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Kacey Musgraves replies to Kristi Noem’s criticism over James Talarico

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets across the spectrum.

5 articles in total, 1 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem criticized country singer Kacey Musgraves in a post on X after Democratic Texas Senate nominee James Talarico posted a photo of himself at a Musgraves concert. Noem voiced support for Republican Ken Paxton in the Senate race against Talarico. Musgraves replied on X with a one-line response. The Washington Examiner quotes her saying “I don’t think you have a dog in this fight but if you did you would have shot it,” a reference to Noem’s past decision to put down her puppy.

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. Kristi Noem jabbed Kacey Musgraves over Musgraves’s link to James Talarico, the Democratic Texas Senate nominee.

    Reported byFar Left3Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    MeidasTouch, HuffPost, The Daily Beast
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    Washington Examiner

  2. Musgraves answered Noem on X with a one-line reply.

    Reported byFar Left3Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    MeidasTouch, HuffPost, The Daily Beast
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    Washington Examiner

  3. Noem’s post voiced support for Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate nominee in Texas, over Talarico.

    Reported byCenter1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    Washington Examiner

  4. The exchange began when Talarico posted a photo of himself at a Musgraves concert.

    One outletWashington Examiner· Right

  5. Musgraves’s reply referred to Noem’s past decision to put down her 14-month-old puppy.

    One outletWashington Examiner· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report Noem jabbed Kacey Musgraves over James Talarico, and Musgraves replied. Left headlines cast Musgraves as winning with brutal and takedown wording, the center calls it a reply to a jab, and the right leads with Noem’s shooting of her dog.

  • the left

    2 outlets · 1 opinion

    Left headlines frame Musgraves as winning the exchange, using brutal, takedown and woodshed wording, and the Daily Beast adds the nickname ICE Barbie and the term puppy-killing.

    Kristi Noem Loaded verb“Tries Trolling”Trolling labels Noem's post as bad-faith provocation, which is a judgement about her motive.More neutral: Posts aboutDisagree with this highlight? Kacey Musgraves Over James Talarico, Receives A Sensational language“Brutal Reply”The word brutal adds a verdict on the reply that the facts do not state.More neutral: ReplyDisagree with this highlight?
    HuffPostFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The Hill’s headline reports Musgraves firing back after a jab over Talarico, using neutral wording that names the Texas race and avoids dramatic verbs.

    Kacey Musgraves Loaded verb“fires back”Combat framing for a reply.More neutral: responded, repliedDisagree with this highlight? after Noem jab over Talarico
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The Washington Examiner headline leads with Noem’s shooting of her dog and says Musgraves slams her; the left’s headlines use brutal and takedown instead.

    Kacey Musgraves slams Kristi Noem over shooting her dog
    Washington ExaminerRightAll 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

    Fires Backtried to dragfired backdevastating sentence

  • Center1

    Fires Back

  • Right1

    torched

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    Fires BackMore neutral: responded or replied

    Combat framing for a reply.

    Grammy Winner Fires Back at ICE Barbie With Brutal Takedown

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)The Hill (Center)

  • Loaded verb

    tried to dragMore neutral: posted about

    The verb drag suggests Noem pulled an unwilling person into a dispute, a judgement the facts do not establish.

    Noem tried to drag the Grammy-winning country star into a Texas Senate feud.

    Used byMeidasTouch (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    fired backMore neutral: responded or replied

    Combat framing for a reply.

    Musgraves fired back with one devastating sentence—and the singer Noem tried to recruit appeared to…

    Used byMeidasTouch (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    devastating sentenceMore neutral: one-sentence reply

    The word devastating asserts the effect of the reply as a judgement rather than describing it.

    Musgraves fired back with one devastating sentence—and the singer Noem tried to recruit appeared to distance herself from the…

    Used byMeidasTouch (Far Left)

Show 11 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    Brutal ComebackMore neutral: Comeback

    The word brutal adds drama and a verdict on the reply that a neutral report would not state.

    Kacey Musgraves Takes Kristi Noem to the Woodshed With Brutal Comeback

    Used byMeidasTouch (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    damning one-line reminderMore neutral: one-line reply

    The word damning asserts the reply's effect as a judgement.

    The Texas-born country star hit Noem with a damning one-line reminder.

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    withering responseMore neutral: response

    The word withering asserts the reply's effect as a judgement.

    Country music star Kacey Musgraves had a doggone withering response after Kristi Noem tried to troll her over the Texas Senate race.

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    pettily declaredMore neutral: said

    Pettily attributes a motive and a tone to Noem that the outlet does not support with evidence.

    Noem pettily declared that she prefers country singer Ella Langley “over Kacey Musgraves any day.

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    Tries TrollingMore neutral: Posts about

    Trolling labels Noem's post as bad-faith provocation, which is a judgement about her motive.

    Kristi Noem Tries Trolling Kacey Musgraves Over James Talarico, Receives A Brutal Reply

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Brutal ReplyMore neutral: Reply

    The word brutal adds a verdict on the reply that the facts do not state.

    Kristi Noem Tries Trolling Kacey Musgraves Over James Talarico, Receives A Brutal Reply

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    brutally taken downMore neutral: replied to

    The adverb brutally asserts the manner of the reply as a judgement.

    Grammy-winning musician Kacey Musgraves has brutally taken down puppy-killing Kristi Noem after the former Homeland Security chief decided to…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    puppy-killingMore neutral: Kristi Noem

    The label attaches a loaded description to Noem that goes beyond the facts of the story.

    Grammy-winning musician Kacey Musgraves has brutally taken down puppy-killing Kristi Noem after the former Homeland Security chief decided to get involved in…

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Dehumanizing label

    ICE BarbieMore neutral: Kristi Noem

    The nickname reduces Noem to a mocking caricature of an immigration agent rather than describing her role.

    Grammy Winner Fires Back at ICE Barbie With Brutal Takedown

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Brutal TakedownMore neutral: Reply

    The words brutal and takedown assert the effect of the reply as a judgement.

    Grammy Winner Fires Back at ICE Barbie With Brutal Takedown

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    torchedMore neutral: criticized

    Torched describes a fierce, destructive attack, while the same statement could be reported with a neutral verb.

    Country singer Kacey Musgraves torched former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over her decision to kill her family…

    Used byWashington Examiner (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

2 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • Musgraves winning the exchange
  • Noem’s immigration enforcement past
  • Noem’s involvement in Texas politics

Leaves out

  • Talarico’s concert photo that started the exchange
  • Noem’s Ella Langley remark

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

See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Grammy Winner Loaded verb“Fires Back”Combat framing for a reply.More neutral: responded, repliedDisagree with this highlight? at Dehumanizing label“ICE Barbie”The nickname reduces Noem to a mocking caricature of an immigration agent rather than describing her role.More neutral: Kristi NoemDisagree with this highlight? With Sensational language“Brutal Takedown”The words brutal and takedown assert the effect of the reply as a judgement.More neutral: ReplyDisagree with this highlight?

    Grammy-winning musician Kacey Musgraves has Sensational language“brutally taken down”The adverb brutally asserts the manner of the reply as a judgement.More neutral: replied toDisagree with this highlight? Loaded modifier“puppy-killing”The label attaches a loaded description to Noem that goes beyond the facts of the story.More neutral: Kristi NoemDisagree with this highlight? Kristi Noem after the former Homeland Security chief decided to get involved in Texas politics. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • HuffPostFar Left

    Kristi Noem Loaded verb“Tries Trolling”Trolling labels Noem's post as bad-faith provocation, which is a judgement about her motive.More neutral: Posts aboutDisagree with this highlight? Kacey Musgraves Over James Talarico, Receives A Sensational language“Brutal Reply”The word brutal adds a verdict on the reply that the facts do not state.More neutral: ReplyDisagree with this highlight?

    The Texas-born country star hit Noem with a Sensational language“damning one-line reminder”The word damning asserts the reply's effect as a judgement.More neutral: one-line replyDisagree with this highlight?.

    Read at HuffPost (opens in a new tab)
  • MeidasTouchFar LeftOpinion

    Kacey Musgraves Takes Kristi Noem to the Woodshed With Sensational language“Brutal Comeback”The word brutal adds drama and a verdict on the reply that a neutral report would not state.More neutral: ComebackDisagree with this highlight?

    Noem Loaded verb“tried to drag”The verb drag suggests Noem pulled an unwilling person into a dispute, a judgement the facts do not establish.More neutral: posted aboutDisagree with this highlight? the Grammy-winning country star into a Texas Senate feud. Musgraves Loaded verb“fired back”Combat framing for a reply.More neutral: responded, repliedDisagree with this highlight? with one Sensational language“devastating sentence”The word devastating asserts the effect of the reply as a judgement rather than describing it.More neutral: one-sentence replyDisagree with this highlight?—and the singer Noem tried to recruit appeared to distance herself from the mess.

    Read at MeidasTouch (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Noem’s jab over Talarico
  • Musgraves hitting back
  • Noem’s support for Paxton
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Kacey Musgraves Loaded verb“fires back”Combat framing for a reply.More neutral: responded, repliedDisagree with this highlight? after Noem jab over Talarico

    Kacey Musgraves is hitting back at Kristi Noem after the former Homeland Security secretary took a music-related political dig at her. In a Monday post on social media, Noem voiced support for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican's Senate bid against Democrat …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Noem’s past killing of her dog
  • Musgraves’s sharp reply
  • Talarico’s concert photo that began it

Leaves out

  • Noem’s firing by Trump in March
  • Noem’s new envoy and adviser roles

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

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • Washington ExaminerRight

    Kacey Musgraves slams Kristi Noem over shooting her dog

    Country singer Kacey Musgraves Loaded verb“torched”Torched describes a fierce, destructive attack, while the same statement could be reported with a neutral verb.More neutral: criticizedDisagree with this highlight? former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over her decision to kill her family hunting dog after Noem criticized the artist for posing with Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico. …

    Read at Washington Examiner (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, Oct 13, 2:25 AM EDT

  • Center

    6 hr 58 min later

    Its first report, Oct 13, 9:23 AM EDT

  • Right

    8 hr 51 min later

    Its first report, Oct 13, 11:16 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. HuffPostFar LeftOct 13, 2:25 AM EDT
  2. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 13, 5:14 AM EDT
  3. The HillCenterOct 13, 9:23 AM EDT
  4. Washington ExaminerRightOct 13, 11:16 AM EDT

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

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