Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Mike Pompeo confirmed to head Donald Trump’s CIA by Senate
The Senate confirmed Mike Pompeo to be the new CIA chief Monday and cleared the way for a vote later this week on Rex Tillerson, President Trump's pick to lead the State Department, as Republicans pushed through Democrats' roadblocks. Published January 23, 2017
DHS rushing faulty citizenship system that could miss ‘national security threats’: IG
The government's new system that grants citizenship has "alarming" security breaches, including allowing immigrants to be approved without a full FBI background check, the Homeland Security inspector general said Monday in an "urgent" warning telling the government to put everything on hold. Published January 23, 2017
Marco Rubio to back Rex Tillerson for State Department, clearing way for confirmation
Sen. Marco Rubio said Monday he'll back Rex Tillerson as the secretary of state, clearing the path for the former ExxonMobil chief to be confirmed as soon as this week. Published January 23, 2017
Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks delayed by Democrats, only two confirmed
Donald Trump got off to the slowest start for any president in modern political history, with just two of his Cabinet picks confirmed so far and Democrats poised to make the process even more painful over the next weeks. Published January 22, 2017
Rex Tillerson nomination gains steam as John McCain, Lindsey Graham signal support
Two key Republicans said Sunday they'll vote to confirm Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, ending weeks of speculation and making it far more likely he'll succeed in the upcoming vote. Published January 22, 2017
Donald Trump tweets at protesters: ‘Why didn’t these people vote?’
President Trump took to Twitter Sunday to tweak the protesters who flooded the National Mall on Saturday. Published January 22, 2017
President Trump set to continue White House transparency by releasing visitor records
President Trump appears poised to keep releasing the records of those who visit the White House, continuing an Obama administration transparency policy that gave Americans an unprecedented look at the comings and goings through the powerful complex. Published January 20, 2017
Dems block Trump’s CIA nominee Mike Pompeo
Liberal senators on Friday blocked plans to speed through President Trump's pick to lead the CIA, demanding more time to scrutinize the nominee, Rep. Mike Pompeo. Published January 20, 2017
Trump still tweeting as new White House ‘POTUS’ account awaits
President Trump has a new Twitter account under @POTUS, but nearly an hour after he was sworn in Friday afternoon he was still using his old account, @realDonaldTrump, to connect with his people. Published January 20, 2017
Donald J. Trump sworn as 45th president
Donald John Trump, first dismissed as a stuntman, then a nuisance, then a threat to the political order, took the oath of office Friday to become the 45th president of the United States, ushering in one of the most compelling administrations in history. Published January 20, 2017
Donald Trump breaks with political traditions on triumphant ride to White House
Most presidential candidates pick a place close to the heart to announce their campaigns — a childhood hometown, the place they came of age politically or somewhere associated with a political hero. Published January 19, 2017
Trump ‘Day One’ may not live up to his campaign promises
President-elect Donald Trump made a lot of promises about what would happen on Day One of his administration. But what President Trump will actually do remains very murky. Published January 19, 2017
Judge: Obama DOJ had 132 ethical lapses in last four years
Federal Judge Andrew S. Hanen said the Justice Department has notched 132 different cases of self-reported ethical misconduct in just four years -- with more than two dozen of those involving lawyers misleading the courts. Published January 19, 2017
Donald Trump says his Cabinet is most intelligent in history
President-elect Donald Trump made another pitch Thursday for the Senate to speed his Cabinet picks through, saying he's assembled the smartest team in history. Published January 19, 2017
Illegal immigrant families surge across border
More than 23,000 illegal immigrant children and families were nabbed on the southwest border in December, according to Border Patrol statistics released this week that show the administration still struggling to deal with a problem that's now dogged it for three years. Published January 19, 2017
Obama’s errors leave Gitmo promise unfulfilled
It was the defining promise of the early days of the "hope and change" administration: President Obama would signal a new era of U.S. engagement with the world by closing, within a year, the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Published January 18, 2017
James Mattis clears committee, poised for quick confirmation
Gen. James Mattis on Wednesday won the overwhelming backing of the Senate Armed Services Committee to be the next Defense Department secretary, leaving him in good position to be one of President-elect Donald Trump's first Cabinet nominees to be approved. Published January 18, 2017
Congress looks to punish ‘sanctuary campus’ colleges that protect illegal immigrants
Forget sanctuary cities: The next heated congressional battle on immigration could be over "sanctuary campuses" -- the dozens of colleges and universities that say they will resist any cooperation with federal immigration agents, unless they are forced to by law. Published January 18, 2017
Obama scores poorly in working with Congress on legislation
President Obama oversaw the deepest legislative malaise in modern political history, according to the Washington Times Legislative Index, which captures his struggles to find ways to work with a Congress that ranged from lukewarm to openly hostile toward him. Published January 17, 2017
Ryan Zinke defends expansive federal reach in land policies
Rep. Ryan Zinke, the nominee to head the Interior Department, will cast himself Tuesday as a champion of the federal government expanding its reach over federal lands, in a move that could signal friction with his own GOP colleagues. Published January 17, 2017