Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
‘Obamaphone’ program riddled with fraud: Audit
The controversial "Obamaphone" program, which pays for cellphones for the poor, is rife with fraud, according to a new government report Thursday that found more than a third of enrollees may not even be qualified. Published June 29, 2017
Donald Trump’s immigration plans rejected by Obama-appointed judges
President Trump may have won a partial victory at the Supreme Court this week, but other federal judges remain major stumbling blocks to his aggressive immigration plans, with courts from California to Michigan and Atlanta limiting his crackdown on sanctuary cities and stopping him from deporting illegal immigrants he has targeted for removal. Published June 28, 2017
DHS warns of airplane threats, demands tougher screening at foreign airports
Homeland Security officials sounded a major alarm Wednesday about the world's airlines, revealing a "web of threats" they said prove terrorists remain determined to attack aircraft flying into the U.S. -- and announcing a new round of increased screening for inbound passengers. Published June 28, 2017
Ronald Vitiello: 130 miles of border won’t need wall
Homeland Security said Tuesday that at least 130 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border have enough natural barriers that there's no need to build a wall there — leaving most of the 1,954-mile divide as potential ground for a fence. Published June 27, 2017
Paul Ryan: Don’t bet against Mitch McConnell
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Tuesday that he expects Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will manage to deliver an Obamacare repeal bill at some point. Published June 27, 2017
Neil Gorsuch firmly on Supreme Court right
Newly minted Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch came out of the starting blocks quickly in his first months, firmly planting himself on the court's right along with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. as defenders of religious freedom and skeptics of judicial meddling in the other two branches' work. Published June 26, 2017
Supreme Court revives Trump travel ban
The Supreme Court revived President Trump's extreme vetting travel ban Monday, ruling that much of it can go into effect -- and along the way delivering an implicit rebuke to the army of lower-court judges who blasted the president as anti-Muslim. Published June 26, 2017
Same-sex married couples can be listed as father, mother on birth certificate, Supreme Court rules
Arkansas cannot refuse to list both names of same-sex married parents on a baby's birth certificate just because one of them is not a biological parent, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, in a decision that suggests the extent to which the justices will push their 2015 decision on same-sex marriage equality. Published June 26, 2017
Senate announces probe of Loretta Lynch behavior in 2016 election
The Senate Judiciary Committee has opened a probe into former Attorney General Loretta Lynch's efforts to shape the FBI's investigation into 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, the committee's chairman announced Friday. Published June 23, 2017
Foreign student population in U.S. grows to 1.2 million
Nearly 1.2 million foreign students are living and studying at schools in the U.S., Homeland Security reported Friday, with the vast majority of those coming from Asia. Published June 23, 2017
Judge blocks Homeland Security move to deport 100 criminal iraqis
A federal court halted the deportation of more than 100 Chaldean Christians that Homeland Security had been poised to send back to their home in Iraq, as a judge dealt yet another blow to President Trump's immigration plans. Published June 22, 2017
Donald Trump considers solar panels on border wall
President Trump took a further step back this week from his pledge to force Mexico to pay for the border wall, instead saying he is considering sticking solar panels on top of the fence and selling the energy to help fund the costs. Published June 22, 2017
Grassley blames Comey for false Trump narrative: ‘Played right into Russia’s hands’
A top Republican took to the Senate floor Thursday to blame fired FBI Director James B. Comey for fanning "conspiracy theories" about the U.S. election that "played right into Russia's hands." Published June 22, 2017
1.4 million illegals working under stolen Social Security numbers: Audit
Most illegal immigrants who pay taxes have stolen someone else's legal identity, and the IRS doesn't do a very good job of letting those American citizens and illegal immigrants know they're being impersonated, the tax agency's inspector general said in a new report released Thursday. Published June 22, 2017
30% of border children have gang ties
Nearly 30 percent of the illegal immigrant children the U.S. is currently holding in its secure dormitories have ties to criminal gangs, the government revealed Wednesday, suggesting the Obama-era surge of Central Americans has fed the country's growing problem with MS-13 and other gangs. Published June 21, 2017
Andrew McCabe, acting FBI chief, says he’s never felt uncomfortable in meetings with Donald Trump
Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe said Wednesday that he hasn't had any one-on-one meetings with President Trump and said the meetings he has had, with other people in the room, have never left him feeling uncomfortable. Published June 21, 2017
Arkansas bar to decide on potential discipline against Hillary Clinton
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton escaped criminal charges last year but her legal troubles may not be over -- the Arkansas state bar has promised a decision by next month on disciplinary action. Published June 21, 2017
Conn disability fraud victims now face new scam
Not only did an unscrupulous lawyer file bogus disability applications for them, but now some clients of Eric C. Conn are the targets of a phone scam looking to bilk them out of more money, federal officials said Wednesday. Published June 21, 2017
DHS will grant more seasonal visas, number still uncertain
Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly has decided to issue a "limited number" of seasonal guest worker visas, the department announced Wednesday, though they still don't have a total and won't begin to issue them until late July. Published June 21, 2017
Dick Durbin, top Dem, says sanctuary cities too poor to help feds on immigration
Sen. Richard J. Durbin said Wednesday that Chicago's sanctuary city policy isn't about protecting illegal immigrants, but rather a matter of poverty: The city doesn't have enough money to turn over illegal immigrants to federal authorities. Published June 21, 2017
