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Congress returns for lame-duck session with December 11 funding deadline

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets across the spectrum.

5 articles in total, 1 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

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Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill next week for a lame-duck session before Democrats take control of Congress in January. Coverage across the spectrum reports a government funding deadline on Dec. 11 and that avoiding a shutdown is a first priority. The agenda also includes the annual defense policy bill and extensions of farm and surface transportation laws. Semafor reports that Senate Democrats must decide whether to advance a bipartisan permitting reform bill now or wait until next year. The New York Post reports that Republicans are seeking to pass a reconciliation package boosting Pentagon spending and to confirm President Trump’s nominees before they lose power.

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. Congress returns next week for a lame-duck session before Democrats take control in January.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Bloomberg
    Center
    Semafor
    Right
    New York Post

  2. A government funding deadline falls on Dec. 11, and avoiding a shutdown is a top task.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Bloomberg
    Center
    Semafor
    Right
    New York Post

  3. The lame-duck agenda includes the annual defense policy bill and extensions of farm and surface transportation laws.

    Reported byCenter1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    Semafor
    Right
    New York Post

  4. Senate Democrats must decide whether to advance a bipartisan permitting reform bill next week or wait.

    One outletSemafor· Center

  5. Republicans are reported to be seeking a reconciliation package to boost Pentagon spending and confirm President Trump’s nominees.

    Reported byCenter1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    Semafor
    Right
    New York Post

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three sides report that Congress returns for a lame-duck session with a December 11 funding deadline and Democrats taking control in January. The right stresses a Republican push to pass its agenda before then, while the left and center describe a crowded or long list of items.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    Bloomberg headlines frame the story around the midterm result and the workload it creates, using neutral wording about the agenda and the coming Congress.

    Congress Faces Lengthy To-Do List After Midterm Election
    BloombergLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    Semafor’s headline describes a long list of lame-duck tasks in neutral terms and focuses on the decisions facing Congress.

    Congress faces long lame-duck to-do list
    SemaforCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    New York Post news headlines frame the period as a rush by Republicans to pass conservative bills before Democrats take over, and its opinion headline tells the GOP what it should do.

    GOP braces for Sensational language“mad dash”The phrase adds a sense of frenzy that the reporting does not describe in neutral terms.More neutral: rushDisagree with this highlight? to push conservative bills through Congress before Dem takeover
    New York PostRightAll 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

    storm to powerso-calledmad dash

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    storm to powerMore neutral: take power

    The verb adds dramatic force to a routine transfer of control after an election.

    …to push through as much their conservative agenda as possible before Democrats storm to power in January.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Delegitimizing label

    so-calledMore neutral: (omit)

    Sneer quotes in word form.

    11 government shutdown, attempting to pass the so-called “reconciliation 3.0” package to plus up the Pentagon’s budget, and confirming…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    mad dashMore neutral: rush

    The phrase adds a sense of frenzy that the reporting does not describe in neutral terms.

    GOP braces for mad dash to push conservative bills through Congress before Dem takeover

    Used byNew York Post (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

  • midterm election result
  • crowded agenda
  • December 11 funding deadline

Leaves out

  • Republican push to confirm President Trump’s nominees
  • proposed Pentagon budget boost

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • December 11 shutdown risk
  • permitting reform bill
  • farm and surface transportation laws
  • defense policy bill

Leaves out

  • confirmation of President Trump’s nominees

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • SemaforCenter

    Congress faces long lame-duck to-do list

    Senate Democrats will have to decide whether they’re ready to advance a bipartisan permitting reform bill or hold off until the next year.

    Read at Semafor (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Republican conservative agenda
  • Pentagon budget boost
  • confirming Trump nominees
  • urgency before January

Leaves out

  • Senate Democrats’ choice on a permitting reform bill

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines

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

    First to report

    Bloomberg, Nov 3, 9:48 AM EST

  • Center

    19 hr 27 min later

    Its first report, Nov 4, 5:15 AM EST

  • Right

    1 day 9 hr later

    Its first report, Nov 4, 7:34 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. BloombergLeftNov 3, 9:48 AM EST
  2. SemaforCenterNov 4, 5:15 AM EST
  3. New York PostRightNov 4, 7:34 PM EST

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

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