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Stephen Dinan

Stephen Dinan

Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Stephen Dinan

"Why aren't we working on something that could actually get done?" pleaded Sen. Patrick Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican who tried to broker a compromise after the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, but saw those efforts doomed by the same gridlock that still prevails four years, and dozens of mass-shootings deaths, later. (Associated Press)

Gun control proposals again doomed by partisan gridlock

They agreed on the need to "do something" about guns in the wake of Orlando, but senators couldn't find the sweet spot Monday, instead retreating to partisan corners and stalemating on competing plans to try to keep firearms out of the hands of terrorists. Published June 20, 2016

"Congress should not abandon the Constitution in the face of terrorism," said Rep. Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican who has forced the fight each of the last three years. "Unfortunately, proponents of warrantless surveillance mischaracterized our legislation and its bearing on the investigation in Orlando." (Associated Press)

House upholds NSA phone snooping as terrorist attacks shift debate

With the terrorist-inspired Orlando shooting fresh in their minds, House lawmakers reversed course last week and voted to uphold the government's ability to snoop through its data when it believes American citizens are involved in terrorism -- suggesting the post-Snowden wariness of the NSA has dissipated. Published June 19, 2016

FILE - In this June 25, 2014, file photo, a group of immigrants from Honduras and El Salvador, who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, are stopped in Granjeno, Texas. If lawmakers in Austin have their way, the Texas National Guard will be staying at the border at a cost of $12 million. But is it worth it to have the guardsmen at the border? And what can they do, other than watch the brush, as the number of illegal immigrants crossing from Mexico continues to dwindle. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Illegal families surge across border; 2016 already worse than 2015

The number of illegal immigrant families jumping the border this fiscal year has already topped all of 2015, according to Homeland Security Department statistics released Friday that show the administration's border problems continue to grow. Published June 17, 2016

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch supports a plan to deny gun sales to those on terrorist watch lists, brushing off the FBI's concern it will alert suspects. (Associated Press)

Blocking terrorists from getting guns debated in Washington

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch on Thursday threw her support behind a plan to deny firearms sales to those on terrorist watch lists, brushing aside the FBI's concerns that it could interfere with their investigations and lending her backing to Democrats ahead of key votes next week. Published June 16, 2016

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, right, talks to the committee's ranking member Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 15, 2016, during the committee's hearing to consider a censure or IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)

House panel votes to censure IRS chief over Lerner emails

Saying nothing has changed at the IRS, House Republicans took the first steps toward impeaching agency Commissioner John Koskinen on Wednesday, with the Oversight Committee voting to censure him for thwarting the investigation into tea party targeting. Published June 15, 2016

Rep. Lamar Smith (Associated Press/File)

Illegal immigrants who overstay visas almost never caught, feds admit

Immigration agents catch an abysmally small percentage of the illegal immigrants who arrived on visas but overstayed their welcome, authorities admitted to Congress Tuesday, describing a loophole that those around the globe are increasingly using to gain a foothold in the U.S. Published June 14, 2016

Rep. Peter Roskam, Illinois Republican, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 17, 2014. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

House votes to stop IRS from collecting info of nonprofit donors

The House took a concrete step Tuesday to neuter the IRS in the wake of the tea party targeting scandal, approving legislation that would stop the tax agency from being able to request the names of major donors to nonprofit organizations. Published June 14, 2016

Members of the Congressional Muslim Staff Association, the LGBT Congressional Staff Association, and members of Congress begin to assemble for a prayer and moment of silence on the steps of the Capitol to stand in solidarity with the Orlando community and to remember the victims of Sunday's shooting at an LGBT night club, in Washington, Monday, June 13, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Orlando attack scrambles agenda on Capitol Hill

The push is on to do something on Capitol Hill in response to the Orlando terror attack, with Democrats stepping up their push for gun controls and Republicans countering Tuesday by vowing to re-pass a series of bills designed to shape an anti-terrorism strategy. Published June 14, 2016

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

House to take first vote to censure IRS chief John Koskinen

The House Oversight Committee will vote this week on a resolution censuring IRS Commissioner John Koskinen over his handling of the tea party targeting scandal, panel Chairman Jason Chaffetz announced Monday. Published June 13, 2016

President Barack Obama speaks to members of the media in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, June 13, 2016, after getting briefed on the investigation of a shooting at a nightclub in Orlando by FBI Director James Comey, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, and other officials. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Obama dubs Orlando attack ‘homegrown’ terrorism

It's difficult to spot lone-wolf terrorists ahead of time, but the country could do more to try to deny them access to the weapons they use, President Obama said Monday, in the wake of the weekend's shooting rampage that left more than 100 dead or wounded in Orlando, Florida. Published June 13, 2016

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers escort an arrestee during a series of early-morning raids on March 3, 2015, in the Bronx borough of New York. (Associated Press) **FILE**

House orders Library of Congress to maintain ‘illegal alien’

The House voted Friday to order the Library of Congress to keep using the term "illegal alien" to describe those who come to the U.S. without authorization, saying that as long as federal laws written by Congress use those terms, so should their official records-keeper. Published June 10, 2016

"You want the Republican nominee to be somebody who could do the job if they win. And you want folks who understand the issues. And where you can sit across the table from 'em and you have a principled argument. And ultimately can still move the country forward," Mr. Obama said, according to a transcript provided by NBC. (Associated Press)

Obama ‘worried’ for GOP under Donald Trump

President Obama said Wednesday he's "worried" for the GOP, saying the country is better off when there are two healthy political parties but Republicans' choice of Donald Trump to be their presidential nominee suggests deep problems. Published June 8, 2016