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Senior White House officials reportedly draft executive actions for use if Democrats win Congress

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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

The Daily Beast, Raw Story and Daily Mail report that senior White House officials have been drafting plans for executive actions Trump could take without congressional approval if Democrats win control of Congress in the November midterms. The reporting cites an unnamed White House official and insiders who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, and it attributes the planning to The Telegraph's earlier report. Named officials involved include Stephen Miller, Russell Vought and Will Scharf, according to the reports. The Daily Mail says the actions could span immigration, federal spending, tariffs and housing policy, citing three officials. The coverage in this sample rests on anonymous sourcing and has not been confirmed on the record by the named officials.

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. Senior White House officials have reportedly been drafting plans for executive actions Trump could take without congressional approval if Democrats win Congress.

    Reported byFar Left2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast, Raw Story
    Right
    Daily Mail

  2. The planning was first reported by The Telegraph, and the details come from anonymous White House and other sources who spoke to Reuters.

    Reported byFar Left2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The Daily Beast, Raw Story
    Right
    Daily Mail

  3. Named officials involved in the planning include Stephen Miller, Russell Vought and White House Counsel Will Scharf, according to the reports.

    Reported byFar Left1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story
    Right
    Daily Mail

  4. According to one White House official cited by the reports, Scharf is examining what Trump can legally do on his own and how to defend those decisions in court.

    Reported byFar Left1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story
    Right
    Daily Mail

  5. The Daily Mail reports the possible orders could span immigration, federal spending, tariffs and housing policy, citing three officials.

    One outletDaily Mail· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report that senior White House officials have drafted plans for executive action if Democrats win Congress, citing anonymous sources. The left-side headlines call it a secret plan that is exposed and designed to sidestep voters, while the right-side headline stresses the plan's ruthlessness aimed at Democrats.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Headlines frame the planning as a hidden scheme, using words like secret plan, exposed and sidestep to present it as an effort to get around voters.

    Stephen Miller’s Partisan shorthand“Secret Plot”Calling the planning a secret plot adds a conspiratorial frame and pre-judges its purpose beyond the reported facts.More neutral: Draft planDisagree with this highlight? for After Election Loaded verb“Exposed”Exposed implies wrongdoing was uncovered, which the anonymous-sourced reporting does not establish.More neutral: ReportedDisagree with this highlight?
    The Daily BeastFar 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

    1 outlet

    The one right-side headline calls the plan ruthless and audacious and presents it as a plan to trample a Democratic Congress, with Trump as the actor.

    Trump's Sensational language“secret ruthless plan”Ruthless and secret add a hostile judgement and drama to a plan described from anonymous sources.More neutral: planDisagree with this highlight? to Loaded verb“trample”Trample implies the plan aims to crush opponents, a judgement not stated in the reporting.More neutral: act againstDisagree with this highlight? Democrats if they seize Congress ... as top aide produces audacious blueprint
    Daily MailRightAll 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.

  • Left4

    Exposedgovern by decreeSecret Plotsidestep

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right2

    secret ruthless plantrample

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    ExposedMore neutral: Reported

    Exposed implies wrongdoing was uncovered, which the anonymous-sourced reporting does not establish.

    Stephen Miller’s Secret Plot for After Election Exposed

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)Raw Story (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    govern by decreeMore neutral: take executive actions

    The phrase frames the planned actions as an illegitimate way to rule, a judgement beyond the reported facts.

    …and senior White House officials are drawing up a plan for Donald Trump to govern by decree if voters hand Congress to Democrats.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Partisan shorthand

    Secret PlotMore neutral: Draft plan

    Calling the planning a secret plot adds a conspiratorial frame and pre-judges its purpose beyond the reported facts.

    Stephen Miller’s Secret Plot for After Election Exposed

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    sidestepMore neutral: prepare for

    Sidestep suggests evasion of a legitimate outcome rather than planning for possible scenarios.

    White House's 'secret plan' designed to sidestep Dem midterm victory exposed: report

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

Show 2 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    secret ruthless planMore neutral: plan

    Ruthless and secret add a hostile judgement and drama to a plan described from anonymous sources.

    Trump's secret ruthless plan to trample Democrats if they seize Congress ...

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    trampleMore neutral: act against

    Trample implies the plan aims to crush opponents, a judgement not stated in the reporting.

    Trump's secret ruthless plan to trample Democrats if they seize Congress ...

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

Words quoted from someone else (1)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.

  • Partisan shorthand

    Quoted

    secret planMore neutral: draft plan

    The label presents the planning as secret and scheming, beyond the reported facts.

    White House's 'secret plan' designed to sidestep Dem midterm victory exposed: report

    Quoted byRaw Story (Far Left)

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

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

  • Secret plan to govern without Congress
  • Attempt to sidestep a Democratic midterm win
  • Trump governing by decree

Leaves out

  • Named White House officials declined or did not confirm the plan on record in this sample

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

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • Raw StoryFar Left

    White House's 'Partisan shorthand“secret plan”The label presents the planning as secret and scheming, beyond the reported facts.More neutral: draft planThis appears inside a quotation. The outlet is reporting someone else’s words.Disagree with this highlight?' designed to Loaded verb“sidestep”Sidestep suggests evasion of a legitimate outcome rather than planning for possible scenarios.More neutral: prepare forDisagree with this highlight? Dem midterm victory Loaded verb“exposed”Exposed implies wrongdoing was uncovered, which the anonymous-sourced reporting does not establish.More neutral: reportedDisagree with this highlight?: report

    For months, senior White House officials have been drafting a “secret plan” designed to sidestep a Democratic midterm victory and allow President Donald Trump to “continue to pass laws without congressional approval,” The Telegraph reported . …

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

    Stephen Miller’s Partisan shorthand“Secret Plot”Calling the planning a secret plot adds a conspiratorial frame and pre-judges its purpose beyond the reported facts.More neutral: Draft planDisagree with this highlight? for After Election Loaded verb“Exposed”Exposed implies wrongdoing was uncovered, which the anonymous-sourced reporting does not establish.More neutral: ReportedDisagree with this highlight?

    Stephen Miller and senior White House officials are drawing up a plan for Donald Trump to Loaded modifier“govern by decree”The phrase frames the planned actions as an illegitimate way to rule, a judgement beyond the reported facts.More neutral: take executive actionsDisagree with this highlight? if voters hand Congress to Democrats. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (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

  • Trump's secret ruthless plan
  • Trample Democrats if they seize Congress
  • Audacious blueprint from a top aide

Leaves out

  • The reporting's description of the contingency planning as a legal review of options in this sample

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

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • Daily MailRight

    Trump's Sensational language“secret ruthless plan”Ruthless and secret add a hostile judgement and drama to a plan described from anonymous sources.More neutral: planDisagree with this highlight? to Loaded verb“trample”Trample implies the plan aims to crush opponents, a judgement not stated in the reporting.More neutral: act againstDisagree with this highlight? Democrats if they seize Congress ... as top aide produces audacious blueprint

    President Donald Trump and his administration have crafted a secret plan to rebuff any incoming liberal Congress should Democrats sweep into power following Tuesday's midterm elections.

    Read at Daily Mail (opens in a new tab)

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 Daily Beast, Nov 2, 8:35 AM EST

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    8 hr 15 min later

    Its first report, Nov 2, 4:50 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Daily BeastFar LeftNov 2, 8:35 AM EST
  2. Raw StoryFar LeftNov 2, 2:26 PM EST
  3. Daily MailRightNov 2, 4:50 PM EST

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

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