Stephen Dinan

Bernie Sanders leads Joe Biden in Iowa, New Hampshire

You can call it the "Bernie bump" or the "socialist surge," but you can no longer deny that Sen. Bernard Sanders is quickly taking over the front-runner's position in the Democratic presidential primary. Published January 29, 2020

Lindsey Graham: ‘53 Republican votes to call Hunter Biden’

Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday that there are enough votes to force Hunter Biden to testify in the impeachment trial, should senators vote to have any witnesses. Published January 29, 2020

Adam Schiff withholds Ukraine whistleblower details

Rep. Adam Schiff refused under direct questioning Wednesday to divulge any details about the whistleblower who spurred the impeachment of President Trump, irking Republicans who demanded he reveal what he knew. Published January 29, 2020

Feds bust longest border drug tunnel ever

Federal agents on Wednesday revealed the longest cross-border tunnel ever discovered on the U.S.-Mexico line, saying it ran more than three-quarters of a mile into San Diego and was used to traffic drugs. Published January 29, 2020

Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski ask when Trump got interested in Bidens in Ukraine

Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski demanded to know Wednesday whether President Trump showed any interest in former Vice President Joseph R. Biden's actions in Ukraine before he was a political opponent. Published January 29, 2020

Trump lawyers say calling witnesses would make impeachment ‘drag on for months’

President Trump's legal team warned Wednesday that calling former National Security Adviser John R. Bolton as a witness in the impeachment trial would unhinge the proceedings, opening the door to other witnesses and shutting down the Senate for all other business. Published January 29, 2020

Questions at Senate impeachment trial focus on Trump’s motives with Ukraine probe

Senators got their first crack at the impeachment managers Wednesday as they kicked off 16 hours of questions with one on whether a president can have mixed motives for taking official action -- and when it becomes a high crime or misdemeanor. Published January 29, 2020

Ted Cruz: ‘The votes are up in the air’ on witnesses for Senate trial

Sen. Ted Cruz says reports that the GOP can't block witnesses in the impeachment trial are not accurate, saying they're not actually certain what would happen. Published January 29, 2020

Fake families, ‘recycled’ children test DHS at border

Walfrie Eliseo Camposeco-Montejo's pitch to the Guatemalan woman was simple: Let me use your son to get into the U.S., and I promise I'll send him to American schools. Published January 28, 2020

Federal deficit to hit $1 trillion this year

The federal deficit will reach $1 trillion this year and remain above that level for the rest of the decade, the government's official scorekeeper said Tuesday, highlighting an ever worsening fiscal picture. Published January 28, 2020

Virginia ratifies Equal Rights Amendment; vote is start of long legal battle

Virginia became the 38th state to approve the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution with the legislature's vote Monday -- but it's far from clear that the Constitution now has a 28th amendment. Published January 27, 2020

Supreme Court gives Trump go-ahead to deny immigrants who use welfare

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Trump administration can move ahead with its "public charge" regulation that could block immigrants who wind up on the public dole from earning a pathway to citizenship. Published January 27, 2020

Ted Cruz backs Donald Trump during impeachment trial

No Republican has been more active in defense of President Trump during the impeachment trial than Sen. Ted Cruz. Published January 26, 2020

Trump hits new approval high as impeachment support dips

President Trump hit a new approval rating high in yet another poll Friday, with the Washington Post-ABC survey also showing Democrats' impeachment case is failing to dent him. Published January 24, 2020

U.S. labels ‘birth tourism’ a national security threat

Some pregnant foreign women pay as much as $100,000 to be ferried into the U.S. on a visitor's visa, arriving in time to give birth on American soil and instantly make their baby a citizen. Published January 23, 2020

Martha McSally channels Donald Trump in fight to hold Arizona Senate seat

Without President Trump on the ballot, Martha McSally lost a close Senate election in Arizona in 2018, surrendering one of two seats the GOP lost in the upper chamber that year. Published January 22, 2020

DHS warns of ‘violence and lawlessness’ in new migrant caravan

Another massive migrant caravan has left Central America en route to the U.S., and Homeland Security said it's keeping tabs on its movements and expects Mexico to step up and disrupt as much of the caravan as possible. Published January 22, 2020

Citizens United ruling marks 10th anniversary as Democrats warm to ‘dark money’

Tuesday marks a decade since the high court handed down the ruling in a decision that to this day remains a dirty word among Democrats. Published January 20, 2020

Trump low approval ratings bedevil campaign despite good economy

President Trump's approval ratings trail those of Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush at this point, and oddsmakers say he's at best a 50-50 chance to win a second term. Published January 19, 2020

ICE fires off subpoenas in escalating battle over New York City sanctuary policy

ICE said Saturday it has served four subpoenas on New York City jail officials demanding information on illegal immigrants the city is shielding under its sanctuary policy, and warning the federal government will go to court to enforce the subpoenas if it has to. Published January 18, 2020