Kayla Epstein
Kayla Epstein is a national reporter for BBC News covering US politics and legal affairs, with a focus on how presidential power, the courts and federal agencies shape life in the US. She follows major political stories through their legal dimensions, reporting from courtrooms, inside government departments and in communities where those decisions land. Her recent work spans detailed coverage of Donald Trump’s criminal and civil cases, the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce and contested changes to election rules. She also covers high-stakes international disputes when they turn on US law and executive authority, including criminal proceedings involving foreign leaders and congressional limits on territorial ambitions.
Trump’s legal battles and the courts
Epstein’s reporting on Donald Trump’s legal cases is a central thread of her work, combining courtroom observation with clear explanations of what each ruling means for presidential power.
She has covered Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial and his other criminal and civil cases from inside the courtroom, filing digital reports that describe proceedings in detail while setting out the legal questions at stake. In a BBC News piece describing what Trump did after the guilty verdict in his hush-money trial, she focuses on the moment the decision was read and how the former president reacted, giving readers a direct account of events in the room. Her video explainer on what it was like inside Nicolas Maduro’s court hearing uses the same approach, walking through the sequence of a high-profile appearance and clarifying what happened and why it matters.
Across these stories, she concentrates on the intersection between legal process, political consequence and the practical impact on those caught up in the cases.
Federal agencies, the workforce and policy change
Epstein reports extensively on how the Trump administration and its successors try to reshape the federal government, especially the size and role of the civil service.
Her professional profile highlights coverage of cuts to federal agencies and the major legal questions surrounding Trump’s actions in office, signalling a sustained focus on structural changes rather than isolated announcements. In “US education department plans to cut half its workforce”, she reports on a planned reduction in staff at the Department of Education as part of broader efforts to shrink the federal government.
The piece tracks both the scale of the proposed cuts and the political goals they are meant to serve, tying internal staffing decisions to national debates over the role of federal agencies. Her wider portfolio on the reshaping of the federal government and on a second Trump administration reinforces this theme of following policy changes through their institutional and human consequences.
Voters, elections and political narratives
Beyond institutions, Epstein spends significant time with voters and communities to understand how political and legal stories are received and reinterpreted outside Washington. In “Trump’s voters want to see the Epstein files - but have faith …”, reported from West Pittston, Pennsylvania, she speaks with Trump supporters about the Jeffrey Epstein files saga and explores how their expectations and trust in the process shape their view of the controversy.
Her coverage of Trump criticising the Supreme Court after justices blocked his plan to restrict mail-in voting before midterm elections connects courtroom decisions to access to the ballot, showing how legal rulings can alter the mechanics of democracy. Professional summaries of her work note long-running coverage of presidential and midterm elections, workplace issues in Congress and major multimedia projects around key political events, indicating a broad remit across national politics. She consistently ties campaign narratives, voter sentiment and institutional changes together, treating elections as part of a wider system of power rather than isolated contests.
International and foreign policy legal disputes
Epstein’s politics beat extends into international affairs when US law, executive authority and foreign leaders intersect. In coverage of the US charging Cuba’s Raúl Castro with murder over the 1996 downing of two planes, she brings the same legal and political lens to a cross-border case involving a foreign head of state and long-running tensions between the US and Cuba.
In work credited as additional reporting on whether the US Congress could stop Trump from taking Greenland, she helps unpack the legal and constitutional constraints on presidential ambitions to acquire territory, linking a headline-grabbing idea to the realities of funding and legislative power.
Her explainer on Maduro’s court hearing adds another international dimension, documenting how US proceedings against a foreign leader unfold and what they reveal about the use of American courts in global disputes. Alongside this, she has reported for major outlets beyond the BBC, including national and international publications that focus on politics and public policy, building a portfolio that connects domestic power struggles to their global implications.
4 more politics journalists.
Abbi Garton-Crosbie
Abbi Garton-Crosbie is a multimedia political reporter who treats independence as a live process shaped by Holyrood power struggles, party manoeuvres and grassroots pressure. She works at The National, a pro-independence newspaper, covering how political power is contested and exercised in contemporary Scotland, with a core focus on parties, parliament and the mechanics of constitutional change. She reports on parliamentary votes, government strategy around future independence referendums, and elections across Scotland in the wider context of devolution in Wales and Northern Ireland. Her work centres on party leadership, resignations and internal conflict, including long-form interviews with senior politicians and coverage of emerging and smaller parties. She examines far-right activity, protest politics and movement organisation, and runs policy-driven reporting on rent caps, AI data centres, health boards and public services, across written, video and podcast formats.
Abubakar Ahmadu Maishanu
Abubakar Ahmadu Maishanu is a politics reporter with Premium Times who treats politics as a system of rules, contests and consequences rather than personalities. He focuses on power struggles, security shocks and governance disputes shaping party competition in northern Nigeria, especially how violence, corruption investigations and economic strain intersect with political authority. He reports on Bauchi’s 2027 governorship race, APC primaries and PRP realignment, tracking defections, party constitutions and factional manoeuvring. His coverage of Jigawa and Yobe follows power-sharing fights, candidate substitutions and Tinubu reelection mobilisation efforts. He links banditry and local security crises in Kano and Zamfara to political structures, using precise locations and casualty figures. His investigative work on alleged shady dealings around the Dala Inland Dry Port and reporting on soaring cooking gas prices add a corruption and economic hardship lens.
Aisha Iqbal
Aisha Iqbal covers local and regional politics for the BBC, with a distinct focus on grassroots power and how local decisions shape trust, representation and public services. She reports on Bradford Council decisions, waste services, cultural funding, regeneration grants and the use of public money. She also covers grooming gangs, community safety, political trust, elections, Muslim voters, Gaza, ceasefire campaigns and the links between faith, foreign policy and representation. Her work includes culture and public figures when they intersect with civic identity, including a feature on David Hockney. She connects committee-room votes, neighbourhood disputes and national debates, showing who gains, who loses and how communities respond. She reports across broadcast and online platforms in a clear, explanatory style. Earlier, she covered politics, culture and consumer issues for regional newspapers.
Alessia Simona Maratta
Alessia Simona Maratta stands out for showing how political decisions, regulations and conflicts ripple through communities, pairing national and global stories with on-the-ground voices and clear policy explanations. She is a digital reporter, producer and editor with Global News’ network news desk, covering breaking news, crime, politics, public health, housing, labour, immigration, environment and climate, social issues and features. Her recent work spans politics, public health regulation, labour and technology, and human-interest features that ground complex issues in everyday experience. She reports on politics, policy and community impact, public health and social debates, and labour and regulation at the intersection of technology, globalization and worker rights. Alongside hard news, she produces features that use individual stories, straightforward narrative arcs and accessible explanations to connect history, science and policy to everyday life.