Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
IRS says pandemic is over, collection notices will start again in 2024
The IRS warned taxpayers on Tuesday that it will restart collection notices next year, ending a lengthy grace period the agency began in 2022 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Published December 19, 2023
Court orders DHS to stop ruining Texas’ razor wire border fence
A federal appeals court on Tuesday issued an injunction ordering the Department of Homeland Security to stop cutting holes in Texas' razor wire border fence except in cases of a medical emergency. Published December 19, 2023
No Fly List now bloated, wrongly stops Americans; Senate committee urges full federal review
The government's terrorist watchlist has ballooned to at least 1.8 million records, up from just 150,000 two decades ago, according to a new Senate report that says the system has spiraled out of control. Published December 19, 2023
Younger, less educated workers figured to bear brunt of fallout from $17 hourly minimum wage
Democrats' leading proposal to hike the federal minimum wage to $17 an hour would deliver a raise to millions of workers but also would chase about 700,000 people out of jobs, according to a new analysis by the Congressional Budget Office. Published December 19, 2023
Florida man pleads guilty to threatening to kill Supreme Court justice
A Florida man has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of making a threat to kill after he called the Supreme Court in July and left an expletive-laden voice message in which he twice threatened to slay one of the justices. Published December 18, 2023
Abbott signs law making illegal immigration a state crime in Texas
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill Monday making illegal immigration a state crime in a bid to give police and National Guard troops more power to fight the surge of illegal immigrants that has swamped the state since the start of the Biden administration. Published December 18, 2023
DHS suspends train operations at two border crossings due to migrant surge
Homeland Security said Sunday it will suspend cross-border freight train operations at crossings between Mexico and El Paso and Eagle Pass in Texas. Published December 17, 2023
Economy will slow but avoid recession in 2024, contends Congressional Budget Office
The U.S. managed to avoid a recession in 2023 and will continue to grow next year, albeit slowly, the Congressional Budget Office said Friday in new economic projections that painted a mixed picture for President Biden. Published December 15, 2023
Schumer busts Senate’s year-end break for border talks, war aid vote but House home for holidays
Congress decamped from Washington on Thursday without reaching an agreement on border security, signaling President Biden's broader $106 billion national security spending bill will have to wait until the new year. Published December 14, 2023
They earned more than a million dollars — and still took unemployment
The crisis days of the pandemic were easing in 2021, but plenty of people still rushed to collect unemployment, including more than 300 people the IRS says made at least $10 million in income that year. Published December 14, 2023
Trump put EPA on course to end animal testing; Biden has started it up again
President Biden's EPA scrapped a Trump administration plan that would have cut animal testing by 30% in 2025 and ended it altogether by 2035. Instead, the agency says it won't be bound by any time limits and is following "the best available science." Published December 13, 2023
‘Slap in the face’: Hispanics warn of political payback if Biden strikes border deal
Immigrant rights groups are alerting President Biden of political consequences if he strikes a deal with Republicans to try to fix the chaos at the southern border, saying Hispanic voters won't forgive him when he needs their votes next year. Published December 13, 2023
IG urges firmer rules after prison inmate stuck in cage for 21 hours
Federal prison guards left an inmate for 21 hours inside a wire cage little bigger than a phone booth, according to an inspector general who issued an emergency alert prodding the government to come up with new rules to govern the practice. Published December 13, 2023
Biden’s border bungles threaten his Ukraine legacy
President Biden finds himself trapped, demanding nearly $100 billion from Congress to help Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan defend their borders, but reluctant to negotiate with Republicans over the kind of policy changes experts say would reduce the flood of illegal immigrants. Published December 12, 2023
Philadelphia pays settlement to illegal immigrant student after school violated sanctuary policy
Philadelphia has reached a settlement with an illegal immigrant student and his family after a school principal inquired about the boy's legal status, a violation of the city's sanctuary policy. Published December 12, 2023
Arrest-related deaths up at border; new figures from Justice Department paint tragic picture
More people die while being arrested by Homeland Security's border agency than any other branch of federal law enforcement, according to Justice Department data that showed a sharp rise in deaths in 2021, the first year under President Biden. Published December 11, 2023
Man arrested after texting he would ‘kill everyone’ at Ramaswamy campaign event in N.H.
Federal authorities announced charges Monday against a New Hampshire man they say sent threatening text messages to presidential campaigns and targeted one candidate with a promise to "blow his brains out." Published December 11, 2023
House subpoenas Mayorkas for files on illegal immigrants accused of rape, homicide
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan issued a subpoena Friday to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding he turn over the case files of more than a dozen immigrants Congress is investigating. Published December 8, 2023
Firearms fallout: Study says pregnant women who lived through D.C. sniper trauma had complications
The fear and stress felt by area pregnant women during the 2002 D.C.-region sniper attacks was acute enough to cause a 25% spike in premature births and low birth weights, according to a new study that argues mass shootings take an even deeper toll than the body count. Published December 7, 2023
Lawmakers punt overhaul of controversial FISA spying statute to 2024
Attempts to overhaul the government's chief spy tool will wait until next year, the Senate's top lawmakers said Thursday. Published December 7, 2023
