Stephen Dinan

Ukraine’s top security official: Individual sanctions in Russia not enough

U.S. lawmakers are increasingly concerned about Russian troop movements on the border with Ukraine and the prospect of an additional land grab, as both houses of Congress voted to slap sanctions on Russia and extend loan guarantees to Ukraine.

March 27, 2014

House and Senate pass aid to Ukraine, sanctions on Russia

Saying they hoped to head off rather than spark a deeper confrontation with Russia, both houses of Congress voted Thursday to codify sanctions on top Russian officials and extend loan guarantees to Ukraine.

March 27, 2014

Democrats push for House vote on immigration

House Democrats announced an official petition drive Wednesday to try to pressure Republicans and force a final congressional vote on immigration — but they are facing criticism from immigrant rights activists who say the move is political theater and that the real problem is President Obama's deportation record.

March 26, 2014

House lawyer: IRS’s Lerner can be held in contempt

The House's chief counsel has concluded that that Lois G. Lerner, the former employee at the center of the IRS targeting scandal, can still be cited for contempt of Congress, according to a memo released Wednesday.

March 26, 2014

IRS stonewalls probe of tea party targeting emails

The Internal Revenue Service's tea party targeting program is still withholding approval of 19 organizations' nonprofit status, nearly a year after the scandal was revealed, the agency's commissioner testified Wednesday to Congress — where he faced fierce criticism from lawmakers who said he is stonewalling.

March 26, 2014

Boehner calls latest Obamacare delay ‘a joke’

The Obama administration's latest delay in the enrollment deadline for Obamacare has enraged Republicans, who said while they're getting used to the tweaks, it underscores the many problems with the law.

March 26, 2014

Reid won’t allow floor votes undoing parts of Obamacare

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid signaled Tuesday that he won't allow any votes to undo parts of Obamacare, leaving Democrats to have to face voters in November without any chance for a do-over on thorny issues such as the individual mandate.

March 25, 2014

Federal court skeptical of Obamacare tax subsidies

A federal appeals court seemed skeptical Tuesday of the Obama administration's position that it can give Obamacare subsidies to Americans regardless of what kind of exchange they are in, in a case that could threaten the fundamental deal underpinning the Affordable Care Act.

March 25, 2014

Obama doubts Russian retreat in Ukraine, threatens tougher sanctions

President Obama acknowledged Tuesday that it will be difficult to roll back Russia's military land grab in Ukraine, even as Congress seemed to break a political logjam in Washington that has held up financial aid to the embattled European nation.

March 25, 2014

States, D.C. are told to clean up voter rolls or be sued; Judicial Watch counters Obama

Conservative public interest lawyers sent letters Monday giving the District of Columbia, Iowa and Colorado 90 days to prove they are taking steps to delete from their registration lists dead voters and former residents, or else face a lawsuit.

March 24, 2014

White House turns to cat pictures to sell Obamacare

With the deadline for enrolling in the Obamacare exchanges just days away, the White House is scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas — including turning to cat GIFs, or animated videos made of multiple still photos.

March 24, 2014

A Ukraine divide: Congress, world leaders debate how to counter Russia

President Obama will try to forge a consensus on Ukraine when he meets this week with top allies in Europe, but he has had trouble winning unity even back home, where Democrats and Republicans are sparring over the outlines of U.S. policy, including military and financial aid.

March 23, 2014

U.S. officials on Putin’s list mock his sanctions on travel and banks

Sens. John McCain and Dan Coats joked that their vacation plans for Siberia are off after they found themselves on a list of nine U.S. officials and lawmakers hit with sanctions Thursday by Russia, in a tit-for-tat retaliation that signaled an escalation in the diplomatic battle over Ukraine.

March 20, 2014

Reid ups stakes in CIA-Senate clash with request for forensics test

Majority Leader Harry Reid escalated the Senate's battle with the Obama administration over CIA snooping this week, saying he's ordered a forensic examination to try to get to the bottom of accusations that the spy agency improperly searched congressional computers.

March 20, 2014