Karoun Demirjian

Washington Correspondent

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Story Archive

How much does it cost to run a congressional office?: Wednesday, March 13, 2013; Last week, Sen. Dean Heller penned a letter to the heads of the Senate Rules and Administration committee, calling for an audit of the U.S. Senate to ferret out “areas in which we can eliminate wasteful spending.”
Senate Democrats wary of Obama's hopes for 'grand bargain': Wednesday, March 13, 2013; President Barack Obama began his week of congressional meetings among friends, huddling with Senate Democrats for over an hour during their regular weekly lunch to talk strategy as the country edges closer to the effective date for sequestration cuts later this month.
Heller apologizing for aide over office space 'joke': Tuesday, March 12, 2013; After getting called out by a Capitol Hill publication for allegedly squatting on office space, Sen. Dean Heller is deflecting personal responsibility and playing cleanup for his chief of staff, Mac Abrams.
Heller still vetting but won't block next Nevada judicial nominee: Tuesday, March 12, 2013; Now that the Elissa Cadish has withdrawn her candidacy to serve as a federal judge, Sens. Harry Reid and Dean Heller expect the process of confirming President Barack Obama's nominations to the Nevada bench to go a whole lot more smoothly.
With budget deadline looming, Reid accuses Coburn of throwing monkey wrench: Tuesday, March 12, 2013; Sen. Harry Reid’s attempt to play ball with the House on an upcoming budget deadline is being stymied by a small band of Senate Republicans, and the majority leader is not pleased.
Obama to woo lawmakers over budget, deficit reduction: Tuesday, March 12, 2013; As watchers of "The West Wing" will remember, few gestures have as much political significance as when a president goes down to the Capitol to make a deal with Congress.
Senate confirms candidate for federal judgeship in Nevada: Monday, March 11, 2013; Nevada’s judicial vacancy count just dropped by one, after the Senate voted Monday afternoon to confirm Andrew Gordon for a seat on the federal bench.
Online poker bill in a holding pattern despite optimism for federal action: Sunday, March 10, 2013; Though Nevada recently passed its own online gambling law, Nevada’s congressional delegation wants you to know it’s still talking about getting an Internet poker bill done at the federal level.
Cadish pulls out of contention to become federal judge: Friday, March 8, 2013; After more than a year of an ongoing standoff over her nomination to the federal bench in Nevada, Elissa Cadish withdrew her candidacy Friday morning.
Guns, violence and Nevada: Here's how the state ranks nationally: Friday, March 8, 2013; Nevada has traditionally been true to its Wild Western roots when it comes to gun ownership and use. But how Nevada stacks up against other states in terms of its gun laws, gun sales, gun production and gun crime statistics may come as a surprise.
Rand Paul goes to great lengths on Senate floor in opposing CIA nominee: Wednesday, March 6, 2013; It’s a classic tactic you don’t see every day: A senator actually filibustering on the floor. Sen. Rand Paul managed to hold up Senate business all day and into the night, protesting against a confirmation vote for John Brennan.
Reid: Jeb Bush has ‘made a fool of himself’ on immigration: Tuesday, March 5, 2013; Political America has been in a bit of an uproar over former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s assertion in his new book that immigration reform need not include a pathway to citizenship. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid added his voice to the surprised chorus Tuesday.
Harry Reid wants pardon for first black heavyweight boxing champ: Tuesday, March 5, 2013; Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, a boxer in his time, is joining several other lawmakers to push President Barack Obama to pardon the world’s first black heavyweight boxing champion.
Nevada competes to become FAA drone test site: Sunday, March 3, 2013; Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration announced the start of a national bidding process in which states can compete to host one of six sites for testing unmanned aerial vehicles – more commonly known as drones – intended for use in the United States.
Obama says sequester not an apocalypse, ‘just dumb’: Friday, March 1, 2013; “This is not going to be an apocalypse. It’s just dumb.” That was how President Barack Obama summed up the sequester Friday, speaking to reporters after an Oval Office meeting with the four congressional leaders.
Sequester cuts deadline all but certain to pass without compromise in Congress: Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013; It’s all but official: Congress’ inability to strike an alternative deal on deficit reduction means that sequestration — those across-the-board cuts that were considered too unbearable to ever take effect — will start on Friday.
Compromise difficult to reach in public lands fight: Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013; Nevada’s congressional delegation emerged from its first family meeting in years this month boasting a unified strategy for pursuing federal public lands policies, starting in Yerington. But at least one member of the team is concerned that what it took to achieve harmony in the Nevada delegation may ultimately hurt the effort’s prospects of being approved — especially in the House.
Top 10 Nevada land swaps stalled in Congress: Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013; With almost 87 percent of its land owned by the federal government, Nevada is frequently dependent upon acts of Congress to free up or redesignate parcels of land needed for development, conservation, and other uses. Here are the Top 10 projects waiting approval.
Is fight over storing nuclear waste in Nevada ready to resume?: Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013; Congressional lawmakers could resume butting heads over Yucca Mountain next month, when a bipartisan team of senators starts circulating a draft nuclear waste bill.
Automatic federal spending cuts could hit military, schools, health programs in Nevada: Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013; Nevadans threatened by the so-called sequestration cuts include: One hundred and seventy teachers. Three thousand civilian employees of the Defense Department. Nearly 11,000 job seekers. And anybody whose livelihood depends on tourists.
With party defections possible on gun control and immigration, a look at past D.C. breaks: Friday, Feb. 22, 2013; Washington is a place where party lines count. But in the next few months, lawmakers will often be asked to cross them as Congress takes on tough issues.
Harry Reid manages effects of cultural shift, high turnover in Senate: Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013; Six years ago, Harry Reid became the Senate majority leader after a bumper crop of fresh-faced politicians, most of them Democrats, won their elections on a promise to shake up Washington’s old ways. No one quite anticipated back then how much the idea would catch on.
Did Heck agree that Giffords is 'prop' in gun control debate?: Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013; Rep. Joe Heck seems to have committed a political faux pas Tuesday when he appeared to agree with KDWN’s conservative radio host Alan Stock that President Barack Obama is using former Rep. Gabby Giffords as a “prop” to push a gun control message.
War of words under way in immigration reform debate: Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013; As the immigration debate gets fully underway in Congress, Nevada lawmakers are bracing for tough policy battles. They also are looking for ways to avoid a war of words.
Senate logjam on judicial confirmations creates judge shortage in Nevada: Monday, Feb. 18, 2013; For the past few years, standoffs have stymied the president’s attempts to get dozens of his nominees’ bids approved in the Senate, leaving dozens of gaping holes on benches across the country. But in few states has the situation reached such a fever pitch as it has in Nevada.
Public land bills introduced, uniting Nevada lawmakers: Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013; After agreeing to hit the ground running on public lands issues Wednesday, the Nevada delegation kicked things off Thursday with a coordinated drop of their top-priority bills.
Reid, Heller divided on historic Hagel block: Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013; For the first time in history, the Senate blocked a defense secretary nominee who had received prior approval of the Armed Services Committee.
Light-hearted ribbing marks Nevada delegation's first meeting: Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013; Nevada’s delegation revived a tradition that’s been dormant for at least a congressional session Wednesday afternoon when they met en masse to talk through state issues in a room off the Senate floor.
Young Las Vegan reflects on his responsibility as face of immigration reform: Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013; Just over three months ago, Alan Aleman was just excited to live life fully in the open.
Obama pleads for cooperation in Congress, but can Nevada delegation comply?: Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013; As President Barack Obama laid out his policy proposals on a spectrum of different issues, he returned to a common theme: Congress should come together to turn plans into reality. "America moves forward only when we do so together,” Obama said, “The responsibility of improving this union remains the task of us all.”
A look at new Obama policy proposals that could affect Nevada: Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013; The State of the Union is the president’s opportunity to lay out his vision for what Congress can and should try to achieve in the next year. The president introduced a series of new policy proposals that could have a significant effect on Nevada residents and workers. While we won’t have details on the exact structure and cost of many of these proposals, this lineup of the top five is a guide for Nevadans who want to know what to look out for from the White House in the months to come.
Sen. Harry Reid not interested in buying hometown casino, former brothel: Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013; Most of Searchlight’s business district may be for sale, but the town's favorite son isn’t interested in buying. Sen. Harry Reid told reporters today that he didn’t expect to make a bid on the land and properties recently listed by the Doing family.
State of the Union is Act 2 of president's inaugural address: Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013; For a preview of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech, look no further than his recent inaugural address.
Obama should prepare for long road to achieving energy goals: President should make strategy on energy more clear in State of the Union, but achieving bipartisan support could be a battle; Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013; When he speaks to Congress tonight, President Barack Obama will repeat many familiar points about his 2013 agenda. He already has articulated the stakes facing gun control and, more or less, detailed his position on immigration reform. But the State of the Union speech will be Obama’s first opportunity to present a detailed, second-term strategy for the issue he has identified as his next priority: energy.
Undocumented immigrant from Las Vegas to attend State of Union: Monday, Feb. 11, 2013; Every year, a hand-picked set of special guests sits with the first lady as the president delivers the State of the Union address.
From seat on Judiciary, Amodei could play outsized role in immigration reform: Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013; The Nevada lawmaker who may end up having the most influence over the immigration reform bill is the one who has, to date, stayed the most silent: Rep. Mark Amodei.
No teeth in 'No Budget No Pay' law means business as usual for Congress: Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013; Passing a one-year version of Sen. Dean Heller’s “No Budget, No Pay” Act last week was supposed to be Congress’ stern warning to itself to end what has become customary, semi-annual hysteria over the possibility of a government shutdown. But so far, things aren’t off to a particularly promising start. The prescription seemed quite simple: produce a budget for next year or, quite literally, pay the consequences.
Harry Reid says cutting Saturday mail service shortsighted: Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013; Cut mail down to five delivery days per week? Not so fast, says Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Obama's push for gay rights in immigration reform prompts GOP opposition: Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013; President Barack Obama unveiled his blueprint for immigration reform last week, highlighting that same-sex couples would be entitled to the same immigration rights as heterosexual couples. It caught many social conservatives off-guard.
Horsford leads Black Caucus discussion on immigration: Monday, Feb. 4, 2013; Nevada Rep. Steven Horsford co-hosted an hour of testimonials by members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Monday night, on the 100th anniversary of Rosa Parks’ birthday, to draw attention to immigration reform.
Harry Reid weighs in on Alabama voting rights case: Friday, Feb. 1, 2013; Sen. Harry Reid weighed in Friday on an upcoming Supreme Court case that could prove pivotal in determining whether campaigns for voter ID laws proliferate.
Immigration reform may be tougher sell with House Republicans: Friday, Feb. 1, 2013; If this week’s immigration announcements from President Obama and a bipartisan Senate group established anything, it is that there are more points upon which they agree than disagree. But what about the House?
Heller’s ‘no budget, no pay’ plan part of debt ceiling agreement: Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013; The Senate gave its final blessing to a bill to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling today, with a vote that simultaneously sent Nevada Sen. Dean Heller’s “no budget, no pay” legislation to the White House for President Barack Obama’s signature.
Harry Reid says immigration is ‘top priority’ but won’t rush it: Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013; Immigration is the “top priority” for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his team of top Democrats, who are confident 2013 “will be the year” that a comprehensive reform bill gets through Congress.
Nevada veterans applaud new roles for women in combat: Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013; The Defense Department’s announcement last week that women would be eligible to serve in combat roles was a historic change. But for many Nevada veterans, the new order is a standard that is long overdue. “We had been trying for years, but I think we finally hit a point in society where society could accept it,” said Dottie Marsh, the women’s veterans advocate with the Nevada Chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. “If this push had happened 20 years ago, society probably wouldn’t have accepted it."
Reid insists he will bring gun-control legislation to Senate floor: Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013; Sen. Harry Reid still hasn’t articulated his feelings about stepping up gun bans and background checks, – and it is leading some Republicans to question the majority leader’s commitment to bringing up a proposal.
Report: Sands' PAC is nearly broke: Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013; When it came to the 2012 election, Sheldon Adelson’s pockets were so deep you might consider them bottomless. But you can’t say the same for his company’s political wing.
Obama hits the road to sell immigration reform in Las Vegas: Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013; President Barack Obama will kick off his public push for immigration reform with a visit to Las Vegas today. But the center of the immigration debate appears to be settling squarely in D.C.
New filibuster likely won't change Senate dynamic much: Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013; The filibuster change agreed to by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell may do little to change the gridlock in Congress.
Senate approves modest, not sweeping, changes to the filibuster: Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid decided to take the conciliatory route around filibuster reform, striking a deal with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to make modest changes to the Senate’s signature procedural snafu.