Stephen Dinan

Democrats vote to defend sanctuary cities, block mandatory jail time for repeat illegals

Senate Democrats launched filibusters Wednesday to protect sanctuary cities and to shield repeat illegal immigrants from mandatory minimum five-year prison sentences, saying Republican lawmakers were following the lead of Donald Trump in attacking immigrants.

July 6, 2016

DHS announces $10 million in grants to stop homegrown radicalization

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced $10 million Wednesday in federal grants available to local governments, colleges and nonprofit organizations that run programs designed to keep people from becoming radicalized.

July 6, 2016

James Comey to testify to Congress on Clinton emails

FBI Director James Comey will testify to Congress Thursday on his findings about Hillary Clinton's secret email account, the House Oversight Committee announced.

July 6, 2016

Paul Ryan: Congress could strip Hillary Clinton of access to classified material

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Wednesday that Congress could step in and try to deny Hillary Clinton access to classified information during the presidential campaign, if the Obama administration doesn't take that step itself.

July 6, 2016

Paul Ryan says Hillary Clinton should be denied intelligence briefings

The government should deny Hillary Clinton the regular national security briefings presidential nominees generally receive, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Tuesday night.

July 5, 2016

Republicans demand FBI release investigative files on Hillary Clinton

Top Republicans said Tuesday that the FBI needs to release details of its investigative files on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton if it wants voters to accept its conclusion that her carelessness with top secret information doesn't rise to the level of a prosecutable crime.

July 5, 2016

Court rules government can’t use private emails to hide from transparency

A federal appeals court issued a stinging rebuke to a top Obama White House official Tuesday, saying he can't hide his emails from public scrutiny merely by shifting them to a non-government account.

July 5, 2016

FBI recommends no charges against Hillary Clinton

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's secret email account may have broken laws governing handling of classified information, but it's unlikely a prosecutor could make the charges stick, FBI Director James B. Comey said Tuesday, ending his yearlong investigation into the Democratic presidential candidate.

July 5, 2016

Early voting reduces voter turnout, mailing ballots boosts

Allowing voters to show up and cast ballots ahead of Election Day appears to actually reduce participation, but letting them vote by mail or to show up and register on Election Day boosts turnout, the government's chief research agency said in a new report last week.

July 4, 2016

State Department thwarts deportations to appease illegal immigrant criminals’ home countries

The State Department is thwarting efforts to deport immigrants to China, Guinea, Liberia and other countries that are reluctant to take back their own citizens convicted of crimes -- forcing immigration agents to release often-violent criminals back onto the streets, U.S. government documents show.

July 4, 2016

West Virginia’s Obamacare challenge over enforcement alterations dismissed

A federal appeals court seemed sympathetic to West Virginia's complaints about Obamacare but tossed out the state's challenge in a ruling Friday that leaves President Obama with a free hand to alter enforcement of the law.

July 3, 2016

Clinton gives ‘voluntary interview’ to FBI over email account

Hillary Clinton submitted to an interview with the FBI on Saturday as the Obama administration nears completion of its investigation into her use of a secret email server during her time as State Department secretary.

July 2, 2016

Appeals court dumps states’ latest challenge to Obamacare

A federal appeals court seemed sympathetic to West Virginia's complaints about Obamacare, but tossed out the state's challenge in a ruling Friday that leaves President Obama with a free hand to alter enforcement of the law.

July 1, 2016

House to vote on Cornyn gun measure next week

The House has scheduled a vote next week on a bill to stop suspected terrorists from buying firearms from gun dealers as part of a new anti-terrorism package.

July 1, 2016

Nearly 1 million immigrants — including more than 170K convicts — ignoring deportation

Nearly 1 million immigrants are ignoring deportation orders to remain in the U.S. -- including more than 170,000 convicted criminals, according to a new report Thursday that suggests the government's deportation efforts are still falling short.

July 1, 2016

Hillary Clinton emails didn’t ‘set off any bells’ for State Department’s Patrick Kennedy

The State Department's top management official received dozens of emails from Hillary Clinton's secret account but said he never bothered to focus on what address she was using -- leaving her free to circumvent open-records laws for her four-year tenure.

June 30, 2016

U.S. accepts record number of Syrian refugees in June despite terrorist screening worries

The U.S. accepted more than 2,300 Syrian refugees in June alone, sending the fiscal year total soaring past the 5,000 mark and putting the government on track to surpass President Obama's goal of 10,000 by the end of September, but raising questions about screening out potential terrorists.

June 30, 2016

Harry Reid: ‘We’ve taken a bite out of the NRA,’ confident of gun-control deal this year

Senate Democrats say they are increasingly confident that they will beat the National Rifle Association and force stricter gun control laws in the wake of the Orlando terrorist attack, insisting the tide of public opinion will swing the debate.

June 30, 2016

Voter citizenship checks in Kansas, Alabama, Georgia upheld by judge

Kansas, Alabama and Georgia can demand their residents submit proof of citizenship before signing up to vote even if they're using the federal government's registration forms, a judge said Wednesday, delivering a win to states concerned about voter fraud.

June 29, 2016

Hillary Clinton private email server set up before becoming secretary

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton began planning use of her secret email address even before she took office in January 2009, top aide Huma Abedin said in sworn testimony this week, raising questions about why no emails from her first few months in office were part of the set she returned to the government.

June 29, 2016