Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
John Roberts on hot seat as Supreme Court begins term
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. enters his second decade at the helm of the Supreme Court with his legacy very much in debate, as conservatives who had championed him now question whether their trust was misplaced. Published October 4, 2015
Jason Chaffetz, Utah Republican, announces bid for House speaker, challenges majority leader
The House's top investigator, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, announced Sunday that he would challenge Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy for the speakership, setting up a major battle this week as Republicans settle on a successor to outgoing Speaker John A. Boehner. Published October 4, 2015
Senators tell Obama to halt Syrian rebel training
President Obama's program to train Syrian rebels is a total failure and needs to be scrapped, a bipartisan group of senators said in a letter to the administration Friday, saying it's time the national security team acknowledge the disaster and come up with a new strategy. Published October 2, 2015
Officials vow no shortcuts for Syrian refugees
Obama administration officials vowed there will be no "shortcuts" in admitting tens of thousands of Syrian refugees, though they admitted to Congress Thursday they won't be able to do the kinds of thorough checks like accessing local databases or visiting neighborhoods to verify applicants are who they say they are. Published October 1, 2015
Pelosi: Benghazi probe’s focus on Clinton breaks ethics rules
Democrats are trying to shut down the Benghazi investigative committee two weeks before the panel is scheduled to hear testimony, saying a top House Republican unwittingly exposed the political goals of the long-running probe. Published October 1, 2015
Obama vows troops-bill veto, demands domestic spending hikes
President Obama will veto the annual defense policy bill, the White House said Wednesday as it escalated a clash over spending into a major war-time deadlock that threatens everything from troops' pay raises to warship building plans. Published September 30, 2015
Hillary Clinton emails increasingly classified; 1 in 20 messages contained secrets
More than 5 percent of the latest batch of emails from former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, released Wednesday, contain classified information -- or twice the rate of the previous releases, raising tricky questions about whether the department is finding more secrets or being more thorough in screening the messages. Published September 30, 2015
Mitt Romney ticks off viable GOP candidates; excludes Trump, doesn’t mention Carson
Former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney listed a half-dozen Republican candidates he said could qualify as mainstream conservatives his party could live with in a general election -- and said he didn't think Donald J. Trump was one of those. Published September 30, 2015
Opal Tometi: Black Lives Matter is message of ‘love’ for all
Opal Tometi, a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, defended disruptive tactics Wednesday, saying there is a "duty" to do whatever it takes for supporters to get their message across. Published September 30, 2015
Boehner sets Oct. 8 leadership election
The House GOP will vote on its new leaders Oct. 8, Speaker John A. Boehner announced Wednesday, setting up a compressed window for Republicans to try to heal numerous scars that have developed in the wake of Mr. Boehner's surprise retirement. Published September 30, 2015
Paul Gosar, Arizona congressman, raises money off Pope Francis boycott
While most members of Congress were thrilled to be in Pope Francis' presence last week, one congressman is raising money off the fact that he boycotted the pontiff's address, saying he treated the head of the Roman Catholic Church the way he would any other "leftist politician." Published September 30, 2015
Recovery board folding with mixed track record of stimulus plan
The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board will shutter its doors Wednesday, six years after it was created to monitor hundreds of billions of dollars that President Obama doled out in spending and tax breaks under his 2009 stimulus -- and some watchdogs are sorry to see it go. Published September 29, 2015
Ben Carson uses empowerment message in bid to sway black voters
Ben Carson is hoping to awaken black voters to his campaign with a message of economic empowerment, saying the black community has been done a disservice by heeding political power overtures from Democrats. Published September 29, 2015
Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood president, says videos were entrapment
Planned Parenthood insisted it didn't break any laws and was the subject of an effort to "entrap" it, but the organization's president, Cecile Richards, struggled Tuesday to defend the need for hundreds of millions of dollars in new federal funding every year. Published September 29, 2015
Homeland Security ranks as worst federal agency for employees
Homeland Security ranked by far as the worst large federal agency to work for in 2015, according to the annual survey of federal employees released Monday that shows the department continuing a precipitous slide under President Obama. Published September 28, 2015
Kevin McCarthy announces bid for House Speaker
Rep. Kevin McCarthy announced his bid to be the next House speaker in a letter to colleagues Monday that insisted the GOP must work to heal its internal divisions in order to win on the big fights facing Congress. Published September 28, 2015
Kevin McCarthy calls for no-fly zone over Syria
The man poised to be the next House speaker said Monday that the U.S. needs to assume a more aggressive posture around the world, saying the key to foreign policy is making it "painful" for countries to misbehave. Published September 28, 2015
House conservatives want time to replace John Boehner
Conservatives are pushing to slow down the race to succeed retiring Speaker John A. Boehner, hoping to force a broader shake-up in House Republican leadership as the party tries to move forward. Published September 27, 2015
Immigration groups urge John Boehner to pass legalization before he goes
Immigrant-rights advocates scrambled Friday to plead with House Speaker John A. Boehner to bring an immigration legalization bill to the floor before he leaves office next month, fearing his replacement will show even more antipathy toward their agenda. Published September 25, 2015
John Boehner resigns; Speaker cites desire to avoid ‘prolonged leadership turmoil’
House Speaker John A. Boehner will resign from Congress at the end of October, stunning Capitol Hill with what he said was a snap decision reached Friday morning, and leaving tremendous uncertainty for Republicans just when they face a series of major showdowns with the White House. Published September 25, 2015
