Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Bush withdraws N.Y. builder’s pardon
In what may be an unprecedented step, President Bush on Wednesday revoked a pardon he granted just a day earlier to a man whose family contributed heavily to Republicans this year. Published December 25, 2008
Obama met with feds over Blagojevich investigation
UPDATED: President-elect Barack Obama has been interviewed by federal authorities in connection with the arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but an internal inquiry has found no inappropriate contacts by Mr. Obama or anyone else on his team, according to a report the presidential transition team released Tuesday. Published December 23, 2008
Biden vows no pet project in stimulus bill
Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. said Tuesday that the new administration will not allow Washington pork-barrel projects into its planned stimulus spending bill, which the transition team has said could reach nearly $1 trillion. Published December 23, 2008
Obama contact report due Tuesday
President-elect Barack Obama has promised an open transition but, federal open records laws do not apply to his transition team - meaning deliberations, meetings with interest groups or even e-mail communications between his staffers and Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich are only as open as Mr. Obama wants them to be. Published December 23, 2008
Obama names climate change experts to posts
President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday said he will "once again put science at the top of our agenda" and announced a science and technology team that continues Mr. Obama's vow to tackle global warming. Published December 20, 2008
Automakers get bailout with strings
President Bush said Friday that he will offer a $17.4 billion government loan to bail out automakers and force them to modernize, but the United Auto Workers union said it will push Democrats in Congress to drop some of the conditions Mr. Bush wants to impose. Published December 20, 2008
Bush spells out the auto restructuring plan
UPDATED: Hours after President Bush announced Friday he would offer $17.4 billion in loans to bail out automakers, the auto workers union said it will push Democrats in Congress to drop some of the conditions. Published December 19, 2008
Hurdle removed for Sen. Clinton
President Bush on Friday cleared the legal hurdle to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton becoming the next secretary of state by signing a reduction in the job's salary. Published December 19, 2008
Obama: Wall St. to get ‘adult supervision’
President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday said he will force "a shift in ethics" on Wall Street and argued for new, aggressive controls on markets as he named his financial regulatory team. Published December 19, 2008
Obama vows to rein in Wall St. excesses
President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday said he will impose "a shift in ethics" on Wall Street, arguing for new, aggressive controls on markets as he named his financial regulatory team. Published December 18, 2008
Gay man backed for Navy secretary
Some top retired military leaders and Democrats in Congress are backing William White to be the next secretary of the Navy -- a move that would put the first openly gay person at a high role. Published December 18, 2008
Blagojevich link stings even rival union
Gerald W. McEntee, president of one of the nation's largest unions, said the labor movement was damaged when the FBI linked a competing union to Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich's effort to sell Illinois' U.S. Senate seat and it hurts labor's push to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, unions' big legislative priority. Published December 18, 2008
Obama team clears itself on Blagojevich
UPDATED: President-elect Barack Obama said Monday that his transition team has completed its review of contacts with Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and has found itself blameless, but won't release the findings until next week. Published December 16, 2008
Bush shoe-throwing goes viral
UPDATED: It took two shoes to do it, but the lame duck finally has become an Internet phenomenon. Published December 16, 2008
Review finds transition team blameless
President-elect Barack Obama's transition team said Monday it has completed its review of contacts with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and has found itself blameless, but won't release the findings until next week. Published December 15, 2008
Bush shoe-throwing goes viral
It took two shoes to do it, but the lame duck has finally become an Internet phenomenon. Published December 15, 2008
Bush holiday extension to cost $450 million
The outgoing Bush administration has one final gift for federal employees - a paid holiday on Dec. 26, at a cost of $450 million in holiday pay and salary for lost productivity from those who get the day off, according to one watchdog's estimate. Published December 15, 2008
Obama names choice for HUD secretary
President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday said he will nominate Shaun Donovan, New York City's housing development commissioner, to shepherd the nation through the distressed housing market as secretary of housing and urban development. Published December 13, 2008
Bush’s auto U-turn incites GOP
Republicans angrily demanded that President Bush respect the legislative process after the Senate blocked financial aid to the automakers and the White House said that using Wall Street bailout funds is an option. Published December 13, 2008
Automaker bill failure sparks GOP intra-party war
UPDATED: Republicans on Friday angrily demanded that President Bush respect the legislative process after the White House declared it could rescue automakers on its own, following the Senate's block of the bailout measure. Published December 12, 2008
