Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Appeals courts increasingly skeptical of gun controls in wake of Supreme Court rulings
It's been a busy summer for federal judges as they've wrestled with the Second Amendment and the U.S. Supreme Court's significant but confusing string of gun rulings over the last few years. Published September 5, 2024
Taxpayer-funded Biden road signs don’t violate Hatch Act
President Biden's self-promoting road signs bragging that he secured taxpayer money for infrastructure projects don't cross the line into illegal campaign activity, the government's chief Hatch Act watchdog has concluded. Published September 5, 2024
Navy secretary slapped with Hatch Act violation for urging Biden’s reelection
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro got too political earlier this year when he used a trip to Britain to urge the reelection of President Biden and to denigrate former President Donald Trump -- and ended up violating the Hatch Act, the government's Office of Special Counsel has concluded. Published September 5, 2024
Russians accused of interfering in politics; disinformation sows U.S. discord
The Biden administration accused Russia on Wednesday of a wide-ranging and sophisticated effort to disrupt U.S. politics with misinformation crafted in Moscow and injected into the American discourse through unwitting American social media "influencers." Published September 4, 2024
Texas attorney general sues to stop mass voter registration mailings
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Bexar County on Wednesday to stop officials' plans to mass-mail voter registration forms to residents, saying they could end up in the hands of illegal immigrants and others ineligible to vote. Published September 4, 2024
Biden’s tax threshold adds marriage penalty; couples at higher risk for federal audits
President Biden introduced a "potential marriage penalty" into the tax system when he ordered the IRS to conduct more audits of higher-income Americans, the agency's inspector general said. Published September 3, 2024
Taxpayers foot bill for Mayorkas’ generosity; employees given $2.6 billion in extra vacation time
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has given so much extra time off to department employees that one of his agencies has had to create an internal system to help employees keep track of it. Published September 2, 2024
Feds violate OSHA standards at thousands of government properties
The Environmental Protection Agency, which polices chemical contaminants, has been subjecting employees at its Chicago offices to water contaminated with metal and Legionella, the bacteria that causes the deadly Legionnaires' disease. Published August 29, 2024
FBI continues to mishandle child sex-crime allegations, inspector general finds
Years after its damning failure to investigate former U.S. Olympic doctor and serial sex predator Larry Nassar, the FBI still isn't handling child sex crime reports properly, an inspector general said Thursday. Published August 29, 2024
Feds charge two foreign men for swatting Marjorie Taylor Greene, scores of other officials
Federal authorities unveiled charges Wednesday against two foreigners they say were responsible for a flood of dangerous "swatting" incidents against senior administration officials and members of Congress, including one that matches the Christmas Day attack on Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Published August 28, 2024
Afghan evacuees strive to navigate U.S. culture after 3 years; aid groups help ease settlement
The Afghan evacuee experiment is still very real -- both for the evacuees and the communities that welcome them. More are still trickling in, though it's a fraction of the rushed days of late 2021, when they arrived by the tens of thousands, hastily whisked out of Kabul, sent to U.S. military bases and then released into communities to try to find their way. Published August 28, 2024
Harris seems to stand on same side of wall as Trump; voters wonder whether she’s flipped on border
A report Tuesday that Vice President Kamala Harris had flip-flopped on her support for former President Donald Trump's border wall reverberated around Washington, leaving Americans to wonder how real it is. Published August 27, 2024
Biden blasts judge who stopped his amnesty for illegal immigrant spouses
President Biden lashed out at a federal judge Tuesday after the court in Texas stopped a new program designed to help illegal immigrants married to U.S. citizens. Published August 27, 2024
Judge puts Biden’s illegal immigrant spouse ‘parole’ program on hold
A federal judge issued an order Monday halting President Biden's new deportation amnesty for illegal-immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens, saying it makes sense to keep the program on ice until courts can decide whether it is legal. Published August 26, 2024
Barni, a German shorthaired pointer, wins TSA’s ‘cutest canine’ of 2024
A 5-year-old explosives detection dog who works at San Francisco International Airport has won the Transportation Security Administration's "cutest canine" distinction. Published August 26, 2024
DHS seeking quick restart of fraud-filled ‘parole’ program for migrants, calls for volunteers
Homeland Security's citizenship agency has put out a call for volunteers who can help process applications for a fraud-plagued program that allows unauthorized migrants from some Latin American nations to skip the border and fly directly into the U.S. Published August 25, 2024
Texas sues to stop new Biden amnesty for migrant spouses
Texas led a coalition of Republican-led states Friday in suing to stop President Biden's new "parole" program for illegal immigrant spouses married to U.S. citizens, saying that it is unconstitutional and the administration cut too many corners in rushing it to fruition. Published August 23, 2024
Border Patrol agent accused of making women expose themselves as part of immigration ‘search’
A Border Patrol agent has been charged in federal court with civil rights crimes after prosecutors say he forced three women to expose their breasts to him as part of a search as they entered the U.S. Published August 23, 2024
Shooting victims use Democratic convention to call for new gun controls
A second grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary described to the Democratic National Convention on Thursday the horror of hearing 154 gunshots, mowing down 20 first graders, as she sang and read to her class to try to drown out the terror. Published August 22, 2024
Democrats promise joy, spew vitriol at Trump
Democrats taking the stage of their national convention this week have labeled former President Donald Trump "dangerous," a "clear and present danger" and a "direct threat to democracy." Published August 22, 2024
