Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Congressional Democrats probe group that revealed Planned Parenthood videos
Congressional Democrats have opened their own investigation into the Planned Parenthood videos -- but into the group that took the footage in which officials haggle over the prices of organs and discuss keeping a baby alive so his brain can be harvested. Published August 20, 2015
Taxpayer money funds faulty radios for police, firefighters: Audit
Homeland Security still allows local police and fire departments to spend billions of dollars on communications equipment that isn't "interoperable," meaning agencies can't easily communicate with each other, hampering their response in emergencies, the department's inspector general said. Published August 20, 2015
Common Core education standards divide Republican presidential candidates
The Common Core education standards continue to cleave the Republican presidential field, with two of the contenders defending them Wednesday as successful ways to raise students' achievement, but others who have now abandoned their support, insisting the standards are a symptom of dangerous federal overreach. Published August 19, 2015
Federal patent employee skipped 18 weeks of work
A federal patent examiner skipped out on more than 18 weeks of work last year, bilking the government out of more than $25,000 in salary, the Commerce Department's inspector general said in a report Wednesday that concluded it's too far easy to cheat the patent office. Published August 19, 2015
State Department destroyed Hillary Clinton aides’ BlackBerrys
The State Department likely destroyed the BlackBerry devices issued to two top aides of Hillary Rodham Clinton and never issued Mrs. Clinton a device at all, officials told a federal court Wednesday in a filing that raises still more security questions about the former secretary's email practices. Published August 19, 2015
John Kasich: GOP made mistake in proposing to ‘kill’ Education Department
Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Wednesday he and fellow Republicans made a "mistake" in the 1990s when they tried to eliminate the federal Department of Education, saying independent voters heard that and concluded Republicans were anti-education. Published August 19, 2015
Chuck Grassley probes bias on Hillary Clinton email screening team
A top Republican senator demanded Wednesday that the State Department probe fears that staffers biased toward former Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton are part of the process reviewing her emails, and may be shielding some of her documents to protect her from public embarrassment. Published August 19, 2015
Joplin wasted millions in tornado assistance: Audit
Joplin, the Missouri city devastated by a tornado in 2011, wasted a lot of taxpayers' money in the rush to rebuild, including doling out sweetheart contracts to politically connected firms that never did any work or that ended up bilking taxpayers, and hiding their decisions behind closed doors, breaking sunshine laws, a state auditor concluded Tuesday. Published August 19, 2015
Donald Trump gets his news from Drudge Report
Donald Trump gets his news from the Drudge Report, he revealed in a new interview with the Hollywood Reporter, calling website founder Matt Drudge "amazing." Published August 19, 2015
Illegal immigrant Dreamers who refused to return 3-year amnesties won’t be deported
The government has revoked the amnesties of 22 illegal immigrants who refuse to return their three-year work permits, but Homeland Security officials said they won't be deported because their offenses aren't serious enough to merit being kicked out. Published August 18, 2015
Homeland Security: New amnesty for Dreamers who defied program being considered
The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday it is considering re-approving amnesties for 10 illegal immigrant "Dreamers" who had them revoked after they defied the government and refused to return them in July. Published August 18, 2015
Carly Fiorina bumps Chris Christie from ‘top tier’ candidates; Donald Trump maintains lead
Breathless speculation of a shake-up has given way to the reality that next GOP debate will feature much the same lineup as the first: nine of the same top 10 will make the main stage, with Carly Fiorina bumping one of the sitting governors from the last spot. Published August 18, 2015
Chuck Grassley prods Hillary Clinton’s lawyer for answers on email storage
A top Republican senator is demanding to know Clinton lawyer David E. Kendall's security clearance level and what other precautions he took after it became clear he had classified information from former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in his possession for months. Published August 17, 2015
New Hillary Clinton email count: 305 documents referred with potentially classified information
More than 300 of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's emails -- or 5.1 percent of those processed so far -- have been flagged for potential secret information, the State Department reported to a federal court Monday as the political furor continued to grow for the Democratic presidential candidate and her aides. Published August 17, 2015
Donald Trump immigration plan wins praise from GOP hardliners
Donald Trump's immigration plan has won widespread backing from conservatives in the hours since he announced it, sparked stern condemnation from immigrant-rights activists -- and instantly reshaped a policy debate that's raged for more than a decade. Published August 17, 2015
Border braces as number of illegals swells
The number of illegal immigrant mothers and children jumping the Southwest border swelled in July, according to new Border Patrol statistics that suggest last year's surge could be repeating. Published August 17, 2015
Donald Trump’s immigration plan calls for border wall funded by illegals’ U.S. wages
GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump proposed a broad crackdown on illegal immigrants Sunday, including tripling the number of deportation officers and building a border wall, as new numbers show illegal crossings on the Southwest border are beginning to swell again. Published August 16, 2015
Hillary Clinton aides had other unreported email accounts: State Dept.
Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's top aides, used personal email accounts to conduct government business in addition to a State Department email and an account on the controversial server Mrs. Clinton kept at her New York home, the State Department confirmed to a federal court Friday. Published August 14, 2015
Robert W. Goodlatte: ‘How many Americans must die at the hands of unlawful criminal immigrants?’
The top House Republican on immigration matters blasted the Obama administration Friday as more reports surfaced of crimes committed by illegal immigrants, insisting more attention be paid to rounding them up. Published August 14, 2015
State Department employee sentenced for selling visas at up to $70K
A State Department employee who sold U.S. visas on the black market in Vietnam for up to $70,000 a pop was sentenced Friday to 64 months in prison, after a scam authorities said allows hundreds of travelers who had previously been denied entry to sneak into the U.S. Published August 14, 2015
