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Articles by Stephen Dinan

FILE - In this June 18, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures as he speaks in Las Vegas. Trump's campaign is cycling $6 million into his companies through use of his properties; meanwhile, Trump has been on an urgent fundraising quest.  (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Trump, Clinton decline to speak to major Hispanic group

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton both declined invitations to speak to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) convention this week, raising questions about both Democrats' and Republicans' outreach goals ahead of the November election.

June 21, 2016
"Why aren't we working on something that could actually get done?" pleaded Sen. Patrick Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican who tried to broker a compromise after the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, but saw those efforts doomed by the same gridlock that still prevails four years, and dozens of mass-shootings deaths, later. (Associated Press)

Gun control proposals again doomed by partisan gridlock

They agreed on the need to "do something" about guns in the wake of Orlando, but senators couldn't find the sweet spot Monday, instead retreating to partisan corners and stalemating on competing plans to try to keep firearms out of the hands of terrorists.

June 20, 2016
"Congress should not abandon the Constitution in the face of terrorism," said Rep. Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican who has forced the fight each of the last three years. "Unfortunately, proponents of warrantless surveillance mischaracterized our legislation and its bearing on the investigation in Orlando." (Associated Press)

House upholds NSA phone snooping as terrorist attacks shift debate

With the terrorist-inspired Orlando shooting fresh in their minds, House lawmakers reversed course last week and voted to uphold the government's ability to snoop through its data when it believes American citizens are involved in terrorism -- suggesting the post-Snowden wariness of the NSA has dissipated.

June 19, 2016
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch supports a plan to deny gun sales to those on terrorist watch lists, brushing off the FBI's concern it will alert suspects. (Associated Press)

Blocking terrorists from getting guns debated in Washington

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch on Thursday threw her support behind a plan to deny firearms sales to those on terrorist watch lists, brushing aside the FBI's concerns that it could interfere with their investigations and lending her backing to Democrats ahead of key votes next week.

June 16, 2016
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, right, talks to the committee's ranking member Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 15, 2016, during the committee's hearing to consider a censure or IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.  (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)

House panel votes to censure IRS chief over Lerner emails

Saying nothing has changed at the IRS, House Republicans took the first steps toward impeaching agency Commissioner John Koskinen on Wednesday, with the Oversight Committee voting to censure him for thwarting the investigation into tea party targeting.

June 15, 2016
Rep. Lamar Smith (Associated Press/File)

Illegal immigrants who overstay visas almost never caught, feds admit

Immigration agents catch an abysmally small percentage of the illegal immigrants who arrived on visas but overstayed their welcome, authorities admitted to Congress Tuesday, describing a loophole that those around the globe are increasingly using to gain a foothold in the U.S.

June 14, 2016
Members of the Congressional Muslim Staff Association, the LGBT Congressional Staff Association, and members of Congress begin to assemble for a prayer and moment of silence on the steps of the Capitol to stand in solidarity with the Orlando community and to remember the victims of Sunday's shooting at an LGBT night club, in Washington, Monday, June 13, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Orlando attack scrambles agenda on Capitol Hill

The push is on to do something on Capitol Hill in response to the Orlando terror attack, with Democrats stepping up their push for gun controls and Republicans countering Tuesday by vowing to re-pass a series of bills designed to shape an anti-terrorism strategy.

June 14, 2016