Teresa Elena Frontado
Teresa Elena Frontado covers how power, geopolitics and economics intersect in the Americas, with a particular focus on how US policy and China’s influence shape political choices in the region. Her reporting looks beyond headline diplomacy to show how governments in Latin America and the Caribbean weigh pressure from Washington against growing commercial and strategic ties with Beijing.
US–China competition in Latin America
Frontado’s recent work at the South China Morning Post focuses on stories where Latin American governments are caught between US expectations and Chinese partnerships. In her coverage of Panama’s response to US criticisms over its China ties, she examines how leaders defend their foreign policy decisions while trying to dial down tensions with Beijing. She uses these set-piece diplomatic disputes to explore broader questions of sovereignty, investment and security in the region. Her pieces regularly track how infrastructure projects, trade agreements and technology deals with China become points of friction in relations with Washington. She treats US–China rivalry not as an abstract contest but as a series of concrete decisions facing smaller states in the Western Hemisphere.
Regional politics and shifting alliances
Beyond single bilateral disputes, Frontado follows how political transitions and elections in the Americas recalibrate relations with both Washington and Beijing. She highlights when new administrations reconsider recognition of Taiwan, revisit Chinese investment deals or adjust their stance on US security cooperation. Her headlines often link domestic political developments to wider strategic shifts, showing how cabinet reshuffles, legislative battles or corruption allegations affect foreign alignments. She is interested in how governing coalitions balance ideology, economic need and external pressure when setting their foreign policy.
Policy consequences for trade, migration and security
Frontado’s reporting connects high-level diplomacy to outcomes that matter on the ground, including trade flows, migration and security cooperation. When she covers disputes involving US pressure on regional governments, she brings out what is at stake for market access, financing and development projects. Her stories track how changes in diplomatic posture can influence ports, logistics, technology networks and energy infrastructure. She also notes when security and migration negotiations are used as leverage in broader discussions about China’s role, treating these issues as part of a single policy package rather than separate beats.
Explainers and diplomacy-led reporting
Most of Frontado’s work is built around reported explainers and diplomacy-centered news features, rather than day-to-day spot coverage. She structures pieces around a central political question, using official statements, public data and regional expert commentary to unpack why a government is taking a particular line and what it means for relations with the US and China. Her articles often step back from breaking developments to provide context on prior agreements, previous diplomatic spats and long-running negotiations. This approach makes her coverage useful for understanding not just what a government said in a given week, but how that position fits into a longer trajectory of alignment and rivalry.
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.