Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Dems now say deputy attorney general also tarnished by FBI firing
Senate Democrats said Wednesday that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, whom most of them voted to confirm just weeks ago, has now been tainted by this week's firing of FBI Director James Comey and can no longer be involved in deciding the next big steps in the Russia probe. Published May 10, 2017
Andrew McCabe, new acting FBI director, to appear on Capitol Hill Thursday
New acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe will testify to the Senate on Thursday, filling in for ousted director James Comey, senators said. Published May 10, 2017
Senate Democrats cancel VA oversight to protest Comey
Democrats shut down most action in the Senate on Wednesday, saying they were retaliating for the firing a day earlier of FBI Director James Comey, forcing the cancellation of a number of important hearings. Published May 10, 2017
Mitch McConnell accuses Dems of hypocrisy on Comey firing
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday that Democrats are being hypocritical in complaining about FBI Director James Comey's firing a day earlier, saying they lodged many of the same complaints about him that the Justice Department cited as reasons for the ouster. Published May 10, 2017
Chuck Schumer told Trump Comey firing was ‘big mistake’
The Senate's top Democrat told President Trump he was "making a big mistake" by firing FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday, and said the move undermines faith in the presidency. Published May 9, 2017
James Comey fired as FBI director
President Trump fired FBI Director James B. Comey on Tuesday, saying the country's top law enforcement agency had lost the public's trust, but sparked a new round of questions over why he ousted the man leading an investigation into his campaign operatives' ties to Russia. Published May 9, 2017
Illegal immigration across southwest border down 70 percent under Trump
Illegal immigration across the southwestern border is down a stunning 76 percent since President Trump was elected, with the flow of children and families dropping even faster as analysts say the administration's commitment to enforcing the law has changed the reality along the border. Published May 9, 2017
ACLU issues Texas ‘travel alert’ ahead of state’s anti-sanctuary law
The ACLU issued a "travel alert" to Americans on Tuesday warning them that they could be entering a low-rights zone if they go to Texas once the state's new anti-sanctuary law takes effect in September. Published May 9, 2017
Donald Trump’s ‘Muslim ban’ campaign remarks in legal question
The administration asked a federal appeals court Monday to look beyond President Trump's campaign statements about Muslims and defer to his judgments as president, hoping to revive his executive order on refugees and travelers from six majority-Muslim countries. Published May 8, 2017
Dump Paris climate deal, black chamber of commerce tell Trump
The National Black Chamber of Commerce is urging President Trump to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement negotiated by President Obama, saying it would "undermine" the American economy. Published May 8, 2017
DHS speeds high-profile deportations; Democrats call changes ‘mean-spirited’
Top Democrats accused Homeland Security of trying to punish illegal immigrants by refusing to halt their deportations even as Congress debates bills to grant them special legal status. Published May 8, 2017
Judges struggle with ‘taint’ from Trump’s Muslim ban comments
Federal appeals court judges questioned President Trump's motives in signing his extreme vetting executive orders in oral argument Monday, wondering whether his own words suggesting he was singling out certain religions for special treatment have poisoned the entire exercise. Published May 8, 2017
Human Rights Watch: Immigrant detainees’ deaths preventable
More than a third of the immigrants who died while being held in U.S. detention were given substandard health care, contributing to their deaths, human rights groups charged in a new report being released Monday that demands major changes in the detention system. Published May 8, 2017
Texas governor signs ban on so-called ‘sanctuary cities’
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday signed a law targeting so-called "sanctuary cities" that allows police to ask about a person's immigration status and threatens sheriffs with jail if they don't cooperate with federal authorities. Published May 7, 2017
Greg Abbott signs Texas anti-‘sanctuary city’ law
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the country's toughest anti-sanctuary city law Sunday, moving not only to fine jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration agents but even threatening jail time for the sheriffs or police chiefs who refuse to cooperate. Published May 7, 2017
Republicans face more ‘shutdown traps’ into Democrat spending
Stung by yet another "shutdown trap" that forced them to accede to nearly every Democratic demand in the $1 trillion spending bill, Republicans are scrambling to find a way out of their predicament before even bigger deadlines come due just months from now. Published May 7, 2017
Talks, incentives swing Republican votes
Rep. Robert J. Wittman was adamant back in March: The Republican health care bill didn't protect Medicare and Medicaid, cut health care costs or empower individuals enough to earn his vote. Published May 4, 2017
Congress approves $1 trillion spending bill; conservatives warn of anti-Trump agenda
Congress gave final approval Thursday to a $1 trillion spending bill to carry the government through September, averting yet another shutdown showdown but leaving a deeply divided GOP in its wake. Published May 4, 2017
DHS catches less than 1 percent of illegal immigrant ‘overstays’: Audit
Homeland Security has built up a backlog of more than 1.2 million illegal immigrants who it believes have overstayed visas but managed to arrest only about 3,400 of them, according to the most recent data, which works out to a rate of about 1 in every 350 lawbreakers. Published May 4, 2017
Illegal border-crossers seek sympathetic agents at U.S. entry points
Some American border officers are turning away migrants with compelling asylum cases, pushing families to bounce from one border crossing to the next looking for a willing officer to let them make their claims for protection, a leading advocacy group charged in a new report Wednesday. Published May 3, 2017
