Footage shows low water mark at biggest US reservoir as shortage declared – video

Officials have declared a dire water shortage at Lake Mead, the US’s largest reservoir, triggering significant water cuts in Arizona and other western states.

The US Bureau of Reclamation’s first ever declaration of a 'tier 1' shortage represents an acknowledgment that after a 20-year drought, the reservoir that impounds the Colorado River at Hoover Dam has receded to its lowest levels since it was created in the 1930s

Continue reading...

Biggest US reservoir declares historic shortage, forcing water cuts across west

Officials issue first-ever declaration of tier 1 shortage at Lake Mead as it falls to lowest level since its creation

Officials have declared a dire water shortage at Lake Mead, the US’s largest reservoir, triggering major water cuts in Arizona and other western states. The US Bureau of Reclamation’s first-ever declaration of a “tier 1” shortage represents an acknowledgment that after a 20-year drought, the reservoir that impounds the Colorado River at the has receded to its lowest levels since it was created in the 1930s.

Already, the lake is at about 35% capacity – the white “bathtub ring” that lines its perimeter indicates where the water level once was. The lake’s level is projected to fall even lower by the end of the year, prompting cutbacks in January 2022, the Bureau of Reclamation announced Monday.

Continue reading...

Severe drought threatens Hoover dam reservoir – and water for US west

The wellspring of Lake Mead created by the dam’s blocking of the Colorado River has plummeted to an historic low as states in the west face hefty cuts in their water supplies

Had the formidable white arc of the Hoover dam never held back the Colorado River, the US west would probably have no Los Angeles or Las Vegas as we know them today. No sprawling food bowl of wheat, alfalfa and corn. No dreams of relocating to live in a tamed desert. The river, and dam, made the west; now the climate crisis threatens to break it.

The situation here is emblematic of a planet slowly, inexorably overheating. And the catastrophic consequences of the extreme weather this brings.

Continue reading...

US west heatwave: 31m people brace for record-breaking temperatures

Las Vegas could surpass its record-high of 117F as residents of US west face very high risk of heat-related illness

More than 31 million people across the US west and south-west are bracing for a brutal heatwave that could bring triple-digit temperatures this weekend, with authorities warning that records could be broken in many regions of California and Nevada. Officials have said that Las Vegas could even surpass its record-high temperature of 117F.

The “heat risk” is classified as “very high” across much of this area, meaning all residents there face “very high risk of heat-related illness due to both the long duration heat, and the lack of overnight relief”, the National Weather Service (NWS) has said.

Continue reading...

Miss Nevada to be first openly transgender Miss USA contestant

Kataluna Enriquez won the Miss Nevada USA pageant Sunday and will compete in Miss USA pageant in November

A transgender woman who won the Miss Nevada USA pageant will soon become the first openly transgender Miss USA contestant.

On Sunday, Kataluna Enriquez beat 21 other contestants to win the crown. The 27-year-old took to Instagram the next day to celebrate. “Huge thank you to everyone who supported me from day one,” she wrote. “My community, you are always in my heart. My win is our win. We just made history. Happy pride.”

Continue reading...

Covid cases fall across US but experts warn of dangers of vaccine hesitancy

Health experts emphasize need for even those who have had disease to get inoculated

New cases of Covid-19 are declining across most of the US, even in some states with vaccine-hesitant populations.

But almost all states where cases are rising have lower-than-average vaccination rates and experts warned on Sunday that relief from the coronavirus pandemic could be fleeting in regions where few people get inoculated.

Continue reading...

Trump’s latest batch of election lawsuits fizzle as dozens of losses pile up

President no closer to overturning result, with just one small victory in a month’s worth of cases

For a man obsessed with winning, Donald Trump is losing a lot.

In the month since the election, the president and his legal team have come no closer in their frantic efforts to overturn the result, notching up dozens of losses in courts across the country, with more rolling in by the day.

Continue reading...

US Covid cases, hospitalisations and deaths rise amid Thanksgiving rush

US reported 181,490 new cases on Wednesday as millions defied official advice to travel and gather for Thanksgiving

The US reported 181,490 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, a third daily rise in a row, as hospitalisations hit a record for a 16th day in succession, at 89,959.

Related: Supreme court bars Covid attendance limits at New York houses of worship

Continue reading...

Diverse, union-powered Nevada county delivers again for Democrats

The Silver state has not gone Republican in a presidential election since 2004 and Clark county is the bedrock of Democrats’ success

For a brief moment last Friday, it appeared that Nevada could carry Joe Biden over the electoral college finish line.

America was three days into its long wait to learn who would be its next president and all eyes were on the officials counting outstanding ballots in Clark county. Major news outlets interviewed anxious voters waiting in line with their photo IDs to “cure” their ballots, a process which allows them to resolve issues with their voting papers.

Continue reading...

‘Democracy works’: Biden addresses nation as vote count shows him on brink of victory – live

A campaign aide has also tested positive, Bloomberg reports. CNN and NBC have also confirmed the Meadows has contracted Covid-19.

Worth noting that Mark Meadows was at the election night party at the White House Tuesday that hundreds of people attended. Officials said everyone would be tested beforehand.

Mark Meadows has tested positive for coronavirus, according to reporters from Bloomberg news.

BREAKING: Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, has the coronavirus. Meadows informed a close circle of advisers after the election.

Story by me, @tylerpager and @MarioDParker out soon.

Continue reading...

‘This will make lib heads explode’: Donald Trump Jr posts 2024 picture

Donald Trump Jr posed in front of a “Don Jr 2024” sign in Nevada on Saturday, posted the picture online and waited for “the lib heads to explode”.

Related: 'Owning the libs': how Donald Trump Jr became the unlikely political heir apparent

Continue reading...

Biden accuses Trump of trying to wish away Covid ahead of Wisconsin rally – as it happened

Here’s a summary of the latest events:

Mitch McConnell announced Saturday that the Senate will vote Tuesday on a Paycheck Protection Plan funding bill and Wednesday on the same $500bn Covid-19 aid package that Democrats blocked last month on the grounds that it didn’t go far enough.

“It is long past time for the two parties to agree where we can and get more money out the door,” the Senate majority leader said in a statement.

I just announced the Senate will vote next week on hundreds of billions more dollars for relief programs that Democrats do not even oppose. Working families have already waited too long for Speaker Pelosi’s Marie Antoinette act to stop. Let's make law. pic.twitter.com/iR7OYKuCKw

Continue reading...

Go west: Trump and Biden take campaign to Arizona and Nevada

Donald Trump was headed for Nevada on Saturday, aiming to erode poll leads enjoyed by Joe Biden there and in Arizona, another key state, as the 3 November presidential election draws near.

Related: Trump in Fox News interview to accuse Biden of taking drugs

Continue reading...

Winds fuel wildfires in California as blazes rage across US west

Region sees amber skies while Washington state faces more acres burned in a day than typically burn in a year

Large, fast-moving fires raged on across the American west on Wednesday, destroying hundreds of homes in the Pacific north-west and sending a dense plume of smoke that turned skies amber across parts of the region.

Related: California, Oregon and Washington battle dozens of fires – live updates

Continue reading...

‘We’re on virus time’: Las Vegas on edge amid reopening gamble

Workers demand to see companies’ plans as city centered on hospitality braces for an uncertain future

The Las Vegas Strip had a brief jolt of life this week when 10,000 casino workers caravanned down the celebrated boulevard.

On Tuesday evening, the parade of cars backed up traffic for miles as occupants honked their horns and held signs out their windows that read “transparency = safety” and “don’t roll the dice with workers’ lives”.

Continue reading...

Democratic party grapples with rising likelihood of Sanders as the nominee

In the aftermath of Bernie Sanders’ victory in Nevada and as the South Carolina primary looms, the Democratic party establishment continues to grapple with the increasing likelihood that the Vermont senator, a self-proclaimed socialist, will be its nominee for president.

Related: Trump holds rally in India while Steyer qualifies for South Carolina debate – live

Continue reading...

Bernie Sanders’ rivals applaud his Nevada caucus win – video

Strong results in New Hampshire and Iowa helped the senator achieve a landslide victory. He is clearly in the lead to win the democratic nominations and take on Donald Trump in a presidential election. Sanders’ rivals congratulated him but galvanised their supporters as they looked ahead to the South Carolina race and Super Tuesday in March, when 14 states will vote

Continue reading...

Bernie Sanders celebrates thunderous Nevada caucuses win – video

Bernie Sanders has celebrated a huge win at the caucuses in Nevada, putting him clearly in front of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination a week before the South Carolina primary and then Super Tuesday on 3 March, when 14 states will vote.

Sanders, who had already moved on to San Antonio Texas, celebrated a win that 'brought together a multigenerational, multiracial coalition' after winning in Nevada, a state that is nearly 30% Latino, 10% black and has a rapidly growing Asian American community

Continue reading...

Buoyed by Latino voters in Nevada, Sanders cements his frontrunner status

Saturday’s caucuses were the first real test of Latino support in the Democratic primary – and the result was promising for Sanders

The senator from one of the whitest states in the US on Saturday trounced his rivals in the first primary of the 2020 election cycle that actually reflects the racial diversity of the country and the Democratic party.

The Vermont senator Bernie Sanders won a resounding victory in Nevada, buoyed by strong support among Latino voters. Sanders’ victory in the desert state strengthens his position as the party’s frontrunner and sends him into the next, high-stakes phase of the primary with a burst of momentum.

Continue reading...

Bernie Sanders’ Nevada win is a breakout moment. The others are toast

The Vermont Senator will soon be going toe to toe with Donald Trump

There are no second prizes in presidential contests. No silver medals. No participation trophies.

There are, however, endless numbers of delusional candidates and campaigns who insist that they will sweep the later states, or take their delegates to the convention, or contest the legitimacy of the nomination process.

Continue reading...