Stephen Dinan

Sotomayor confirmed to Supreme Court

Making history by breaking another color barrier, the Senate on Thursday voted to confirm Sonia Sotomayor as the nation's first Hispanic, third woman and 111th justice in the history of the U.S. Supreme Court.

August 7, 2009

3 states scolded for unspent stimulus funds

Florida has done the worst at spending stimulus bill transportation money, with only 2 percent of its available highway construction money being used already, according to a congressional study.

August 7, 2009

Florida lags in using transportation funds

Florida has done the worst at spending stimulus bill transportation money, with only 2 percent of its available highway money being used already on construction projects, according to a congressional study.

August 6, 2009

Senate confirms Sotomayor

Breaking another color barrier, Sonia Sotomayor won overwhelming Senate approval Thursday to become the first Hispanic and third woman justice on the Supreme Court.

August 6, 2009

Fed study: Climate bill spells gloom for jobs

Despite President Obama's prediction that it would create new jobs, the climate change bill passed by the House will mean fewer jobs by 2030 than if Congress did nothing at all, according to the first comprehensive study of the measure by the federal government.

August 5, 2009

Government study: climate bill could cost jobs

Despite President Obama's prediction that it will create new jobs, the global warming bill passed by the House of Representatives will mean fewer jobs by 2030 than if Congress did not act at all, according to the first comprehensive study of the measure by the federal government.

August 4, 2009

Gun foes see new hope with Sotomayor

After years of losing, gun control advocates say this week's vote on confirming Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court will be their long-awaited win that shatters conventional wisdom and proves that the Second Amendment is no longer the unstoppable force of Washington politics.

August 4, 2009

Obama wins spending battle over F-22

President Obama had his biggest spending cuts win Thursday, going toe-to-toe with Congress's biggest defense spenders and forcing them to stop funding an Air Force fighter jet the Pentagon says it doesn't need.

July 31, 2009

Obama loses immigration allies

Three years after President Obama marched alongside Hispanic and immigrant rights activists, they took to the streets Wednesday to march against him, saying he has betrayed them by embracing George W. Bush administration efforts to stem illegal immigration.

July 30, 2009

Oklahomans hit Justice’s meddling on English-only move

Oklahoma's bipartisan congressional delegation this week accused the Obama Justice Department of trying to strong-arm the state into rejecting an English-only referendum by saying it could cost Oklahoma federal funding.

July 30, 2009

Dodd’s ‘grand strategy’ to test Obama’s coattails

The Connecticut Senate race is shaping up as a key test of whether presidential attention can carry Democrats to the election finish line, as embattled Sen. Christopher J. Dodd has taken every opportunity to grasp Barack Obama's coattails.

July 28, 2009

Dictionary adds Hill favorite: ‘Earmark’

In what amounts to another dubious milestone for Congress, "earmarks" - the pork-barrel spending projects loved by lawmakers but hated by those looking to control spending - is now part of the dictionary.

July 20, 2009

Fired inspector general files lawsuit

The inspector general President Obama fired last month filed a lawsuit Friday to get his job back, claiming the firing was politically motivated and broke a 2008 law governing how watchdogs can be dismissed.

July 18, 2009

Battle lines form over fate of F-22 fighter

The Democrat-controlled Congress is challenging President Obamas resolve to cut an Air Force fighter plane program - a move the White House calls the first major test of its efforts to curb runaway spending and slash unneeded projects.

July 17, 2009

Obama: discrimination in U.S. at lowest level

Addressing the NAACP, President Obama on Thursday said discrimination in America is the lowest it has ever been, though he said it does still hurt blacks, religious minorities and gays.

July 17, 2009

Dems hope to speed Obama’s stimulus

Senate Democrats said Tuesday that President Obama's $787 billion stimulus program needs to be fixed to ensure money is spent more quickly and on projects that will provide a faster boost to the economy.

July 15, 2009

Obama’s to-do list grows after overseas trip

President Obama's weeklong trip overseas yielded modest accomplishments but left a host of unanswered questions and self-imposed deadlines that will test whether his power of personal persuasion will work in international diplomacy.

July 14, 2009

Obama urges Africa to seize promise

To adoring crowds, and with a nod to his own success as a black American, President Obama on Saturday used this relatively stable democracy to challenge the rest of Africa to rise above conflict and corruption as it sees the world stage.

July 12, 2009

Obama: Stimulus bill worked ‘as intended’

With bad-news stories about the stimulus spending bill piling up at home, President Obama used his weekly radio address Saturday to try to reset expectations, saying that the program "has worked as intended."