Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Young voters, Hispanics up for grabs in 2016 race
Younger voters are emerging as the most volatile as both parties prepare for what could be a generational showdown in next year's general election. Published December 28, 2015
2020 census will benefit Texas, Florida in congressional numbers
Texas is in line to be the biggest winner in congressional reapportionment at the end of the decade, when the country's 435 U.S. House seats are divvied up by population, with new estimates showing the Republican powerhouse state poised to gain three seats. Published December 28, 2015
Congress warns Obama to enforce foreign fighter ban against Iran
House Republicans demanded this week that President Obama apply strict visa travel rules to anyone who visits Iran and then tries to come to the U.S., saying the Islamic republic was always meant to be one of the targets of a crackdown on potential foreign fighters sneaking into the country. Published December 23, 2015
Duncan Hunter slams Nancy Pelosi’s push to regulate e-cigarettes
Democrats cheered after they managed to prevent a carve-out for e-cigarettes in last week's year-end spending bill, but one congressman -- an admitted "vaper" himself -- says they've only succeeded in making more people end up choosing to go back to traditional, and deadlier, tobacco. Published December 22, 2015
U.S. deports fewer illegals, criminals as Obama amnesty kicks in
President Obama slashed the number of deportations in 2015, the administration announced Tuesday, removing out only about 235,000 aliens from the U.S. as his amnesty kicked into full gear, putting most illegal immigrants out of reach of agents. Published December 22, 2015
Alan Bersin flips on gun sales link to Homeland Security terrorist watch list
A senior Homeland Security official who last week undermined President Obama's push to ban gun sales to those on the government's terrorist watch list now says he was mistaken in his sworn testimony to Congress — but Republicans on the panel aren't buying it. Published December 21, 2015
Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell win tax battles, Republican Party unity despite concessions
Republican leaders closed their first year in complete control of Congress with an impressive show of support among their members for spending and tax cuts, avoiding a government shutdown and demonstrating striking party unity despite being unable to rein in President Obama's expansive agenda. Published December 20, 2015
Bernard Sanders spat with DNC over Hillary Clinton data breach stretches on
Sen. Bernard Sanders' bizarre spat with the Democratic National Committee stretched into a fourth day Sunday, with the grass-roots contender for the 2016 nomination tempering apologies for staff who breached his rival's campaign files with new swipes at the party's leaders, saying they've treated him unfairly. Published December 20, 2015
Hillary Clinton under fire for war policies, Wall Street ties during Democratic debate
Her fellow Democratic presidential hopefuls accused fellow Hillary Clinton of being too eager to go to war without preparing for the chaos that could follow, as they squared off Saturday night in a debate in New Hampshire. Published December 19, 2015
Congressional investigation pokes holes in California terrorist’s visa
The two San Bernardino terrorists were approved for a fiance visa even though there was no concrete proof they had ever even met in person, according to a House Judiciary Committee review of their immigration file. Published December 19, 2015
DNC restores Sanders campaign’s access to voter files after lawsuit, grassroots pressure
Pressed by a lawsuit and facing a backlash from liberal activists, the Democratic National Committee said Saturday morning it was reinstating Sen. Bernard Sanders' access to the party's voter data files -- though the DNC insisted it is still investigating his campaign's activities. Published December 19, 2015
Clinton campaign says Bernie Sanders ‘stole’ campaign secrets
Presidential candidate Bernard Sanders sued the Democratic National Committee Friday afternoon to demand access to the party's voter files after the DNC suspended him for illicitly accessing the campaign files of his competitor, Hillary Clinton. Published December 18, 2015
Ken Cuccinelli endorses Ted Cruz for president
Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz's presidential bid Friday at an appearance in Mechanicsville, Virginia, praising the Texas GOP hopeful as someone who will respect rights and bring the deficit under control. Published December 18, 2015
Obama overstates extent of Homeland Security’s social media screening
President Obama said Friday that social media is already part of the Homeland Security Department's screening process when deciding to issue visas, but his top immigration officials told Congress earlier this week that's not really true. Published December 18, 2015
Bernie Sanders threatens to sue DNC over data fight
Sen. Bernard Sanders' campaign accused the Democratic National Committee of "actively attempting to undermine our campaign" Friday after the DNC suspended Mr. Sanders' access to the party's voter file, saying he snooped on what fellow candidate Hillary Clinton was doing. Published December 18, 2015
Obama administration to re-examine fiance visas, ramp up social media screening
The Obama administration claimed a mulligan on terrorism Thursday, saying it will go back and retroactively re-examine visas it already issued under the fiancee program, trying to spot other would-be terrorists after this month's San Bernardino, California, attack. Published December 17, 2015
DHS official: Don’t use terror watch list to stop gun sales
A top Homeland Security official shot a hole in Democrats' efforts to deny gun sales to those on the government's terrorist watch lists, saying Thursday that the list isn't designed for those sorts of uses. Published December 17, 2015
Budget deal increases federal deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars
Having reached a deal on a nearly $2 trillion deal to keep the government open, President Obama and congressional leaders tried to build support Wednesday for the massive bill, which hikes spending across government, thrilling Democrats, and extends a host of special interest tax breaks, exciting Republicans. Published December 16, 2015
Massive spending agreement reached; 2,009-page bill spends $572 million per page
The new spending deal reached early Wednesday morning spans more than 2,000 pages, spends $1.149 trillion -- and lawmakers will have only a few days to digest it all before they're asked to vote on the legislation, which lays out Congress's priorities for the rest of fiscal year 2016. Published December 16, 2015
Tax deal doles out year-end goodies for NASCAR tracks, racehorses, college students
Congressional leaders agreed to a budget-busting set of tax cuts late Tuesday as part of a year-end, clear-the-decks deal that marks a major reversal from the last four years' focus on deficits and streamlining the tax code. Published December 16, 2015
