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My chat with Alex Witt on MSNBC about Nevada, the Latino vote and Steve Wynn

DSCC up with new ad on Heller, hits him on women's issues

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee began a new statewide ad this weekend describing Sen. Dean Heller as "Bad for Women, Bad for Nevada."  The spot uses various votes on mammograms, other screenings and equal pay to make that case. It's a clear effort to solidify women against him and for Rep. Shelley Berkley.

Poll: Heller, Berkley tight; Heck and Tarkanian with solid leads

Sen. Dean Heller is leading by 2 percentage points over Rep. Shelley Berkley, Rep. Joe Heck is beating Speaker John Oceguera by 11 and Danny Tarkanian is defeating Steven Horsford by 8. Those are the findings of an independent poll conducted at the end of last month by Precision Opinion, a Nevada firm with experience polling for national Democrats. The sample for the Senate race is very large (1,521), so the margin of error is about 2.5 percent. The congressional samples are smaller, so the margin of error is about 5 percent for each.

Culinary plans downtown Las Vegas picket next Saturday, same day as big downtown festival

The Culinary union has scheduled a show of force in downtown Las Vegas on Oct. 13 to protest what it says are Glitter Gulch casinos not meeting their demands on a benefits package. The demonstration coincides -- although the union says it is a coincidence -- with the Rediscover Downtown celebration. I am sure businesses and The First Family are thrilled.

Steve Wynn: Obama "doesn't have a clue," Berkley is a "thoughtless pawn" and Reid likes his three fireplaces

That headline whet your appetite? Well, that's all you are getting for now, folks. And that's just the beginning of an hour-long interview I had this week with Steve Wynn, who ratcheted up his anti-President Obama rehtoric (think Dinesh D'Souza), went after Rep. Shelley Berkley with a renewed vehemence and essentially said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid squandered an opportunity to make deals with the House because of his fealty to the president and desire to remain majority leader.

My column: Obama tries to look presidential in debate, instead elevates Romney

During a debate in 1998, a veteran Nevada incumbent could barely hide his disdain for his aggressive opponent on stage with him. He seemed aggrieved to even have to be there, could not conceal his air of superiority and eventually wondered aloud how his challenger, a veterinarian, thought he could interpret the Constitution if he spayed cats and dogs for a living. This reductio ad absurdum epitomized the frustration a U.S. senator named Harry Reid felt that night 14 years ago as he tried to pull away from a spirited challenger named John Ensign.

Congressional Leadership Fund pivots off jobs report, goes after Horsford, Oceguera

A conservative group is using this morning's jobs report to start robocalls in Nevada's two competitive congressional districts. The Congressional Leadership Fund calls assailing John Oceguera and Steven Horsford use some recent comments by Vice President Biden to tie the Democratic contenders to administration policies. Here's the script:   With just 114,000 jobs added, it’s yet another failure of policies supported by Obama and John Oceguera.

New Romney ad features for UNLV Runnin' Rebel Greg Anthony, a disaffected Obama voter

Ex-UNLV basketball player Greg Anthony stars in a new Mitt Romney ad, claiming he voted for Barack Obama, but was disappointed the president didn't turn out to be a centrist. Anthony's ad comes after he already has acted as a surrogate for the GOP nominee.

Full NLRB order of Culinary victory over Station

358 N No. 153 CA Station Casinos.pdf

I've obtained the entire 89-page decision from the National Labor Relations Board that affirms a year-old decision from an administrative law judge, who found scores of violations by Station Casinos against workers at their properities interested in affiliating with the Culinary Union. The end of the decision, posted here, finds the company "engaged in certain unfair labor practices," demands it "cease and desist" and then issues a lengthy order telling Station Casinos not to threaten or intimidate its employees in violation of federal law.

Two Nevada House seats listed in Top 50 competitive in country

Rep. Joe Heck's seat and a new House district in Nevada are among the most competitive in the country, the National Journal reports. Heck's CD3 battle with Speaker John Oceguera has dropped from 35th to 40th in the listing: "The overlapping turnout machines of Obama, Harry Reid and Shelley Berkley will help Democrat John Oceguera, but he's been an unsteady candidate."