Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
House GOP launches DOJ probe over bungled plea deal with Hunter Biden
House Republicans launched an investigation Monday into how the Justice Department bungled a plea deal with Hunter Biden so badly that a judge sent them back for a mulligan. Published July 31, 2023
ICE arrests, deportations must clear high hurdles; officers see ‘excuse for us not to do our job’
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement rekindled its policy that limits the illegal immigrants whom officers are allowed to arrest and deport, moving after the Supreme Court shot down a legal challenge to the policy. Published July 31, 2023
Cartels thrive under Biden’s new policy; smugglers demand higher pay with lower numbers at border
Miguel Angel Salazar-Estrada, who rafted over the Rio Grande, told Border Patrol agents that his family paid $17,000 for his smuggling from Guatemala. Published July 30, 2023
IRS skimps on audits of high-dollar partnerships
The IRS barely audits taxpayers that file as large partnerships, and it bungles the selection process for those that it does audit by failing to pick the returns likeliest to be in arrears, Congress' chief watchdog reported. Published July 28, 2023
GOP tees up vote to cancel Biden’s new border policy
Senate Republicans announced legislation Thursday that would erase President Biden's new border policy that allows unauthorized migrants to enter the U.S. as long as they first schedule an appointment with Homeland Security. Published July 27, 2023
GOP bill would force DHS to reopen northern border to pre-COVID hours
GOP lawmakers announced legislation Thursday to force the Department of Homeland Security to restore northern border crossings to the hours they had before the government shuttered them for the pandemic. Published July 27, 2023
Evasive Mayorkas denies ‘smiling’ in mockery of Republican queries
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas's feud with congressional Republicans reached the absurd Wednesday as he battled lawmakers over whether or not he was "smiling" while evading their questions. Published July 26, 2023
Economy will slow this year, but avoid recession: CBO
The 2024 presidential campaign will take place under a troubled economy, the Congressional Budget Office projected Wednesday, foreseeing slowing growth and rising unemployment. Published July 26, 2023
DHS secretary tells Congress he’s ‘not smiling’
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas wanted the public to know he wasn't smiling Wednesday as he faced intense criticism from Republicans over his job performance. Published July 26, 2023
Senators challenge USDA to detail spending to group that funded Wuhan lab
The National Institutes of Health is pulling funding for the Wuhan virus lab, but three Republican senators are trying to make sure EcoHealth Alliance, which was the conduit for taxpayer funds to reach Wuhan, doesn't skate on its past links to the lab. Published July 26, 2023
Spendthrift EPA growing too fast under Biden, watchdog warns
Somewhat tamed by the Trump administration, the Environmental Protection Agency has gained a new lease on power under President Biden, according to a new report that says the agency has so much cash coming in that it can't be properly audited for waste and fraud. Published July 26, 2023
Judge punches hole in Biden border policy by blocking new asylum limits
A federal judge blocked the Biden administration's attempt to impose stricter rules on asylum-seekers, blunting the stick in the government's new carrot-and-stick approach to illegal immigration. Published July 25, 2023
Biden’s DOJ sues Texas to remove water wall from Rio Grande
The Biden administration filed a lawsuit Monday asking a judge to order Texas to remove the floating barrier the state put into the Rio Grande to try to block illegal immigration, saying the water wall amounts to illegal construction. Published July 24, 2023
Abbott blames Biden for illegal immigrants that drown in Rio Grande
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott blasted President Biden on Monday, telling him to either find a way to secure the border or get out of the way of states that want to do it themselves. Published July 24, 2023
IRS agents stop making surprise house calls; visit to journalist raises questions
Bloodied by bad press, the IRS promised Monday to reverse course and stop sending officers out to make surprise house calls to collect unpaid taxes from Americans. Published July 24, 2023
Offended Republicans pull funding from Smithsonian’s American Latino exhibit
When newly elected Rep. Juan Ciscomani first came to Washington late last year to prepare for his swearing-in, he took his six children to the Smithsonian's new exhibit on Latino history, eager to show them their heritage. Published July 23, 2023
Senior Border Patrol chief ousted after criticizing Biden border chaos, Republicans say
Top Republicans demanded answers Friday over what they said was an effort to punish a senior Border Patrol official who has been critical of the Biden administration's immigration policies. Published July 21, 2023
FBI source: Hunter Biden was ‘stupid,’ but Burisma paid him to keep Joe Biden involved
Burisma executives thought Hunter Biden was "stupid" but felt they had to keep paying him in order to continue political protection from his father, Joe Biden, an FBI confidential source reported to the bureau in 2020. Published July 20, 2023
Mayorkas boasts illegal border crossings fell 65% under new Biden policies
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas took a victory lap Thursday over the dropping number of illegal immigrants trying to sneak across the southern border, saying it's evidence that his carrot-and-stick approach is paying off. Published July 20, 2023
House probe accuses Mayorkas of flouting 12 laws and court orders
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has flouted at least a dozen laws or court orders related to immigration, a House committee charged Wednesday in a new report that lays the groundwork for impeachment proceedings. Published July 19, 2023
