Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Liberal justices question San Francisco in EPA fight over water pollution limits
One of the nation's most liberal enclaves ran into pushback from the liberal wing of the Supreme Court on Wednesday as San Francisco battled the EPA over how the city's wastewater spills into the Pacific Ocean. Published October 16, 2024
Texas anti-ballot harvesting rules revived by appeals court
A federal appeals court on Tuesday said Texas' law limiting ballot harvesting can remain in effect during this year's election after a lower court put it on hold. Published October 15, 2024
Harris asks border sheriffs how to ‘do better’ than Biden on immigration policy
Vice President Kamala Harris' team has sought advice from a top border sheriff on how to "do better" on immigration policy. Published October 14, 2024
Biden administration sues Virginia over attempt to remove noncitizens from voter rolls
The Biden administration sued Virginia on Friday over the state's effort to remove noncitizens from its voting lists, arguing the move violated a federal law that bars changes to the rolls so close to an election. Published October 11, 2024
Feds struggle to explain how Afghan terror suspect got into U.S. to plan Election Day shootings
When the FBI arrested Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi this week, it was coy in explaining why the Afghan man, now accused of plotting to martyr himself in an Election Day mass shooting, was free in the U.S. in the first place. Published October 10, 2024
Justice Department asks court to keep DACA in place for illegal immigrant ‘Dreamers’
The Biden administration and immigration activists asked a federal appeals court on Thursday to preserve as much of the Obama-era DACA program as possible, saying whatever its legal questions, the program has been around too long to just cancel it altogether. Published October 10, 2024
Social Security benefits to rise 2.5% as inflation ticks down
Social Security recipients will see an average of $50 more in their monthly checks next year as the government adjusts for inflation. Published October 10, 2024
Ex-ICE contractor concocted complex scheme to smuggle 39 illegal immigrants, feds say
A woman who had worked as a contractor for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement used her ICE credentials to try to smuggle more than three dozen illegal immigrants deeper into Texas. Published October 9, 2024
No Oct. 7 remembrance, but Justice Department does celebrate Palestinian ‘resilience’
The Justice Department has irked employees who say it failed to hold any public commemoration of the one-year mark of Hamas' terror attack on Israel -- but found time a day later to sponsor an event celebrating Palestinian-Americans' "resilience." Published October 8, 2024
Afghan evacuee arrested on charge of plotting Election Day attack in U.S.
An Afghan man who came to the U.S. as part of President Biden's chaotic 2021 troop withdrawal now stands accused of an ISIS-fueled plot to launch a suicide attack on Election Day next month. Published October 8, 2024
Supreme Court casts skeptical eye toward unregulated ‘ghost’ guns
The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared sympathetic to the Biden administration's attempt to regulate "ghost" guns, whose kits and disassembled parts allow users to cobble together fully functional firearms. Published October 8, 2024
Texas seeks citizenship data from federal government on 450,000 voters
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked the Homeland Security Department on Monday to verify the citizenship status of more than 450,000 names on the state's voter rolls, saying that while the vast majority are likely eligible to vote, he wants to weed out those who aren't. Published October 7, 2024
Supreme Court rejects Biden administration appeal over emergency abortions
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Biden administration's attempt to carve out emergency exceptions to Texas' strict abortion law. Published October 7, 2024
How easy is it to make a ghost gun? Supreme Court faces next big firearms case
On Tuesday, Supreme Court justices grapple with the Biden administration's attempt to crack down on ghost guns. Published October 6, 2024
Homeland Security says it won’t renew ‘parole’ for Venezuelans
Homeland Security confirmed that it will not offer a new period of "parole" to tens of thousands of Venezuelans who came to the country without authorization starting in 2022 -- but said they may still qualify for other legal protections. Published October 4, 2024
Deepfakes 1, Gavin Newsom 0: Court blocks California’s anti-satire law as unconstitutional
The war over deepfakes and campaigns is heating up, and the fakers just won an early victory after a federal judge ruled against California's wide-ranging law that tried to ban manipulated materials about politicians in the months ahead of an election. Published October 3, 2024
Feds accuse five IRS employees of COVID fraud
The Justice Department announced fraud charges Tuesday against five current or former IRS employees in Tennessee whom prosecutors say stole money from the government's pandemic relief programs. Published October 3, 2024
Federal judge blocks California’s deepfake anti-satire campaign law
A federal judge has halted California's new law targeting deepfake satire and parody videos, saying it likely tramples on the First Amendment. Published October 3, 2024
DHS released hundreds of thousands of migrants who lacked ID, allowed some to board planes
Homeland Security is releasing hundreds of thousands of migrants who haven't been able to prove their identities to authorities, the department's inspector general said Wednesday. Published October 2, 2024
Court revives betting on election outcomes
A federal appeals court has once again opened the door to large-scale wagering on the outcome of U.S. elections after the judges on Wednesday rejected the government's claims that betting could undercut voting and taint the results. Published October 2, 2024
