Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
IRS has a bizarre habit of hanging up on callers
The IRS can't seem to stop hanging up on taxpayers, according to a new audit by the agency's inspector general, which monitored hundreds of customer service calls and found that in 15% of them, the connection was broken before the conversation was completed. Published October 13, 2025
DHS reveals grand plan for border: 1,422 miles of wall along Mexico boundary
The Department of Homeland Security on Friday revealed its ambitious Smart Wall plans for the U.S.-Mexico border, with fences stretching 1,422 miles along the boundary, more than double the current length, with sensor technology to protect the remaining area too rugged for a wall. Published October 10, 2025
N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James indicted on fraud charge
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who once brought a business fraud case against President Trump, was indicted Thursday in federal court on fraud charges apparently related to a mortgage application she filed on a home in Virginia. Published October 9, 2025
Biden judge blocks National Guard deployment to Illinois as ‘political retribution’
A federal judge put President Trump's National Guard troop deployment to Illinois on hold Thursday, saying the administration appears to have overstepped its powers. Published October 9, 2025
Judge tells feds to restrict use of tear gas, other riot controls in Illinois
A federal judge ordered federal agencies to be more selective in their use of tear gas and other riot control tools to combat protests that have raged in Illinois. Published October 9, 2025
Judiciary chairman says impeachment is ‘on the table’ for anti-Trump judges
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan said impeachment of judges who issue "stupid" rulings thwarting President Trump is "on the table," though he said Congress needs to explore other options first. Published October 9, 2025
Appeals court allows Trump to federalize National Guard troops but not deploy them yet
A federal appeals court gave President Trump temporary permission to federalize National Guard troops in Oregon, but said he remains barred from actually deploying them. Published October 8, 2025
Uncle Sam ends fiscal year 2025 $1.8 trillion in the red
The federal government will tally a deficit of $1.8 trillion for the just-completed fiscal year, the Congressional Budget Office projected Wednesday. Published October 8, 2025
Trump calls for jailing of Illinois leaders over ICE showdown
President Trump on Wednesday called for the arrest of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, accusing them of failing to protect federal immigration enforcement agents. Published October 8, 2025
Chicago-area prosecutor warns Trump’s immigration surge scared away victims from testifying in cases
At least one murder case and multiple sexual assault and domestic violence prosecutions are being endangered because of the heavy presence of immigration officers seeking to arrest illegal immigrants at a courthouse in Chicago, a prosecutor said. Published October 8, 2025
Justices eye letting candidates challenge states that change voting rules
The Supreme Court seemed poised Wednesday to embrace new rules that would give candidates for federal office the chance to challenge election rules in court well before the voting takes place -- a move that could give Republicans more room to confront Democratic states' mail-in ballot laws. Published October 8, 2025
National Guard arrives in Illinois as Trump pursues crime crackdown
The first contingent of President Trump's call-up of National Guard troops arrived in Illinois on Tuesday as the administration pushes to crack down on crime in some of the country's major cities. Published October 7, 2025
Senate Democrats want to see more evidence that the FBI illegally spied on GOP lawmakers
Senate Democrats on Tuesday said they wanted to see more evidence that President Biden's FBI spied on Republican lawmakers before they would believe there was wrongdoing. Published October 7, 2025
Attorney General Bondi challenges Democrats to let go of ‘hate’ for Trump
Attorney General Pam Bondi blasted Democrats on Tuesday for the current government shutdown, accusing them of allowing an overriding hatred of President Trump to leave her law enforcement agents patrolling their cities without getting paid for it. Published October 7, 2025
Federal appeals court dispute tests limits of Supreme Court pro-LGBTQ workplace ruling
A case winding its way through the federal courts could test the limits of the Supreme Court's ruling that allowed employees to sue over transgender discrimination. Published October 7, 2025
WATCH: Supreme Court skeptical of Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ children
Colorado's law banning "conversion therapy" for children confounded the Supreme Court on Tuesday, with justices saying it seemed to shut down speech that would normally be protected by the First Amendment. Published October 7, 2025
Best border in 55 years: DHS nabs fewer than 240,000 illegal immigrants at southwest boundary
The Border Patrol has just completed its best fiscal year since 1970 when it comes to the southern border, where agents seized fewer than 240,000 people trying to sneak in across the Mexican boundary. Published October 7, 2025
Grassley reveals more ‘weaponization’ at FBI, including 2017 attempt to probe Trump
The Senate's senior Republican revealed new documents Tuesday that he said show more "weaponization" by the FBI against President Trump and his allies, including one that details an effort soon after the 2017 inauguration to find information that "could predicate a case." Published October 7, 2025
Street gang placed ‘hit’ on senior Trump immigration official, DHS says
The Latin Kings street gang in Illinois placed a bounty on a senior Border Patrol official who has been instrumental in the administration's attempt to surge arrests and deportations in big cities, government officials said Monday. Published October 6, 2025
Chicago declares ‘ICE-free’ zones as city escalates feud with Trump
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an order Monday creating what he called "ICE-free zones" in his city, where federal agents are forbidden from staging to carry out immigration arrests. Published October 6, 2025
