Free Republic

The Trump Hotel Collection, a string of luxury hotel properties tied to business magnate and now Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, appears to be the latest victim of a credit card breach, according to data shared by several U.S.-based banks. Contacted regarding reports from sources at several banks who traced a pattern of fraudulent debit and credit card charges to accounts that had all been used at Trump hotels, the company declined multiple requests for comment. But sources in the financial industry say they have little doubt that Trump properties in several U.S. locations — including Chicago, Honolulu, Las Vegas,...

To keep conservative rebels in check, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and his allies have been doling out punishments at an aggressive clip in the 114th Congress. From kicking unruly members off the Rules Committee and GOP whip team to stripping a lawmaker of his subcommittee gavel, leadership has been growing more comfortable with taking retaliatory measures to try to enforce party discipline. But several Tea Party targets haven’t gone quietly. They’ve been fighting back with help from Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan’s conservative House Freedom Caucus, which successfully pressured leaders this week to return a subcommittee gavel to one of their...

New York real-estate developer and reality television star Donald Trump says Jeb Bush, the front runner for the Republican presidential nomination, views him as a serious political threat. “Trust me, he takes me seriously,” Mr. Trump, who launched a bid for the Republican presidential nomination earlier this month, said in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” -snip- At a Saturday event in Nevada, Mr. Bush said in Spanish, “I do not agree with his words. They do not represent the values of the Republican Party and they do not represent my values,” according to a...

Grand Junction, COLO. It's a hot debate that's sparked a lot of controversy in Mesa County. The updating of the Resource Management Plan has been in the works for years. It was announced a few months back, but not everyone's happy about the proposal. The Mesa County Commissioners and the Bureau of Land Management took turns speaking at the town hall meeting. The public listened to what happened in a meeting with representatives from the governor's office, in regards to the Resource Management Plan, and had the chance to share their concerns and suggestions. At last week's meeting with the...

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) - Speaking to reporters in Washington Tuesday, Sen. Harry Reid called on Nevada higher education officials to consider changing the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' mascot and sports nickname. The statements came after a shooting in South Carolina that claimed nine lives sparked debate about displays of the Confederacy. On the campus of UNLV Tuesday, it was difficult to find anyone who believes the mascot, Hey Reb!, should be changed. “What happened over there is a tragedy of course, but what's happening here on campus is what's happening on campus. Go Rebels,” student Billy Watts said. “I...

On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) said the United States is the “only advanced country” where public “mass violence” occurs, and more gun control is needed now to keep Charleston-like attacks from happening again. Reid’s announcement that public “mass violence” does not happen in other advanced countries echoed a similar claim by Obama in which he referenced Charleston by claiming “that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries.”

Hillary Clinton said she would vote against the "Fast Track" trade bill passed by the House on Thursday if she were still in the Senate, unless she was "absolutely confident" trade adjustment assistance would be provided. Clinton's comment that she would not approve "Fast Track," which is a tool for negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, came during an interview with Jon Ralston on Thursday night, following her appearance at the NALEO conference in Las Vegas, Nev. "At this point, probably not because it's a process vote and I don't want to say it's the same as TPP," Clinton...

Jeb Bush’s son, George P. Bush, made what he called his “first appearance” on his father’s behalf in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. Bush, the Texas land commissioner, spoke to a crowd of about 40 people at the locally-owned Mexican restaurant, Mundo. He talked about the importance of the Latino vote in Nevada and across the country. “The Hispanic agenda is the American agenda, it’s an aspirational community that I happen to be a part of,” Bush said to the attendees. “We want better schools, a brighter economic tomorrow, a strong national defense, it’s a patriotic community.” Bush said his...

CARSON CITY — State employees and covered family members will have health coverage for gender reassignment and other transgender procedures under a new insurance policy that takes effect July 1. The Public Employee Benefits Program board voted in November to remove language in the state’s self-funded and HMO plans that specifically excluded therapy for gender dysphoria. Brock Maylath, president of the advocacy group Transgender Allies Group, on Wednesday hailed the change as a “significant step” for the transgender community. Previous language in the state insurance design plan excluded treatment designed to alter physical characteristics and any other treatment related to...

Like the rest of America, the Nevada the GOP enjoyed a landslide victory last November. We won EVERYTHING. Governor, Lt. Governor, all five constitutional offices, the State Senate and the State Assembly. This is the first time the GOP has controlled all of those offices since the 1920s. The voters spoke loudly. They wanted smaller government, lower taxes and less spending. Not only that but a ballot referendum supporting a business margins tax on corporations was voted down by a 3 to 1 margin. THREE-TO-ONE. This was the anti-tax, anti-big government sweep of a lifetime. Historic. Revolutionary.

Clark County management has informed its largest union that employees won’t receive salary or benefit increases anytime soon, citing a new state law and contending that the contract between the county and Service Employees International Union Local 1107 has expired. The freeze is expected to end in August or early September, when the county expects to have a new contract in place with the union. The county and union go to arbitration on July 1. Both sides had already planned to go to arbitration before a new state law was passed, after two years of fruitless negotiations for a new...

Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.) says there's a “50-50” chance he will run for retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) seat. “I’d leave it at 50-50 for now,” he told The Hill on Wednesday. “We’re still considering it. I’ve got to have a discussion with my family, and hopefully we’ll come to a decision soon.” Heck, a one-star general in the U.S. Army Reserves who chairs a House Armed Services Committee subpanel, received a major boost Tuesday when Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) said he wouldn’t seek the open seat. Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison (R), former Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki...

Liquor stores and restaurants across Craig are pulling Colorado craft beers off their shelves due to the beer companies’ financial support to WildEarth Guardians, the environmental group that put Colowyo Coal Mine at risk of being shut down. Stockmen’s Liquor pulled 12 brands of beer — including New Belgium Brewery — because they are listed as WildEarth Guardians supporters. “We pulled those beers because their support of WildEarth Guardians... who said their ultimate goal is to shut down coal mines,” said Lori Gillam, owner of Stockmen's. “Craig is a coal mine town.” WildEarth Guardians has a list of business supporters...

Clark County management has ordered Martin Bassick, president of the Service Employees International Union Local 1107, to report for work at a county job in a move that reflects the county’s interpretation of a new state law concerning paid leave for union representatives. The county’s human resources department notified Bassick in a letter Thursday to report at his county public works job at 8 a.m. Monday, according to correspondence obtained by the Review-Journal. The letter cites a bill that the Legislature passed this session and Gov. Brian Sandoval signed into law. An attorney for the SEIU, the county’s largest union,...

Gov. Brian Sandoval announced Tuesday he will not run for Harry Reid’s U.S. Senate seat. Sandoval made known his intentions to remain as governor, at least for now, following the conclusion of the 2015 legislative session on June 1... “I have said many times that it is an honor and a privilege to serve as Nevada’s chief executive and that I love my job. My heart is in my responsibilities as governor and continuing to build the New Nevada. My undivided attention must be devoted to being the best governor, husband and father I can be. “For these reasons, I...

Gun control advocates, in their never-ending quest to take firearms from those who are licensed and trained to legally carry them, are trying to advance a bill in the House of Representatives introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. But the bill itself stomps on constitutional rights, and Rep. Maloney’s arguments for it can be shot so full of holes that the legislation would look like a target at a shooting range. As reported by The Hill’s Lydia Wheeler, the Firearm Risk Protection Act, unveiled May 29, would require gun buyers to have liability insurance coverage before being allowed to purchase...

BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Nev. (AP) — Federal land managers say they won't immediately enforce drought-related grazing restrictions in northern Nevada so as to avoid confrontation with ranchers openly defying the order. Conservationists say it's another example of the government caving in to scofflaw ranchers like Cliven Bundy, who continues to graze his cattle illegally in southern Nevada after the Bureau of Land Management backed down from an armed standoff last year. Ranchers Dan and Eddyann Filippini have been notified they are violating the closure ordered in 2013 in an area covering more than 150 square miles near Battle Mountain about 200...

A Nevada ranch defied U.S. drought closure orders in grazing cattle on federally managed land, environmentalists said on Wednesday, comparing it to action by another Nevada rancher that led to an armed standoff last year with federal agents.

Well, somebody did it, and it was the mainstream media. Congratulations to the Los Angeles Times for taking the time to research and estimate the total amount of U.S. public (local, state, and federal) subsidies for companies owned or run by South African-born Canadian-American Elon Musk. The total amount calculated by reporter Jerry Hirsch for taxpayer-backed incentives – of many different forms, including tax credits and rebates provided to customers – was $4.9 billion. The corporate beneficiaries have been Tesla Motors and SpaceX, where Musk is CEO, and SolarCity Corp., where he is chairman. The sum does not include SpaceX’s...

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Legislature came to a halt at midnight Monday, capping a day that saw approval of a record $1.1 billion general fund tax package to fund Gov. Brian Sandoval’s aggressive education package and a dizzying day of dealmaking. When combined with $336 million directed to the state school fund, the total tax measure stretches to $1.4 billion. With two hours left in the session, the Assembly gave final approval to the last of five budget bills authorizing Sandoval’s $7.3 billion two-year general fund spending plan. Committees met on short notice and on the chamber floors throughout...