Govs. Rick Perry of Texas and Brian Sandoval of Nevada, Republicans tapped for 2016 presidential runs, are visiting Israel. Perry, who has visited Israel multiple times, was in the country this week to open the Nazareth campus of Texas A&M University. But he also had meetings with Israeli leaders, including on Monday with Prime Minister…
It’s Election Day at last. And as we sit down in front of the TV to watch the results (for those who actually have power), here are five Jewish points of reference on this long night of swing states, bellwether counties and exit poll results. Ohio. With polls closing at 7:30 p.m., the entire nation…
In Sheldon Adelson’s hometown, Jews are angry about the presidential election. That contrasts with Jews in the swing states of Florida and Ohio, who will vote despairingly in this year’s race. In Las Vegas, they’ll storm the polls. Audiences at community-sponsored political events here boo heartily. Partisan wars split synagogue listservs. Political lawn signs disappear…
Politico’s Steve Friess has a fascinating story online today about the longstanding personal feud between two of Nevada’s “most prominent Jewish figures,” hotelier Sheldon Adelson and Rep. Shelley Berkley, who’s running for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican family-values guy John Ensign. It’s a gripping look at how Adelson operates — the intensity and…
In this week’s podcast, fill-in host Paul Berger is joined by opinion editor Gal Beckerman to discuss the most recent presidential debate and how instant reaction on Twitter might be harming political discourse. Then, staff writer Josh Nathan-Kazis calls in from Las Vegas to report on the influence of billionaire Sheldon Adelson on the Nevada…
A Southern California rabbi, on learning that I was researching a book on Jews in Nevada, said: “Don’t waste your time. There were no Jews in Nevada until there was a Las Vegas.” It is true that the greater Las Vegas area is currently home to about 100,000 Jews, compared with 13,000 in the rest…
A decision to leave a safe congressional seat and run for Senate could prove risky for a leading Jewish lawmaker who has often found herself in the crosshairs of Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson. Rep. Shelley Berkley, a Nevada Democrat and leading pro-Israel voice on Capitol Hill, is locked in a dead-heat race in a crucial…
The U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Committee launched an investigation into pro-Israel Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), potentially complicating her bid for the U.S. Senate. The investigation announced Monday, and backed by both Democrats and Republicans on the committee, will focus on allegations that Berkley’s championing of kidney care benefitted her husband, a leading kidney specialist…
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