Nevada
NEVADA VIEWS: Dousing the fire of innovation
As a physicist born, raised and fully trained in the United States, I am concerned that the Trump administration has been severely defunding scientific research and universities that train the next generation of scientists and engineers. This effort comes at a time when America is $36 trillion in debt and needs to reindustrialize to produce more than it consumes.
We have myriad problems that only science can address — the adverse impact of climate change, food production, the quest for alternative energy sources, the decontamination of our poisoned ecosphere from PFAS chemicals, rampant cancers, safeguarding humanity from AI and natural resource management, for instance. China produces more STEM graduates per year than all U.S. graduates combined annually.
America is a superpower because of investments in science made in the 20th century — particularly after World War II. Some achievements from this funding include the transistor, integrated circuit and microprocessor, the bedrock of modern electronics that produced solar cells, cellphones, satellites, televisions and computers. The laser was invented here and is ubiquitous as a source of concentrated coherent energy. The blueprint of life (DNA) was discovered here and paved the way for gene machines/sequencers that were also developed here. Modern medicines (e.g., synthetic insulin) were made or discovered to help humans suffering from myriad ailments (e.g., diabetes), saving untold millions of lives.
Because of decades of government-funded research, our economy grew tremendously. Our health care has improved with myriad technologies such as MRI and PET scans and proton and radiation therapy, among many others. These miracles of modern medicine have unquestionably helped to steadily increase life expectancy in America.
Beyond this, our military has benefited greatly from STEM, as technological superiority has been the traditional means to win wars. America would never be able to project its power around the world without nuclear submarines, satellites, jet fighters, rockets/missiles, advanced tanks, etc. — all the result of decades of scientific research. Despite their obvious dangers, nuclear weapons have produced the longest period of relative peace in human history and their derivative (nuclear energy) produces a significant amount of our electricity.
Scientific research conducted in the public interest has made life more productive, healthy, comfortable and safe for all of us. Few Americans alive today have not benefited from the investments in science made decades ago to improve America’s standard of living.
Yet today, our leaders do not appear to understand just how vital support is for scientific research and the institutions that perform scientific research, which are largely universities. Universities also train future scientists and engineers. But because of funding cuts, the future of American science and properly trained American STEM professionals is threatened.
Persecuting and defunding universities and banishing foreign students (most of whom study STEM) will hinder our advancement. Where will America’s future scientists and engineers come from? Without scientists and engineers, America will have no future. Who will maintain and further develop nuclear energy? Who will continue the exploration of space and launching of satellites? Who will develop, design and build factories to reindustrialize America?
American technology is like a high-performance sports car. If you can’t train future engineers and technicians to understand, repair, improve and maintain it, the vehicle will soon become undrivable. You will be forced to reinvent the wheel. Knowledge is like a flame that is sustained by education.
Beyond this, China may soon overtake America economically. How will America compete with China when it is unable to innovate novel technologies because of defunding universities (which are repositories of knowledge and technical know-how)? How will we train sufficient engineers to translate scientific discoveries into economic and industrial reality?
Supporting science and higher education should be an apolitical issue. Defunding these pillars of America’s success will cause great harm by dousing the fire of innovation that has sustained, enriched and given hope to Americans for decades.
There is no better investment to make for America than to support science and higher education. This is what truly made America great.
Michael Pravica is a professor of physics at UNLV. He writes from Henderson.
The Las Vegas Raiders have orchestrated many groundbreaking moves this offseason, but none as important as the impact they made at a fundraising event.
Over the weekend, the Raiders hosted the Silver & Black Gala, raising $2.5 million for mental health in Nevada. Sunday marked the third time the organization had hosted the event, which has produced a tremendous turnout.
Several individuals spoke during the event, including Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis and president Sandra Douglass Morgan, who each highlighted the importance of acknowledging mental health.
Davis’ Thoughts
- “We’re here to raise money for mental health, which is one of the most important things we can all deal with,” Davis said. “Every one of us is impacted by mental health and our families, friends, or anywhere else, we are all directly affected. That’s why it’s so critical to raise money for our community. We’re grateful for you all, and appreciate you being here.”
Morgan’s Thoughts
“Mental health remains one of the most urgent issues across Nevada,” Morgan said. “Through the Silver & Black Gala, the Raiders Foundation is helping expand access to trusted, community-based resources that meet people where they are. This year’s recipients reflect the depth and complexity of that work, supporting our community in schools, clubhouses, homes, shelters, and family systems statewide.”
The Raiders also honored former player Carl Nassib and NFL broadcaster Jay Glazer on Sunday night as the winners of the Commitment to Excellence award. Here is what each of them had to say.
Glazer’s Thoughts
- “First, this is incredible what the Raiders are doing,” Glazer said. “God blessed me with the ability to communicate, so I’m going to use that to try and help other people. When we’re willing to share our scars, we turn them into strength—into something that connects us as teammates with nothing to hide. That’s what builds a true team, a championship team. I’m proud to stand with you and be part of this team tonight.”
Nassib’s Thoughts
- “It is truly a privilege to be up here,” Nassib said. “We’re creating space for people to be vulnerable—and that work is truly lifesaving. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about showing up and reminding people they’re not alone.”
Overall Thoughts
This has been a tremendous event over the last few years, and the Raiders’ organization has done a great job of raising awareness for mental health. This will be an event that the team will continue to host in the future.
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Nevada
Nevada workers fear homelessness as housing, jobs vanish before July deadline | Fox News Video
The final casino resort in Primm, Nevada, will close this summer after years of declining tourism, ending gaming operations in the once-busy border town and putting hundreds of employees out of work.
Primm Valley Casino Resorts is shutting down its remaining hotel and casino operations in July as experts point to increased competition, changing travel habits and post-pandemic losses behind the decline.
RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo (R) is in a strong position heading into the thick of his 2026 reelection bid — a huge war chest, almost universal name recognition and strong favorability numbers among the electorate.
Though Lombardo is likely focusing on the general election already, he faces 6 longshot candidates in the GOP primary seeking to upset him in June.
Nevada Governor GOP primary: 6 longshot candidates taking on incumbent Joe Lombardo
The challengers face a ‘Herculean’ task, said Mike Noble, CEO and founder of Noble Predictive Insights, an Arizona-based nonpartisan pollster focusing on the Southwest region.
“I see it as a Herculean task for anyone. If someone was coming in with like, I don’t know $10 million or something to spend, sure I can see that might be competitive, but I don’t see any of them coming anywhere near close to that. And so again, I just think I think it’s a non-factor at this point,” Noble said.
RELATED | Ballot Battleground: Nevada podcast: Early Noble poll shows dead heat in governor’s race
Despite the long odds, News 4-Fox 11 reached out to all candidates requesting an interview as part of our commitment to 2026 election coverage and our Know Your Candidates series. Three of the 7 running interviewed with us — Irina Hansen, Kameron Hawkins, Lombardo and Jose Zelaya did not respond to multiple emails requesting an interview.
We asked them similar questions about Gov. Lombardo’s leadership as governor, how they would pass a balanced budget and whether they support taxpayer subsidies for sports teams or major projects.
Click the candidate’s name to watch their full interview. Quotes below have been edited for space and clarity.
Donald J. Beaudry Jr. is an entrepreneur who founded BlkEdgeAi, a financial technology firm specializing in AI-driven trading systems and market strategy, according to his campaign website.
He told News 4-Fox 11 that Nevada has been drifting the last four years with ‘no captain, no vision.’ He believes his Wall Street-like trading market called NGEX (Nevada Global Exchange) would generate enough revenue to eliminate sales taxes, property taxes, business taxes and vehicle registration fees.
“I completely blueprinted it out and calculated that this model could generate enough revenue in this state that we could eliminate all the state taxes and fees that are currently in place and use that as the revenue source for the state and make everybody, every man, woman and child throughout Nevada, a shareholder in the dividends of that exchange … it would be a kind of Wall Street type of stock market, but far broader, more advanced, and exponentially more profitable.”
Matthew Rian Winterhawk is the founder of SmartSlaps foundation, a nonprofit that works to help schools and students with civic engagement and community responsibility.
If elected, he described going through a DOGE-like review of the state budget to determine which areas can be cut or kept depending on their ‘dollar to impact’ ratio.
“What I would like to do is go through every department, I’m talking top to bottom, from here from the primary to the beginning. We will cut every piece of administrative bloat across the system … I need more money for my teachers. Teachers never see it, students never see it, the impact never reaches the classroom. It’s 100% administrative bloat.”
The son of immigrants, Barak Zilberberg is now an entrepreneur and real estate investor based in Las Vegas. He ran for governor in 2022, earning 0.2% of the vote in the GOP primary. He told News 4-Fox 11 he’s also running for President in 2028.
He said he’s running for governor to improve the educational system, bring jobs to Nevada and open up federal land to build more affordable housing.
“We’ve got get high-speed railing systems in here where we can transit very easily, efficiently, and basically moving around between economies of both cities. Not only that, I’d like to bring Disneyland here and the Olympics, sponsor the Olympics here. I just want to make this a well-known place of entertainment, a hub.”
To help voters make informed decisions this election year, News 4-Fox 11 is publishing and broadcasting dozens of interviews with candidates who will appear on the June primary ballot.
In fairness to all candidates, they were asked a series of similar questions. We are posting the full interviews online so voters can watch their responses in their entirety.
Visit our Know Your Candidates 2026 page to view other race previews and meet other candidates.
Email reporter Ben Margiott at bjmargiott@sbgtv.com. Follow @BenMargiott on X and Ben Margiott KRNV on Facebook.
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