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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.

Horsford on Inspecting Pahrump ICE Facility: Congressional Oversight is Never Optional

This Is A Press Release Issued by Congressman Steven Horsford

LAS VEGAS – Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) on Tuesday conducted Congressional oversight of the Nevada Southern Detention Center (NSDC), a privately-owned facility managed by CoreCivic under contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Pahrump, Nevada.

Horsford’s inspection came three weeks after he was denied entry to the same facility, and on the same day he sent a letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security requesting an investigation into the incident.

“The Constitution is clear, and so are our laws – Congressional oversight is never optional,” Rep. Horsford said. “I am concerned that the Department of Homeland Security neglected its obligations when I initially tried to visit this facility. Based on conversations I had with detainees today, I’m also concerned that DHC used the past three weeks to make improvements before I arrived.

“I spoke with nine detainees today, and what they shared with me is deeply concerning,” Horsford continued. “Medical treatment can take weeks; detainees do not have reliable access to immigration attorneys or resources; and many have been moved across state lines in the dead of night without advanced notice or understanding of where they were going.

“What I saw today underscores the importance of Congressional oversight,” Horsford added. “It speaks to why administration officials must honor our Constitution, and why Members of Congress must fight to protect our authority. That is why I requested an investigation from the House Appropriations Committee today, and I look forward to working with the Committee to uphold our laws and our Constitution.”

Alarming footage highlighted in Horsford’s letter shows the facility warden refusing entry to the lawmaker and his staff, and labeling them, “security risks”. On-site staff went so far as to call law enforcement on the Congressman.

Horsford’s letter asks, in part, for an investigation into the Department of Homeland Security’s noncompliance on his previous visit, and for the committee to, “consider appropriate corrective actions, including the potential conditioning of future appropriations to ensure full adherence to Congressional oversight obligations as outlined under federal law.”

By law, no Member of Congress is required to give advanced notice to inspect an ICE facility.  Every appropriations package since 2020 explicitly states that funds cannot be used to prevent a member of Congress “from entering, for the purpose of conducting oversight, any facility operated by or for the Department of Homeland Security used to detain or otherwise house aliens.” 

Text of Rep. Horsford’s letter is available here.

Horsford, Nevada Dems to Trump Admin: Address Barriers to ‘No Tax on Tips’

This is a press release issued by Congressman Horsford on August 13, 2025

North Las Vegas – Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) today joined U.S. Senators Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Rosen (D-NV) and Representatives Titus (NV-01) and Lee (NV-03) in sending a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary and Acting Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Scott Bessent calling on the Trump Administration to address barriers in implementation of the ‘No Tax on Tips’ provisions that would hurt tipped workers in Nevada.

Horsford previously led Reps. Titus and Lee in a letter to Secretary Bessent on July 25 (attached) requesting that Treasury enact safeguards to prevent waste, fraud and abuse, and urging the list of eligible occupations include traditionally and customarily tipped industries like cosmetology, hospitality, food and beverage service, parking attendants, and custodial services.

In today’s letter, the lawmakers wrote, in part:

“As you know, H.R. 1, an Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14, provided that certain taxpayers may take a deduction of up to $25,000 annually to reduce or eliminate taxable income on tipped wages. This proposal closely models legislation introduced or cosponsored by Nevada lawmakers in both the House and Senate. As you know, Nevadans rely on tips more than any other state in the nation and tax relief has been a critical bipartisan priority. Given our work on proposals related to Section 70201, we would like to highlight the following issues for the Department of Treasury in order to ensure the successful implementation of this provision for our constituents and tipped workers across the country.”

Specifically, the Members call on the administration to:

  • Provide withholding as soon as practicable to ensure taxpayers feel tax relief this year
  • Maintain Gaming Industry Tip Compliance Agreements (GITCA) and related programs
  • Provide the ability for employees under a GITCA to take the tips deduction based on their tip rate if they choose
  • Include as eligible for the deduction tips from transactions with auto-gratuities or suggested tip amounts
  • Allow married individuals who file with a SSN on a joint return to be eligible for the deduction, regardless of the filing method of their spouse and allow up to $50,000 in deductions for married couples
  • Provide maximum clarity for filers regarding how to determine what occupation they serve in and how to determine eligibility for the deduction
  • Issue regulations that allow the ability of performing artists to use the deduction when their occupation otherwise has traditionally received tips

Read the full letter here.

Rep. Horsford is the author of the TIPS Act, which is the strongest proposal in Congress to protect tipped workers from taxes.

As the House of Representatives considered H.R. 1, Horsford repeatedly called for robust protections for tips, including a letter to Speaker Johnson urging him to make the proposal bipartisan.

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.

Watch Out! The GOP Is Coming After Your Money!

Like thieves in the night, the Republicans have been hiding their intentions in the shadows lest anyone find out what they are actually up to. And just like those thieves, they won’t break into your house through the front. Instead, they’ll go around to the back door. It’s not so obvious that way.

This week, a prominent member of the administration, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, proudly revealed their subtle plot. On Wednesday, he stated that the so-called “Trump accounts” Republicans created for children in their tax and spending bill are “a back door for privatizing Social Security.”(1) Like the thieves, the Republicans can’t be up front about their plans, they have to sneak through a “back door.”

The Republicans ultimate goal, the destruction of Social Security (along with Medicare and Medicaid), has always been somewhat out in the open. We’ve all known it, but until Bessent’s statement, it was something that most Republicans would vigorously deny.

In fact, Republicans have stated over and over again that they were not planning to touch Social Security. Unfortunately, they said the same things about Medicare and Medicaid, and we have all seen what happened to those programs when they took power.

The GOP would object and say, “We’re not planning to destroy Social Security; we just want to ‘privatize’ it.” But what would that mean? It means that your money will be taken from the safe and secure government accounts and distributed to private investment firms and banks — you know those kinds of businesses in which the C-suite executives are paid tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars. Where do you think that money comes from?

And, while they’re at it, the Republicans also plan to eliminate all fiscal regulations on these firms such as fiduciary requirements. That will allow all manner of investor fraud to occur, not to mention abuse and waste.

The argument they make is that private firms can earn higher returns on investment than the government. This may be true in some cases, but it is also true that investment firms and banks have, at times, lost money through overly risky opportunities and sheer incompetence. Some of these firms have even gone bankrupt losing all of their clients’ capital (after paying out inordinate sums to their executives in salary and bonus packages). Remember the financial crisis of 2008? It included the collapses of Lehmann Brothers and Bear Stearns as well as the government bailouts (using taxpayer dollars) of JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley because they were “too big to fail.” Again, your money became their money without them having to go through the trouble of breaking the law.

Of course, once your funds are in the hands of these greedy people, you can expect to be charged all manner of “fees” in order to help pay for the exorbitant salaries and bonuses. There will be “maintenance fees,” “investment fees,” “administrative fees,” and so on. I anticipate that, under this scenario, the “fees” will steadily grow no matter what your return on investment is. Rather than receiving an annual letter from the Social Security Administration telling you about next year’s increase in your payments, you’re likely to get a bill from your investment banker for next year’s inflated fees.

But Social Security is going broke the Republicans argue. Yet they won’t take common-sense steps to save it like removing the arbitrary cap on Social Security taxes. It’s only there to keep the wealthy from having to pay more. Rather than save the program, the GOP would prefer to let it self-destruct even if it means that millions of Americans, some of whom are Republicans, will lose their only source of income.

Why are Republicans so adamant about privatizing Social Security? Because they see this HUGE pot of money in the government’s coffers that they and their billionaire backers can’t get their hands on. They lust after that money to the point of obsession. They aren’t really concerned about whose money it is, as long as they can get it somehow: like thieves in the night.

(1) https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/30/business/bessent-trump-social-security.html

Nevadans Losing Food Stamps

THIS IS A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE NEVADA DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Wednesday, Jul. 30, 2025
The Nevada Independent: 1 in 6 Nevadans Get Food Stamps. Many May Lose Benefits Under Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’

“In a state with increasing food insecurity, more than 130,000 food stamp recipients will have their eligibility reevaluated”
Last week, reporting from the Nevada Independent showed how Trump and Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill” will result in hundreds of thousands of families in Nevada either losing SNAP food benefits or seeing cuts to them. According to the article, Republican cuts to the program, made in an effort to offset tax cuts that are “primarily for the highest earners”, will mean “more Nevadans are going hungry”. 

One in six Nevadans, roughly 500,000 people, rely on the SNAP program and an estimated “265,000 families could lose all or some of their benefits, with 85,000 families facing at least $25 in monthly benefit losses”. According to the chief operations and strategy officer for Three Square, Nevada’s largest food bank, this will result in “kids having fewer meals, seniors literally having to skip dinner and ration more than they already do and then families that are working so many jobs and can barely make ends meet already.” 

Further, the article details how the Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill” will downshift tens of millions of dollars in additional costs to Nevada’s state budget. Under the bill, the state will have to cover between $50 million and $150 million of SNAP benefits costs annually, in addition to tens of millions of dollars more to cover the program’s administrative costs. According to one expert, that “will make it harder for the state to run the program effectively, which could result in higher error rates that will force Nevada to cover some of the benefit costs.”

Despite the immense harm the bill will do to Nevadans, Joe Lombardo has on multiple occasions praised the bill, saying both that Nevadans should be “excited” by it and thanking Speaker Mike Johnson for coming to Nevada to try to sell the bill. 

Read more below:

The Nevada Independent: 1 in 6 Nevadans get food stamps. Many may lose benefits under Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill.’
 The “One Big Beautiful Bill” signed by President Donald Trump earlier this month is likely to upend the food assistance program that serves 1 in 6 Nevadans, with expanded work requirements threatening thousands of recipients’ eligibility and the state expected to shoulder more of the program’s administrative costs.

The legislation cuts nationwide food stamp funding by about $186 billion through 2034, or a fifth of the total federal dollars allocated to the program. Its inclusion is an effort to offset some of the costs of extending tax cuts that will result in lower taxes across all income brackets, but primarily for the highest earners.

Food stamps, officially referred to as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), provide cash assistance for low-income individuals to buy food at certain retailers. Although the full impact of the cuts have yet to be fully assessed by the state, early indications are that the bill will result in hundreds of thousands of Nevada families losing or seeing a reduction in their benefits.

Changes made in the bill will have far-ranging results: The eligibility of more than 130,000 Nevadans could be in doubt because of changes to work requirements, benefit amounts are less likely to increase over time, and the state will have to cover more administrative costs, which researchers say will result in less attention directed toward rooting out errors in the program.

About 500,000 Nevadans participate in the program, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The average Nevada household on SNAP received $166 in monthly benefits, amounting to about $6 daily and $2,000 annually, according to an analysis from the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The Urban Institute, an economic think tank, estimated that 265,000 families in Nevada could lose all or some of their benefits, with 85,000 families facing at least $25 in monthly benefit losses.

The bill has resulted in significant angst from officials focused on eliminating hunger in the Silver State — and it’s come at potentially the worst possible time. Inflation remains stubbornly high, the Trump administration has already cut certain food programs, food banks across the state have reported increasing demand in recent months and a surge in federal pandemic aid that expanded SNAP and other food programs is drying up.

All of it means more Nevadans are going hungry.
 Segler from Three Square added that “this is taking [recipients’] livelihood away.” “The things I think about are kids having fewer meals, seniors literally having to skip dinner and ration more than they already do and then families that are working so many jobs and can barely make ends meet already,” she said.

The federal government has always fully funded SNAP benefits, leaving implementation to the states. But under the new law, states could have to shoulder some of the food costs.

States with a payment error rate above 6 percent — meaning there was either underpayment or overpayment on at least 6 percent of benefit payouts — would be required to cover between 5 percent and 15 percent of total benefit costs starting in 2028. In fiscal year 2024, Nevadans received about $1 billion in benefits, so Nevada would need to pay between $50 million and $150 million if the error rate is too high.

Still, no matter the error rates, Nevada and other states will have to foot more of the administrative costs.

Previously, the federal government reimbursed half of the dollars tied to food stamp administration, but beginning in fiscal year 2027, states will have to cover 75 percent of the costs.

In fiscal year 2025, the projected administrative cost to the state was about $83 million, which the state will pay half of, according to Muessle, the state spokesperson, but the state’s payment would have increased by about $20 million under the new model. Muessle said that the administrative cost for fiscal year 2026 is expected to be about $100 million.

Plata-Nino added that this will make it harder for the state to run the program effectively, which could result in higher error rates that will force Nevada to cover some of the benefit costs.

McDonough, the UNLV economist, added that the implications of the bill go beyond “whether people have empty stomachs.” “It’s really about potential rising health care costs stemming from these externalities, students struggling in school, lost productivity in the workplace, and then just putting sort of these community partnership programs, food banks under real financial strain,” he said.

Aaron Ford For Governor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Jul. 29, 2025
Attorney General Aaron Ford Launches Campaign for Governor, Secures Key Endorsements
Politico: One of America’s most at-risk GOP governors gets a Democratic challenger
Yesterday, after receiving the endorsements of Nevada’s entire Democratic Congressional Delegation, Attorney General Aaron Ford launched his campaign for Governor to a crowd of more than 250 people alongside Congresswoman Dina Titus, Congressman Steven Horsford, Assemblywoman Cecelia González, and labor leaders. Ford started his morning with a prayer breakfast at his home church followed by a small business stop at Gritz Cafe. He ended his day in rural Nye County talking with Pahrump voters.

See more below:
WATCH ON KTNV HERE:
WATCH ON KSNV HERE:
WATCH ON KVVU HERE:

Nevada Independent: Aaron Ford, Nevada’s Democratic attorney general, officially jumps into governor’s raceFord has previously described his role as attorney general as focused on justice in all its forms — environmental, racial, housing, social — and on Monday, he touted suing both the Trump and Biden administrations, saying if someone hurts Nevada families, he’s “not backing down.”However, Geoff Garin, the president of Hart Research, who has conducted extensive polling for Democrats, told The Nevada Independent in a July interview that the polling reveals vulnerabilities and “there’s no real depth” to Lombardo’s support.During the 2023 legislative session, Ford’s office proposed laws addressing organized retail crime, making it easier for law enforcement to respond to domestic violence incidents and increasing penalties for fentanyl possession.In the 2025 legislative session, Ford spearheaded legislation banning price manipulation of essential goods and services. Lombardo vetoed it.
New York Times: Nevada Democrats Spot an Opportunity in a Vulnerable G.O.P. GovernorAfter months of anticipation, the 2026 race for Nevada governor came into focus on Monday, with the favorite for the Democratic nomination making his campaign official as he seeks to take down the Republican incumbent.The flurry of activity is all part of a growing effort among Democrats to take down one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents: Gov. Joe Lombardo, who is running for re-election in a swing state that has not hesitated to oust its sitting officeholders in recent years.Democrats’ best shot is likely to be Aaron Ford, the state attorney general who announced his entrance into the Democratic primary on Monday after signaling his intention to run for months. Mr. Ford is widely viewed as the favorite to win the nomination, though he will have company in the primary next June.Mr. Ford pointed to Mr. Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill, which could cause more than 100,000 people in Nevada to lose Medicaid coverage, and Mr. Lombardo’s veto of bills like one that would have provided meals to students.
Politico: One of America’s most at-risk GOP governors gets a Democratic challengerOnce a recipient of food stamps and Medicaid benefits, Ford now plans to run against Republicans’ cuts to those same programs, which he says will deeply impact Nevadans.“It was Medicaid that enabled my son and me to have the health care we needed in order to be able to survive. It was food stamps that kept us fed,” Ford said in an interview, explaining that he and his son used these programs for a year and a half when he was a single father attending college. “It hits me … particularly hard to know that people are about to be hit in those areas.”Medicaid has become a major campaign point for Democrats across the country, and Ford is already framing his race through that lens. In a conversation with POLITICO the week before announcing his campaign, Ford talked about the negative effects the megabill will have on Nevadans and criticized Lombardo’s response to the legislation — accusing him of being silent on cuts that would harm Nevadans.
Las Vegas Review Journal: AG Ford launches bid for Nevada governor“If you’re tired of the status quo, and you’re tired of people who won’t stand up for you, you want someone who’s going to fight for a Nevada that works for everyone, join us,” Ford said to a crowd of over 250 at the East Las Vegas Community Center.At his campaign launch, Nevada Democratic Reps. Steven Horsford and Dina Titus introduced Ford and commended his work as attorney general, such as clearing a backlog of rape kits, delivering settlements for Nevada and suing the Trump administration over what Titus described as an “executive overreach.”Ford went to college and in his junior year became a father, then a single father, needing Medicaid and food stamps to care for his son, he said. He later met his wife, Berna Rhodes-Ford, graduated from college, earned two master’s degrees and his law degree and became a public school math teacher.Ford said it is time to “stop sliding backwards” and to start “moving forward” — a slogan highlighted in his campaign video, with emphasis on the first and last two letters of ‘forward’. If elected, he promised to bring down prescription drug prices, stop corporations from buying up homes, guarantee breakfast and lunch for public school students and fund summer school.
The Hill: Nevada attorney general launches bid to unseat Lombardo“I’m running for Governor because Nevadans need a fighter in their corner,” Ford said in a statement released Monday. “I will work to lower the crushing cost of housing and prescription drugs, strengthen our public schools, and ensure every community in Nevada is safe.”Ford touted his background as a former math teacher who also served as majority leader of the state Senate. He argued that under the GOP governor, “Nevadans are suffering in an economy that is rigged against those trying their hardest to stay afloat” and hit him over issues such as the state’s high unemployment rate and homelessness.The Silver State, along with Georgia, are seen as Democrats’ best opportunities to flip governors’ mansions next year. The nonpartisan election analyst Cook Political Report rates the governor’s seat in Nevada and Georgia both as toss-ups.

Nevada Current: Ford promises ‘you matter’ state government if elected to top spot“I know what it’s like to feel like you’re pushing a rock up a hill in the fight for a better life. And families all across Nevada are feeling it, too,” he said. “It feels like the deck is stacked against them. And you know what? It is. I’m fighting for the kind of government that sees people like I was and says, ‘you matter.’”Ford noted that Lombardo, when asked by a reporter about the impact of Trump’s tariffs, said Nevadans “‘may have to feel a little pain.’ Can you believe that our governor wants families to feel pain while he caters to the powerful? Well, thanks to Joe Lombardo and Donald Trump, there’s plenty of pain to go around.”Ford criticized Lombardo for enlisting a Republican lawmaker to kill legislation that would have limited home buying by out-of-state corporations, whose purchases jack up the prices in Nevada neighborhoods. Under Lombardo’s watch, he added, Nevada has had the highest unemployment rate in the nation while job growth lags other states.  NBC News has labeled Lombardo as the most vulnerable Republican governor seeking reelection next year. The governor’s support for Trump’s deportation policies could erode his support among Latino voters, an essential voting bloc in the state.
NBC: Nevada’s Democratic attorney general launches campaign for governorNevada state Attorney General Aaron Ford announced a run for governor today, challenging Republican incumbent Joe Lombardo — seen as the most vulnerable Republican governor up for re-election next year.“The bottom line is, I think the Nevadans deserve a governor who’s going to solve problems, not one who blocks progress,” Ford said in an interview with NBC News.“When I’m governor, I’ll invest in strong public schools and creating good paying jobs, including in the clean energy and tech sectors, and I’ll work to ensure that every family can afford to live and to thrive here,  which is the opposite what we see Joe Lombardo doing,” Ford said.Nevada Democrats have already sought to tie Lombardo to the law, though the Republican has walked a fine line between offering praise for certain aspects of the megabill while pushing back against others.
Washington Post: The one state that could determine House control next yearAaron Ford, Nevada’s Democratic attorney general, formally announced his campaign for governor today, setting up his expected, but closely watched, 2026 campaign.“Nevadans have a history of holding their elected officials accountable, as they did when Senator Jacky Rosen defeated Dean Heller. Voters are looking for a leader who understands their challenges, has lived through them, and is ready to fight for real results,” Ford told us in a statement, before referring to his likely opponent, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo as “the most vulnerable Republican governor up for reelection next year.”Ford has a unique personal story — growing up in poverty, surviving on many of the same programs cut in Trump’s recently signed mega-bill and eventually earning five degrees and rising to become the top law enforcement official in his state.
Las Vegas Sun: Democrats rally around Ford’s bid to become Nevada governorMonday’s event offered a better idea of Ford’s line of attack against current Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo: tying the former sheriff to President Donald Trump’s policies such as the One Big Beautiful Bill and a growing list of executive orders reshaping the federal government.He connected those policies to his upbringing, telling the story of once eating stale candy bars his father found next to a dumpster for dinner. It was food stamps that prevented him from going hungry and Medicaid that ensured he could see a doctor, Ford said.Despite the attacks on Lombardo and Trump, Ford emphasized his commitment to bipartisanship. The attorney general noted that he had also sued President Joe Biden’s administration while it was in office.“Finally, a candidate for governor in Nevada who speaks our language, understands our struggles, and will fight for our families,” Doñate wrote in Spanish.
###

Da Plane! Da Plane!

I bet you forgot about that Qatar plane that was gifted (?) to Donald Trump to use as his new Air Force One, that he will take personal possession of after leaving office through his presidential library. Lots of other stories have been taking up our space, but this one is now back in the news.

New reporting shows what that “free” jet will cost the taxpayer to retrofit.

The New York Times (David Sanger) reported that there has been a mysterious, $934 million transfer of funds from a Pentagon project that is designated to modernize our nation’s ground-based nuclear missiles. This price tag is in addition to the $4 billion already being spent for Boeing to deliver new Air Force One planes, but Trump doesn’t want to wait for those new planes. The Qatar jet will become his — not the new Boeing jets.

The gold-adored plane will need to be retrofitted with communications and safety systems. Some experts believe the price tag will exceed $1 billion.

This, of course, is a bigger priority of the Trump Administration than feeding starving children around the world, providing Meals on Wheels to elderly residents, medical care for the poor that would stop infectious diseases from spreading, food stamps for single mothers with children, Head Start to give poor children basic skills before starting school, and adequate Medicaid funds to facilitate end-of-life care for those who cannot afford to pay for a nursing home. This is the United States of America now.

Here is a YouTube video from The Bulwark which further details this story. It is about seven minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbnzkDSfMsY&t=315s

Horsford on GOP’s Hearing in Las Vegas: Selling Lies Nevadans Won’t Buy

NORTH LAS VEGAS – Congressman Steven Horsford [on Friday] organized and led public opposition to a Republican field hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee in his Las Vegas Congressional District.

Horsford led a joint press conference, delivered remarks at the GOP field hearing, and coordinated real-time counterprogramming to elevate local voices during the hearing.

The Republican field hearing, which was billed as an event to “highlight the One, Big, Beautiful Bill’s benefits for American families and workers,” came as report after report and article after article highlight the ways Nevadans will actually be harmed by the new law. Three weeks after President Trump signed it into effect, public sentiment remains staunchly against it. The field hearing was further hamstrung by news this morning of focus groups showing Nevada swing voters turning against President Trump.

“Congressional Republicans came to Las Vegas this week to sell a lie that my constituents are way too savvy to buy,” Rep. Horsford said. “Their tax law strips healthcare from more than 110,000 Nevadans, eliminates 8,300 clean energy and manufacturing jobs from our state, and increases our average energy costs by $500 per year. Any money saved from taxes will be squandered on Trump’s tariffs and the economic turmoil they continue to cause. We should be rewarding work over wealth, and creating the economic opportunities for families to thrive – not just survive.”

More information about how the Republican Tax Law impacts Nevada is available here.

Video of Rep. Horsford’s press conference is available here.

At-risk Rural Hospitals in Nevada

In June, several Democratic U.S. Senators sent a letter (1) to President Trump, Speaker Johnson, and Majority Leader Thune outlining the consequences of the soon-to-be-passed reconciliation bill (the Big Ugly Bill). The letter warns that “these cuts will have devastating consequences for health outcomes and costs, jobs, and the economic success of rural communities.”

Attached to the letter is “information provided by the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina (that) illustrates what your party’s reconciliation bill will mean for the health of Americans living in rural communities.”

The attached study identified the at-risk rural hospitals by state. The study looked at how “(s)ubstantial cuts to Medicaid or Medicare payments could increase the number of unprofitable rural hospitals and elevate their risk of financial distress. In response, hospitals may be forced to reduce service lines, convert to a different type of health care facility, or close altogether.”

The study named hospitals that meet one or both of two financial criteria: (1) the hospital is in the top 10% (ten percent) Medicaid payer mix of rural hospitals across the country, (2) the hospital has experienced three consecutive years of negative total margin. This means these rural hospitals face greater risk of being forced to stop providing some services, converting, or closing.

In Nevada, two hospitals were specifically identified as “at-risk” under these criteria. These were

1. Battle Mountain General Hospital in Battle Mountain and

2. Humboldt General Hospital in Winnemucca.

While neither of these is in our area (they are both in Congressional District 2), the study does illustrate the situation that rural hospitals face. Should one or both of these institutions be forced to close, the population using their services would then have to find (and travel to) other hospitals that will provide care to them. This will, in turn, increase the economic pressures on the other hospitals and possibly putting them at risk as well. There could be a snowball effect throughout the state.

Recently, the Mesa Valleys Progress published a story (2) about Mesa View Hospital titled “Hospital launches fundraising for critical expansion.”

The article begins “Hospitals can benefit all of us in our most vulnerable time of need. They must focus on providing quality health care, irrespective of costs and patients’ ability to pay; they serve all. However, the reality is hospitals must manage organizational costs, pay their bills and provide levels of service that match their financial position. Oftentimes, the hospital’s range of services fall short of what all local residents need, so patients are forced to travel elsewhere for care. This is the story of Mesa View, a critical access hospital and one of the 14 (fourteen) rural hospitals in Nevada.”

It goes on to describe how Mesa View is planning to expand in the future to meet the growing needs of our communities. The article explains that “(i)n order to fund the expansion, Mesa View Hospital has established a Friends of Mesa View Fund. The fund is a registered 501(c)(3) and is held at the Wyoming Community Foundation. Donations to the fund are tax deductible and directly support expanding specialized health care services, beginning with cardiology. Too many residents are traveling to St. George or Las Vegas for health care services currently unavailable at Mesa View, a trend the hospital is committed to reversing.”

It seems that, even in these uncertain times, Mesa View Hospital is committing to ensuring good health care in northeast Clark County. Having been a patient myself at Mesa View, both in the ER and the regular hospital, I can agree with the article’s assertion that “the real anchor level of services is Mesa View’s emergency room, the gold standard in the community.” Let us hope that the at-risk rural hospitals situation doesn’t negatively affect this fine facility.

(1) https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/letter_on_rural_hospitals.pdf

(2) https://mvprogress.com/2025/07/15/hospital-launches-fundraising-for-critical-expansion/