Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
D.C. assisted suicide law imperiled by Republican Congress
Congress will move to block the District of Columbia's new assisted suicide law, the chairman of the House committee that oversees the city's government said Monday. Published January 9, 2017
Donald Trump taps Jared Kushner for White House senior adviser post
President-elect Donald Trump named his son-in-law Jared Kushner to be one of his top advisers in the White House, sparking new questions Monday over nepotism and how he'll run the Oval Office. Published January 9, 2017
Khizr Khan, Gold Star father, blasts Jeff Sessions as ‘anti-Muslim’
The Gold Star father who blasted Donald Trump at the Democratic convention this summer is returning to the national stage this week, firing off a letter demanding the Senate reject Sen. Jeff Sessions, Mr. Trump's attorney general nominee. Published January 9, 2017
Mitch McConnell wants ‘6 or 7’ nominees approved on Trump’s first day
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday he's still hoping to confirm President-elect Donald Trump's national security Cabinet picks on Jan. 20, just after the new president is sworn in. Published January 9, 2017
Tom Coburn says restoring earmarks will backfire on GOP: ‘Nothing but corruption and fraud’
Senate Republicans are poised to restore earmarks unless opponents muster the votes to stop them in a secret ballot Tuesday. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, Wisconsin Republican, is under severe pressure from his members and has agreed to study the issue. Published January 8, 2017
Donald Trump demands to know how NBC got info on Russia hack
President-elect Donald Trump said Friday he's asking the chairmen of the House and Senate intelligence committees to investigate how NBC got hold of details from what it says is the top-secret dossier on Russian interference in the U.S. election. Published January 8, 2017
DHS secretary says Trump could alter 2012 amnesty
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Friday that the next administration could reverse his promises and use the information illegal immigrants have voluntarily turned over to the department as part of a 2012 amnesty to now target them for deportation. Published January 6, 2017
DHS deems elections to be ‘critical infrastructure’ offers federal help
In the wake of Russia's attempts to hack the U.S. election, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Friday declared the country's elections systems to be "critical infrastructure," entitling it to heightened federal assistance and protections. Published January 6, 2017
U.S. intelligence says Putin wanted to damage Hillary Clinton, help Donald Trump
Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted Hillary Clinton to lose the election and clearly preferred Donald Trump, the U.S. intelligence community concluded, according to its assessment report released Friday. Published January 6, 2017
Donald Trump says election wasn’t hacked, demands cybersecurity plan to foil future attacks
President-elect Donald Trump insisted Friday that he'll take cybersecurity seriously, saying he'll appoint a task force to come up with plans to stop online attacks from the country's adversaries. Published January 6, 2017
Democrats fall short in bid to stymy Trump in Electoral College
House Democrats attempted to lodge protests Friday against the Electoral College votes of several of the states that backed President-elect Donald Trump, but Vice President Joseph R. Biden ruled each one out of order. Published January 6, 2017
Donald Trump demands probe of NBC over Russian hacking intel leak
President-elect Donald Trump said Friday he's asking the chairmen of the House and Senate intelligence committees to investigate how NBC got hold of details from what it says is the top secret dossier on Russian interference in the U.S. election. Published January 6, 2017
Democrats demand more information on Trump Cabinet picks to snarl nominations
Left without the power to filibuster, Democrats are settling on another strategy to derail President-elect Donald Trump's nominees: Demand more information. Published January 5, 2017
IRS prioritized Obamacare over taxpayer customer service, inspector general
The IRS made the 2015 tax season more painful for taxpayers than it should have been, the agency's inspector general said in a report Thursday that accused the agency of cutting money for customer service and ignoring phone calls while moving the money over to keep Obamacare and other administration priorities on track. Published January 5, 2017
Jeff Sessions was right to prosecute voter fraud case: Former DOJ lawyer
A former Justice Department lawyer who prosecuted voter fraud cases rose to the defense of Sen. Jeff Sessions on Thursday in the face of increasingly bitter accusations that Mr. Sessions, while a federal prosecutor, misused voter protection laws. Published January 5, 2017
Dems target HHS nominee Tom Price for delay, call for ethics probe
Democratic leaders demanded an investigation Thursday into President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to head Health and Human Services, saying there are indications Rep. Tom Price may have engaged in insider trading based on secrets he knew as a member of Congress. Published January 5, 2017
Obamacare cracks show as 13 Dems say they could vote to reform health law
A group of 13 Senate Democratic Caucus members said Thursday that they are ready to work with Republicans on changes to Obamacare, but objected to the quick pace GOP leaders are pushing to repeal the law entirely. Published January 5, 2017
Sheriff Thomas Hodgson offers inmates community service to build Trump border wall
Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson detailed the offer as he was sworn in to a fourth term in office on Wednesday. He hopes Mr. Trump will take him up on the plan, which he said would pay dividends for the country and the inmates. Published January 4, 2017
Obama, Dems claim upper hand in Obamacare repeal fight
President Obama rallied his troops on Capitol Hill Wednesday to defend his health care law, insisting the politics are on their side as the GOP plots its Obamacare repeal. Published January 4, 2017
Donald Trump looms over 115th Congress
The 115th Congress convened Tuesday amid a palpable feeling of unease, as both Democrats and Republicans sought to adjust to the center of political gravity that is President-elect Donald Trump. Published January 3, 2017
