Aline Barros

Live updates: US voters head to the polls in first general election since Trump's return to power One year after Donald Trump retook the presidency, 2025 Election Day includes closely watched races for New York City mayor, New Jersey governor and California's Proposition 50.

BREAKING: Colorado voters approved a ballot measure that would raise state income taxes on higher-earning households to fund free meals for all public school students.

Follow AP for live updates.

Election 2025 live updates: Mamdani wins NYC mayor race, Democrats take governor races in N.J., Va.; Prop 50 to be decided Voters in states across the country head to the ballot box in the first election since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

Mary Sheffield (D) will be the first woman and first Black woman mayor of Detroit, the Associated Press projects.

Sheffield, 38, will succeed three-term Mayor Mike Duggan.

Here's an updated list of who has signed and who is refusing to sign the Pentagon's press policy. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

A historic Gaza peace deal — and the Voice of America is silenced.
For the first time in U.S. history, VOA cannot report to its 360 million weekly global audience. The world is watching, but America’s voice is gone. #SaveVOA

After ICE arrests parents, Portland business owner takes in 4 kids - Portland Business Journal Portland business owners Mimi Lettunich and Jackie Merlos have been friends for 20 years. With Merlos now in ICE custody, Lettunich is championing her case.

"Dreams can come true if you work really hard."

That's what Jackie Merlos shared when she was previously featured in the Portland Business Journal. Now, she's locked up in ICE custody, needlessly separated from her young U.S. citizen kids.

Free the Merlos family.
bit.ly/47ZVdIE

They’ve won in court, but ICE is still detaining and trying to deport them Inside the “psychological torture” regime targeting migrants who can't be sent home

Imagine: you win asylum, a judge says you can stay—yet ICE still locks you up and tries to deport you to a country you’ve never lived in.

Dir. atty Jennifer explained to @motherjones.com, the law exists but, “historically, it hasn’t been used in this kind of abusive way.”

🔗 tinyurl.com/89d95y3f

France recognized a Palestinian state on Monday, overcoming a months-long push by the Trump administration to intimidate and discourage countries from working with Paris on the initiative. https://wapo.st/4nDAD5o

A Free Press Matters – Join the Vision

From Washington, D.C., VOA Spanish & Creole connected 790+ affiliates across the Americas, reaching 100M+ weekly. For decades, VOA has been a beacon of press freedom. Let’s keep it alive. #SaveVOA

“Flying into war-torn Sudan, I heard VOA on the pilots’ radios — proof of its global impact. VOA is America’s voice of truth and freedom. If it disappears, the world will ask why.” — Jim Malone

#JimMalone #SaveVOA #PressFreedom

“The public deserves answers.”- Plaintiffs in the Widakuswara case

Patsy Widakuswara, Jessica Jerreat, and Kate Neeper say Judge Lamberth’s order echoes months of frustration over blocked journalism and lack of transparency.
Read full statement: www.savevoa.com

#SaveVOA #PressFreedom

Who Will Speak for America? NED, NDI, IRI, VOA, RFE/RL, Radio Marti, Radio Free Asia, and more were the instruments through which America advanced its interests by putting its back behind its values.

“[The Trump administration] has silenced, at least for now, the Voice of America (VOA), which had been operating every day since its birth in 1942”, Amb. Daniel Fried, reflects on the history and impact of the administration attempts in dismantling institutions such as VOA, NED, RFE/RL and others.

Alarm over Kari Lake deal to bring OAN content to Voice of America.
Reported by @npr.org @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social
#SaveVOA
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‘Fight back’: journalist taking Trump administration to court calls for media to resist attacks Patsy Widakuswara, lead plaintiff in lawsuit fighting order to dismantle Voice of America, says US government is becoming more aggressive

On @theguardian.com : “I never in a million years thought I would have to fight for freedom of the press in the United States of America. And yet here we are,” says Patsy Widakuswara, VOA's White House bureau chief.
#SaveVOA #PressFreedom

Working at #VOA was the realization of a dream that started when I was just a kid.
I knew I wanted to be a journalist in fifth grade — long before most people even thought about their careers.

VOA’s immigration reporter @alinebarr0s.bsky.social says VOA’s silence leaves a dangerous gap in global news coverage, especially in places where press freedom doesn’t exist.
#SaveVOA

Our journalism was carried by about 3,500 affiliate stations around the world. And I miss it every day.

When I left work on March 14, I had interviews scheduled for the following week, stories in progress with other reporters in our immigration bureau, and big plans to share them in different languages …

Three weeks since my last Voice of America story Thought I would reminisce a bit with you

Every time I read a new development or immigration news, I think about the stories I would’ve covered for the #VOA audience.

VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara is leading the legal battle against the Administration’s silencing of @VOANews, because for her it’s more than just a job; it’s personal. #SaveVOA

‘Facts, not fear’: Journalists navigate coverage of immigration enforcement actions under second Trump administration By Cat Carroll When federal agents arrived at a Chicago elementary school January 24, 2025, panic erupted as news spread of what many believed to be the start of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforceme...

As immigration becomes a top policy issue under the second Trump administration, media experts and researchers are determining how to best navigate coverage in a way that balances the need to inform with the responsibility to not stoke fear. New work from fellow @cgcarroll.bsky.social.

Opinion | Voice of America Is Broken and Can’t Be Reformed The U.S. international broadcaster is politically biased, confused and ineffective. Tear it down.

- OSC independent report concluded Michael Pack abused his authority, engaged in gross mismanagement, wasted public funds as USAGM CEO.

- Federal judge ruled Pack's actions (including targetting me) violated constitutional protections and VOA's statutory firewall.
www.wsj.com/opinion/voic...

NEWS: Kari Lake & US government temporarily barred from dismantling Voice of America further

Story forthcoming

Ruling here

ecf.nysd.uscourts.gov/doc1/1271372...

Trump administration moves quickly with mass deportation plans Actions have raised concerns among immigration advocates, who argue that policies lack transparency and could violate due process rights

www.voanews.com/a/trump-admi...

“If you have a form of immigration relief pending, like an asylum application or another type of petition, it is helpful to carry a copy of that.”

“If you have proof of having been present in the United States for two years or more, it is helpful to carry evidence of that — like school records, medical records, a lease, among other documentation.”

“They can remain silent, they do not have to answer officers’ questions, and they can request to consult with a lawyer.”

US fires 20 immigration judges from backlogged courts The dismissals touch on two Trump priorities: mass deportations and reducing the size of the federal government

www.voanews.com/a/us-fires-2...

“Immigration courts are backlogged with more than 3.7 million cases, according to Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.”

“It was unclear if they would be replaced. The U.S. Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review, which runs the courts and oversees its roughly 700 judges, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.”

“The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has fired 20 immigration judges without explanation, a union official said Saturday amid sweeping moves to shrink the size of the federal government.”