Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Hillary Clinton explains gay-marriage stance, says DOMA was to head off worse options
Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton begged Democratic primary voters to get beyond her support, and her husband's signature, for the 1990s Defense of Marriage Act, saying Friday it was actually meant as a way to head of a secret effort to be even tougher on same-sex marriage. Published November 6, 2015
Ben Carson fights back, accuses press of treating him worse than Obama
Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson said his political opponents are desperate to tear him down and are feeding erroneous stories to the press -- but said he will not provide the names of friends who could corroborate his childhood stories. Published November 6, 2015
Anti-cop violence spreads as illegal immigrant gang member slugs deputy sitting in car
An illegal immigrant MS-13 gang member the Obama administration had released on bond committed an unprovoked attack on a sheriff's deputy, slugging the deputy as he worked on a traffic report while sitting in his car, the Frederick County, Maryland, sheriff's department said Friday. Published November 6, 2015
Illegal immigrants release ‘Bill of Rights’
An immigrant-rights group proposed a "Bill of Rights" for illegal immigrants Thursday, demanding that Americans recognize there are millions already in the country who deserve health care, in-state tuition rates for college and a guarantee of citizenship in the long term. Published November 5, 2015
California sanctuary cities elimination initiative boosted by San Francisco sheriff’s ouster
A California group has launched a ballot initiative to eliminate sanctuary cities, hoping to take power away from state and local lawmakers who have banned their police and sheriff's deputies from cooperating with federal deportation authorities. Published November 4, 2015
Judge tosses lawsuit trying to force new constitutional convention
A federal court rejected a lawsuit trying to force Capitol Hill to call a constitutional convention of the states, with the judge saying the man who sued can't prove he has suffered an injury from congressional inaction. Published November 4, 2015
Ted Cruz illegal immigration crackdown blocked by Harry Reid
Senate Democrats rejected an effort to push back against sanctuary cities Wednesday, denying a request by Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz to immediately begin debating a bill to impose mandatory minimum federal sentences on repeat-illegal immigrants. Published November 4, 2015
Senators accuse NFL, other leagues of ‘paid patriotism’
Senators accused the Pentagon and top sports leagues Wednesday of using taxpayers' money to pay for some of the ceremonies honoring U.S. troops that have become staples of big-time American sporting events in a practice the lawmakers dubbed "paid patriotism." Published November 4, 2015
Ben Sasse issues warning to Senate: ‘The people despise us’
The freshman senator who proposed moving the Capitol to Nebraska during last year's campaign says now that he's gotten to Washington, he's more convinced than ever that the Senate is broken and both parties are to blame. Published November 3, 2015
More than 350 languages spoken in U.S.; 54 percent of Los Angeles shuns English at home
Those who speak Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese at home are less proficient in English than Spanish-speakers according to striking findings the Census Bureau released Tuesday that suggest some Asians may have a tougher time mastering English than Hispanics. Published November 3, 2015
Investigation: Layers of TSA airport security ‘simply missing’
Airlines' checked-baggage fees are pushing more travelers to carry their bags onto airplanes, making it even tougher for TSA screeners to try to spot potential security threats, the agency's chief told Congress on Tuesday. Published November 3, 2015
Ross Mirkarimi, San Francisco sheriff, up for re-election amid sanctuary city controversy
The San Francisco sheriff whose sanctuary city policy has been blamed for the July death of Kathryn Steinle at the hands of an illegal immigrant is up for re-election Tuesday, and he's facing a stiff challenge as residents grapple with immigration policy and local policing. Published November 2, 2015
Ted Cruz: Next president will get do-over on IRS-tea party investigation
Already planning for a GOP president in 2017, Sen. Ted Cruz sent a letter Monday demanding that the Justice Department preserve all documents from its completed investigation into the IRS's tea party targeting, saying too many questions still remain. Published November 2, 2015
Pentagon offers no answers on $43 million price tag for Afghanistan gas station
The Defense Department spent $43 million on a compressed natural gas fueling station in Afghanistan, while a similar project in Pakistan cost just $300,000 -- and now the Pentagon can't even account for who made the decisions behind the waste, according to an inspector general's report being released Monday. Published November 2, 2015
Feds say 179,027 criminal illegals are loose on U.S. streets
Nearly 1 million immigrants have been ordered deported but still roam free in the U.S., including nearly 180,000 who have been convicted of crimes here, the Homeland Security Department said in information released Friday by the Senate immigration subcommittee. Published October 30, 2015
Hillary Clinton’s emails show paranoia about GOP
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's paranoia about Republicans permeates her emails, where even a common error message on an undelivered email prompted her to speculated -- presumably jokingly -- that the "neocons" must be reading her mail. Published October 30, 2015
Hispanics question Hillary Clinton after flip-flop on licenses for illegal immigrants
At least one Hispanic advocacy group is questioning Hillary Rodham Clinton's commitment to their stance on immigration after former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer confessed he canceled driver's licenses for illegal immigrants to save her 2008 presidential campaign. Published October 30, 2015
Senate passes debt and spending hike in dead of night
Senate Republicans managed to wrangle enough of their troops to overcome a filibuster early Friday morning and pass the new budget deal, granting President Obama yet another debt holiday, busting the budget caps and boosting spending some $80 billion over the next two years. Published October 30, 2015
Paul Ryan’s ascension to speaker makes presidency unlikely
In taking the speakership, Rep. Paul Ryan may have doomed his chances of being president. Published October 29, 2015
Rand Paul begins ‘filibuster’ to try to stop debt deal
Sen. Rand Paul is making good on his threat to try to filibuster the new budget deal, taking to the Senate floor Thursday afternoon to say he'll delay the bill as long as he can to try to expose the agreement's flaws. Published October 29, 2015
