Stephen Dinan

William Barr denies Trump asked him to hold press conference

Attorney General William Barr said Wednesday he doesn't recall being asked by the White House to hold a press conference to do a very public exoneration of allegations he broke the law with his request that Ukraine investigate a political opponent.

November 13, 2019

Senate confirms Chad Wolf as DHS undersecretary, clearing path to become acting DHS chief

Chad Wolf was sworn in Wednesday as acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, hours after the Senate confirmed him to a lower position at the department.

November 13, 2019

More than 600 children ‘recycled’ by migrant smugglers at border: ICE

More than 600 children were "recycled" through the border over the last year, including some who were carried across eight times, by a different person each time, looking to exploit lax policies to gain a foothold in the U.S., a top ICE official told Congress on Wednesday.

November 13, 2019

DHS moves to cut off asylum seekers’ work permits

Homeland Security proposed a new policy Wednesday to delay issuing work permits to asylum seekers until after their cases are approved, in a move aimed at trying to end the incentive that is drawing hundreds of thousands of bogus refugees to the U.S. border.

November 13, 2019

Judge rules border DHS needs reasons to search travelers’ phones

The government does need to have a reasonable suspicion of illegal activity before it can search or seize Americans' electronic devices at U.S. ports and border crossings, a federal judge ruled Tuesday, delivering a significant victory to civil liberties advocates.

November 12, 2019

Supreme Court’s DACA case leaves Donald Trump with bad options

The Supreme Court's ruling in the DACA case is likely to detonate in the middle of the presidential campaign, and those on both sides of the issue say even if he prevails with the justices, it's not likely to be pretty for President Trump.

November 12, 2019

Supreme Court debates DACA do-over

DACA can, and probably will, ultimately be ended by the Trump administration.

November 12, 2019

Dreamers DACA case at Supreme Court hinges on procedural issue

The question before the Supreme Court on Tuesday is incredibly specific: Did Mr. Trump and his aides check all the correct procedural boxes when they announced the phaseout?

November 10, 2019

House Democrats move to resuscitate Equal Rights Amendment

Democrats in the House announced initial steps Friday to try to revive the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, breathing new life into a fight that most thought had been dead for decades.

November 8, 2019

Mississippi ICE raids: Most illegal immigrants stole Americans’ identities

Most of the 680 illegal immigrants nabbed in August's immigration raids at poultry plants in Mississippi worked under stolen American identities, the Department of Homeland Security's top investigator told Congress Thursday, rebuffing Democrats who insisted the "undocumented" workers were doing no harm.

November 7, 2019

Dems demand companies pay illegal immigrants snared in poultry raids

House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie G. Thompson said Thursday that his committee is battling to try to make companies pay illegal immigrants snared in this summer's raid on poultry processing plants in Mississippi.

November 7, 2019

Virginia Republicans take stock of electoral losses, Democrat control

The last Virginia Republican state delegate from Fairfax County lost his seat, and the GOP ceded control to the Democrats of the boards of supervisors in neighboring Loudoun and Prince William counties, both of which were GOP strongholds just a decade ago.

November 6, 2019

Virginia Democrats ride anti-Trump wave

With anger at President Trump boiling over, Democrats steamrolled to victory in Virginia's elections Tuesday, claiming majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly for the first time in two decades.

November 5, 2019

Michael Bloomberg, gun control groups see shootings helping Virginia Democrats

Gun control activists believe this summer's spate of high-profile mass shootings shifted the ground on the issue -- and they'll get their first chance to prove it Tuesday in Virginia, where voters are being told it's the top issue in the battle for control of the state's General Assembly.

November 4, 2019

Donald Trump-Adam Schiff warfare escalates with transcripts, defied subpoenas

Four administration officials defied subpoenas to testify Monday in the closed-door impeachment inquiry against President Trump, as House Democrats released the first transcripts from past secret proceedings, making a down payment on new promises of transparency to the month-old investigation.

November 4, 2019

Democrats reveal first transcripts from impeachment probe

House Democrats released the first transcripts Monday from their monthlong impeachment proceedings, making a down payment on their promises to bring more transparency to what has been a secret investigation.

November 4, 2019

Judge blocks Trump’s attempt to make immigrants prove they have health insurance

A federal judge issued an order Saturday blocking President Trump's proclamation that would have ordered government screeners to refuse entry to would-be immigrants who can't prove they have their own health insurance.

November 2, 2019

Donald Trump imposes lowest refugee cap ever

President Trump on Friday set a cap for the U.S. to accept just 18,000 refugees this fiscal year, marking the lowest number since the modern refugee system was created nearly 40 years ago.

November 1, 2019

Donald Trump names Chad Wolf as acting DHS chief

President Trump said Friday he has elevated Chad Wolf to be acting secretary at Homeland Security, putting him in charge of perhaps the administration's most critical portfolio.

November 1, 2019

Joe Arpaio loses CNN libel lawsuit

A federal judge on Thursday tossed the libel lawsuit Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff in Maricopa County, Arizona, had filed against CNN, Rolling Stone and the Huffington Post, ruling that even though they made errors, the news organizations didn't do it with malice.

October 31, 2019