Stephen Dinan

Appeals court maintains blockade on DHS using database to check state voter rolls

A federal appeals court has ruled to keep in place a lower court blockade on the Department of Homeland Security using its SAVE database to check voter rolls, undercutting the Trump administration's efforts to help states boot noncitizens from their registration lists.

September 5, 2026

Supreme Court ruling gives GOP ad advantage in key Senate races

The Supreme Court delivered a victory to Republicans in key Senate races Friday with a ruling that allows GOP political committees to coordinate on campaign ads and pay the lowest possible rates.

September 4, 2026

Trump asks Supreme Court to allow postal service to refuse to deliver some mailed ballots

President Trump took his fight over the conduct of the 2026 election to the Supreme Court again Thursday, asking the justices to erase a lower court blockade and allow the U.S. Postal Service to continue developing plans to refuse to deliver some mailed ballots.

September 3, 2026

IRS says it will deny tax-exempt status to private schools that practice affirmative action

The IRS opened a new front against affirmative action Thursday, proposing a regulation that would allow the agency to strip private schools of their tax-exempt status if they use race-based preferences in their admissions or financial assistance decisions.

September 3, 2026

Florida Bar rejects demands to probe DHS’ top lawyer over criticism of judges

The Florida Bar said it won't investigate the Department of Homeland Security's general counsel, shutting down a complaint filed by anti-Trump activists who said his criticism of sitting federal judges crossed ethical lines.

September 3, 2026

ICE deported this teen to El Salvador twice. He’s not supposed to be deported at all

ICE told a federal judge on Thursday that it was scrambling to try to bring back a migrant teenager whom it had wrongly deported to El Salvador -- for the second time in six months.

September 3, 2026

Trump cuts migrant population by nearly 3 million; total U.S. population likely to drop

President Trump has cut the illegal immigrant population by 2.3 million since he took office, according to a preliminary new analysis of government numbers being released Thursday.

September 3, 2026

Trump’s new birthright citizenship order blocked by federal judge

President Trump's second attempt at an executive order limiting birthright citizenship was blocked by a federal judge, who said the president was trying to eat away at citizenship for some of the people the Supreme Court just ruled were entitled to it.

September 3, 2026

ICE claims new record in August for arresting illegal immigrants

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported arresting 50,925 illegal immigrants in August, setting a new all-time monthly record.

September 2, 2026

States must report known illegal immigrants to feds as condition of getting welfare, DOJ rules

The Justice Department announced a new legal opinion Wednesday finding that states that take federal money to finance their cash welfare programs must report unauthorized immigrants to the Department of Homeland Security -- a move that could potentially defang states' sanctuary policies.

September 2, 2026

DOJ sues Kansas school system to stop ‘secret gender transitions’

The Justice Department announced a new lawsuit Tuesday against the public school system in Kansas City, Kansas, to try to stop what it said were "secret gender transitions" taking place at school.

September 1, 2026

Judge blocks Virginia’s new law barring police and sheriffs’ cooperation with ICE

A federal judge has issued an injunction on Virginia's law that would have prevented counties and cities from entering into cooperative agreements with ICE, saying the state was interfering with national law enforcement priorities.

September 1, 2026

Haitian migrant dies by suicide over pending deportation, wearing GPS ankle bracelet

A Haitian migrant facing deportation took his life by throwing himself in front of a tractor-trailer truck, immigrant rights activists said Tuesday, blaming the Trump administration's policies for his death.

September 1, 2026

Post office can’t handle Trump’s orders to police mail balloting, says whistleblower

The U.S. Postal Service's attempt to carry out President Trump's orders to control mail balloting in this year's election is "potentially catastrophic" and could block millions of people from casting their votes by mail, according to a new whistleblower report.

September 1, 2026

Supreme Court allows Trump to keep building his White House ballroom

The Supreme Court on Monday gave President Trump permission to keep building his ballroom at the White House, erasing a lower court blockade that had limited his construction.

August 31, 2026

A dead teen’s Social Security number stayed active for 24 years and $284,000 in fraud

For 24 years, the man known to the world as Carlos Obregon would scam Social Security, Health and Human Services, the State Department, the Treasury Department and Idaho's Transportation Department, walking away with nearly $284,000 in taxpayers' money.

August 31, 2026

Republicans seek Supreme Court OK for lower campaign ad rates; case could swing Senate races

Republican committees are asking the Supreme Court to block a lower court ruling that effectively raised the rates they must pay for campaign ads, in a case that could affect the winners of several key congressional elections.

August 31, 2026

Biden’s migrant parole flooded truck schools. Now the feds are shutting them down

The Transportation Department announced an emergency order Monday shutting down 110 big-rig driving schools that have been churning out what officials said were dangerous drivers -- immigrant students who couldn't speak English.

August 31, 2026

Trump administration asks appeals court to revive mail-ballot policing plans

The Trump administration filed a quick appeal late last week, just hours after a federal judge issued a new restraining order forbidding the U.S. Postal Service from carrying out President Trump's plans to police which mailed ballots can be delivered for November's election.

August 30, 2026

FBI puts Iraqi woman who got award from Jill Biden on terror watchlist; her visa is revoked

The Biden administration thought so highly of Taif Sami Mohammed Al Shakarchi that first lady Jill Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave her the International Women of Courage Award in 2022.

August 29, 2026