Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Islamic State’s recruiting of foreign fighters falters
The number of Americans trying to leave the U.S. to join the Islamic State in Syria has dried up, with just six identified over the last three and a half months, FBI Director James B. Comey told Congress Wednesday. Published October 21, 2015
Obama moves to mainstream illegal immigrant students
The Obama administration Tuesday pushed illegal immigrant youths to enroll in high school and college and announced a list of guarantees in schools and tips to help students apply for scholarships or financial aid. Published October 20, 2015
Obama vows to veto sanctuary city crackdown
The White House on Tuesday vowed to veto a bill designed to prevent sanctuary city deaths like the July killing of Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco, saying the solution is to legalize illegal immigrants, not to force cities and counties to cooperate in deporting them. Published October 20, 2015
IRS vows to cut ID fraud in 2016 filing season
Stung by an embarrassing cyber fraud operation this year, the IRS vowed Tuesday to cut down on tax refund identity theft in 2016 with a series of new checks designed to weed out increasing sophisticated crimes. Published October 20, 2015
Sanctuary cities data scarce, contested ahead of key Senate vote
Kathryn Steinle's death in San Francisco in July has done little to break a years-old stalemate over sanctuary cities, which continue to operate under a haze of complex federal rules, competing court decisions and tricky political recriminations -- but without very much data on either side of the debate. Published October 19, 2015
Democrats back up Clinton ahead of Benghazi testimony
Democrats ramped up efforts Monday to tarnish the Benghazi investigation as former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton prepares for a momentous public hearing before the panel Thursday, insisting that she will cooperate despite a firm belief that the investigators have little more than her political destruction on their minds. Published October 19, 2015
‘Dump Trump’ movement grows to cancel ‘Saturday Night Live’ appearance
NBC is under increasing pressure to nix GOP presidential candidate Donald J. Trump's scheduled appearance as host of "Saturday Night Live" early next month, as immigrant-rights groups attempt to flex their economic muscle in what they're calling the "Dump Trump" petition drive. Published October 16, 2015
Texas can refuse to issue birth certificates to illegals’ parents: court
Texas officials may continue to refuse to issue birth certificates to illegal immigrant parents who aren't able to show valid identification, a federal court ruled Friday, dealing a major blow to Mexican advocates who'd said the policy was in effect stripping them of citizenship. Published October 16, 2015
DHS opens door to more foreign tech workers
Foreign students in science and technology fields would be able to stay and work in the U.S. for up to three years after they get their degrees under a program the Obama administration proposed expanding on Friday, saying the country needs to find a way to keep those students-turned-workers here. Published October 16, 2015
Appetite for Joe Biden bid wanes after Democrats’ debate
The appetite for Vice President Joseph R. Biden to join the Democratic presidential field is low after this week's first debate, according to a new Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll released Friday that found only about a third of New Hampshire primary voters want to see him take the plunge. Published October 16, 2015
Social Security beneficiaries, federal retirees won’t get cost-of-living increase
Social Security beneficiaries and federal retirees won't see any raise in their checks next year after a still-sluggish economy sapped inflation in 2015, the government announced Thursday as it reported the smallest deficit of President Obama's time in office. Published October 15, 2015
Federal spending soars in 2015; taxes rise faster
After several years of GOP-imposed constraints the federal government opened the spending floodgates again in 2015, setting a new record with outlays of $3.688 trillion in the just-ended fiscal year. Published October 15, 2015
Feds to hit debt ceiling Nov. 3
The Obama administration will now hit the government's borrowing limit Nov. 3, Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew said in a letter Thursday that gives Congress less than three weeks to approve more red ink. Published October 15, 2015
Illegal immigrant children refusing to show up for deportation: report
Most of the surge of children caught jumping the U.S.-Mexico border illegally over the past two years haven't even had their cases decided by the immigration courts, leaving them in a legal limbo as states and counties struggle to assimilate them into schools and health care systems, according to a report released Thursday. Published October 15, 2015
Feds say no raise for Social Security beneficiaries
Social Security recipients won't get a taxpayer-funded raise in 2016 after a still-sluggish economy and a drop in the price index showed seniors' costs haven't risen over the last year, the government reported Thursday. Published October 15, 2015
Donald Trump: Bernie Sanders is a communist
Donald J. Trump said Wednesday that up to 20 percent of reporters go out of their way to distort the truth about him, as he launched a wide-ranging critique of his fellow GOP presidential candidates, the press, Democrats' debate and his own campaign spending. Published October 14, 2015
Hillary Clinton emails: State Department can’t find enough staffers to process messages
The State Department is struggling to hire enough staff to review the huge load of emails former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and her top aides dumped on the Obama administration over the last year, officials told a federal court late Tuesday. Published October 13, 2015
Donald Trump dominates discussion of Democrats’ ‘boring’ debate on Twitter, Facebook
Even the massive Republican presidential field isn't enough to contain Donald Trump, the billionaire businessman who on Tuesday inserted himself into Democrats' race as well by live-tweeting their first presidential debate. Published October 13, 2015
Bernie Sanders tells country to forget Hillary Clinton’s ‘damn emails’
Sen. Bernard Sanders sprung to former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's defense Tuesday, saying she shouldn't have to answer any more questions about her unique email arrangement that has landed her under FBI investigation. Published October 13, 2015
Democrats divide deeply over guns in debate
Gun control quickly divided the candidates in the kick-off Democratic presidential debate Tuesday, with two of them saying the party needs to respect the voices and wishes of Americans, particularly in rural areas, who believe guns are a critical right. Published October 13, 2015
