Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Left splits over California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s retaliation strike in redistricting arms race
California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he was reluctant to change his state's redistricting rules, but eager to do something to give President Trump a black eye. Published August 24, 2025
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is freed from custody
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the illegal immigrant the government says is a dangerous MS-13 migrant smuggler and whom Democrats say is a wronged "Maryland man," has been released from custody under orders from two federal judges. Published August 23, 2025
DHS quickly appeals judge’s order to halt work at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
A federal judge Thursday night ordered a halt to work at "Alligator Alcatraz" and banned the federal government from sending any new detainees to the immigrant detention facility that Florida erected to help President Trump. Published August 21, 2025
Supreme Court clears way for Trump to cancel DEI grants at NIH
The Supreme Court issued a mixed ruling Thursday for President Trump, finding that the administration went too far in its new rules barring NIH from approving research grants with diversity, equity and inclusion principles -- but allowing the agency to plow ahead with the grants it already terminated. Published August 21, 2025
Trump’s bid for Uncle Sam to ditch paper checks tripped up by old folks and the Amish
President Trump's goal of having Uncle Sam ditch paper checks and move to all-digital payments and receipts has sparked fierce opposition from accountants who say many of their clients won't be able to cope with a paperless world. Published August 21, 2025
Court allows Trump to end deportation amnesty for Honduras, Nicaragua, Nepal
A federal appeals court said Wednesday that Homeland Security can move ahead with plans to end long-running deportation amnesties, known as Temporary Protected Status, for about 60,000 migrants from Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua. Published August 20, 2025
Abrego Garcia seeks dismissal of criminal charges, citing ‘vindictive prosecution’
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is asking a federal judge in Tennessee to dismiss human trafficking charges against him as "vindictive prosecution" by the Trump administration over the illegal immigrant securing orders releasing him from jail and preventing ICE from rearresting him. Published August 20, 2025
First on TWT: Homeland Security to penalize immigrants for ‘anti-American’ behavior, social media
The Department of Homeland Security is applying President Trump's America First policy to immigration benefits, announcing new rules Tuesday to instruct officers to use migrants' "anti-American" behavior to block them from upgrading their legal status. Published August 19, 2025
IRS gives up after blowing $500K a year on broken self-serve kiosks
Three decades ago the IRS stormed into the digital age with self-help kiosks, intended to give taxpayers an option for figuring out their taxes without having to wait for a human. Published August 18, 2025
Trump can’t take over D.C. police, but federal troops ramping up show of force in the city
The District of Columbia remains in political turmoil after President Trump declared a safety-inspired "takeover" of the city's streets, with a federal judge forcing him to retreat from total control of the police department and Republican governors rushing National Guard troops to deploy at federal command. Published August 17, 2025
Crackdown on border cuts court backlog: Trump eliminates de facto amnesty
President Trump took the adage about finding yourself in a hole and stopping digging to heart -- at least when it comes to illegal immigration, where his almost miraculous improvements at the southern border have resulted in the first sustained decrease in the immigration court backlog in nearly two decades. Published August 17, 2025
Court halts Trump administration probe of Media Matters; claims First Amendment violation
A federal judge issued an injunction against the Federal Trade Commission ordering it to stop an investigation into left-wing group Media Matters, saying the Trump administration illegally retaliated against the group for its liberal activism. Published August 16, 2025
Trump retreats on D.C. police takeover but gets cooperation on ICE enforcement
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a new set of orders late Friday clarifying President Trump's attempt to take over the police department in Washington, leaving Chief Pamela Smith in charge but directing the city's officers to comply with federal immigration enforcement. Published August 16, 2025
Appeals court upholds Pelosi’s vote-by-proxy rules for U.S. House
A federal appeals court ruled Friday that then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was on solid legal footing when she allowed lawmakers to cast colleagues' votes on the chamber floor during the coronavirus pandemic. Published August 16, 2025
Biden judge: ‘I freak out around guns’
The federal judge deciding on President Trump's takeover of Washington's police department said Friday that she has a problem with firearms. Published August 15, 2025
ICE now deporting more than 1,400 illegal immigrants a day
The Department of Homeland Security has set a new record for detaining illegal immigrants with more than 59,000 in ICE custody, according to new agency numbers released this week. Published August 15, 2025
D.C. attorney general sues to stop Trump’s police takeover
Brian L. Schwalb, the attorney general for the District of Columbia, asked a federal judge Friday to issue a restraining order against President Trump to block his takeover of the police department, saying it violates the home rule charter Congress granted to the city. Published August 15, 2025
D.C. police to start limited cooperation with ICE
The Metropolitan Police Department will now be allowed to report illegal immigrants they encounter to federal deportation authorities under a new order issued Thursday by Chief Pamela A. Smith that breaks with the District's longstanding status as a migrant sanctuary. Published August 14, 2025
Drag queens, puberty guides: See the Pentagon’s list of banned books
To Matt Corey, the Defense Department's move to boot a transgender coming-of-age novel from the shelves at its civilian schools is the work of "bigots" afraid of letting children encounter different perspectives. Published August 14, 2025
Florida opens second migrant facility named ‘Deportation Depot’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that his state is opening a second migrant detention facility, dubbed the "deportation depot," to help President Trump achieve his mass deportations. Published August 14, 2025
