Stephen Dinan

No more for the road, Smith says

After a Catholic nun's death earlier this month in a drunken-driving crash that police say was caused by a repeat-offender illegal immigrant, a key lawmaker wants the federal government to start detaining and deporting every illegal immigrant who commits a drunken-driving offense. Published August 15, 2010

Border-security measure sent to Obama

Congress on Thursday passed and sent President Obama a $600 million bill to pay for more law enforcement on the U.S.-Mexico border, and Senate Democrats said they've now proved they are "serious" about security. Published August 12, 2010

Senate hustles through $600M border bill

Congress on Thursday passed and sent President Obama a $600 million bill to pay for more law enforcement on the U.S.-Mexico border, and Senate Democrats said they've now proved they are "serious" about security and can turn their attention to restarting talks on legalizing illegal immigrants. Published August 12, 2010

Obama noshes on Gulf seafood to stimulate industry

It's not clear whether President Obama's stomach can save an entire industry, but he's making a real go of it when it comes to seafood from the Gulf of Mexico. Published August 11, 2010

Unanimous Senate OKs $600M for border

The Senate voted to hire 1,000 more U.S. Border Patrol agents as part of a border-security bill, acting swiftly in the hours before they left to face constituents. Published August 5, 2010

Health law could aid Medicare solvency

Social Security will pay more in benefits this year than it will take in because of payroll taxes in the sluggish economy, but Medicare's solvency could be extended by years thanks to the new health care law, according to two reports on the government's big entitlement programs released Thursday. Published August 5, 2010

Senate passes last-minute border security boost

The Senate on Thursday voted to hire 1,000 more U.S. Border Patrol agents as part of a $600 million border security bill, acting swiftly in the hours before they left to face constituents during their five-week summer vacation. Published August 5, 2010

Social Security in the red this year

Social Security will pay out more this year than it gets in payroll taxes, marking the first time the program will be in the red, according to the annual authoritative report released Thursday by the program's actuary. Published August 5, 2010

Senate OKs vote on cash to states

Congress is poised to extend a taxpayer-funded lifeline to cash-strapped states after the Senate on Wednesday advanced another round of $26 billion in stimulus spending for teachers and health care, and House Democrats said they will break their six-week summer vacation to return to Washington to vote on it next week. Published August 4, 2010

Senate advances new government job stimulus

The Senate on Wednesday tossed a taxpayer-funded lifeline to financially strapped states, advancing a bill that would extend parts of last year's stimulus bill to cover more health care costs and fund more state and local government jobs. Published August 4, 2010

Napolitano seeks review of illegal immigrant’s release

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has demanded a review of why federal immigration authorities released an illegal immigrant after a drunken-driving arrest in 2008 and who now has been charged with manslaughter stemming for a suspected drunken-driving crash that killed a Catholic nun this weekend. Published August 3, 2010

Waters faces ethics charge

The House ethics committee will accuse Rep. Maxine Waters of breaking the chamber's rules after a year-long investigation into allegations she sought the Treasury Department's help for a bank in which her husband was invested, the committee said Monday. Published August 2, 2010

Illegal immigrant who killed nun in accident was released by feds

UPDATED: The Virginia man suspected in a drunken-driving crash that killed a Catholic nun in Prince William County this weekend is an illegal immigrant and repeat offender who was awaiting deportation and whom federal immigration authorities had released pending further proceedings, police said Monday. Published August 2, 2010

House ethics panel files charges against Maxine Waters

The House ethics committee will charge that Rep. Maxine Waters violated the chamber's rules after a yearlong investigation into allegations she tried to aid a bank in which her husband was invested, the committee said Monday. Published August 2, 2010

Memo outlines backdoor ‘amnesty’ plan

With Congress gridlocked on an immigration bill, the Obama administration is considering using a back door to stop deporting many illegal immigrants - what a draft government memo said could be "a non-legislative version of amnesty." Published July 29, 2010

House panel lodges 13 ethics charges against Rangel

Kicking off what promises to be a politically perilous process, the House ethics committee on Thursday officially lodged 13 different charges against Rep. Charles B. Rangel, including that he used his office to raise more than $8 million for a college public policy center named after him. Published July 29, 2010

Feds win round 1 against Arizona

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked key parts of Arizona's tough new immigration law one day before it was to take effect, setting up a protracted legal battle and ensuring the issue will continue to roil the country through November's elections.. Published July 28, 2010

House GOP helps Obama fund war

Republicans came to President Obama's rescue Tuesday, providing him the votes needed for quick passage of a $59 billion emergency war-spending bill to fund his 30,000 Afghanistan troop surge. Published July 27, 2010

Senate GOP blocks campaign-finance bill

Senate Republicans launched a successful filibuster Tuesday to uphold the Supreme Court's decision earlier this year that allows corporations and unions to spend freely on campaign ads. Published July 27, 2010

Rangel charges shake up alliances

Democrats scrambled Monday to handle the fallout from ethics charges against Rep. Charles B. Rangel and tried to head off a politically costly public hearing, but Republicans said they wanted to see the ethics committee process play out. Published July 26, 2010