Stephen Dinan

Benghazi investigators gave Hillary Clinton heads-up on findings

The leaders of the State Department's Benghazi probe defended their inquiry into the 2012 attack, but they acknowledged to Congress on Thursday that their mission was limited in scope and faced questions over why they gave Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton an advance look at their findings.

September 19, 2013

Tom DeLay: ‘I can get my concealed weapons license back’

Former Rep. Tom DeLay said not much changed after a Texas appeals court overturned his conviction Thursday and acquitted him of charges he violated campaign finance laws — except that he will have a key constitutional right restored.

September 19, 2013

Tom DeLay’s money-laundering conviction overturned by Texas appeals court

A Texas appeals court acquitted former Rep. Tom DeLay of money laundering Thursday, closing an eight-year-long criminal case against the man who was once the most powerful Republican in Congress — but Democrats achieved their goal of keeping him on the political sidelines for all that time.

September 19, 2013

IRS spied on tea party after granting tax-exempt status

Republicans investigating the IRS targeting scandal said Wednesday that the agency continued to conduct secret surveillance on tea party groups even after approving them for tax-exempt status.

September 18, 2013

Obama’s energy nominee in danger of defeat

Two key senators said Wednesday they will vote against confirming Ron Binz to be chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, dealing what could be a fatal blow to President Obama's pick for the obscure but powerful panel.

September 18, 2013

State Dept.: FBI can’t get into Benghazi to arrest suspects

Libya will allow reporters in but won't let the FBI into Benghazi to try to arrest those responsible for last year's attacks because the security situation is too tenuous, a senior State Department official told Congress on Wednesday.

September 18, 2013

Illegal immigrants chain themselves to White House fence

Seven illegal immigrants chained themselves to the White House fence Wednesday to demand President Obama halt all deportations, saying he has a moral obligation to keep families together.

September 18, 2013

Energy panel choice sought BP’s aid

President Obama's nominee to head the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission asked top officials at BP oil company to lobby on his behalf, further expanding the list of lobbyists and former lobbyists Ron Binz has worked with as he's tried to win the chairmanship of the obscure but powerful panel, according to new emails released this week.

September 17, 2013

CBO says government finances will be in dire straits by 2038

Federal taxes will go up, but spending will rise even faster over the next 25 years, leaving the national government in dire fiscal straits, according to projections the Congressional Budget Office released Tuesday.

September 17, 2013

IRS officials thought Obama wanted crackdown on tea party groups, worried about negative press

IRS employees were "acutely" aware in 2010 that President Obama wanted to crack down on conservative organizations and were egged into targeting tea party groups by press reports mocking the emerging movement.

September 17, 2013

Obama energy nominee Ron Binz faces rocky confirmation hearing

President Obama's nominee to head the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission apologized Tuesday for what described as inadvertently misleading senators about a team of lobbyists backing his bid for chairman of the obscure but powerful panel, and asked for a chance to meet and clear the record.

September 17, 2013

Social Security fix would require big tax increase

Preserving Social Security for the next 75 years without reducing any projected benefits would require an immediate and permanent 3.4 percent payroll tax increase, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday in a new report looking at long-term budget challenges that shows there are no easy options left.

September 17, 2013

Top Obama energy nominee Ron Binz asked oil company employees for confirmation help

President Obama's nominee to head the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission asked top officials at BP oil company to lobby on his behalf, further expanding the list of lobbyists and former lobbyists Ron Binz has worked with as he's tried to win the chairmanship of the obscure but powerful panel, new emails released late Monday showed.

September 17, 2013

Biometric ID viable at U.S. entry points: report

Federal law has long called for all visitors to the U.S. to submit to biometric identification both coming and going, but the government has never lived up to that promise — and senators in their immigration bill this year even announced a retreat, weakening the law, saying the requirement is too expensive.

September 17, 2013

Senate closing after Navy Yard shooting revives openness debate

A defensive Senate was left to explain Monday why it shut its doors to the public seven hours after the Navy Yard mass shooting — even as the rest of official Washington remained open.

September 16, 2013

Senate lockdown lifted

The Senate lifted its lockdown Monday afternoon after a little more than an hour, though Sergeant at Arms Terrance W. Gainer defended the initial decision, which came more than seven hours after the Navy Yard shooting, saying he believes it kept staffers safe.

September 16, 2013