Stephen Dinan

Republicans blocked in Pelosi inquiry bid

House Democrats on Thursday blocked a Republican attempt to force House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to document her charge that the CIA lied to Congress about the Bush administrations interrogations policies.

May 21, 2009

Cheney: Pelosi knew of interrogations

Accusing President Obama of giving Americans "less than half the truth," former Vice President Dick Cheney said Thursday tough interrogation tactics worked, and said the tactics had the approval of members of Congress including current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

May 21, 2009

GOP seeks investigation of Pelosi claims

House Republicans on Thursday will call for a bipartisan investigation of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's charge that the CIA lied to her about the Bush administration's interrogation policies of terror suspects.

May 21, 2009

Green-job backers seek economic incentive

U.S. business leaders told President Obama Wednesday that the nation lags in developing good jobs out of clean energy and said the government must get involved to push the country further.

May 21, 2009

Schumer pushes immigration reform

A top Democratic senator said Wednesday that the nation's borders are secure enough to begin working on a legalization bill for current illegal immigrants.

May 21, 2009

Business leaders press Obama on energy

U.S. business leaders told President Obama Wednesday the country is behind on developing good jobs out of clean energy and said the government must get involved to push the country further.

May 20, 2009

Pelosi taking ‘wrecking ball’ to CIA morale, Hoekstra says

In disparaging the CIA and accusing the agency of lying last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has become a "wrecking ball" to the morale of officers risking their lives in the field, the top Republican on the House intelligence committee said Tuesday.

May 20, 2009

House Democrats challenge CIA records

UPDATED: House Democrats on Tuesday challenged the accuracy of CIA records showing who was briefed on enhanced interrogation techniques, with Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey saying they have discovered an inaccuracy in the records.

May 19, 2009

Climate-bill foes likely to seize on CBO’s scoring

Congress' chief scorekeeper says the global warming bill moving through Congress will either be scored as a major tax increase or a massive expansion of the federal government - and either one could give opponents substantial ammunition to complicate Democrats' efforts to pass a bill.

May 19, 2009

Notre Dame cheers, jeers Obama

Engaging the culture war directly, President Obama made a plea Sunday at the University of Notre Dame for both sides to talk to each other with "open hearts, open minds, fair-minded words" on abortion and other fiery issues.

May 18, 2009

Obama calls for ‘open minds’ in Notre Dame speech

Engaging the culture war directly at the University of Notre Dame, President Obama made a plea for both sides to talk to each other on abortion and other fiery debates with "open hearts, open minds, fair-minded words."

May 17, 2009

Notre Dame address to touch on abortion

Protesting pro-life leaders have been arrested, Catholic bishops have objected and some students have promised a boycott when President Obama gives a commencement address today at the University of Notre Dame.

May 17, 2009

Republicans salute Obama’s military tack

Even as congressional Democrats feuded last week with the CIA in what at times seemed to be a throwback to the 1970s, President Obama was headed in the other direction in what may have been his most active week yet as commander in chief.

May 17, 2009

Panetta: ‘Not our policy to mislead Congress’

UPDATED: CIA Director Leon Panetta said Friday that agency officials gave a truthful account to Capitol Hill lawmakers in 2002 about harsh interrogation techniques on suspected terrorists.

May 15, 2009

Obama: Not enough votes for labor’s ‘card check’ bill

President Obama on Thursday acknowledged there aren't the votes to pass the union-sought bill to make it easier to form labor unions, and said congressional backers will have to rewrite the bill to find common ground.

May 14, 2009

Stimulus spending’s goal now 5% less

The White House on Wednesday moved the goalposts for judging the success of President Obama's stimulus spending bill, saying it now wants to have 70 percent of the money spent before the end of fiscal 2010 -- 5 percent less than the goal set during the congressional debate over the stimulus bill.

May 14, 2009

Obama: Photo release would endanger troops

UPDATED: The president has reversed course and decided to fight the release of photos of apparent abuse of suspected terrorist detainees, a move driven by his newfound belief that the photos would hurt the military.

May 13, 2009

Obama, Dems set deadlines for health reform

Saying the "stars are aligned," President Obama said Wednesday that Congress must send him a health care bill this year, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised her chamber would vote on one before August.

May 13, 2009

Sessions offers fair fight on Supreme Court

Republicans' new top man on the Senate Judiciary Committee said even without a new Supreme Court nominee having been named, Republicans will begin looking into the shortlist of names President Obama reportedly is considering and even could warn the White House confidentially if they think a nominee is unacceptable.

May 12, 2009

Obama move on abortion funds riles both sides

President Obama called for overturning a decade-old ban on publicly funded abortions in the District as part of his budget proposal Thursday, but did not overturn the national ban on federal funding.

May 8, 2009