Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Supreme Court tosses murder conviction of man who sat on death row for decades
Richard Glossip was about to be executed in 2015, saved at the last minute only because of a mix-up in the lethal injection drugs Oklahoma had planned to use. Published February 25, 2025
Office of Special Counsel wants 45-day delay in Trump firings
The government's top cop for policing federal workers' rights has urged the Merit Systems Protection Board to hit pause on the Trump administration's attempt to fire some probationary workers, saying it appears the ousters are "impermissible." Published February 25, 2025
Trump’s tally: 38,000 feds fired so far, 6,000 of them veterans
House Democrats have calculated that more than 38,000 federal workers have been canned so far as part of President Trump's early moves to remake the federal bureaucracy, and nearly 6,000 of them are veterans. Published February 25, 2025
DHS sees best border numbers in 15 years
The Border Patrol saw its best single day in more than 15 years with just 200 illegal immigrants nabbed at the southern border, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday. Published February 24, 2025
Trump wins first round vs. AP in fight over ‘Gulf of America’
A federal judge declined Monday to order the White House to restore The Associated Press' special access to presidential news coverage, delivering the first round of the legal battle to President Trump. Published February 24, 2025
ICE, Texas move against massive migrant settlement, Gov. Abbott says
Federal agents and Texas state troopers moved in on Colony Ridge, a major migrant settlement that sprang up in recent years and has become a magnet for new arrivals -- and sparked reports of rampant crime. Published February 24, 2025
Judge rules against Homeland Security’s new policy allowing arrests at churches
A federal judge in Maryland ruled Monday that the Trump administration acted too hastily with its new policy unshackling immigration officers to make arrests anywhere, including churches, saying such actions would trample on the rights of churches and temples to conduct their services. Published February 24, 2025
Sanctuary cities sue to stop Trump’s DOJ from prosecuting them
Two sanctuary cities in Massachusetts have sued President Trump and the Justice Department in an extraordinary lawsuit that asks a judge to block the feds from bringing criminal charges against city leaders. Published February 24, 2025
DOJ: Associated Press doesn’t deserve ‘unfettered access’ to president
The Department of Justice on Monday defended President Trump's decision to kick The Associated Press out of the "pool" that covers the White House. Published February 24, 2025
New York City to shut down notorious migrant shelter at Roosevelt Hotel
New York City's migrant shelter at the Roosevelt Hotel, which had become a symbol of the Biden border crisis, will soon be shut down, Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday. Published February 24, 2025
Judge blocks DOGE access to Education Department, federal personnel files
A federal judge in Maryland issued a temporary injunction Monday blocking the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing student loan systems at the Education Department and a broader set of personnel files at the Office of Personnel Management. Published February 24, 2025
Supreme Court demurs on Trump’s first appeal over firing powers
The Supreme Court has rebuffed President Trump's initial attempt to expand his firing powers, as the first case involving the new administration's aggressive agenda reached the high court. Published February 23, 2025
Trump on major losing streak on birthright citizenship
President Trump's deadline for denying automatic citizenship to illegal immigrants passed with barely a whimper last week as the policy remains snared in a web of court rulings -- all of them against the president. Published February 23, 2025
New York City sues to force feds to give back $80 million in migrant money
New York filed a lawsuit Friday asking a judge to restore $80 million in migrant aid money that the Trump administration plucked out of the city's accounts earlier this month. Published February 22, 2025
Judge says Musk’s DOGE can access federal employee data
A federal judge has refused to shut down the Department of Government Efficiency's access to human resources files of government employees, saying there was no "concrete evidence" that the DOGE was misusing the data right now. Published February 21, 2025
Supreme Court rebuffs Trump’s attempt to oust special counsel — for now
The Supreme Court has ruled that one of the government agency leaders whom President Trump wants to fire can remain on the job for at least another week. Published February 21, 2025
Judge releases hold on Trump’s plan to slash USAID
A federal judge lifted his order that had blocked President Trump from carrying out a mass shakeup at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Published February 21, 2025
Trump removes acting ICE director as administration seeks to ramp up deportations
The administration has ousted the head of the government's deportation force, according to a new report that said President Trump was upset with the slow pace of deportations. Published February 21, 2025
Catholic bishops lose first round to Trump in court battle over refugee money
A federal judge on Thursday rejected the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' request to turn back on the spigot of federal money the government formerly paid outside groups to help settle refugees. Published February 20, 2025
DHS reverses deportation amnesty for Haitians, could pave path for more expulsions
Homeland Security on Thursday unwound the Biden administration's attempt to lock in 18 extra months of a deportation amnesty for Haitian migrants, saying it was an abuse of the system. Published February 20, 2025
