Stephen Dinan

Van Drew doubles down on drone claims, says it could be Iran or China

Rep. Jeff Van Drew told the Pentagon on Thursday to put up or shut up after a military spokeswoman dismissed his claim that the drones swarming over New Jersey are Iranian in origin.

December 12, 2024

Trump rings in NYSE after Time Person of the Year distinction

President-elect Donald Trump rang the famous bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, basking in the glow of his pending inauguration and status as Time magazine's Person of the Year.

December 12, 2024

Trump vows pardons for Jan. 6 defendants ‘in the first hour’; named Time’s Person of the Year

President-elect Donald Trump, in an interview published Thursday, said he will pardon people who took part in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol immediately upon taking office and offered new details about his deportation plans, saying he will use the military "to the maximum level of what the law allows."

December 12, 2024

Trump to name Kari Lake to lead housecleaning at VOA

President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday named Kari Lake to take over as director of Voice of America.

December 11, 2024

Antony Blinken defends Afghanistan withdrawal, says things didn’t turn out too bad

Secretary of State Antony Blinken personally apologized Wednesday to the families of 13 U.S. troops killed by a suicide bomber during America's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, but said the withdrawal itself has not turned out as badly as his critics had feared.

December 11, 2024

Congressman claims New Jersey drones are from Iranian ‘mothership’

Rep. Jeff Van Drew said Wednesday that the drones detected flying over New Jersey in recent weeks are being operated by Iran.

December 11, 2024

Rep. Cory Mills spanks Secretary Blinken over Gaza rescues: ‘I was there. Were you?’

Rep. Cory Mills slammed Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday for what he said was a sluggish response last year to Hamas's attack on Israel and Americans trapped in Palestinian-controlled territory, with the lawmaker saying he had to personally make rescues.

December 11, 2024

Blinken apologizes to families of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan pullout

Secretary of State Antony Blinken personally apologized Wednesday to the families of the 13 U.S. troops killed in a suicide bombing during the final days of the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, saying he wished the Biden team had done better.

December 11, 2024

Sen. Joni Ernst tells Commerce Department to stop spending spree

Sen. Joni Ernst blasted the Commerce Department on Tuesday for its attempt to dump billions of dollars in cash before the end of the Biden administration.

December 11, 2024

New Jersey drones stump FBI; lawmakers furious at federal inaction

U.S. officials said they're not sure what to make of the swarms of drones detected flying over New Jersey in recent weeks, sparking outrage from lawmakers who said it makes the government look incompetent.

December 10, 2024

FBI miffed over mystery drones above New Jersey

The mystery drones detected flying over New Jersey in recent weeks are "concerning" and the FBI does not know who is operating them, a senior bureau official told Congress on Tuesday.

December 10, 2024

DHS has power to revoke visas for sham marriages, Supreme Court rules

A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Homeland Security has wide discretion to revoke visas for immigrants who entered into fake marriages.

December 10, 2024

Democrats beg Biden to expand amnesty for illegal immigrants before Trump takes office

Senior Democrats on Capitol Hill begged President Biden on Tuesday to announce new deportation amnesties for as many countries as possible before he leaves office, saying they fear what President-elect Donald Trump could do to "immigrant families."

December 10, 2024

Judge rules against Biden’s plan to expand Obamacare to Dreamers

A federal judge issued an injunction partially halting President Biden's attempt to expand Obamacare to include illegal immigrant Dreamers under the DACA program, saying the administration was trying to rewrite immigration law.

December 10, 2024

‘I’m just going to give up’: Migrants turning back rather than face Trump border

Dismayed migrants who were en route to the U.S. are starting to turn back now that they're staring at a border about to be controlled by the incoming Trump administration, according to a new report from Mexico.

December 10, 2024

DHS allowed migrant to die with slow rescue response, according to whistleblower

A "beef" between two Homeland Security supervisors may have contributed to the death of an illegal immigrant and delayed rescue for a Border Patrol agent who later died, according to a new whistleblower complaint.

December 9, 2024

Senate will tackle border security first, incoming budget chair says

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is poised to oversee the first major legislative package in the new Congress, said Monday that border security will be the "first" priority, topping even tax cuts and spending reforms.

December 9, 2024

Sen. Chuck Grassley declares ‘no confidence’ in FBI Director Christopher Wray

Sen. Charles E. Grassley delivered a blistering denunciation of FBI Director Christopher Wray on Monday, saying he's lost control of the country's preeminent law enforcement agency and lost the confidence of key members of Congress.

December 9, 2024

Alito scolds colleagues as Supreme Court ducks new affirmative action case

The Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a case involving the affirmative action policy at three high-profile Boston schools, but several justices warned that they will have to deal with the issue at some point.

December 9, 2024

Trump says he’s open to amnesty for Dreamers; criminals at top of deportation list

President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday revived the idea of an amnesty for illegal immigrant "Dreamers," saying the time has come to offer them more permanent protections in the U.S.

December 8, 2024