Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Obama immigrant release included drunk drivers
The Obama administration's top deportation official acknowledged on Tuesday that he could have asked Congress for flexibility to avoid having to release more than 2,000 immigrants back onto the streets ahead of the budget sequesters, but he decided the releases were a better option. Published March 19, 2013
Congress revives push for Marine to get Medal of Honor
Three months after former Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta denied him the Medal of Honor, Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta's congressional backers have started a new effort to have him awarded the nation's top military honor. Published March 19, 2013
Congress closer to agreement on illegals
Top House leaders said Tuesday they're inching closer to an immigration deal they can bring to the floor for a vote "in the near term," and political momentum continued to build across the Capitol with Sen. Rand Paul adding his voice to those calling for the GOP to take a softer line on illegal immigration. Published March 19, 2013
It’s a hot potato in Washington, but immigration fervor cools in the states
The immigration debate may be ramping up in Washington but it's chilled in the states, where the crackdown fervor of two years ago has given way to a cautious approach amid changing political currents and court decisions. Published March 18, 2013
Budget no-shows a bipartisan trend: Obama, Senate Republicans fail to produce federal plans
As the budget debate begins in earnest in Congress this week, President Obama and Senate Republicans have something in common — neither of them has produced a federal budget yet this year. Published March 18, 2013
Obama nominates embattled Thomas E. Perez for Labor secretary
President Obama Monday nominated Thomas E. Perez to be the next Labor Department secretary — setting up yet another contentious confirmation battle in the Senate. Published March 18, 2013
Rand Paul wins The Washington Times-CPAC 2013 Straw Poll
Sen. Rand Paul won the 2013 Washington Times-CPAC presidential preference straw poll this past weekend with Sen. Marco Rubio coming in a close second, easily outdistancing the rest of the field and signaling the rise of a new generation of conservative leaders. Published March 16, 2013
House defeats minimum wage increase
The House on Friday rejected a Democratic push to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10, shooting down one of President Obama's priorities from his State of the Union speech. Published March 15, 2013
Bipartisan proposal would add Hispanic museum to Mall
A bipartisan group of lawmakers Thursday proposed adding an American Latino museum to the Mall, saying it's time to recognize the growing public role and power of the Hispanic population in the U.S. Published March 14, 2013
Broadest gun ban in two decades clears Senate committee
Senate Democrats pushed the broadest gun ban in decades through the Judiciary Committee on Thursday, voting to halt sales of military-style semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines in what's likely to be the high-water mark for gun control after December's Newtown, Conn., shooting spree. Published March 14, 2013
Sequester do-over: Feds recaptured 4 immigrants released under budget cuts
The Obama administration said Thursday it had rearrested and brought back four of the most dangerous immigrants it released from detention last month in the run-up to the budget sequestration. Published March 14, 2013
CPAC 2013: Straw poll signals wide-open 2016 presidential race
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie may not have been invited to speak at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference — but his name has made CPAC's presidential straw poll as one of the 23 listed hopefuls to be the GOP's nominee in 2016. Published March 14, 2013
‘No sacred cows’ in Democratic spending plan
Four years after they last passed a budget through the Senate, Democrats announced a new blueprint for federal spending Wednesday that proposes significant tax increases, new stimulus spending and some budget cuts — making slight headway in controlling federal debt. Published March 13, 2013
Senate Democrats join push to cut Obama’s illegal immigrant advocate
Buried inside the Senate's massive spending bill is a provision eliminating the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Public Advocate — an office President Obama created just last year to hear complaints about how immigrants were being treated. Published March 12, 2013
Obama to appeal recess appointment ruling to Supreme Court
President Obama will elevate the controversy over his recess appointment powers to the highest level, with the National Labor Relations Board announcing Tuesday it will appeal to the Supreme Court a lower-court ruling that held his appointments to the board were illegal. Published March 12, 2013
EPA email: Goal was ‘shaming’ states into compliance
Internal EPA emails released Tuesday show an agency hostile to new energy production in the U.S. and an effort at "shaming" states into complying with Obama administration environmental priorities, according to the top Republican on the Senate environment committee. Published March 12, 2013
Sequester spending: Feds pay $227,000 to study magazine photographs
Some of the toughest sequester spending decisions involve taxpayer-financed research, where funding today can produce huge benefits tomorrow — but can the government really afford to spend $227,437 to study pictures of animals in National Geographic magazines? Published March 11, 2013
Backlash grows over release of detained immigrants; GOP wants to know who gave final approval
The Obama administration's decision to release some immigrants awaiting deportation back into the community has spawned a furious backlash from Congress, where stunned lawmakers have besieged the Homeland Security Department with questions. Published March 11, 2013
Court curbs laptop searches at U.S. border
The Border Patrol cannot confiscate or download every laptop or electronic device brought into the U.S., a federal appeals court said, ruling that people have an expectation their data are private and that the government must have "reasonable suspicion" before it starts to snoop. Published March 8, 2013
Senator: EPA lied about using private emails
Environmental Protection Agency officials lied when they said a top official used his private email only once for public business, a Republican senator said Friday as he released copies of several emails in which that official conducted business with the EPA's director and with outside groups. Published March 8, 2013
