Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Postal worker charged with stealing vote-by-mail ballot in Florida
A postal employee in Florida was charged late Monday with stealing mail and interfering with the right to vote after authorities say they caught her pilfering a mail-in ballot, political flyers and other mail. Published October 20, 2020
DOJ, DHS announce new rules to keep drunk drivers, gang members from getting asylum
The Trump administration announced a new standard for asylum-seekers Tuesday, saying those engaged in gang crimes, racked up drunken-driving convictions, engaged in domestic violence or were convicted of felonies can now be denied asylum on those grounds. Published October 20, 2020
Texas prevails in court fight to block bogus ballots
A federal appeals court ruled in favor of the Texas government Monday, saying mail-in ballots are more prone to voter fraud and blocking a lower court decision that could have upended the state's signature-match requirement for those ballots. Published October 19, 2020
Trump H-1B guest worker rules challenged by big business, immigration lawyers
Immigration lawyers and some of the country's largest business lobbies went to court Monday to challenge new Trump administration rules designed to force employers to pay Americans higher wages before they can offer jobs to foreign guest-workers under a key visa program. Published October 19, 2020
Senate GOP announces constitutional amendment to block court packing
A group of Senate Republicans on Monday announced a constitutional amendment to fix the Supreme Court at a maximum of nine members, playing defense as Democrats ramp up talk of expanding the court to try to swamp President Trump's nominees. Published October 19, 2020
Census reached 99.98% of homes; shoots for Dec. 31 deadline to report final number
The Census Bureau is rushing to finish the final 2020 tally of Americans "as close to" the end-of-year deadline as possible, after reaching 99.98% of all households, officials announced Monday. Published October 19, 2020
Supreme Court to hear Trump immigration cases on border wall, asylum
The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will take up two key cases involving President Trump's get-tough immigration policy, granting hearings on his border wall construction and his crackdown on bogus asylum claims. Published October 19, 2020
Federal government spent $6.6 trillion during fiscal 2020
The federal government spent a stunning $6.6 trillion in fiscal year 2020, and had to borrow nearly half that, sending taxpayers far deeper into debt, administration officials said Friday. Published October 18, 2020
Prince William County escalates sanctuary battle with ICE
Prince William County's jail released an illegal immigrant late last month despite a federal criminal warrant for his arrest, marking what federal officials see as an escalation of sanctuary policies. Published October 18, 2020
Martha McSally pummels Mark Kelly over communist China ties
It was a stunning charge Sen. Martha McSally lobbed at Democratic opponent Mark Kelly: that the former Space Shuttle astronaut, on his 2006 flight, took a Chinese flag as his sole personal item. And that he carried a Chinese communist banner on his motorcycle. Published October 18, 2020
Smugglers abandon children on banks of Rio Grande
Border Patrol agents found four young illegal immigrant children abandoned on the banks of the Rio Grande near Brownsville, Texas, Saturday morning, after they were smuggled across then left there by their guide. Published October 17, 2020
Supreme Court to rule on Trump’s census illegal immigrant order
The Supreme Court said Friday it will speed a case to decide whether President Trump can exclude illegal immigrants from the census count he will submit to Congress to allocate seats in the U.S. House for the coming decade. Published October 16, 2020
Nuke Bizzle, rapper who sang about bilking unemployment, is arrested for bilking unemployment
Federal authorities arrested Nuke Bizzle, a rapper whose real name is Fontrell Antonio Baines, and charged him Friday with unemployment fraud, accusing him of taking other people's identities and signing up to collect unemployment in their names. Published October 16, 2020
Feds end fiscal year with record-shattering spending, deficit
The federal government spent a stunning $6.6 trillion in fiscal year 2020, and had to borrow nearly half that, sending taxpayers far deeper into debt, administration officials said Friday. Published October 16, 2020
ICE sweeps through D.C., other sanctuary cities; more than 170 arrests
ICE deportation officers fanned out across six sanctuary city regions in recent weeks, officials announced Friday, nabbed more than 170 illegal immigrants who'd been released by local police in defiance of deportation requests. Published October 16, 2020
Navajo voters lose bid for special protections
A group of Navajo voters lost their bid Thursday for special voting rules, after a federal appeals court said they lacked standing to bring their lawsuit, and besides, the extra time they were asking to get their ballots in just isn't feasible. Published October 15, 2020
Texas judge blocks governor’s limits on early voting ballot collection
A state judge in Texas issued a ruling Thursday blocking Gov. Greg Abbott's attempt to limit counties to one collection box each for early-voting ballots to be returned, saying it flies in the face of coronavirus safety precautions. Published October 15, 2020
Senate Judiciary Committee to hold vote on Amy Coney Barrett on Oct. 22
Senate Republicans scheduled a vote in the Judiciary Committee next week on Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, overcoming Democrats' attempts to scuttle the quick pace to confirmation. Published October 15, 2020
Amy Coney Barrett fends off Democrats in drama-free confirmation hearings
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett emerged unscathed Wednesday after three days of confirmation hearings, fending off Democrats' toughest questions and leaving her on a path to be sitting on the high court within weeks. Published October 14, 2020
Advocates push for census inclusion as Trump admin’s deadline looms
Cities, counties and civil rights and immigration groups launched a last-minute sprint Wednesday to get people to respond to the census, after the Trump administration announced it will cut off the 2020 count just before midnight Thursday. Published October 14, 2020
