Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Hillary Clinton calls for crackdown on fake news ‘epidemic’
Fresh off her election loss, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a plea for Congress to find a way to crack down on "fake news," which she said Thursday is a threat to democracy. Published December 8, 2016
House votes to avert government shutdown; Senate fights loom
Democrats' anger petered out Thursday as the House passed a stopgap spending bill to keep the government open for nearly five more months, paving the way for Congress to wrap up and head home to prepare for a change of power in the White House next year. Published December 8, 2016
John Kelly, Trump’s Homeland Security pick, wins Border Patrol agents’ backing
Border Patrol agents gave retired Marine Gen. John F. Kelly their backing Wednesday to be the next Homeland Security secretary, and thanked President-elect Donald Trump for consulting them before making a pick that the agents said should go a long way to right the problems in the troubled department. Published December 7, 2016
Patent examiners cheated on time cards yet still received high ratings, inspector general says
Hundreds of patent examiners appear to have cheated on their time cards yet were still rated as above average employees -- and some were even given bonuses by their bosses at the U.S. Patent and Trade Office, the agency's inspector general told Congress in devastating testimony Wednesday. Published December 7, 2016
Donald Trump softens on Dreamers, prompting cheers and concerns
Donald Trump's apparent softening of his stance on illegal immigrant Dreamers produced wildly divergent reactions Wednesday, with some activists cheering a shift while others said they don't believe the president-elect has changed one bit, and still intends to deport migrants as soon as he takes office. Published December 7, 2016
John F. Kelly to be Donald Trump’s DHS chief
President-elect Donald Trump has picked retired Marine Gen. John F. Kelly to be the new secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, sources said Wednesday, selecting a career military man who, as head of American forces in Latin America, repeatedly warned of the dangers of drug legalization and the porous southwestern border. Published December 7, 2016
Democrats demand ‘full, categorical pardon’ for illegal immigrants, say Obama ignoring own powers
House Democrats renewed their call for President Obama to issue a "full, categorical pardon" for illegal immigrants, saying Wednesday that he is misunderstanding the extent of his powers and he can, in fact, help out hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant Dreamers. Published December 7, 2016
Donald Trump demands waiver for Gen. James Mattis to serve as Defense secretary
President-elect Donald Trump warned Democrats not to try to use a law prohibiting recently retired military officers from serving as Defense secretary. Republicans in Congress are planning to pass a waiver allowing Gen. James N. "Mad Dog" Mattis to serve notwithstanding the law. Published December 6, 2016
Spending bill: Republicans unveil stopgap legislation to keep government open through April
Republicans announced a stopgap spending bill Tuesday to keep the government open through April 28, which would buy them enough time to give President-Elect Donald Trump a chance to get his administration up and running next year. Published December 6, 2016
John Koskinen, IRS commissioner, spared impeachment by House Republicans
Republican leaders managed to derail impeachment of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen on Tuesday, forcing the debate back to a committee for more study, where it will die when Congress adjourns at the end of this year. Published December 6, 2016
Chairmen tell Obama to release secret refugee agreement with Australia
The Obama administration has written a secret deal that could let Australia ship more than 2,400 refugees waiting to enter its borders over to the U.S. instead, including refugees from terrorist-connected countries such as Somalia and Syria, two top congressmen said Tuesday. Published December 6, 2016
Congress plans stopgap spending bill through April 28
Congress will vote this week on a stopgap bill to keep the government funded through April 28, Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Tuesday, pushing the deadline nearly a month longer than initially planned as GOP leaders predict a crowded schedule at the beginning of next year. Published December 6, 2016
Donald Trump choices for Cabinet lack executive experience to run massive federal agencies
Forget "Team of Rivals." President-elect Donald Trump is instead assembling what critics are calling a team of novices -- government outsiders or politicians who have little executive experience at the helm of the kinds of massive federal agencies they'll be running. Published December 5, 2016
Federal court halts Obamacare appeal, deals setback to president
A federal appeals court halted a key Obamacare case on Monday, agreeing to put off proceedings until after President-elect Trump takes office and figures out how he wants to proceed -- and dealing a blow to President Obama in the meantime. Published December 5, 2016
Illegal immigrants seek asylum, claim fear of home country as ‘magic words’
Nearly one out of every 10 illegal immigrants crossing the southwest border is now demanding asylum, using "magic words" to claim they fear their home country, and turning a program intended to be a humanitarian lifeline into a new path for unauthorized migrants to gain a foothold in the U.S. Published December 4, 2016
Obama administration fails to check immigrants against FBI databases, approves citizenship
Some 175 immigrants were approved for citizenship even though their names weren't properly run through the FBI's name-check databases, potentially missing red flags that may have disqualified them from naturalization, the Obama administration admitted this weekend. Published December 4, 2016
Michael McCaul proposes ‘security toll’ on Mexico to fund Donald Trump border wall
House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul on Friday proposed a new "security toll" he said the U.S. could assess on all visitors from Mexico. Published December 4, 2016
Donald Trump announces 35 percent punishment tax on companies that offshore jobs
Donald Trump vowed to whiplash companies that offshore jobs then try to sell goods back into the U.S. Published December 4, 2016
Feds halt new citizenship approvals after spotting hole in background checks
The government suspended naturalization ceremonies and banned officers from approving any new applications for citizenship earlier this week after realizing its background check system was broken and ineligible people may have been slipping through, a key congressman revealed Friday. Published December 2, 2016
Hispanic voting bloc proved to be not crucial in Trump win
Hispanics, who for more than a decade insisted they were the key to American politics, are now grappling with a life on the outside -- stunned that a Republican managed to capture the White House without winning at least a third of their support. Published December 1, 2016
