Laura Barrón-López
lbarronlopez.bsky.social
Laura Barrón-López
@lbarronlopez.bsky.social
White House Correspondent for MS NOW. Formerly PBS News Hour, CNN. Proton email: LBL714@pm.me Signal: LBarron07.01
Pinned
Are you a federal government employee? Do you work with or have insight into DOGE? Do you work at Treasury and/or Bureau of Fiscal Service? If you’re any of the above please contact me using a non-work device. You can find me on Signal at LBarron07.01
Minnesota SOS Steve Simon tells @ms.now states now have to plan for “federal interference with our elections” like fed agents showing up at polls

“This now belongs in the same category as a power outage, a bomb threat”

New reporting w/ @davidrohde.bsky.social

www.ms.now/news/trump-e...
‘Trump is showing us the playbook’: Officials scramble to protect against election interference
Election officials across the U.S. are taking Trump’s latest threats seriously, bolstering their defenses against federal efforts to block their constitutionally mandated role running elections.
www.ms.now
February 9, 2026 at 3:42 PM
Latest from me and @marcsantianews.bsky.social —>
Breaking MS NOW:

The Trump admin is now eyeing Ohio for immigration enforcement operations that could begin as early as next week.

The operation is expected to target Haitian immigrants — with temporary protected status for Haiti expiring on Feb. 3.
ICE eyeing Ohio next, where it is expected to target Haitian immigrants
An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Haitians live in Springfield, Ohio, a community that President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance targeted during the 2024 campaign, falsely accusing the community ...
www.ms.now
January 31, 2026 at 6:35 PM
“Remain in Mexico” forced migrants to stay in Mexico border cities while waiting for court dates. Often staying in unsafe conditions and exposed to kidnapping and extortion.

Source believe some of the families set to be moved could be from Minnesota, and a number used CBP One app to enter legally
January 25, 2026 at 7:11 PM
Scoop: Trump admin plans to remove ~400 individuals, including children and families, to Mexico in first known restart of controversial “Remain in Mexico” policy during Trump’s 2nd term, sources tell me and Jake Traylor @ms.now

They’re set to be removed as early as Tuesday from TX and AZ to Mexico
January 25, 2026 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by Laura Barrón-López
Exclusive: ICE plans to deport 40 Iranians days after mass killings of thousands of protesters in Iran. Two of the deportees are gay & terrified of returning to a country where homosexuality is punishable by death, their lawyer says. w/
@lbarronlopez.bsky.social www.ms.now/news/trump-d...
Trump administration plans to deport 40 Iranians days after mass killings in Iran
Two of the deportees are gay and are terrified of returning to a country where homosexuality is punishable by death, their lawyer says.
www.ms.now
January 23, 2026 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by Laura Barrón-López
MS NOW EXCLUSIVE:
“The deportation flight is scheduled to depart from Arizona on Sunday, these people said, just days after the country’s hardline regime crushed mass protests by killing at least 3,000 demonstrators.”
www.ms.now/news/trump-d...
Trump administration plans to deport 40 Iranians days after mass killings in Iran
Two of the deportees are gay and terrified of returning to a country where homosexuality is punishable by death, their lawyer says.
www.ms.now
January 23, 2026 at 1:56 PM
A lawyer on her Iranian national client set to be deported on a Sunday flight: He “calls every 45 minutes begging me to save his life.”

Relative of another Iranian national, who has U.S. citizen kids, and also set to be deported: “It’s completely destroyed our family”

www.ms.now/news/trump-d...
Trump administration plans to deport 40 Iranians days after mass killings in Iran
Two of the deportees are gay and terrified of returning to a country where homosexuality is punishable by death, their lawyer says.
www.ms.now
January 23, 2026 at 2:33 PM
SCOOP: Trump admin plans to deport at least 40 Iranians days after mass killings in Iran, sources tell me, @davidrohde.bsky.social

Flight is as early as Sunday. Two men set to be on it are gay & “terrified” of returning to Iran where being gay is punishable by death

www.ms.now/news/trump-d...
January 23, 2026 at 12:50 PM
These troops are with the Army’s 16th Military Police Brigade and at least one battalion (500) were put on prepare-to-deploy orders, two sources told @ms.now
NEWS: Pentagon ordered active-duty soldiers with a military police unit in NC to prepare for possible deployment to Minneapolis, three people familiar told @ms.now

Prepare to deploy order was issued yesterday for at least a few hundred members of an Army military police brigade based at Fort Bragg
January 22, 2026 at 3:45 PM
ICE operations in Maine are starting. @ms.now reported last Weds that ICE HSI were eyeing Maine to target Somali immigrants, with op similar to Minnesota

www.ms.now/news/trump-m...
Trump targets Maine’s Somali population as federal officials consider new enforcement operation
The potential movement comes as President Donald Trump ramps up attacks on Somali immigrants, repeatedly saying he wants them out of the U.S. and calling them “garbage.”
www.ms.now
January 21, 2026 at 7:09 PM
NEWS: Pentagon ordered active-duty soldiers with a military police unit in NC to prepare for possible deployment to Minneapolis, three people familiar told @ms.now

Prepare to deploy order was issued yesterday for at least a few hundred members of an Army military police brigade based at Fort Bragg
January 21, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Reposted by Laura Barrón-López
President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota. MS NOW Reporter Nnamdi Egwuonwu and MS NOW White House Reporter @lbarronlopez.bsky.social report. Former DC Homeland Security & Intelligence Chief Donell Harvin shares his insights.

www.ms.now/ana-cabrera-...
Trump threatens Minnesota with Insurrection Act after overnight ICE clash with protestors
President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota after protestors and law enforcement clashed overnight. MS NOW Reporter Nnamdi Egwuonwu is on the ground in Minneapolis. MS NOW W...
www.ms.now
January 15, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Trump is considering removing DHS secretary Kristi Noem as early as Jan, four sources told @ms.now

Stephen Miller isn’t happy with pace of detention capacity expansion. Gov. Glenn Youngkin, possible contender for job, recently met with DHS/CBP officials

www.ms.now/news/trump-n...
Trump weighing Noem’s ouster at Homeland Security
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is on “very thin ice,” a White House official told MS NOW.
www.ms.now
December 8, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Multiple sources who read/were briefed on Pentagon IG's Signalgate report told MS NOW:
DOD Secretary Hegseth’s actions put troops “at risk"
Hegseth refused interview request
Hegseth would not turn over his phone, per two sources, including one who read report
www.ms.now/news/watchdo...
Watchdog: Hegseth’s Signal use put troops at risk
The Pentagon Inspector General found that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's use of a group chat risked the potential compromise of information that could harm military personnel and missions, accord...
www.ms.now
December 3, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Senators gave themselves a tailor-made ticket to court to sue federal gov for damages

But Americans who’ve been arrested/detained by fed immigration agents, or suffered collateral damage, have no effective, direct legal path to sue federal gov or individual fed agents

www.ms.now/msnbc/news/u...
It’s nearly impossible for normal Americans to sue the government. Not so for U.S. senators
The House is likely to repeal the controversial provision. But Senate action is unclear.
www.ms.now
November 20, 2025 at 1:38 PM
“The main thing is that you control everything by controlling money. So Trump controls universities by threatening their grants, their tax-exempt status. It’s all financial stuff when you get down to it, and that was something that [Viktor] Orbán pioneered.”

www.msnbc.com/news/news-an...
What Trump learned from Hungary
The president has long praised Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as a model strongman.
www.msnbc.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:33 PM
A House Republican told MSNBC “our oversight is not being maximized” due to the shutdown. The House Republican was “skeptical” that Trump would seek congressional authorization if the president escalates to land strikes.
October 29, 2025 at 12:31 AM
One House Democrat said the administration has provided “nothing” on the identities of who has been killed, their direct links to narcotics trafficking groups and no explanation of the administration’s long-term strategy in the campaign.
October 29, 2025 at 12:30 AM
New from @msnbc.com: Pentagon officials are expected to brief House Armed Services Committee on Thursday about US military strikes against alleged drug boats, five lawmakers told us.

Officials expected to brief include legal counsel to Joint Chiefs, officers overseeing special operations
October 29, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Many of the companies donating funds for the 90k sq ft ballroom have business before the federal gov, some (like Google) face DOJ lawsuits, others would need federal approval for mergers

The WH has not provided the amount of each donation made by donors
October 24, 2025 at 7:19 PM
A group of Senate Dems led by @warren.senate.gov want answers from the nonprofit entity managing $$ from big companies funding Trump’s $300M ballroom

Is the entity responsible “facilitating corrupt access to and favor-seeking from President Trump” they write

www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...
Trump demolishes the East Wing — and White House norms
The East Wing's rapid razing bypassed a detailed process for major federal renovation projects in Washington. Now, Senate Democrats are demanding answers.
www.msnbc.com
October 24, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Reposted by Laura Barrón-López
A veteran and federal worker was fired amid the government shutdown. @lbarronlopez.bsky.social interviews Doug Jackson who says: “This does feel like a betrayal.”

FULL INTERVIEW: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuY2...
'This does feel like a betrayal': Fired federal worker and veteran SPEAKS OUT
YouTube video by MSNBC
www.youtube.com
October 16, 2025 at 11:58 PM
I asked Tom Homan as he walked past reporters on White House North Lawn: “Did you take the $50k cash in a bag?”

Homan: “Give me a break”
October 16, 2025 at 3:50 PM
The “suggested” OOO language sent via the Chief Human Capital Officer of SBA goes on: “Every day that Senate Democrats continue oppose a clean funding bill, they are stopping an estimated 320 small businesses from accessing $170 million in SBA-guaranteed funding.”
October 1, 2025 at 9:23 PM