Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Roberts ruling rescues Obama from his own words
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. ignored President Obama's words, and instead found a way to uphold his health care law in Thursday's health ruling. Published June 28, 2012
Pollsters expect health law to remain unpopular
The Supreme Court approved of President Obama's health law on Thursday, but voters have never been as sold. Published June 28, 2012
Sides dig in as contempt vote on Holder looms
The House careened toward a Thursday vote to hold Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in contempt of Congress after Republicans rejected the Justice Department's final offer for turning over a limited set of documents, saying it wasn't sufficient to complete their investigation into Fast and Furious. Published June 27, 2012
‘Audit the Fed’ bill advances in House
The House oversight committee voted Wednesday to demand a broad audit of the Federal Reserve System by congressional investigators — a major move that lawmakers said is designed to bring accountability to the murky workings of the independent central bank. Published June 27, 2012
Tax cheats got $1.4 billion in stimulus loans
Tax cheats were given $1.4 billion in government-backed mortgage loans under President Obama's economic stimulus, and the government doled out at least an additional $27 million in tax credits to delinquents who took the first-time-homebuyer tax break, according to a government audit released Wednesday. Published June 27, 2012
Obama gains power and pressure for enforcement
The good news for President Obama out of Monday's Supreme Court immigration ruling is that the justices all seemed to agree that he has broad discretion over whom he chooses to deport. The bad news for him is that he is about to face extreme pressure to grant a blanket exemption to most illegal immigrants, particularly those who now will be found by local police in Arizona. Published June 25, 2012
Split court upholds Ariz. immigration checks
The Supreme Court on Monday struck down most of Arizona's tough immigration law as an unlawful infringement on federal power, but upheld what backers called the "heart" of the law, which lets police stop and question the immigration status of those they suspect are in the country illegally. Published June 25, 2012
Homeland Security suspends immigration agreements with Arizona police
The Obama administration said Monday it is suspending existing agreements with Arizona police over enforcement of federal immigration laws, and said it has issued a directive telling federal authorities to decline many of the calls reporting illegal immigrants that the Homeland Security Department may get from Arizona police. Published June 25, 2012
Obama loses on issue of police immigration stops
An irony of the Supreme Court's ruling Monday on Arizona's law is that the part about which President Obama and his top advisers most complained is the one part the court upheld. Published June 25, 2012
Supreme Court nixes Montana curb on campaign spending
The Supreme Court on Monday overturned Montana's century-old campaign-finance restrictions, in a decision that reaffirmed the high court's earlier ruling that corporations and unions are entitled to free-speech rights in political campaigns. Published June 25, 2012
Supreme Court upholds key plank of Arizona immigration law
The Supreme Court on Monday struck down most of Arizona's tough immigration law as an unlawful infringement on federal power, but it upheld the most important plank, which allows police to stop and question the immigration status of those they suspect are in the country illegally. Published June 25, 2012
‘Si se puede’: Obama basks in Hispanics’ appreciation
President Obama took a victory lap Friday with Hispanic leaders, saying he moved to halt deportations of young illegal immigrants because he was tired of fighting a losing battle in Congress. Published June 22, 2012
Rubio tries to claim middle ground on immigration
In a stern address seeking to reclaim elusive middle ground on immigration, Sen. Marco Rubio told Hispanic leaders on Friday that they need to elevate the issue beyond the political firestorm of the presidential campaign and instead work to rebuild trust with voters. Published June 22, 2012
Romney hedges on keeping Obama’s amnesty in place
Declaring immigration reform a "moral imperative," Mitt Romney on Thursday laid out a broad vision for increasing legal immigration both for businesses and for family reunification, but also vowed to step up border enforcement and complete "a high-tech fence" along the U.S.-Mexico border. Published June 21, 2012
Romney calls immigration reform ‘moral imperative’
Mitt Romney called immigration reform a "moral imperative" Thursday, laying out his vision for a broad increase in legal immigration for both business and family reunification and vowing to complete what he called "a high-tech fence" along the border. Published June 21, 2012
Immigration decision alters campaigns’ focus
President Obama's speech Friday to one of the country's largest Hispanic organizations has changed from a potential trip through the gantlet into what amounts to a victory lap after he announced last week that he was unilaterally halting deportations of young illegal immigrants. Published June 20, 2012
Broken campaign promise: Feds fail to meet Obama goal to cut Web waste
It was one of President Obama's marquee pledges for cutting waste — an administration team under the direction of Vice President Joseph R. Biden would slash the proliferating number of federal websites in half within a year. Published June 19, 2012
Medicare-claims fraud suspected for penis pumps
A new report by federal auditors says a Kansas-based company may have paid out as much as $4.2 million in potentially fraudulent Medicare claims for penis pumps, and the auditors are asking the company to refund the government the money. Published June 19, 2012
Romney hits ‘timing’ of Obama’s decision on illegals
Presumed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney on Sunday refused to say whether he would revoke President Obama's decision to categorically stop deporting young-adult illegal immigrants as the ramifications of the administration's election-year move last week continued to reverberate. Published June 17, 2012
Obama grants legal status to young illegal immigrants
The Obama administration said Friday it will stop deporting most illegal immigrant students and young adults in a campaign-year move that escalates the immigration debate to the fore. Published June 15, 2012