Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
GOP reverses course, kicks debt extension down the road
House Republicans backed away from threats of a government shutdown on Wednesday, passing a bill that pushes a debt crisis off until at least the middle of May to give all sides more space to negotiate broader tax and spending deals. Published January 23, 2013
Tying members’ pay to debt limit legal, GOP says
House Republicans will force a vote Wednesday on a plan to stave off a debt-ceiling crisis for three months, but it's the rest of their plan — to hold lawmakers' pay hostage to their ability to pass a budget — that is testing the limits of the Constitution. Published January 22, 2013
Obama uses the Constitution as basis for his aggressive plans
President Obama's appeal for unity in his inaugural address four years ago gave way Monday to a more pointedly aggressive vision of liberalism and social justice, coming from a chief executive who survived his first term's legislative battles and is determined to make his second term consequential. Published January 21, 2013
Biden seems revved up and ready for 2016
Even as President Obama on Monday grasped the reins of power for another four years, the man who would be his successor — Vice President Joseph R. Biden — was never far away. Published January 21, 2013
Obama gut-busting lunch menu tops 3,000 calories
The ceremonial lunch President Obama and his former congressional colleagues are eating Monday tops out at 3,000 calories, according to a website that has tallied up the luxurious menu of lobster, bison and apple pie. Published January 21, 2013
Inauguration 2013: Mall swells with event crowd at the Capitol
Hundreds of thousands of well-wishers for President Obama were streaming onto the National Mall in front of the Capitol early Monday morning in anticipation of the ceremonial inauguration. Published January 21, 2013
Inauguration 2013: Political cooperation? Little hope for change as Obama starts second term
Americans enter President Obama's second term more upbeat about the direction of the country than they were four years ago, when the recession was at its depths, but voters are less sure that government can be of any use to them. Published January 21, 2013
Inauguration 2013: Obama faces a daunting 4 years as he takes the reins for second term
Barack Hussein Obama took the presidential oath at 11:55 Sunday morning in a small ceremony at the White House, gripping the reins of office for another four-year term and a chance to build on his already historic legacy — though unlike the beginning of his first term, he now faces a divided Congress capable of thwarting him. Published January 20, 2013
Four years after Obama’s signature promise, Gitmo is still open
It was one of Barack Obama's marquee campaign promises in 2008: Close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which would erase a terrorist recruiting tool and a black spot on America's human rights record. Published January 20, 2013
Biden officially sworn in to second term
Vice President Joseph R. Biden was officially sworn in to a second term of office Sunday morning at a small ceremony at the Naval Observatory, hours ahead of President Obama's expected inauguration in a similar ceremony at the White House. Published January 20, 2013
Obama administration eases path for ‘Dreamers’ to get behind the wheel
The Obama administration says that illegal immigrants who qualify for its new non-deportation policy are now "considered to be lawfully present" in the U.S. — a legal status that could help them to get driver's licenses. Published January 18, 2013
TSA to scrap full-body ‘naked’ X-ray scanners
The Obama administration says it will scrap the controversial airport X-ray machines that critics said showed a little too much of travelers' bodies. Published January 18, 2013
Leahy: Abolish mandatory minimum sentences
The longest-serving Democrat in the Senate on Wednesday called for scrapping mandatory minimum sentences at both the federal and state levels, and said he wants Congress to take a critical look at the way U.S. law enforcement agencies use drones. Published January 16, 2013
Critics of violent films, video games note the call for study, not controls
President Obama's plans to curb gun violence focus heavily on firearm restrictions and on mental health, but video games and movies — two cultural issues that many Americans blame for violence — got little attention Wednesday. Published January 16, 2013
Obama using gun issue to advance health law
President Obama is using the national debate over gun violence to push for further action on his health care law, including insisting on the kind of mental health coverage states must provide under their Medicaid programs. Published January 16, 2013
Top Senate Democrat warns against police use of drones
The senior Democrat in the Senate on Wednesday called for scrapping mandatory minimum sentences at both the federal and state levels and said he wants Congress to take a critical look at the way police agencies in the United States are using drones. Published January 16, 2013
House’s reading of Constitution speaks volumes
What if they read the Constitution and barely anybody came? Published January 15, 2013
Sandy funding passes House; GOP is denied cost offsets
The House on Tuesday approved $50 billion in emergency funds for Superstorm Sandy relief, rejecting conservatives' plea to offset the spending with cuts as most lawmakers said worries about the deficit need to take a back seat when natural disasters strike. Published January 15, 2013
Constitution reading draws yawns from House
What if they read the Constitution and nobody came? Published January 15, 2013
Schumer says he’ll back Hagel nomination for Pentagon
Sen. Charles E. Schumer said Tuesday he will vote to confirm former Sen. Chuck Hagel to be secretary of defense, clearing a major hurdle to President Obama's pick for the Pentagon chief. Published January 15, 2013
