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Lead plaintiff asks to withdraw from Supreme Court AR-15 ban case

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Coverage spectrum

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

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

AR-15-style rifle lower receiver with two detachable magazines of different sizes on concrete.
Image via The New York TimesHow images are chosenReport this image

Cutberto Viramontes, the lead plaintiff in one of two Supreme Court challenges to Cook County’s ban on semiautomatic rifles, has asked to be removed from the case, weeks before it is heard. CNN reports the request came in a one-paragraph filing that gave no explanation. Cook County then asked the justices to dismiss the case as moot, arguing that without Viramontes it no longer presents a concrete stake. The county’s filing says he had sought to buy an AR-15-style rifle, as the Daily Caller reports. The county’s state’s attorney said Viramontes has offered no explanation. The ban covers assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, including AR-15 rifles. Two Illinois men originally challenged it under the Second Amendment.

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. The lead plaintiff, Cutberto Viramontes, asked to be removed from the case.

    Reported byLeft2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times, CNN
    Far Right
    The Daily Caller

  2. Cook County asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the case as moot.

    Reported byLeft1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CNN
    Far Right
    The Daily Caller

  3. Cook County’s state’s attorney said Viramontes has offered no explanation for the request.

    One outletCNN· Left

  4. According to the county’s filing, Viramontes had sought to buy an AR-15-style rifle.

    One outletThe Daily Caller· Far Right

  5. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case, with argument weeks away.

    Reported byLeft2Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times, CNN
    Far Right
    The Daily Caller

  6. The Cook County ordinance bans selling or possessing assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, including AR-15 rifles.

    One outletCNN· Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report that lead plaintiff Cutberto Viramontes asked to leave the case and that Cook County moved to dismiss it. Left-side outlets stress the unexplained, surprising request, while the right-side Daily Caller stresses the county’s motion as an escape.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Both left-side headlines cast the withdrawal as a mysterious, surprising twist that disrupts a major case, stressing its unexplained nature.

    Sensational language“Mysterious Request”Calling the request mysterious adds drama, when the filing simply gives no stated reason.More neutral: Request to withdrawDisagree with this highlight? Loaded verb“Scrambles”The verb adds drama about the effect on the case beyond the reported facts.More neutral: ComplicatesDisagree with this highlight? Major Supreme Court Gun Case Against Cook County
    The New York TimesLeftAll 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

    1 outlet

    The Daily Caller headline casts the county’s dismissal motion as an attempt to weasel out of a Second Amendment showdown, mocking the move.

    Illinois County Tries To Loaded verb“Weasel Out Of”The phrase imputes evasive motive to the county, which the filing does not establish.More neutral: Asks to dropDisagree with this highlight? Supreme Court Second Amendment Semi-Auto Sensational language“Showdown”The word dramatizes an upcoming court argument as a confrontation.More neutral: CaseDisagree with this highlight?
    The Daily CallerFar 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.

  • Left5

    mysterious requestblockbusterpuzzling twistSurprise twist

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right2

    Weasel Out OfShowdown

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    mysterious requestMore neutral: request

    Calling the request mysterious adds drama, when the filing simply gives no stated reason.

    …a ban on AR-15-style semi-automatic rifles may be thrown into disarray by a mysterious request to remove the lead plaintiff from the case, a puzzling twist that prompted the…

    Used byCNN (Left)The New York Times (Left)

  • Sensational language

    blockbusterMore neutral: major

    The word presents the appeal as a spectacle rather than describing the case.

    A blockbuster Supreme Court appeal challenging a ban on AR-15-style semi-automatic rifles may be…

    Used byCNN (Left)

  • Sensational language

    puzzling twistMore neutral: unexplained development

    The phrase adds drama and implies confusion beyond the reported facts.

    …disarray by a mysterious request to remove the lead plaintiff from the case, a puzzling twist that prompted the ban’s defenders to ask the justices on Thursday to dismiss the…

    Used byCNN (Left)

  • Sensational language

    Surprise twistMore neutral: Development

    The phrase adds drama to a procedural filing.

    Surprise twist ricochets through Supreme Court case on AR-15 ban

    Used byCNN (Left)

Show 3 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    Weasel Out OfMore neutral: Asks to drop

    The phrase imputes evasive motive to the county, which the filing does not establish.

    Illinois County Tries To Weasel Out Of Supreme Court Second Amendment Semi-Auto Showdown

    Used byThe Daily Caller (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    ShowdownMore neutral: Case

    The word dramatizes an upcoming court argument as a confrontation.

    Illinois County Tries To Weasel Out Of Supreme Court Second Amendment Semi-Auto Showdown

    Used byThe Daily Caller (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    ScramblesMore neutral: Complicates

    The verb adds drama about the effect on the case beyond the reported facts.

    Mysterious Request Scrambles Major Supreme Court Gun Case Against Cook County

    Used byThe New York Times (Left)

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

Leads with

  • the unexplained, mysterious nature of the request
  • the case possibly being thrown out
  • the surprise it causes in the case
See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The New York TimesLeft

    Sensational language“Mysterious Request”Calling the request mysterious adds drama, when the filing simply gives no stated reason.More neutral: Request to withdrawDisagree with this highlight? Loaded verb“Scrambles”The verb adds drama about the effect on the case beyond the reported facts.More neutral: ComplicatesDisagree with this highlight? Major Supreme Court Gun Case Against Cook County

    In an unusual move, the lead plaintiff in one of two cases challenging semiautomatic weapons bans has asked to drop out weeks before the cases are heard.

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

    Sensational language“Surprise twist”The phrase adds drama to a procedural filing.More neutral: DevelopmentDisagree with this highlight? ricochets through Supreme Court case on AR-15 ban

    A Sensational language“blockbuster”The word presents the appeal as a spectacle rather than describing the case.More neutral: majorDisagree with this highlight? Supreme Court appeal challenging a ban on AR-15-style semi-automatic rifles may be thrown into disarray by a Sensational language“mysterious request”Calling the request mysterious adds drama, when the filing simply gives no stated reason.More neutral: requestDisagree with this highlight? to remove the lead plaintiff from the case, a Sensational language“puzzling twist”The phrase adds drama and implies confusion beyond the reported facts.More neutral: unexplained developmentDisagree with this highlight? that prompted the ban’s defenders to ask the justices on Thursday to dismiss …

    Read at CNN (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

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the county’s motion to dismiss as moot
  • Viramontes’ stated interest in buying an AR-15
  • the Second Amendment stakes of the case
See the headline 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

    CNN, Nov 5, 6:42 PM EST

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    11 min later

    Its first report, Nov 5, 6:54 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. CNNLeftNov 5, 6:42 PM EST
  2. The Daily CallerFar RightNov 5, 6:54 PM EST
  3. The New York TimesLeftNov 7, 5:02 AM EST

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

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