Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Cody Michael Matousek, Aryan Brotherhood member, pleads guilty to immigrant smuggling in Texas
A member of the violent Aryan Brotherhood of Texas gang pleaded guilty Wednesday to his role in an illegal immigrant smuggling operation. Authorities say Cody Michael Matousek, 33, had already been under investigation for his role as coordinator of a smuggling operation affiliated with an Aryan Brotherhood chapter in Galveston, Texas. Published March 27, 2019
Judge tosses travel ban lawsuit, says families don’t have right to demand visas for relatives
A federal judge tossed out one of the remaining challenges to President Trump's travel ban policy on Wednesday, ruling that the government had the power to refuse visas for people under the affected countries. Published March 27, 2019
Elijah Cummings, House Oversight chairman, demands Trump’s accountants explain inflated assets
House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings sent a letter Wednesday demanding one of President Trump's accountants detail how it determined the size of his wealth, saying he believed the president may have been inflating and deflating his value. Published March 27, 2019
Border Patrol forced to restart ‘catch-and-release’ of illegals at border
The Border Patrol will have to restart a policy of catch-and-release at the border, the top border officer said Wednesday, saying there's not enough bed space to hold them and, under the law, they can't be immediately sent back. Published March 27, 2019
John Kennedy urges feds to bring charges against Jussie Smollett
A Republican senator said Wednesday that the federal Justice Department should look into bringing charges against actor Jussie Smollett after local prosecutors in Chicago expunged their case against him. Published March 27, 2019
At AIPAC, Democrats, Republicans agree to support Israel, but are divided on how to do so
Both Republican and Democratic leaders pledged fealty to the U.S.-Israel relationship this week, but found little common ground in how to go about proving it. Published March 26, 2019
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal loses big in Senate
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal withered in the heat of the Senate on Tuesday as Republicans delivered a decisive spanking to liberal activists' plan to reshape American society. Published March 26, 2019
Donald Trump wins wall battle as House fails to override veto
House lawmakers failed Tuesday in their bid to overturn President Trump's first veto, effectively upholding his declaration of a border emergency and leaving him with a free hand to build more of his border wall. Published March 26, 2019
Dems back Palestinians over Israelis: Poll
More Democrats back the Palestinians than back Israel when asked about their views on peace in the Middle East, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll Tuesday that underscores the deep divisions plaguing the Democratic Party. Published March 26, 2019
Rep. Adam Smith denies $1 billion defense funding for border wall
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith attempted Tuesday to block the Pentagon's move to shift $1 billion in defense money to an account that could be used to build President Trump's border wall. Published March 26, 2019
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Jeffries: ‘We didn’t run on impeachment’
The chairman of the House Democratic Caucus said Tuesday that he and his colleagues have moved beyond impeachment talk after the release of the special counsel's report, saying they're ready to tackle health care, equal pay and other issues. Published March 26, 2019
Michael Avenatti says Nike extortion charges are bogus, prosecutors being ‘played’
Newly indicted lawyer Michael Avenatti took to Twitter Tuesday morning to blast Nike, the shoe and sports clothing company, saying that it is trying to distract from its own criminal behavior by accusing him of extortion. Published March 26, 2019
Tulsi Gabbard tells Democrats to move past Mueller
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard told supporters Monday it's time to put the special counsel's probe in the rear view and "move forward," saying voters are tired of the sniping. Published March 25, 2019
Democrats demand public release of Mueller report
President Trump praised special counsel Robert Mueller's work Monday and said it "wouldn't bother me at all" if his report was released to the public, as Washington grappled with the fallout of the president's exoneration from accusations he conspired with Russia to subvert the 2016 election. Published March 25, 2019
Marco Rubio constitutional amendment to set Supreme Court at nine justices
Senate Republicans introduced a constitutional amendment Monday to limit the Supreme Court to a total of nine justices, looking to foreclose the push by some Democrats to pack the court to overwhelm President Trump's picks. Published March 25, 2019
Michael Avenatti arrested on extortion, fraud charges
Michael Avenatti tweeted Monday that he would soon hold a press conference to release damaging information about Nike. Instead, it was federal prosecutors who held a press conference Monday afternoon to charge Mr. Avenatti with attempting to extort more than $25 million from Nike. Published March 25, 2019
Duke University to pay $112.5 million settlement for faked research
Duke University agreed to a deal Monday that will require it to repay the federal government $112.5 million to settle claims it falsified scientific research at taxpayers' expense. Published March 25, 2019
Lindsey Graham: McCain’s staff to blame for Steele dossier abuses
Sen. Lindsey Graham said Monday that the late Sen. John McCain's staffers "took a piece of garbage and tried to go after Trump," but he said McCain himself wasn't involved in the shady business. Published March 25, 2019
Lindsey Graham to turn post-Mueller focus to Christopher Steele, anti-Trump FBI employees
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said Monday that he'll launch his own investigation into the 2016 election, but he'll focus on anti-Trump FBI employees and Democrats' payments to fund the Steele dossier. Published March 25, 2019
Mike Enzi’s 2020 budget plan attempts to tame federal deficits
The Senate Budget Committee will take up Chairman Mike Enzi's 2020 budget proposal this week, as lawmakers hunt for new ways to turn around a bleak U.S. fiscal picture that just saw the government post its worst monthly deficit ever. Published March 24, 2019
