Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Biden’s DOJ rushes to file Jan. 6 cases ahead of Trump’s inauguration, promised pardons
President-elect Donald Trump's plans to pardon Jan. 6 protesters have done little to slow the FBI and federal prosecutors, who continue to make arrests and pursue hefty sentences for those who breached the U.S. Capitol grounds more than four years ago. Published January 17, 2025
Noem says Trump will revive ‘Remain in Mexico’ border policy
Kristi Noem, the nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, called the U.S. southern border a 'war zone' and said her chief mission at the helm of the department would be to get a handle on the immigration crisis. Published January 17, 2025
National Archives rebuffs Biden’s attempt to add Equal Rights Amendment to Constitution
The National Archives poured cold water Friday on President Biden's declaration that the Equal Rights Amendment is now part of the Constitution, saying courts and Mr. Biden's own Justice Department have rejected that notion. Published January 17, 2025
Senate clears final filibuster on Laken Riley Act; bill would deport criminal migrants
Senators on Thursday cleared the final filibuster test for the Laken Riley Act, setting up a final vote on legislation that would push the administration to detain and try to deport even lower-level criminal migrants. Published January 17, 2025
Biden says Equal Rights Amendment is law, but is it?
President Biden has declared the Equal Rights Amendment to be officially ratified, saying it should be considered the 28th Amendment to the Constitution. Published January 17, 2025
Supreme Court upholds law forcing sale or closure of TikTok
The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law requiring the sale or closure of TikTok, as the justices rejected the social media platform's First Amendment claims and a plea from President-elect Donald Trump. Published January 17, 2025
‘Santo Mayorkas’: DHS secretary’s final tally tops $3 billion in extra vacation time for employees
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas blessed his employees with another three days of taxpayer-funded vacation time, bringing his four-year total to more than six weeks -- the equivalent of $3 billion -- of bonus time off. Published January 16, 2025
Migrant who cast ballots in presidential elections gets 5 years behind bars
An illegal immigrant who used a stolen identity to get a U.S. passport, plus registered and voted in American elections, has been sentenced to five years in prison. Published January 16, 2025
House approves bill to stiffen deportation rules for migrant sex offenders
The House passed its second major immigration crackdown bill of the year on Thursday, approving legislation that expands the grounds for deporting migrants who commit sex offenses. Published January 16, 2025
House chairman drafts bill to get federal workers back in the office
House Oversight Chairman James Comer announced new legislation Thursday to force the federal government to shut down its generous pandemic-era telework policies and get workers back into their offices. Published January 16, 2025
Cashing in from afar: Federal employees in for big workplace change
One federal Interior Department employee who is supposed to be working in the D.C. area actually lives in sunny southern California and rarely, if ever, makes it to Washington. Published January 15, 2025
Rep. Nancy Mace corners DNC hopeful Martin O’Malley in fight over the definition of ‘woman’
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley on Wednesday became the latest Democrat to fall victim to a tricky line of questions asking him to define what a woman is. Published January 15, 2025
MTG says fed employees better ‘come to heel’ in Trump’s second term
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told federal employees on Wednesday to prepare to "come to heel" to President-elect Donald Trump and the voters who are sending him back into office. Published January 15, 2025
Supreme Court sides with businesses in overtime, minimum wage case
The Supreme Court made it easier for some businesses to prove employees are exempt from overtime and minimum wage standards in a ruling Wednesday that set a relatively low bar for the firms. Published January 15, 2025
Ghost town: 10% of federal workforce is totally remote, 50% of the rest telework some days a week
Working remotely has consumed the federal bureaucracy to the point that 10% of the workforce -- some 228,000 employees -- never show up at an office, according to a new report Wednesday by the House's oversight committee. Published January 15, 2025
Biden ends term with nearly 11 million illegal border crossers
President Biden will end his term with a record of nearly 11 million illegal immigrants detected during his time in office, according to Homeland Security data released Tuesday. Published January 14, 2025
Biden leaves Trump with deteriorating deficit
The federal government has run a $711 billion deficit over the last three months of 2024, the Treasury Department reported Tuesday, underscoring the worsening budget picture that President Biden will turn over to President-elect Donald Trump. Published January 14, 2025
388 noncitizens voted legally in D.C.’s election
Some 388 noncitizens cast ballots in the District of Columbia's local elections in November, according to data released Tuesday by Judicial Watch that suggests the city's groundbreaking experiment in expanding its voter pool saw only tepid interest. Published January 14, 2025
Man with blowtorch near California fire is an illegal immigrant
Homeland Security confirmed Tuesday that a man who sparked interest after being spotted with a blowtorch near one of the California fires is an illegal immigrant with a criminal record. Published January 14, 2025
‘Minor president’: Biden battles to build legacy as historians downgrade his greatness
For better or worse, President Biden will go down in history as the turkey sandwiched between Donald Trump's two slices of bread. Published January 14, 2025
