Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Epstein was not FBI informant, Kash Patel tells lawmakers
Jeffrey Epstein did not serve as an informant for the FBI, Director Kash Patel told Congress on Tuesday, refuting reports that emerged over the summer. Published September 16, 2025
Audit backs Trump’s complaints about fraud at U.S. African development grant program
The U.S. African Development Foundation pumps out tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money every year to projects in Africa -- but the agency lacks basic anti-fraud controls to make sure the funding is getting to the right places, the comptroller general reported Monday. Published September 15, 2025
Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI director, sues Trump over termination from Justice Dept.
Maurene Comey sued the administration on Monday, demanding she be restored to her job as a senior federal prosecutor and accusing President Trump and his team of illegally targeting her for retribution because of her famous father, former FBI Director James B. Comey. Published September 15, 2025
Bondi, DOJ overhaul immigration rulings to clamp down on bogus asylum claims
The Trump administration has quietly rewritten the rule book this month for illegal immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S., making it tougher to win their cases and easier for judges to dismiss them while erasing an incentive for migrants to even try. Published September 14, 2025
Court upholds Trump’s power to cancel Biden’s mass ‘parole’ for illegal immigrants
A federal appeals court said that President Trump likely has the power to revoke Biden-era "parole" programs that had granted illegal immigrants tentative permission to be in the U.S., rejecting a lower court decision that had tried to tie his hands. Published September 13, 2025
Judge gives green light for ICE to make arrests at immigration courthouses
A federal judge refused to block ICE from arresting migrants at New York City's immigration courtrooms, ruling Friday that the new Trump policy expanding the use of courthouse arrests doesn't appear to violate any law. Published September 12, 2025
Catching too many fish lands migrant in ICE custody
Federal authorities nabbed an illegal immigrant after he showed up for a court appearance on charges of overfishing. Published September 12, 2025
Court orders DHS to give Venezuelans another chance to register for deportation amnesty
A federal judge ruled Friday that a computer glitch may have stymied some Venezuelans' attempts to re-register online for a Biden-era deportation amnesty just ahead of the deadline, and he ordered Homeland Security to give them another 24 hours to do so. Published September 12, 2025
Fed employee fraudster who stole $650,000 blames pandemic stress
A woman who used her job at the State Department to steal more than $650,000 in government money pleaded with a judge for leniency, blaming pandemic stress for a crippling gambling addiction she said she had to fuel with taxpayers' cash. Published September 12, 2025
ICE tops 300,000 deportations for first time in more than a decade
ICE has now tallied more than 300,000 deportations for the fiscal year, marking the first time in more than a decade that the deportation agency has topped that milestone. Published September 12, 2025
Appeals court allows Trump to halt Medicaid money for Planned Parenthood
A federal appeals court gave the Trump administration permission to block Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid money, ruling Thursday that a lower court's blockade was premature. Published September 11, 2025
Filipino citizen charged with illegally voting in U.S. elections
Federal prosecutors announced charges Thursday against a citizen of the Philippines they said illegally registered and voted in Pennsylvania in the 2020 presidential election. Published September 11, 2025
Judge rules Trump overstepped in requiring new immigration checks for federal services
A federal judge has blocked President Trump's attempt to impose new immigration-status checks for a host of government benefit programs, saying the administration wrongly rushed its reinterpretation of law into effect. Published September 10, 2025
9/11 was 24 years ago and the U.S. is still at war
The U.S. hasn't had troops in Afghanistan for four years, yet nearly a quarter century after al Qaeda's Sept. 11 sneak attack on America, Congress' authorization for the president to conduct a retaliatory global war on terrorism remains in full force. Published September 10, 2025
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk killed by gunman at college event
Conservative activist and Trump supporter Charlie Kirk was shot to death Wednesday while holding an event at Utah Valley University. Published September 10, 2025
Appeals court restores Copyright Office chief, says Trump’s firing attempt was illegal
A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that President Trump's move to fire the head of the U.S. Copyright Office likely stretched beyond the law, and it ordered Shira Perlmutter restored to her duties while the case develops further. Published September 10, 2025
Trump administration appeals ruling that allows Lisa Cook to stay on Federal Reserve’s board
The Trump administration on Wednesday appealed a federal judge's ruling that Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook can remain in her position during the legal fight over President Trump's attempt to fire her. Published September 10, 2025
‘Not the typical case’: Newsom’s attempt to end Trump troop deployment turned away by judge
A federal judge put a temporary kibosh on California Gov. Gavin Newsom's attempt to shut down President Trump's troop deployment to Los Angeles. Published September 9, 2025
Supreme Court gives Trump breathing room on halting foreign assistance spending
The Supreme Court gave a brief reprieve Tuesday to President Trump in his battle to refuse to spend $4 billion in foreign assistance money. Published September 9, 2025
Man charged with writing ‘How to Kill a Federal Judge’ manifesto
Prosecutors announced charges Tuesday against a Minnesota man they say wrote a how-to manifesto urging Americans to try to kill federal judges. Published September 9, 2025
