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Articles by Stephen Dinan

The dome of the Capitol is reflected in a skylight of the Capitol Visitor's Center in Washington on  Jan. 1, 2013. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

House approves new scrutiny for terrorism-risk visitors

The House took the first steps to rein in the visa waiver program Tuesday, rallying to an overwhelming bipartisan vote to demand that high-risk travelers face stricter scrutiny, as Congress and the White House look for ways to keep potentially thousands of foreign fighters from reaching the U.S.

December 8, 2015
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (left) of Nevada listens as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 28, 2015. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Congressional Democrats urge Supreme Court to reinstate amnesty

Congressional Democrats filed an extraordinary brief with the Supreme Court late Thursday urging the justices to overturn a lower court ruling and reinstate President Obama executive amnesty, arguing that the executive branch has a better handle on immigration than Capitol Hill.

December 4, 2015
John F. Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, said in a letter released Thursday that the Task Force for Business and Stability Operations was unable to show a return on the $150 million it spent on villas in Kabul, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif and Jalalabad. (Associated Press)

Pentagon spent millions for luxurious private villas

The same Defense Department office that spent $43 million on a gas station in Afghanistan also spent 20 percent of the rest of its budget to house workers and visitors at luxurious private villas, rather than have them stay on military bases for free to save "tens of millions of dollars," investigators have concluded.

December 3, 2015
Sarah Saldana, who runs U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said estimates of the illegal immigrant population in the U.S. could be as high as 15 million. (Associated Press)

ICE gives away $113 million, says not enough illegal immigrants to deport

Even as they were pleading poverty in the federal courts, immigration officials gave away $113 million this year, with Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Sarah R. Saldana testifying to Congress on Wednesday that they didn't need the money because there weren't enough illegal immigrants to hold or deport.

December 2, 2015
Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat, joined by Sen. Ben Cardin, Maryland Democrat, points to the embedded chip in her passport that contains digital information, as she and other Democrats talk about security measures for Syrian refugees and others coming into the U.S. on Nov. 19, 2015, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Bipartisan consensus forms on restricting Visa Waiver Program

A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Tuesday to stop foreigners who've recently visited Syria or Iraq from traveling to the U.S. on a visa waiver, signaling Congress's next likely target as it tries to take steps to reduce the chances of a Paris-style terrorist attack.

December 1, 2015
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton pauses while speaking at the at New Hampshire Democrats party's annual dinner in Manchester, N.H., Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)

Hillary Clinton email classification rate rises

The classification rate for former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's government emails rose again Monday, as the department released more than 5,000 additional messages and deemed at least 6 percent of them to contain information that had to be kept from the public.

November 30, 2015
Sen. James Lankford, Oklahoma Republican, is releasing "Federal Fumbles," a report that compiles some of the questionable and ridiculous projects on which the government has chosen to spend taxpayers' money. (Associated Press)

New Senate waste-watchers fill up ‘Federal Fumbles’

The dating habits of America's seniors might be of interest to online matchmakers and certain pharmaceutical companies, but Sen. James Lankford wants to know why the federal government felt it needed to get involved — to the tune of nearly $375,000 — to conduct its own study.

November 30, 2015
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks to the media following a visit to The King Center Monday, Nov. 23, 2015, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Google deems Bernie Sanders’ economic plan a ‘phishing scam’

Democratic presidential hopeful Bernard Sanders' economic plan triggered Gmail's "phishing scam" antenna, with the mail system saying the senator's liberal campaign promises -- including lower prescription drug prices and free college for all -- sound like frauds.

November 25, 2015