Stephen Dinan

House Republicans plan bill to ‘pause’ Obama’s Syrian refugee resettlement plans

House Republicans are rushing to try to vote this week on a bill that would halt President Obama's Syrian refugee resettlement plans, with the emerging proposal calling for the Homeland Security, FBI and national intelligence chiefs to have to sign off on each refugee.

November 17, 2015

Larry Hogan, Chris Christie join calls to stop refugees in Md., N.J.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan joined the chorus of governors asking President Obama to stop sending Syrian refugees to his state, saying Tuesday that the security situation is too tenuous.

November 17, 2015

Refugees headed to 180 towns, but avoid D.C. and other expensive cities

As President Obama presses communities to accept Syrian refugees, his current hometown of Washington, D.C., is likely to be spared much of the trouble.

November 17, 2015

Congress approves Space Act, paves way for private companies to own resources mined from asteroids

The stuff of science fiction is about to be U.S. law after Congress approved the Space Act on Monday, paving the way for private companies to own any natural resources they manage to mine from asteroids.

November 16, 2015

Governors reject Syrian refugees; Obama officials defend 10,000 target

President Obama called them un-American, but opponents rallied Monday to resist his plans to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees in the U.S. this year and enlisted the help of some two dozen governors -- Democrats and Republicans -- who signaled that they would try to resist having refugees sent to their states.

November 16, 2015

Obama chides refugee critics, says U.S. cannot ‘close our hearts’

President Obama chided American critics Monday over their calls for him to cancel his plans to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees, saying the U.S. cannot "close our hearts" to the plight of those fleeing violence.

November 16, 2015

Obama still plans to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees despite Paris terrorist attacks

The White House says it won't let its plans to bring Syrian refugees to the U.S. be derailed by Friday's terrorist attack in Paris, with a top official insisting Sunday that American authorities know how to weed out potential problems within the refugee community.

November 15, 2015

Reports of Syrian bomber in Paris undermine Obama refugee plans

One of the suicide bombers who attacked Paris on Friday held a Syrian passport and had posed as a refugee, according to news reports.

November 15, 2015

Obama vow to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees under fire after Paris attack

President Obama's plan to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees is under fire after Friday's terrorist attack in Paris, with one GOP presidential candidate saying the U.S. should halt its plans as long as it's not able to assure Americans it can weed out potential terrorists.

November 14, 2015

Government adds record $339 billion to national debt in first day after budget deal

The federal government has piled up debt since the latest budget deal was signed into law, tacking $462 billion onto the national credit card since Nov. 2 as the Treasury Department replenished its funds and began another round of borrowing to take it all the way into 2017.

November 12, 2015

Immigration, border policies divide 2016 Republican candidates

Immigration has surged back onto the political battlefield this week after Republicans exposed deep fissures on the issue in their debate Tuesday, and Democrats wasted little time in exploiting those divisions.

November 11, 2015

Martin O’Malley to eat dinner with illegal immigrants in campaign pitch for votes

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will become the first of the 2016 presidential candidates to sit down with illegal immigrants for dinner as part of activists' plan to try to drive the issue and further mainstream people living in the shadows.

November 11, 2015

Hillary Clinton takes heat for using the phrase ‘illegal immigrants’

Immigration activists demanded an apology from Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton Tuesday after she used the phrase "illegal immigrants" during an appearance in New Hampshire.

November 11, 2015

Obama administration vows to take deportation amnesty fight to Supreme Court — and win

The White House vowed Tuesday to appeal to the Supreme Court this week's court ruling blocking President Obama's deportation amnesty, and Hispanic voters said they'll make Republicans pay at the polls for supporting the lawsuit in which a three-judge panel ruled President Obama broke immigration law in granting tentative status to illegal immigrants.

November 10, 2015

GOP clashes over minimum wage hike

The Republican presidential hopefuls clashed over the idea of setting a national $15 minimum wage, kicking off Tuesday'sfourth presidential debate with most of them saying hiking the wage would backfire and actually chase lower-income people from the workforce.

November 10, 2015

Judge: State Dept. ‘lackadaisical’ in processing Hillary Clinton files

A federal judge scolded the State Department Tuesday for being "lackadaisical" in processing the emails turned over by former Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton as well as messages and notes from other department officials.

November 10, 2015

Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton cheer Obama appeal of immigration case

Hoping to cash in on Hispanic voters' support, Democratic presidential candidates pushed President Obama Tuesday to speed an appeal of this week's decision blocking his deportation amnesty, saying they're confident he'll prevail at the Supreme Court.

November 10, 2015

Ben Carson’s son says dad ‘isn’t perfect,’ but lived ‘exemplary’ life

GOP presidential hopeful Ben Carson tapped his son, Ben Carson Jr., to push back against new questions over the candidate's background, with a new fundraising email Tuesday in which the younger man says his dad is "isn't perfect, nor does he claim to be."

November 10, 2015

Congress passes defense policy bill that keeps Guantanamo open

President Obama's plans to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay took another hit Tuesday as Congress passed the annual defense policy bill that keeps in place a ban on shipping any of the terrorist suspects to the U.S.

November 10, 2015

Judges use Obama’s own words to halt deportation amnesty

A federal appeals court said President Obama's own words claiming powers to "change the law" were part of the reason it struck down his deportation amnesty, in a ruling late Monday that reaffirmed the president must carry out laws and doesn't have blanket powers to waive them.

November 10, 2015