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Attorney General Blanche does not rule out DOJ action on state vote certification

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 6 outlets, mostly left-leaning (67%).

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

Man in dark suit speaks at podium before Department of Justice seal and building graphic.
Image via NBC NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Thursday that he could not rule out a “doomsday” scenario in which the Justice Department would get involved in state and local certification of votes in the midterm elections on Nov. 3. Blanche said that otherwise no such action was being considered and that he had no intention to improperly interfere with elections. He made the remarks at a press gaggle in Virginia when reporters asked whether the department could block certification. NBC, citing unnamed sources, reported that the department is considering legal action against more states over voter rolls and noncitizen voting, before or after the election.

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

What happened

Key points

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

  1. Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Thursday that the Justice Department could not be ruled out from getting involved in state and local vote certification in an extreme scenario.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left2Left2Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast, The New Republic
    Left
    NBC News, The Independent
    Right
    Daily Mail
    Far Right
    Just the News

  2. Blanche said he had no intention to improperly interfere with elections and that otherwise no such action was being considered.

    One outletJust the News· Far Right

  3. The Justice Department is reportedly considering legal action against more states over voter rolls for noncitizen voting, according to NBC citing unnamed sources.

    One outletJust the News· Far Right

  4. The midterm elections are on Nov. 3, and voting is already underway.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    Daily Mail
    Far Right
    Just the News

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • The Justice Department would not act to block states from certifying midterm votes.

    Just the News reports Blanche saying he had no intention to improperly interfere and that such action was not being considered outside an extreme scenario. NBC, The Daily Beast, The New Republic, The Independent and Daily Mail report that he did not rule it out and treat the remark as a live possibility.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that Blanche, at a Thursday press gaggle, did not rule out DOJ action to block state certification in a “doomsday” scenario. Left outlets center the open possibility during an active vote, while right outlets lead with his assurance that no interference is planned.

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Headlines put Blanche’s refusal to rule out blocking state certification first, and the far-left outlets use charged words such as “chilling” and “election interference”.

    Blanche won’t rule out DOJ post-election action in a ‘doomsday’ scenario
    NBC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    2 outlets

    Just the News, the far-right outlet, leads with Blanche’s denial of plans to improperly interfere; Daily Mail leads with his refusal to rule out blocking certification, as the left does.

    AG Blanche says DOJ has no plans to 'improperly interfere' with states certifying votes
    Just the NewsFar RightAll 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.

  • Left6

    failed to inspire confidenceTrump loyalistominousRefuses to Rule Out

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    failed to inspire confidenceMore neutral: said he would not say whether the department would accept the results

    This states a judgement about public confidence that the reported remarks do not establish.

    Attorney General Todd Blanche failed to inspire confidence on Thursday when asked whether the administration would accept the results…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    Trump loyalistMore neutral: Attorney General Todd Blanche

    The label pre-judges Blanche through his link to the President rather than his conduct in the story.

    The Trump loyalist and top law enforcement official was asked point-blank whether there was any…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    ominousMore neutral: unclear

    The word adds a dark tone to a response that the excerpt describes only as a refusal to rule out an action.

    The attorney general gave an ominous response when asked about the looming election results.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    Refuses to Rule OutMore neutral: Does not rule out

    “Refuses” implies defiance, while Blanche only declined to exclude a hypothetical scenario.

    Todd Blanche Refuses to Rule Out Election Interference

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Show 2 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    FloatsMore neutral: Says

    The verb suggests a trial balloon, which implies a deliberate plan that the remarks do not establish.

    Todd Blanche Floats Chilling Likelihood of Trump Election Interference

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Chilling LikelihoodMore neutral: Possibility

    “Chilling” adds alarm, and “likelihood” overstates a hypothetical Blanche said he was not predicting.

    Todd Blanche Floats Chilling Likelihood of Trump Election Interference

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

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

4 outlets

Leads with

  • refusal to rule out action
  • possible interference with certification
  • Trump administration ties
See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The IndependentLeft

    Trump’s attorney general won’t rule out DOJ action to stop states from certifying midterms results

    Todd Blanche suggests the Justice Department could intervene in a ‘doomsday’ scenario as federal agents ramp up investigations and prosecutions while voting is already underway

    Read at The Independent (opens in a new tab)
  • The New RepublicFar Left

    Todd Blanche Loaded verb“Floats”The verb suggests a trial balloon, which implies a deliberate plan that the remarks do not establish.More neutral: SaysDisagree with this highlight? Sensational language“Chilling Likelihood”“Chilling” adds alarm, and “likelihood” overstates a hypothetical Blanche said he was not predicting.More neutral: PossibilityDisagree with this highlight? of Trump Election Interference

    Attorney General Todd Blanche is open to blocking states from certifying the November midterm elections. Blanche made the comments during a Thursday press gaggle in Virginia. …

    Read at The New Republic (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Todd Blanche Loaded verb“Refuses to Rule Out”“Refuses” implies defiance, while Blanche only declined to exclude a hypothetical scenario.More neutral: Does not rule outDisagree with this highlight? Election Interference

    Attorney General Todd Blanche Loaded verb“failed to inspire confidence”This states a judgement about public confidence that the reported remarks do not establish.More neutral: said he would not say whether the department would accept the resultsDisagree with this highlight? on Thursday when asked whether the administration would accept the results of the upcoming midterm election. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • NBC NewsLeft

    Blanche won’t rule out DOJ post-election action in a ‘doomsday’ scenario

    Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday left open the possibility for the Justice Department to seek to block states from certifying votes.

    Read at NBC News (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Blanche’s denial of improper interference
  • the doomsday scenario
  • the noncitizen voting crackdown
See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, 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

    First to report

    NBC News, Oct 22, 1:38 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    3 hr 48 min later

    Its first report, Oct 22, 5:26 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. NBC NewsLeftOct 22, 1:38 PM EDT
  2. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 22, 1:51 PM EDT
  3. The New RepublicFar LeftOct 22, 3:29 PM EDT
  4. The IndependentLeftOct 22, 4:33 PM EDT
  5. Daily MailRightOct 22, 5:26 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.

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