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Stephen Dinan

Stephen Dinan

Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Stephen Dinan

A border patrol agent rides a vehicle along a border wall separating Tijuana, Mexico, from San Diego, Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Escaped drug convicts tried to get deported to Mexico

It's not often that the Border Patrol encounters people begging to be sent to Mexico, but that's what happened Wednesday when agents in Arizona stopped a vehicle and found two men who said they were illegal immigrants and begged to be sent immediately back to Mexico. Published May 28, 2020

In this Feb. 11, 2005, file photo, trays of printed Social Security checks wait to be mailed from the U.S. Treasury's Financial Management services facility in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Bradley C. Bower, File)

Coronavirus slams Social Security trust fund, speeds depletion

The coronavirus crisis will reverberate for years, including hastening the depletion of Social Security's trust fund and bringing ever closer the date when the venerable program will have to cut benefits, according to a new analysis Thursday. Published May 28, 2020

A voter drops off their mail-in ballot prior to the primary election, in Willow Grove, Pa., Wednesday, May 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Texas court rules coronavirus fear not excuse to vote by mail

Fear of coronavirus isn't a "disability" and can't be used as a reason to demand to vote absentee, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Wednesday -- though it said the final decision is left to voters themselves, leaving open the possibility many will still try to do it. Published May 27, 2020

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is shown here on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in this Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, file photo. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) **FILE**

Chuck Grassley blasts Trump over IG firings

Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley, the chamber's senior Republican, rebuked the White House Tuesday for its handling of the firings of two inspectors general, saying President Trump is refusing to come clean on why he did it. Published May 26, 2020

FILE - In this May 14, 2020, file photo House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Four of the five members of the Congressional Oversight Commission have been appointed, but Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have not agreed on who should chair the panel. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Kevin McCarthy sues to stop Nancy Pelosi proxy-voting plan

House Republicans said Tuesday they'll ask a federal judge to intervene and block Speaker Nancy Pelosi's designated-voter plans, which would allow members to give cast votes on legislation on the House floor by proxy during the coronavirus crisis. Published May 26, 2020

California Highway Patrol officer Troy Christensen runs a driver's license after stopping a motorist along Interstate 5 who was suspected of speeding Thursday, April 23, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif. The CHP is issuing a lot more tickets to motorists where lanes are wide open during the coronavirus pandemic. From March 19, when the stay-at-home order began, through April 19, officers issued 87% more citations to drivers suspected of speeding in excess of 100 mph. That's compared to the same period last year. The jump in speeding tickets coincides with a 35% decline in traffic volume. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Speeding epidemic sparked by coronavirus stay-at-home orders

With streets emptier than usual, drivers have begun to take more liberties. Stop signs in many neighborhoods have become little more than suggestions, and by at least one key yardstick, speeding is at epidemic proportions. Published May 25, 2020

Young members of the Church of God hold signs during a demonstration against California's stay-at-home orders that were put in place due to the coronavirus outbreak, in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (Watchara Phomicinda/The Orange County Register via AP, File)

Gavin Newsom to resume church services in California with restrictions

California will allow churches and other houses of worship to reopen at up either 25% capacity or 100 attendees during the coronavirus pandemic, the state announced Monday, though local county authorities still have final approval over whether to allow it within their jurisdiction. Published May 25, 2020

A visitor sits at a gravesite at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Tuesday, April 7, 2020. National cemeteries are open and will continue to provide interments for veterans and eligible individuals, but due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak committal services and the rendering of military funeral honors have been discontinued until further notice. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) ** FILE **

Top lawmakers tell VA to remove German POW headstones with swastikas

Top House Democrats and Republicans demanded Monday that the Department of Veterans Affairs remove three headstones over German prisoner-of-war graves that bear swastika insignias and words praising Adolf Hitler, calling it "callous" to leave them in place. Published May 25, 2020

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker answers questions from the media during his daily press briefing on the COVID-19 pandemic from his office at the Illinois State Capitol, Friday, May 22, 2020, in Springfield, Ill. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP, Pool)

DOJ tells Illinois to handle shutdown fight in state courts

The Trump administration struck a blow for federalism Friday, filing papers in court telling Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker that the fight over his coronavirus shutdown order belongs before a state judge, not in federal court. Published May 22, 2020