Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Hillary Clinton’s lawyers defended by state of Maryland amid ethics probe
Maryland officials appear to have begun to circle the wagons in defending Hillary Clinton's lawyers, according to the lawyer trying to get them punished by the state bar. Published October 16, 2017
Judge promises ruling on latest Trump travel ban
A federal judge who'd ruled President Trump's previous travel ban illegal seemed more sympathetic to the latest version in a hearing Monday, casting doubt on whether the president's opponents can continue to use his campaign rhetoric about Muslims to besmirch everything he does at this point. Published October 16, 2017
Illegal immigrants get 2 million work permits in 2017
The government will dole out nearly 2 million work permits this year to immigrants who for the most part came to the country illegally or have some other tentative status, but who have been granted a foothold in the U.S. thanks to a loose immigration policy, according to statistics released last week. Published October 15, 2017
2 Dreamers caught smuggling immigrants into Texas
Two young illegal immigrant "Dreamers" in the U.S. under protection of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals deportation amnesty were caught smuggling illegal immigrants in separate incidents in Texas, authorities announced last week. Published October 15, 2017
Social Security recipients to see 2 percent cost-of-living increase
Social Security beneficiaries will receive a 2 percent cost-of-living payment increase next year, the agency announced Friday. Published October 13, 2017
White House to end Obamacare subsidies to health insurance companies
The White House announced late Thursday that the administration has concluded it can no longer legally make critical Obamacare "cost-sharing" payments, dealing another blow to the struggling 2010 health law. Published October 12, 2017
Two ‘Dreamers’ caught smuggling illegal immigrants into U.S.
Two young illegal immigrant "Dreamers" in the U.S. under protection of the Obama-era DACA deportation amnesty were caught smuggling illegal immigrants in separate incidents in Texas, authorities announced Thursday. Published October 12, 2017
Citizenship application backlog overwhelms agency
First it was the Obama administration, and now Trump administration officials are struggling with a massive influx of people applying for citizenship, overwhelming the agency that approves the applications and sending wait times soaring. Published October 12, 2017
House approves $36.5 billion in disaster relief
The House overcame a conservative rebellion Thursday to pass a new round of disaster relief, saying the $36.5 billion is needed to replenish funds that are quickly depleting in the wake of one of the worst hurricane seasons in recent history. Published October 12, 2017
Donald Trump says DHS pick won’t need ‘on-the-job training’
President Trump introduced his new Homeland Security secretary nominee Thursday, saying former Bush administration official and current deputy White House Chief of Staff Kirstjen Nielsen is the right person to carry out his campaign promises. Published October 12, 2017
San Juan mayor accuses Trump of ‘genocide’ after hurricane
The House overcame a conservative rebellion Thursday to pass a new round of disaster relief, saying the $36.5 billion is needed to replenish funds that are quickly depleting in the wake of hurricanes that have battered Texas, Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Published October 12, 2017
Bipartisan think tank proposes Dreamer framework; dismisses Trump priorities
The Bipartisan Policy Center released a framework Thursday it said could cut through the immigration clutter and provide the outlines of an agreement to legalize illegal immigrant "Dreamers," while also making some updates to border security. Published October 12, 2017
Immigrant smuggling operation broken up along U.S.-Canada border
Federal agents broke up an immigrant smuggling operation on the U.S.-Canada border in Vermont this week, exposing what appears to be a growing option for illegal immigrants desperate to get into the U.S. but worried about getting caught by stiffer security along the southwestern border. Published October 11, 2017
D.C. gun laws defended, likely to tighten
D.C. officials said Wednesday that they are looking at ways to expand the city's strict gun laws, hoping to recapture some of the ground lost after a federal appeals court struck down the city's restrictions on issuing concealed-carry permits. Published October 11, 2017
Donald Trump to nominate White House aide Kirstjen Nielsen as DHS secretary
President Trump said Wednesday he'll nominate Kirstjen Nielsen, a longtime Bush administration official and now top aide to White House chief of staff John F. Kelly, to be the new head of Homeland Security. Published October 11, 2017
Donald Trump could personally pick border wall winner
President Trump could have a direct role in picking the winner of the eight border wall prototypes currently being built and tested by Homeland Security, a department spokesman confirmed Wednesday. Published October 11, 2017
Paul Ryan says ATF could quickly stop sale of bump stocks used in Las Vegas shooting
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Wednesday that the fastest way to curtail the sale of the kind of bump stock add-on that made last week's Las Vegas shooting so lethal would be for the administration to act. Published October 11, 2017
D.C. gun laws block concealed-carry legal zones
It's about to become easier for D.C. residents to obtain concealed-carry firearms permits -- but researchers said Washingtonians will still have to face a set of city laws so complex and muddled that it may mean there is hardly any place they can safely carry their weapons. Published October 10, 2017
Supreme Court scraps one challenge to Donald Trump’s travel ban
The Supreme Court on Tuesday scrapped one of the legal challenges to President Trump's travel ban, saying the new policy the White House announced late last month supersedes the older policy. Published October 10, 2017
CREW, liberal watchdog, says Donald Trump should face obstruction of justice charges
One of the public watchdog groups pursuing President Trump laid out a case Tuesday that he "likely" obstructed justice by trying to woo, then subsequently firing, former FBI Director James B. Comey. Published October 10, 2017