Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Trump re-files more careful lawsuit against The New York Times
President Trump filed a new version of his lawsuit against The New York Times and some of its staff Thursday, toning down the over-the-top language that got his first version tossed from a federal courtroom but still asking for $15 billion in damages for "false malicious and defamatory" coverage. Published October 16, 2025
Biden’s DHS let migrants on bogus documents claim asylum, audit shows
The Department of Homeland Security's border agency says it has cleaned up a problem from the Biden era that let illegal immigrants enter the U.S. and claim asylum despite using bogus identity documents. Published October 16, 2025
Trump’s tariffs helped tame deficit in 2025, brought in $118 billion in new money
President Trump's tariffs have helped tame the federal deficit, the Treasury Department reported Thursday, with an extra $118 billion in customs revenue limiting the damage from surging federal spending. Published October 16, 2025
Migrant was serving illegally as cop in Illinois: DHS
Homeland Security's deportation agency on Thursday said it arrested a Montenegro man who is in the country illegally but was sworn in this past summer as a police officer in the Chicago suburbs. Published October 16, 2025
Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration’s federal layoffs during shutdown
A federal judge ordered the administration Wednesday to halt its firing of federal employees during the government shutdown, saying it was ill-conceived and executed. Published October 15, 2025
Supreme Court poised to redraw part of Voting Rights Act
The Supreme Court plowed into the thorniest of political issues Wednesday as the justices sought to sort out how much -- if at all -- states and judges can use race when they address discrimination in how congressional and state legislative district maps were drawn. Published October 15, 2025
Cartels place bounties on U.S. immigration officers: DHS
Mexican cartels are behind at least some of the bounties placed for information or attacks on ICE and CBP personnel, Homeland Security said Tuesday, citing "credible intelligence." Published October 14, 2025
Supreme Court to hear Louisiana congressional district map dispute over race
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has traveled a circuitous path to the U.S. Supreme Court, where her office this week will argue that the 60-year-old Voting Rights Act should not promote Black voters' interests over those of others. Published October 14, 2025
Senator’s bill would ban judges from considering gender identity in sentencing decisions
Sen. Tom Cotton announced legislation Tuesday to bar judges from using a convict's gender identity or transition status to deliver watered-down prison sentences. Published October 14, 2025
Trump’s NIH plows ahead with bat lab to fuel virus research in U.S.
The Trump administration is moving to wind down many taxpayer-funded animal experiments, but a controversial bat virus lab in Colorado is still powering forward with a new infusion of millions of dollars. Published October 14, 2025
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
