Trump moves to ban Senate confirms House conservatives federally funded clinics Gina Haspel to calling for second from abortion referrals head CIA special counsel PAGE 3 PAGE 4 PAGE 5 Volume 20, Issue 13 May 23-29, 2018 lasvegastribune.com CulinarySpecial to the Las Vegas Tribune Strikesemployees of MGM Resorts and The Culinary Union, Nevada’s Caesars Entertainment. The mem- biggest casino workers’ union, bers authorized a strike to begin voted on Tuesday, May 22, on a June 1, when the current union measure that threatens to bring Las contract expires. Vegas to a virtual standstill begin- Bigger Share of ning June 1. Trump’s Tax Cuts For the first time in 15 years, Culinary, which is currently in the union’s 50,000 bartenders, bell- negotiation with operators, wants to men, cocktail servers, food servers, ensure that money saved by casinos housekeepers, kitchen staff, and from the corporate tax cuts brought porters will decide by ballot wheth- in by the Trump administration er to stage a citywide walkout. trickles down to workers. In Q4, Some 34 resorts along the Strip these cuts generated a combined, and downtown would be impacted non-cash benefit of $4.3 billion should the union vote to act, with for the top four Strip operators, about 80 percent of those being according to the Las Vegas Re- Members of the Culinary Union protesting outside the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas in 2013. The Culinary Union view-Journal. My Point voted a citywide strike to ensure the union gets its share of the Trump administration’s corporate tax cuts. (See Culinary Strike, Page 7) of View By Rolando Larraz Sanctuary Cities Petition should Again I had to deal with the troubles of going to see a doctor and the stupidity, yes the stupidity, of have been left up to the voters those workers in or at those medical By Thomas Mitchell state Constitution to prohibit state facilities and the way they treat the Sometimes it seems the argu- and local governments passing laws members, patients, clients or what- ment boils down to: Those darned limiting or discouraging enforce- ever they choose to call us now. voters just aren’t smart enough to ment of federal immigration laws, This is my own experience, figure it out. which has happened in several not anyone else’s; after two heart That notion was never stated California cities. attacks in ten days I had to go but seemed to linger in the back- After the American Civil Liber- see another so-called “expert” on ground this past week at the Nevada ties Union challenged the petition, hearts, so those almighty health Supreme Court during arguments a Carson City district court judge employers and their employees about whether an initiative petition ruled in January the petition was granted me the “honor” of giving should be allowed to appear on the “excessively broad and general” me an appointment at 7:00 a.m. ballot, if enough signatures can be and likely to confuse voters, thus That was not a problem since I am gathered. barring it from appearing on the generally up at 4:00 a.m. anyway, The Prevent Sanctuary Cities ballot. Proponents appealed to the but I have always been asked to initiative proposes to amend the (See Sanctuary Cities, Page 3) be there fifteen minutes before my appointment. So, being the submissive and obedient person I am, I was there at It’s easy to be green, wish 6:45 a.m. sharp, not even a minute late, only to find the front door still locked with a sign on it that read, Doors open at 7:00 a.m. And so they it so and ignore the facts did; the doors were opened by an By Thomas Mitchell The petition states: officer (otherwise called a security If you thought the “green move- The Amendment defines renew- guard) with a mean face and a very ment” was more about self-righ- able energy sources to include authoritarian face, who did the teous politics than clear-headed solar, wind, small-scale hydro- honors of unlocking the cells — oh science, here are two tales that power, and other sources that are excuse me, the doors — not even a prove the point. replaced rapidly by a natural, on- half minute early or late, to let an In Arizona a petition is being cir- going process (excluding nuclear or undisclosed amount of victims — culated in an effort get on the ballot fossil fuel). Distributed renewable AKA patients — into the building. an initiative called the Clean Energy energy sources, like rooftop solar, I was supposed to fast, not even for a Healthy Arizona Amendment. must comprise at least 10 percent coffee, so they said, so since 4:00 This would require 50 percent of of utilities’ annual retail sales of a.m. until 7:00 a.m. I had nothing the electricity generated in the state electricity by 2030. in my stomach making me a little to come from renewable sources If the measure passes it would upset, angry, unhappy, or whatever by 2030. (See Thinking Green, Page 4) Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan, N.Y., in 2017 else you might want to call it. I got onto the second floor of the almighty Southwest Medical Center to find the lights off and only House easily passes prison one single employee in front of the computer to ceremonially announce to me that “she will be in soon,” reform bill backed by Trump even if there was no “she” any- By Lydia Wheeler are released. programs and then use those cred- where around the deserted lobby; The Hill The legislation, authored by its to serve the remaining days of but after a small waiting period, he The House overwhelming Reps. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and their sentence in a halfway house ended up asking me for my picture passed a bipartisan prison reform Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), provides or home confinement. ID and proof of insurance. bill Tuesday afternoon amid ob- $50 million to the Bureau of Prisons The bill also requires inmates to This employee must be new, jections from some Democrats and annually for the next five years for be housed within 500 miles of their because he said good morning to groups on the left that it doesn’t go prison programs including educa- families when possible and prohib- me before he asked for my “ID far enough. tion, drug treatment and job skills its the shackling of female inmates and proof of insurance” without a Lawmakers approved the First training. while they are pregnant, giving please, of course. Step Act by a 360-59 vote, includ- Under the bill, which is support- birth or in postpartum recovery. At the end of the still dark lobby ing the support of 134 Democrats, ed by the White House but faces The Leadership Conference there was a young lady with the to incentivize inmates to complete an uncertain future in the Senate, on Civil and Human Rights and door half open giving me instruc- prison programs that reduce their prisoners would be allowed to 74 other groups have written the tions and orders even before I got likelihood to reoffend after they Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) earn time credits for completing (See Prison Reform, Page 5) close enough to her. Keep in mind that I get up every day around four in the morning and by now, three hours and twenty Trump issues executive order for Venezuela minutes have gone on with not even By Luis Sanchez It also prevents the government and other U.S. officials have called a cup of coffee or a glass of water. The Hill of Venezuela from liquidating as- a sham. I was feeling uncomfortable; and President Trump issued an exec- sets it has a majority ownership of. “Venezuela’s election was a couple that with the intentionally utive order on Monday prohibiting “Today’s executive order closes sham — neither free nor fair. The delayed appointment made for me people in the U.S. from carrying another avenue for corruption that illegitimate result of this fake pro- at the Southwest Medical Center out certain financial transactions we have observed being used,” a cess is a further blow to the proud — for which I was right on time — with the government of Venezuela. senior administration official told democratic tradition of Venezuela,” what kind of mood did they think I The executive action prohibits reporters on Monday. Pence said in a statement earlier on would be in? “the purchase of any debt owed to The executive order comes one Monday. The young lady from the half- the Government of Venezuela” and day after Venezuelan President Secretary of State Mike Pompeo open door kept that attitude — like any debt owed to the country that is Nicolás Maduro won a second term said in a tweet on Sunday that the (See My Point of View, Page 2) pledged as collateral. in an election Vice President Pence (See Venezuela, Page 5) Page 2 / LAS VEGAS TRIBUNE / May 23-29, 2018 DHS Sec. says she hasn’t seen assessment that Russia interfered to help Trump win By Morgan Chalfant democratic process, damage Demo- Trump’s election chances when The Hill cratic nominee Hillary Clinton and possible by discrediting Secretary Homeland Security Secretary assist Trump. Clinton and publicly contrasting Kirstjen Nielsen said Tuesday “We assess Russian President her unfavorably to him.” that she has not seen the U.S. Vladimir Putin ordered an influence Nielsen, who was sworn in as intelligence community’s specific campaign in 2016 aimed at the Homeland Security secretary in De- judgment that Russia interfered in US presidential election.