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DHS Bought Five Jets From Noem Donor’s Firm on Her Final Day as Secretary

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets, mostly left-leaning (80%).

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

According to a New York Times investigation, the Department of Homeland Security agreed to pay $108 million for a Boeing 737 Max 8 converted into a luxury jet, and additional sums for four more aircraft, from Daedalus Aviation Corporation on Kristi Noem’s last day as DHS secretary. The Times reported Daedalus had bought the 737 for less than $90 million months earlier, two smaller jets for about $83 million before reselling them to DHS for $106 million, and two 17-year-old 737s for $45 million each, above what aviation experts told the Times was typical market value. Daedalus chairman William Walters donated $10,000 to Noem’s political action committee, American Resolve, in 2024; the company said Walters did not know the PAC was tied to Noem. Noem, who Trump removed from the Cabinet in March amid contracting disputes, publicly disputed the Times’ characterization of Walters as a donor.

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. DHS agreed to pay $108 million for a Boeing 737 Max 8 luxury jet that Daedalus Aviation Corporation had bought for less than $90 million months earlier.

    Reported byLeftRight

  2. The agency also bought two smaller jets for $106 million (Daedalus had paid about $83 million) and two 17-year-old 737s for $45 million each.

    Reported byLeftRight

  3. All five planes were purchased on Noem’s final day/morning as DHS secretary, in March.

    Reported byLeftRight

  4. Daedalus chairman William Walters donated $10,000 in 2024 to Noem’s political action committee, American Resolve.

    Reported byLeftRight

  5. Daedalus said Walters did not know the PAC was tied to Noem when he donated, though an archived version of the PAC’s website displayed Noem’s name and image.

    Reported byLeftRight

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. Trump fired Noem from the Cabinet in March over a series of contracting-related disputes.

    Reported byLeft

  2. Noem publicly called the Times report “dishonest” and “libelous” and demanded it be retracted.

    Reported byLeft

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Whether William Walters qualifies as a political “donor” to Noem in a way that implies a conflict of interest.

    The New York Times and outlets citing it describe Walters as a donor to Noem’s PAC; Daedalus told the Times Walters did not know the PAC was tied to Noem, and Noem herself publicly disputed the “donor” characterization as imprecise and defamatory.

  • Whether the jet prices DHS paid were above market value.

    The Times, citing aviation experts and purchase-history documents, reported the prices were well above what Daedalus itself had paid months earlier; no outlet in this set presents a rebuttal to that specific claim from DHS or Daedalus.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Mainstream left outlets (The New York Times, The New Republic) describe the deal in investigative, fact-forward terms, while the further-left Daily Beast and HuffPost use mocking nicknames and sensational framing of the same reporting.

    Kristi Noem Spent Her Last Day At DHS Buying 5 Sensational language“Extremely Overpriced”Adds an intensifying judgment beyond stating the reported price difference.More neutral: OverpricedDisagree with this highlight? Jets From A Donor: Report
    HuffPostFar LeftAll 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

    1 outlet

    Daily Wire’s coverage (published twice with nearly identical headlines) frames the story as an “accusation” stemming from the Times report, emphasizing attribution over characterization.

    Kristi Noem Accused Of Giving Loaded modifier“Bloated Contract”Characterizes the contract’s value judgmentally rather than stating the price comparison factually.More neutral: Overpriced ContractDisagree with this highlight? To Big Donor In Final Hours Running DHS
    The Daily WireFar 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.

  • Left11

    botched tenureICE BarbieWild Final Morninglost it

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right1

    Bloated Contract

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    botched tenureMore neutral: tenure

    Characterizes Noem’s entire tenure negatively without specific support in this passage.

    On the final day of Noem’s botched tenure, the agency paid $108 million for a Boeing 737 Max 8 from Daedalus Aviation…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Dehumanizing label

    ICE BarbieMore neutral: Kristi Noem

    Reduces a cabinet official to a mocking nickname rather than referring to her by name or title.

    ICE Barbie’s Wild Final Morning in Office Revealed

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Wild Final MorningMore neutral: Final Morning in Office

    Adds dramatic flair beyond the factual description of a contract dispute.

    ICE Barbie’s Wild Final Morning in Office Revealed

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    lost itMore neutral: responded strongly

    Exaggerates Noem’s reaction in dramatic terms rather than describing it neutrally.

    Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has lost it over an article detailing her controversial contract awards.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Show 8 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded modifier

    controversial contract awardsMore neutral: contract awards

    Labels the contracts as controversial as settled fact rather than attributing the characterization.

    …Security Secretary Kristi Noem has lost it over an article detailing her controversial contract awards.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    Explodes OverMore neutral: Responds to

    Dramatizes Noem’s reaction rather than describing it factually.

    ICE Barbie Explodes Over Damning Report

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    Damning ReportMore neutral: Report

    Presents the report’s conclusions as proven wrongdoing rather than reported findings.

    ICE Barbie Explodes Over Damning Report

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Has Some Explaining to DoMore neutral: Faces Questions Over Donor Jet Deal

    Presupposes wrongdoing and frames the story as an indictment rather than a neutral report of findings.

    Kristi Noem Has Some Explaining to Do

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    Bloated ContractMore neutral: Overpriced Contract

    Characterizes the contract’s value judgmentally rather than stating the price comparison factually.

    Kristi Noem Accused Of Giving Bloated Contract To Big Donor In Final Hours Running DHS

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    she sure doesn’t mind paying extraMore neutral: the planes were sold at a markup

    Sarcastically implies wastefulness as established fact rather than reporting it neutrally.

    …Security Secretary Kristi Noem probably loves guacamole, because she sure doesn’t mind paying extra.

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    mind-boggling markupMore neutral: large markup

    Uses dramatic language to characterize the price difference rather than stating the figures neutrally.

    …that Noem bought five airplanes from Daedalus Aviation Corporation at a mind-boggling markup on her last morning at the Department of Homeland Security.

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Extremely OverpricedMore neutral: Overpriced

    Adds an intensifying judgment beyond stating the reported price difference.

    Kristi Noem Spent Her Last Day At DHS Buying 5 Extremely Overpriced Jets From A Donor: Report

    Used byHuffPost (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

  • price markups on each plane
  • luxury features like marble showers and a manta ray-skin table
  • the donor connection to Walters
  • Noem’s public reaction to the story
See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • attribution of claims to the New York Times
  • the specific dollar figures for each aircraft
  • Daedalus’s denial that Walters knew of the PAC’s tie to Noem

Leaves out

  • Noem’s public social-media response disputing the report
  • the archived PAC website showing her name and image

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

See the headline 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

    The New York Times, Oct 4, 5:00 AM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    1 day 9 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 5, 2:07 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The New York TimesLeftOct 4, 5:00 AM EDT
  2. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 4, 10:33 AM EDT
  3. The New RepublicFar LeftOct 5, 11:54 AM EDT
  4. The Daily WireFar RightOct 5, 2:07 PM EDT
  5. HuffPostFar LeftOct 5, 6:39 PM EDT

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

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