen for the arranging commissioner purpose since of her time on the Enterprise Town Advisory Board.

In March, the Clark County Fee greenlit an ordinance to make clear that organizing commissioners serve at the satisfaction of the county's commissioners, paving the way for her ouster. Prior rules expected a community listening to and a majority vote from the board of commissioners to clear away a setting up commissioner.

“It appears really common perception that if you employ anyone, you really should be able to fireplace any person,” Naft mentioned in April, according to the Las Vegas Evaluate-Journal.

Waltho mentioned she was never individually given a explanation for her ouster.

“We've viewed some things, but to me personally, he claimed that ‘this may be no surprise to you, but I'm relocating in a various course with my scheduling commissioner,’ and that was all that was claimed to me,” she recalled.

“I've by no means skipped a meeting or a briefing, which is quite vital because, you know, there was no purpose to have me eliminated — it was only completed as a political shift,” she additional.

In purchase to confront off from Jones in the slide, Waltho will have to 1st defeat three big main challengers to lock down the Republican nod on June 14.

“There's no other individual sitting down on that board that's a Republican. There is no checks and balances of electrical power. Then, it potential customers to abuse of energy, which we have noticed in this article with me finding taken out, but there was no person else to appoint me to the scheduling commission,” she explained.

Waltho cited several good reasons for her choice to run versus Jones. She thinks he has not accomplished a fantastic task guaranteeing that area infrastructure keeps up with new development jobs and has failed on public basic safety problems.

“There's a great deal of concerns with advancement happening much too fast in our infrastructure not happening, and then our transportation solutions are not going on as very well to preserve up with that,” she said. “We absolutely have to be a supporter of Metro. We have to get in there and aid them make their task less difficult. They need to have to sense the support from their elected officers.”

The Washington Examiner regularly reached out to Naft and Jones for comment.

Jones was formerly engulfed in controversy for allegedly orchestrating a “quid pro quo” with Gov. Steve Sisolak (D), who was Naft’s predecessor as District A commissioner. Jones was accused by a enhancement firm of giving to fall a lawsuit versus the county from his client, the environmental group Preserve Pink Rock, in 2018 in exchange for Sisolak agreeing to hold off a vote on a enhancement project, for every the Las Vegas Overview-Journal. Sisolak was serving as a county commissioner, while Jones was not a commissioner at the time. The vote was subsequently delayed, and litigation is pending over the make a difference.