Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Harvard poll finds Americans receptive to law-and-order message
Voters want to see immigrants with criminal records deported, want to see rioters and looters arrested and prosecuted, and want to see stiffer border security, according to a new Harvard CAPS-Harris poll that suggests there's ample room for President Trump to sell his law-and-order message -- if he can break through questions about his character. Published October 1, 2020
Trump cuts refugees to record low
The administration has set a cap of admitting no more than 15,000 refugees in fiscal 2021, marking the lowest number on record and completing President Trump's goal of restructuring the modern refugee system. Published October 1, 2020
Harris County wins challenge on citizenship checks on new voters
A Texas court rejected a conservative group's demand that Harris County automatically reject, or at least investigate, voter registration forms submitted by people who say they aren't U.S. citizens, delivering a win to the county registrar Wednesday. Published September 30, 2020
Dem governors blast Trump’s election warnings, complain of ‘assault’ on democracy
Democratic governors complained Wednesday of voter intimidation and an "assault on American democracy" from President Trump, based on steps he and his campaign are reportedly considering. Published September 30, 2020
James Comey says Trump emboldened White supremacists
Former FBI Director James Comey said Wednesday that President Trump is "spraying gasoline" on the fire of White supremacy with his comments in this week's debate, and called on him to correct himself if he didn't mean to. Published September 30, 2020
James Comey suggests Russians have dirt on Donald Trump
Former FBI Director James B. Comey unloaded on President Trump on Wednesday, suggesting the Russians must have compromising information on him and warning voters that Moscow wants Mr. Trump to win the election. Published September 30, 2020
Chad Wolf, Trump pick for DHS secretary, gets first approval from Senate Homeland Security Committee
A Senate committee gave initial approval Wednesday to Chad F. Wolf, President Trump's pick to lead the Homeland Security Department, with Republicans brushing aside complaints from immigrant-rights groups to power the nomination to the Senate floor. Published September 30, 2020
Donald Trump still king of the ‘poorly educated’
President Trump famously declared that he loved the "poorly educated," during the 2016 campaign, as voters with lower levels of schooling delivered an overwhelming share of their votes to him. Published September 29, 2020
Hillary Clinton campaign was ‘stirring up a scandal’ over Russia, CIA believed
The CIA in 2016 asked the FBI to investigate whether the Clinton campaign had approved a plan to distract from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's email troubles by "stirring up a scandal" claiming Russian interference, according to new information declassified Tuesday. Published September 29, 2020
FBI warned of white supremacist ‘infiltration’ of police
The FBI in 2006 saw danger of white supremacist "infiltration" of American policing, including law enforcement officers who leaked information to groups with which they sympathized, according to a formerly secret document a Democratic congressman released Tuesday. Published September 29, 2020
Prince William County sanctuary policy draws ICE ire
The head of ICE blasted Prince William County in Virginia on Monday over a new policy that bans the jail from reporting people arrested on misdemeanor charges to federal deportation officers. Published September 28, 2020
Harris County, Texas, approving noncitizens’ voter registrations, lawsuit claims
Texas' largest county has been approving voter registrations even when people say they're not citizens, according to a lawsuit announced Monday that found some of those people managed to cast ballots, too. Published September 28, 2020
Trump team sues to stop North Carolina mail ballot changes
The Trump campaign filed a lawsuit over the weekend challenging North Carolina's new lenient vote-by-mail procedures, arguing the changes written by the Board of Elections open the door to fraud and violate the state's own laws. Published September 28, 2020
Supreme Court nomination battles get nastier
President Trump hadn't even announced his Supreme Court pick this weekend yet a whisper campaign had already developed against Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Published September 27, 2020
Portland ‘relatively peaceful’ amid dueling weekend protests
Competing protests by far-right and left-wing demonstrators went off largely peacefully Saturday in Portland, Oregon, but the leftists returned for a more confrontational clash with police later in the evening. Published September 27, 2020
Feds step in to nab illegal immigrant released 10 times by New York cops
Federal agents say they finally have caught an undocumented immigrant they've been after for several years but who was released 10 times by police in New York under sanctuary city policies. Published September 27, 2020
Portland police deputized as U.S. Marshals ahead of clashing demonstrations
Portland police were deputized as U.S. Marshals Saturday morning, meaning federal prosecutors can now bring charges against anyone who assaults them as they respond to what's expected to be clashing demonstrations later in the day. Published September 26, 2020
Portland braces for weekend of clashes as violence continues
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown triggered special powers Friday to surge officers into Portland and put state police in charge of safety this weekend amid fears of more clashes when demonstrators from across the ideological spectrum gather for protests. Published September 25, 2020
Court rules Congress can sue over Donald Trump’s border wall funding switch
The House of Representatives can sue President Trump over his move to siphon funding from Pentagon accounts toward his border wall plans, a federal appeals court ruled Friday, delivering a major statement on where the power of the purse lies in American government. Published September 25, 2020
Christopher Steele dossier source probed as Russian agent by FBI
FBI agents knew the "primary sub-source" used by Christopher Steele to compile his anti-Trump dossier had been suspected of being a Russian intelligence operative, yet they still treated the dossier as valid, according to new documents declassified Thursday. Published September 24, 2020
