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Appeals court rules U.S. wrongly withheld New York highway funds over driver licenses

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets across the spectrum.

3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that the Transportation Department wrongly withheld nearly $74 million in federal highway money from New York, according to the court's written decision as reported by the Associated Press. The department had penalized the state after it refused to revoke nearly 33,000 commercial driver licenses issued to immigrants that an audit flagged last year. The court said New York could not be faulted for not cancelling licenses where a driver had lost legal status, because the rules requiring cancellation were not yet in place. The Independent reports the court found the department exceeded its statutory powers. The Washington Times reports the court found New York on firm legal footing. New York Attorney General Letitia James had sued in April.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the Transportation Department wrongly withheld about $74 million in highway funds from New York.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Independent
    Center
    PBS NewsHour

  2. The department withheld the money after New York refused to revoke commercial licenses that an audit flagged as questionable.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Independent
    Center
    PBS NewsHour

  3. The court said New York could not be faulted for not cancelling licenses where a driver had lost legal status, because the required rules were not yet in place.

    One outletPBS NewsHour· Center

  4. The court said the department overstepped its statutory powers and its decision ran afoul of fair notice principles.

    One outletThe Independent· Left

  5. The court found New York was on firm legal footing in issuing commercial licenses to migrants whose licenses ran beyond their authorized work period.

    One outletThe Washington Times· Right

  6. The Transportation Department had threatened to freeze another $147 million a year in state funds.

    One outletThe Independent· Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Questions the coverage answers differently, and who says what.

  • Did New York issue commercial driver licenses to foreign drivers illegally?

    A federal audit, as the Independent reports it, claimed the state routinely issued commercial licenses to foreign drivers illegally. The Washington Times reports the appeals court found New York was on firm legal footing in issuing them.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three sides report that an appeals court found the Transportation Department wrongly penalized New York over immigrant driver licenses. The sides differ in emphasis: the left stresses the administration losing, the center the money and court reasoning, the right New York's legal footing.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    Headlines frame the ruling as a loss for the Trump administration, naming Trump and the repeated lawsuits by states against the federal government.

    Federal appeals court rules against Trump in battle over trucker licenses in New York
    The IndependentLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The only center coverage is an Associated Press report carried by PBS NewsHour, whose headline says the department wrongly withheld the money and attributes the finding to the appeals court.

    U.S. wrongly withheld New York highway funds over immigrant licenses, appeals court rules
    PBS NewsHourCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    Headline says New York triumphed in issuing licenses to illegal immigrants, presenting the state as legally right, while the excerpt calls the holders migrants with iffy legal status.

    New York Loaded verb“triumphs”Presents the court outcome as a victory for one side rather than a ruling on the case.More neutral: winsDisagree with this highlight? in case over issuing truck driver's licenses to Loaded modifier“illegal immigrants”Labels immigrants by legal status as a settled fact, although the article itself describes their status as uncertain.More neutral: immigrants whose legal status was uncertainDisagree with this highlight?
    The Washington TimesRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right3

    iffy legal statustriumphsillegal immigrants

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    iffy legal statusMore neutral: uncertain legal status

    Judges the migrants' legal status before the facts are settled, in place of a neutral description of uncertainty.

    …firm legal footing when it issued commercial driver's licenses to migrants with iffy legal status even though they were valid beyond the period of time the federal government had…

    Used byThe Washington Times (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    triumphsMore neutral: wins

    Presents the court outcome as a victory for one side rather than a ruling on the case.

    New York triumphs in case over issuing truck driver's licenses to illegal immigrants

    Used byThe Washington Times (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    illegal immigrantsMore neutral: immigrants whose legal status was uncertain

    Labels immigrants by legal status as a settled fact, although the article itself describes their status as uncertain.

    New York triumphs in case over issuing truck driver's licenses to illegal immigrants

    Used byThe Washington Times (Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Trump administration losing in court
  • states suing federal government repeatedly
  • $73.5 million withheld
  • threatened $147 million yearly freeze
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • court found withholding wrongful
  • nearly $74 million at stake
  • licenses after legal status lapsed not required to be cancelled
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • PBS NewsHourCenterAssociated Press report

    U.S. wrongly withheld New York highway funds over immigrant licenses, appeals court rules

    The U.S. Transportation Department wrongly decided to withhold nearly $74 million in highway money from New York state after it refused to revoke nearly 33,000 questionable commercial driver's licenses for immigrants when an audit revealed problems last year, a federal appeals …

    Read at PBS NewsHour (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • New York on firm legal footing
  • licenses valid beyond work authorization
  • state victory in court
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Washington TimesRight

    New York Loaded verb“triumphs”Presents the court outcome as a victory for one side rather than a ruling on the case.More neutral: winsDisagree with this highlight? in case over issuing truck driver's licenses to Loaded modifier“illegal immigrants”Labels immigrants by legal status as a settled fact, although the article itself describes their status as uncertain.More neutral: immigrants whose legal status was uncertainDisagree with this highlight?

    New York was on firm legal footing when it issued commercial driver's licenses to migrants with Loaded modifier“iffy legal status”Judges the migrants' legal status before the facts are settled, in place of a neutral description of uncertainty.More neutral: uncertain legal statusDisagree with this highlight? even though they were valid beyond the period of time the federal government had authorized them to work, an appeals court ruled.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    2 hr 32 min later

    Its first report, Nov 13, 3:45 PM EST

  • Center

    4 hr 42 min later

    Its first report, Nov 13, 5:55 PM EST

  • Right

    First to report

    The Washington Times, Nov 13, 1:13 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Washington TimesRightNov 13, 1:13 PM EST
  2. The IndependentLeftNov 13, 3:45 PM EST
  3. PBS NewsHourCenterNov 13, 5:55 PM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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