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Tankers carrying Russian diesel turn back from US under Trump-Putin fuel deal

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets, mostly left-leaning (60%).

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

Outlets on the left and in the center report that tankers carrying Russian diesel toward the United States have turned back or changed course. Bloomberg reports one tanker made a U-turn about 400 nautical miles off New York, and Scripps News reports two of three tankers headed for the US changed course. Raw Story, citing the Wall Street Journal, reports that not a single barrel has arrived. Trump announced the deal with Vladimir Putin in early October, saying it would lower fuel prices. The Daily Beast reports it called for more than 300,000 tons of diesel, then 500,000 tons in November. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Nov. 10 he was not worried about the cargo finding a buyer, and Epoch Times reports the tanker’s destination remains unclear.

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. Tankers carrying Russian diesel toward the US have turned back or changed course.

    Reported byFar Left2Left1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story, The Daily Beast
    Left
    Bloomberg
    Center
    Scripps News

  2. Not a single barrel of the Russian diesel has arrived in the US, the Wall Street Journal reported.

    One outletRaw Story· Far Left

  3. Trump said the deal with Vladimir Putin would lower diesel prices, and it called for more than 300,000 tons of Russian diesel, then 500,000 tons in November.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story, The Daily Beast

  4. One tanker made a U-turn about 400 nautical miles off New York, Bloomberg reported.

    One outletBloomberg· Left

  5. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Nov. 10 that he was not worried the cargo would go unsold and that it would go to another port.

    One outletThe Epoch Times· Far Right

  6. The Malta-flagged tanker was moving off the US East Coast on Nov. 11, and its destination remains unclear.

    One outletThe Epoch Times· Far Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Questions the coverage answers differently, and who says what.

  • Will the Russian diesel cargo find a buyer?

    Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he was confident the cargo will eventually sell on the global market. Vortexa analyst Ellie Valencia said the tanker’s slowed speed most likely means it does not yet have a buyer.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Left and center outlets report Russian diesel tankers bound for the US turned back; the right-side report says one ship’s destination is unclear. The left stresses the deal’s failure, the center a White House deal collapsing, and the right the energy secretary’s confidence in a buyer.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Far Left outlets frame the deal as failing: Raw Story says it ‘runs aground’ and The Daily Beast calls it an embarrassing ‘gift to Putin’, while Left-rated Bloomberg reports a plain U-turn.

    Trump's Russian diesel deal runs aground as tankers turn back from US coast: report
    Raw StoryFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    Scripps News presents the deal as a White House arrangement that is falling apart, and its headline refers to Russian oil rather than diesel.

    A White House deal that would have imported Russian oil to the US is falling apart
    Scripps NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    Epoch Times, the only right-side outlet here, leads with Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s confidence that the cargo will find a buyer, treating the delay as a shipping matter.

    US Energy Secretary Says Russian Diesel Cargo Will Find Buyer Despite Shipping Delay
    The Epoch TimesFar 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

    Russian dictatorEmbarrassing RealityGift to Putin

  • Center1

    Advocates say

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Vague attribution

    Advocates sayMore neutral: Name the advocacy group or expert making the claim

    The advocates making the claim about prices are not named.

    Advocates say the fuel would barely dent prices here in the U.S., and would also continue to…

    Used byScripps News (Center)

  • Delegitimizing label

    Russian dictatorMore neutral: Russian president

    The label “dictator” characterizes Putin’s government beyond the facts of the deal.

    …announcement in early October, Trump unveiled an agreement with the Russian dictator aimed at lowering fuel prices.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Embarrassing RealityMore neutral: Details of Trump’s fuel deal with Putin are leaked

    The word “embarrassing” adds a judgement about Trump that the reported facts do not state.

    Embarrassing Reality of Trump’s Gift to Putin Is Leaked

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    Gift to PutinMore neutral: Trump’s fuel deal with Putin

    Describing the deal as a gift presumes its purpose and benefit, which the reporting does not establish.

    Embarrassing Reality of Trump’s Gift to Putin Is Leaked

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far 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

3 outlets

Leads with

  • Deal failing to deliver diesel
  • Trump’s deal with Putin as controversy
  • Not a single barrel arrived
See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • Raw StoryFar Left

    Trump's Russian diesel deal runs aground as tankers turn back from US coast: report

    A month after President Donald Trump announced a controversial deal with Vladimir Putin to bring Russian diesel to the U.S., not a single barrel has arrived, the Wall Street Journal reported, as tankers headed for American ports turned around due to a lack of willing buyers . …

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

    Sensational language“Embarrassing Reality”The word “embarrassing” adds a judgement about Trump that the reported facts do not state.More neutral: Details of Trump’s fuel deal with Putin are leakedDisagree with this highlight? of Trump’s Loaded modifier“Gift to Putin”Describing the deal as a gift presumes its purpose and benefit, which the reporting does not establish.More neutral: Trump’s fuel deal with PutinDisagree with this highlight? Is Leaked

    Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s diesel deal appears to be falling apart as tankers carrying Russian fuel toward the U.S. have turned back or veered off course. …

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

    Ship Carrying Russian Diesel Makes U-Turn After Heading to US

    A tanker carrying Russian diesel that had briefly signaled the US made a U-turn about 400 nautical miles off New York, compounding uncertainty over deliveries to the North American market.

    Read at Bloomberg (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • White House ownership of the deal
  • Deal collapsing
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • Scripps NewsCenter

    A White House deal that would have imported Russian oil to the US is falling apart

    Ahead of the midterm elections, President Trump announced a controversial deal with Russia's Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel to the U.S. Vague attribution“Advocates say”The advocates making the claim about prices are not named.More neutral: Name the advocacy group or expert making the claimDisagree with this highlight? the fuel would barely dent prices here in the U.S., and would also continue to fund Russia's invasion of Ukraine. …

    Read at Scripps News (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Energy secretary’s confidence in sales
  • Shipping delay rather than failure
  • Tanker destination unclear
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Epoch TimesFar Right

    US Energy Secretary Says Russian Diesel Cargo Will Find Buyer Despite Shipping Delay

    The Malta-flagged tanker was moving off the U.S. East Coast on Wednesday after slowing sharply the previous day, with its destination still unclear.

    Read at The Epoch Times (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

    16 hr later

    Its first report, Nov 10, 9:00 AM EST

  • Center

    First to report

    Scripps News, Nov 9, 4:58 PM EST

  • Right

    1 day 19 hr later

    Its first report, Nov 11, 12:01 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Scripps NewsCenterNov 9, 4:58 PM EST
  2. BloombergLeftNov 10, 9:00 AM EST
  3. The Daily BeastFar LeftNov 11, 7:45 AM EST
  4. Raw StoryFar LeftNov 11, 10:24 AM EST
  5. The Epoch TimesFar RightNov 11, 12:01 PM EST

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

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