Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Orrin Hatch demands secret memo that’s aided Obama executive actions
President Obama's unilateral pen-and-phone approach to governing has been aided by a decades-old secret memo that allows him to avoid economic scrutiny of some of the most intrusive rules and regulations his administration has issued, a top senator said Thursday. Published April 28, 2016
Donald Trump in control after delegate haul in Northeast primaries
Donald Trump is now on target to win the Republican presidential nomination at the GOP's July convention, holding support from half of all delegates allocated so far, thanks to a massive haul Tuesday night that puts him firmly in the driver's seat. Published April 27, 2016
Thousands of illegal immigrants convicted of homicide, sex assault released into community
Homeland Security has made some gains in detaining criminal aliens, but still released into the community nearly 20,000 immigrants last year who'd already been convicted of crimes -- including hundreds charges with sexual assault, kidnapping or homicide -- according to figures sent to Congress this week. Published April 27, 2016
Paul Ryan tells young voters to ignore personalities, vote for ideas
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan pleaded with college students to look beyond the personalities in this year's presidential election and instead vote based on ideas, saying Wednesday that the GOP can win that battle. Published April 27, 2016
Duncan Hunter: Coast Guard needs its own drones
Homeland Security officials regularly refuse to send out drones when the Coast Guard requests help with drug interdiction or search-and-rescue operations near the U.S. coast, a top House Republican said in a letter this week demanding answers. Published April 27, 2016
Lawmakers demand Census ask about sexual orientation, gender identity
The U.S. Census Bureau should be demanding more information about "gender identity," leading liberal lawmakers said Wednesday, asking for more probing questions to get at the increasingly complex family dynamics in America. Published April 27, 2016
Donald Trump urges Bernie Sanders to run as independent
Donald Trump proclaimed himself the presumptive GOP presidential nominee after sweeping Tuesday's five northeastern primaries, and said he won't change his style as the campaign goes on. Published April 26, 2016
Obama administration fails to screen Syrian refugees’ social media accounts
The Obama administration isn't vetting the social media profiles of all Syrian refugees despite promises made last year after the San Bernardino terrorist attack, which exposed holes in the U.S. immigration screening process. Published April 26, 2016
Senate votes to restore full taxpayer subsidies for windmills
Hot air still rules on Capitol Hill, where senators voted Tuesday to restore millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies for windmills, in a signal that Congress is still eager to pick winners in the emerging renewable energy sector. Published April 26, 2016
Illegal immigrant families surge across border at record pace
The pattern of illegal immigration appears to be shifting yet again as families traveling together — usually mothers and their children — surge across the southwestern border at a record pace, posing more challenges for an Obama administration still struggling to figure out how to handle them. Published April 24, 2016
Appeals court tosses challenge to federal debt limit
A federal appeals court tossed out a challenge to the federal debt limit, ruling Friday that the lawyer who brought the lawsuit couldn't show he was personally harmed by the law limiting the size of the federal debt. Published April 22, 2016
Illegal immigrant families crossing border at record pace in 2016
Illegal immigrant families are streaming across the border at record pace, according to new Border Patrol statistics released Friday morning that show more than 32,000 have been caught trying to sneak into the U.S. Published April 22, 2016
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott hoping for split Supreme Court to halt immigration amnesty
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he's resigned to a less-than-total victory at the Supreme Court in his lawsuit challenging President Obama's deportation amnesty, saying Thursday that the best he can hope for is a 4-4 split ruling that would halt the amnesty but fall short of the legal spanking Mr. Obama deserves. Published April 21, 2016
Donald Trump gets crushed among Hispanic voters: Poll
Donald Trump would win just 11 percent of the Hispanic vote in key battleground states in a matchup with Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton, according to a new poll Thursday by immigrant-rights advocates that underscores just how intent Latinos are on punishing Mr. Trump for his strict stances. Published April 21, 2016
Harriet Tubman to replace Andrew Jackson on $20 bill after pushback against Alexander Hamilton plan
Stung by a feverish outcry, the Treasury Department backed off its plan to ditch Alexander Hamilton from the $10 bill and will instead oust President Andrew Jackson from the front of the $20 bill, as part of a massive currency redesign intended to add more images of women's and black history. Published April 20, 2016
Donald Trump wins New York primary, demolishes Cruz, Kasich
Donald Trump crushed his opponents Tuesday night en route to a major victory in New York's Republican presidential primary, scoring a needed boost after a string of setbacks and putting himself back in the driver's seat as the campaign nears the final stretch. Published April 19, 2016
Illegal immigrant’s bail was ‘less than the amount it cost to bury my baby’: Mother
Michelle Root, mother of Sarah Root, recounted her daughter's death in Omaha, Nebraska, this year at the hands of an illegal immigrant who police said was drag racing while drunk, smashed into the young woman's car and left her brain-dead. Published April 19, 2016
Chief Justice Roberts uses Obama’s words against him on immigration case
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. prodded the Obama administration Monday to explain President Obama's immigration flip-flop, when Mr. Obama in 2014 reversed himself and decided he did, after all, have powers to grant a tentative amnesty to as many as 5 million illegal immigrants. Published April 18, 2016
Supreme Court divided over Obama amnesty; Kennedy says policy is ‘just upside-down’
A deeply divided Supreme Court grappled Monday with President Obama's deportation amnesty, as conservatives said the White House was encroaching on Congress' lawmaking powers, but liberal justices saying the court should stay out of the fight, leaving the president with a free hand. Published April 18, 2016
Obama amnesty Supreme Court case to test limits of presidential power
The Constitution was ratified more than two centuries ago, and in all that time no president had ever tested the limits of executive power enough to force the Supreme Court to rule whether he has lived up to the founders' command that the laws be "faithfully executed." Until now. Published April 17, 2016
