Commentary
Rolling the dice on rail safety: Nevada’s high-stakes legislative gamble
As ambitious rail projects like Brightline West push forward, Nevada stands at a critical crossroads in terms of infrastructure growth and rail safety. It’s been a year since Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed Assembly Bill 456—a bill that aimed to strengthen rail safety protocols—and the risks that haunt our tracks are not just lingering; they are […]
What QAnon supporters, butthole sunners and New Age spiritualists have in common
After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, former NBA player Royce White became an outspoken advocate of defunding the police. Over those ensuing months, he appeared at a number of protests and marches in Minnesota – demonstrations that conservative politicians and pundits excoriated. Four years later, White accepted the endorsement of the Minnesota […]
Lombardo tries to hog credit for Biden administration achievements (again)
“I’m pleased to announce the allocation of $250 million towards Middle Mile Infrastructure,” Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo said in a statement released by his office this week. “This significant investment will enhance internet connectivity in communities across Nevada that have struggled with inadequate internet access. By addressing these critical gaps, we are ensuring that all […]
Lessons from Riley Gaines on participation trophies and main character syndrome
Women’s sports rarely get the respect they deserve and very few female athletes ever break through to become household names. Stellar performances by Brittney Griner, Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes and many more have made the WNBA what it is today. But it’s not a coincidence that the arrival of Caitlin Clark, a white University of […]
Trump’s corporate tax cuts paved the way for inflation
Next year, when key provisions of President Trump’s 2017 tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations expire, we have an opportunity to get our money back. I’m not just talking about all the foregone tax revenue we’ve lost because the rich have paid so little since 2017 — though we should get that back, too. […]
History says tariffs rarely work, but Biden’s 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs could defy the trend
In June 2019, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted: “Trump doesn’t get the basics. He thinks his tariffs are being paid by China. Any freshman econ student could tell you that the American people are paying his tariffs.” Fast-forward five years to May 2024, and President Biden has announced a hike in tariffs on a variety […]
Brown said he wants to ax multiple federal departments, promised spending cuts will ‘be painful’
Two years ago, when Republican Sam Brown was running for a U.S. Senate seat for the first time, he was debating Adam Laxalt and the topic turned to federal spending. “One of the things that I’ve been proposing,” Brown said in that debate, “is that anywhere you have a duplication of a department or agency […]
Standardized testing is a flawed yardstick for assessing educational success
Listening recently to a local political candidate denigrate public education in Nevada was very disheartening. Not because of character flaws or perceived inability of the candidate. He, like most voters, believes that national and state school rankings based on standardized test scores accurately measure school quality and effectiveness. Improving public education seems to be on […]
U.S. is way stingier with maternity leave and child care than the rest of the world
In most American families led by couples, both parents are in the workforce. Almost three-quarters of American mothers with children under 18 work. At the same time, nearly 1 in 4 U.S. children are being raised by single moms. Yet child care is generally unaffordable, and paid leave is not available to most U.S. parents. […]
Married in Vegas, hoping and working for the best
Dear President Biden, I am publicly writing to ask you to take executive action to protect American families, like mine, in danger of losing a loved one to deportation. Undocumented spouses and immediate family of U.S. citizens need your help now. We all get married for the same reasons: love and commitment. My wife Daisy […]
3 out of 5 NV congressional Democrats want to let the mining industry party like it’s 1872
Three-fifths of the Democrats in Nevada’s congressional delegation agree with the state’s only Republican in Congress, Rep. Mark Amodei: If there’s one thing the federal government should do, that thing is whatever mining wants. Amodei got a bill passed on the floor of your United States House of Representatives this week. First, congratulations, Congressman. A […]
College administrators are falling into a tried and true trap laid by the right
Interrogations of university leaders spearheaded by conservative congressional representatives. Calls from right-wing senators for troops to intervene in campus demonstrations. Hundreds of student and faculty arrests, with nonviolent dissenters thrown to the ground, tear-gassed and tased. We’ve been here before. In my book “Resistance from the Right: Conservatives and the Campus Wars in Modern America,” […]