Stephen Dinan

U.S. total government debt tops $40 trillion for first time

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

Massachusetts mayor charged with stealing pandemic money

The FBI arrested the mayor of Lawrence, Massachusetts, charging him with stealing pandemic assistance money and siphoning it to his political campaign account.

August 14, 2026

Trump asks Supreme Court to approve his White House ballroom project

President Trump went to the Supreme Court on Friday to ask permission to keep building his grand plans for a ballroom at the White House, telling the justices the project is "vitally required by national security."

August 14, 2026

Los Angeles agrees to speed issuing concealed-carry permits for gun owners; deal settles fed lawsuit

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna has agreed to speed up issuing concealed-carry permits, in a deal struck with the Trump Justice Department that commits the county to making an initial decision within 90 days.

August 13, 2026

Transportation Dept. imposes English requirement on railway engineers, conductors

Fresh off its effort to remove people who struggle with English from jobs in commercial driving, the Trump administration is now moving to boot them off the rails, too.

August 13, 2026

State Department cancels DEI diplomacy; ‘White Fragility,’ BLM lessons expunged from training

Diversity training had infected the State Department to the point that a full day of training for foreign service officers was dedicated to DEI, employees were told to mitigate their "unconscious bias," and diplomats were urged to discuss DEI and "allyship" as part of their talks with foreign governments, the Trump administration revealed Thursday.

August 13, 2026

Court says mail ballots are ‘prone to fraud,’ backs Texas crackdown law

A federal appeals court upheld a Texas law requiring voters to provide an identification number before casting ballots by mail, plus scolded voting rights activists and a lower court for their efforts to undermine the state's statute.

August 13, 2026