Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
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
Paul Ryan wins speakership as Nancy Pelosi sees more defections
Rep. Paul D. Ryan easily won re-election as House speaker as the new Congress convened Tuesday -- though not before Democrats warned he was off to a bad start. Published January 3, 2017
Charles Schumer: ‘America cannot afford a Twitter presidency’
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer fired a warning shot at President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday, saying he can't "tweet away" the nation's problems. Published January 3, 2017
Trump warns Obama against more Guantanamo releases
President-elect Donald Trump urged President Obama to hold off on any final transfers from Guantanamo Bay, saying Tuesday that the detainees still being held are "extremely dangerous people." Published January 3, 2017
Trump blasts House GOP for ‘weakening’ ethics office
President-elect Donald Trump blasted House Republicans Tuesday for attempting to weaken their own independent ethics watchdog, saying they have a lot of bigger things to focus on. Published January 3, 2017
Constitutional convention advocates look to capitalize on Republican gains
They doubt they can reach the finish line this year, but advocates pushing for a new constitutional convention convened by the states say 2017 could still be an important year in building momentum, after major GOP gains in the elections left them with even more ripe target among state legislatures. Published January 2, 2017
Donald Trump on North Korea nuclear threat: ‘It won’t happen!’
President-elect Donald Trump vowed Monday that North Korea won't develop a system capable of delivering a nuclear weapon to the U.S., a day after the rogue country's leader said it is close to testing an intercontinental ballistic missile. Published January 2, 2017
Nancy Pelosi: GOP’s rush to repeal Obamacare is ‘act of cowardice’
Democrats mounted a preemptive attack as the new Congress gets ready to meet Tuesday, accusing Republicans of "cowardice" for what is expected to be an early-session effort to repeal Obamacare. Published January 2, 2017
Sanctuary cities free more than 2,000 illegal immigrants rather than cooperate with feds
The Obama administration has made significant headway in cutting down the number of sanctuary cities, but 279 municipalities are still holding out, refusing to cooperate with federal authorities on at least some cases involving illegal immigrants, Homeland Security officials said as they detailed year-end enforcement numbers last week. Published January 1, 2017
Obama could still force Merrick Garland onto Supreme Court during ‘intersession recess’
President Obama will have one last chance to force Judge Merrick Garland onto the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday -- but it's a legal gamble and one that has so many pitfalls that even those who say he could get away with it believe it isn't worth the fight. Published January 1, 2017
President-elect Trump ditches press pool to play golf
President-elect Donald Trump went to play golf Saturday without taking the designated press "pool" of reporters assigned to follow him, sparking renewed fears over how he will treat the media once he's in the White House. Published December 31, 2016
DHS catches fewer illegals from inside U.S.
Agents are catching more illegal immigrants on the border -- a sign that illegal immigration is picking up yet again -- but nabbed fewer from within the interior of the U.S. over the last year, as President Obama made good on his vow to stop deporting all but the most serious of illegal immigrants, new statistics revealed Friday. Published December 30, 2016
Mayors push Obama for faster immigrant amnesty approvals
Illegal immigrants should get faster approvals of their temporary amnesty applications and the Obama administration in its final days should use its powers to grant even more stays of deportation for illegal immigrants from struggling countries, the mayors of the nation's biggest cities said in a letter Thursday to President Obama. Published December 29, 2016
Donald Trump announces Sprint to move 5,000 jobs back to U.S.
President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that his looming presidency is already boosting U.S. jobs, announcing that telecommunications company Sprint will bring 5,000 jobs back here from other countries. Published December 28, 2016