Amber Phillips

Story Archive

Obama meets with Las Vegas woman to talk immigration: Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015; It’s not every day the president of the United States asks about your deadline for law school, then tells you you’ll be a great lawyer. That’s what happened to 25-year-old Las Vegas resident Blanca Gamez, who ...
Titus helps launch bill to allow VA patients, doctors to discuss marijuana: Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015; Rep. Dina Titus joined eight of her House colleagues to introduce a bill that would overturn the Veteran Affairs' prohibition on ...
GOP’s Dean Heller joins Democrats on Senate immigration vote: Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015; Republican Sen. Dean Heller helped Democrats block a bill today that would have funded the Department of Homeland Security while rolling back President Barack Obama’s ...
Why AG Laxalt’s immigration lawsuit has made political waves: Friday, Jan. 30, 2015; Attorney General Adam Laxalt made political waves this week when he brought Nevada into a multistate lawsuit challenging an order sparing millions from ...
Sen. Dean Heller says Mormon church has always preached equal rights: Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015; Republican Sen. Dean Heller said the Mormon church’s recent call for anti-discrimination laws protecting gays, lesbians bisexuals and transgenders shouldn’t be a surprise. Heller, a member of ...
Gaming lobby entering debate on Obama’s pick for attorney general: Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015; Seeking a federal crackdown on illegal gambling, the gaming industry’s leading Capitol Hill lobby is wading into the debate over President Obama’s pick to be ...
How GOP control in D.C. affects us in Nevada: Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015; The big fights in Congress are about the Keystone XL pipeline and military action. But Republican gains in Washington also could swing policy on issues closer to home.
Washington memo: Reid says injuries won’t derail his plans: Friday, Jan. 23, 2015; in his first news conference since suffering broken bones a concussion when an exercise band snapped at his home in Henderson, Sen. Harry Reid told reporters that ...
Harry Reid talks surgery, Keystone pipeline and deflated footballs: Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015; Wearing an eye patch, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid pointed to his brow bone and explained how doctors will reconstruct the bones around his right eye in an effort to ...
Reid to undergo surgery to restore vision in injured eye: Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015; U.S. Sen. Harry Reid will undergo surgery Monday to help restore full vision in his right eye, which he injured earlier this month while exercising, according to his office. Reid found out after ...
Nevada delegation’s response: 2 thumbs up, 2 thumbs down and a couple of shrugs: Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015; President Barack Obama laid out an ambitious vision for the country for his last two years in office, and Nevada's lawmakers were split down party lines about whether that's a good thing ...
What Obama said in his State of the Union address that affects Nevadans: Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015; President Barack Obama proposed a bevy of ideas in his second-to-last State of the Union address on Tuesday, some of which don't require the approval of the Republican-dominated Congress. Here's what Obama proposed that could immediately affect Nevadans ...
Sen. Harry Reid returns to Capitol after exercise injury: Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015; Sen. Harry Reid returned to work today on Capitol Hill, 20 days after an exercise injury in which he broke bones and at least temporarily lost vision in his right eye. The Nevada Democrat and Senate minority leader ...
What if Nevada’s members of Congress wrote the State of the Union?: Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015; Nevada's six congressional lawmakers will be listening closely to what the president says in his second-to-last State of the Union address — and they'll be sure to give their opinions afterward. But what if Nevada's representatives in Congress had a chance to ...
Four steps to being granted federal money: Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015; Without earmarks for legislators to bring home the bacon, the process for getting funding is longer, more complex ...
Washington memo: Immigration, sage grouse get attention of Nevada delegation on Capitol Hill: Friday, Jan. 16, 2015; Congress' second week of the year had a slightly more contentious tone than its first. Here's a recap on what happened with Sen. Reid's exercise accident, Sen. Heller's flurry of bills, and Rep. Dina Titus, a Democrat, standing alone among ...
Nevada Republicans straddle the line on Obama’s immigration action: Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015; Nevada’s three House Republicans bucked most of their party today and voted to keep the president’s 2012 immigration action in place, then voted to stop Obama from ...
What does terrorism insurance program mean for Las Vegas? Quite a lot: Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015; In its first week back, there was one thing virtually all of Congress could agree on: Las Vegas casinos and other large commercial businesses should be protected financially from a major terrorist attack. A bill to restart a federal program helping to do just that passed the new Republican Congress last week and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on Tuesday. The legislation renews a 2002 federal program that ...
Saving the sage grouse: As the West burns from wildfires and people encroach on undeveloped land, the sage grouse’s habitat is shrinking rapidly; Monday, Jan. 12, 2015; The federal government has given Nevada and other western states an ultimatum: Come up come up with a plan to protect the sage grouse or the federal government will list the bird as an endangered species.
Welcome to Washington, Cresent Hardy: Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015; For a new Congressman, there is plenty to do in the first few weeks on the job. There are two offices in two states to set up, a staff to hire, ethics rules to learn and underground tunnels to find ...
Reid says he has temporarily lost vision in right eye: Friday, Jan. 9, 2015; U.S. Sen. Harry Reid has temporarily lost vision in his right eye and is under doctor’s orders to stay home after a New Year’s Day exercise accident in which he broke several ribs and bones in his face. In an interview ...
Washington memo: Cresent Hardy gets feet wet, while Harry Reid rests his eye: Friday, Jan. 9, 2015; The first week of Congress is a little bit like the first week of school: Nervous excitement, getting lost in the hallways and a pause before the real work begins ...
Sen. Harry Reid working from home after accident: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015; Sen. Harry Reid will miss the first day of the 114th Congress after breaking several ribs and bones in his face and suffering a concussion in a fall while exercising over the holidays. He’ll work from his home in Washington, D.C., according to a statement his staff sent 30 minutes before the new Congress was ...
What’s ahead on the Hill: A look at issues Congress will tackle this year: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015; As a new Congress convenes today, Sen. Harry Reid finds himself in the Senate minority for the first time in eight years. His actions over the next few weeks could set the tone for the next ...
Sen. Harry Reid out of hospital after exercise accident at home: Friday, Jan. 2, 2015; Sen. Harry Reid was released from a Las Vegas hospital today after he broke "a number of ribs and bones in his face," according to statements from his office. The Nevada Democrat ...
Eight years later: Harry Reid’s highs and lows as Senate majority leader: Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2014; To understand the pinnacle of Sen. Harry Reid's career, let's go back nine years, to Election Day 2006. Senate Democrats were on the verge of taking control of the Senate for the first time since 2001. Reid, their leader, watched election results anxiously with close aides and fellow senators from a suite in the Capitol Hill Hyatt. When one of their most endangered candidates, Claire McCaskill, won a hard-fought race in Missouri, Reid jumped ...
What’s under the tree in Washington for Nevada’s delegation?: Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014; What’s on your Christmas list? For Nevada’s members of Congress, it’s fair to say their wish lists extend beyond the new Taylor Swift album or an iPhone 6. It has been a rough year in Washington, especially for ...
Congressional session is finally over: So what was in it for Nevada?: Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014; Tax breaks and lands bills got the OK and Yucca Mountain got another stiff-arm during the lame-duck session of Congress, but Nevada lawmakers didn't get everything ...
Nevada politicians, advocate react to shift in Cuba policy: Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014; Nevada’s reaction to President Obama’s announcement on re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba has been mixed. Some expressed concern over Obama’s efforts to weaken the country’s embargo against Cuba, while others ...
Heller says Ted Cruz shows ‘disrespect’ for Senate colleagues: Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014; Count Nevada Sen. Dean Heller among Senate Republicans frustrated at the antics of colleague Ted Cruz, who kept the Senate open Saturday and allowed Sen. Harry Reid to ...
Why Nevada has become a leader in immigration reform: Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014; When President Barack Obama gave Astrid Silva a shout-out last month, he did more than put a face on his new immigration plan. He helped thrust Silva, and her home state of Nevada, into ...
Dina Titus among record-breaking 100 women in Congress: Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014; The Democrat just won re-election to represent Las Vegas for a second term. She's also the only female member of Nevada's six-member congressional delegation on Capitol Hill.
Jobs and growth: Why lands bills could mean plenty for Las Vegans: Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014; New employers and an infusion of economic activity are among the gains that Las Vegas could see from several lands bills in Congress. But if conservative Republicans have their way ...
Titus: In steering lands bills through Congress, Reid pulled a miracle: Friday, Dec. 5, 2014; In orchestrating a surprise deal involving a collection of Nevada lands bills, Sen. Harry Reid proved once again that ...
Nevada miners get cheeky in urging Congress to pass land bill: Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014; To call attention to political causes, Americans have done everything from dumping tea in Boston Harbor to occupying Wall Street. Now, a group of miners in Yerington is taking its own approach by shaving half of ...
Heller: ‘Votes just aren’t there’ to extend jobless benefits: Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014; As Congress tries to wrap two years of work into about two weeks, extending unemployment benefits for long-term unemployed Americans won’t be on lawmakers’ to-do list.
A majority of lawmakers don’t feel the need to ...
Is Harry Reid running again? Look to his birthday present for clues: Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014; For those wondering whether Sen. Harry Reid would seek re-election in 2016, a birthday message from his wife, Landra, to his supporters offers ...
GOP strategist peels back the curtain: Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014; A top political adviser for Republican candidates talks about recruiting politicians, what makes a good candidate and the GOP’s mission to unseat Harry Reid in 2016.
Why Senate Republicans may end up embracing Harry Reid procedural rule: Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014; With the White House needing Senate approval to fill a host of federal posts, Republicans are wondering whether to adopt a rule used by their nemesis they vilified as ...
Video: ‘Saturday Night Live’s’ take on how laws are made: Monday, Nov. 24, 2014; Remember Schoolhouse Rock? We wrote in July that the cartoon doesn't quite depict how a bill becomes a law. It can take years for ...
After the speech: What politicians, activists had to say about Obama’s Las Vegas appearance: Friday, Nov. 21, 2014; So, how did he do? Here's a round up of reaction and analysis from both sides of the political spectrum, plus a deeper look at who exactly is affected by all this ...
Blog: President Obama’s landmark immigration speech in Las Vegas: Friday, Nov. 21, 2014; Astrid Silva, Las Vegas' now famous immigration activist, introduces President Barack Obama. "This announcement will change so many lives, including my own," Silva says.
Why Obama’s speech may be unofficial launch of Reid’s re-election campaign: Friday, Nov. 21, 2014; When President Barack Obama stands on the stage at a Las Vegas high school today and rallies support for his immigration policies, Sen. Harry Reid will be right by the president's side. And he wants to make sure you ...
Newly elected Cresent Hardy on his Tea Party conservatism, pragmatic libertarianism: Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014; Seated in the posh lobby of the Capitol Hill Hotel just blocks away from the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Cresent Hardy was tired, but excited. Nevada's newest member of Congress was in the middle of a whirlwind seven days of orientation ...
Obama coming to Las Vegas to discuss immigration reform: Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014; President Barack Obama is coming to Las Vegas on Friday to shore up support for action he's taking without Congress to reform the nation's immigration system. The White House confirmed ...
Erin Bilbray’s once promising congressional campaign collapsed without clear strategy: Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014; Even before Erin Bilbray announced her campaign for Congress in July 2013, Washington Democrats rolled out the red carpet for her. The talented, connected and telegenic Nevada Democrat captured ...
Don’t count out another Horsford run for Congress: Monday, Nov. 17, 2014; Rep. Steven Horsford isn’t ruling out a comeback. In one of Nevada’s biggest political upsets this November, the first-term Democrat lost the congressional seat to represent North Las Vegas and central Nevada to ...
Harry Reid elected to lead Senate Democrats in minority in 2015: Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014; When Republicans take the helm of the Senate in January, Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada will lead Democrats' strategy in the minority party. Reid was elected by his colleagues Thursday to stay on as leader of Senate Democrats for the next two years. He was approved by secret ballot in a nearly four-hour meeting where senators had a constructive discussion about what ...
Heller loses out in bid for GOP leadership post: Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014; Sen. Dean Heller failed in his ambitious bid to lead the Republican Senate’s 2016 campaign strategy. Heller’s Republican colleagues voted by secret ballot today on ...
Will Harry Reid still be Senate Democrats’ leader?: Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014; He's only Senate majority leader for two more months. Thursday, Sen. Harry Reid will know if his Democratic colleagues will keep him as minority leader when the new Congress starts in January. Reid must hand over control ...