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Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's ex-bodyguard charged after $200,000 home damage incident

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly right-leaning (67%).

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

Matthew Ammel, the former bodyguard and romantic partner of ex-Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, was arrested Sept. 17 on a charge of aggravated criminal damage after allegedly trashing her Cave Creek, Arizona home on Aug. 30 while she was away. According to court documents, Ammel demanded Sinema post a video on X and threatened to damage a painting every 10 minutes if she refused; he allegedly threw 22 paintings, valued at over $123,000, into her pool, defaced another with spray paint, and broke bottles of alcohol, bringing total damages to more than $200,000. Ammel has said he was in the midst of a mental health crisis and had recently been released from a mental health facility. The case comes amid a separate lawsuit from Ammel's ex-wife against Sinema under North Carolina's alienation-of-affection statute.

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. Ammel was arrested Sept. 17 on a charge of aggravated criminal damage

    Reported byLeftRight

  2. The incident occurred Aug. 30 while Sinema was away from her Cave Creek, Arizona home

    Reported byLeftRight

  3. Ammel allegedly threw about 22 paintings into Sinema's pool and defaced another with spray paint

    Reported byLeftRight

  4. Total damages are estimated at more than $200,000

    Reported byLeftRight

  5. Ammel allegedly threatened to damage a painting every 10 minutes if Sinema didn't post a video on X

    Reported byLeftRight

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. Ammel says he was going through a mental health breakdown and had recently been released from a mental health facility

    Reported byRight

  2. Ammel's ex-wife has sued Sinema under North Carolina's 'homewrecker'/alienation-of-affection statute

    Reported byLeftRight

What is contested

Where accounts differ

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

  • Why Ammel was at Sinema's home and what he wanted from her

    HuffPost and The Daily Wire report he demanded Sinema post an unspecified video on X; the New York Post, citing Ammel's own account, says he wanted her to use her Pentagon connections to look into why his military unit didn't receive a heroism award, and that the video showed him administering first aid during a 2007 deployment.

  • Ammel's mental state at the time

    The Daily Wire reports he was arrested as he was released from a mental health facility; the New York Post reports Ammel himself described a mental breakdown brought on by stress; HuffPost's excerpt does not mention this.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    1 outlet

    HuffPost's single headline frames the story around the scandalous nature of the affair and the alleged 'ransacking,' emphasizing tabloid-style drama.

    Ex-Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's Former Bodyguard-Turned-Lover Accused Of Loaded verb“Ransacking Her Home”Presents the alleged property destruction with a dramatic verb before the facts have been adjudicatedMore neutral: Damaging Her HomeDisagree with this highlight?
    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

    2 outlets

    The Daily Wire's headline focuses on the sequence of events (ultimatum leading to paintings in the pool), while the New York Post's headline highlights Ammel's 'bombshell' explanation for the incident.

    Loaded modifier“Home-wrecker”Labels Sinema with a judgmental term about the affair rather than a neutral descriptionMore neutral: Former Sen.Disagree with this highlight? Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s ex-bodyguard gives Sensational language“bombshell response”Uses a dramatic intensifier to characterize Ammel's statement rather than describing it neutrallyMore neutral: responseDisagree with this highlight? about why he was at her house before arrest
    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.

  • Left3

    sordid workplace sex scandalrampageRansacking Her Home

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right2

    Home-wreckerbombshell response

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    sordid workplace sex scandalMore neutral: the affair between the two, which became public last year

    Characterizes the affair with a judgmental adjective rather than describing it neutrally

    Kyrsten Sinema’s sordid workplace sex scandal has entered a new era.

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    rampageMore neutral: incident

    Adds dramatic framing to the alleged incident beyond a neutral description of the damage

    17 for allegedly trashing her Cave Creek, Arizona, home in a rampage that resulted in $200,000 worth of damage.

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    Ransacking Her HomeMore neutral: Damaging Her Home

    Presents the alleged property destruction with a dramatic verb before the facts have been adjudicated

    Kyrsten Sinema's Former Bodyguard-Turned-Lover Accused Of Ransacking Her Home

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    Home-wreckerMore neutral: Former Sen.

    Labels Sinema with a judgmental term about the affair rather than a neutral description

    Home-wrecker Sen.

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    bombshell responseMore neutral: response

    Uses a dramatic intensifier to characterize Ammel's statement rather than describing it neutrally

    Kyrsten Sinema’s ex-bodyguard gives bombshell response about why he was at her house before arrest

    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

  • the affair's scandalous backstory
  • the alleged property destruction
  • the homewrecker lawsuit

Leaves out

  • Ammel's claim of a mental health crisis
  • the content of the video Ammel wanted posted

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

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • HuffPostFar Left

    Ex-Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's Former Bodyguard-Turned-Lover Accused Of Loaded verb“Ransacking Her Home”Presents the alleged property destruction with a dramatic verb before the facts have been adjudicatedMore neutral: Damaging Her HomeDisagree with this highlight?

    Sinema is currently facing a civil lawsuit filed under North Carolina’s “homewrecker” statute over the affair.

    Read at HuffPost (opens in a new tab)

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

2 outlets

Leads with

  • details of the alleged ultimatum and destruction
  • Ammel's mental health claims and military background
  • the ex-wife's lawsuit
See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • New York PostRight

    Loaded modifier“Home-wrecker”Labels Sinema with a judgmental term about the affair rather than a neutral descriptionMore neutral: Former Sen.Disagree with this highlight? Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s ex-bodyguard gives Sensational language“bombshell response”Uses a dramatic intensifier to characterize Ammel's statement rather than describing it neutrallyMore neutral: responseDisagree with this highlight? about why he was at her house before arrest

    Ammel said he wanted Sinema to use her Pentagon connections to look into why his unit didn't receive an award for heroism.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily WireFar Right

    Kyrsten Sinema’s Ex-Bodyguard Gave Her An Ultimatum. Then Her Paintings Ended Up In The Pool.

    Former Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s ex-bodyguard and ex-boyfriend allegedly trashed her home after demanding that she post a video on X, threatening to damage a painting every 10 minutes until she complied. …

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

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

    HuffPost, Sep 24, 1:30 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    22 hr 58 min later

    Its first report, Sep 25, 12:28 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. HuffPostFar LeftSep 24, 1:30 PM EDT
  2. The Daily WireFar RightSep 25, 12:28 PM EDT
  3. New York PostRightSep 27, 11:56 AM EDT

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

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