Drew Friedman
Drew Friedman covers how federal workforce policy, management decisions and politics intersect, with a focus on what those choices mean for rank-and-file employees. He reports for Federal News Network on the mechanics of federal employment – hiring, pay, benefits, workplace rules and congressional oversight – rather than on horse-race politics.
Federal workforce policy and employment rules
Friedman’s core subject is the rules governing federal employment and how administrations and lawmakers seek to change them. His coverage of efforts to expand nondisclosure agreements across government, including a Trump administration push for a governmentwide NDA for federal employees, examines how such policies affect civil servants’ ability to speak out and interact with Congress. He regularly writes on proposals to reshape the federal workforce, including changes to disciplinary procedures, performance management and protections for career staff. Across these stories he explains complex policy language in practical terms, emphasizing how new directives would work in practice inside agencies.
Pay, benefits and hiring for federal employees
A recurring theme in his work is federal compensation and the government’s ability to recruit and retain talent. Friedman follows annual pay raise decisions, cost-of-living adjustments and debates over the federal pay system, translating dense budget and appropriations language into clear takeaways for employees at different grades and locations. His reporting tracks hiring initiatives, onboarding backlogs and efforts to streamline or modernize the hiring process, often highlighting the gap between announced initiatives and their implementation on the ground. He treats pay, benefits and hiring as connected levers in the broader competition for skilled workers, not as isolated budget lines.
Congressional oversight and agency management
Friedman also covers the oversight and political processes that shape federal workplace conditions. He reports on hearings, committee actions and legislation that touch on agency management, workforce structure and civil service protections, focusing on what these developments mean for day-to-day operations rather than the partisan fight around them. His stories often follow agency leaders’ testimony on staffing challenges, telework and return-to-office policies, and the use of temporary authorities or special hiring tools. By staying close to the language of bills, directives and hearing records, he shows how high-level political decisions translate into management instructions for agencies and supervisors.
Guidance-driven, service-oriented reporting for federal staff
Throughout his coverage, Friedman writes with federal employees as the primary audience. His articles frequently walk through timelines, eligibility criteria and process steps tied to new policies, such as how a specific memo affects existing agreements or what actions employees can expect from human resources offices after a change in law. He favors explanatory pieces anchored in current developments over opinion or broad political analysis, and his work often returns to the practical consequences of policy shifts for career staff stability, rights and responsibilities. This service-oriented approach distinguishes his politics coverage from more general political reporting and makes his beat a reference point for those tracking the working conditions of the federal workforce.
4 more politics journalists.
Adam Daly
Adam Daly covers politics for amNewYork with a focus on the inner workings of city and state government and the low-profile forums where power is exercised and negotiated. He reports on commissions and panels that shape how New York is governed, treating charter reform and government efficiency as central political terrain. His coverage of moves to replace an Adams-era charter commission with a new government efficiency panel foregrounds mandate, authority, and what “efficiency” means in practice for agencies and services. He tracks who gains and loses influence when one commission supplants another and which constituencies are being answered to. Daly explains dense procedural questions in clear, reader-facing terms, using specific institutional details and occasional wordplay to connect jargon-heavy reforms to public spending, service delivery, and mayoral power.
Alex Swoyer
Alex Swoyer covers national politics through the lens of the law, treating court cases and filings as core political documents rather than a separate legal niche. She reports for the Washington Times on the Supreme Court, federal courts and the justice system’s intersection with campaigns, Congress and the presidency. Her coverage follows political disputes as they move into courtrooms, focusing on cases that affect elections, executive power, immigration, religious liberty and gun rights. She explains opinions, dissents and procedural moves in plain language, grounding stories in briefs, oral arguments, orders and government records, then pairing them with reaction from officials, strategists and advocacy groups. She also reports on election rules, January 6 prosecutions, politically sensitive investigations, Republican Party dynamics and campaign‑trail narratives, using straight news, explainers and roundups to show how law, institutions and political ambition meet.
Alexander Mallin
Alexander Mallin stands out for turning dense Justice Department and federal court actions into clear, step-by-step reporting for ABC News. He covers politics through law enforcement and the courts, with a core beat on special counsel investigations, federal prosecutions, and clashes between the executive branch, Congress, and federal prosecutors. His reporting tracks interview transcripts, subpoena fights, indictments, plea deals, trial outcomes, and other court filings, especially in cases tied to President Joe Biden, the January 6 attack on the Capitol, and other high-profile political conflicts. He also covers transparency fights over investigative records and explains the statutes, rules, and institutional mechanics behind grand juries, redactions, and special counsel appointments. His stories are document-heavy, restrained, and focused on what prosecutors, defense lawyers, and judges are doing on the record.
Allie Kelly
Allie Kelly is a politics reporter at Business Insider who treats US politics as a story about personalities, performance, and the internet. She covers the intersection of political figures, online culture, and how power is exercised in public. Her work follows elected officials and rising players across parties, focusing on how they brand themselves, test messages, and respond to scrutiny. She often writes about memes, viral moments, and tools like meme coins as real campaign tactics and communication strategies. Her reporting explains how digital culture shapes electoral politics, party tensions, and governance. She favors short, accessible pieces built around vivid examples, like a lawmaker launching a DOGE-style coin, to explain broader trends. She uses clear, plain language, grounding each story in who holds power, what they are doing, and why their online choices matter.