Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
John Boehner says he’ll stay until replacement is chosen
House Speaker John A. Boehner said Thursday he'll stay in Congress until there's a replacement speaker -- raising the possibility he could stay on beyond the end-of-October retirement date he'd set for himself. Published October 8, 2015
Court refuses to combine Clinton email cases
The federal district court in Washington rejected the State Department's request that a single judge take over the dozens of Clinton email lawsuits pending, dealing a major blow to the Obama administration, which must continue to grapple with more than a dozen judges. Published October 8, 2015
Number of sanctuary cities grows to 340; thousands of illegals released to commit new crimes
The list of sanctuary cities has grown to more than 340, and they shielded an average of 1,000 immigrants a month from deportation last year -- and more than 2,000 of those released have been arrested for yet more crimes, according to a report released Thursday by the Center for Immigration Studies. Published October 8, 2015
Trey Gowdy: Democrats thwarting Benghazi investigation
Rather than cooperate, Democrats have tried to thwart the Benghazi probe from within since the beginning, the special panel's chairman said in a letter released Thursday that accused Democrats of bad faith and also announced the release of emails that call into question the relationship between former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and her associate Sidney Blumenthal. Published October 8, 2015
Feds spend $60,000 on zombie apocalypse play
Federal taxpayers ponied up $60,000 this year to fund a raunchy zombie-themed play -- an expense one senator says is a brainless example of waste within the government. Published October 8, 2015
Jeh Johnson credits Obama immigration policies for drop in border arrests, deportations
The U.S. Border Patrol is catching fewer illegal immigrants trying to cross the border, and immigration agents are arresting and deporting fewer people from the interior of the country, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Wednesday, calling those the successful outcomes of President Obama's immigration policies. Published October 7, 2015
Judge says Hillary Clinton’s server is private
A federal judge said he will order the State Department to send a specific request asking former Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton to make sure she has turned over all of her official records, but said Wednesday he doubts he has the power to demand she actually preserve the documents. Published October 7, 2015
Jose Andres, chef, calls Donald Trump ‘clever maniac’
Chef Jose Andres called GOP presidential candidate Donald J. Trump a "clever maniac" Wednesday, saying Mr. Trump's immigration plans would deprive the U.S. of the labor force that staffs restaurants. Published October 7, 2015
Obama veto of defense policy bill, possible override loom after filibuster fails
Senators overcame a filibuster on the annual defense policy bill Tuesday, delivering a significant victory to Republicans and teeing up a battle with President Obama over a threatened veto on the bill, which does everything from raising troops' pay to setting policy for Guantanamo Bay detainees. Published October 6, 2015
State Dept. tells Hillary Clinton to search for more emails
The State Department has told former Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton to go back and search for still more emails, releasing a letter Tuesday urging her to see whether her Internet providers can recover any of the messages believed to be missing from a "gap" during her first months in office. Published October 6, 2015
Daniel Webster kicks off bid for House Speaker
Rep. Daniel Webster officially announced his bid for House speaker Tuesday morning, two days before the House GOP is slated to vote on a replacement to retiring Speaker John A. Boehner. Published October 6, 2015
English isn’t main language at home for 21 percent in America
A whopping 21 percent of U.S. residents now speak a language other than English at home, according to a report being released Tuesday by the Center for Immigration Studies that raises questions about the country's ability to absorb the influx of immigrants. Published October 6, 2015
House Speaker vote date buys GOP time for leadership choice
Speaker John A. Boehner set an Oct. 29 date for the full House to vote on his replacement, giving Republicans three weeks to get their troops in line and rally around Rep. Kevin McCarthy or whoever else emerges from this week's internal GOP vote. Published October 5, 2015
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
