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Justice Department charges 28 people in California with voting-related crimes

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 27 outlets across the spectrum.

45 articles in total, 6 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

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The Justice Department announced charges against 28 people in California, including illegally registering to vote and making false statements on citizenship applications. The department says all 28 are green card holders, not US citizens, who may not vote in federal elections, and that 11 were arrested Monday. The department has also sued California over a list of about 20,000 suspected noncitizens and asked a court to set aside their mail-in ballots. State officials called the suit a “reckless political stunt.” In a court declaration, Los Angeles election officials said 38.9% of a 200-person sample with birthplace data showed a US birthplace.

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. The Justice Department charged 28 people in California with voting-related federal crimes, including illegal voter registration and false statements on citizenship applications.

    Across the spectrumReported byLeft4Center2Right1Far Right4See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    ABC News, Los Angeles Times, NPR, The Independent
    Center
    PBS NewsHour, The Hill
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Just the News, The Daily Wire, Breitbart News, The Federalist

  2. The Justice Department says all 28 defendants are green card holders, who are not US citizens and may not vote in federal elections.

    Reported byLeft1Right1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Independent
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    The Daily Wire

  3. The Justice Department says 11 of the 28 people were arrested on Monday.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Independent
    Center
    The Hill

  4. The Justice Department has sued California and asked a court to block mail-in ballots from about 20,000 people it suspects are ineligible to vote.

    One side only: the leftReported byLeft3See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Independent, Bloomberg, The Guardian

  5. California officials called the lawsuit a “reckless political stunt,” and Attorney General Rob Bonta said the small number of cases shows there is no widespread voter fraud.

    One side only: the leftReported byLeft2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg

  6. In a court declaration, Los Angeles election officials said 38.9% of records in a 200-person sample with birthplace information showed a US birthplace.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • The Justice Department’s list of about 20,000 suspected noncitizens identifies people who are ineligible to vote.

    The Justice Department and Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter say the list identifies suspected noncitizens and is about preventing voter fraud. California officials and Los Angeles election officials say the list is unreliable, and a Los Angeles sample found 38.9% of records with a US birthplace.

  • The 28 charges show that voter fraud is a widespread problem.

    Coverage quoting the Justice Department and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon presents the cases as a volume crackdown on crimes long under-prosecuted. California Attorney General Rob Bonta says the small number of cases shows there is no widespread voter fraud.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that the Justice Department charged 28 people in California with voting-related crimes. The left stresses doubts about the 20,000-name list, the right stresses the alleged fraud and green card holders, and the center sticks to the charges and arrests.

  • the left

    10 outlets

    Left headlines tie the charges to the Trump administration and focus on the 20,000-name list, its reliability and the lawsuit, with the LA Times opinion piece calling the attack false.

    DoJ’s suspected non-citizens list includes ‘high percentage’ of those born in US, LA officials say
    The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    The Hill’s headline reports the DOJ action and calls the defendants alleged noncitizen voters; PBS carries an AP report with similarly action-focused wording.

    Justice Department targets and charges 28 alleged noncitizen California voters
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    15 outlets · 2 opinion

    Headlines frame the charges as a voter-fraud crackdown, with Far Right outlets using “bust” and “illegal voting” wording while the Right-rated New York Post focuses on one defendant’s account.

    Feds Loaded verb“Bust”Calling the arrests a bust presents them as a successful crackdown before any charge has been tested in court.More neutral: arrestDisagree with this highlight? Dozens In Loaded modifier“Deep Blue State”Labeling the state by its partisan lean has no bearing on the arrests described.More neutral: CaliforniaDisagree with this highlight? Voter Fraud Crackdown
    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.

  • Left14

    dragnetappear to be coming to fruitioninability to field meaningful evidenceVoter Raids

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right34

    BustDeep Blue Statesmashhuge voter fraud ring

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    BustMore neutral: arrest

    Calling the arrests a bust presents them as a successful crackdown before any charge has been tested in court.

    Feds Bust Dozens In Deep Blue State Voter Fraud Crackdown

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    Deep Blue StateMore neutral: California

    Labeling the state by its partisan lean has no bearing on the arrests described.

    Feds Bust Dozens In Deep Blue State Voter Fraud Crackdown

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    smashMore neutral: arrest

    Smash describes an arrest operation in dramatic terms, while arrest reports the same act neutrally.

    FBI smash huge voter fraud ring in California — days after feds issued ultimatum to state

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    huge voter fraud ringMore neutral: voter fraud case

    Huge adds a sense of scale that the excerpt does not establish, since it reports more than two dozen suspects.

    FBI smash huge voter fraud ring in California — days after feds issued ultimatum to state

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

Show 44 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    very sleazy icebergMore neutral: larger problem

    Sleazy and very are judgements about the matter that the description does not support with evidence.

    This is just the tip of a very sleazy iceberg.

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    CrushesMore neutral: arrests

    Crushes describes an arrest operation in dramatic terms, while arrests reports the same act neutrally.

    FBI Crushes Major Voter Fraud Ring in California After Trump's Ultimatum to Newsom

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Partisan shorthand

    election integrity operationMore neutral: federal election-fraud operation

    Election integrity is a label one side uses for enforcement and presents the operation as protecting elections.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation carried out a sweeping election integrity operation Monday morning, arresting illegal aliens who are accused of registering to…

    Used byThe Western Journal (Far Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    illegal aliensMore neutral: noncitizens accused of registering to vote

    Used as a noun for people who have only been accused, it labels them by status before the charges are tested.

    …carried out a sweeping election integrity operation Monday morning, arresting illegal aliens who are accused of registering to vote in the upcoming midterms.

    Used byThe Western Journal (Far Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    suspected illegalsMore neutral: people suspected of noncitizen registration

    Used as a noun for people who have only been accused, it labels them by status before the charges are tested.

    The subjects were identified through a list of over 20,000 suspected illegals in the state of California, according to an exclusive report by The New York…

    Used byThe Western Journal (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    Major Voter Fraud BustMore neutral: federal arrests in California over alleged voter fraud

    Major and bust are dramatic words for an arrest of two dozen people, and the headline presents the operation’s scale as settled.

    FBI Carries Out Major Voter Fraud Bust in California After Gavin Newsom Ignores Ultimatum

    Used byThe Western Journal (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    Ignores UltimatumMore neutral: after a federal demand to California officials

    The headline casts the governor as defying an order, a framing the excerpt does not establish.

    FBI Carries Out Major Voter Fraud Bust in California After Gavin Newsom Ignores Ultimatum

    Used byThe Western Journal (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    dragnetMore neutral: set of arrests

    A dragnet suggests indiscriminate sweeping, which the reported arrests of named charged individuals do not establish.

    …with crimes including fraudulently registering to vote in US elections, part of a dragnet that the government says bolsters its case against the state in the run-up to the…

    Used byBloomberg (Left)

  • Vague attribution

    data shows that the problem is incredibly rareMore neutral: according to a named study or data source

    It asserts a data finding without naming the data or its source.

    …voting ahead of next month's midterm elections, even though data shows that the problem is incredibly rare, difficult to prove and has not been shown to change the outcome…

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    BustedMore neutral: charged

    Busted implies a crime was uncovered and proven, while the reported facts are charges and arrests.

    Feds Just Busted a Major Noncitizen Voting Ring in This Blue State

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    Major Noncitizen Voting RingMore neutral: 28 people charged

    Calling the case a major ring goes beyond the charges described, which concern 28 individuals.

    Feds Just Busted a Major Noncitizen Voting Ring in This Blue State

    Used byTownhall (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    appear to be coming to fruitionMore neutral: match concerns raised earlier

    The phrase presents the earlier fears as confirmed by the arrests.

    …the use of armed immigration enforcement to affect national elections appear to be coming to fruition, despite the Trump administration’s inability to field meaningful…

    Used byMother Jones (Far Left)

  • Absolutist framing

    inability to field meaningful evidenceMore neutral: critics say the administration has not produced evidence for its fraud claims

    The phrase states as fact that the administration has no meaningful evidence, which is a contested reading.

    …appear to be coming to fruition, despite the Trump administration’s inability to field meaningful evidence for claims of voter fraud or substantial voting by noncitizens.

    Used byMother Jones (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Voter RaidsMore neutral: arrests in voter-fraud cases

    A raid implies a forced entry or surprise seizure, while the coverage describes arrests of named people.

    Trump’s Voter Raids Have Begun

    Used byMother Jones (Far Left)

  • Absolutist framing

    despite scant evidence of illegal voting in the USMore neutral: though evidence of how widespread illegal voting is remains disputed

    The outlet states a contested reading of the evidence as settled in its own voice.

    …in the Trump administration's fight over noncitizen voting - despite scant evidence of illegal voting in the US.

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Absolutist framing

    despite scant evidence that such conduct exists on a meaningful scaleMore neutral: though evidence of how widespread such conduct is remains disputed

    The outlet states a contested reading of the evidence as settled in its own voice.

    …Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal voting in the US, despite scant evidence that such conduct exists on a meaningful scale.

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Sensational language

    fraud stingMore neutral: voter-fraud case

    Sting implies a covert trap, a dramatic framing of the arrests.

    Trump escalates crackdown on illegal voting with new arrests in California fraud sting

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    delivering exceptional resultsMore neutral: announcing arrests

    The outlet praises the official’s work in its own voice, which is a judgement rather than a fact.

    attorney for the central district of California, is once again delivering exceptional results in fighting election fraud, with just a couple of weeks to go before the…

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Dehumanizing label

    at least 11 fraudstersMore neutral: at least 11 people

    Calling the accused fraudsters labels them as criminals before the charges are tested.

    Federal authorities have already arrested at least 11 fraudsters and told Fox News they plan to arrest 28 in all.

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    Voter Fraud CrackdownMore neutral: election investigation

    “Crackdown” dramatizes an investigation whose allegations have not yet been tested in court.

    DOJ Charges 28 Noncitizens in California Voter Fraud Crackdown, Arrests 11

    Used byThe Daily Signal (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    admittedMore neutral: said

    “Admitted” implies a confession, while the report describes an official’s remarks.

    Hours later, First Assistant Attorney for California Bill Essayli admitted that they may not have even voted.

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    lauded the captureMore neutral: announced the arrests

    “Lauded” and “capture” both carry judgement about people who have only been arrested and charged.

    The arrests were announced in a Department of Justice press release, which lauded the capture of California residents as part of “Operation Protect the Vote”—an effort to…

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    purge voting rollsMore neutral: remove names from voter rolls

    “Purge” implies wrongful removal of voters, which the report does not establish.

    …of California residents as part of “Operation Protect the Vote”—an effort to purge voting rolls of alleged “noncitizens” ahead of November’s midterm elections.

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    AdmitsMore neutral: says

    “Admits” implies a concession of error, while the report describes an official’s statement about the list.

    DOJ Admits List of Noncitizen Voters Is Faulty as It Begins Arrests

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    flush outMore neutral: identify

    “Flush out” casts the enforcement as hunting people rather than investigating allegations.

    …by Mario Tama/Getty Images) The Trump administration is ramping up its efforts to flush out noncitizen voters with next month’s midterm elections approximately two weeks away.

    Used bySalon (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    escalated its feudMore neutral: expanded its legal dispute

    “Feud” turns a legal dispute into a personal quarrel, and “escalated” adds drama.

    of Justice escalated its feud with California officials on Monday when it filed for a temporary restraining…

    Used byTheBlaze (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    seeks to BLOCKMore neutral: asks a court to set aside

    Capitalizing “BLOCK” adds emphasis and drama to a routine request for a court order.

    Justice Department seeks to BLOCK ballots of 20,000 alleged noncitizen voters in California

    Used byTheBlaze (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    defiantMore neutral: responded

    Labels Bonta’s demeanour before the article describes what he said.

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta was defiant when asked about the massive voter fraud operation carried out by federal agents…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    massive voter fraud operationMore neutral: federal operation over alleged noncitizen voting

    Calls the federal action a fraud operation before the charges have been tested.

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta was defiant when asked about the massive voter fraud operation carried out by federal agents Monday morning — arguing the alleged…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    astonishingMore neutral: Rob Bonta’s response

    The adjective tells readers how to judge Bonta’s answer before they read it.

    Rob Bonta’s astonishing response when grilled on biggest voter fraud bust in California history

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    grilledMore neutral: asked

    The verb suggests a hostile interrogation, while the article only reports that he was asked questions.

    Rob Bonta’s astonishing response when grilled on biggest voter fraud bust in California history

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    biggest voter fraud bustMore neutral: arrests tied to alleged noncitizen voting

    Makes a superlative claim the coverage does not establish and treats the arrests as proven fraud.

    Rob Bonta’s astonishing response when grilled on biggest voter fraud bust in California history

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    sneeredMore neutral: criticized

    Describes the Democrats’ reaction with a verb that implies contempt rather than reporting what they said.

    Remember how California Dems sneered at the list the Trump administration sent of 20,000 registered noncitizen voters who…

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    comical self-ownsMore neutral: announcement that the columnist considers unpersuasive

    Describes the Justice Department's announcement as a mockable mistake, which is the columnist's opinion.

    In what may be one of the most comical self-owns in recent politics, the esteemed attorneys of the U.S.

    Used byLos Angeles Times (Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    esteemed attorneysMore neutral: Justice Department attorneys

    The label is used ironically and signals the columnist's contempt for the department.

    In what may be one of the most comical self-owns in recent politics, the esteemed attorneys of the U.S.

    Used byLos Angeles Times (Left)

  • Sensational language

    extravagant and terrifying misuseMore neutral: use of its investigative power

    Characterizes the department's investigative power with loaded adjectives instead of describing its actions.

    Department of Justice announced Monday that despite the extravagant and terrifying misuse of their investigative power under the Trump administration, they have…

    Used byLos Angeles Times (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    attack on California votingMore neutral: criticism of California's voting system

    Calling the DOJ action an attack presents the columnist's judgement of Trump's motive as fact.

    Chabria: Why Trump's attack on California voting is false — and even a bit funny

    Used byLos Angeles Times (Left)

  • Sensational language

    mass noncitizen voter fraud schemeMore neutral: alleged noncitizen voting

    Asserts a mass scale and a scheme before the facts are established.

    …28 noncitizens in California amid a crackdown on the state’s alleged mass noncitizen voter fraud scheme.

    Used byThe Federalist (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    tried to downplayMore neutral: questioned the significance of

    Attributes a motive to Stahl’s questions about the significance of the issue.

    …came hours after CBS News aired a 60 Minutes segment in which Stahl tried to downplay the significance of election fraud while speaking with Assistant Attorney…

    Used byThe Federalist (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    massiveMore neutral: alleged

    Adds scale and drama to the case description.

    One of the accused in the Department of Justice’s massive California voter fraud bust revealed Monday how shockingly lax the state’s voting…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    shockingly laxMore neutral: apparently lax

    Asserts the state’s voting system was lax with an emotive adverb, not a documented finding.

    …Department of Justice’s massive California voter fraud bust revealed Monday how shockingly lax the state’s voting system was.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    snaredMore neutral: charged

    Frames the arrest as a trap and implies the defendant was caught in a scheme.

    Noncitizen snared in California’s biggest ever voter fraud bust reveals exactly how he did it

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    biggest everMore neutral: large

    Makes a superlative claim about the case that the coverage does not establish.

    Noncitizen snared in California’s biggest ever voter fraud bust reveals exactly how he did it

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Vague attribution

    raises questionsMore neutral: state the question and who is asking

    The writer is raising the question while pretending someone else did.

    The statement revealed in court papers raises questions about the reliability of the list of 20,000 people in California The justice…

    Used byThe Guardian (Left)

Words quoted from someone else (2)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.

  • Delegitimizing label

    Quoted

    reckless political stuntMore neutral: lawsuit that California officials say is unwarranted

    Dismisses the lawsuit as political without evidence, though it is attributed to California officials.

    …ballots of 20,000 suspected non-citizens, saying the lawsuit is at best a “reckless political stunt” in the run-up to the midterm elections.

    Quoted byBloomberg (Left)

    These are California officials’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    ‘Absurd’More neutral: California officials say the lawsuit is unwarranted

    A loaded judgement of the lawsuit, though it is attributed to California officials in the headline.

    California Says DOJ Non-Citizen Voting Suit Borders on ‘Absurd’

    Quoted byBloomberg (Left)

    These are California officials’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

10 outlets

Leads with

  • DOJ lawsuit over the 20,000-name list
  • doubts about the list’s reliability
  • California officials’ rebuttal that the cases show no widespread fraud

Leaves out

  • Shah’s account that no one told him he was ineligible to vote

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

See the 11 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • DOJ charges and arrests
  • alleged status of the defendants
  • the DOJ press release announcing 28 charges
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Justice Department targets and charges 28 alleged noncitizen California voters

    The Justice Department (DOJ) targeted and charged 28 alleged California voters who are not citizens, the department said in a press release Monday. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)
  • PBS NewsHourCenterAssociated Press report

    Justice Department charges more than 2 dozen foreign nationals in California sweep targeting noncitizen voters

    PBS NewsHour published a report that is shown in full at ABC News. The headline is the one PBS NewsHour gave it.

    Read at PBS NewsHour (opens in a new tab)

From the right

15 outlets · 2 opinion

Leads with

  • noncitizen voter fraud crackdown
  • green card holders who allegedly voted
  • defendant’s account of registering on Election Day
  • CBS segment on noncitizen voting

Leaves out

  • Los Angeles officials’ sample showing 38.9% US-born records
  • doubts about the reliability of the 20,000-name list

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

See the 17 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

    3 hr 53 min later

    Its first report, Oct 19, 11:38 AM EDT

  • Center

    5 hr 9 min later

    Its first report, Oct 19, 12:53 PM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    The Daily Wire, Oct 19, 7:44 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Daily WireFar RightOct 19, 7:44 AM EDT
  2. New York PostRightOct 19, 9:41 AM EDT
  3. ABC NewsLeftOct 19, 11:38 AM EDT
  4. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 19, 12:52 PM EDT
  5. PBS NewsHourCenterOct 19, 12:53 PM EDT
  6. Los Angeles TimesLeftOct 19, 1:22 PM EDT
  7. The Epoch TimesFar RightOct 19, 2:01 PM EDT
  8. The Western JournalFar RightOct 19, 2:19 PM EDT
  9. BloombergLeftOct 19, 2:20 PM EDT
  10. Washington ExaminerRightOct 19, 2:34 PM EDT
  11. One America NewsFar RightOct 19, 2:41 PM EDT
  12. The GuardianLeftOct 19, 2:52 PM EDT
  13. Mother JonesFar LeftOct 19, 2:53 PM EDT
  14. Daily MailRightOct 19, 2:57 PM EDT
  15. PJ MediaFar RightOct 19, 3:10 PM EDT
  16. The Washington TimesRightOct 19, 3:12 PM EDT
  17. The Daily SignalFar RightOct 19, 3:40 PM EDT
  18. The New York TimesLeftOct 19, 3:51 PM EDT
  19. The New RepublicFar LeftOct 19, 4:36 PM EDT
  20. SalonFar LeftOct 19, 4:59 PM EDT
  21. TheBlazeFar RightOct 19, 6:05 PM EDT
  22. NPRLeftOct 19, 6:10 PM EDT
  23. RedStateFar RightOct 19, 6:42 PM EDT
  24. The HillCenterOct 19, 8:46 PM EDT
  25. The FederalistFar RightOct 20, 7:15 AM EDT
  26. The IndependentLeftOct 20, 10:58 AM 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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