Immigration & BorderDeveloping
Former owner of Peanut the squirrel is detained by ICE and may be deported
By Mantle News
Coverage spectrum
Covered by 7 outlets across the spectrum.
9 articles in total, 1 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Daniela Bittner, the former owner of Peanut, the pet squirrel that New York wildlife officials seized and euthanized in 2024, has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the Associated Press and other outlets. The Department of Homeland Security said she was detained because she had overstayed. Her husband, Mark Longo, disputes that account and says a paperwork error is to blame. Longo says she has been held for nearly a month in conditions he has described as appalling, at detention centers in several states. Reports say she may be deported.
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.
Daniela Bittner, the former owner of Peanut, has been detained by ICE and may be deported.
Across the spectrumReported byFar Left1Left1Center2Right2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- The Daily Beast
- Left
- ABC News
- Center
- The Hill, NewsNation
- Right
- New York Post, The Washington Times
- Far Right
- Fox News
New York wildlife officials seized and euthanized Peanut the squirrel in 2024.
Reported byFar Left1Left1Right2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- The Daily Beast
- Left
- ABC News
- Right
- Reason, The Washington Times
- Far Right
- Fox News
The Department of Homeland Security said Bittner was detained because she had overstayed.
One outletNew York Post· Right
Her husband, Mark Longo, says a paperwork error is to blame and that the arrest is a mistake.
One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Right
- New York Post
- Far Right
- Fox News
Longo says Bittner has been held for nearly a month in conditions he has described as appalling, at detention centers across the country.
Reported byFar Left1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- The Daily Beast
- Right
- New York Post
What is contested
Where accounts differ
Questions the coverage answers differently, and who says what.
Was Bittner detained because she had overstayed?
The Department of Homeland Security said she was detained because she had overstayed, while her husband Mark Longo says a paperwork error on an immigration form is to blame and that the government is wrong about which paper was filed.
How each side tells it
Compare views
All sides report that Daniela Bittner, former owner of Peanut the squirrel, is detained by ICE and may be deported. The left stresses the squirrel’s killing and detention conditions, the center sticks to the arrest, and the right stresses overreach and DHS’s claim she overstayed.
the left
2 outlets
Left headlines pair the state’s killing of the squirrel with the owner’s detention; the Far Left Daily Beast’s “ICE Grabs” is sharper than ABC’s plain AP-based headline.
ICE Loaded verb“Grabs”The verb implies a forceful seizure, while the story reports a detention carried out under immigration procedures.More neutral: detainsDisagree with this highlight? Owner of Viral Squirrel Killed by State Officials
The Daily BeastFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines the center
2 outlets
Center headlines state the ICE detention and possible deportation plainly; NewsNation hedges its claim as a report, and The Hill’s headline is an AP report.
Internet squirrel’s owner in ICE custody, facing deportation: Report
NewsNationCenterAll center headlines the right
3 outlets · 1 opinion
Right headlines lead with New York officials euthanizing Peanut and with the Vance overreach angle, while the NY Post uses charged words such as busted and decapitated.
Former owner of Peanut the squirrel, viral pet euthanized by NY officials, detained by ICE
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
meddling DemocratsGrabsslammed
Center0
No loaded words in its own voice.
Right6
meddling Democratsseized onbustedbusybody spirit
In the outlets’ own words
Loaded modifier
meddling DemocratsMore neutral: Democrats
‘Meddling’ attaches a pejorative judgement to Democrats that the facts described do not establish.
…on the critter's killing as just another example of government overreach from meddling Democrats.
Used byThe Washington Times (Right)ABC News (Left)
Loaded verb
GrabsMore neutral: detains
The verb implies a forceful seizure, while the story reports a detention carried out under immigration procedures.
ICE Grabs Owner of Viral Squirrel Killed by State Officials
Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)
Loaded verb
seized onMore neutral: criticized
‘Seized on’ suggests opportunistic exploitation of the killing rather than simply reporting that Republicans criticized it.
…a couple's pet squirrel, Peanut, two years ago, Republicans including JD Vance seized on the critter's killing as just another example of government overreach from meddling…
Used byThe Washington Times (Right)
Loaded verb
slammedMore neutral: criticized
“Slammed” adds hostility to a description of Republicans’ position, where “criticized” reports the same act without judgement.
…a couple’s pet squirrel, Peanut, two years ago, Republicans including JD Vance slammed the critter’s killing as another example of government overreach from meddling…
Used byABC News (Left)
Show 4 more phrasesShow fewer
Loaded verb
bustedMore neutral: arrested
‘Busted’ is a colloquial word for arrest that adds a tone of triumph or mockery beyond the fact of the arrest.
Feds reveal why OnlyFans model who became famous for P’nut the squirrel saga was busted by ICE
Used byNew York Post (Right)
Delegitimizing label
busybody spiritMore neutral: a determination to regulate private wildlife ownership
The phrase dismisses government policy as meddling by characterizing its spirit with a contemptuous label, without evidence.
…became a symbol of what happens when government policy is controlled by a busybody spirit.
Used byReason (Right)
Loaded verb
Used Peanut the Squirrel To AttackMore neutral: J.D. Vance Cited Peanut the Squirrel in Criticizing Government Overreach
The verb presents Vance’s criticism as a deliberate exploitation of the squirrel’s death, which is a judgement of his motive.
Vance Used Peanut the Squirrel To Attack Government Overreach.
Used byReason (Right)
Sensational language
face another ordealMore neutral: are facing new immigration custody
The phrase adds drama to the owners’ situation in the outlet’s own voice without reporting a new fact.
…after New York officials euthanized Peanut the squirrel, his former owners face another ordeal as Daniela Bittner remains in ICE custody.
Used byFox News (Far Right)
Words quoted from someone else (3)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.
Sensational language
Quoteddeplorable conditionsMore neutral: poor conditions
The adjective carries the husband’s judgement of the conditions and is presented as his words.
Daniela Bittler has been in federal custody in “deplorable conditions” for nearly a month at various detention centers across the country, her…
Quoted byNew York Post (Right)
These are Mark Longo’s words. The outlets are reporting them.
Sensational language
Quotedappalling conditionsMore neutral: poor conditions
The adjective carries the husband’s judgement of the conditions and is presented as his words.
German native Daniela Bittner, 30, has been kept in “appalling conditions” for almost a month, according to her husband of four years, 36-year-old Mark…
Quoted byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)
These are Mark Longo’s words. The outlets are reporting them.
Dehumanizing label
Quotedillegal immigrant criminalsMore neutral: immigrants who have entered the country illegally
Vance’s words reduce a group of immigrants to a criminal label rather than describing the individuals concerned.
“The same government that doesn't care about hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant criminals coming into our country doesn't want us to have pets.
Quoted byABC News (Left)
These are JD Vance’s words. The outlets are reporting them.
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
2 outletsLeads with
- the state’s killing of the squirrel
- conditions in detention
- the owner’s ordeal
Leaves out
- the Department of Homeland Security’s stated reason for the arrest
- the husband’s account of a paperwork error
Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.
See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
Peanut the squirrel's former owner has been detained by ICE and could be deported
When New York wildlife officers euthanized a couple’s pet squirrel, Peanut, two years ago, Republicans including JD Vance Loaded verb“slammed”“Slammed” adds hostility to a description of Republicans’ position, where “criticized” reports the same act without judgement.More neutral: criticizedDisagree with this highlight? the critter’s killing as another example of government overreach from Loaded modifier“meddling Democrats”“Meddling” pre-judges Democrats as interfering before the facts are weighed.More neutral: DemocratsDisagree with this highlight?
- The Daily BeastFar Left
ICE Loaded verb“Grabs”The verb implies a forceful seizure, while the story reports a detention carried out under immigration procedures.More neutral: detainsDisagree with this highlight? Owner of Viral Squirrel Killed by State Officials
The former owner of a viral pet squirrel, P’Nut—who was seized, euthanized, and decapitated by state officials—has been detained by ICE. German native Daniela Bittner, 30, has been kept in “Sensational language“appalling conditions”The adjective carries the husband’s judgement of the conditions and is presented as his words.More neutral: poor conditionsThese are Mark Longo’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?” for almost a month, according to her husband of four years, …
From the center
2 outletsLeads with
- ICE custody
- possible deportation
- the squirrel’s internet fame
Leaves out
- the Department of Homeland Security’s stated reason for the arrest
- the husband’s claim that the arrest was a mistake
Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
P'nut the squirrel's former owner has been detained by ICE and may be deported
The arrest was the latest twist in the tale of Peanut, also known as P’nut, a once-orphaned squirrel whose fun antics made him a social media star.
- NewsNationCenter
Internet squirrel’s owner in ICE custody, facing deportation: Report
From the right
3 outlets · 1 opinionLeads with
- New York officials euthanizing Peanut
- government overreach and Vance
- the Department of Homeland Security’s overstay explanation
- the husband’s paperwork-mistake account
See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
- Fox NewsFar Right
Former owner of Peanut the squirrel, viral pet euthanized by NY officials, detained by ICE
Nearly two years after New York officials euthanized Peanut the squirrel, his former owners Sensational language“face another ordeal”The phrase adds drama to the owners’ situation in the outlet’s own voice without reporting a new fact.More neutral: are facing new immigration custodyDisagree with this highlight? as Daniela Bittner remains in ICE custody.
- New York PostRight
Feds reveal why OnlyFans model who became famous for P’nut the squirrel saga was Loaded verb“busted”‘Busted’ is a colloquial word for arrest that adds a tone of triumph or mockery beyond the fact of the arrest.More neutral: arrestedDisagree with this highlight? by ICE
The former owner of P’Nut — the internet-famous squirrel who was seized and decapitated by state officials — was nabbed by ICE because she’s a German national who “overstayed her welcome,” the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday.
Former owner of Peanut the squirrel detained by ICE
When New York wildlife officers euthanized a couple's pet squirrel, Peanut, two years ago, Republicans including JD Vance Loaded verb“seized on”‘Seized on’ suggests opportunistic exploitation of the killing rather than simply reporting that Republicans criticized it.More neutral: criticizedDisagree with this highlight? the critter's killing as just another example of government overreach from Loaded modifier“meddling Democrats”‘Meddling’ attaches a pejorative judgement to Democrats that the facts described do not establish.More neutral: DemocratsDisagree with this highlight?.
J.D. Vance Loaded verb“Used Peanut the Squirrel To Attack”The verb presents Vance’s criticism as a deliberate exploitation of the squirrel’s death, which is a judgement of his motive.More neutral: J.D. Vance Cited Peanut the Squirrel in Criticizing Government OverreachDisagree with this highlight? Government Overreach. So Why Has ICE Detained Peanut's Owner?
Peanut's killing became a symbol of what happens when government policy is controlled by a Delegitimizing label“busybody spirit”The phrase dismisses government policy as meddling by characterizing its spirit with a contemptuous label, without evidence.More neutral: a determination to regulate private wildlife ownershipDisagree with this highlight?. His owner's detention offers a rather different illustration.
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
4 hr 9 min later
Its first report, Nov 11, 2:51 PM EST
Center
3 hr later
Its first report, Nov 11, 1:43 PM EST
Right
First to report
New York Post, Nov 11, 10:42 AM EST
See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
- New York PostRightNov 11, 10:42 AM EST
- NewsNationCenterNov 11, 1:43 PM EST
- The Daily BeastFar LeftNov 11, 2:51 PM EST
- The Washington TimesRightNov 11, 5:06 PM EST
- ABC NewsLeftNov 11, 5:33 PM EST
- The HillCenterNov 12, 11:31 AM EST
- Fox NewsFar RightNov 12, 6:10 PM EST
Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.
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