Stephen Dinan

Nikki Haley to endorse Marco Rubio in South Carolina GOP primary: Report

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley endorsed Sen. Marco Rubio's presidential bid Wednesday evening, giving him an extra boost as the Republican establishment's embrace of the onetime insurgent grows, and he emerges as the chief alternative to Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz.

February 17, 2016

Ted Cruz dares Donald Trump to sue over abortion ads

Sen. Ted Cruz dared Donald Trump to sue him Wednesday after the billionaire businessman sent a cease-and-desist letter demanding the end to a Cruz campaign ad accusing Mr. Trump of being pro-choice.

February 17, 2016

Bill Clinton makes nice with South Carolina blacks who ditched Hillary for Obama in 2008

If there was offense taken at the time, South Carolina Democrats say they're ready to forgive former President Clinton for his sharp elbows during the 2008 presidential race, welcoming him back to the state Tuesday, where he urged them to pick his wife's pragmatism over the expansive plans of Sen. Bernard Sanders.

February 16, 2016

John Kasich mispronounces Trey Gowdy’s name in South Carolina home state

He's a rock star to many Republicans, particularly in South Carolina, but Rep. Trey Gowdy appears to be a stranger to Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who called him "Troy Gowdy" on Tuesday as he campaigned in Mr. Gowdy's congressional district.

February 16, 2016

GOP showing signs of backing down from vow to block Obama’s Supreme Court nominee automatically

President Obama called on Senate Republicans Tuesday to give his eventual Supreme Court nominee a fair hearing in his bid to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia, as cracks emerged in the Republican leadership's position of automatically blocking any nominee.

February 16, 2016

Tea party leader jilts Donald Trump for Jeb Bush

The co-founder of Tea Party of America abandoned Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump Tuesday and threw his backing to Jeb Bush in a striking move that suggests some softening in the GOP front-runner's support among conservatives as the campaign shifts to South Carolina.

February 16, 2016

George W. Bush campaigns for Jeb Bush in South Carolina

More than seven years after he left office, President George W. Bush returned to the campaign trail Monday to defend his legacy and try to help his struggling younger brother, Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor who wants to extend the family dynasty in the White House.

February 15, 2016

Trump vows to sue Cruz over campaign ‘lies’

Donald Trump said he's hired a lawyer and is preparing to sue to block Sen. Ted Cruz from becoming president, saying the Canadian-born senator is disqualified from being president -- and saying he'll pull the trigger on the lawsuit if Mr. Cruz doesn't apologize for campaign "lies."

February 15, 2016

Antonin Scalia, conservative Supreme Court justice, remembered for caustic words, wit

The arguments were nearly an hour old in December's affirmative action case when Justice Antonin Scalia, apparently tired of dancing around the crux of the matter, plowed forward: Maybe black students were done a disservice by being recruited to top-notch colleges for which they weren't prepared.

February 14, 2016

Bernie Sanders goes carbon-neutral as Hillary Clinton breaks pledge

Sen. Bernard Sanders has outflanked Hillary Clinton on yet another key liberal issue, inking a deal to offset his campaign's carbon emissions as a show of commitment to combating climate change, The Washington Times has learned.

February 14, 2016

Marco Rubio interrupted by immigrant-rights protests

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's campaign rally in South Carolina was interrupted Sunday by immigrant-rights protesters who said he wants to deport their parents.

February 14, 2016

Trump attacks Bush family legacy, Cruz and Rubio fight over amnesty support

Donald Trump dismissed South Carolina's senior Republican senator and attacked the most recent Republican president, George W. Bush.

February 13, 2016

Republicans rule out replacing Antonin Scalia until new president is elected

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Saturday that the Senate should wait until a new president is elected to confirm a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia, whose sudden death Saturday shook Washington and threatened to reshape the 2016 presidential race.

February 13, 2016

15 percent of latest Hillary Clinton emails marked classified

More than 15 percent of the latest batch of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's emails released Saturday contain classified information, with three of the messages being labeled "secret" -- continuing to add to the questions surrounding her email use.

February 13, 2016

James Gilmore ends presidential bid, shrinks GOP field to six

Former Virginia Gov. James S. Gilmore III ended his presidential bid Friday after a disappointing campaign that saw him fail to get on ballots and collect just 145 votes total between the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire's primary.

February 12, 2016

Bernie Sanders says U.S. must ‘welcome’ more illegal immigrant children

Sen. Bernard Sanders said he's been more consistent in supporting illegal immigrants than Democratic presidential opponent Hillary Clinton as the two made pitches for Hispanic votes Thursday, facing off in a debate ahead of voting in Nevada's caucuses.

February 11, 2016

Hillary Clinton says Bernie Sanders’ plans would expand government by 40 percent

Sen. Bernard Sanders told fellow presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to hold off on a coronation as Democrats' presidential nominee as they faced off Thursday, making a plea for black and Hispanic voters as the primaries expand to more racially diverse states.

February 11, 2016

Hillary Clinton appeals to blacks, Hispanics in Democratic debate

Hillary Clinton opened Thursday's Democratic debate showdown with Sen. Bernard Sanders by insisting her message can appeal beyond "angry" voters worried about the economy and can reach blacks, Hispanics and women who she said suffer fear and discrimination.

February 11, 2016

U.S. citizenship sold for $10,000 through fraudulent adult adoption program, prosecutors say

Five hundred illegal immigrants paid as much as $10,000 apiece to try to buy their way into U.S. citizenship through a fraudulent adult adoption program, federal prosecutors said Thursday as they unveiled an indictment against the man they said ran the scheme.

February 11, 2016

Harry Reid, Democrats demand government-funded lawyers for illegal immigrants

Top Senate Democrats announced legislation Thursday to grant government-funded lawyers to tens of thousands of illegal immigrant children and mothers who surged into the U.S. from Central America over the last few years, opening another front in the thorny immigration battle.

February 11, 2016