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A federal judge ruled Friday that a lobbyist and former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official can testify for a coal company in its lawsuit against the agency. The EPA had sought to block Jeff Holmstead, who led the EPA’s air pollution office under then-President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005, from appearing as an expert witness in Murray Energy Corp.’s case. The agency argued that Holmstead’s time at the EPA is a significant conflict of interest and his testimony would amount to little more than unreliable legal conclusions. The EPA “effectively argues that, because Mr. Holmstead once worked at...

Following the mass shooting in Orlando, guns have again become a hot-button issue. Nevada gun laws, along with open carry laws, allow people to carry a firearm almost anywhere they like. That might include the Las Vegas Strip, clubs and bars. It’s not just handguns. The law protects rifles and the like as well. “It covers everything. I’ve never seen a reason to carry a rifle down the road, but if it became a prudent thing to do, I would do it,” said David Stilwell, owner of Las Vegas’ Gun Butler. Openly carrying firearms doesn’t require a permit, and signs...

Nevada primary results from 6/14/2016: US Senate -D Cortez-Masto, Catherine 80.59% 81944 Rheinhart, Allen 5.55% 5645 U.S. SENATE - R Heck, Joe 64.9% 74517 Angle, Sharron 22.77% 26142

First U.S. testing of a man-carrying drone planned for later this year in Nevada Alexandru Micu June 8, 2016 The Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems has granted permission to Chinese drone company EHang to test its on-demand, passenger-carrying aerial vehicle inside state boundaries. This marks the first time a passenger-carrying drone has ever been tested anywhere in the United States. Chinese company EHang received testing rights for its EHang 184 model inside the state of Nevada on Monday, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. The vehicle is an autonomous human sized drone, which EHang was very happy to hail as the...

U.S. Throws China Off High-Speed Rail Project China state media says XpressWest’s move is irresponsible By Te-Ping Chen June 9, 2016 5:42 a.m. ET 26 COMMENTS BEIJING—A high-speed rail agreement touted as a symbol of U.S.-China cooperation has fallen apart less than a year after it was signed. XpressWest, a private U.S. company, on Thursday said a venture with China Railway International to build a high-speed rail line to link Southern California with Las Vegas won’t proceed. In a statement, the U.S. company said it terminated the partnership because of “difficulties associated with timely performance” and its Chinese partner’s challenges...

As if the 2016 cycle couldn’t get any uglier, a nasty war of words broke out Friday when Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid accused a Republican senator of “praying” for President Obama’s death. ADVERTISEMENT The allegations followed Georgia Sen. David Perdue’s remarks Friday to a Faith and Freedom Coalition conference in Washington. “We are called to pray for our country, for our leaders, and yes, even our president,” Perdue said. “I think we should pray for Barack Obama.” He added, “We need to be very specific about how we pray. We should pray like Psalms 109:8 says. It says, 'Let...

The Ninth Circuit Court has upheld the ruling of the lower court in the Edward Peruta v. County of San Diego case and affirmed the Second Amendment does not include a right to conceal a firearm. The Peruta case challenged the legality of denying permits to conceal and carry a firearm unless the applicant for a permit has "good reason" to do so. A three-judge panel initially ruled that the San Diego County Sheriff's Department did not have the right to deny the permit. The case was subsequently heard by the entire Ninth Circuit Court and their decision was...

Nine months after announcing that China would help build a high-speed rail line from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, the private U.S. company behind the plan said late Wednesday that the deal was off. A bullet train stops at the platform before it travels to Lanzhou from the Urumqi south railway station in XpressWest said the decision to terminate the relationship with China Railway International was based “primarily upon difficulties associated with timely performance and CRI’s challenges in obtaining required authority to proceed with required development activities.” XpressWest indicated that its “biggest challenge” was a federal government requirement that high-speed...

The following is a list of prominent Republicans who say they’re not planning to attend the Republican National Convention -- based on responses from their offices and previously published reports: Former President George W. Bush Former President George H.W. Bush 2008 Republican presidential nominee and Arizona Sen. John McCain 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney 2016 presidential candidate and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval Wyoming Gov. Matthew Mead South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson Kansas Sen....

Donald Trump announced this weekend he puts 15 states potentially into play in the general election this year. The states include: — Ohio — Florida — Virginia — Minnesota — Michigan — Pennsylvania — Wisconsin — New York — Maine — California ** Plus Donald Trump is beating Hillary Clinton in the latest Oregon poll and is essentially tied with Hillary in New Hampshire -two more traditional blue states. And Hillary Clinton hasn’t even been indicted yet!

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- From shootings on the Strip to the killing of a liquor store clerk who couldn't open a safe to an April weekend that saw five slayings in separate cases, crime is spiking in the shadows in Las Vegas - and spurring questions about causes and cures. The local sheriff, police union officials and district attorney have various theories about what's behind the body count: 64 homicides by the end of April, compared with 29 killings after the first four months of 2015; 75 slayings as of Wednesday, compared with 45 by the same date last year.

Seven state legislators from Arizona have called upon the attorneys general of the states of Arizona, Nevada “and any other states with standing,” to bring legal action against Oregon law-enforcement officials and prosecutors, as well as against the FBI, over the shooting death this past January of Arizona rancher Robert Lavoy Finicum. In a letter to Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt, the Arizona lawmakers contrast the extreme treatment accorded Finicum, the Bundy ranching family, and their supporters versus the kid-glove treatment given to the violent and destructive leftist demonstrators of the various “Occupy”...

Leaders of the Republican Party have begun internal deliberations over what would be fundamental changes to the way its presidential nominees are chosen, a recognition that the chaotic process that played out this year is seriously flawed and helped exacerbate tensions within the party. In a significant shift, Republican officials said it now seemed unlikely that the four states to vote first would all retain their cherished place on the electoral calendar, with Nevada as the most probable casualty. Party leaders are even going so far as to consider diluting the traditional status of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina...

Add Harry Reid to the list of troubles dogging Hillary Clinton as she stumbles toward the Democratic nomination for president. The powerful Senate minority leader delivered an unusual warning to Clinton on selecting a running mate, vowing to "do whatever I can" to stop her from choosing a Democratic senator from a state led by a Republican governor. “If we have a Republican governor in any of those states, the answer is not only no, but hell no and I would do whatever I can, and I think most of my Democratic colleagues here would say the same thing," Reid,...

A video has surfaced that is putting doubt on Senator Barbara Boxer’s claims that she feared for her safety while at the Nevada State Convention. During her contentious speech, Sanders delegates loudly booed her as she stood defiantly at the podium. Her response to Sanders delegates can only be described as arrogant. A video of that verbal assault has already circulated the internet. Not until five days after the convention did another video go viral: A video of Boxer walking casually from the podium, blowing sarcastic kisses to the Sanders delegates. As the video ends. Boxer throws up her left...

<p>Firefighters had to climb some 300 feet up a boiler tower at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in California after fire was reported on an upper level around 9:30 a.m., fire officials said.</p> <p>The plant works by using mirrors to focus sunlight on boilers at the top of three 459-foot towers, creating steam that drive turbines to produce electricity.</p>

The Democratic Party relies too heavily on superdelegates to pick its presidential nominees, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday — though she downplayed the current dispute between party leaders and Sen. Bernard Sanders. Mrs. Pelosi called the fight between Mr. Sanders and party leaders a “family disagreement” and insisted it won’t dent the eventual nominee in the general election. She also dismissed comparisons to the riot-fueled 1968 Democratic convention. “This is an incident. That was a colossal … clash of people,” she said.

s the left turning on its darling, Bernie Sanders? On Friday, Netroots titan Markos Moulitsas, namesake of the liberal Daily Kos, dropped a rhetorical bomb on the Bern, blaming the candidate for doing too little to denounce death threats received by the Nevada Democratic Party after Sanders’ state convention delegates complained they had received unfair treatment. “The problem isn't Bernie Sanders' supporters,” Moulitsas wrote. “It's Bernie Sanders himself … [He] refuses to forcefully and unambiguously reject that violence, instead rationalizing and explaining it away with a mix of grievances and outright conspiracy theory.” Actually, Sanders hasn’t lost much support among...

You might have heard the tales of horror over the supposed throwing of chairs by disgruntled Bernie Sanders supporters at the recent Democrat convention in Nevada. Several news outlets repeated those fables to demonstrate how barbaric the Sandernistas are in stark contrast to the "civilized" folks who support Hillary Clinton. California Senator Barbara Boxer who was present even claimed that she feared for her safety. However, one problem. No chairs were thrown. Snopes.Com has rated that story as false.