Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Paul Ryan complains of ‘broken politics’ in farewell to Congress
Paul Ryan, who first came to Congress as a college intern and rose to become House speaker, delivered his farewell Wednesday, warning colleagues of a cancerous approach that threatens the American democratic experiment. Published December 19, 2018
Senate passes anti-lynching bill after nearly 200 failed attempts
After more than a century of failed attempts, the Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation making mob lynching a federal civil rights crime. Published December 19, 2018
Judge blocks Donald Trump’s asylum crackdown
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration's attempts to speed up deportations for people with bogus asylum claims, ruling Wednesday that the president and his team had gone beyond what Congress intended. Published December 19, 2018
Prison reform bill passes Senate
The Senate on Tuesday approved the most sweeping prison reform bill in years, voting to cut sentences of tens of thousands of inmates while also boosting access to programs designed to keep them from ending up back behind bars again. Published December 18, 2018
Illegal immigrant children set for release by Christmas after U.S. waives fingerprint check
The Trump administration said Tuesday it's eliminating some of the checks it makes before releasing illegal-immigrant children to homes in the U.S., clearing the way for thousands of the kids to be released by Christmas. Published December 18, 2018
Government shutdown: Trump retreats on border wall, Congress seeks stopgap spending bill
Members of Congress resigned themselves Tuesday to another short-term spending bill to avoid a government shutdown and get the government through the holidays and into the new year after Democrats rejected a new Republican offer to give President Trump half the border wall money he's seeking. Published December 18, 2018
Support for Trump border wall sets record — though still a minority: Poll
Support for President Trump's border wall hit a record high in a new Quinnipiac University poll Tuesday, but a majority of Americans still oppose the project, saying it's a waste that isn't needed to improve border security. Published December 18, 2018
Voters don’t buy Democrats’ impeachment push: Poll
Most voters say Democrats have yet to prove a convincing case tying President Trump to Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, according to a new poll being released Tuesday. Published December 18, 2018
Government shutdown threatens federal employees’ holiday vacations, but could result in double pay
More than 400,000 essential government employees could be forced to stay on the job throughout a government shutdown -- even if they'd already planned to take holiday vacations. President Trump has demanded that Congress find $5 billion in new money to pay for more sections of his border wall plans. Published December 17, 2018
Prison reform bill advances after bipartisan deal
Senators linked arms and voted Monday to advance a new bill combining sentencing and prison reforms, setting up final passage later this week and creating the groundwork for a major bipartisan compromise. Published December 17, 2018
DOJ asks appeals court to block look at Donald Trump’s finances
The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court Monday to stop an attempt to get a look at the Trump Organization's tax returns and other business data, saying the case is moving too fast and needs more arguments. Published December 17, 2018
Lamar Alexander announces retirement from Senate
Sen. Lamar Alexander said Monday he won't seek re-election in 2020, in the first big GOP retirement of the new election cycle. Published December 17, 2018
Jakelin Caal death sparks debate on blame
The death of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl after a lengthy journey with her father through Mexico to the U.S., then into the hands of the U.S. Border Patrol, has ignited a furious debate over who's to blame. Published December 16, 2018
Dead Guatemalan girl becomes martyr in immigration battle
Democrats on Friday turned a 7-year-old illegal immigrant who died after a rough journey through Mexico into a martyr for their cause of blocking President Trump's immigration policies, saying he and the Homeland Security Department are responsible for the girl's death. Published December 15, 2018
Mick Mulvaney tapped as Trump’s acting chief of staff
President Trump said Friday that he's tapped Mick Mulvaney to be acting chief of staff at the White House, adding yet another role to the man who's already his budget director. Published December 14, 2018
DHS defends handling of girl who died at border, says father never raised alarm
Homeland Security officials said Friday that the father of the 7-year-old girl who died at the border last week had a number of chances to bring her condition to their attention, but waited hours before letting them know she was in trouble. Published December 14, 2018
Deportations up, but backlog of ICE fugitives also grows
The U.S. deported more than 256,000 people in fiscal 2018, Homeland Security announced Friday, as the Trump administration's tougher policies took full effect. Published December 14, 2018
7-year-old dies after border journey; DHS says she was ‘overcome by the elements’
A 7-year-old illegal immigrant girl died last week after being caught jumping the border with her parent, the apparent victim of the rough journey north through Mexico, Homeland Security said Friday morning. Published December 14, 2018
Michelle Holt scams Defense Department of $1.4 million
A Defense Department employee in Virginia managed to scam the government out of $1.4 million in overtime pay, eluding detection for more than 17 years while claiming to have worked a near-impossible 90 hours a week, 52 weeks a year. Published December 13, 2018
Federal deficit up 50 percent in new fiscal year
The federal government is already deep in the red just two months into the new fiscal year, with the Treasury Department announcing Thursday that the deficit surged more than 50 percent so far. Published December 13, 2018
