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Author: Mike McGreer

Trump claims presidential immunity denies $83.3 million payment to E. Jean Carroll.

President Donald Trump has asked the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to pause enforcement of the $83.3 million defamation judgment awarded to E. Jean Carroll, seeking to delay payment. At the same time, he prepares a potential Supreme Court appeal.

The request comes days after the appeals court rejected Trump’s bid to rehear the case before the full court, effectively ending his path to further review at that level.

Trump claims presidential immunity as granted by the Supreme Court and argues that allowing enforcement now would cause irreparable harm, since Carroll has publicly stated she plans to give away any money she receives.

Chesley update

On April 14, 2026, the Mesquite City Council voted to settle Chesley v. City of Mesquite, et al., Case No. A23-877738-B, Case No. A-25-91-7767-W and EEOC Charge No. 487-2025-01055, for $1,425,000.00, with settlement contingent upon a fully executed settlement agreement or upon order from the 8th Judicial District Court, and with all settlement amounts paid by Travelers Insurance Company for over $1.425 million.

To read a historical document on this case, go to the second article on page 7 of the blog.

https://mesquite2moapadems.com/blog/page/7/#

MASTO PUSHES Lateral Water Pipeline Act.

Washington, D.C. – On February 26, U.S. Senator Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) passed her bill to allow the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) to construct a new water pipeline to provide water-delivery redundancy for over one million Nevadans. The Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Water Pipeline Act would dramatically improve the reliability of Las Vegas’s water system and protect residents from outages, while safeguarding ecosystems in Sloan Canyon. The bill also expands the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area (NCA) by nearly 9,300 acres – increasing its size by nearly 20 percent.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority proposed project improves the redundancy, reliability, and flexibility of water delivery to the City of Henderson and the southern Las Vegas Valley.

The project includes individual transmission and storage projects for nearly a million existing customers while allowing flexibility to meet Southern Nevada’s future water demands.

Click on the link for additional information.

https://www.snwa.com/infrastructure-improvements/horizon-lateral/index.html

Trump moves to block Middle East free press during Iraq war.

When Donald Trump joined with  Benjamin Netanyahu to again attack Iran, he urged the Iranian people to “take over your government.”

Of course, dismantling the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the supreme leader’s authority, establishing a secular constitution, and ensuring free elections remain extremely low. 

Among the many tactical and strategic challenges is a press able to Challenge Ideology by expressing views on democracy and human rights that run counter to the traditional, state-centered Ideology.

Of course, any free press is not what Trump wants. Minho Kim, reporting for the NY Times from Washington on February 25, said that Trump is seeking to limit safeguards protecting the editorial freedom of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Middle East Broadcasting Networks, which are private nonprofits, and that they now have to sign a contract with the Trump administration to receive the money that Congress authorized.

Such a contract gives political appointees more control over their operations, including Kari Lake, who leads the parent agency of the federally funded news groups, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, a longtime supporter and former Republican candidate ideologically aligned with Trump.

According to a draft of the proposal reviewed by The New York Times and two people familiar with the matter, Lake for Trump would have the power to veto new hires for editors in chief, chief executives, and members of their boards, and could unilaterally shut down parts of their news operations with a two-week notice.

As of now, contract negotiations continue.

Know your enemy

When Nevada Senators Jackie Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto joined with six other Democratic Senators (i) to abandon their party’s majority and hold the line against the recent Congressional shutdown they aided and abetted, Donald Trump’s corrupt move to take 2026 appropriations authority away from Congress (ii) while illegally impounding 2025 funds to support only his own personal policy choices.

The over 40-day 2025 shutdown began when fiscal 2026 appropriations negotiations collapsed, primarily over Trump’s desire not to extend the healthcare subsidy extensions while pushing for Medicaid cuts.

Without appropriations, a shutdown became inevidable allowing Trump managed Senate Republicians to coerce Masto and Rosen, and six other Democats to join with them to end the shutdown on a Trump corruption based promise to hold a vote on extending Affordable Care Act tax credits, possibly in December along with a promise that Trump will allow the rehiring federal workers (including air traffic controllers) laid off during the shutdown, with backdpay, at least through January.

Those alleged benefits come with a near certainty that Trump will not allow Republicans to keep their promises, while simultaneously continuing policies that, among other things, decrease federal employment, reduce food assistance, and increase healthcare costs.

Further, withholding food assistance payments had already drawn court disapproval, and Trump appeared to be backing down on that issue. And, the potential rehiring of furloughed federal workers during the shutdown was an inevitable action anyway, as pressure continued to build. All of which makes the decision to support Trump-managed Republicans all the more disengenous.

More importantly, voting in favor of funding a corrupt Trump government is an act of complicity in that corruption, whereas the resistance, as supported by the majority of Senate Democrats, was an attempt to hold the line against such corruption. At the same time, it simultaneously draws media attention to the negative traits of Trump’s funding policies.

The Republicans, led by Trump, are on a roll to dismantle government, replace it with an autocracy, while ending beneficial federal programs to increase income disparity (through tax relief), with the benefits given to the top 0.01 percent.

Rosen and Masto lack the stamina to resist corruption and govern; they have hidden behind their desks in Washington, instead of standing against the Trump agenda, so their abandonment of their party is no surprise.

Rosen’s term ends in 2031, and Masto’s in 2029; both will go down in history as individuals who abandoned Democracy in favor of autocracy and corruption at a critical time, gaining nothing except the disgust of those who had hoped for better.

i.) Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Sen Tim Kaine, Virginia, Sen. Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire, Sen Angus King, Maine, and Sen. John Fetterman, Pennsylvania

ii.) Article One of the United States Constitution grants the U.S. Congress the authority to appropriate funds from the Treasury.

Public Urged to Comment on Significant USDA Cuts by Sept. 30, 2025

Individuals interested in potentially losing government-provided financial aid amounting to $157.11 billion in 2025 for food, nutrition, and safety, as well as agriculture in general, should join in opposition to the reorganization attempts by Agriculture Secretary (USDA) Brooke Rollins.

Rollins, a Trump appointee and daughter of Helen Kerwin, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, announced plans to send 2,600 of her 4,000 (65%) of her Washington, DC staff to five regional hubs: Raleigh, NC; Kansas City, MO; Indianapolis, IN; Fort Collins, CO; and Salt Lake City, UT.

This relocation move follows the loss of at least 15,000 employees who have accepted Rollins’ “voluntary” resignation offers as she seeks to eliminate 30,000 (30%) of its workforce.[i]

In addition, last month, Rollins announced the elimination of a $360 million program, established during the Biden era, through the American Rescue Plan Act to bolster rural development and build stronger food supply networks in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Rollins’ move to cut her Washington, DC staff by 65% masks the actual importance of those people.

Federal agencies place political appointees and hire civil service individuals in their Washington, DC staff for both political and professional reasons.

USDA Washington, DC personnel, both political and civil service, deal with several congressional committees when budgeting, planning, and programming, including House Agriculture, Supplemental Nutrition (SNAP), Livestock and Foreign Agriculture, Nutrition, Oversight and Department Operations, Forestry and Horticulture, Farm Bill Committee, General Farm Committee, and Risk Management and Conservation programs. Additionally, statistical information on farm and agricultural activities comes from the DC office.

Furthermore, political appointees, as expected, serve the whims of the party in power, whereas civil service individuals provide the long-term knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to run an organization and, sometimes surreptitiously, provide Congress with organizational information that often corrects distorted or misinterpreted political presentations.

Through these collaborative efforts, in 2025, Congress obligated $192.71 billion to the USDA. Of that amount, Congress directed USDA to spend $157.11 billion (81.5% of the total) on private sector contractors (4.6%) and financial assistance (95.4%).

In simple terms, it’s civil service employees who determine the cost-effectiveness of obligation spending. At the same time, political appointees attempt to do the opposite, either by ending funding or diverting those dollars to special interest groups, without oversight.

In Nevada, USDA funds cover aerial photography, conservation programs, daily market prices, disaster assistance, farm loans, outreach and education, and price support for food banks, as well as SNAP.

Unfortualy, under Rollins, as of March 2025, USDA funding for programs supporting Nevada’s food banks, schools, and local businesses, such as the Home Feeds Nevada program and regional food business centers, has been significantly reduced or eliminated.

While some rural development grants continue, Rollins terminated significant funding for locally sourced food purchases, which impacts the state’s agricultural sector and food security efforts. 

According to Jeniffer Solis of Nevada Current, the USDA terminations amount to $3 million, and local small and mid-sized food and farm businesses ended three years ahead of schedule. 

For her part, Rollings, while serving as president and CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, an Austin-based conservative think tank, advocated for the end of agriculture subsidies for farmers and opposed ethanol requirements for fuels.

Meanwhile, as agriculture trade groups sound alarms about price slumps for crops and worsening credit conditions, during Trump’s chaotic trade war, Rollins, in addressing the Northern AG Network in July, congratulated Trump on his trade policies, saying that “I believe with every fiber of my being that prosperity is around the corner because of Trump’s trade negotiations.“

As a reminder, it was Rollins who told reporters on July 8, 2025,  that Medicaid recipients could replace farm laborers.

Individuals can provide comments by emailing [email protected] and are also encouraged to contact their senators and representatives. The comment period is open through September 30, 2025.

[i] See: USDA workforce according to Politico.

Say goodbye to Capitalism and hello to the MAGA-Republican Marxist-Maoist strategy.

Donald Trump announced today that he has taken a 10 percent equity stake in Intel Corp, allegedly on behalf of the US Government.

With a convicted felon and ethically challenged businessman at the head of he government, one can never be sure about the details of such a transaction.

As just one example of his money-making scheme under the banner of the Presidency, taxpayers are currently paying for his Qatari Jumbo Jet upgrade, estimated at between $400 million and a billion dollars, which will revert to his personal use through his donation-rich library after he leaves office.

Of course, the first “lady,” Melania, raked in $40 million to license her documentary about returning to the White House, adding to the $10 million Trump received from Musk’s X, arguably as a donation, and the “meme coin” venture bringing in additional millions to him and his family.

But for laughs, let’s assume that the Intel deal, ostensibly supported by Congressional Republicans, is a US government venture.

If so, it contributes to the MAGA-Republican Marxist-Maoist strategy of utilizing government resources to seize control of private enterprises’ corporate boards, take over strategic decision-making, and thereby implement government-controlled investment policies.

 Say Goodbye, Adam Smith, Friedrich Hayek, Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman, and millions of others living under the illusion of Constitution-based Capitalism, especially those billionaires thinking that Trump’s venture is on their side of the Capitalist equation.

Trumps Tarrif War reduces income

Donald Trump’s tariff rates, ranging from 10 to 41 percent on goods from more than 90 countries, took effect after midnight on Thursday.

His move to reignite his trade war, particularly against Canada, Mexico, and China, will result in a 2.7% reduction in income for the bottom 20% of earners, while the top 1% will lose 0.6%.

The Yale Budget Lab estimates that the overall price level resulting from all tariffs enacted in 2025 will lead to an average household income loss of $2,400 in 2025 dollars. Other analyses project even higher costs, with some estimating a $3,800 annual loss per household from consumer price increases tied to all 2025 tariffs.

While US tariff revenues have risen significantly, they still constitute a small portion of the federal budget deficit. The projected fiscal year 2025 federal budget deficit is $1.9 trillion. The increased tariff revenue, even with recent increases, amounts to roughly 7% of that figure. 

Such a minor increase in revenue puts to rest Trump‘s idea of entirely replacing the federal income tax with new tariffs.

To replace the roughly $2 trillion of revenue raised by the individual income tax with tariffs would require astronomically high tariff rates.

 Raising tariff rates to astronomically high levels would significantly depress imports, making it impossible to generate enough revenue to offset the costs of Trump’s tariff rates fully.

Trump’s attack on Iran, an Economic strategy (editorial)

 Trump’s attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities is part of his Economic strategy to make the rich richer at the cost of lives and economic sustainability for everyone else.

After Netanyahu dog-walked Trump into illegally dropping bombs on Iran’s nuclear facilities, we must dismiss his allegations of a total distribution of Iran’s atomic ability; he has delayed but accelerated their ability to make at least low-yield nuclear weapons.

While it is unlikely, but possible, that Trump has committed us to a full-out nuclear or conventional war, what he has essentially done is strengthen Russia and China’s ties to join with Iraq in taking economic actions against the US, in addition to supporting their proxies (primarily Shiite militants) in terrorist activities both abroad and on US soil, thus creating a need for more military-industrial complex spending.

Fighting terrorism is an economic gain for the military-industrial complex, and Trump spent over $22 billion on conflicts in the Middle East over the past year, including military aid to Israel and American operations in the region.

However, other Presidents have also contributed to the total cost of the US global war on terror, which stands at $8 trillion in taxpayer funding and 900,000 deaths.

Regardless, Trump’s 2026 federal budget proposes cuts to domestic programs and a 13% increase in military spending, including $127 billion for a virtually useless missile defense system (Golden Dome).

Both Israel and Iran have a range of missiles capable of reaching each other. However, the US stands uniquely apart from such a threat, unless, of course, Mexico and Canada perceive Trump as a military threat.

Even if such a threat exists, at best, a multi-layered missile defense system would have a 50% interception success rate, which could cost anywhere from $430 billion to $5.3 trillion, prompting experts to question whether the system is worth the cost.

And because of Trump’s antagonism and meritless Tariff actions against Western Allies, it is highly questionable whether NATO, under Article 5, would aid the US in combating terrorism, essentially arguing that the Article only applies to an armed attack, leaving the US to bear the problem alone.

All in all, US citizens can now look forward to massive defense spending, a lower gross national product, and higher death tolls for military members and citizens alike.

Groundwater over appropriations addressed.

“The water of all sources of water supply within the boundaries of the State, whether above or beneath the surface of the ground, belongs to the public.” Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 533.025

On June 3, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo signed into law Nevada Assembly Bill 104 (AB 104), which strengthens the authority of the Nevada Water Engineer to address groundwater over-appropriations.

The bipartisan-supported legislation provides current Nevada Water Engineer Adam Sullivan with additional regulatory power to address the issue.

There is nothing new about the demand-appropriation problem. On January 30, 2018, during a Nevada Water Law Summit, then-Nevada Water Engineer Jason King referred to over-appropriations. He said, “Most (Basins) was already over-appropriated before establishing the perennial yield.” He noted, “Popular thinking suggested that not all rights would be put to their maximum beneficial use, so it was acceptable to over‐appropriate.”

Then, on June 29, 2018, King told the Legislative Committee on Public Lands that: “The goal is not to allow the consumptive use of Groundwater rights and domestic wells; to exceed the basin’s perennial yield.”

However, in 2020, Tim Wilson (replaced by Sullivan), who replaced King, stated that the Nevada Water Law does not mandate calculating the perennial yield for water rights administration.

To illustrate the issue, consider Mesquite, Nevada, which has a groundwater perennial yield of 3,600 acre-feet annually from its Basin (222).

In 1990, Mesquite had a population of 1,960 and an annual groundwater use rate of 811 acre-feet per year. The population reached 24,232 in 2024, with an anticipated growth rate of 3.08%. In 2020, the groundwater use rate was 7,137 acre-feet annually, nearly twice (1.98) the perennial yield.

Nevertheless, on September 18, 2012, King informed the Virgin Valley Water District Board members —Karl Gustaveson, Ted Miller, Sandra Ramaker, Kenyon Leavitt, and Richard Bowler — that the Water Engineers had permitted [over permitted]12,000 acre-feet per year (AFY) for underground use by the Water District from Basin 222.

During the same meeting, Mike Moran from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Henderson, NV, suggested a water budget that would account for all surface and Groundwater for $972,544, with the cost split between the USGS and the water district, starting in 2014 over five years. The effort never materialized.

Then, on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, Micheline Fairbank, the former Deputy Director of Nevada’s Division of Water Resources, appeared before Mesquite Mayor Allan S. Litman, Council members Wes Boger, Karen Dutkowski (Called In), George Gault, Sandra Ramaker, and Brian Wursten. 

She told the Council that Nevada water law (NRS 533.024) requires the State Water Engineer to prepare a “water budget” for Groundwater and must manage water resources “conjunctively” with all sources of surface water.

Ms. Fairbank also informed the Council that 2019 legislation, SB150, requires county or city governments to develop an all-source water resource plan. She also addressed the issue of conjunctive (all-source) studies.

She said that historically, the Division of Water Resources managed surface and underground Water separately. Nonetheless, she confirmed that the Water Engineer was required to prepare a “water budget” and manage water resources conjunctively. She acknowledged that the Water Engineer did have a conjunctive water model but lacked the financial resources to implement it locally.

As with the USGS water budget proposal, this effort likewise never received funding from either the City Council or the Water Board.

The 2025 legislation, if enforced:
• Requires the State Engineer to retire certain groundwater rights: This means the State Engineer can permanently remove some water rights from use, especially in over-appropriated basins.
• Revises provisions relating to temporary permits for Groundwater: AB 104 updates the process for issuing or managing temporary groundwater permits, likely tightening rules to prevent further overuse.
• Creates the Nevada Conservation and Recreation Program: This new initiative provides grants to state agencies and local governments to protect natural resources, including Water and wildlife.
• Creates the Account for Retiring Water Rights: This is a dedicated fund for purchasing and retiring water rights from willing sellers. It’s part of a broader effort to reduce groundwater withdrawals and stabilize aquifers.
• Establishes the Nevada Voluntary Water Rights Retirement Program: This program enables water rights holders to sell their publicly owned but appropriated rights to the state.

The bill also includes provisions to prevent the reappropriation of retired water rights, thereby securing long-term water sustainability.

Retiring overappropriated water rights is ambitious at best and impossible to enforce in areas such as Mesquite, where demand continually exceeds the Basin’s perennial groundwater yield.

Without an objective, all-source water budget from the USGS, along with a plan to reduce demand from excessive growth to water budgeted levels, the economic future of Mesquite remains questionable.