Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
House chairman leading impeachment calls Mayorkas ‘greatest domestic threat’
The House on Wednesday announced its first hearing on impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, officially kicking off the quest to oust the man who's overseen the most chaotic border in modern history. Published January 3, 2024
Mayorkas claims baffle border chiefs; Question of ‘operational control’ looms as lawmakers get look
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has spent the last two years telling Congress first that the border was under control, then reversing and saying it wasn't actually under control -- and has never been. His Border Patrol chiefs suggested he got it wrong. Published January 3, 2024
DHS to reopen border crossings, says illegal migration dropping
Homeland Security says it's seen a major drop in illegal immigration at the southern border in recent days and the administration will reopen several legal crossings that had been shuttered in order to shift personnel needed to handle last month's record-breaking surge. Published January 2, 2024
Fishermen go to Supreme Court saying they may lose family business over federal regulation
A lawsuit brought by herring fishermen against the Commerce Department has the potential to upend much of how the federal government works. Published January 2, 2024
DHS asks Supreme Court to approve cutting Texas’ razor wire border fence
The Biden administration rushed to the Supreme Court on Tuesday to ask permission to slash through the razor-wire fence that Texas has erected along miles of the border with Mexico, saying it's interfering with how the feds want to run the border. Published January 2, 2024
Man arrested with machete at Capitol is illegal immigrant freed by Biden
The man arrested last week for carrying a machete at the U.S. Capitol is an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who was caught and released in 2022 under the Biden administration's lenient border policies. Published January 2, 2024
If you build it, will they vote? Cities with noncitizen voting struggle to boost turnout
Jurisdictions across the country are testing the waters for allowing noncitizens, including in many cases illegal immigrants, to cast ballots in local elections. But for the most part, they're finding scant interest among those they're trying to entice into the polling booth. Published January 1, 2024
Maryland county argues for power to create school board seat limited to illegal immigrant vote
Howard County, Maryland, says it would be allowed, under the 14th Amendment, to create a school board seat that only immigrants without documentation could vote for. Published January 1, 2024
Running on empty: Why the feds love paying to test animals exercising on treadmills
Galileo had his telescope, Louis Pasteur had a compound microscope and American scientists today have ... the treadmill? Published December 31, 2023
Courts start to question districts for Black, Hispanic voters; racial politics grow complicated
Federal law has long protected Black voters and Hispanic voters by pushing states to carve out districts so they can elect candidates of their choice. Now, a case winding its way through the federal courts is testing the boundaries of the idea. Published December 27, 2023
Adoption of AI tech a matter of life and death; scenarios show gravity of maintaining human control
AI is already saving countless lives in doctors' offices and on the highway, tipping the balance sheet clearly to the plus side despite fears of dystopian movie-style runaway AI. Published December 27, 2023
Criminal migrant presents case to Supreme Court on ‘systemic racism,’ seeks repeal of federal code
A previously deported illegal immigrant has asked the Supreme Court to overturn his criminal conviction, arguing the law that makes it a felony to sneak back into the U.S. is the product of systemic racism. Published December 26, 2023
Biden’s migrant surge deepens America’s greenhouse gas problem
President Biden's migrant surge is taking a toll on police, schools and a wide range of social services -- and it turns out, it's also contributing to global warming. Published December 25, 2023
Hype and hazards: Artificial intelligence is suddenly very real
AI has been with us for years, quietly controlling what we see on social media, protecting our credit cards from fraud and helping avoid collisions on the road. But 2023 was transformative, with the public showing an insatiable appetite for anything with the AI label. Published December 24, 2023
GOP to begin impeachment of Mayorkas after latest border numbers
Illegal immigration at the southern border ticked up again in November, continuing the Department of Homeland Security's string of disastrous months and fueling Republicans' calls for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Published December 22, 2023
DHS retreats on closing border freight train crossings
Homeland Security on Friday said it will restart freight rail traffic at two Texas border crossings with Mexico after an outcry from Congress and complaints that it was draining money from the economy. Published December 22, 2023
‘Unspeakable human tragedy’: Speaker Johnson blasts Biden over delay in border security
As the border reached new levels of chaos this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson demanded President Biden stop waiting for senators and take unilateral action to try to derail the unprecedented number of migrants surging into the country. Published December 21, 2023
A Supreme Court shaped by Trump will weigh his political fate
The Supreme Court that is shaped by former President Donald Trump is now being asked to decide his political fate in an election year, weighing whether he can stay out of jail and on the ballot over the next year. Published December 20, 2023
DOJ sues company behind Texas illegal immigrant shantytown
The Biden administration on Wednesday sued the developers behind a massive migrant shantytown in Texas, arguing the company that runs Colony Ridge promised Hispanic newcomers move-in ready homes but delivered flood-prone houses and economic ruin. Published December 20, 2023
Colorado GOP says it will cancel primary if Trump can’t be on ballot
The Colorado Republican Party said Tuesday that it will cancel its presidential primary and instead hold a caucus if a court ruling stands denying former President Donald Trump a place on the ballot. Published December 19, 2023
