Karoun Demirjian

Story Archive

President's call for action garners mixed reactions from Nevada leaders: Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014; President Barack Obama spoke emphatically in Tuesday’s State of the Union address about priorities dear to Nevada representatives, such as immigration reform and jobless benefits. But it was clear that without congressional cooperation, Nevadans will have to wait awhile for most of those changes to take place.
House OKs Heck's bill to streamline search-and-rescue operations: Monday, Jan. 27, 2014; The House passed legislation written by Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., to make it easier for volunteer search-and-rescue teams to access public lands.
Titus, Horsford urge president to stop deportation of undocumented immigrants: Monday, Jan. 27, 2014; Nevada’s Democratic House members have signed on to an appeal insisting President Barack Obama stop the practice of deporting immigrants without authorization to be in the United States.
Did Las Vegas' pitch sway GOP delegates in D.C.? Here's what several say: Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014; Nevada Republicans want the national party to have its 2016 convention in Las Vegas. They brought a slick pitch to D.C. last week, seeking to influence delegates to the Republican National Committee's winter meeting. So what did the delegates think of Las Vegas' presentation?
Nevada Republicans optimistic about chance to host 2016 national convention: Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014; Setting up the fancy Wi-Fi lounges at last week’s Republican National Committee meeting was the easy part. Now comes the real challenge — persuading the newly elected site selectors to dub Las Vegas the party's host for the next Republican convention in 2016.
Free Wi-Fi, fleece part of pitch for staging 2016 GOP convention to Las Vegas: In D.C., Las Vegas 2016 committee also stresses city's convention-ready amenities, reputation; Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014; Usually when the Republican National Committee gathers for its winter meeting, it’s all about policy meetings and strategy. This time, though, Nevada representatives hope something else steals everyone’s attention: the Las Vegas 2016 committee's sales pitch for why the city should be selected over the likes of Denver, Kansas City and various cities in Ohio to host the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Reid maneuvers for longer extension of unemployment benefits: Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014; For the last few weeks, the unemployment insurance debate has centered on a three-month extension of benefits. But now, Harry Reid says that’s too short to work.
Reid acknowledges Sandoval's campaign war chest presents problem for Democrats: Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014; Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval’s ability to rake in more than $3 million for his re-election campaign in six months of an off-election year could make it difficult for Democrats to win away the governorship, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid admitted Thursday. “Money means a lot in politics, it always has,” Reid told Nevada reporters Thursday.
Legalized medicinal pot has new supporter: Harry Reid: Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014; everal Nevada municipalities are issuing moratoriums on medical marijuana dispensaries, but Harry Reid really thinks they should be moving in the opposite direction – toward making medicinal pot legal. “If you’d asked me this question a dozen years ago, it would have been easy to answer – I would have said no, because (marijuana) leads to other stuff,” the Senate majority leader told the Sun today. “But I can’t say that anymore.”
Federal public defender nominated for Nevada judgeship: Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014; President Barack Obama is nominating federal Public Defender Richard Boulware to fill Nevada’s last open seat on the federal bench, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced today.
Nevada House delegation unanimously backs bipartisan, $1 trillion federal spending plan for 2014: Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014; Nevada’s House delegation voted en masse in favor of the bipartisan 2014 appropriations bill, a sign lawmakers have moved past some of the interparty acrimony that led to a government shutdown just a few months ago.
Rep. Joe Heck to chair military oversight subcommittee: Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014; U.S. Rep. Joe Heck was appointed chair of the Armed Services Committee’s main subcommittee overseeing investigations of conduct and spending in the Department of Defense, Heck’s office announced Wednesday.
Talks stall in Senate to extend unemployment benefits: Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014; A bill to fund extended unemployment benefits broke down along traditional party lines today in the Senate — meaning Nevadans who were counting on their long-term jobless assistance being restored should plan to wait a whole lot longer.
Jobless benefit extension talks fail in Senate; thousands of Nevadans affected: Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014; Unemployment insurance will lapse for a third week, after negotiations in the Senate over a bill to extend funding for the benefits faltered.
Titus, Horsford among Dems voting for health exchange security notifications: Friday, Jan. 10, 2014; For most House Democrats, the one-sentence change to the health care law requiring the government to promptly disclose any security breaches of Healthcare.gov was too much of an attack on President Barack Obama’s healthcare law to support.
Reid, Boehner spar over security setbacks in Iraq: Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014; As Congress debates sending military aid to Iraq to help that country’s government stave off a civil war, U.S. congressional leaders are laying out limits on how far that help can go.
Helicopters, yes, they said. Troops, no.
Reid optimistic about chances for extending unemployment benefits: Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he was “cautiously optimistic” that senators will be able to strike a deal to offset the cost of a longer-term extension of emergency unemployment benefits.
Gates says ‘so weird’ that Reid lobbied him to pursue vice presidency: Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014; According to a CNN report, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid privately approached former Defense Secretary Robert Gates about becoming Barack Obama’s running mate in his first, 2008 election.
Nevada pols press Boehner for jobless benefit extension vote in House: Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014; With the Senate moving forward to try to extend unemployment benefits, Nevada’s House members are working on Republican Speaker John Boehner, insisting that he let his colleagues vote on a similar measure.
Debate in D.C. shifts to how to pay for unemployment benefit extension: Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014; Shared concern for the long-term unemployed in their home state made Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and Dean Heller allies Tuesday, as they joined forces to push a short-term extension of funding for lapsed unemployment benefits past its first procedural hurdle. But for the bill to make it over the finish line, Heller and Reid will have to broker and sell a much more politically tricky compromise to their colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
Unemployment benefits bill clears Senate hurdle: Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014; An uncommon coalition of five Republicans joined Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., to support a critical procedural motion on a bill to extend unemployment benefits through the Senate, avoiding the threat of the bill being filibustered to death.
Will Republican senators back Heller's plan to extend jobless benefits?: Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014; The Senate is scheduled to vote this morning on a bill co-drafted by Sen. Dean Heller to extend emergency benefits for jobless workers. Will any "empathetic Republicans" join him?
House report details reduced government spending on conferences: Friday, Jan. 3, 2014; Nearly two years ago, stories of a pricey Government Services Administration conference in Las Vegas sparked a federal inquiry into how taxpayer dollars were being spent on federal meetings.
Reid eyes way to make emergency unemployment benefits more accessible: Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013; The three-month unemployment insurance extension the Senate plans to vote on next week won’t make any changes to the current eligibility structure for federally backed emergency benefits. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is thinking about pushing to change how eligibility for emergency unemployment benefits is determined, making it easier for the long-term unemployed to access benefits as the economy improves.
With drone testing, Nevada expects job opportunities to soar: Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013; The state’s political, educational, research and business leaders are salivating over what they predict will be a $2.5 billion opportunity to bring up to 15,000 jobs to the state, at an average income of $62,000.
Feds announce Nevada as test site for drone aircraft: Monday, Dec. 30, 2013; The Federal Aviation Administration announced today that Nevada is one of six sites nationwide designated for the development of commercial drones, an industry that state leaders estimate could drive about $2.5 billion in economic activity.
Sen. Harry Reid diagnosed with exhaustion, released from hospital: Friday, Dec. 20, 2013; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was released from the hospital today after being diagnosed as suffering from exhaustion and not anything more serious, according to a statement issued from his office this afternoon. Reid, who was admitted this morning to George Washington University Hospital after complaining that he was not feeling well, has been cleared to return to work, the statement said.
Tule Springs bill approved by Senate committee: Thursday, Dec. 19, 2013; The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has been racking up a roster of Nevada lands bills, adding its approval of a bill to dedicate a national monument in the fossil beds of Tule Springs to the list of completed legislation.
Obama, Dems get behind Heller’s bill to extend unemployment benefits: Thursday, Dec. 19, 2013; If Congress restores funding for extended unemployment benefits, it will likely do so following Nevada Sen. Dean Heller’s script. The Republican has been getting a lot of powerful Democratic endorsements for a bill to extend unemployment benefits.
What the new federal budget means for Nevada: Thursday, Dec. 19, 2013; Now that Congress has passed a budget, the country can rest assured that there will be no more shutdown scares for nearly two years. But what else does the budget mean for the country? Here’s what’s in and what’s out, from a Nevada perspective.
Heller, Heck not onboard with Congress' budget deal: Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013; Congress is poised to pass a budget that will avoid the threat of another government shutdown for almost two years, but not all of the Nevada delegation is onboard.
Nevada nominee to head BLM takes heat from GOP: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013; Neil Kornze symbolized two important firsts when he came before the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee today for a confirmation hearing to be the director of the Bureau of Land Management.
Sen. Tom Coburn: Government subsidizing breast implants for prostitutes: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013; Nevada’s brothel industry came into the crosshairs of Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn’s annual “Wastebook” — a year-end hit list of programs he says epitomize financial excess in the federal budget.
Nevada leaders back budget, even though state's jobless will suffer: Friday, Dec. 13, 2013; Three of Nevada’s four House representatives held their noses as they voted in favor of a two-year budget deal that passed by a vote of 332 to 94 Thursday.
17,000 Nevadans stand to lose unemployment benefits after Christmas: Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013; Thousands of Nevada’s long-term jobless should brace for losing their unemployment benefits, after lawmakers failed to fund extended assistance in a newly inked budget deal.
In D.C. hearing, Adelson deputy rails against online gaming: Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013; Congress got a taste of what Sheldon Adelson’s new campaign against Internet gambling may look like Tuesday, when one of his top deputies appeared before members of the House Energy and Commerce committee to call for a clampdown on online betting.
Lack of key support has Joe Heck holding back his Dream Act bill: Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013; Were everything going according to plan, Rep. Joe Heck would have introduced his immigration bill by now. The second-term congressman thought it would have much smoother sailing in the House.
End of unemployment benefits would hurt Nevadans, economy, Democrats say: Friday, Dec. 6, 2013; Nearly 18,000 Nevadans would receive their last unemployment checks before New Year's unless Congress passes an extension of funding for the benefits past its expiration on Dec. 28, according to state-by-state figures released Thursday. Another 21,900 people, committee Democrats counted, could lose their benefits in the first half of 2014.
Rep. Heck reveals details of his Dream Act legislation: Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013; Nevada Republican Rep. Joe Heck on Wednesday released details of his immigration reform legislation, which he says will help put more immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally on the road to citizenship than the Dream Act passed in the Senate.
Nevada Rep. Amodei appointed to House Appropriations Committee: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013; Nevada got some of its old clout back in the House today when the Republican steering committee appointed Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., to the House Appropriations Committee.
Here’s something that Harry Reid admires about the House of Representatives: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013; The Senate is a body mired in traditions — one of the most noticeable being how it has rejected many advances in modern technology in favor of still conducting much of its business via paper and pen.
House votes to give loose change left at airport to USO: Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013; McCarran International Airport may soon be making a generous donation to the United Service Organizations, collected from change that could have come from your pocket.
Iran nuclear deal gets mixed reviews from Nevada delegation: Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013; Nevada's congressional delegation is divided about whether sanctions against Iran should be dropped as reward for its agreement to restrain its nuclear capabilities. Some say there are questions to be answered.
Dems use nuclear option to change filibuster rules: Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013; After years of hints, threats and close calls, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid went nuclear on the Senate today, ending the procedural filibuster for all nominations, except proposed Supreme Court Justices, with a simple majority vote.
Are insurers steering customers away from Obamacare exchange?: Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013; Rep. Steven Horsford is calling for an investigation into whether in-state health insurance companies have been trying to steer customers away from health care exchange with “misleading letters.”
Nevada senators on board with proposal changing prosecution of sexual assault in armed forces: Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013; Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., announced today that he would back a proposal to give military victims of rape and other forms of assault the right to access lawyers outside the regular chain of command to prosecute their cases.
Nevada Republicans bank on voters having short memories: Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013; The congressional standoff that shut down government and brought the country to the brink of defaulting on its debt may not have produced any winners, but polls, pundits and politicians from both sides of the aisle agree that the biggest political losers are Republican lawmakers.
Who among Nevada's delegation backed, opposed funding bill?: Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013; For some in the Nevada delegation, the vote Wednesday night was an easy one. For others, however, the decision on whether to back the debt-limit bill was fraught with challenges.
Five ways Nevada will benefit from the budget deal: Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013; From more money for wildfire prevention to backpay for furloughed workers, the deal to reopen the government has some help for the state.
Reid, Amodei can't wait to move on to next big issue: immigration: Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013; The budget and debt fight isn’t quite over, but Nevada lawmakers are already naming their next challenge immigration reform.