Stephen Dinan

Former DHS chiefs say DACA deadline is mid-January

Three former Homeland Security secretaries fired off a letter Wednesday insisting Congress's deadline for granting legal status to illegal immigrant "Dreamers" is actually this month, not the March 5 phaseout date set by President Trump.

January 3, 2018

Drones fly drugs into U.S. with no Border Patrol detection technology

Border Patrol agents are increasingly worried about the threat from drug-cartel-flown drones, after agents spotted 13 drones suspected of carrying drugs across one section of the U.S.-Mexico border in just one four-day period in November.

January 2, 2018

Orrin Hatch to retire at end of 2018

The longest-serving Senate Republican announced Tuesday that he will retire at the end of this term, closing out one of the most impressive legislative careers in modern congressional times -- and opening the door for a Trump critic to win the seat.

January 2, 2018

Dems plan MLK holiday ‘teach-ins’ to rally against Trump

Congressional Democrats will hold a series of "teach-ins" to celebrate the Martin Luther King holiday, hoping to rally Americans to their agenda as they seek to regain their legislative footing.

January 2, 2018

Joe Arpaio pardon still rubs Trump opponents wrong

President Trump used his pardon powers sparingly in his first year in office, but one he did issue remains intensely controversial, with some of his political opponents now asking a federal appeals court to rule it invalid.

December 31, 2017

Chain migration concern grows as immigrant levels top 1.8 million

Immigration to the U.S. hit a low after the Great Recession but came roaring back in the later years of the Obama administration, with 1.8 million migrants arriving in 2016 alone, according to an analysis being released Thursday.

December 28, 2017

Donald Trump changes voters’ minds against issues he supports

Obamacare had been deeply unpopular for its entire history, with more voters consistently telling pollsters they opposed the massive health care overhaul that Democrats pushed through Congress in 2010. That is, until President Trump took office.

December 27, 2017

Republicans care about voter fraud; Democrats want to come out ahead, says study

When it comes to voter ID laws, Republicans care intensely about fraud while Democrats worry more about whether their own party will come out ahead, according to a provocative new academic study that challenges conventional assumptions about what motivates support for stricter voting laws.

December 26, 2017

Donald Trump seeks Democrats’ help with infrastructure plan

The White House on Sunday said President Trump wants to introduce an infrastructure package in January and reach for a deal with Democrats, a pivot toward bipartisanship after Republican-only efforts on health care and taxes produced mixed results this year.

December 24, 2017

Appeals court rules against Trump travel ban for third time

A decidedly anti-Trump appeals court issued yet another ruling Friday blocking most of President Trump's latest version of his travel ban, finding that the White House exceeded its powers.

December 23, 2017

Mitch McConnell says attempts at entitlement reform unlikely without Democrats’ buy-in

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell offered a grim view Friday of the chances of major entitlement reforms under a GOP-led Washington, saying he's reluctant to tackle Social Security, Medicare and other big-spending programs without Democrats' buy-in.

December 22, 2017

Congress clears bill to avoid shutdown; Dreamers don’t get relief

Brushing aside demands of illegal immigrant Dreamers, Congress on Thursday approved a short-term spending bill to carry the government into the new year, narrowly avoiding a shutdown showdown.

December 21, 2017

House approves spending bill as Senate Democrats ponder ‘Dreamer’ shutdown threat

The House raced Thursday to head off a government shutdown, approving a four-week extension of funding for basic operations -- and forcing a major decision for Senate Democrats, who must decide whether to accept the deal.

December 21, 2017

Democrats ‘betray’ illegal immigrant Dreamers

Illegal immigrant Dreamers said they have been betrayed by Democratic leaders who failed to force a government shutdown showdown this week over demands to pass a legalization bill by the end of the year.

December 20, 2017

Supreme Court: Trump doesn’t have to turn over DACA documents

The Supreme Court said Wednesday that the Trump administration doesn't have to turn over a massive load of documents relating to the decision to phase out the Obama-era DACA deportation amnesty, and delivered another spanking to a California court that's repeatedly ruled against President Trump.

December 20, 2017

‘Dreamers’ flock to Capitol to protest lack of action on amnesty

Hundreds of illegal immigrant "Dreamers" were taking to the halls of the U.S. Capitol complex Wednesday to complain they were being left behind by congressional leaders working on a year-end deal that does not grant them full citizenship rights.

December 20, 2017

Ron Wyden: Trump tax audit may be tainted by pro-Trump IRS chief

A top Democratic senator said Wednesday he fears the IRS may be too biased to handle the audit of President Trump's taxes, saying the fact that the agency is led by an acting commissioner who is also a top Trump political appointee at the main Treasury Department is worrisome.

December 20, 2017