An Israeli national linked to a Chinese fraudster's illegal biolab in Nevada managed to skate on a felony charge this month after the Justice Department mysteriously moved to dismiss the criminal complaint against him.

Police raided a house in northeast Las Vegas on Jan. 31 managed by 55-year-old Ori Salomon, an Israeli national currently in the U.S. on an E-2 visa, and owned by Jia Bei Zhu, a Chinese national convicted of fraud earlier this month and linked to the secret biolab discovered in Reedley, California, in late 2022.

Inside Zhu's Vegas property on Sugar Springs Drive, law enforcement agents found a "possible biological laboratory" complete with a "bio-safety hood, a bio-safety sticker, a centrifuge, multiple refrigerators, red-brown unknown liquids in gallon-sized containers, and refrigerated vials with unknown liquids," according to Christopher Delzotto, FBI special agent in charge at the bureau's Las Vegas office.

'The Government has concluded that the interests of justice require dismissal of the complaint.'

That same day, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department also executed a search warrant at the residence where Salomon lives and allegedly found a French passport bearing the name "Ori Salomon," an Israeli passport with the name "Ori Solomon," and a black semi-automatic pistol.

While Salomon — accused of being a primary "agent and conspirator" with Zhu, who contacted him 467 times in the weeks leading up to the raid — was arrested on a state charge of disposing and discharging hazardous waste, the discovery of a firearm at his residence evidently piqued the interest of federal law enforcement.

After all, Salomon is prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm as a non-immigrant visa holder.

According to the original criminal complaint, Salomon made a recorded call to his daughter while in jail where he discussed the presence of additional firearms at his residence.

Las Vegas Metro Police Department footage screenshots

A federal search warrant was executed at Salomon's residence on Feb. 2, during which law enforcement reportedly seized multiple guns, including a Springfield Armory XD-9 9mm handgun; a Savage Mark II .22 caliber rifle; an IWI US Tavor-x95 5.56 rifle; a Glock 19 9mm handgun; and a Springfield Armory SA-XD ACP .45 caliber handgun.

Salomon's adult daughter confirmed that the firearms in the house belonged to her father, the complaint claimed.

Salomon was charged with one count of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

However, on May 11, the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada — helmed by Israeli-born U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah — filed a motion to dismiss the complaint without prejudice.

Prosecutors neglected to detail in the motion why they wanted to dismiss the complaint other than noting, "After a careful review of the evidence and additional information provided by defendant, the Government has concluded that the interests of justice require dismissal of the complaint at this time."

The Justice Department and Salomon's attorney did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Elayna Youchah, who released Salomon in February on a personal recognizance bond, ultimately agreed to dismiss the federal complaint. However, Salomon is still scheduled to appear in court on June 4 in connection with the hazardous waste charge.

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Chinese fraudster convicted for ripping off Americans with bogus COVID tests

Jia Bei Zhu, the Chinese national linked both to the secret California biolab discovered in 2022 and the biolab discovered earlier this year in Las Vegas, is finally reaping the whirlwind for his crimes on American soil.

The Justice Department announced on Wednesday that a jury has convicted Zhu on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, eight counts of substantive wire fraud, two counts of distributing adulterated and misbranded medical devices, and one count of making a false statement to the Food and Drug Administration.

'He flouted the lawful authority of the FDA and deliberately deceived the public.'

While he now faces the possibility of decades in prison, Zhu has evaded justice for at least a decade.

The British Columbia Supreme Court determined in 2016 that Zhu and several companies he controlled had conspired to steal confidential technology from a Colorado-based company, partly with the intention to sell said technology in China.

Facing over $270 million in damages and prison time, the IP-stealing fraudster fled Canada in 2015, then entered the United States — "unlawfully," according to the DOJ — where he continued to rip off Americans.

The jury in the Chinaman's latest trial was presented with evidence that, once stateside, Zhu founded a company in California with his romantic partner, Zhaoyan Wang, called Universal Meditech Inc.

With the help of employees hired through the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation who "would not ask any questions," Zhu, Wang, and others at UMI conspired from August 2020 through March 2023 to import faulty COVID tests from China — the origin of the disease — then sell those faulty tests to Americans based on numerous false representations, prosecutors claimed.

Las Vegas Metro Police Department footage screenshots

They falsely claimed that the tests were authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, were made in the U.S., were made in connection with a certified medical lab, and worked.

Zhu managed to rake in nearly $4 million selling over 1 million malfunctioning COVID tests.

According to the DOJ, Wang was charged in connection with the scheme but evaded arrest by fleeing to China.

Zhu's scheme first came to light when one of his victims filed a civil lawsuit in 2022, prompting an inspection of UMI's Fresno facility — an inspection which the DOJ said not only demonstrated UMI's inability to properly manufacture COVID tests but proved the company to be nothing more than "an unsanitary warehouse that was far below established quality standards for facilities that house medical devices."

Once again, Zhu attempted to escape justice, moving UMI from Fresno to Reedley and changing its name to Prestige Biotech Inc.

When the FDA began investigating him, Zhu lied about his immigration status and identity, claiming to be Qiang "David" He. Zhu also said he knew nothing about UMI or PBI.

The discovery of Zhu's Reedley biolab in early 2023 ushered in the end of the Chinaman's years-long grift.

Months after a code enforcement officer noticed a hose sticking out of a supposedly vacant warehouse in the heart of Reedley — a clear violation of the municipality's building code — local officials executed a search warrant on March 16, 2023.

Inside, they found lab equipment, trace narcotics, roughly 1,000 mice that were genetically engineered to mimic the human immune system, and faulty medical devices subject to an FDA health embargo along with "blood, tissue, and other bodily fluid samples and serums; and thousands of vials of unlabeled fluids and suspected biological material," according to a congressional report.

Zhu was arrested on Oct. 19, 2023.

While in custody, police raided another one of the Chinese national's properties, this time a Las Vegas residence managed by an Israeli national currently in the U.S. on an E-2 visa. The FBI said more lab equipment was discovered at the scene, including a "bio-safety hood, a bio-safety sticker, a centrifuge, multiple refrigerators, red-brown unknown liquids in gallon-sized containers, and refrigerated vials with unknown liquids."

Eric Grant, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California, said that the verdict in Zhu's case "holds the defendant accountable for actions that exploited a public health crisis for his own gain. He flouted the lawful authority of the FDA and deliberately deceived the public by repackaging low-quality, foreign-made test kits at a time when accuracy and reliability were critical."

Grant added, "This conduct, tied to the unlawful operations uncovered at the Reedley laboratory, put lives at risk."

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has confirmed that Zhu is a Chinese citizen associated with communist regime-linked companies as well as with Chinese military-civil fusion entities.

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Robot slot machine chasing Vegas gamblers down has people worried 'The Twilight Zone' is coming true

A viral video of a Las Vegas slot machine has viewers concerned that yet another old piece of media has predicted the future.

Typically, "The Simpsons" is the most-cited show known for its eerily accurate depictions of future events, but in this case, a 1960 episode of "The Twilight Zone" is popping up on social media feeds.

'This machine mocks me, it teases, it beckons.'

The video in question stems from the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, where a creepy, mobile gaming machine was seen moving about the showcase floor, seemingly begging passersby to give it a whirl.

"Slot machines can now follow you across the casino floor," the caption read.

In addition to several commenters expressing concern about an incoming robot apocalypse, others quickly pointed out how closely this mimics the January 29, 1960, episode of "The Twilight Zone" called "The Fever."

The episode follows a married couple who wins a vacation to Las Vegas, with the husband warning his wife that gambling is a "miserable, terrible waste of a time."

But when a drunk man gives him a dollar, the man gives in, pulls the arm on a slot machine, wins, and gets addicted. The money and slots start calling his name, literally.

"Franklin," they say, compelling him to leave his wife in the night. After 24 hours of losing money, Franklin is brought back to his hotel room after tipping over a machine that ate his last dollar. Still hearing his name, he opens the hotel room door to find the now-mobile slot machine in the hallway. The machine soon enters the hotel room and begins encroaching on Franklin, causing him to fall out of a window to his death.

- YouTube

Although the slot machine's assault was shown to be a hallucination, it is later seen ejecting a dollar coin toward Franklin's corpse in the streets of Las Vegas. The voiceover accepts Franklin's prior explanation that it was an evil, sentient being.

As for the new machine, it is actually several years old. In fact, Jacob Orth, who posted the viral video now seen 16 million times on X, posted the exact same video in 2025 with the exact same caption. However, that video only garnered around 100,000 views.

A different Vegas-centric account actually pointed out the machines during the 2023 Global Gaming Expo held at the Venetian Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"It’s all fun and games until the slot machine chases you down," the account wrote.

The machine, created by Apex, was criticized by a Vegas-focused account with about 220,000 followers, stating, "Slot makers have run out of ideas and the casino industry is doomed."

The model does not appear to have made its way into any casinos, but closely resembles Apex's typical product line.

The idea of the mobile slot machine perhaps reflects the 66-year-old TV program after all, given that Franklin said the "inhuman" machine teased him at every turn.

"This machine mocks me, it teases, it beckons."

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Video: Check out what led to motorist taking down domestic violence strangulation suspect on the run from cops

Las Vegas police bodycam and helicopter video shows what led to a motorist taking down a domestic violence strangulation suspect earlier this month.

Police said officers on March 10 responded to a domestic violence incident involving a reported strangulation.

'This video highlights how coordination from the air, rapid response on the ground, and the courage of community members can make all the difference.'

As officers were working to locate the suspect, he fled — leading to a "dangerous series of events" near West Desert Inn Road and South Decatur Boulevard, police said.

Police said the department's Air Unit tracked the suspect as he drove erratically through the area — and then moments later the suspect crashed, which led to a foot chase.

Police said two citizens, witnessing the chaos unfold, took action and used their vehicles to help block in and stop the suspect.

Video shows one of the assisting motorists exiting his vehicle, grabbing the suspect from behind, and taking him down to the ground.

Image source: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department helicopter video screenshot

The motorist then sat on the suspect's back, restraining him, until an arresting officer arrived on the scene and placed the suspect in handcuffs.

Image source: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department bodycam video screenshot

Check out the video compilation below from police showing the suspect speeding through the area, crashing into traffic, running away, and then being taken to the ground by the assisting motorist.

Police said the suspect fled from a domestic dispute involving strangulation, and approximately five vehicles were involved in the crash.

Police said that "this video highlights how coordination from the air, rapid response on the ground, and the courage of community members can make all the difference."

"We are grateful for a community that steps up to help keep one another safe," police added.

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Cheerleading trip to Las Vegas ends in 'unimaginable loss' as court docs reveal Utah mom's dark past before murder-suicide

A Utah mother murdered her 11-year-old daughter in a Las Vegas hotel room, then committed suicide during a cheerleading competition trip, according to authorities.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement that officers were dispatched for a welfare check of a mother and daughter at 10:43 a.m. Sunday at the Rio Hotel & Casino.

'There are no words for the loss we all feel. Our hearts are completely shattered for the family and friends of Addi.'

Police officers knocked on the hotel room door several times but did not get a response; they left the hotel because "there was no belief that either was in danger" based on the details at the time.

"As the day progressed, security personnel got additional requests to check on the mother and daughter," according to the press release.

Police said "security personnel" from the hotel entered the room at approximately 2:27 p.m., and they "located the two females unresponsive."

The news release said the mother and daughter were "both suffering from apparent gunshot wounds."

Both were pronounced dead at the crime scene when police arrived, according to the statement.

Police stated, "Based on the preliminary evidence at the scene, detectives were able to determine the mother shot her daughter before shooting herself."

Police Lt. Robert Price revealed there was a note left in the room but did not specify what the note said, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Price added, "This is a sad and tragic incident, and our hearts go out to the family."

According to KSNV-TV, the Clark County Coroner's Office confirmed the identities of the deceased as 34-year-old Tawnia McGeehan and 11-year-old Addilyn Smith — also known as Addi.

A spokesperson for the Rio Hotel & Casino told KTNV-TV, "We are aware of the incident that occurred at the resort."

The New York Post, citing court documents from McGeehan's divorce, reported that the girl's parents "went through an ugly custody dispute" in 2015.

Court docs added that McGeehan and her ex-husband, Brad Smith, spent nine years fighting for custody of Addi after their divorce.

The couple were "ordered to park their cars five spaces apart during custody handovers at Addi’s school, and she was made to walk between the parents’ vehicles by herself," the Post reported.

When Addi didn't go to school, both parents went to the Herriman Police Department in Utah to exchange the child, according to court documents.

The Review-Journal in a separate story citing Provo District Court records reported that Addi's parents had "disputed about a number of things, including custody, child support, and where the girl would attend school."

The situation escalated in 2020 when a judge granted Smith sole custody of Addi after revelations that McGeehan had "committed domestic abuse in the presence of the minor child" and was "subjecting the child to behavior on the spectrum of parental alienation," court records said.

According to the Review-Journal, "A year later, the court required that McGeehan’s visits be supervised by friends and relatives."

The paper noted, "Much of the case file is sealed from public view, making it unclear which parent had physical custody of Addi at the time of her death."

Addi was a cheerleader for Utah Xtreme Cheer, which was "heartbroken" over the "devastating news."

Utah Xtreme Cheer released a statement:

With the heaviest hearts, we share the devastating news that our sweet athlete Addi has passed away. We are completely heartbroken. No words do the situation justice. She was so beyond loved, and she will always be a part of the UXC family. Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers and continue to send them love as they navigate this unimaginable loss. We ask that you respect their privacy during this time. Addi, we love you tremendously.

The cheerleading group also noted that all classes and open gyms "will be cancelled for the remainder of the week" as they attempt to "navigate through this difficult time."

The Black Diamond Gym said on social media:

There are no words for the loss we all feel. Our hearts are completely shattered for the family and friends of Addi. The cheer world will never be the same, the hole in our hearts will never be filled, we are absolutely devastated by this loss. Addi was a longtime athlete of Fusion and current athlete of UXC, I can’t imagine what they are going through. We love you so much and are so sorry for your loss.

The Salem Police Department in Utah said in a press release that Addi was the niece of one of its sergeants.

"While the details of this loss are difficult to process, we are coming together as a department to support Sergeant Smith and his family during this unimaginable time," the statement read.

A GoFundMe campaign was launched by Addi's uncle to help pay for funeral expenses.

"My brother Brad is facing an unimaginable loss after his daughter Addi was tragically taken from our family," the crowdfunding page said.

"This heartbreaking event has left the family in deep shock and grief, struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss of Addi in such a way," the GoFundMe campaign stated.

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Secret suspected Chinese biolab was allegedly used as Airbnb, linked to 'deathly' sicknesses

Police raided a house in northeast Las Vegas on Saturday managed by Ori Solomon, an Israeli national currently in the U.S. on an E-2 visa, and owned by Jia Bei Zhu, the criminally charged Chinese national linked to a secret biolab discovered in Reedley, California, in late 2022.

'Not like a clean hospital but more of a foul, stale, stagnant air smell.'

The site of the illegal biolab in Vegas was allegedly also used as an Airbnb, where several people became deathly ill, according to documents obtained by KLAS-TV.

Blaze News has reached out to Airbnb for comment.

The documents reportedly indicate that the FBI received a tip last month about lab equipment and medical waste at Zhu's Vegas property, which police previously indicated was home to three renters at the time of the raid. All of the renters were safely removed and are not presently entangled in the lab investigation.

Solomon was arrested over the weekend on a charge of disposing and discharging hazardous waste. The Israeli national — whom Zhu contacted 467 times last month while in federal custody — was subsequently slapped with a federal weapons charge for allegedly possessing multiple firearms, which he is precluded from doing as a foreigner with a non-immigrant visa.

Solomon, who has been accused of being a primary "agent and conspirator" with Zhu, has allegedly been managing 37 Airbnb properties.

Las Vegas Metro Police Department

A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department arrest report reviewed by the Las Vegas Review-Journal indicated that a house cleaner claiming to work for Solomon and Zhu as well as for Zhu's business partner and apparent lover, Zhaoyan Wang, contacted officials last month about a possible biolab at the home, which is a short-term rental.

The cleaner reportedly told police that there were three refrigerators in the garage along with beakers containing "reddish liquid." She reportedly also complained that the garage smelled like a hospital, but "not like a clean hospital but more of a foul, stale, stagnant air smell."

According to the police report, the cleaner and another individual became "deathly ill" after entering the garage — so sick with breathing issues, fatigue, and other symptoms that they "could not get out of bed" days later.

The report noted further that the tipster, referred to as "Kelly," said that "a lot of people who have lived inside the house have gotten sick" and that "one female ended up in the hospital with severe respiratory issues."

These reported health issues are especially troubling given the possibility that Zhu's Vegas property may have had similar contents to the lab in Reedley.

According to a report published by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Zhu's property in Reedley, California, was not only home to thousands of mutated mice but at least 20 potentially infectious agents including HIV, tuberculosis, COVID-19, and the deadliest known form of malaria. There was also a freezer labeled "ebola" found on-site.

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Another CCP bio bust? Hazmat and SWAT teams raid Las Vegas house linked to COVID, Ebola lab.

Following the discovery that Chinese communist agents were coordinating intimidation, espionage, and coercion campaigns out of illegal police stations in the United States, officials found something potentially more threatening in Reedley, California: a Chinese biolab containing deadly pathogens including Ebola.

The secret Chinese lab apparently was not one of a kind.

'These items, importantly, were consistent in appearance to the items found and described in the Reedley, California, lab investigation.'

SWAT officers with the Las Vegas Metro Police Department raided a home in the city's northeast end on Jan. 31, discovering a suspected illegal biolab apparently linked to the Chinese national who owned the Reedley site.

Footage shows local and federal agents massing outside a Sugar Springs Drive residence near Washington Avenue and Hollywood early Saturday morning while drones patrolled overhead.

A tactical robot dog explored the interior and conducted air sampling before members of the LVMPD's All-Hazard Regional Multi-agency Operations and Response team made entry.

The main house was home to three renters who were safely removed and are apparently not targets of the investigation. The locked garage was home to "refrigerators, a freezer, laboratory-type equipment, and numerous containers holding unknown liquid substances," according to police.

The apparent biological materials, which were carefully collected over the course of the weekend along with other evidence, were initially transported to a Southern Nevada Health District facility for safe storage, then taken to an FBI lab for testing.

LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill indicated on Monday that "these items, importantly, were consistent in appearance to the items found and described in the Reedley, California, lab investigation."

Photo by ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images

McMahill noted further that "the home was owned by the same individual connected to a prior, illegal bio-lab investigation in Reedley, California, that occurred in 2023."

That individual is Jia Bei Zhu.

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party noted in its report on the Reedley biolab that the California lab operated under the direction and control of Zhu, a Chinese citizen associated with communist regime-linked companies as well with Chinese military-civil fusion entities.

'This can't keep happening.'

Zhu, a wanted fugitive from Canada, where he is the subject of a $330 million judgment for stealing American intellectual property, illegally entered the United States under the false identity of "David He," said the report.

While unlawfully in the U.S., Zhu set up a network of companies and accumulated a vast supply of potential pathogens including including Ebola, COVID-19, HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, which he is accused of keeping and poorly storing at one or more unlicensed and unregistered labs.

In addition to thousands of samples of potentially dangerous diseases and hundreds of boxes of medical devices subject to a U.S. Food and Drug embargo, the Reedley lab was home to roughly 1,000 mice that were genetically engineered to mimic the human immune system.

One lab worker reportedly told local officials that the transgenic mice were altered "to catch and carry the COVID-19 virus." Dead mice were apparently disposed of "without the use of a licensed medical waste hauler."

According to the congressional report, the Reedley biolab received millions of dollars in unexplained payments from Chinese communist banks.

Zhu was arrested by federal agents on Oct. 19, 2023, and indicted the following month for allegedly distributing adulterated and misbranded COVID-19 test kits and making false statements to authorities about his identity. He was slapped with additional charges in 2024 for alleged conspiracy and wire fraud.

Zhaoyan Wang, Zhu's supposed lover and business partner, was charged with helping facilitate the alleged fraud through Universal Meditech Inc. and Prestige Biotech Inc. — biolabs she operated in Reedley and Fresno. Wang is also a Chinese national.

McMahill indicated that Zhu, who has a trial hearing scheduled for Feb. 23, remains in federal custody.

The LVMPD also arrested the property manager of the Vegas residence, 55-year-old Ori Solomon, on a charge of disposing and discharging hazardous waste. Solomon was booked into the Clark County Detention Center.

On Saturday, the FBI searched a second Vegas home on Temple View Drive but found no threat at the location. The FBI also revisited the Reedley lab on Sunday, reported KFSN-TV.

Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) said in response to the latest lab discovery, "This can't keep happening."

"The federal government must do more to stop illegal labs from operating in our communities," added Kiley.

Kiley and fellow California Reps. Jim Costa (D) and David Valadao (R) have called for a hearing on their Preventing Illegal Laboratories and Protecting Public Health Act of 2025.

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Trump’s economic agenda needs a Vegas test — and a Vegas win

Las Vegas is a mirror. When it works, America works. When it struggles, the problem isn’t local — it’s national.

Vegas was built on a simple idea: value. Give people a reason to come, treat them fairly, and let them choose how much risk they want to take. No lectures. No stupid political games. No government hand in your pocket every five minutes.

A great city doesn’t nickel-and-dime its customers. Value matters. People don’t expect cheap. They expect fair. That lesson applies nationally, too.

That formula built the entertainment capital of the world. And right now, it’s under pressure.

The neon lights have dimmed

Vegas is getting squeezed from both ends, and the pressure feels familiar because it’s the same pressure families across the country have felt.

Under the Biden administration, inflation surged. Housing costs jumped. Groceries, energy, airfare, and insurance rose together. Families didn’t get richer. Their dollars just bought less.

Reckless spending, energy restrictions, and regulatory overreach drove the damage. Washington acted like prices were somebody else’s problem.

Southern Nevada also felt the economic whiplash. Tourism collapsed during the 2020 lockdowns, wiping out billions and driving unemployment as high as 33% at its peak. Visitor spending returned slowly, then softened again in 2025 — after wages, rents, and debt had already risen on the assumption that demand would keep growing.

For locals trying to raise families, that meant higher baseline costs and less margin for error. Housing, rent, and transportation ate paychecks. Hospitality wages rose, but many workers still lost ground as commuting costs and rents climbed faster.

A gamble on progress

Under President Trump, the trend has started to reverse — not overnight, but directionally. Energy production is up. Supply chains have stabilized. Regulatory pressure has eased. Inflation cooled. Costs didn’t snap back, but the bleeding slowed.

That matters because affordability is competitiveness. Vegas shows what happens when value breaks.

For decades, Vegas understood the middle-class customer: a weekend trip, a decent room, a good meal, a show, maybe a little gambling — and you left feeling like you got your money’s worth.

That perception is cracking. Resort fees that feel like a second room rate. Paid parking where it never used to exist. Food and drink prices that make people stop and stare. Fees stacked on top of fees, revealed at checkout. The experience starts feeling less like entertainment and more like an airport terminal.

Visitors notice. And when people feel squeezed, they don’t just complain — they change their behavior.

Photo by Timothy Fadek/Corbis via Getty Images

Vegas runs on volume. When fewer visitors come, fewer dollars circulate. The pain hits the dealer, the server, the bartender, the stagehand, the hotel staff, and the rideshare driver long before it reaches the executive suite.

Zoom out, and you see America facing the same dynamic.

The United States used to win because we offered the best value on earth. Not the cheapest — the best deal. A place where costs made sense and life felt attainable.

That edge has been eroding, especially in housing. When home ownership becomes a fantasy, workers can’t relocate, young families delay building stable lives, and talent looks elsewhere.

Meanwhile, competitors are building. Riyadh. Dubai. Macao. Singapore. They’re creating new tourism and entertainment hubs designed to pull dollars away from legacy markets like Las Vegas.

They’re betting America forgets how competition works.

Make Vegas Vegas again

Federal policy matters here. Washington still treats Vegas like a cash register, with outdated rules such as taxing gambling winnings and forcing IRS reporting thresholds stuck in the 1970s. That doesn’t just annoy visitors. It tells the world America doesn’t understand modern consumer behavior.

Ending the federal tax on gambling winnings isn’t radical. It’s strategic. Updating IRS reporting levels isn’t reckless. It’s realistic. Both would improve the visitor experience and help Vegas compete.

The industry also has work to do. A great city doesn’t nickel-and-dime its customers. Transparency matters. Value matters. People don’t expect cheap. They expect fair.

That lesson applies nationally, too.

America doesn’t win by lecturing consumers or ignoring affordability. America wins by making this country the best place on earth to live, work, build, and spend money.

Vegas is telling that story in real time. If Washington listens, the rest of the country benefits.

Special education aide drags autistic elementary school student by arm 30 feet down hallway, police say

A Las Vegas special education aide is accused of dragging an autistic elementary school student by the arm 30 feet down a hallway.

Clark County School District Police on Friday arrested 21-year-old Zachary May at J.E. Manch Elementary School, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

The arrest report said the student stood up after being dragged and attempted to kick May in the shin, the paper added.

May faces one felony count of battery on a vulnerable person and one felony count of child abuse or neglect, the Review-Journal noted, citing North Las Vegas Justice Court records.

Police said school surveillance video showed May dragging the student from a classroom doorway into a hallway shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday, the paper said.

The student has limited verbal communication abilities and had entered an open classroom and greeted students before May arrived and attempted to get the student to leave, the paper said, citing the arrest report.

Police said a person who witnessed the incident indicated that the student fell to their knees before May “aggressively grabbed (them) by the arm and dragged (them) out of the classroom while (the student) was still on the floor,” the Review-Journal reported.

The witness didn't hear May say anything to the student, but he showed frustration on his face, the paper reported, citing police.

About five minutes later, video showed the student running away from May and turning a corner in the school's hallway, the Review-Journal said, citing the arrest report. May turned the corner, grabbed the student, and again dragged the student down the hallway — this time for about 4 feet, the paper said, citing the arrest report.

The teacher's assistant also was seen hovering over the student at one point, KVVU-TV reported.

Two of the elementary school's assistant principals told police they reviewed the school's surveillance video and saw May grab the student by the arm and drag the student for about 30 feet, the Review-Journal reported.

The arrest report said the student stood up after being dragged and attempted to kick May in the shin, the paper added.

DOJ mysteriously drops case against Israeli linked to Chinese fraudster's creepy alleged biolab

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Video: Check out what led to motorist taking down domestic violence strangulation suspect on the run from cops

Cheerleading trip to Las Vegas ends in 'unimaginable loss' as court docs reveal Utah mom's dark past before murder-suicide

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Another CCP bio bust? Hazmat and SWAT teams raid Las Vegas house linked to COVID, Ebola lab.

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