Stephen Dinan

John Boehner says blame for slow Congress lies with Democrats

Pushing back against claims he's leading a do-nothing Congress, House Speaker John A. Boehner on Wednesday ticked off a half-dozen significant bills he and his colleagues have passed but that are awaiting Senate action.

December 4, 2013

Hola: Boehner prepares to push amnesty bill through House

House Speaker John A. Boehner announced Tuesday he has hired a longtime advocate of immigration legalization to be his policy adviser, encouraging immigration activists but angering those who want to see a crackdown and who say Mr. Boehner's move signals he still wants an "amnesty" bill to pass.

December 3, 2013

Adios muchacho: Christie threatens veto of NJ’s Dream Act

After saying he would sign a Dream Act in New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday raised new objections to the version his state Assembly is getting ready to send him — raising questions about whether he is playing politics or trying to win the best possible deal from the Legislature.

December 2, 2013

Issa: FBI impeding inquiry into IRS targeting of conservative groups

The House's chief investigator says the FBI is stonewalling his inquiry into whether the agency and the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative group True the Vote for special scrutiny, and Rep. Darrell E. Issa is now threatening subpoenas to pry loose the information from FBI Director James B. Comey Jr.

December 2, 2013

Retailers plead for federal help in war against ‘patent trolls’

You wouldn't normally think of bricks-and-mortar stores as major innovators concerned about patent lawsuits, but Eddie Bauer is one of a number of traditional companies warning Washington it's worried.

December 1, 2013

Media feasting on Bush ‘fake’ turkey claim; false story still repeated 10 years on

It wasn't exactly the disastrous rollout of Obamacare, but 10 years ago this week, Washington was consumed with another scandal, dubbed by one CNN newscaster as "Turkey-gate": Was that a fake turkey President George W. Bush was photographed with during his first surprise visit with troops in Iraq?

November 27, 2013

Park Service pulls objection to fracking; used op-ed instead of scientific evidence

The National Park Service has officially withdrawn a controversial document objecting to fracking, scrubbing the record and acknowledging that it broke its own rules on sticking to strict science in its zeal to pressure a fellow federal agency.

November 26, 2013

IRS moves to clean up scandal of tea party targeting

Months after it acknowledged improperly targeting conservative political groups for scrutiny, the IRS on Tuesday proposed new guidelines it said will better define political activity and make it clearer when a nonprofit group has crossed the line.

November 26, 2013

GOP urges Fla. Rep. Trey Radel to resign after cocaine charge

Embattled Republican Rep. Trey Radel's own party asked him Monday night to step down from Congress, saying the congressman should focus on his rehabilitation after he admitted he bought and used cocaine.

November 26, 2013

Obama hears the discontent over immigration loud and clear, rebukes heckler

Immigration-rights protesters interrupted President Obama's speech Monday demanding he use executive powers to immediately halt all deportations, but he rebuked them, telling them he doesn't have that power.

November 25, 2013

Lawmakers question ban by some military branches on troops related to illegals

Members of Congress on Friday challenged a military policy that bans troops who have illegal immigrant spouses or children, saying it amounts to unfair discrimination against people who are volunteering to serve their country.

November 24, 2013

Iran nuclear deal faces uphill battle with Congress; Netanyahu sees a ‘historic mistake’

The Obama administration put on a full-court press Sunday to defend the deal the U.S. and key allies struck to try to halt Iran's burgeoning nuclear program — but the White House faces a tough sell with members of Congress who criticized the terms and said they'll still press for even tighter sanctions on the Islamic republic.

November 24, 2013

Democrats end Senate tradition, trigger ‘nuclear option’ to ram through Obama’s judicial nominees

Senate Democrats triggered the "nuclear option" Thursday, using a shortcut to undercut the chamber's filibuster rules and giving President Obama a clear path to stack the federal judiciary with ideological allies.

November 21, 2013

Mexican drug cartels exploit asylum system by claiming ‘credible fear’

The House Judiciary Committee has begun looking at reports that Mexican drug cartel members are abusing the U.S. asylum system to bypass regular immigration checks and get into the country, where some are setting up smuggling operations and others engage in the same violent feuds that caused them to flee Mexico in the first place.

November 21, 2013

Democrats trigger ‘nuclear option’ to eliminate many filibusters

Senate Democrats on Thursday used the so-called "nuclear option" to change the chamber's long-standing rules and eliminate filibusters of presidential nominees, in a move that could further erode whatever cooperative mood was left in Washington.

November 21, 2013

Albuquerque voters reject abortion ban; referendum in N.M. defeated 55-45%

Voters in Albuquerque easily defeated a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, dealing a major blow Tuesday to pro-life advocates who had hoped that a win using the city's referendum process would be a model that other municipalities could follow.

November 20, 2013

Congress finds shortcuts, suspects OPM cover-up in security clearances

The federal agency charged with screening employees for security clearance offered hints about how to cut corners, and its lax policies could have led to the clearance the Navy Yard shooter needed to access the base.

November 20, 2013

Fight ignites over last section of border fence; El Paso site called key part of history

Seven years after Congress demanded it, the federal government issued a notice Wednesday that it will begin construction to fill the last remaining gap in the 652-mile border fence between the U.S. and Mexico.

November 20, 2013

Illegal immigrants arrested protesting at Capitol

Activists said that illegal immigrants were arrested while protesting outside of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's office on Wednesday in the latest escalation of civil disobedience designed to pressure Congress to legalize them.

November 20, 2013

Jeh Johnson, DHS secretary nominee, approved by Senate committee

Jeh Johnson, President Obama's nominee to head the massive Homeland Security Department, won Senate committee approval on Wednesday, clearing a key hurdle as he seeks to take the reins of a complex bureaucracy still suffering growing pains 10 years after it was created.

November 20, 2013