CHRISTINE FERNANDO

Democracy reporter

Fernando is a democracy reporter covering misinformation, reproductive rights and state supreme courts for The Associated Press.
Los Angeles County Sheriffs arrest a demonstrator during a protest Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
What to know about debate over protesters and ICE agents wearing masks amid immigration crackdowns
People fearful of being arrested for wearing masks while protesting immigration raids in Los Angeles and other cities have voiced anger over Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents covering their faces.
 
Protesters confront police on the 101 Freeway near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Protesters and ICE agents wearing masks sparks debate on free speech and accountability
President Donald Trump and his Republican allies have repeatedly called for masks at protests to be banned and for protesters wearing masks to be arrested.
 
People attend the World Pride Rally and March at the Lincoln Memorial, Sunday, June 8, 2025, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
‘Not just a party:’ World Pride celebrations end with defiant politics on display
After the raucous rainbow-hued festivities of Saturday’s parade, the final day of World Pride 2025 in the nation’s capital kicked off on a more downbeat note.
 
A person wearing rainbow heart sunglasses watches the World Pride parade, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Cloudy skies can’t dim joy as thousands fill nation’s capital for World Pride parade
Gray skies and drizzle gave way to sunshine, multicolored flags and celebrations as the nation’s capital hosted the World Pride parade.
 
Steven Muleme, of Uganda, Executive Director of Visual Echoes for Human Rights Advocacy (VEHRA), Essy Adhiambo, of Kenya, founder and Executive Director of INEND, a human rights organization for gender minorities in Kenya, and Gilbert Mitullah, of Kenya, Executive Director of the Alliance for Strategic Minority Leadership, attend a forum about the African Continent, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, during the Human Rights Conference at World Pride, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Global LGBTQ+ advocates gather ‘on Trump’s doorstep’ at World Pride despite travel anxiety
Many LGBTQ+ travelers have expressed concerns about or decided to skip the World Pride gathering going on in Washington due to anxieties about safety, border policies and a hostile political climate.
 
Kenya Hutton, the president and CEO of the Center for Black Equity (CBE), poses for a portrait, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
In an uneasy climate, diverse pride groups converge on DC with differing interests but common goals
Members of different LGBTQ and transgender communities are descending on the nation’s capital with plans for celebrations, parades, concerts and more.
 
Lab staff prepare small petri dishes, each holding several 1-7 day old embryos, for cells to be extracted from each embryo to test for viability at the Aspire Houston Fertility Institute in vitro fertilization lab Feb. 27, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke, File)
White House says Trump is reviewing IVF policy recommendations promised in executive order
A White House official says the Trump administration is reviewing a list of recommendations to expand access to in vitro fertilization.
 
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington, as President Donald Trump look on. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
‘Beacon of freedom’ dims as US initiatives that promote democracy abroad wither under Trump
The United States is pulling back from its role in spreading democratic ideals abroad under President Donald Trump.
 
A St. Rita High School student prays in the school chapel where the new Pope Leo XIV, Chicago native Cardinal Robert Prevost, was a substitute teacher, Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Catholic Chicagoans celebrate as native son Pope Leo XIV becomes first American pope
Catholic Chicagoans gathered in churches, cheered from classrooms and celebrated from their homes as the historic decision was announced that a native son, Cardinal Robert Prevost, had been elected pope.
 
Emma Wozniak, editor in chief of the Ohio State University's The Lantern newspaper, talks with Nora Igelnik, campus editor at the paper's office in Columbus, Ohio, Thursday, April 24, 2025, as managing editor of content, Lucy Lawler listens. (AP Photo/Joe Maiorana)
College journalists wrestle with transparency as students fear deportation for speaking out
College journalists across the U.S. are navigating a surge in requests to remove previously published content amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on student protesters and what critics describe as unprecedented attacks on campus speech.
 
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, speaks during an anti-abortion rally on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
A movement that seeks to prosecute women who get abortions is gaining momentum on the right
Many people involved in the abortion debate say a movement of so-called abortion abolitionists who want to punish women for having abortions is widening its influence.
 
Voters mark their ballots while voting at Centennial Hall at the Milwaukee Central Library on Election Day Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Republican bill requiring proof of citizenship for voting passes US House
Vermont’s Democratic secretary of state says Republican legislation passed by the U.S. House that would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote for federal elections is part of a strategy to make voting harder.
 
Elon Musk speaks at a town hall holding a check Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
State Supreme Courts have become an electoral battleground. But some states choose a different path
The recent election that determined control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court saw millions of dollars flooding in from billionaires, featured attack ads and drew national political attention.
 
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel plays with his band "4 on the Floor" at his election night party Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Pewaukee, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
Once common, now unusual: Conservative candidate publicly quashes shouts that the other side cheated
The conservative-backed loser of Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election promptly conceded the race as it was called, angering his own supporters, who yelled for him to stay in the fight.
 
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, speaks during an anti-abortion rally on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Anti-abortion groups aim to end Planned Parenthood funding and suggest Musk’s DOGE to get it done
Major anti-abortion groups have gathered in the nation’s capital to begin a lobbying effort with Congress and President Donald Trump’s administration aimed at eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood.
 
President Donald Trump speaks at a reception celebrating Greek Independence Day in the East Room of the White House, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
RNC asks states for details about their voter files, part of a larger effort to question elections
The Republican National Committee has launched a massive effort to probe voter registration lists nationwide amid a broader strategy to seize on voter rolls to question the integrity of elections.
 
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates Brad Schimel and Susan Crawford are seen before a debate Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Abortion once more plays a key role in a state political fight, this time in Wisconsin’s court race
Abortion has been top of mind for many voters casting early ballots in the race for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
 
A voter casts a ballot during early voting in Waukesha, Wis., Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
Wisconsin voters cast ballots under national spotlight to decide control of the state Supreme Court
Wisconsin voters are casting the first ballots in a pivotal state Supreme Court race that will determine whether liberal or conservative justices control the highest court in the crucial presidential battleground.
 
A protester chants during a demonstration in support of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, Monday, March 10, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Trump campaigned as a protector of free speech. Critics say his actions as president threaten it
President Donald Trump campaigned as a champion of free speech, but First Amendment advocates say they’ve never seen freedom of speech under attack the way it has been in his second term.
 
Sydney Smith, who lost her job due to DOGE cuts, stands in front of the Sydney Yates building that houses the Forest Service on Thursday, March. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Young people who aspired to government service dismayed by Trump ending the federal fellows program
Young people who aspired to federal government service are dismayed by President Donald Trump ending a program created to entice highly qualified workers to join the government.
 
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Noem taps new ICE leaders and moves to identify leakers
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has announced new immigration enforcement leadership as she pledged to step of polygraph tests on employees to identify those who may be leaking information about immigration operations to the media.
 
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk with Jason Hing, chief deputy of emergency services at the Los Angles Fire Department, left, and Capt. Jeff Brown, chief of Station 69, as they tour the Pacific Palisades neighborhood affected by recent wildfires in Los Angeles, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
FEMA cancels classes at national fire training academy amid federal funding cuts
The National Fire Academy, the country’s preeminent federal fire training academy, has canceled classes effective immediately amid the ongoing flurry of funding freezes and staffing cuts by President Donald Trump’s administration.
 
Elon Musk speaks at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
The young techies behind DOGE are a lightning rod for criticism but also a youth magnet for the GOP
A group of young engineers is playing a vital role in billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk’s effort to slash the federal bureaucracy through his Department of Government Efficiency.
 
President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order relating to clemency for anti-abortion protesters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Justice Department curtails prosecutions for blocking access to reproductive health centers
President Donald Trump’s new Justice Department leadership is curtailing prosecutions against people accused of blocking access to abortion clinics and reproductive health centers.
 
People participating in the annual March for Life, walk from the Washington Monument to the Supreme Court, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, in Washington.(AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Trump and Vance join March for Life anti-abortion activists in celebrating the movement’s gains
President Donald Trump and his vice president, JD Vance, are celebrating gains in the anti-abortion movement with activists in the annual March for Life.
 
Anti-abortion activists Lauren Handy, front, with Terrisa Bukovinac, from left, Jonathan Darnell, and Randall Terry, speak during a news conference in Washington, April 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
Trump pardons anti-abortion activists who blockaded clinic entrances
President Donald Trump is pardoning anti-abortion activists who were convicted in the October 2020 invasion and blockade of a Washington clinic.
 
People march toward the Lincoln Memorial during the People's March, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Thousands march in Washington days before Trump takes office
Thousands of people from around the United States rallied in the nation’s capital for women’s reproductive rights and other causes they believe are under threat from the incoming Trump administration.
 
Members of the group NC Forward listen during a meeting in High Point, N.C., Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. The group is traveling to Washington to take part in the People's March on Jan. 18 ahead of the inauguration. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
A rebranded Women’s March returns before Trump’s inauguration as progressives seek to regroup
Donald Trump is back and so is the Women’s March, which returns to Washington on Saturday under a new name: The People’s March.
 
A protester holds a sign as the Republican-dominated North Carolina House convened to complete the override of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of a bill that aims to weaken the powers of Cooper's soon-to-be successor and other Democratic statewide winners in the Nov. 5 elections, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
A power grab by Republicans in North Carolina becomes a referendum on democracy in the states
Democrats in North Carolina were celebrating big wins in the swing state after the November election, including victories for governor and other top statewide offices.
 
President-elect Donald Trump takes the stage before speaking at the FOX Nation Patriot Awards, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Greenvale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Trump has flip-flopped on abortion policy. His appointees may offer clues to what happens next
As Donald Trump’s Cabinet begins to take shape, the nominees offer a preview of how his administration might handle abortion after he repeatedly flip-flopped on the issue on the campaign trail.
 
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