Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
‘Ticking time bomb’: How dangers lurked in Afghan evacuee population
Tucked inside the tens of thousands of Afghans airlifted out of Kabul in 2021 were some ticking time bombs. Suddenly, they are starting to explode. Published December 5, 2025
Judge blocks Trump firings at State Department, says spending bill prohibits cuts right now
A federal judge put a stop to the State Department's plans to fire some employees, ruling late Thursday that the new stopgap spending law passed by Congress to end the shutdown last month prohibits any reductions in force. Published December 4, 2025
Immigration officers arrest Harvard professor who fired BB gun outside synagogue
Homeland Security said Thursday it had made an immigration arrest of a Harvard Law School professor who fired a BB gun outside a synagogue the day before Yom Kippur. Published December 4, 2025
Supreme Court restores Texas’ GOP-friendly congressional map
The Supreme Court said Thursday that Texas can go back to using its new, Republican-friendly congressional map for the 2026 midterm elections, putting on hold a lower court ruling that found the map to be an illegal attempt to strip minorities of voting power. Published December 4, 2025
DHS slashes work permit term for migrants from 5 years to 18 months
Homeland Security's citizenship agency said Thursday it is slashing the standard validity period of work permits issued to migrants from 5 years to 18 months in many cases, saying the shorter times will give the government more opportunities to vet people. Published December 4, 2025
Trump’s border streak continues with best November numbers ever
The border saw another record month of calm in November, with Border Patrol agents apprehending about 7,350 illegal immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico boundary, according to data shared first with The Washington Times. Published December 4, 2025
Third Afghan evacuee arrested in less than a week on terror-related charges
Homeland Security arrested another Afghan evacuee Wednesday, accusing Jaan Shah Safi of supporting the terrorist group ISIS-K. Published December 3, 2025
Supreme Court grapples with Christian proselytizer punished by city for loudspeaker
The Supreme Court heard the case on Wednesday of a prolific Christian preacher who wants to be able to challenge a Mississippi ordinance that he says limits his ability to proselytize. Published December 3, 2025
Congress subpoenas Jack Smith’s testimony about Trump classified docs, 2020 transfer of power cases
The House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena Wednesday compelling testimony from Jack Smith, the former special counsel who pursued prosecutions against President Trump. Published December 3, 2025
Dead people, bogus applications: Audit finds Obamacare premium tax credit teeming with fraud
Obamacare's premium tax credit is plagued with fraud, Congress' chief watchdog said Wednesday, erecting new hurdles for Democrats who insist on expanding the program and have even forced a government shutdown over the issue. Published December 3, 2025
Fed worker bilked $1.1 million by misusing his government credit card
A federal judge sentenced a former federal employee to more than three years in prison after he admitted to stealing more than $1.1 million in taxpayer money over 15 years by ringing up personal charges or sending money to himself through his government-issued charge card. Published December 3, 2025
Biden’s EPA paid $10.9 million in lawyers’ fees in sue-and-settle cases
The Biden administration set records for sue-and-settle cases, according to a new study that said the EPA paid out $10.9 million in lawyers' fees from 2021 to 2024 while working with environmentalists to set policies outside of what the law requires. Published December 3, 2025
New Orleans is target of latest Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation
The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it is surging immigration agents into New Orleans, making it the latest sanctuary-city target for President Trump's mass deportation effort. Published December 3, 2025
Judge orders ICE to stop most warrantless immigration arrests in D.C.
A federal judge issued a stern spanking to the Trump administration on Tuesday, telling it to cut out warrantless arrests in the nation's capital unless there is clear evidence the migrant is about to flee. Published December 2, 2025
Judge blocks part of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill that targeted Planned Parenthood
A federal judge put a hold Tuesday on the part of President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill budget law that ordered state Medicaid programs to stop doing business with Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. Published December 2, 2025
Man charged with throwing unlit firebombs at DHS building in Los Angeles
A man was arrested for tossing molotov cocktails at a Homeland Security building in Los Angeles, federal authorities said Tuesday. Published December 2, 2025
GOP advances bill to add citizenship question to 2030 census
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee approved a bill Tuesday that would add a question about citizenship to the decennial census and divvy up U.S. House seats based only on the number of citizens. Published December 2, 2025
Afghan migrant charged with threatening suicide bombing in Texas
The Justice Department announced charges Tuesday against an Afghan immigrant who allegedly appeared in a TikTok video threatening a suicide attack to kill Americans. Published December 2, 2025
Documents show Ian Roberts claimed citizenship on voting applications
Ian Andre Roberts, the fired Des Moines schools superintendent whom the feds say is in the country illegally, twice claimed to be a citizen when he registered to vote in Maryland. Published December 1, 2025
Supreme Court grapples with judges’ leeway in deciding asylum cases
The Supreme Court on Monday tried to sort out whether federal judges must defer to immigration courts when they hear appeals of asylum claims, in a case that could help speed up some deportation cases. Published December 1, 2025
