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Western State AG’s Hear Range of Fear

On April 16th, four Western state Attorney Generals (AGs) met in Denver, Colorado, to hear a range of fears concerning Trump’s disastrous Make America Great Again (MAGA) strategy. 

Colorado Attorney General Philip J. Weiser introduced his fellow AGs, including Nick Brown of Washington, Anne Lopez of Hawaii, and Aaron Ford of Nevada. He told a packed house of concerned citizens that “nobody is above the law” and that “we live under the rule of law, not the rule of whim.” [i]

AG Brown followed Weiser, telling those assembled that not one of Trump’s actions, including his orders, is the law. Things we worry about, he said, like education, transportation, and health, are under threat and require actions by federal, state, and local governments and the people to resist Trump’s drive towards oligarchy.

A speaker taking to the microphone expressed concerns about losing Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds in Denver. She told the crowd that, in addition, hiring freezes were reducing farm support, impacting families with children, people with disabilities, and transgender individuals.  

The four AGs heard about Trump’s reduction of housing eligibility. A speaker told the AGs that the historical focus on the needs of homeless adults meant providing “Housing First” across all elements of the homelessness response system.

However, Trump moved to criminalize homelessness by appointing Robert Marbut to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Marbut proposed the “Housing Fourth” approach to criminalize panhandling, banish homeless services to city outskirts, and treat food and shelter as privileges, thus following Trump’s agenda of criminalizing homelessness.

The AGs and those attending heard that Trump’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) approach denies life-saving programs to transgender individuals while forcing Businesses to drop DEI programs out of fear of Trump’s retaliatory nature.  

Ola Kukoyi, the Executive Director of the Good Shepherd Organization, expressed her concerns about the acts of Immigration Enforcement to hinder free speech and their illegal deportation actions, which are creating a Constitutional Crisis leading to the end of fundamental human rights not seen since the Holocaust crisis.

When asked what they [AGs] are doing, AG Brown expressed his fear and that of his family, but said that none of that can match those fearing ICE snatching them off the streets. He pointed to Trump, Vance, Steven Miller, Kristi Noem, and Marco Rubio as lying. Brown said, “We cannot get used to it, even though we know it is going to happen,” adding, “We will continue to tell the truth, bring actions, and support people and organizations without a voice.” [ii]

The AGs heard concerns about Small business owners who depend on international cooperation feeling defeated, people going without homes, and a mental health crisis in the short and long term. They heard about Trump’s strategy to undermine transgender health needs.

The crowd and the AGs heard that the current federal administration emboldens a white national agenda while pushing bills to undermine fundamental human rights for millions, all of which require people to hold our federal government accountable to the law and increase awareness of these power abuses.

A speaker told of his friend who lived in a car with his wife and small child. Then, the Speaker said his friend got a job working in construction, but when two men attacked him, those assaulting him blamed him for the altercation, and ICE intervened, took his phone, and put him into custody while being denied legal help. Now, the Speaker said,  the man’s wife and child are on the streets.

Continuing, the Speaker reminded the crowd that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to take people without due process under the guise of Christianity. The law is a social contract, the Speaker added, that when broken, fascism takes root. The Speaker said that’s where we are right now, then he asked, “Will anyone hold this administration accountable? The Speaker concluded by saying that we have no protection if we don’t do this right now.”

A Federal Firefighter Management Team member told those assembled that they had 44 teams last summer, reduced to 41 now, raising concerns about further drops. Trump has terminated 37% of the Forest Service firefighters, she said. 

Of course, speakers raised concerns about the Supreme Court’s decision to return the authority to regulate or ban abortion to individual states, resulting in criminal penalties in many of the states.

[i] President George W. Bush created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2002. He formed the largest, most extensive spy and enforcement ring in our Nation’s history. Before its creation, intelligence gathering fell into two separate domains under the National Security Act of 1947, including 1: Defense Agencies and the CIA, and 2: Domestic (FBI). Under that umbrella, powerful national intelligence assets (for example, the National Security Agency) were, with rare and judicially approved exceptions, not available for use within the borders of the United States, primarily to ensure that Constitutional rights remained inviolable and enforceable.

With the formation of DHS came the consolidation and merging of data records (Including recently IRS records), helicopters, planes, drones, Predators, and, most importantly, fusion centers across the country, allowing local and federal law enforcement to collaborate on intelligence gathering and surveillance. The internet also provides a significant source of information for U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Federal agencies monitor social media platforms for investigations and threat identification. However, the internet can also be used for propaganda, misinformation, secret operations, and counterintelligence.

DHS has a workforce of 260,000 employees and 22 components, including the Transportation Security Agency (TSA, Customs and Border Protection, Cyber Security and Information Security Agency (CISA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Coast Guard, Secret Service, Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and the Science and Technology Directorate.

With a Budget of $52.2 billion, Congress confirmed Trump’s pick of Kristi Noem, former Governor of South Dakota, with experience staging phony political stunts, to head HHS in January 2025

See Foley, Hoag, “State AG Insights”  for a list at: State AGs Take the Lead in First Month of Trump Opposition | State AG Insights | Foley Hoag LLP

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Is Your 401(k) OK?

I don’t know about you, but since “Liberation Day,” thousands of dollars in my 401(k) have been “liberated” as the stock market nosedived. Unfortunately, I’m not one of the select billionaires who was in on Trump’s not-so-secret signal to buy stocks that he posted just hours before announcing the tariff pause that led to a sudden meteoric rise in the market. Of course, after that event, the market resumed its downward trend.

But I’m not alone. Gallup reports that 65 percent of people in its middle-income category — making $40,000 to $100,000 — own stocks, either directly or through their retirement plans. Nevertheless, investment strategists told USA TODAY that the recent dip is no reason for Americans with retirement accounts such as 401(k)s to panic, no matter what stage they’re at in life:

“The people who would be hurt by (the stock market dip) are the emotional ones who are likely to do something irrational,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at investment research and analytics firm CFRA Research. “That could be somebody at any age.”

Stovall also said younger Americans should stay the course with their investments and make sure to take advantage of the “free money” their company may be offering through a 401(k) match. If able, now may be the time to look into boosting their monthly contribution. At minimum, Stovall said they should aim to invest enough to receive the maximum match from their company.

For Americans nearing retirement, Stovall said there is likely still plenty of time to make up for lost ground from the most recent dip, especially since the stock market tends to bounce back quickly.

A historical analysis from CFRA shows that so long as the stock market doesn’t fall 20% or more and enter bear market territory, it takes on average four months to recover from a correction.

“Don’t let your emotions become your portfolio’s worst enemy,” Stovall said. “The only way to lose money is by selling what is down.”

Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at financial services firm Carson Group, added that older Americans should, ideally, have a more diversified portfolio that’s able to weather selloffs.

“For someone closer to retirement, diversification is your friend,” Detrick said. “To have some gold, to have some bonds, to have some cash, to have some stocks … that should be what they’re thinking about right now.”

For me personally, I am already retired so the best I can do is to keep my 401(k) diversified. I still watch the market with great concern since I do have some stock funds in my portfolio. Also, the market is one indicator of the overall economic health of the country. As I write this on April 17, the Dow Jones average is down again over 500 points.

Trump, Musk and their cronies don’t have to care about losing thousands or even tens of thousands in market fluctuations but to those of us on more limited incomes, losses like that can be disastrous.

Nevada Legislators Move to Fast-Track Water Appropriarions

Buried in the disturbing Trump news, along with Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo’s “F— you” message to anyone criticizing Republicans, lies assembly bill AB419  in the Nevada legislature. It is designed to give Vidler Water Company more power in advancing its portfolio of premium water rights in Nevada.

Vidler Water Holdings in Nevada. Source, Nevada Division of Water Resources, D. R. Horton.

The Assembly bill, primarily sponsored on behalf of the Vidler Corporation by Republicans Rich DeLong, Lisa Cole, and Bert Gurr, with Republican cosponsors Jill Dickman, and PK O’Neill, aims to reduce the discretion of the Nevada Water engineer, thereby creating a faster, but damaging, regulatory system more favorable to Vidler and its parent company, D.R. Horton, Inc.

In April 2002, D.R. Horton, Inc., the Arlington, Texas-based homebuilder, acquired the Vidler Water Company to advance its portfolio of premium water rights and other water-related assets in the southwestern United States. This covers markets where D.R. Horton operates that require water for development but lack adequate supply. 

Vidler doesn’t deliver water to people or own any water treatment or desalination facilities. Instead, they profit by speculating on untapped water acquired from rural communities and marketed to developers and corporations in growth communities.[1]

Vidler has made 203 applications to the Nevada Water Engineer. Of those, 67.98 % have been abrogated (repealed), denied, protested or withdrawn. Of those, 2.96 % are ready for action (RFA) but delayed.   

Vidler Water Applications. Source Nevada Water Engineer, April 13, 2025.

Passing the bill fast-tracks water rights approvals, thus reducing the number of carefully considered actions by water regulators unfavorable to Vidler and its parent company, D.R. Horton.  

In addition, attempting to fast-track water applications increases the staff load necessary for the Division of Water Resources to carefully consider them, estimated at $10,146,271 this fiscal year and growing to $24,613,100 in future years (see Fiscal Notes).

Click to Oppose AB419  (see opinions tab).

[1] In 2001, Vidler acquired 267 acre-feet of Muddy River water appropriations to generate income by leasing the appropriations to water utilities.

Rep. Horsford Demands Accountability Against Trump’s Potential Market Manipulation

Congressman Steven Horsford and Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight, were joined by 131 Congressional Democrats in sending a letter today demanding accountability for the Trump Administration’s dramatic reversal of tariffs planned for 57 countries yesterday just hours after President Trump posted on social media that “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!”

Trump’s decision to pause tariffs predictably led the U.S. stock market to rally significantly, raising the specter of market manipulation for anyone who invested in the market as a result of Trump’s message.

Horsford and Sewell’s letter, which is addressed to the President, the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the U.S. Department of Treasury, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, requests key details within 15 days that would clarify if market manipulation was a factor, and provide insights into the planning involved in the policy reversal. Specifically, the letter requests:

  1. 1. A timeline of deliberations regarding the tariffs;
  2. 2. Any documentation or correspondence shared with the White House or Executive Office of the President regarding the timing of the tariffs, and a list of who was informed about tariff plan changes;
  3. 3. Any communications between the USTR and financial institutions, private investors, or public relations personnel in the 72 hours before and after the April 9th announcement;
  4. 4. A description of the role the Department of Commerce played in coordinating tariff policy;
  5. 5. A description of the role the Department of the Treasury played in the interagency process leading up to the April 9th delay announcement;
  6. 6. Information about any securities purchased or sold by the President, Chair of the SEC, or any Cabinet Member between when reciprocal tariffs were announced on April 2nd through April 10th – including a description, purchase price, and/or sale price of each security.

Notably, the pause came as his Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, was in the midst of testimony to the House Ways & Means Committee in support of Trump’s tariffs. Greer had already spent four hours defending and promoting the tariffs when his staffer showed him Trump’s social media post reversing the policy. That moment of public humiliation led to a fiery exchange between Greer and Rep. Horsford about the president’s motives.

You can see the exchange here: https://youtu.be/h5wMPDuio78

The Terrorists Are Here

The video is chilling. A 30-year old woman standing on the sidewalk is approached by a man dressed in dark clothing. He accosts her as five other men descend on her. They have no identifying clothing nor do they present badges or other ID. Some of them are even wearing masks to hide their identity. They vaguely claim to be the police. Without any explanation, they handcuff her and force her into an unmarked car. She is then driven away without the opportunity to contact anyone. (https://apnews.com/article/tufts-student-detained-massachusetts-immigration-6c3978da98a8d0f39ab311e092ffd892)

If you had seen this video a year ago or even six months ago, you might have thought this was taking place in some third-world country, perhaps Venezuela or Iran. Or you might have guessed it was in China or North Korea. Then you might have thought, “It can’t happen here.”

But it can happen here and, in fact, already has. This outrage against a Tufts University PhD student took place in broad daylight on the streets of Somerville, Massachusetts. The video conjures up images of totalitarian states where secret police abuse their country’s populace in order to spread fear throughout the nation.

If this video doesn’t absolutely terrify you, it should. Unfortunately, if it does terrify you, that is exactly the reaction that Trump and his minions want. The primary weapons of a cowardly bully are fear and intimidation. And Trump knows well how to wield those tools.

Our only choice is to stand together to right the wrongs being committed in our country. We must work to ensure that Trump and his enablers in the Republican party don’t destroy our Constitution and lead the U.S.A. down the path of dictatorship.

Trump Billionaire Backer Warns of Economic Nuclear War

By Michael M. McGreer

April 9, 2025

Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, who backed Donald Trump for the Presidency, took to social media Sunday to ask the President to pause tariffs for 90 days.

Ackman likened Trump’s April 9 scheduled tariff launch to an economic nuclear war on every country in the world. Ackman argued that business investment will halt, consumers will close their wallets and pocketbooks, and we will severely damage our reputation with the rest of the world, which will take years and potentially decades to rehabilitate.

According to The Washington Post, Elon Musk, an investor in China’s market, held direct “private talks” with the President, hoping to convince him to scale back the measures.

Yesterday, Trump obeyed Ackman and put a 90-day pause into effect; he ignored Musk’s concerns and raised China’s tariffs to 125%.[i]

On Tuesday, in Las Vegas, DR. Stephen M. Miller, a University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) professor of economics, told Sky 3 News reporters that uncertainty drives everything while simultaneously warning of a potential tariff war with China and the possibility of stagflation, characterized by slow economic growth, relatively high unemployment, and rising prices.

[i] China is the world’s second-largest economy by nominal GDP and since 2016 has been the world’s largest economy when measured by purchasing power parity (PPP). Chinese companies invested 28.04 billion U.S. dollars into firms in the United States in 2023 when calculated on a historical-cost basis. That year, the total foreign direct investments in the U.S. were valued at approximately 5.39 trillion U.S. dollars.

Hold On To Your Wallets

It’s difficult to predict the impacts of the latest raises in tariffs since economic projections are often little more than guesses. And there are those who, for political reasons, will simply make up numbers and throw them around as if they were facts. But there are legitimate organizations that use scientific approaches to make projections such as the Yale University Budget Lab.

This organization recently published a document entitled “Where We Stand: The Fiscal, Economic, and Distributional Effects of All U.S. Tariffs Enacted in 2025 Through April 2” (https://budgetlab.yale.edu/research/where-we-stand-fiscal-economic-and-distributional-effects-all-us-tariffs-enacted-2025-through-april). The document explains the results and methodologies they used. It presents the effects of the April 2 tariff announcement separately from any earlier tariffs imposed in 2025 and then combines them.

Some of the key findings are as follows:

  1. 1. Tariffs are a regressive tax, especially in the short-run. This means that tariffs burden households at the bottom of the income ladder more than those at the top as a share of income.
  1. 2. The April 2nd action is the equivalent of a rise in the effective US tariff rate of 11 ½ percentage points. The average effective US tariff rate after incorporating all 2025 tariffs is now 22 ½%, the highest since 1909.
  1. 3. The price level from all 2025 tariffs rises by 2.3% in the short-run, the equivalent of an average per household consumer loss of $3,800 in 2024 dollars. Annual losses for households at the bottom of the income distribution are $1,700.
  1. 4. The price level from the April 2nd announcement alone rises by 1.3% in the short run, the equivalent of an average per household consumer loss of $2,100 in 2024 dollars. Annual losses for households at the bottom of the income distribution are $980 under the April 2nd policy alone.
  1. 5. Both the April 2nd tariffs themselves and all 2025 actions to date have disproportionately affected clothing and textiles. Apparel prices rise 8% from the April 2nd action alone and 17% from all US tariffs.
  1. 6. Food prices are also disproportionately affected, rising 1.6% from the April 2nd policy and 2.8% from all 2025 tariff actions. Fresh produce rises 2.2% and 4.0%, respectively.
  1. 7. Motor vehicle prices are largely untouched by the April 2nd announcement but rise by 8.4% under all tariff action to date, the equivalent of an additional $4,000 to the price of an average 2024 new car.

Another legitimate source, the Tax Foundation, has reported that a 10 percent tariff would increase taxes on US households by $1,253 on average, and a 20 percent tariff would increase taxes on US households by $2,045 on average (https://taxfoundation.org/blog/trump-tariffs-revenue-estimates/).

Our Representative, Steven Horsford, also made similar points in a recent press release. He said,

“A tariff is a tax – Donald Trump owns these taxes; he owns the harm they’re inflicting; he owns the financial instability he’s sowing for Nevadans and people across the country. Trump campaigned on lowering costs for Nevadans and people across the country – instead, he’s intentionally making everyday goods more expensive. That’s wrong.”

He then went on to say, “No president in American history has taxed the American people this much, this fast, and this recklessly.”

Updates on our High Priority Bills From the Sierra Club

Invertebrates AB85 The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) currently lacks the ability to conserve invertebrates like bees and butterflies- vital pollinators that are in decline across the West. This bill would give NDOW the authority to conserve and protect invertebrates across Nevada!

Committee of Natural Resources heard this bill on 2/26.

No vote to date.

Styrofoam phase out for restaurants AB244  This bill would limit styrofoam from being used in restaurants in Nevada. Styrofoam adversely impacts human health and the environment.

No vote to date.

Regional Rail AB256 Other states and cities have benefitted from having rail lines in their urban areas. This bill would create a task force to bring rail to Nevada’s urban areas, creating a more sustainable transportation option.

Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections Hearing on 3/4/25.

Work session 3/20; passed unanimously; on to the full Assembly Floor vote.

Agrivoltaics AB479 This is the practice of using the same land for both agriculture and solar energy production. This bill would open up another option for renewable energy generation in Nevada.

Hearing scheduled Tuesday April 1 in Revenue Committee.

Transit to Trails SB405 This bill would support the development of Transit to Trails programs in Nevada, helping people recreate outside in a healthier and more sustainable way.

Hearing scheduled Senate Natural Resource April 3, 2025.

Mandatory disconnection reporting AB442  This bill would require NV Energy to report on how many customer accounts they shut off each month due to nonpayment, helping us understand how electricity rates impact Nevadans. Twenty-six other states and D.C. require disconnection reporting.

No hearing scheduled yet.

Other important bills the Sierra Club is SUPPORTING:

AB80:  Soil Health

AB458: Solar on Affordable Housing

SB48: Sustainability and Resilience in Master Planning

SB260: Worker protection in poor Air Quality

SB286: Consultation with Tribes in Planning

AB456: Prohibiting Utility Disconnections

AB528: Property Tax abatements for Green Buildings

AB529: Requiring Procurement of Solar Energy Locally

SB379: Consumer protections requirements for solar lenders and installers

AB493: Recycling of EV batteries and solar components

One bill to OPPOSE:

AJR10: Encourages passage of federal SNEDCA bill (Southern Nevada sprawl). The Sierra Club strongly opposes this bill!

Governor Affirms Trump Targets Nevada

Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo’s March 24 statement to reporters affirms Trump’s efforts to lay off Nevadans’ federal jobs, eliminate the Department of Education (a nearly 50% reduction in its workforce), and Medicaid cuts.

 On February 25, Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking, and Mat Brown, reporting for the Associated Press (AP), noted that House Republicans voted to potentially eliminate $880 billion or more from Medicaid in their budget proposal. That move would be necessary for Trump-led Republicans to pay for wealthy tax breaks and border security.

On February 28, Lucia Starbuck, reporting for KUNR Public Radio, said that One in four Nevadans receive Medicaid, which covers about 42% of births and 60% of nursing home residents.

In the meantime, Elon Musk, for the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency (DODGE), in his first move to eliminate Social Security in Nevada, announced plans to destroy the Las Vegas Social Security Office to save $16,352.[1]

In addition, Musk’s cutting National Park Service employees across the state, including more than a dozen at Nevada’s Lake Mead National Recreation (the ninth most-visited site in the country), has an economic impact of $358 million on Nevada’s economy.
– Some of them were responsible for testing for toxicity levels in the water. 

Musk’s DOGE is cutting an Indian Health Service center and Bureau of Indian Affairs location in Elko that provides primary care to over 11,000 patients from four Native colonies and three reservations.

And, of course, Musk is firing Forest Service workers who work to prevent and manage forest fires, increasing the risk of deadly wildfires. 
 

In addition, Trump has moved to eliminate medical research funding going to Nevada universities. 


Democratic U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada have sent letters to federal departments seeking data.

[1] Elon Musk firing veterans and made cuts to the VA. Veterans account for about 34% of the nearly 14,000 civilian federal employees in the state.