Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
News orgs demand FBI reveal iPhone snooping tool used in San Bernardino probe
The Associated Press and other news organizations sued Friday to try to force the FBI to reveal the secret work-around agents used to get a look at the San Bernardino terrorist's iPhone. Published September 16, 2016
DHS pledges help to fight state election cyberattacks
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson invited states to ask for help in protecting their election systems from cyberattacks, saying Friday that there is a real danger of hacks. Published September 16, 2016
Obama brushes off birther questions, says election is about ‘more important issues’
President Obama brushed aside Donald Trump's renewed questions about his birth and eligibility for the White House, saying Friday he had hoped the presidential election would have been about more important issues. Published September 16, 2016
Donald Trump pledging pro-life goals, seeks permanent prohibition on taxpayer spending on abortions
Donald Trump on Friday will vow to fight for a permanent prohibition on spending federal taxpayers' money on abortions, as he announces his Pro Life Coalition, a group of high-profile backers who will make the case that the Republican presidential nominee is worthy of support for pro-life voters. Published September 16, 2016
Donald Trump to join families of illegal immigrants’ victims at Remembrance Project conference
A few years ago, they were the forgotten story of the immigration debate — the families of victims of crimes perpetrated by illegal immigrants who were ignored by the press and left begging for meetings with government officials. Published September 15, 2016
House votes to block Gitmo closure
The House voted Thursday to block any more transfers of detainees from Guantanamo Bay, striking a symbolic blow against President Obama after he signaled last week he still believes there's a chance to shutter the prison before he leaves office. Published September 15, 2016
John Koskinen, IRS commissioner, to face impeachment hearings next week
House GOP leaders will hold impeachment hearings on IRS Commissioner John Koskinen next week, conservatives announced late Wednesday, just hours before they were poised to force an impeachment vote on the chamber floor. Published September 14, 2016
George W. Bush’s Afghanistan reconstruction efforts killed by corruption
President George W. Bush's hopes of building a viable nation in Afghanistan fell victim not to the ongoing Taliban insurgency but rather to endemic corruption that the U.S. fed, pumping tens of billions of dollars into a society with a government ill-equipped to handle it, according to a watchdog report released Wednesday. Published September 14, 2016
Trump lawyer says Melania followed immigration law
A lawyer for the Trump family said Wednesday that Melania Trump, wife of the GOP presidential nominee, did not break immigration law when she first arrived in the U.S. in the 1990s, nor when she obtained a green card based on her "extraordinary ability" as a fashion model. Published September 14, 2016
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