Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Constitutional conundrum: Michigan demand for a balanced budget could trigger amendment convention
Michigan lawmakers last week voted to demand a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a move that could set into motion a never-tested, widely feared convention with the power to rewrite part of the founding document. Published March 31, 2014
Cesar Chavez resolution blocked by GOP
Republicans said they would have allowed a resolution to pass if Democrats had accepted additional language that recognized Chavez supported strict enforcement of immigration laws in order to help protect American workers' wages. Published March 31, 2014
Watchdog: ATF allowed official’s salary double-dip
A former ATF official who approved the botched Fast & Furious gun-running operation was allowed to double-dip on salary with the approval of his supervisors, according to an internal auditor's report that adds to the troubles surrounding the embattled agency. Published March 31, 2014
ICE agents catch and release most illegal immigrants, new report shows
Immigration agents tried to deport only about a fourth of the cases they encountered in 2013, said a report being released Monday from the Center for Immigration Studies that shows just how much President Obama's policies have cut down on potential enforcement. Published March 30, 2014
Civil rights groups appeal voter registration form ruling
Civil rights groups on Friday appealed a federal court decision that said states can require proof of citizenship on their voter registration forms — a ruling the activist groups said runs counter to Supreme Court precedent. Published March 30, 2014
Freedomworks rescinds Neb. endorsement for GOP Senate primary hopeful Osborn
FreedomWorks on Friday withdrew its endorsement of Shane Osborn in Nebraska's Republican Senate primary, saying he has turned his back on grassroots Republicans and is now tied to the GOP establishment, and announced they were instead backing Ben Sasse. Published March 28, 2014
Voting rights activists appeal proof-of-citizenship ruling
Civil rights groups on Friday appealed last week's federal court decision that said states can require proof of citizenship on their voter registration forms — a ruling the activist groups said runs counter to Supreme Court precedent. Published March 28, 2014
Christie says bridge scandal won’t affect presidential decision
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Friday that the bridgegate scandal won't affect his decision on whether to run for the GOP's presidential nomination in 2016, saying that's "simply not the way I would make a decision." Published March 28, 2014
Condoleezza Rice blames Obama for ‘vacuum’ that’s led to Putin
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in a closed-door address to a group of Republicans this week, issued a spirited defense of a broader role for the U.S. in the world, saying President Obama’s leadership has left a vacuum that’s been filled by “dictators like Bashar al-Assad in Syria and Vladimir Putin in Russia.” Published March 27, 2014
Ukraine’s top security official: Individual sanctions in Russia not enough
U.S. lawmakers are increasingly concerned about Russian troop movements on the border with Ukraine and the prospect of an additional land grab, as both houses of Congress voted to slap sanctions on Russia and extend loan guarantees to Ukraine. Published March 27, 2014
House and Senate pass aid to Ukraine, sanctions on Russia
Saying they hoped to head off rather than spark a deeper confrontation with Russia, both houses of Congress voted Thursday to codify sanctions on top Russian officials and extend loan guarantees to Ukraine. Published March 27, 2014
Democrats push for House vote on immigration
House Democrats announced an official petition drive Wednesday to try to pressure Republicans and force a final congressional vote on immigration — but they are facing criticism from immigrant rights activists who say the move is political theater and that the real problem is President Obama's deportation record. Published March 26, 2014
House lawyer: IRS’s Lerner can be held in contempt
The House's chief counsel has concluded that that Lois G. Lerner, the former employee at the center of the IRS targeting scandal, can still be cited for contempt of Congress, according to a memo released Wednesday. Published March 26, 2014
IRS stonewalls probe of tea party targeting emails
The Internal Revenue Service's tea party targeting program is still withholding approval of 19 organizations' nonprofit status, nearly a year after the scandal was revealed, the agency's commissioner testified Wednesday to Congress — where he faced fierce criticism from lawmakers who said he is stonewalling. Published March 26, 2014
Boehner calls latest Obamacare delay ‘a joke’
The Obama administration's latest delay in the enrollment deadline for Obamacare has enraged Republicans, who said while they're getting used to the tweaks, it underscores the many problems with the law. Published March 26, 2014
Reid won’t allow floor votes undoing parts of Obamacare
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid signaled Tuesday that he won't allow any votes to undo parts of Obamacare, leaving Democrats to have to face voters in November without any chance for a do-over on thorny issues such as the individual mandate. Published March 25, 2014
Federal court skeptical of Obamacare tax subsidies
A federal appeals court seemed skeptical Tuesday of the Obama administration's position that it can give Obamacare subsidies to Americans regardless of what kind of exchange they are in, in a case that could threaten the fundamental deal underpinning the Affordable Care Act. Published March 25, 2014
Obama doubts Russian retreat in Ukraine, threatens tougher sanctions
President Obama acknowledged Tuesday that it will be difficult to roll back Russia's military land grab in Ukraine, even as Congress seemed to break a political logjam in Washington that has held up financial aid to the embattled European nation. Published March 25, 2014
States, D.C. are told to clean up voter rolls or be sued; Judicial Watch counters Obama
Conservative public interest lawyers sent letters Monday giving the District of Columbia, Iowa and Colorado 90 days to prove they are taking steps to delete from their registration lists dead voters and former residents, or else face a lawsuit. Published March 24, 2014
White House turns to cat pictures to sell Obamacare
With the deadline for enrolling in the Obamacare exchanges just days away, the White House is scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas — including turning to cat GIFs, or animated videos made of multiple still photos. Published March 24, 2014
