Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Obama: U.S. will not boycott Olympics in Russia
President Obama said Friday that the U.S. shouldn't boycott the Russian Winter Olympics next year, but said the U.S. relationship has gone from "reset" to "pause." Published August 9, 2013
Obama vows tighter oversight of NSA surveillance
Seeking to shore up foundering support for government snooping, President Obama said Friday he is willing to change the Patriot Act and to make modifications to the secret court that oversees programs such as the National Security Agency's phone-records collection program. Published August 9, 2013
Wild horse roundup in Nevada is canceled amid outrage, fears over ‘stealth’ slaughter
The U.S. Forest Service late Thursday canceled a roundup of wild horses scheduled for Friday in northern Nevada after horse advocates learned about it and made it public, accusing the government of trying a "stealth" effort to break the law and send the horses to a slaughter auction. Published August 8, 2013
House GOP: State Dept. must say who ordered Benghazi changes
House oversight committee Chairman Darrell Issa sent a letter Thursday asking Victoria Nuland, who at the time was the State Department's spokeswoman, who she meant when she said her "building leadership" wanted to see changes to the administration's talking points following the Benghazi terrorist attack last year. Published August 8, 2013
Hispanics favor Democrats more than 2-to-1: Gallup
Hispanics are more than twice as likely to be Democrats as they are to be Republicans, according to polling by Gallup released Thursday, a survey that calls into question how much room there is for Republicans to compete for Hispanic voters. Published August 8, 2013
House investigating FEC and IRS communications over tax exempt groups
House investigators this week said they want to see communications between the Federal Election Commission and the IRS that could shed light on whether the two agencies colluded to target conservative organizations, as questions about the IRS targeting scandal expanded. Published August 8, 2013
Wolf at the door: Immigrant rights issue follows lawmakers home
Five dozen immigration rights activists picketed outside Rep. Frank R. Wolf's Herndon office Wednesday, demanding he vote for a bill that would extend citizenship rights to 11 million illegal immigrants — a scene that is being repeated outside countless Republican congressional district offices this summer. Published August 7, 2013
Federal deficit hits lowest point of Obama administration
The federal deficit continues to drop, powered by a better economy, higher tax rates and the spending cuts that have left the government's bottom line in much better shape than at any time under President Obama, according to the Congressional Budget Office's latest numbers released Wednesday. Published August 7, 2013
After widely mocked pitch by George W. Bush, steroids knocked out of the ballpark
His aides wanted to delete it from his speech, and President George W. Bush was mocked by ESPN and Meryl Streep for it afterward. But when he used his 2004 State of the Union address to raise the issue of steroids in baseball, it boosted the issue to the top levels of politics. Published August 6, 2013
DOD reversal: Sequester pain less than anticipated
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Tuesday that the Pentagon has been able to find enough savings to further reduce the number of days civilian worker are being furloughed this year, in the latest sign that the budget sequesters aren't biting as deeply as the administration had warned. Published August 6, 2013
Nancy Pelosi quietly raises popularity rating; poll respondents are not so sweet on politicians
While the other top congressional leaders are fading, House Minority Leader and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is on the rise, according to the latest Quinnipiac University Thermometer poll, which shows the California Democrat is gaining popularity as one of the nation's top political figures. Published August 5, 2013
Judges attend lavish conferences on taxpayer dime amid budget cuts
Even as courts warn of job cuts and furloughs to their employees due to the sequester, federal judges continue to attend taxpayer-funded conferences at lavish resorts, according to a top senator who is calling on the courts to change their priorities. Published August 5, 2013
House subpoenas Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew for IRS documents
House Republicans on Friday accused Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew of obstructing their investigation into the IRS's targeting of tea party and conservative groups, and issued subpoenas for more agency documents. Published August 2, 2013
Tea party warns of ‘bait and switch’ on immigration
Tea party groups on Friday warned House Republicans they fear GOP leaders are preparing to "pull a bait and switch" that will ultimately allow a broad immigration bill pass that legalizes illegal immigrants. Published August 2, 2013
ICE agents weigh appeal in deportation policy fight
Immigration agents are weighing an appeal after a judge this week tossed out their lawsuit trying to halt the administration's nondeportation policies, saying the federal courts don't have jurisdiction over a personnel matter, agents said Thursday. Published August 1, 2013
House issues subpoenas to get Benghazi documents from State Department
As they prepared to head home for summer vacation, House Republicans fired off three subpoenas Thursday seeking more information from the State Department on the terrorist attack last year in Benghazi, Libya, and on the science the Environmental Protection Agency used to impose new clean air regulations. Published August 1, 2013
Immigration activists arrested at Capitol
Seeking to revive the chances for getting an immigration bill done this year, dozens of immigrant-rights activists staged a sit-in and got arrested at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday — and they vowed to repeat the civil disobedience throughout the country the rest of the summer. Published August 1, 2013
Obama open to changes at NSA; intel officials fight to maintain secrecy
The Obama administration signaled Wednesday that it is ready to accept some changes to the National Security Agency telephone snooping program, as intelligence officials fought fiercely against congressional critics to preserve what they say is a vital tool in rooting out terrorist plots. Published July 31, 2013
Congress will leave for summer recess with little accomplished
Congress is slinking toward an August exit from Washington with little to show for the past few weeks, and House Republicans suffered a major setback Wednesday when they had to pull their first domestic spending bill of the year from the floor, realizing they didn't have the votes to pass it. Published July 31, 2013
Judge tosses immigration agents’ suit against Napolitano
A federal judge dismissed immigration agents' lawsuit trying to overturn the administration's non-deportation policies, arguing the court didn't have jurisdiction because it was a personnel matter subject to collective bargaining. Published July 31, 2013
