Karoun Demirjian

Washington Correspondent

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Story Archive

Nevada lawmakers 'all over the map' on immigration reform: Tuesday, May 21, 2013; Nevada constituents are asking questions about what the congressional delegation is doing and where its members stand on emerging immigration reform proposals. The answer is: all over the place.
House easily passes Heck's bill on lying about military honors: Monday, May 20, 2013; Nevada Rep. Joe Heck’s bill to safeguard the sanctity of military awards had an easy ride through the House of Representatives tonight, earning the near-unanimous support of his colleagues.
Yerington land swap bill bogged down in House: Monday, May 20, 2013; The Nevada delegation had hoped that the Lyon County Economic Development Act, their first priority public lands bill by mutual agreement, would be moving through the House at a little bit faster clip than this.
IRS scandal reopens rift over Obamacare; Nevada lawmakers entangled: Sunday, May 19, 2013; Congress was supposed to be done arguing over repeals of the Affordable Care Act, but the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservative groups has reopened a partisan rift.
Former Sen. John Ensign hit with fine over contributions: Friday, May 17, 2013; The Federal Election Commission announced Friday a $32,000 fine against former U.S. Sen. John Ensign of Nevada and his former campaign committee treasurer, Lisa Lisker, for failing to disclose “excessive in-kind contributions” from Ensign’s parents.
Dean Heller disapproves of federal judge nominee because of contributions to Harry Reid: Thursday, May 16, 2013; The Senate Judiciary committee voted down party lines to endorse the nomination of Jennifer Dorsey, President Barack Obama’s pick to fill one of the two remaining seats on the federal bench in Nevada. But when her nomination comes up for a confirmation vote in the Senate, Dorsey won’t have the full support of Nevada’s delegation, also divided down party lines.
Heller says IRS can't be trusted to oversee Obamacare: Tuesday, May 14, 2013; The scandal over the Internal Revenue Service’s apparent targeting of conservative groups is paving the way for a politically charged spinoff.
Reid defends Obama on two scandals, but not on a third: Tuesday, May 14, 2013; It’s only Tuesday, but it's shaping up to be one of President Barack Obama’s roughest weeks on the job. The White House is fighting back the flames of three scandals.
Nevada senators react to IRS targeting of conservative groups: Monday, May 13, 2013; Circulating snippets of a yet-to-be-released report fueled a sharply escalating sense of scandal in Washington, D.C., on Monday, as indications that the Internal Revenue Service had been singling out conservative groups prompted rebukes from officials all the way up to the White House.
State receives $20 million grant for solar research: Harry Reid calls grant 'another important step toward a more sustainable energy future'; Monday, May 13, 2013; Nevada’s top higher education officials announced Monday that the state has won a $20 million grant to sponsor a large-scale research project on solar energy and water.
How Congress has become a house of crisis junkies: Sunday, May 12, 2013; Without a debt ceiling crisis or a fiscal cliff, Congress can't seem to get much done on the budget.
Question remains: How much does it really cost to go to the hospital?: Sunday, May 12, 2013; Southern Nevada got its first peek at the cost of health care in hospitals last week, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released an enormous data trove detailing how much hospitals across the country charge the government for similar services. But the view has raised more questions.
Harry Reid: Military mindset toward sexual assault must change: Tuesday, May 7, 2013; The military’s long-simmering problem with sexual assaults boiled over into enough of a scandal with the recent sexual battery arrest of the Air Force’s top sex assault prevention official that Congress is finally taking some action.
Sen. Harry Reid warns against rushing to arm Syrian rebels: Tuesday, May 7, 2013; Add Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid to the list of lawmakers who think Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has crossed the so-called “red line” of using chemical weapons against his people.
Public lands bills being held up by disagreements from delegates, BLM: Sunday, April 21, 2013; Nevada lawmakers have anticipated that the chief challenge to getting many public lands bills through Congress this year is the willingness of a Republican-led House to pass legislation that balances federal land transfers with wilderness designations. But disagreements on the home front and between presumed allies threaten to hold up progress on critical public lands bills.
More surreal than a TV drama, national crises sideline major D.C. policy pushes: Sunday, April 21, 2013; If all you knew of Washington were the impressions you gleaned from the television drama "West Wing," then this past week may not have seemed like such a big deal. Then again, even television scriptwriters won’t usually spin this many story lines into a single episode.
VA taking steps to clear backlog of languishing claims: Friday, April 19, 2013; Less than 24 hours after the bulk of Nevada’s delegation sent a letter to Veterans Affairs insisting the department address a mounting backlog of claims in the regional office with authority over Nevada, they have an answer: The VA will start prioritizing the worst cases immediately.
Lawmaker: GAO report shows lives, safety of Nevada workers at risk: Friday, April 19, 2013; Lawmakers are reintroducing a bill to expand the federal government’s ability to assist states in performing their workplace safety oversight obligations, after a government report indicated Nevada was falling woefully short of its goals.
With wider background checks rejected, gun control backers vow to press on: Thursday, April 18, 2013; Wednesday’s Senate vote on a background check compromise had all the setup of a historic moment. The Senate floor was good and crowded, as all 100 senators milled and bunched in like-minded groups of three or four and sometimes 10, keeping a close eye on the front desk, where Vice President Joe Biden had made one of his rare trips down to the Capitol to preside over the vote.
Nevada's quick work on health exchange sets example for other states: Thursday, April 18, 2013; Unlike other Republican governors, Gov. Brian Sandoval began work early on the Silver State Health Exchange, which will begin accepting patients looking for insurance on Oct. 1.
Senate blocks expanded gun sale background checks: Wednesday, April 17, 2013; Gun control is effectively over for now, after the Senate failed to muster enough votes to pass a key amendment on expanding sales background checks.
Sen. Harry Reid says he supports ban on assault rifles, high-capacity magazines: Wednesday, April 17, 2013; After months of silence, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid declared this morning that he would support efforts to ban assault rifles and high-capacity magazines.
Representative balances personal convictions with politics on gun control: Wednesday, April 17, 2013; Since taking on his elected role, Rep. Steven Horsford, whose father died from a gunshot, has repeatedly tempered his personal conviction, suggesting his mind is not made up on the controversial points of gun control.
How would the Gang of Eight's immigration proposal affect you?: Wednesday, April 17, 2013; As a state with one of the highest per-capita populations of both legal and undocumented immigrants in the country, the proposed rules visas and employment could dramatically affect local families and employers. Here’s a look at how:
Heller's no on background-checks bill may jeopardize gun control compromise: Tuesday, April 16, 2013; Nevada Sen. Dean Heller will vote against the Manchin-Toomey amendment on gun control, his office announced Tuesday. The announcement potentially complicates efforts to get 60 senators to vote for what may be the best chance the Senate has to approve expanded background checks.
Horsford stands out in fundraising race among Nevada House lawmakers: Monday, April 15, 2013; It’s always campaign time when you’re in the House of Representatives, and Monday members of Nevada’s delegation revealed just how much work they’ve done toward Election 2014 in the first few months of the new Congress.
In its coal decision, NV Energy bows to economic reality: Sunday, April 14, 2013; Experts from both sides of the political spectrum see a future in which regulations and market forces will start pricing coal plants out of the market.
Senate votes to go ahead with debate on gun control: Thursday, April 11, 2013; The gun show will go on, at least in the Senate, where lawmakers cleared their first procedural hurdle to the gun bill Thursday morning. Sixty-eight senators, including 16 Republicans, voted to have the debate on gun control.
The president's budget and you: Obama's proposals that should catch Nevadans' attention: Thursday, April 11, 2013; President Barack Obama’s budget, unveiled Wednesday, came along too late in the year to dramatically change the course of budget discussions about fiscal 2014. The president’s budget raises a few elements that Nevadans might want to think about.
Reid moves toward preliminary Senate vote on gun control: Tuesday, April 9, 2013; With no alternatives in the offing, Sen. Harry Reid is going ahead and starting the process of bringing his gun bill to a vote. Reid filed a procedural motion to set up a first vote on guns on Thursday.
Reid says background checks for all gun sales is common sense: Tuesday, April 9, 2013; For the past several months, Sen. Harry Reid has mostly kept his own counsel when politicians, including some of his closest allies in Washington, have called for a new era in gun control.
Harry Reid leaps into gun control debate, says GOP afraid to engage: Monday, April 8, 2013; When President Barack Obama began pressing Congress to take up gun control measures, many wondered if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, with his historically pro-gun proclivities, would shy away from such a public debate.
Congress has run out of fiscal emergencies to blame inaction on: Sunday, April 7, 2013; A seemingly endless cycle of fiscal cliffs, debt limits, government shutdowns and tax code has forced lawmakers to table discussions about immigration, energy and gun control while they fuss over yanking the country back from the latest ledge of budgetary destruction.
Harry Reid bites tongue over potential change to Social Security: Friday, April 5, 2013; Reports that President Barack Obama’s budget will include proposed cuts to Medicare and Social Security set off a wave of criticism within the Democratic Party today. But in Nevada, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is biting his tongue.
Harry Reid, Mike Tyson seeking pardon for former boxing champ Jack Johnson: Wednesday, April 3, 2013; Sen. Harry Reid has forged some unorthodox alliances to better fight for his pet issues. But a new partnership with former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson is arguably his most unexpected coupling yet.
Five Democratic senators — so far — to retire after terms up 2014: Sunday, March 31, 2013; South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson’s announcement last week that he plans to retire at the end of 2014 opens up a seat that has belonged to Democrats for almost 17 years. But the repercussions of his move may affect the Democratic party far beyond South Dakota’s borders.
Legal arguments in Proposition 8 gay-marriage case could ripple in Nevada: Wednesday, March 27, 2013; The first case concerning gay marriage that came before Supreme Court this week was focused on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, a ballot measure to ban gay marriage in California. But the case — or at least the arguments presented in it — may have significance for states like Nevada as well.
Same-sex marriage: Where Nevada politicians stand: Wednesday, March 27, 2013; The U.S. Supreme Court is tackling two major cases this week that, depending on the outcome, may set the course for marriage equality laws across the country. And the Nevada Legislature is considering a change to the Silver State’s definition of marriage that would allow gay couples eligible to marry. But despite the confluence of potentially precedent-setting moments in Nevada, just a few of the state’s top elected officials have noticeably changed their position on gay marriage in the past several months.
Probe of fatal mortar shell blast resurrects memories of weapon's shadowy past: In Vietnam War and more recent conflicts, booby-trapped 60mm mortar rounds were salted in enemy ranks and exploded in firing tube; Wednesday, March 27, 2013; The probe into what caused a 60mm mortar round to misfire during a training exercise at the Hawthorne Army Depot, killing seven Marines and injuring eight, has entered its second week, with the Marine Corps still banning use of the weaponry with a shadowy past. Military investigators have identified and removed from circulation the lot from which the shell came. The shell detonated prematurely March 18 as the Marines, being prepared for oversees deployment, huddled around for instruction on its use.
D.C. lawmakers want answers on spike in veterans benefits wait times: Friday, March 22, 2013; Across the country, veterans are facing a benefits crisis as they wait for claims to be processed. But nowhere has it been quite as bad as in Nevada, where more than 10,000 veterans are part of a backlog that stretches to an average of 475 days per claim, according to data compiled by the Center for Investigative Reporting.
Sequester cuts still pack economic gut punch despite tweaks by lawmakers: Friday, March 22, 2013; Now that there is a congressional deal to reapportion some of the sequestration cuts, the political protestations against the sequester have died down. But their effect on Nevada’s economy likely hasn’t.
Congress could take up a bill seeking more mining revenue: Friday, March 22, 2013; The Nevada Legislature isn’t the only place where lawmakers are aiming to get more revenue from mining companies.
Congressman’s late mom became hit in campaign commercials: Wednesday, March 20, 2013; Joy Longero Amodei was not a politician. But her face was almost as well known to Nevada voters as that of her congressman son after she appeared in a series of campaign commercials for him in 2011.
High-speed rail project beset by political mine fields: Monday, March 18, 2013; On the wings of one project, Southern Nevada’s economy was supposed to be back to work. But in the years since the XpressWest project applied for an industry-backed federal loan to finance the venture, it has run into almost every conceivable political roadblock – and this month, one direct assault.
Angry public rhetoric belies collegial meetings behind closed doors in D.C.: Sunday, March 17, 2013; Harsh rhetoric flies across the Capitol and along Pennsylvania Avenue in this city where Republicans and Democrats are seemingly always at each other’s throats. In the past year, lawmakers have publicly described political opponents and their priorities as “stupid,” “extreme” and “pathetic” — among other choice words. But in private, lawmakers’ exchanges with President Barack Obama, such as those last week, are “polite,” “cordial” and even “respectful.”
Holding back a flood of new money?: Online sales taxes could quench the thirst for revenue in Nevada; Sunday, March 17, 2013; Nevada lawmakers may have hit on their most quantifiable argument yet in pressuring Congress to pass a measure that lawmakers estimate would let the Silver State collect as much as $200 million a year in online sales taxes.
Were Obama's visits to Hill worth it without a breakthrough? Reid weighs in: Thursday, March 14, 2013; After three days and four meetings, President Barack Obama and rank-and-file members of Congress have logged more quality time together than any other week of his presidency.
Reid wants to revisit two-year budget cycle for Congress: Thursday, March 14, 2013; After spending the past several years locking horns with Republicans over the federal budget every few months, Sen. Harry Reid could be persuaded to rip a page from the Nevada Legislature, and plan on budgeting just once every two years instead.
Obama's sitdown with House GOP 'respectful,' but sides remain divided: Wednesday, March 13, 2013; President Barack Obama returned to Capitol Hill Wednesday to meet with House Republicans in what had the potential to be the most politically contentious of the four discussions he scheduled with rank-and-file lawmakers this week.
Las Vegas couple join call for immigration reform in D.C.: Wednesday, March 13, 2013; Las Vegas couple James and Sharon Courtney joined hundreds of immigration activists in the Capitol Wednesday to call for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.