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Articles by Stephen Dinan

Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

Palestinians gain U.N. status as ‘observer state’

Palestinians won a victory on the world stage Thursday when the U.N. General Assembly voted to grant them enhanced status in the world body, but they could face a backlash in Washington, where lawmakers introduced legislation to kick them out of their diplomatic offices and to strip U.S. aid.

November 29, 2012
“We used to be the uninvited party crashers. All of the sudden we’re the belle of the ball. Well, it’s time to dance.” - Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, Illinois Democrat (Associated Press)

Obama opposes GOP option for amnesty

The Obama administration said Wednesday it opposes House Republicans' first postelection immigration effort to entice more high-tech university graduates to stay in the U.S., signaling that this month's election has yet to foster a breakthrough on Capitol Hill on an issue all sides expect to dominate.

November 28, 2012
Erskine Bowles, co-chairman of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, sees chances for avoiding going over the “fiscal cliff” at less than 1 in 3. President Obama is sending aides to Capitol Hill on Thursday to meet with legislative leaders. (Associated Press)

Are parties hurtling toward ‘fiscal cliff’?

With little tangible headway being made in Washington on averting the looming federal taxes-and-spending crisis, a key observer said Wednesday that he puts the chances of Congress reaching a deal before the Jan. 1 "fiscal cliff" deadline at less than 1 in 3.

November 28, 2012
A Libyan man investigates the inside of the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, two days before. (Associated Press)

Senate calls for more Marines at U.S. diplomatic posts

The Senate voted Wednesday to authorize adding Marine security forces to more U.S. diplomatic posts around the globe in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist assault in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans dead.

November 28, 2012
** FILE ** Sen. Jon Kyl, Arizona Republican, talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sunday, July 3, 2011. (Associated Press)

Senators in GOP propose immigration reform

Moving to try to steal the immigration spotlight from Democrats, top Senate Republicans on Tuesday introduced their own version of the Dream Act to grant young illegal immigrants legal rights — though it wouldn’t give them a special path to citizenship.

November 27, 2012
“You either engage them or you become an irrelevant party and movement. We already cannot win California and New York. If we continue like this, it’s [next] going to be Florida, Texas, Arizona. That’s it — Republicans will never win another national election.” - Alfonso Aguilar, a Bush administration official who is now the executive director of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles (The Washington Times)

Data show Hispanics more likely to relate to Democrats

Stung by their election defeat, Republicans are eager to try to woo Hispanic voters, arguing that once their party puts immigration reform behind them, the ethnic group will be open to the GOP's conservative message.

November 26, 2012
"The first thing is the most important thing. Do away with motion to proceed. Just do away with it.” - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat (Associated Press)

Reid threatens filibuster change

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid confirmed Monday he will push to change Senate rules and curtail some Republican filibusters next year, setting up a major test of collegiality and power politics in the usually chummy chamber that bills itself as "the world's most exclusive club."

November 26, 2012
“We cannot afford to educate these foreign graduates in the U.S. and then send them back home to work for our competitors. For America to remain the world’s economic leader, we must have access to the world’s best talent.” - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, the Texas Republican who wrote the bill. (Associated Press)

GOP immigration bill keeps the well-educated

Trying to beat Democrats to the punch on the first post-election immigration bill, House Republicans have scheduled a vote later this week on a business-friendly proposal to grant green cards to foreigners who earn high-tech doctoral degrees from U.S. universities.

November 26, 2012
** FILE** President Franklin D. Roosevelt carved the turkey during the annual Thanksgiving dinner for polio patients at Warm Springs, Ga., on Dec. 1, 1933. First lady Eleanor Roosevelt was by his side. Roosevelt was jeered for changing the date of the holiday in 1939. Critics dubbed the revised holiday as “Franksgiving.” (Associated Press)

Roosevelt’s movable feast sparked outrage in year of ‘Franksgiving’

The year was 1939, and American businesses, still reeling from the previous year's recession, decided they wanted an extra week of Christmas shopping. The solution? They asked President Roosevelt to move Thanksgiving up a week. Roosevelt complied — and confusion and outrage ensued.

November 21, 2012
**FILE** Rahm Emanuel (Associated Press)

Illegals may get driver’s licenses in Illinois

Top Illinois state officials said Tuesday they'll push to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants — a move backed also by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who for years stood as Democrats' key impediment to pushing immigration in Congress.

November 20, 2012
**FILE** Rep. Allen West, Florida Republican, is seen here during an Oct. 4, 2011, news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Associated Press)

Allen West concedes in Fla. House race, leaves one black GOP lawmaker

Rep. Allen B. West's concession Tuesday that he lost his bid for re-election means the 113th Congress will open in January with only one black Republican in either chamber — a rough end to a year when the GOP had high hopes for expanding the diversity of its caucus.

November 20, 2012
**FILE** Rep. Allen West, Florida Republican, is seen here during an Oct. 4, 2011, news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Associated Press)

Democrat leads,
 West still fights 
at deadline for 
Florida recount

Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy declared victory Sunday over Rep. Allen B. West after a partial recount this weekend showed him still leading by more than half a percentage point — though Mr. West is refusing to concede, and questions linger over how ballots were treated in one Florida county.

November 18, 2012
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson gives an interview to The Associated Press at the agency's headquarters in Washington on Tuesday, April 17, 2012. (Associated Press)

Congress demands EPA’s secret email accounts

A House committee has launched an investigation into whether EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson used an email alias to try to hide correspondence from open-government requests and her agency's own internal watchdog — something that Republican lawmakers said could run afoul of the law.

November 17, 2012
Rep. Allen B. West (AP photo)

Judge denies West’s recount bid in bitter Florida race

A Florida judge on Friday denied Republican Rep. Allen West's plea for a full recount of early voting ballots in St. Lucie County, saying he didn't have authority to grant the request, according to the Palm Beach Post.

November 16, 2012
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, followed by fellow California Democrat Rep. Grace Napolitano, emerges from a closed caucus meeting Wednesday as lawmakers try to avoid a “fiscal cliff.” (Associated Press)

Leaders on Hill ready to bargain on taxes

Top congressional leaders of both parties, eager to avoid the "fiscal cliff," are beginning to show signs of willingness to compromise on the thorny issue of raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans as they prepare to meet President Obama on Friday at the White House.

November 15, 2012
** FILE ** This Oct. 4, 2011, photo shows Rep. Allen West, Florida Republican, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

GOP leaders back West’s call for recount

State and national Republican Party officials are getting behind Rep. Allen B. West's call for a recount of all early votes in St. Lucie County, Fla., saying it would be "unconscionable" not to answer lingering questions about the results, which show the outspoken GOP lawmaker trailing Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy.

November 15, 2012
** FILE ** This Oct. 4, 2011, photo shows Rep. Allen West, Florida Republican, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

Early votes in West’s Florida race being recounted

Florida's secretary of state dispatched auditors Wednesday to try to get to the bottom of voting irregularities in St. Lucie County, where Rep. Allen B. West trails in vote-counting after last week's election but says there are too many questions for him to concede.

November 14, 2012