It isn’t exactly shocking when a pimp turns out to be a rapist. It is a little shocking when the police deliberately protect him — and he gets elected to state office.
Welcome to Nevada, the only state in America that has legalized pimping. A&amp;E’s new docuseries, “<a href="https://www.aetv.com/shows/secrets-of-the-bunny-ranch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Secrets of the Bunny Ranch</a>,” reveals the late Dennis Hof’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472944" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HBO-featured</a> brothel empire for the cesspool of violence and exploitation that it (unsurprisingly) was, featuring powerful interviews from survivors and Hof’s former publicist.
But the series is not just an exposé of the crimes of the man who was once Nevada’s biggest legal pimp. It also brings to light the corrupt system underpinning and enabling the abuses, and the callous way that HBO profited off them with its nine-year run of “Cathouse.”
Prostitution is <a href="https://nevada.public.law/statutes/nrs_244.345" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legal in rural counties</a> in Nevada, but only if it occurs <a href="https://nevada.public.law/statutes/nrs_201.354" target="_blank" rel="noopener">within brothels</a>. In other words, prostituted women must be under the control of a brothel for legal status. If a woman receives a license for one brothel, she cannot simply leave and strike out on her own or <a href="https://nyecounty.municipalcodeonline.com/book?type=ordinances#name=9.20.140:_Requirement_And_Application_For_Work_Card" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even go to another brothel</a>. She must apply and pay for a new license, a process that also requires compulsory <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/nevada/NAC-441A-800" target="_blank" rel="noopener">STI </a><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/nevada/NAC-441A-800" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testing</a>.
Prostituted women are thus not only forced to have pimps, but they are also discouraged from leaving them by law.
In “Secrets of the Bunny Ranch,” survivors detailed the fee system that kept them in debt to these brothels. The brothels took 50% of whatever the women made off the top, while also charging the women for room and board. Many women do not stay in the black.
These accounts dovetail with what dozens of survivors of Nevada’s legal brothels have told me. After the brothels take their cut, the women must still pay licensing fees, cover STI examination costs — which are mandatory for the women, but not for the men who visit the brothels — and whatever fines the brothels decide to dish out. Debt, of course, is one of the oldest means of enslavement, and was a <a href="https://repository.law.wisc.edu/s/uwlaw/media/39642" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prominent feature</a> of 19th-century American brothels.
In one case, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation Law Center <a href="https://endsexualexploitation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024.02.08.-Doe-v.-Lombardo-Complaint.pdf?sm_guid=NzcxOTIyfDc4MzA5NjAxfC0xfGNlc2VAbmNvc2UuY29tfDcyMDIwMTJ8fDB8MHwyMjU0MzA0NTd8MTEzMnwwfDB8fDc2NjM5Nnww0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that women at the Chicken Ranch brothel were routinely subjected to searches of their emails, phones, and personal possessions, according to the NCOSE lawsuit. If they were caught with personal items or cash in their own rooms, they would forfeit all of the money in their Chicken Ranch accounts.
What’s more, survivors reported that women in the brothels were not allowed to leave at will, but were locked inside for weeks at a time.
Where is the law enforcement in this ostensibly regulated prostitution system, especially given these abuses? “Secrets of the Bunny Ranch” answers that too, describing how officials in Nye and Lyon counties, where Hof’s brothels were located, protected him. It is well established that slavery thrives where it enjoys official protection. This can be through explicit legalization, as in chattel slavery in the American South. It can also happen through corruption, where — as in most of the world today — slavery is illegal on paper.
A survivor — interviewed at length in the show — described how she was raped by Dennis Hof almost as soon as she arrived in the brothel. She went to the Nye County Police to report the rape. When she informed them of the perpetrator, they shrugged and didn’t even file a report. When she later attempted to leave the brothel, she was allegedly beaten on Dennis Hof’s orders until she began having seizures, and then was hospitalized with head injuries.
To be clear: engaging in prostitution because the pimp has said you cannot leave, and has repeatedly subjected you to violence from his own rapes and other abuses, and from ordering other people to beat you up, is textbook sex trafficking.
<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1591" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sex trafficking</a> occurs whenever there is a commercial sex act and the victim is either under 18 or subjected to force, fraud, or coercion. <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php?width=840&amp;height=800&amp;iframe=true&amp;def_id=18-USC-826895778-1007944208&amp;term_occur=999&amp;term_src=title:18:part:I:chapter:77:section:1591" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Coercion</a> includes abuse or threatened abuse of legal process, <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php?width=840&amp;height=800&amp;iframe=true&amp;def_id=18-USC-908443408-1007944211&amp;term_occur=999&amp;term_src=title:18:part:I:chapter:77:section:1591" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threats</a> of physical restraint, or financial, psychological, or reputational harm — something the jurors in the Diddy case had trouble grasping.
The show details how a sheriff’s deputy would show up at the Moonlite Brothel in his squad car and uniform as a sex buyer. This seems to get disturbingly close to the line of “threatened abuse of the legal process,” when the police are not only failing to do their most basic job of protecting the community from the rapists, but are actively enabling the rapists.
When Hof was running for the Nevada Assembly, the survivor who had unsuccessfully tried to report him to the police spoke up in a public county meeting. She was silenced by the local officials and told to file a new report with the police department. The police never charged Hof, who was found dead in his bed the next month. Nevadans posthumously elected him to the state legislature.
It has become fashionable to defend legal prostitution. But the corruption and violence “Secrets of the Bunny Ranch” exposed in Nevada’s legal brothels are not bugs, but features of any legal system that permits human beings to be bought, sold, or rented. A reckoning is well past due.
Christen Price is senior legal counsel for the <a href="http://www.endsexualexploitation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Center on Sexual Exploitation</a>, the leading national non-profit organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation, such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking, and the public health harms of pornography. On X: @NCOSE
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The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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File: Dennis Hof Nevada Brothel Owner And GOP Candidate Found Dead

‘Secrets of the Bunny Ranch’ Reveals The Deep Corruption In Nevada’s Legal Brothel System 

Nevada

Prostitution

Rape

Sex Trafficking

A coalition of pro-life groups led by CatholicVote and Nevada Right to Life urged Nevada Republican Governor Joe Lombardo to veto a bill that would mandate a right to in vitro fertilization, saying that the legislation would be ethically and fiscally reckless. 
In a <a href="https://catholicvote.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Letter-to-Gov.-Joseph-Lombardo.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> delivered to Lombardo on Tuesday, nearly two dozen pro-life and Christian organizations asked the Catholic governor to veto SB 217, a Democrat-backed bill that would create a right to IVF and require public and private health insurance companies to cover the procedures. Opponents fear that the bill would shield the IVF industry from any accountability for questionable bioethical practices and cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. 
“We approach the issue of IVF from varying perspectives. While we are broadly supportive of the general principle of helping families struggling with infertility to conceive, IVF is bioethically and economically problematic. Healthcare must be sensibly regulated,” the pro-life groups wrote in the letter, which was first obtained by The Daily Wire. 
In addition to CatholicVote Vice President Josh Mercer, other signatories include Nevada Right to Life Executive Director Melissa Clement, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, Democrats for Life Executive Director Kristen Day, and Moms for America Director Eva Sara Landau.
“The IVF industry currently operates in a wild west, with little to no regulation or restraint on its activities. It is already legal in Nevada. The bill would allow IVF practitioners to operate with complete impunity and hinder the state’s ability to enact health and safety regulations to protect women undergoing what is already a physically and mentally taxing process,” the advocates wrote.
They added that they appreciated Lombardo’s previous actions to “veto unreasonable and often extreme measures from the legislature.”
SB 217, which is also opposed by Nevada’s Republican Party, is estimated to cost at least $38 million in its first two years. 
The <a href="https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/83rd2025/Bill/12292/Text#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill</a> would also put into law that “a fertilized egg or human embryo that exists before implantation in a human uterus is not a person for legal purposes.” Lawmakers across the country have moved to shield the IVF industry after the Alabama Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alabama-supreme-court-says-couple-can-continue-wrongful-death-lawsuit-over-destruction-of-frozen-embryos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> 8-1 that frozen embryos should be recognized and protected as children. 
Tommy Valentine, director of the Catholic Accountability Project at CatholicVote, told The Daily Wire that SB 217 would allow the IVF industry to operate with virtually no safeguards in place.
“This bill would give the industry carte blanche to act recklessly. Let&#8217;s not forget that this bill is an unfunded mandate which will cost the state tens of millions of dollars per year and increase healthcare premiums for Nevadans,” he said. “It was passed in literally the 11th hour along party lines. A Republican governor should not be signing a bill like this, and we hope he will not.”

Joe Lombardo Makes His First Public Statement Since Being Declared Winner Of Nevada Gubernatorial Race

EXCLUSIVE: Pro-Life Groups Urge Catholic GOP Governor To Veto ‘Extreme’ IVF Bill

Catholics

Christianity

Pro-Life Movement

One of Hunter Biden’s favorite prostitutes and drug buddies was charged with manslaughter in Nevada this year after allegedly bringing drugs into a jail, leading to another inmate’s death.
Cheryl Ann Deboves was arraigned on involuntary manslaughter and drug possession charges in Clark County, Nevada in April, records show. The case was moved to state court, and she pleaded guilty last month to possession of controlled substances by an inmate, with a sentence of between 12 and 30 months.
Deboves was a recurring figure on Hunter Biden’s laptop, which shows former President Joe Biden’s son engaging in orgies with her, enlisting her to buy drugs, and sending her money.
Hunter Biden and Deboves argued about Biden’s preference for involving multiple girls in their sex sessions, with Deboves writing “Honestly babe the problem is you have too many girls there.”
Biden texted her when he wanted sex or someone to procure drugs, and funded her drug habit with transfers through Venmo and CashApp, but left her to suffer in the throes of addiction when it was convenient for him. In 2018, she texted him that drug dealers were threatening her, saying “Can you please help me? Like he scares me a lot. I hate it when men threaten women.”
There is no record of Biden replying, and he ignored desperate pleas from Deboves until texting to ask for a naked FaceTime.
Barbara Howell, a mother of three, died in the Mesquite City jail after taking heroin smuggled in by Deboves, Howell’s mother, Anita Eibert, told The Daily Wire.
“The jail is taking no responsibility…I need help getting justice for my daughter,” she said.
Eibert described Howell as a “free spirited child” who was an honors student and cheerleader in high school and “always willing to help anyone in need.”
“Sometimes not making the best choices, she went through addiction to drugs, which landed her in jail. She wanted to make a better life for herself. She told her son she was done with that life, but the worst happened in the Mesquite City jail where she died of a heroin overdose at the age of 45,” she said.
The Daily Wire reported in 2022 that shortly after Biden&#8217;s inauguration, Deboves, who is a registered sex offender after a long string of prostitution and drug arrests, got a coronavirus bailout check from the federal government for her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hunter-bidens-laptop-lady-got-20k-federal-stimulus-for-female-owned-sole-proprietorship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“female-owned sole proprietorship”</a> listed under the category of “independent performers,” highlighting the fraud-ridden nature of the program.
Hunter Biden claimed in his memoir that all of his addictions disappeared after he met a South African woman whom he married within days of meeting her. While he received a blanket criminal pardon from his father, the less well-connected people left in his wake have faced <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/death-row-or-wanted-for-murder-the-cursed-lives-of-hunter-bidens-associates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prison, death, and torture</a>.
Ye Jianming, a Chinese tycoon with intelligence ties, was apparently disappeared by Chinese officials after Hunter asked him to wire $10 million, pledging “best wishes from the entire Biden family.” That led Hunter to write, “My business partner is now a prisoner on death row in China.”
Ho “Patrick” Chi Ping, who worked for Ye and paid Hunter $1 million, was sentenced to prison by U.S. authorities for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Hunter called Ho “the f—ing spy chief of China who started the company that my partner, who is worth $323 billion, founded.”
Jason Galanis and Devon Archer were also sentenced to prison for a scheme involving defrauding a Native American tribe. Documents said Hunter was also part of the scheme, but his alleged involvement was avoided at trial. Archer was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/screwed-by-the-bidens-trump-pardons-hunter-bidens-business-partner-devon-archer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pardoned</a> this year by President Donald Trump after he testified that Joe Biden would often join calls with their overseas business contacts.

Hunter Biden’s Favorite Prostitute Charged With Manslaughter

Hunter Biden

Fans of the popular YouTube content creator MrBeast (real name Jimmy Donaldson) who paid for an “immersive” experience in Las Vegas are demanding their money back, saying they didn’t get anything close to what was advertised.
The event at Resorts World Las Vegas was advertised as an &#8220;immersive&#8221; and &#8220;unforgettable.&#8221; It was supposed to include exclusive games, a MrBeast-themed menu, and mystery bags filled with limited-edition merchandise. There was also supposed to be at least one bag containing a $10,000 gift voucher.
All of these details were meant to justify the $1,000 per-ticket price tag for the three-day event, which took place from April 13 to April 15.
“It should have been like mini-games, meet and greets, photo ops, special drinks, and things,” participant Theresa Metta <a href="https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/mrbeast-fans-seek-refunds-after-las-vegas-event/">told</a> Vegas-based outlet 8NewsNow. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get any of that.”
&#8220;I was told to wait in my room for two days for a package to come, so I legit spent two days in my room for a package to come, and it was a box of chocolates,&#8221; she continued.
&#8220;They said there would be mystery bags or boxes, and that one person would win $10,000, and then there would be a limited edition merchandise inside the boxes,&#8221; another guest, Jamie Yacksyzn, told <a href="https://people.com/mrbeast-fans-seek-refunds-for-usd1k-per-ticket-las-vegas-event-after-disappointing-experience-11716907">People</a>. 
&#8220;They also said the contents of the boxes are secret and not to be found out until you get the box,” she added. “So it alluded to the fact that there was going to be more special surprises in the box, and that there would be immersive experiences throughout the hotel floor and restaurants and activations.&#8221;
Yacksyzn continued, &#8220;I had seen things about the experience reported on MrBeast pages. Knowing how MrBeast is, and he does secret surprises and things, the hotel had also mentioned that it would be aligned with MrBeast&#8217;s reputation for being generous and his generosity.&#8221;
One guest posted a complaint on X with similar gripes about the lack of “experience” and the special merchandise being nothing more than “leftover shirts that cost $9.”
This prompted Donaldson to <a href="https://x.com/MrBeast/status/1912299963838509240">reply</a> from the MrBeast X account, saying, &#8220;Hey! This definitely isn&#8217;t the experience we hoped they&#8217;d deliver. My team&#8217;s already on it–I&#8217;d love to personally make it up to you and anyone else by inviting everybody affected to tour my actual studio! Can&#8217;t wait to meet you all and my team is reaching out to everyone :D.&#8221;
Resorts World took responsibility for the ordeal, admitting that &#8220;expectations were not met during the MrBeast experience.&#8221; The hotel said in an email that customers would be refunded in the next three to five days.

MrBeast

MrBeast Fans Demand Refund After $1K Per Ticket Vegas Experience Disaster

Entertainment

General

influencer

Las Vegas

U.S.

YouTube

The Justice Department announced Wednesday night that another “high level” MS-13 gang member wanted in connection to multiple murders had been arrested in New York. 
Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Joel Vargas-Escobar, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, had been arrested on Tuesday and charged with a racketeering conspiracy involving 11 murders. Vargas-Escobar, who was previously deported in 2018, is suspected of being part of the command and control structure of MS-13 in Las Vegas and California. 
Vargas-Escobar was charged with racketeering conspiracy, two counts of murder-in-aid of racketeering, and multiple gun charges. He was detained by law enforcement on Long Island. 
“The American people are safer following the arrest of yet another MS-13 leader thanks to the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Joint Task Force Vulcan,” Bondi said. “This terrorist entered our country illegally and is accused of orchestrating 11 murders — under President Trump’s leadership, we will not rest until this terrorist organization is completely dismantled and its members are behind bars.”
Vargas-Escobar is accused of operating MS-13’s “Parkview” clique in Las Vegas and personally ordering two murders and orchestrating nine more, according to the DOJ. The murder victims were taken to remote mountain or desert locations and tortured before being killed.  
“The arrest of yet another violent and dangerous MS-13 leader is a major win for our FBI agents, law enforcement partners, and safer American streets,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Our agents and analysts are continuously coordinating across multiple field offices and investigating with our valued partners to keep this work going — and we will not stop until that work is done.”
The alleged gang leader first appeared in court Wednesday morning in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York – Central Islip. He will be sent to Nevada for his trial, where he could face life in prison if convicted. 
This arrest follows an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-arrests-top-ms-13-leader-just-outside-d-c-america-is-safer-today" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcement last week</a> the FBI had arrested 24-year-old Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos, who the DOJ said was the top leader of MS-13 for the East Coast. He was arrested and charged with immigration and gun crimes last week during a predawn operation in Virginia.

EL SALVADOR-PRISON-GANGS-INMATES

FBI Arrests ‘High Ranking’ MS-13 Member Accused Of ‘Orchestrating’ 11 Murders

Crime

Department of Justice

Illegal Immigation

kash patel

MS-13 Gang

New York

Pam Bondi

Nevada’s Democrat Attorney General boasted that his office told Chinese illegal aliens how to can avoid deportation, aiding foreign nationals who reside in the United States despite potential national security risks.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford published a list of resources for illegal aliens hoping to dodge deportation, specifically highlighting Mandarin-language guides that can be used by illegal immigrants who come from one of the United States’ primary adversaries.
Ford’s office wrote online that the attorney general is “proud to announce the availability of his office&#8217;s ‘Know Your Rights’ documents outlining key legal protections for immigrants and their employers in Mandarin,” adding that the office is “proud to stand with all Nevadans” despite the material being intended for foreign nationals who are illegally present in the United States.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
AG <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronDFordNV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AaronDFordNV</a> is proud to announce the availability of his office&#8217;s &#8220;Know Your Rights&#8221; documents outlining key legal protections for immigrants and their employers in Mandarin. 
The OAG is proud to stand with all Nevadans. <a href="https://t.co/wHvLFDJEMc">https://t.co/wHvLFDJEMc</a> <a href="https://t.co/CT6UUsKPj8">pic.twitter.com/CT6UUsKPj8</a>
— NV Attorney General (@NevadaAG) <a href="https://twitter.com/NevadaAG/status/1889402601613168829?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
“Every resident of Nevada has basic rights that protect you when you have contact with law enforcement, regardless of your citizenship or immigration status,” the Attorney General’s office <a href="https://ag.nv.gov/Hot_Topics/Immigrant_Rights/">wrote</a> on its site, listing resources for illegal aliens in Mandarin and linking to legal organizations. The guide <a href="https://ag.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/agnvgov/Content/Issues/Chines%20REVIEWED_Nevada%20Know%20Your%20Rights%20Immigration%20(Individuals).pdf">explains</a> the various safeguards that illegal aliens have against deportation, even saying that &#8220;a warrant of deportation/removal does not allow officers to enter the home without consent.&#8221;
But illegal immigration from China has been found to present national security risks to the United States. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green <a href="https://x.com/JennieSTaer/status/1668995943272787971">explained</a> in 2023 that one Border Patrol chief warned that some Chinese migrants released into the United States had ties to the Chinese military.
Experts like Gatestone Institute Senior Fellow Gordon Chang have <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6356908301112">observed</a> that the vast majority of Chinese illegal immigrants showing up at America’s borders have been military-aged men, families or unaccompanied minors.
Videos captured during the Biden administration documented these large groups of fighting-age Chinese men entering California illegally. Data indicates that illegal immigration from China increased to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chinese-nationals-are-flooding-across-southern-border-at-record-pace">record-breaking</a> levels under the Democrat’s term, surging past 24,000 in fiscal year 2023. Just under 40,000 Chinese illegal aliens had active <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-data-reveals-america-has-tens-thousands-noncitizens-from-us-adversary-deportation-orders">deportation orders</a> as of December 2024.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
HAPPENING NOW🚨 Large groups of migrants , mostly Chinese national men crossing illegally through open gaps on the border wall in Jacumba Hot Springs , CA <a href="https://twitter.com/NewsNation?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NewsNation</a>
Tomorrow San Diego County officials will vote on whether the county will spend $3 million in taxpayer funds for… <a href="https://t.co/mPN46jr7yH">pic.twitter.com/mPN46jr7yH</a>
— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/VenturaReport/status/1731736578404589872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2023</a></blockquote>
Concerns that Chinese illegal aliens could harm American national security come as some Republican Senators <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bill-exclusive-banning-chinese-citizens-from-buying-u-s-land">warn</a> against the purchasing of American farmland by individuals with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. A whopping 350,000 acres of American farmland across 27 states was found to be owned by China as of last year, Department of Agriculture data indicated.
Ford, who <a href="https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/nevada-attorney-general-aaron-ford-says-he-intends-to-run-for-governor">plans to</a> challenge Republican incumbent Governor Joe Lombardo in 2026, has a history of supporting far-left policies designed to shield illegal aliens from federal law enforcement.
As a state representative, Ford was one of the <a href="https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/79th2017/Bill/5110/Overview">sponsors</a> behind legislation that aimed to turn Nevada into a sanctuary state, limiting the ability of state and local law enforcement to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement as federal agents seek to deport criminal illegal aliens. The 2017 bill failed after it was met with bipartisan backlash.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford

Nevada Democrat Attorney General Helps Chinese Illegal Aliens Dodge Deportation

Border

deportation

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

The man inside a Tesla Cybertruck packed with explosives who died when it exploded outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel on New Year’s Day has been identified as a former Green Beret who had served at the same U.S. Army base as the terrorist who killed at least 15 people in New Orleans the same day.
Law enforcement officials identified the man in the rented Cybertruck as Matthew Livelsberger, a U.S. Army veteran since 2006 who had served in Afghanistan and Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Congo. He had served at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, although not at the same time as Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, who rammed his truck into New Year’s revelers in New Orleans’ French Quarter. However, an FBI official at a press conference on Thursday morning said that there was &#8220;no definitive link&#8221; between the two attacks at the current moment as the investigation is still in its preliminary stages.
Fox News <a href="https://x.com/JacquiHeinrich/status/1874861794507850017">reported</a> that Livelsberger &#8220;was an active-duty Special Forces operations sergeant who was on leave from Germany where he was serving with the 10th Special Forces Group.&#8221;
&#8220;Master Sgt. Matthew Alan Livelsberger enlisted as an 18X and served in the active duty Army from January 2006 to March 2011,&#8221; an Army spokesperson told Fox. &#8220;Livelsberger then joined the National Guard from March 2011 to July 2012, followed by the Army Reserve from July 2012 to December 2012. He entered the active duty Army in December 2012 and was a U.S. Army Special Operations Soldier. Additionally, U.S. Army Special Operations Command can confirm Livelsberger was assigned to the command and on approved leave at the time of his death.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Army spox tells FOX the suspect in the Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion was an active-duty Special Forces operations sergeant who was on leave from Germany where he was serving with the 10th Special Forces Group:
&#8220;Master Sgt. Matthew Alan Livelsberger enlisted as an 18X and served…
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) <a href="https://twitter.com/JacquiHeinrich/status/1874861794507850017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Livelsberger was believed to be active on LinkedIn, and often commented on posts from colleagues in the military, according to Newsweek. In a comment on one post about student debt, he apparently responded to a question asking who was responsible for debts, saying, ‘The govt,’” <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/matthew-livelsberger-las-vegas-tesla-cybertruck-explosion-suspect-social-media-2008453" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Newsweek</a> reported.
“Authorities know who rented the truck with the Turo app in Colorado, Kevin McMahill, the elected sheriff of Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, said Wednesday. He did not release the person’s ID, however,” AP <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hotel-explosion-tesla-cybertruck-5c5a8fd13a50e2bcde46370ae926d427" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The Tesla Cybertruck’s construction prevented a greater explosion; Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Goj-dMyceM&amp;list=RDNS-Goj-dMyceM&amp;start_radio=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>, “So those are gasoline canisters; they are camp fuel canisters and large firework mortars. &#8230; It looks like the exterior of that truck is completely intact as it sits there. The fact that this was a Cybertruck, really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet because it had most of the blast go up through the truck and out. In fact, if you look on that video, you’ll see that the front glass doors at the Trump Hotel were not even broken by that blast.”
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Law Enforcement Officials are claiming that because the Suspect used a Tesla Cybertruck in their Attack earlier today against the Trump Hotel &amp; Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, which has 1.4mm Body Panels and 1.8mm Door Panels, the Explosion only caused Minimal Damage; with even… <a href="https://t.co/3aBWrA8hfC">pic.twitter.com/3aBWrA8hfC</a>
&mdash; OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) <a href="https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1874624147088625789?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself.   All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1874579547452269054?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1874579547452269054%7Ctwgr%5Eadac1a6677fe7631113ed16d7fa2b322cac11a1b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fus%2Flas-vegas-police-say-cybertruck-exploded-trump-hotel-had-fuel-containers-large-firework-mortars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on X.

LAS VEGAS, NV – January 01: A Cybertruck covered with a tarp is

Further Details On Cybertruck Las Vegas Bomber Revealed

Bombings

Terrorism

Tesla

Trump Hotel

Authorities are investigating potential links between the suspect who is believed to have detonated explosives inside a Tesla Cybertruck in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas and the terrorist who killed more than a dozen people in New Orleans on Wednesday.
Denver7 News <a href="https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/suspects-in-vegas-explosion-new-orleans-attack-served-at-same-army-base-sources-tell-denver7-investigates">reported</a> that the suspect in the Cybertruck attack is 37-year-old Colorado Springs resident Matthew Livelsberger.
Authorities were probing the connection between Livelsberger and 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen who converted to Islam and pledged allegiance to ISIS before killing at least 14 people and wounding dozens more in an attack on New Orleans&#8217; French Quarter.
Denver7 News reported that both men &#8220;served at the same military base&#8221; in the U.S. Army.
Both men also rented the trucks used in their attacks through the same company, Turo.
However, an FBI official at a press conference on Thursday morning said that there was &#8220;no definitive link&#8221; between the two attacks at the current moment as the investigation is still in its preliminary stages.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
FBI: There is &#8220;no definitive link&#8221; between Las Vegas attack and New Orleans attack
-Both attacks involved vehicles 
-Attacks happened within hours of each other 
-Both vehicles rented through Turo 
-Both suspects served in U.S. Army at the same base <a href="https://t.co/WPM7EZVAM6">pic.twitter.com/WPM7EZVAM6</a>
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1874860865339675061?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) said that the Cybertruck that Livelsberger was driving carried &#8220;gasoline tanks, camping fuel, and large firework mortars&#8221; when the explosion happened.
The Cybertruck&#8217;s stainless steel design contained the explosion so well that the glass on the hotel&#8217;s doors, which were mere feet away from the vehicle, did not even crack.
&#8220;The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1874614362612326761">said</a> Tesla CEO Elon Musk. &#8220;Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken.&#8221;
During the explosion, only Livelsberger was killed. Several other people who were in the near vicinity were injured but appeared to be okay.

LAS VEGAS, NV – January 01: Clark County fire vehicles surround

Suspect In Cybertruck Blast Served At Same Army Base As Terrorist Behind New Orleans Attack

Louisiana

New Orleans

New Year's

The Biden administration is moving to lock up hundreds of thousands of acres of land weeks before he is set to leave office.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/biden-harris-administration-proposes-protections-ruby-mountains" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> on Monday a slate of environmental rules for Nevada’s Ruby Mountains, including banning energy development along a large portion of the range for the next 20 years.
“The Ruby Mountains are cherished by local communities for their scenic value, cultural heritage, numerous wildlife and benefit to the local economy through a thriving outdoor recreation industry,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. “Today, we are taking an important and sensible step to pause new oil and gas leasing to ensure that we have the science and public input necessary to inform proposed protections of the Ruby Mountains area for future generations.”
The announcement coincided with a notice to the Federal Register that initiates a 90-day public comment period for the proposed withdrawal of 264,000 acres of land from potential geothermal and oil and gas development for 20 years, the maximum length of time the Interior Secretary can lock up land. Permanent bans on federal land require an act of Congress.
The withdrawal notice does not otherwise regulate mining over the area, according to the press release. Nevada is a well-known source of gold deposits, being one of the top-producing regions of gold in the world.
Alongside the Ruby Mountain withdrawal, the DOI also announced the purchase of a 640-acre, equivalent to a square mile, parcel of land from Wyoming within the Grand Teton National Park. The purchase also came with permanent environmental bans over the piece of land.
“Today marks an incredible milestone, decades in the making, to permanently protect an essential wildlife migration corridor and treasured landscape within Grand Teton National Park,” Haaland <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-announces-permanent-protections-critical-land-and-wildlife" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “This will benefit our public lands and Wyoming’s public school students for generations to come.”

Deb Haaland

Biden Moves To Lock Up Miles Of Nevada Land Under Environmental Rules

Department of the Interior

Environment

Politics

A wrong-way driver who killed an off-duty police officer earlier this month was under deportation orders from a court, federal officials say.
Fernando Jimenez-Jimenez, 31, drove on the wrong side of the road on I-15 near Las Vegas and hit Las Vegas police officer Colton Pulsipher, 29, head on. Both men died in the crash.
Jimenez, a Mexican national, had been deported from the United States in 2019. He applied to enter the United States in January 2020 in Brownsville, Texas, but never appeared for a hearing in an immigration court scheduled for December 2021. The court placed Jimenez under deportation orders after he missed the hearing, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement authorities told local Las Vegas outlet <a href="https://www.fox5vegas.com/2024/12/23/driver-wrong-way-crash-that-killed-las-vegas-officer-had-been-deported-multiple-times-ice-says/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KVVU</a>.
Jimenez’s whereabouts had been unknown for years until the December 12 crash that killed himself and Pulsipher. Officials investigating the crash found alcohol and marijuana in Jimenez’s car at the scene. A toxicology report on the illegal alien driver has yet to be finalized.
Pulsipher was driving home from a shift in his personal vehicle when he was struck by Jimenez. Pulsipher was a husband and father with three children.
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo is one of 26 Republican governors who <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/details-damned-lombardo-pledges-full-225825612.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expressed</a> support for President-elect Donald Trump’s deportation plans after years of historic immigration under President Joe Biden. 
“As Republican governors, we stand united in support of President Donald Trump’s unwavering commitment to make America safe again by addressing the illegal immigration crisis and deporting illegal immigrants who pose a threat to our communities and national security,” the Republican governors said in a joint letter.
“Together, we will continue to defend the American people, uphold the rule of law, and ensure our nation remains safe and secure for future generations. We stand ready to utilize every tool at our disposal—whether through state law enforcement or the National Guard — to support President Trump in this vital mission,” the letter says.

Police lights

Wrong-Way Driver That Killed Off-Duty Police Officer Was Under Deportation Orders: Officials

Wrong-way Driver That Killed Off-Duty Police Officer Was Under Deportation Orders: Officials

Suspended <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/san-jose-state">San Jose State University</a> women’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/volleyball">volleyball</a> associate head coach <a href="https://sjsuspartans.com/staff/melissa-batie-smoose">Melissa Batie-Smoose</a> said that “safety is being taken away from women” and has continued to speak out against a trans-identifying male, Blaire Fleming, on the team.
&#8220;Safety is being taken away from women,&#8221; Batie-Smoose told Fox News’ “<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/suspended-san-jose-state-coach-embroiled-transgender-controversy-sounds-alarm-womens-sports">America Newsroom</a> on Monday. &#8220;Fair play is taken away from women. We need more and more people to do this and fight this fight because women’s sports, as we know it right now, will be forever changed.&#8221;
Batie-Smoose was suspended indefinitely from her job when she took the side of the women on the team who didn’t want to play with the biological male player, after she filed a Title IX complaint against her school.
In the complaint, the suspended coach alleged that the trans-identifying male player “conspired with an opponent to help the team lose a match and injure teammate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ncaa-volleyball-player-says-coaches-repeatedly-assigned-her-to-room-with-trans-player-at-his-request">Brooke Slusser</a>,&#8220; who has spoken out about the inclusion of trans players in women’s sports, the <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/11/05/sports/san-jose-state-players-dont-feel-safe-anymore-in-transgender-drama/">New York Post</a> noted.
After the suspension came down on November 2, SJSU released a statement that the associate head coach of the women’s team “is not with the team at this time, and we will not provide further information on this matter,&#8221; <a href="https://www.outkick.com/sports/suspended-sjsu-volleyball-coach-batie-smoose-safety-women">OutKick</a> reported.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Coach Batie-Smoose from SJSU just showed us what true leadership looks like. By risking &amp; ultimately losing her job, she&#8217;s standing up for her athletes &amp; the future of women&#8217;s sports because &#8216;safety &amp; fair play are being taken away for women.&#8217; Her courage should inspire us all!… <a href="https://t.co/HEyoP8yUqk">pic.twitter.com/HEyoP8yUqk</a>
— Kaitlynn Wheeler (@WheelerKaitlynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/WheelerKaitlynn/status/1856019186197414299?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
Batie-Smoose said following news of the discipline, &#8220;This is just another form of what San Jose State has been trying to do – silence people that are speaking up for their First Amendment rights and for what&#8217;s right,” the outlet noted.
Slusser later reacted to Batie-Smoose&#8217;s suspension and said the women on the team “aren’t happy and we don’t feel safe anymore,” <a href="https://www.outkick.com/sports/exclusive-brooke-slusser-sjsu-ruined-volleyball-batie-smoose">OutKick</a> reported. “Melissa was that person that we felt like as long as she was there, we had someone that would stand up for us. And now there’s no one there that will.”
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
“I don’t think the school sees how much they just basically ruined this program by taking Melissa away from us,” she added. “So, who knows what’s to come in the future [with regard] to what our team will do or how we will react from this.”
Five schools have forfeited playing SJSU in protest of the biological male star player on the CA team. Those schools include Southern Utah University, Boise State University, the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-womens-team-becomes-latest-to-refuse-to-play-against-trans-identifying-male">University of Wyoming</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fourth-university-womens-team-refuses-to-play-against-trans-identifying-male">Utah State</a> University, and the University of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-finally-scraps-match-after-womens-team-refuses-to-play-team-whose-star-player-is-male">Nevada</a>.
UNR was initially resistant to canceling its women’s volleyball match after members of UNR’s women’s team refused to play against SJSU and Fleming.
“We, the University of Nevada Reno women’s volleyball team, forfeit against @SJSU and stand united in solidarity with the volleyball teams of Southern Utah University, Boise State University, the University of Wyoming, &amp; Utah State University,” the statement read in part, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/5th-womens-volleyball-team-nixes-game-against-college-with-trans-identifying-star-player">reported</a>.
Later, the university released its own statement showing it did not support the move by the women’s team.  Backlash ensued against the school, however, and vocal advocates called on the girls to hold the line and refuse to play, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-turns-on-its-womens-team-over-refusal-to-play-against-trans-identifying-athlete">reported</a>.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-turns-on-its-womens-team-over-refusal-to-play-against-trans-identifying-athlete" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University Turns On Its Women’s Team Over Refusal To Play Against Trans-Identifying Athlete</a>

Teenage volleyball player prepares to serve…

Suspended San Jose State University Coach Continues To Speak Out Against Trans-Identifying Male On Team

Suspended SJSU Coach Continues To Speak Out Against Trans-Identifying Male On Team

San Jose

Social Issues

Sports

Transgender Athletes

Volleyball

Women's sports

Last Tuesday, voters in six states decisively rejected ballot measures that would have brought ranked choice voting to future elections. In Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Oregon, RCV <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Results_for_ranked-choice_voting_(RCV)_and_electoral_system_ballot_measures,_2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">went down in flames</a>. National groups spent millions on campaigns promising RCV would enhance democracy and empower the people, angling for an election day triumph. Instead, the voters handed them a rout.
Adding insult to injury, Alaska appears on track to repeal RCV after using it for just two years. Missouri, meanwhile, became the first state to ban it at the ballot box, and the eleventh state overall to bar RCV. In fact, the number of states to <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Ranked-choice_voting_(RCV)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ban</a> RCV more than doubled this year.
Ranked choice voting, a complex scheme, seems better suited to a laboratory than a voting booth. It eliminates the “one person, one vote” principle and asks voters to rank multiple candidates for each race. If no candidate gets a majority, the one with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their ballots are redistributed to the voter’s next choice. This process repeats until someone claims a majority.
Voting takes longer with RCV. Voters must learn about and rank numerous candidates in multiple contests on each ballot. Counting ballots also takes longer, as final tabulations can’t begin until all ballots are received, and some states allow mail ballots to arrive after Election Day. Some states lack voting systems that can handle this process; Idaho’s secretary of state estimated the cost to replace the state’s <a href="https://idahofreedom.org/a-40-million-drain-on-taxpayers-ranked-choice-voting-comes-at-a-heavy-price-for-idahoans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">equipment</a> at $40 million.
The results are difficult to audit and just as hard to explain, especially when ranked choice voting catapults candidates who got the second- or third-most votes into office after numerous rounds of elimination. In fact, RCV is so confusing that the wrong winner can be certified. That actually happened in Oakland, California in 2022.
The one thing RCV does reliably is push politics to the left, particularly when this scheme is paired with California-style jungle primaries. That’s the system Alaska uses, and in the special congressional election of 2022, more voters cast ballots for Republicans but Democrat Mary Peltola went to Congress. 
Small wonder, then, that left-wing megadonors decided to push RCV nationwide despite its obvious flaws. They <a href="https://honestelections.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/HEP-RCV-Factsheet_v2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">built up an array</a> of organizations to lobby, petition, and ultimately to campaign for ranked choice voting. Those efforts culminated in ballot measures in six states, <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Results_for_ranked-choice_voting_(RCV)_and_electoral_system_ballot_measures,_2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fueled</a> by an astonishing $99 million, or nearly $30 for every $1 spent in opposition.
Nearly half of that extraordinary sum came from groups tied to liberal billionaire John Arnold and his wife, Laura. The pair <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/ranked-choice-voting-ballot-measures-election-863d52ff" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spent</a> at least $39 million propping up ranked choice voting measures this year alone.
What did these donors get for their millions? Not much. Nearly 70% of Idahoans voted against RCV. Colorado and Oregon, both liberal states, rejected the measures by double-digit margins. And in the presidential battlegrounds of Arizona and Nevada, ranked choice voting went down harder and faster than Kamala Harris.
Meanwhile, nearly 69% of Missourians voted to proactively ban ranked choice voting. In Alaska, the Arnolds and other RCV megadonors poured in almost $15 million to defend the scheme against a repeal effort. Despite that, the repeal vote is winning as ballots continue to come in.
Washington, D.C., was the only bright spot for RCV advocates, where a citywide ballot measure passed by wide margins. That may not be the win proponents imagine. After all, “they use it in the swamp” isn’t much of a rallying cry.
<h3><a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH&#8217;S &#8216;AM I RACIST?&#8217; NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a></h3>
Is this the end of ranked choice voting? It should be. But with the left, there is no such thing as a permanent defeat. In fact, RCV has endured expensive, high-profile failures before—a $10 million <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Massachusetts_Question_2,_Ranked-Choice_Voting_Initiative_(2020)#Campaign_finance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">loss</a> in Massachusetts in 2020, for instance—only to rebrand the scheme as “instant runoffs” and “open primaries,” and spend 10 times as much this year.
RCV <a href="https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter/2024/11/election-reformers-try-to-pick-up-the-pieces-00188355" target="_blank" rel="noopener">backers</a> are already <a href="https://x.com/NickTroiano/status/1854313594785018148" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promising</a> they will be back, even <a href="https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter/2024/11/election-reformers-try-to-pick-up-the-pieces-00188355" target="_blank" rel="noopener">telegraphing</a> they will focus instead on lobbying state legislatures to impose the scheme that voters just decisively rejected. So much for all their talk about “democracy.” Lawmakers would be wise to head that effort off by <a href="https://stoprcv.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banning</a> ranked choice voting next year, instead.
Left-wing billionaires spent millions trying to buy a new form of democracy that would cater to their politics and interests. Fortunately, the American people spoke loud and clear: our election system is not for sale.
* * *
Jason Snead is the executive director of Honest Elections Project Action.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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