Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Paul Ryan calls for truce with conservatives, says Republican infighting benefits Obama
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan pleaded Wednesday for a truce with conservatives, saying bitter fighting over tactics in cutting spending or defunding Obamacare plays into President Obama's hands, and prevents Republicans from settling on a broad Reagan-esque agenda. Published February 3, 2016
VA vows to punish employees after judges void sanctions
The VA insisted Tuesday it will still find a way to punish two employees accused of bilking the government out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses after federal judges ruled that the department bungled its case against them, restored their full salaries and awarded them backpay. Published February 2, 2016
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, dented by Iowa results, hit trail in New Hampshire
A subdued Donald Trump hit the trail in New Hampshire on Tuesday, a day after voters delivered a painful setback in Iowa -- a second-place finish that underscored his celebrity-based campaign didn't survive its first contact with voters. Published February 2, 2016
Illegal immigrant border surge subsides in January
The tide of illegal immigrant families and unaccompanied children receded in January and Homeland Security claimed a partial victory Tuesday, saying stepped up enforcement has gotten the message back to Central Americans that they shouldn't try to make the trip north. Published February 2, 2016
GOP turnout surged 50 percent, Democrats dropped nearly 30 percent in Iowa caucuses
Democratic turnout was down sharply but Republicans set a record in Iowa's caucuses Monday, according to the figures released by both parties, suggesting the enthusiasm this year is mostly on the Republican side. Published February 2, 2016
Donald Trump emerges from caucus finish, says he deserves more credit from media and voters
A subdued Donald Trump broke his past-caucus silence, taking to Twitter Tuesday to say he's still proud of his second-place showing in Iowa a day before, and saying he's not getting enough credit for his unique campaign. Published February 2, 2016
Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush spent most on staffing among presidential candidates
Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton spent a third of her money late last year on staff costs, running an expensive campaign that's faltered even as her more nimble opponent, Sen. Bernard Sanders, has poured his money into ads. Published February 1, 2016
Obama’s presidency now effectively over
In the past week he has delivered a major speech to fellow Democrats, announced a new retirement savings plan and computer science initiative -- heck, he has even vowed a billion-dollar push to cure cancer. But President Obama just can't catch a break. Published February 1, 2016
Federal debt hits $19 trillion; new record set
The federal government is now officially $19 trillion in debt, according to the latest figures released by the Treasury Department Monday that show the Obama administration crossed that ignominious line late last week. Published February 1, 2016
John Culberson, GOP chairman: Sanctuary cities to face punishment in 2016
The House Republican in charge of writing the Justice Department's budget vowed Monday that this will be the year Congress punishes sanctuary cities, insisting he'll use his powers as chairman to make the Obama administration strip grant money from localities that refuse to cooperate with immigration agents. Published February 1, 2016
Hillary Clinton 2009: ‘Does not know how to use a computer to do email’
Hillary Clinton couldn't use a computer to send or read her email in 2009, when she became secretary at the State Department, according to emails released Monday that suggest she was a technological novice in the country's top diplomatic post. Published February 1, 2016
Obama misled Congress on debt limit: House report
The government could have continued to pay Social Security and other critical payments in the event it reached its debt limit, but the Obama administration intentionally misled Congress about that to force Republicans to hike the borrowing ceiling, a House panel said Monday, citing internal Treasury Department documents. Published February 1, 2016
Donald Trump spends $400,000 on ‘Make America Great’ hats
Donald Trump spent more than $400,000 in the last three months to manufacture his iconic "Make America Great Again" hats, and another $450,000 on signature drives to make sure he's met the requirements to get on the ballots in this year's GOP primaries. Published February 1, 2016
Hillary Clinton seeks release of ‘top secret’ emails as scandal weighs on campaign
Hillary Clinton called Sunday for all of her emails as secretary of state to be released, including 22 messages the government decided last week were too secret to disclose even in redacted form, saying her former employees are being too sensitive in their handling of the information. Published January 31, 2016
Democratic National Committee to sanction more debates
Left with little choice, Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz caved Sunday and agreed to sanction more presidential debates, attempting to play catch-up with the candidates who were already well ahead of them. Published January 31, 2016
More than 25 percent of new Clinton emails are classified
More than one in four of the emails the State Department released late Friday from former Secretary Hillary Clinton's cache of messages were deemed classified or secret, marking a massive hike in the scope of potential wrongdoing the Democratic presidential frontrunner engaged in during her time in office. Published January 29, 2016
Hillary Clinton emails: State Department refuses to investigate delay
The State Department is so tardy on former Secretary Hillary Clinton's emails that it still hasn't sent all of them out for security and privacy reviews by other agencies, the Obama administration admitted late Thursday, just hours before it is supposed to release all of them to the public. Published January 28, 2016
Donald Trump’s absence dominates Republican debate
Donald Trump wasn't on the stage, but he was still the dominant figure in Iowa on Thursday night as the rest of the Republican presidential field debated on Fox News and the billionaire businessman boycotted, instead drawing thousands of people to an event across town raising money for veterans. Published January 28, 2016
Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, James Gilmore seek attention in ‘undercard’ debate
The lower-tier Republican candidate chafed Thursday against their failure to resonate with voters as they squared off in the 'undercard' of the final debate before the Iowa caucuses, blasting the press for denying them the attention they said they needed to gain a foothold. Published January 28, 2016
Obama administration delivered illegal immigrant children to predators, lawmakers say
The Obama administration sent illegal immigrant children into "modern-day slavery" by turning them over to sponsors who forced them into child labor or subjected them to sexual abuse, members of Congress said Thursday as they demanded that top child protection officials explain how it could have happened. Published January 28, 2016
