Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Judge orders ICE to let clergy minister to migrants in detention in Chicago area facility
A federal judge has directed ICE to let priests, ministers and other faith leaders into the migrant processing center in Chicago's suburbs, saying the total ban the agency had been enforcing is a violation of religious rights. Published April 8, 2026
Judge scolds FDA over abortion pill mailing, gives agency chance to rewrite rules
A federal judge on Tuesday said the Biden administration acted on a "dearth" of information when it approved the practice of mailing the abortion pill, but he gave the Food and Drug Administration more time to clean up the situation. Published April 7, 2026
Reporters scolded for ignoring Biden ‘weaponization,’ acting AG Blanche says Trump has a duty
Newly installed acting Attorney General Todd Blanche lashed out at reporters for abiding the "weaponization" of the Justice Department during the Biden years and defended President Trump's housecleaning, saying the president has a "duty" to set priorities for prosecutors, including going after those who hunted him. Published April 7, 2026
New poll finds most Americans want limits on birthright citizenship
A majority of Americans want to see the country restrict access to birthright citizenship along the lines of what President Trump has proposed, according to results from a new survey released Thursday. Published April 7, 2026
New acting attorney general slams press for abiding ‘weaponization’ against Trump
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche chastised reporters Tuesday for questioning President Trump's pursuit of prosecutions against political opponents, saying the media tolerated four years of Justice Department "weaponization" against Mr. Trump. Published April 7, 2026
Lawmakers want to block welfare recipients from sending cash abroad
If the government can't stop all of the welfare fraud, perhaps it can at least prevent the ill-gotten money from being sent overseas, according to two Republicans in Congress who announced new legislation Tuesday to block large remittances to foreign countries. Published April 7, 2026
Long-time Democrat asks Supreme Court to let him run in GOP primary for U.S. House seat in Ohio
Less than a decade ago, Samuel Ronan was running for chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Now he wants to be the GOP's nominee for a U.S. House seat in Ohio, but election officials have removed him from the ballot, saying he's not Republican enough. Published April 7, 2026
Judge finds Minnesota has fraud problem, refuses to order Trump to restart Medicaid money
A federal court rejected Minnesota's attempt to restart Medicaid funding that the Trump administration had halted over concerns people are stealing the money, with the judge saying even the state has acknowledged it has a "serious fraud problem." Published April 6, 2026
RNC sues over out-of-state voters’ ability to cast ballots in Virginia elections
The Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit Monday challenging Virginia's voting system, saying the state allows some people who have never been physical residents to cast ballots in its elections. Published April 6, 2026
Pennsylvania official says county shouldn’t hire ex-ICE, cites liability from ‘terrible culture’
An official in Pennsylvania has warned his jurisdiction to be wary of hiring ICE employees for county jobs, warning they could be a legal liability. Published April 6, 2026
Supreme Court vacates judgment against Steve Bannon
The Supreme Court on Monday erased an appeals court ruling against Trump confidant Steve Bannon, clearing the way for his criminal conviction for contempt of Congress to be tossed out. Published April 6, 2026
More than 1,000 IRS employees jilted student loan repayment program
The IRS promises to repay outstanding student loans for employees, but more than 1,000 of them cheated the terms of the agreement, according to a new audit by the tax agency's inspector general. Published April 6, 2026
Death of abused migrant boy shines light on decisions facing parents about to be deported
By the time doctors saw Samuel Antonio Maldonado Erazo's 3-year-old nephew, authorities say the boy had been struck on the head at least 17 times and had burn marks consistent with someone pressing a lighter against his skin. Published April 5, 2026
White House asks appeals court to revive Trump’s ballroom plans
The Trump administration asked a federal appeals court to block a lower judge who has ordered construction to cease on President Trump's ballroom project, saying it makes no sense to force the president to ask Congress for permission before making renovations to the White House. Published April 4, 2026
Two illegal immigrants in Florida plead guilty to voting in U.S. elections
Two noncitizens living in Florida pleaded guilty in separate cases to lying about their citizenship to vote in U.S. elections. Published April 3, 2026
Treasury will issue new rules on politics from the pulpit
The Treasury Department has announced an effort to let houses of worship get more directly involved in politics without having to worry about the IRS coming after them. Published April 3, 2026
Air Force base bomb suspects benefited from birthright citizenship, says DHS
Two people accused of being part of a plot to plant bombs at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida were born to unauthorized immigrants, the Department of Homeland Security said. Published April 3, 2026
Federal worker in Virginia admits to using telework to collect three paychecks at same time
A Virginia woman has pleaded guilty to wire fraud, admitting that she used the federal government's lenient telework policies to claim paychecks for multiple jobs she was working simultaneously. Published April 2, 2026
WATCH: Supreme Court justices skeptical of Trump’s birthright citizenship order
The Supreme Court struggled Wednesday with how to treat President Trump's attempt to block children of illegal immigrants and short-term visitors from getting birthright U.S. citizenship, with the justices trying to stack his executive order up against more than a century of tradition. Published April 1, 2026
Trump arrives at Supreme Court for birthright citizenship argument — believed to be a first
President Trump arrived at the Supreme Court on Wednesday to watch the justices hear oral argument on his executive order trying to carve illegal immigrants and temporary foreign visitors out of America's expansive grant of birthright citizenship. Published April 1, 2026
