Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Sex website Backpage.com loses Supreme Court appeal
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal by Backpage.com, one of the Internet's largest sex services websites, and the company will now have to reveal to Congress whether it attempts to screen out sex traffickers. Published September 13, 2016
Obama wants U.S. to take 30 percent more refugees in 2017
President Obama wants the U.S. to take 30 percent more refugees next year, top administration officials told Congress on Tuesday, calling for Americans to do more on the world stage at a time when many voters are already balking at the current pace. Published September 13, 2016
John Koskinen: Conservatives begin impeachment process for IRS commissioner
House conservatives pulled the trigger Tuesday on the process to begin impeachment of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, rejecting appeals from fellow Republicans and from the commissioner himself to set the matter aside. Published September 13, 2016
Hillary Clinton email server attacked with ‘some frequency’ by brute force hackers
Cyber intruders attempted "brute force" hacking attempts against Hillary Clinton's email server with "some frequency," the man who set up and helped maintained the system told Congress on Tuesday. Published September 13, 2016
Bryan Pagliano defies subpoena to avoid testifying on Clinton emails
Despite Hillary Clinton's urging last year that he give full testimony, Bryan Pagliano, the campaign operative she hired at the State Department and then had run her server, refused to attend the hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Published September 13, 2016
Illegal immigration surged in August, illegal families set for worst year on record
Illegal immigration across the southwest border surged 10 percent in August, defying the usual pattern of a late-summer slowdown as the Obama administration struggles to keep families from pouring in from Central America. Published September 13, 2016
Visa security loophole exploited by 9/11 attackers still open 15 years later
At least five of the Sept. 11 hijackers exploited a glaring hole in visa security to stay in the U.S. beyond their time — allowing them to board the planes and conduct their murderous attack. Fifteen years later, and despite a clear consensus on the need for improvement, that gaping hole remains. Published September 8, 2016
Hillary Clinton’s speech mandatory viewing at prison, Donald Trump’s blacked out, inmates say
Federal convicts told a judge they were forced to watch Hillary Clinton's convention speech at the federal prison where they're being held -- but said the prison imposed a blackout on Donald Trump's speech, tuning the facility's televisions to other channels. Published September 8, 2016
Immigrant advocates praise Trump after he opens door for illegals to join military
Immigrant-rights advocates were stunned but pleased after Donald Trump opened the door Wednesday for a select group of illegal immigrants to get on a path to citizenship by joining the military. Published September 8, 2016
IRS refuses to abandon targeting criteria used against tea party, conservative groups
The IRS is refusing to recant the targeting criteria it used to single out tea party groups for intrusive scrutiny, according to court filings made public Wednesday that show the tax agency still struggling with the fallout from the scandal. Published September 7, 2016
Colin Powell laid out path for Hillary Clinton to use secret email, bypass security
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell showed a marked disregard for cyber security, dismissing fears that using a private computer or personal device could compromise state secrets, according to an email he sent Hillary Clinton soon after she took office in 2009. Published September 7, 2016
Chief Justice Roberts grants reprieve to Backpage.com sex services website
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. granted at least a temporary reprieve Wednesday to one of the country's largest sex-services websites, saying he wants to take more time to hear arguments in a dispute over whether Backpage.com does enough to stop predators from sex trafficking. Published September 7, 2016
State Dept. releases first batch of deleted Hillary Clinton emails on Benghazi
The State Department has released the first of the emails recovered by the FBI that were handled by Hillary Clinton's secret email account, as the Obama administration and a conservative watchdog group sparred over whether the email metadata should be made public. Published September 7, 2016
UK to build wall to stop illegal immigration from France
The U.S. is still debating the value of fencing on its southwest border but the U.K. is moving forward, preparing to erect a 1 kilometer wall to protect the departure point from France to Britain, according to reports Wednesday. Published September 7, 2016
Hillary Clinton’s experience handling classified data contradicts unsophisticated excuse
Hillary Clinton wasn't a newcomer to secret documents when she reached the State Department. Published September 6, 2016
Donald Trump: I’d have canceled China visit over airport snub
Donald Trump said Tuesday that if China had mistreated him on the airport runway he would have refused to get off the plane and would have left the country. Published September 6, 2016
Hillary Clinton’s team may be guilty of obstruction of justice: GOP chairman
Hillary Clinton's aides may have obstructed justice by having her emails deleted, the top investigator for the U.S. House charged Tuesday in a letter asking the federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., to probe the matter. Published September 6, 2016
Illegal immigration debate undermined by sketchy government statistics
Donald Trump could get a head start on his promise to deport illegal immigrants if only the government knew how many are even in the U.S. Published September 5, 2016
Bernie Sanders calls on Hillary Clinton to ‘cease all contact’ with family foundation if elected
Sen. Bernard Sanders said Sunday that Hillary Clinton must cut ties with the Clinton Foundation, adding more pressure to the chorus of critics who say the former State Department secretary's entanglements are damaging her. Published September 4, 2016
Backpage.com loses bid to claim freedom of press shield against Congress
Backpage.com, one of the Internet's largest sex-service websites, lost its bid Friday to claim protection under the First Amendment when a federal appeals court ruled the company must turn over internal files to Congress. Published September 2, 2016