Stephen Dinan

Supreme Court allows Trump to keep building his ballroom — for now

Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has cleared the way for President Trump to keep building his new ballroom at the White House, putting on hold a lower court ruling that had said he needed Congress' permission.

August 21, 2026

Judge blocks DHS demand for states’ driver records

A federal judge shut down the Transportation Department's attempt to get 17 million state records about people who hold commercial driver's licenses, saying the request violated privacy law.

August 21, 2026

DHS can’t make cities ditch DEI to get disaster relief, judge rules

A federal judge dealt a new blow to the Trump administration's attempt to reel in diversity, equity and inclusion policies, blocking the Department of Homeland Security from conditioning disaster relief on states ditching DEI.

August 21, 2026

Supreme Court blew a nearly trillion-dollar hole in budget by striking down Trump tariffs

The Supreme Court's decision striking down President Trump's broad tariffs on imports will cost the U.S. Treasury dearly, blowing a net $900 billion hole in the budget over the next decade after accounting for interest and replacement tariffs, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

August 21, 2026

Trump’s border success takes bite out of cartels’ income

President Trump's stunning success in quelling the southwestern border has had a significant silver lining -- he's managed to starve the smuggling cartels of a source of income, according to a new Treasury Department analysis.

August 20, 2026

A decade of federal housing aid, and the affordability gap grew in all 50 states

The federal government keeps pumping money into housing assistance programs, but it's done little to affect the actual affordability of obtaining a home, according to a new study by a spending watchdog group.

August 20, 2026

Federal government sets record for red ink, warning sign for Washington

The federal government has topped $40 trillion in total debt for the first time in history, setting a record for red ink.

August 19, 2026

Chinese man accused of illegally voting in landlord’s name to ruin his immigration status

Federal prosecutors charged a Chinese man on Wednesday with a bizarre and dastardly plot to try to ruin his former landlord's immigration status by registering and casting a ballot in his name in Massachusetts, then reporting him to Homeland Security for it.

August 19, 2026

Terrorist deportation court sets first-ever public hearing on DOJ request to detain Afghan woman

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court has scheduled a first-of-its-kind public hearing for next week to determine whether Afghan citizen Nazira Haji Zada should be detained while her deportation case is decided.

August 19, 2026

IRS moves to block illegal immigrants from claiming some tax credits

The Trump administration on Wednesday proposed new rules that would limit illegal immigrants' ability to apply for some refundable tax credits.

August 19, 2026

Judge clears Trump administration to end deportation amnesty for roughly one million TPS migrants

President Trump's decade-long project to end deportation amnesties for a large swath of countries has finally come to fruition, after battling from district courts up to the Supreme Court and back down again.

August 18, 2026

Fauci’s former chief of staff pleads guilty to hiding records to thwart COVID origins inquiries

Dr. David Morens, who spent years as chief of staff to Dr. Anthony Fauci, pleaded guilty Tuesday to trying to hide critical documents about the origin of the coronavirus pandemic and his attempts to restore funding to a firm that was siphoning U.S. cash to a Chinese virus lab.

August 18, 2026

Appeals court rules against ICE arrests at churches

A Trump Homeland Security policy allowing ICE more freedom to make warrantless arrests at houses of worship tramples on the religious rights of migrants, churches, temples and mosques, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

August 18, 2026

Federal judge blocks Patel’s attempt to move FBI HQ to Reagan building

A federal judge shot down FBI Director Kash Patel's attempt to move his bureau's headquarters down the street to the Ronald Reagan Building, saying he broke laws governing site selection.

August 17, 2026

Justice Dept. creates new process to restore gun rights of some felons

Committing a serious crime shouldn't mean you automatically lose your gun rights for life, Attorney General Todd Blanche said Monday as he finalized a new process to let convicts apply to have their Second Amendment rights restored.

August 17, 2026

DHS halts border wall construction in Big Bend National Park after public outcry

The Department of Homeland Security's border agency chief said Monday that he is pausing all border wall construction in Big Bend National Park in Texas and he will personally visit the site to figure out next steps.

August 17, 2026

Inspector general to probe DOJ over allegation department knowingly allowed fentanyl trafficking

The Justice Department's inspector general announced a new probe Monday to investigate allegations that DOJ knowingly allowed fentanyl to be bought and sold, as agents tried to bring a lengthy trafficking case to a close.

August 17, 2026

Feds accuse hospitals of pushing bogus gender-transition treatments to make money

A new Department of Health and Human Services report charges that hospitals pushed unnecessary gender transitions on vulnerable children because they saw dollar signs.

August 16, 2026

Justice Dept. says U.S. troops can arrest illegal immigrants beyond military property near border

The Justice Department has issued a new opinion deciding that military personnel can arrest some illegal immigrants without running afoul of the Posse Comitatus Act.

August 14, 2026

Man accused of voting twice in 2024 election — both by mail

Federal prosecutors charged a man with voting twice in the 2024 presidential election, casting ballots in Pennsylvania and Alaska through the mail.

August 14, 2026