Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Supreme Court justices challenge Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate on businesses
With a fervent eye on omicron and the surging number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, the Supreme Court struggled Friday with whether the Biden administration can try to slow the virus through an unprecedented set of workplace vaccine mandates. Published January 7, 2022
Outgoing Virginia AG rules state can’t revoke Equal Rights Amendment ratification
Virginia's legislature cannot rescind its ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring said in an opinion this week, acting just days before he leaves office. Published January 7, 2022
New DHS data reveals border jumpers no longer predominantly Mexicans
The old model of illegal immigration along the southern border was shattered in 2021, according to data released by the Department of Homeland Security this week that shows the demographics of the typical border jumper have been completely rewritten. Published January 5, 2022
Illegal immigrants test limits of Second Amendment in case now pending at Supreme Court
Even as the Biden administration moves toward leniency toward illegal immigrants on so many fronts, there's a line the government hasn't crossed: Possessing a firearm is still a serious offense. Published January 3, 2022
Russell building named for segregationist senator remains; decision to change falls to Schumer
While Robert E. Lee's statue has been pulled down from the U.S. Capitol and lawmakers voted to expunge Confederate generals' names from military bases, the Senate still honors Richard B. Russell, a segregationist senator, with his name on its most prestigious office building. Published January 3, 2022
52,000 Afghan evacuees released into U.S. in 2021
More than 50,000 Afghan evacuees have been processed and released into American communities over the last four months, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday as it announced the closure of another of the camps that had been erected at military bases to house the Afghans. Published December 31, 2021
ERA Now becomes ERA Later as drive to add constitutional amendment for women’s rights falters
Virginia's incoming Republican attorney general expects the courts to toss the state's lawsuit trying to add an Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution -- but if judges don't kill it, he may do it himself. Published December 30, 2021
Critical race theory takes aim at immigration law; courts wrestle with Hispanic disparity in cases
Forget drugs or fraud. The most common type of case federal prosecutors bring is against illegal immigrants who try to reenter the country after having been ousted -- and almost all of those charged are Hispanic. Published December 28, 2021
Fight to clean voter lists gains ground after 2020 election
The Public Interest Legal Foundation went to Pennsylvania with a list of tens of thousands of people who were likely dead, but still on the state's voter rolls in the weeks before the 2020 election. Published December 26, 2021
Trump asks justices to prevent Jan. 6 committee from getting his documents
Former President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to step in and block the House committee investigating the events of Jan. 6 from gaining access to some of his presidential documents. Published December 23, 2021
Nearly 50,000 Afghans resettled in U.S., 25,000 remain at military bases
All Afghan evacuees have been processed and released from the Marine Corps base at Quantico, the Biden administration announced Thursday, shutting down the second of eight bases that had been housing the refugees who were rescued as part of the August airlift. Published December 23, 2021
Biden, Democrats face trouble with independents
President Biden and fellow Democrats head into a congressional election year seriously "out of step" with Americans on dozens of key issues, according to a Republican-leaning polling outfit, which has a year's worth of data to prove it. Published December 23, 2021
ICE to deploy body cameras on special agents
ICE said Tuesday it will begin to deploy body cameras on special agents, to be followed eventually by deportation officers, in a move the Biden administration characterized as bringing "transparency" to the agency. Published December 21, 2021
Secret Service says pandemic fraud totals nearly $100 billion
The U.S. Secret Service said Tuesday that fraudulent coronavirus pandemic benefit claims are "nearing $100 billion," and the agency named its first-ever national coordinator to oversee its investigations. Published December 21, 2021
‘Potential terrorist’ nabbed jumping border in Arizona
Border Patrol agents say they nabbed a "potential terrorist" trying to jump the border Friday, adding a national security dimension to the border chaos that's erupted in southwestern Arizona this month. Published December 20, 2021
GOP policy chief wants party to have solutions in 2022
Backers of a socialized health care system are eager to point to Canada and European countries as models for how good it can be. Rep. Gary Palmer likes to point to them as evidence for how bad it can be. Published December 20, 2021
DHS to plug gaps Biden left in Trump’s border wall
Homeland Security announced Monday it will re-start construction on President Trump's border wall, moving to plug "gaps" left in place after President Biden ordered all work to stop on his first day. Published December 20, 2021
DHS to add 20,000 guest-worker visas for seasonal jobs
Homeland Security said Monday it will add 20,000 new slots to a seasonal guest-worker program this winter, including thousands of visas set aside for people from countries responsible for much of the illegal immigrant surge. Published December 20, 2021
COVID-19 funds used to make snow, rent band and buy tote bags; wasteful spending revealed in report
The federal government's coronavirus spending spree turned out to be a snow job -- literally. Published December 20, 2021
Foreign-born population soars to new record under Biden; highest rate of immigrants since 1910
The U.S. has had a massive surge in immigration this year, with as many as 1.5 million newcomers and a record 46.2 million foreign-born people, according to a report for the Center for Immigration Studies. Published December 20, 2021
