Stephen Dinan

Donald Trump can build border wall, court rules

A federal court cleared the way Tuesday for President Trump to build his border wall, ruling that the administration has the power to waive a series of environmental laws to speed up construction.

February 27, 2018

Senate GOP says gun debate will focus on background check records

Senate Republicans in charge of the next steps on gun control said Tuesday they want to focus on bills where there's broad agreement, such as expanding the number of records available in the background check system, while putting off thorny fights over weapons bans.

February 27, 2018

Paul Ryan on shooting: ‘There was a colossal breakdown’

House GOP leaders said Tuesday they will look to correct systemic problems in background checks and law enforcement they said led to the Florida shooting, but said that won't include taking away rights of law-abiding citizens.

February 27, 2018

Citizenship in jeopardy for five convicted of child sex abuse

The Justice Department moved this month to strip citizenship from five people convicted of child sex abuse -- two of whom came to the U.S. on exactly the kind of chain migration the Trump administration now wants to eliminate.

February 26, 2018

Lawsuit: 100,000 noncitizens registered to vote in Pennsylvania

More than 100,000 noncitizens are registered to vote in Pennsylvania alone, according to testimony submitted Monday in a lawsuit demanding the state come clean about the extent of its problems.

February 26, 2018

DACA program still active after Supreme Court declines to speed appeal

The Supreme Court declined Monday to speed up a case involving the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals deportation amnesty, refusing President Trump's request for immediate action and instead maintaining a lower court ruling that keeps the controversial program in operation.

February 26, 2018

Carter Page ‘of interest’ to FBI for years, Democrat memo says

A Democrat-funded opposition research dossier was only a narrow part of the FBI's justification for obtaining a warrant to spy on a former Trump campaign official, congressional Democrats said in their long-awaited memo on the process that led to the snooping.

February 25, 2018

Gun control debate greets Congress after Florida shooting

Congress appears to be settling on the outlines of consensus for action on stricter gun controls, with moves to strengthen the background check system and to restrict sales of bump stocks the most likely areas of bipartisan action.

February 25, 2018

Democrats: Steele dossier only ‘narrow’ part of FBI surveillance application

A Democratic-funded opposition research dossier was only a "narrow" part of the FBI's justification for obtaining a warrant to spy on a former Trump campaign official, congressional Democrats said in their long-awaited memo, finally released Saturday, detailing the process that led to the snooping.

February 24, 2018

CPAC-Times poll: Conservatives love Trump — but not so much the tweeting

President Trump has taken firm reins of the conservative movement in the U.S. according to the CPAC-Washington Times poll that found grassroots leaders on the political right thrilled with just about everything he's doing -- except his tweeting.

February 24, 2018

Cornyn supports addressing bump stocks in Senate gun debate

A key senator said Friday the Senate should expand its looming gun debate beyond background check improvements to also include giving the administration authority to ban bump stocks.

February 23, 2018

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services drops ‘nation of immigrants’ from mission

The federal agency that oversees legal immigration to the U.S. has removed the words "nation of immigrants" from its mission statement, as the Trump administration moves to put Americans as the top priority.

February 22, 2018

Illegal immigration lowest since 2003

Illegal immigration from Mexico has fallen dramatically this decade, sending the overall population of unauthorized people in the U.S. tumbling below the 11 million mark, according to a new think tank study released Thursday.

February 22, 2018

Billy Graham, ‘America’s Pastor,’ to lie in honor at U.S. Capitol

The Rev. Billy Graham's body will lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol next week, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Thursday.

February 22, 2018

Youth demanding to be heard in U.S. political discourse

The rallying cry among politicians for years has been to do it for the children. Now those children are embracing their political power first-hand.

February 21, 2018

Democrats demand $700 million to stop Russian election intrusions

Democratic congressional leaders demanded Wednesday that the new funding bills due by late March include a serious infusion of resources for the FBI, Homeland Security and federal elections officials to monitor and combat Russian election meddling.

February 21, 2018

Schumer: Trump’s gun overtures ‘won’t come close’ to solving problem

Top Democratic Sen. Charles E. Schumer said Wednesday that Republicans are undergoing a "welcome shift" on gun control, but said the proposals they're talking about don't go far enough to clamp down on availability of firearms.

February 21, 2018

MS-13 gang members gaining numbers by recruiting illegal immigrants: Report

The violent MS-13 gang, which was nearly eradicated by the Bush administration, has been able to rebuild its ranks on the backs of illegal immigrant recruits, according to a new think tank report Wednesday.

February 21, 2018

HHS looking to courts to settle illegal immigrant abortion rights

Health Secretary Alex M. Azar II said Tuesday that his department has a difficult balancing act when it comes to illegal immigrant girls seeking abortions, saying he has to balance their rights versus "as well as the interests of their unborn children."

February 20, 2018

Pennsylvania Supreme Court issues new congressional map

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a new map for the state's congressional districts Monday and analysts said it's a "dream come true" for Democrats.

February 19, 2018