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Nine Kennedy family members ask court to join lawsuits against Trump’s arch

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 31 outlets across the spectrum.

40 articles in total, 2 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

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Nine members of the Kennedy family have asked a federal court in Washington to join lawsuits seeking to block the planned 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery. The family says the structure would cast shadows over Kennedy gravesites, including that of President John F. Kennedy, and asks the court to bar the administration from approving, authorizing or constructing the arch. The family’s statement says Trump violated laws Congress set to protect the memorial. Accounts differ on whether the filing was made on Monday or Tuesday. Former prosecutor Harry Litman, in commentary, calls the claim the toughest legal test yet for the project.

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. Nine Kennedy family members asked a federal court in Washington to join lawsuits against the arch.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left1Left3Center5Far Right4See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story
    Left
    NPR, TIME, The Independent
    Center
    BBC News, United Press International, The Hill, NewsNation, Newsweek
    Far Right
    Breitbart News, Fox News, The Epoch Times, Just the News

  2. The arch would be 250 feet tall and is planned near Arlington National Cemetery.

    Reported byFar Left1Left2Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story
    Left
    TIME, The Independent
    Center
    BBC News
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  3. The family says the arch would cast shadows over Kennedy graves, including President Kennedy’s.

    Reported byFar Left1Left2Center1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story
    Left
    NPR, The Independent
    Center
    BBC News
    Far Right
    Breitbart News, Just the News

  4. The family asked for an injunction to stop construction of the arch.

    Reported byFar Left1Center3See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story
    Center
    The Hill, NewsNation, Newsweek

  5. The family’s statement says Trump violated laws Congress set to protect the memorial.

    One outletJust the News· Far Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Questions the coverage answers differently, and who says what.

  • Was the filing made on Monday?

    The Hill reports a Monday court filing in federal court in Washington; Breitbart says the nine members asked the court on Tuesday, citing The New York Times.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that nine Kennedy family members asked a federal court to join lawsuits against the 250-foot arch, saying it would shadow family graves. Left and center headlines mostly lead with the suit or JFK’s grave, while right-side outlets stress the family’s claim that Trump broke laws Congress set.

  • the left

    17 outlets

    Left headlines mostly say the Kennedys sue or join the fight against Trump’s arch, and stress harm to JFK’s grave; the Raw Story analysis headline calls the case a worst-case scenario for Trump.

    Kennedy Family Members Sue to Stop Construction of Trump Arch
    TIMELeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    7 outlets

    Center headlines report the family joining or suing over the arch in plain terms, with the JFK grave shadow claim in some; Newsweek’s headline quotes the family’s ‘permanent denigration’ wording.

    Kennedy family joins lawsuit to block Trump’s proposed arch
    United Press InternationalCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    7 outlets · 1 opinion

    Right headlines quote the family’s shadow claim, and Far Right Breitbart and Just the News frame it as a family suit against Trump; Fox’s headline is more neutral, saying the family seeks to join.

    Multiple Kennedy family members seek to join legal battle against Trump's triumphal arch
    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

    pet projectsPet ProjectD.C. schemes

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right5

    unavoidableattacking their family memberaiming their wrathAnti-Trump Obsession

In the outlets’ own words

  • Absolutist framing

    unavoidableMore neutral: blocking of light

    Presents the blocking of light as certain in the outlet’s own voice, while the family only asserts it.

    …Park Service among others to stop Trump's planned "Triumphal Arch," citing its unavoidable blocking of light over their family's graves at Arlington National Cemetery, which…

    Used byJust the News (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    pet projectsMore neutral: proposed arch

    The label presents the arch as a personal whim of the president rather than a government construction project.

    …political dynasty are going to court to stop one of President Donald Trump's pet projects .

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    Pet ProjectMore neutral: plan

    Calls the arch a personal indulgence of the president, pre-judging his motive.

    Kennedy Family Unites to Stop Trump’s Biggest Pet Project

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    attacking their family memberMore neutral: criticizing their family member

    Frames the family’s criticism of RFK Jr. as an attack, adding hostility.

    Several members of the Kennedy family are taking a break from attacking their family member, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F.

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

Show 4 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    aiming their wrathMore neutral: directing their objections

    Uses the dramatic word wrath to describe a legal filing.

    Kennedy Jr., and are aiming their wrath instead at President Trump.

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    Anti-Trump ObsessionMore neutral: opposition to Trump

    Describes the family’s opposition to Trump as an obsession, which pre-judges their motives.

    Kennedy Clan Takes Their Anti-Trump Obsession to New Heights With Ridiculous Arch Complaint

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    RidiculousMore neutral: unusual

    Dismisses the family’s complaint as absurd before the court has ruled on it.

    Kennedy Clan Takes Their Anti-Trump Obsession to New Heights With Ridiculous Arch Complaint

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    D.C. schemesMore neutral: D.C. projects

    Calls the arch project a scheme before any court has ruled, which pre-judges the project.

    Trump facing worst-case scenario in new lawsuit over his D.C. schemes: ex-prosecutor

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

Words quoted from someone else (5)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.

  • Loaded verb

    Quoted

    destroyingMore neutral: affecting

    The headline uses a stronger verb than the filing’s own description of overshadowing and obstructed sightlines, presenting an outcome as settled.

    Kennedys accuse Trump of ‘destroying’ JFK gravesite design with gilded monument: NYT

    Quoted byRaw Story (Far Left)

    These are Kennedy family’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Delegitimizing label

    Quoted

    ‘unlawful’More neutral: Kennedy family joins US lawsuits to block Trump’s arch plan

    The headline presents the plaintiffs’ legal allegation that the arch is unlawful as an established description in the outlet’s own voice.

    Kennedy family joins US lawsuits to block Trump’s ‘unlawful’ arch plan

    Quoted byAl Jazeera English (Left)

    These are Kennedy family members’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Partisan shorthand

    Quoted

    Arc de TrumpMore neutral: the arch

    A mocking nickname that carries a critical judgement of the project.

    Based on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, it has been nicknamed the “Arc de Trump,” and would be twice the size of the Lincoln Memorial.

    Quoted byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

    Inside a quotation: the outlets are reporting someone else’s words.

  • Absolutist framing

    Quoted

    illegal interferenceMore neutral: interference, the family says

    States a contested legal conclusion as settled, although the court has not ruled on it.

    The Kennedy family says that Trump’s planned 250-foot arch amounts to ‘illegal interference with Arlington National Cemetary’

    Quoted byThe Independent (Left)

    These are the Kennedy family’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

Show 1 more quoted phrasesShow fewer

  • Delegitimizing label

    Quoted

    unlawfully erectMore neutral: build

    Presents the complaint’s contested legal allegation as established fact in the outlet’s own framing.

    Trump is attempting to unlawfully erect a massive arch that will permanently cast shadows over and damage historically…

    Quoted byFox News (Far Right)

    These are Kennedy family members’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

17 outlets

Leads with

  • the family’s claim that the arch shadows JFK’s grave
  • the lawsuit and the family’s legal standing
  • Trump’s arch as the target of the suit

Leaves out

  • named defendants, including the Interior Department and National Park Service

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

See the 18 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • NPRLeft

    Kennedy relatives join the fight against Trump's arch, alleging harm to JFK's grave

    Nine members of the Kennedy family have joined the legal fight against Trump's D.C. arch, arguing it would disrupt views and cast shadows over their ancestors' graves at Arlington National Cemetery.

    Read at NPR (opens in a new tab)
    3 more from NPR
  • TIMELeft

    Kennedy Family Members Sue to Stop Construction of Trump Arch

    Nine members of the Kennedy family became the latest group to sue to stop the construction of Trump’s 250-foot arch in Washington, D.C.

    Read at TIME (opens in a new tab)
  • The IndependentLeft

    Kennedy family sues to block Trump arch saying it will leave JFK flame in shadows

    The Kennedy family says that Trump’s planned 250-foot arch amounts to ‘Absolutist framing“illegal interference”States a contested legal conclusion as settled, although the court has not ruled on it.More neutral: interference, the family saysThese are the Kennedy family’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight? with Arlington National Cemetary’

    Read at The Independent (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Kennedy Family Unites to Stop Trump’s Biggest Loaded modifier“Pet Project”Calls the arch a personal indulgence of the president, pre-judging his motive.More neutral: planDisagree with this highlight?

    The Kennedy family has united in a new legal attempt to prevent President Donald Trump’s latest pet project from casting a shadow over their legacy. Trump, 80, wants to build a 250-foot triumphal arch on Memorial Circle, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. …

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

    Kennedy family members seek to block construction of Trump’s arch

    Nine family members seek to join a lawsuit against the arch, arguing it would cast a shadow over the site where some of their notable relatives are buried.

    Read at NBC News (opens in a new tab)
    1 more from NBC News
  • Al Jazeera EnglishLeft

    Kennedy family joins US lawsuits to block Trump’s Delegitimizing label“‘unlawful’”The headline presents the plaintiffs’ legal allegation that the arch is unlawful as an established description in the outlet’s own voice.More neutral: Kennedy family joins US lawsuits to block Trump’s arch planThese are Kennedy family members’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight? arch plan

    Kennedy dynasty has filed a motion to stop Trump's arch from obscuring JFK Eternal Flame and family gravesites.

    Read at Al Jazeera English (opens in a new tab)
  • MS NOWFar Left

    Kennedy family joins lawsuit challenging Trump’s arch over gravesite concerns

    The family argues the planned 250-foot monument near Arlington National Cemetery would obstruct views of the Kennedy gravesites and Eternal Flame.

    Read at MS NOW (opens in a new tab)
  • CBS NewsLeft

    Kennedy family members join lawsuit to block Trump's triumphal arch

    Several members of the Kennedy family have joined the legal battle to prevent President Trump from building a large triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)
  • The GuardianLeft

    Kennedys sue to block Trump’s gilded arch, saying it would ‘cast shadow’ over JFK grave site

    250ft arch risks ‘permanently diminishing’ memorials to ex-president and relatives at Arlington cemetery, lawsuit says Nine members of the Kennedy family political dynasty have sued the Trump administration , asking a federal judge to block the president’s plan to build a …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
  • ABC NewsLeftAssociated Press report

    Kennedy family members ask a judge to block Trump's Arlington memorial arch

    Nine Kennedy family members have asked a judge to block President Trump's plan to build a 250-foot memorial arch

    Read at ABC News (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by HuffPost, New York Post, PBS NewsHour and Scripps News. It counts once.

  • The Boston GlobeFar Left

    Kennedy family joins legal battle against Trump arch, saying it will mar JFK and RFK gravsites

    The family of President John F. Kennedy has joined the legal fight to block President Trump from erecting a 250 foot arch in front of Arlington National Cemetery, according to a filing Tuesday in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. …

    Read at The Boston Globe (opens in a new tab)
  • The Washington PostLeft

    Kennedy family sues to stop Trump’s arch, citing shadow on JFK’s grave

    The planned 250-foot-tall arch would cast a shadow on both the former president’s eternal flame and his memorial, an analysis by The Post found.

    Read at The Washington Post (opens in a new tab)
  • Raw StoryFar Left

    Kennedys accuse Trump of ‘Loaded verb“destroying”The headline uses a stronger verb than the filing’s own description of overshadowing and obstructed sightlines, presenting an outcome as settled.More neutral: affectingThese are Kennedy family’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?’ JFK gravesite design with gilded monument: NYT

    Members of America's most famous political dynasty are going to court to stop one of President Donald Trump's Loaded modifier“pet projects”The label presents the arch as a personal whim of the president rather than a government construction project.More neutral: proposed archDisagree with this highlight? . Nine members of the Kennedy family moved Tuesday to join an ongoing lawsuit in Washington aimed at blocking Trump's proposed 250-foot triumphal arch, …

    Read at Raw Story (opens in a new tab)
    1 more from Raw Story
  • CNNLeft

    Kennedy family joins lawsuit to block Trump’s arch

    One of America’s most storied political dynasties — the Kennedy family — is joining a lawsuit against the Trump administration to block construction of the president’s 250-foot triumphal arch. …

    Read at CNN (opens in a new tab)
  • BloombergLeft

    Kennedy Family Seeks to Intervene in Fight to Block Trump Arch

    Members of the Kennedy family are seeking to intervene in the legal fight to block construction of a triumphal arch in Washington championed by President Donald Trump, saying it would interfere with memorial gravesites of family members — including JFK’s eternal flame.

    Read at Bloomberg (opens in a new tab)
  • The New York TimesLeft

    Kennedys Move to Block Trump’s Arch, Saying It Would Disturb J.F.K. Gravesite

    The legal filing argues that the arch would cast a shadow on Kennedy family graves and disrupt the sightline from the eternal flame memorializing the former president.

    Read at The New York Times (opens in a new tab)

    Also published by The Boston Globe. It counts once.

  • HuffPostFar LeftAssociated Press report

    Kennedy Family Members Ask Judge To Block Trump's Arlington Memorial Arch

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

    Read at HuffPost (opens in a new tab)
  • The Boston GlobeFar LeftSame report as at The New York Times

    Kennedys move to block Trump’s arch, saying it would disturb JFK gravesite

    The Boston Globe published a report that is shown in full at The New York Times.

    Read at The Boston Globe (opens in a new tab)

From the center

7 outlets

Leads with

  • the family joining an existing lawsuit
  • the shadow cast on JFK’s grave
  • Trump’s proposed arch

Leaves out

  • the administration’s contest of each plaintiff’s right to sue

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

See the 7 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

7 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • shadows cast on family graves
  • the family’s claim that Trump broke laws Congress set
  • RFK Jr.’s siblings as plaintiffs

Leaves out

  • the administration’s contest of each plaintiff’s standing

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

See the 8 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

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

    First to report

    The New York Times, Nov 10, 5:46 PM EST

  • Center

    37 min later

    Its first report, Nov 10, 6:22 PM EST

  • Right

    2 hr 9 min later

    Its first report, Nov 10, 7:54 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The New York TimesLeftNov 10, 5:46 PM EST
  2. BloombergLeftNov 10, 6:19 PM EST
  3. NewsweekCenterNov 10, 6:22 PM EST
  4. The Boston GlobeFar LeftNov 10, 6:41 PM EST
  5. CNNLeftNov 10, 6:46 PM EST
  6. Raw StoryFar LeftNov 10, 7:07 PM EST
  7. NBC NewsLeftNov 10, 7:19 PM EST
  8. The Washington PostLeftNov 10, 7:27 PM EST
  9. The Washington TimesRightNov 10, 7:54 PM EST
  10. Washington ExaminerRightNov 10, 7:55 PM EST
  11. ABC NewsLeftNov 10, 8:06 PM EST
  12. The GuardianLeftNov 10, 8:09 PM EST
  13. CBS NewsLeftNov 10, 8:23 PM EST
  14. The HillCenterNov 10, 8:52 PM EST
  15. United Press InternationalCenterNov 10, 9:04 PM EST
  16. MS NOWFar LeftNov 10, 10:01 PM EST
  17. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftNov 10, 10:21 PM EST
  18. BBC NewsCenterNov 10, 10:44 PM EST
  19. The Epoch TimesFar RightNov 10, 11:15 PM EST
  20. New York PostRightNov 11, 2:57 AM EST
  21. The Daily BeastFar LeftNov 11, 3:19 AM EST
  22. The IndependentLeftNov 11, 4:27 AM EST
  23. NPRLeftNov 11, 5:02 AM EST
  24. TIMELeftNov 11, 5:30 AM EST
  25. NewsNationCenterNov 11, 7:51 AM EST
  26. HuffPostFar LeftNov 11, 9:31 AM EST
  27. PBS NewsHourCenterNov 11, 10:06 AM EST
  28. Fox NewsFar RightNov 11, 10:08 AM EST
  29. Breitbart NewsFar RightNov 11, 12:12 PM EST
  30. Scripps NewsCenterNov 11, 1:15 PM EST

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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