Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Obama pitches federal plan to name and shame colleges over costs
Saying the rising costs of college are punishing students who have played by the rules, President Obama on Thursday announced that the federal government will take a broader role in pushing schools to lower costs by rating schools based on their educational value, and in trying to tie taxpayer money to school performance. Published August 22, 2013
Suit says IRS behind the times
A top Democratic congressman and several campaign finance groups sued Wednesday to try to force the Internal Revenue Service to crack down on political groups, saying the reason the agency has encountered so many problems with tea party groups is that it is using 20th century rules to govern 21st century politics. Published August 21, 2013
Puerto Rico fraud ring sets off call for Social Security disability reform
Federal authorities said Wednesday that they arrested 75 people in Puerto Rico on charges of bilking the Social Security disability system of millions of dollars in a scam that is fueling calls for a rethink of how the government pays benefits. Published August 21, 2013
Syria again challenges Obama’s ‘red line’ on chemical weapons
President Obama's "red line" for Syria is once again being tested after rebel forces said Wednesday that the regime of President Bashar Assad used poison gas to attack civilians near Damascus, killing potentially hundreds in what could turn out to be the deadliest deployment of chemical weapons yet. Published August 21, 2013
Obama school tour focus: Doing something about high cost of college
President Obama will call for a major rethinking of how Americans and the government pay for the costs of a college education as he takes a bus tour of the Northeast later this week, the White House said Tuesday, as he tries to revive his second-term agenda. Published August 20, 2013
IRS may be breaking software copyright laws, audit finds
The IRS is using some computer software that it hasn't paid for, and is paying for other programs its employees aren't even using, according to a new audit released Tuesday that said the tax agency could be violating copyright laws. Published August 20, 2013
Illegals snared as immigration debate continues
A massive weekend raid netted several hundred illegal immigrants who were either car wash workers or customers in Phoenix, according to immigrant-rights groups who say the move highlights the ongoing tensions within President Obama's deportation policy. Published August 18, 2013
DHS spends $600,000 to buy $100,000 homes: Report
The Homeland Security Department spent $600,000 apiece to build houses in Arizona that would have gone for less than $100,000, according to a report in the Arizona Republic that's raising questions in Congress. Published August 16, 2013
Senate to hold hearings on NSA privacy violations
The Senate's most senior lawmaker said Friday that the intelligence community is still not being truthful about its snooping activities and how they may be picking up communications from Americans, and vowed to hold hearings when Congress returns from its summer vacation. Published August 16, 2013
Investigators ask former EPA chief to turn over private emails
Top congressional Republicans sent a letter Thursday to Lisa P. Jackson asking her to justify an email she sent during her time as chief of the EPA in which she told a lobbyist to contact her using a private, personal email account rather than her government email — a move that appears to contravene open-records laws. Published August 15, 2013
Obama finds time for Egyptian condemnation — and then right back to golf
The unrest in Egypt is testing President Obama's summer vacation, forcing him to have to combine the seriousness of U.S. foreign policy with his desire to carve out time for rounds of golf. Published August 15, 2013
Feds claim victory on non-deportation policy, activists say it’s not enough
President Obama has granted more than 430,000 illegal immigrants an exemption from being deported under his Dream Act policy, which turned a year old Thursday. Published August 15, 2013
Obama cancels joint military exercises with Egypt
President Obama on Thursday canceled joint military maneuvers between U.S. and Egyptian troops scheduled for next month as he seeks to find levers the U.S. can use to quell deadly clashes in the North African nation and force both sides back into negotiations. Published August 15, 2013
Obama’s immigration test run raises cheers, alarm
President Obama's non-deportation policy for children turns a year old Thursday, and both sides agree it's a test run for a broader legalization — one that has thrilled immigrant rights groups who say it has broken stereotypes and changed the political calculus, but that has worried enforcement advocates who say illegal immigrants are being given blanket approval without enough attention to fraud. Published August 14, 2013
Congressman invites Obama rodeo clown to perform in Texas
A Republican congressman says the rodeo clown banned from the Missouri State Fair for wearing a President Obama mask during a skit is welcome to perform in Texas instead. Published August 14, 2013
Smartphone app launched to help illegal immigrants avoid deportation
Immigration advocates on Wednesday launched a new mobile app designed to help illegal immigrants to take advantage of President Obama's non-deportation policy for so-called Dreamer immigrants. Published August 14, 2013
Sunshine law gets cloudy when federal officials take email home
Documents show that Lisa P. Jackson, as EPA chief, told a lobbyist to shift their conversations to her "home email" account rather than using official government accounts, in a move that appears to contravene the intent of federal sunshine laws. Published August 13, 2013
Budget battle ends up with slashed deficit, no recession
The federal deficit is down 37.6 percent so far this fiscal year, according to Treasury Department statistics released Monday, showing the government has made progress in stanching the spread of red ink while managing to avoid a double-dip recession. Published August 12, 2013
GOP short of votes to defund health care law now, but …
A key House Republican leading the charge to defund President Obama's health care law said Sunday that the GOP does not have the votes right now to succeed in cutting off the program. Published August 11, 2013
‘I don’t do the dishes’ in the White House, Obama says
In arguing for government snooping programs, President Obama slipped into a strained metaphor about whether his wife would trust whether he'd done the dishes. Published August 9, 2013
