Stephen Dinan

Newsom’s latest pardon shields attempted murder convict from ICE deportation

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a pardon Friday to Somboon Phaymany, erasing his 1997 conviction on 10 counts of premeditated attempted murder and effectively shielding him from being deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

February 21, 2026

Louisiana wins appeal to post Ten Commandments in schools

A federal appeals court gave the green light Friday to a law pushing the posting of the Ten Commandments in public schools in Louisiana, saying the challenge to the policy was not yet "ripe" for a decision.

February 20, 2026

Judge gives reprieve to Trump after slavery exhibits already restored to Philadelphia park

A federal appeals court judge delivered a brief reprieve to the Trump administration Friday in its battle to take down slavery exhibits at the President's House park site in Philadelphia.

February 20, 2026

DHS wants to block asylum-seekers from working, cutting incentives to illegal immigration

Homeland Security announced a revised regulation Friday that limits the ability of migrants to get work permits for the period after they apply for asylum but have not yet been granted it.

February 20, 2026

Federal prosecutor tells parents to warn their kids about anti-ICE behavior

Parents are supposed to talk to their kids about drugs, sex -- and now ICE?

February 20, 2026

Montgomery County agrees to pay parents who sued to stop LGBTQ school lessons

Montgomery County in Maryland has agreed to pay the parents who had to sue to force the schools to allow their kids to opt out of pro-LGBTQ lessons.

February 20, 2026

Appeals court blocks California’s ICE identification law

A federal appeals court put a temporary hold Thursday of California's new law that would require ICE and other federal law enforcement officers to wear something on their uniforms that either identifies them by name or badge number.

February 19, 2026

Trump cracks down on illegal immigrants getting housing assistance

Two Trump Cabinet departments announced changes Thursday aimed at making it tougher for unauthorized immigrants to claim public housing benefits.

February 19, 2026

New DHS refugee policy mandates additional security check, allows for arrest after a year in U.S.

The Trump administration has adopted a new policy demanding refugees go through a new security check after a year in the U.S., and declaring that they can be arrested and held in detention until they are shown to be clear of red flags.

February 19, 2026

DOGE defeat: Congress has rejected most of Trump’s spending cuts

President Trump and his DOGE swung for the fences last year in calling for big spending cuts, but with Congress now done with most of the 2026 budget bills, it's become clear he barely got the ball in play.

February 19, 2026

Mexican timeshare owners may be funding terrorist cartel, feds warn

The Treasury Department delivered a new warning to Americans who own or are looking to buy timeshares in Mexico, saying Thursday that a major smuggling cartel has infiltrated the market and is siphoning the money to its own nefarious ends.

February 19, 2026

Trump’s grand jury trouble: Citizens increasingly resist DOJ’s attempts to indict

A new count by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers suggests that federal prosecutors are facing increasing resistance from grand juries refusing to hand up indictments in highly charged cases. And even when an indictment is secured, trial juries and judges are refusing to convict.

February 18, 2026

Colorado faces ballot initiative to join redistricting surge, draw Democrat-friendly map

A group of Colorado voters launched a bid Wednesday to rewrite the state's congressional map and erase as many as three GOP-held seats, moving to counter Republican gains from mid-decade redistricting elsewhere.

February 18, 2026

Man dies in ICE custody in Chicago area

A 59-year-old man died this week while in the custody of ICE, marking the seventh death so far in 2026, Senate Democrats said Wednesday.

February 18, 2026

ICE saw 353% increase in use of force after Trump took over

ICE's use of force incidents skyrocketed after President Trump took over last year, according to new agency documents released Tuesday that show officers grappling with the early phases of the White House's call for mass deportations.

February 17, 2026

Feds warn states to back off on attempts to regulate prediction markets

The Trump administration told states on Tuesday to knock off their attempts to regulate prediction markets, where people can bet on everything from political races to the weather, saying Uncle Sam is the only one with that power.

February 17, 2026

Judge blocks ICE from rearresting Kilmar Abrego Garcia for ‘foreseeable future’

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration has been playing games with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and issued a new order barring ICE from trying to rearrest him any time soon.

February 17, 2026

Trump’s DOJ asks appeals court to block California law forcing ICE to show name or badge number

The Trump administration asked a federal appeals court on Tuesday to step in and halt a California law that would require ICE and other federal immigration officers to display either their name or a badge number when they are carrying out their duties.

February 17, 2026

Judge orders Park Service to restore slavery exhibits and compares Trump to Orwell’s ‘1984’

A federal judge ordered the National Park Service to restore mentions of slavery to a park site associated with George Washington in Philadelphia, scolding the Trump administration on Monday for slipping into "Big Brother's domain" from George Orwell's dystopian novel "1984."

February 16, 2026

Nasty neighbors: Trump’s Cabinet goes ‘gutter’ in clashes with Congress

Attorney General Pam Bondi's combative congressional testimony last week followed a pattern of increasingly nasty exchanges between Congress and members of President Trump's Cabinet.

February 16, 2026