Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
N.J. Gov. Christie now wants in-state tuition for illegal immigrants
Immigrant-rights activists say New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie reversed himself Saturday and endorsed giving illegal immigrants in-state college tuition rates, and said he will try to get the issue through his legislature in a lame-duck session. Published October 13, 2013
Reset: New round of talks begin after negotiations collapse
As the government shutdown entered its 12th day, the best lawmakers on Capitol Hill could say on Saturday is that they've started talking — again. Published October 12, 2013
Grand Canyon to reopen despite shutdown
Arizona and the federal Interior Department agreed Friday to reopen Grand Canyon National Park for at least a week, with the state ponying up $651,000 to fund the National Park Service's operations in the midst of the government shutdown. Published October 11, 2013
Utah, Colorado parks to reopen amid shutdown; Arizona still waiting
Utah has agreed to pay the federal government $1.7 million to open up eight national parks during the government shutdown, and the National Park Service officials said they would consider similar agreements with other states — but were apparently "dragging their feet" with Arizona. Published October 11, 2013
Activists block buses, shut down immigration court in Tucson
Immigrant-rights activists said Friday morning they are blocking buses in Tucson, Ariz., filled with illegal immigrants who are on their way to be being sentenced to jail and then processed for deportation. Published October 11, 2013
Reid says House debt offer won’t work
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday that the six-week debt limit holiday House Republicans proposed is bad policy that would mean the government would be right back in the same situation soon. Published October 11, 2013
Obama urged not to expand nondeportation policy for immigrants
A bipartisan group of immigration reform advocates urged President Obama on Thursday not to use executive action to expand his Dream Act nondeportation policy to all illegal immigrants, saying it would not only be potentially illegal but could ruin the chances for a big bill to pass Congress. Published October 10, 2013
Debt deals between president, Congress nearly as old as the nation
President Obama says it would be folly for the White House to negotiate with Congress over the government's debt — but the nation's founders thought differently. Published October 10, 2013
GOP relents, offers to raise debt limit; White House mulling proposal
House Republicans gave ground Thursday in the debt ceiling fight by offering to raise the nation’s borrowing limit for six weeks, and the White House said President Obama might sign such a measure to avoid default. Published October 10, 2013
Obama will consider signing GOP’s 6-week extension on debt ceiling
House Republicans gave ground Thursday in the debt ceiling fight by offering to raise the nation's borrowing limit for six weeks, and the White House said President Obama might sign such a measure to avoid default. Published October 10, 2013
Boehner to propose short-term debt increase: Report
House Speaker John A. Boehner will ask his fellow Republicans at a Thursday morning meeting to approve a short-term debt increase, the Associated Press reported — a move that would give them time to negotiate a broader deal. Published October 10, 2013
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew refuses to lay out priorities for post-debt spending
Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew refused to tell Congress on Thursday how he would prioritize spending obligations in the event the Treasury Department hits the $16.7 trillion debt limit, saying that he doesn't know what the legal framework would be for making those decisions. Published October 10, 2013
First Amendment used to break Park Service barriers during shutdown
Taking their lead from the veterans who first pushed through the barricades to visit the World War II Memorial, Americans nationwide are defying the federal government shutdown, tossing aside traffic cones and toppling wooden fences to get to national parks and other federal lands that the administration has deemed out of bounds. Published October 9, 2013
Republicans say Obamacare official leaked IRS data
House Republican investigators Wednesday accused the woman in charge of the IRS' Obamacare compliance office of having leaked private taxpayer information to the White House, saying that calls into question the agency's trustworthiness in administering the new health care reform law. Published October 9, 2013
Park Service relents, opens World War II Memorial — somewhat
The barricades are still up at the World War II Memorial but the Park Service has left an opening — figuratively and literally — for Americans who want to exercise their First Amendment rights. Published October 9, 2013
Koch Industries: We’re not controlling the shutdown
Koch Industries sent a letter Wednesday to senators declaring they are not pulling the strings behind the scene to orchestrate the government shutdown. Published October 9, 2013
Supreme Court skeptical of campaign finance cap
Supreme Court justices signaled Tuesday that they aren't sold on current campaign finance laws that limit how much Americans can contribute directly to candidates and political parties, as the court met for the first major oral argument of its new term. Published October 8, 2013
Alaska slams feds for keeping hunters off land
Alaska lawmakers accused the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of violating federal law by shutting down hunting on its lands during the government shutdown, saying a 1980 law guarantees state residents must have access to the land. Published October 8, 2013
Supreme Court signals skepticism of campaign finance limits
The Supreme Court seemed skeptical Tuesday of the web of campaign finance regulations they and Congress have left in place, as the justices heard a case that legal analysts said could end up erasing one of the remaining campaign finance limits on individuals. Published October 8, 2013
Congress flies blind during shutdown with deficit of budget reports
One casualty of the government shutdown is that key agencies no longer are producing exactly the kind of budget information on deficits, spending and the economy that could help inform Congress as it debates just those issues. Published October 7, 2013
