Skip to content

PoliticsDeveloping

Democrats who won Congress in midterms pledge probes of Trump administration

By

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

Democrats who won control of the House and Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections say they will use subpoena powers and larger investigative staffs to examine President Donald Trump and people in his orbit. The Associated Press reports that corruption was a top voter concern and that House Democrats are preparing a broad oversight agenda. The Daily Beast reports that Jared Kushner and D.C. Attorney Jeanine Pirro are among the targets. Fox News Digital reports that several Democrats who ran on affordability were largely silent when asked about the shift, and that Representative Robert Garcia, set to lead House Oversight, posted “Lawyer Up” after the vote. The White House has long denied any wrongdoing.

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. Democrats won control of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections.

    Reported byFar Left1Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast
    Center
    PBS NewsHour
    Far Right
    Fox News

  2. Corruption was a top voter concern in the midterms, according to the Associated Press.

    One outletPBS NewsHour· Center

  3. Senior Democrats plan to use subpoena powers and larger staffs to probe what they say is self-enrichment by Trump and people around him, according to the Associated Press.

    One outletPBS NewsHour· Center

  4. Democrats have signaled they intend to seek testimony from Jared Kushner over the Iran war and from Jeanine Pirro over the Reflecting Pool project, according to The Daily Beast.

    One outletThe Daily Beast· Far Left

  5. Representative Robert Garcia, set to lead House Oversight, responded to the election with a “Lawyer Up” statement, according to Fox News Digital.

    One outletFox News· Far Right

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. Hakeem Jeffries has not ruled out trying to impeach Trump a third time, according to the Associated Press.

    One outletPBS NewsHour· Center

  2. Several Democrats who campaigned on affordability were largely silent when pressed by Fox News Digital about the shift toward investigations.

    One outletFox News· Far Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

Fox News, The Daily Beast and the AP all report that Democrats who won Congress plan probes of Trump and people around him. The Daily Beast names Kushner and Pirro as targets, the AP ties the plans to voter concern about corruption, and Fox calls the shift a pivot from affordability.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    Headline names Trump’s son-in-law and a MAGA-labelled prosecutor as targets of a corruption probe, and the description calls the midterms a wipeout; it is the only left-side outlet here.

    Dems Target Trump Family Member and Loaded modifier“MAGA Prosecutor”“MAGA” is a partisan label attached to a named official in the outlet’s own voice, pre-judging her.More neutral: D.C. Attorney Jeanine PirroDisagree with this highlight? in Corruption Probe
    The Daily BeastFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    AP headline presents the planned probes as a Democratic response to voter concern about corruption, quoting the phrase “tentacles of corruption” from Democratic leaders.

    After taking control of Congress, Democrats vow major probes into Trump's 'tentacles of corruption'
    PBS NewsHourCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    Fox headline frames the planned probes as “threats” and a pivot away from affordability after midterm wins; the right’s only outlet here is Far Right and this is its own report.

    Dems pivot from ‘affordability’ pitch to DHS probe Sensational language“threats”The headline calls the planned investigations “threats”, a judgement the reporting does not establish.More neutral: probesDisagree with this highlight? after midterm wins
    Fox 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.

  • Left3

    midterm wipeoutbotchedMAGA Prosecutor

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right2

    sudden pivotthreats

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    midterm wipeoutMore neutral: midterm losses

    “Wipeout” makes the result sound total and dramatic beyond the vote totals the coverage reports.

    …Democratic investigations into soaring costs and corruption following Tuesday’s midterm wipeout.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    botchedMore neutral: Reflecting Pool project

    “Botched” asserts a failure in the outlet’s own voice, and the supplied text gives no record of its cause.

    Attorney Jeanine Pirro over the taxpayer-funded botched Reflecting Pool, which party leaders have dubbed “the Strait of Warm Ooze.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    MAGA ProsecutorMore neutral: D.C. Attorney Jeanine Pirro

    “MAGA” is a partisan label attached to a named official in the outlet’s own voice, pre-judging her.

    Dems Target Trump Family Member and MAGA Prosecutor in Corruption Probe

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    sudden pivotMore neutral: shift

    “Sudden” implies an abrupt and unexplained change, a judgement the coverage does not document.

    …message were largely silent when pressed by Fox News Digital on their sudden pivot to foreshadowing investigations into the Trump administration, including in many…

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    threatsMore neutral: probes

    The headline calls the planned investigations “threats”, a judgement the reporting does not establish.

    Dems pivot from ‘affordability’ pitch to DHS probe threats after midterm wins

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Partisan shorthand

    Quoted

    Strait of Warm OozeMore neutral: Reflecting Pool project

    A mocking nickname coined by party leaders that carries their criticism into the description.

    …taxpayer-funded botched Reflecting Pool, which party leaders have dubbed “the Strait of Warm Ooze.

    Quoted byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

    These are Democratic party leaders’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

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

  • Named Trump-world targets Kushner and Pirro
  • Link between corruption and soaring costs
  • Midterm result as a wipeout
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Dems Target Trump Family Member and Loaded modifier“MAGA Prosecutor”“MAGA” is a partisan label attached to a named official in the outlet’s own voice, pre-judging her.More neutral: D.C. Attorney Jeanine PirroDisagree with this highlight? in Corruption Probe

    Donald Trump’s son-in-law and his top MAGA prosecutor have emerged as prime targets of Democratic investigations into soaring costs and corruption following Tuesday’s Sensational language“midterm wipeout”“Wipeout” makes the result sound total and dramatic beyond the vote totals the coverage reports.More neutral: midterm lossesDisagree with this highlight?. …

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

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Voter concern over corruption
  • Subpoena powers and larger investigative staffs
  • Possible impeachment of Trump
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • PBS NewsHourCenterAssociated Press report

    After taking control of Congress, Democrats vow major probes into Trump's 'tentacles of corruption'

    Corruption topped the list of concerns for voters who ousted Republicans and handed Democrats control of Congress in the midterm elections. Now, the newly empowered Democratic Party is putting the issue front and center as its leaders chart their course for investigations and …

    Read at PBS NewsHour (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Democrats’ affordability pitch versus probes
  • Robert Garcia’s “Lawyer Up” statement
  • Democrats silent when pressed on the shift
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • Fox NewsFar Right

    Dems pivot from ‘affordability’ pitch to DHS probe Sensational language“threats”The headline calls the planned investigations “threats”, a judgement the reporting does not establish.More neutral: probesDisagree with this highlight? after midterm wins

    Robert Garcia and other Democrats campaigned on affordability but pivoted to subpoenas and Trump investigations after winning, Fox News Digital found.

    Read at Fox News (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

    17 hr 22 min later

    Its first report, Nov 6, 11:22 AM EST

  • Center

    First to report

    PBS NewsHour, Nov 5, 6:00 PM EST

  • Right

    17 hr 35 min later

    Its first report, Nov 6, 11:36 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. PBS NewsHourCenterNov 5, 6:00 PM EST
  2. The Daily BeastFar LeftNov 6, 11:22 AM EST
  3. Fox NewsFar RightNov 6, 11:36 AM EST

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

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it
Embed

Show this story’s coverage card on your own site, blog or class page. It has the headline, who is covering it and a link back here, and it tracks nobody. See the card

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page