PoliticsDeveloping
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to set aside 20,000 California mail ballots
By Mantle News
Coverage spectrum
Covered by 20 outlets across the spectrum.
21 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday, one day before the Nov. 3 midterm election, to order California to set aside about 20,000 mail ballots. The administration says the ballots belong to people who are likely noncitizens. Lower courts rejected the request, including a federal district judge and a divided Ninth Circuit panel. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that the ballots must be separated now to preserve a remedy later. Los Angeles County officials said only 7,035 of the names had county addresses, according to the New York Post.
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.
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to order California to set aside about 20,000 mail ballots that it says belong to likely noncitizens.
Reported byFar Left2Left4Center1Right3See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- HuffPost, The Boston Globe
- Left
- NPR, Los Angeles Times, CBS News, The New York Times
- Center
- The Hill
- Right
- The Washington Times, New York Post, Washington Examiner
Lower courts rejected the administration's request, including a federal district judge and a divided Ninth Circuit panel.
Reported byFar Left2Left1Center1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- HuffPost, The Boston Globe
- Left
- Los Angeles Times
- Center
- The Hill
- Right
- New York Post, Washington Examiner
Los Angeles County officials said only 7,035 of the 20,000 names had county addresses and that some listed people were confirmed as U.S.-born citizens.
One outletNew York Post· Right
Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that the ballots must be separated now, because once they are mixed with other ballots they cannot be traced.
One side only: the rightReported byRight2See the outletsHide the outlets
- Right
- New York Post, Washington Examiner
What is contested
Where accounts differ
Questions the coverage answers differently, and who says what.
Do the 20,000 ballots belong to likely noncitizens?
The administration says the ballots were mailed to people who are likely noncitizens, and the government views them as likely not U.S. citizens. Los Angeles County officials told the New York Post that only 7,035 names had county addresses and that some listed people were confirmed as U.S.-born citizens.
How each side tells it
Compare views
All sides report that the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to order California to set aside about 20,000 mail ballots, after lower courts rejected the request. Left headlines stress the ballot count, center headlines report a procedural filing, and right headlines call it a last-ditch bid.
the left
8 outlets
Left headlines lead with the administration asking the Supreme Court to set aside 20,000 ballots; HuffPost and the Boston Globe, far left, use sideline and push, a more combative framing.
Trump lawyers ask Supreme Court to set aside 20,000 California ballots
Los Angeles TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines the center
4 outlets
Center headlines report a procedural step, the administration bringing a California ballot fight or appeal to the Supreme Court, often without the 20,000 figure; CNBC's description links it to an Alaska Senate lawsuit.
Trump administration brings California ballot fight to Supreme Court
NewsNationCenterAll center headlines the right
8 outlets
Right headlines call the filing a last-ditch or long-shot bid, and the Washington Times calls the ballots noncitizen ballots, while the New York Post stresses the day before the election.
Trump takes California case to Supreme Court in Sensational language“last-ditch bid”The phrase judges the filing's chances rather than describing the request itself.More neutral: requestDisagree with this highlight? to block Absolutist framing“noncitizen ballots”The headline presents as settled that the ballots belong to noncitizens, while the article says the government says the people might be noncitizens.More neutral: ballots the government says may belong to noncitizensDisagree with this highlight?
The Washington TimesRightAll 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.
Left7
despite them being rarePush To Sidelinelast-ditch effortpurge voters
Center0
No loaded words in its own voice.
Right9
floutingthumbs its nosenemesis judgevoting war
In the outlets’ own words
Loaded verb
floutingMore neutral: missing
The verb asserts deliberate defiance of a deadline, which the excerpt does not establish.
The Justice Department is flouting a deadline to furnish a list of the tens of thousands of California voters they have…
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
Loaded verb
thumbs its noseMore neutral: does not comply with
The idiom casts the Justice Department as openly scornful of a court, which the supplied reporting does not establish.
Trump DOJ thumbs its nose as nemesis judge in noncitizen voting war days before midterms
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
Loaded modifier
nemesis judgeMore neutral: federal judge
Calling the judge a nemesis pre-judges him as an opponent of the administration before the ruling.
Trump DOJ thumbs its nose as nemesis judge in noncitizen voting war days before midterms
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
Sensational language
voting warMore neutral: dispute over noncitizen voting
The word war dramatizes a legal dispute over voter rolls.
Trump DOJ thumbs its nose as nemesis judge in noncitizen voting war days before midterms
Used byDaily Mail (Right)
Show 12 more phrasesShow fewer
Absolutist framing
despite them being rareMore neutral: The administration has prioritized identifying noncitizen voters this year.
Presents a contested characterization of how common noncitizen voting is as settled fact in the outlet’s own voice.
…administration has prioritized identifying noncitizen voters this year, despite them being rare.
Used byHuffPost (Far Left)
Loaded verb
Push To SidelineMore neutral: asks the Supreme Court to set aside
Sideline frames the appeal as an effort to push ballots out of the count, which goes beyond the neutral description most outlets used.
Trump Administration Appeals To Supreme Court In Push To Sideline 20,000 California Mail Ballots
Used byHuffPost (Far Left)
Sensational language
Hail Mary petitionMore neutral: emergency petition
The idiom judges the filing as a desperate long shot rather than describing it.
The Trump Justice Department filed a Hail Mary petition with the Supreme Court on Monday that asked the justices to block California…
Used byThe Washington Times (Right)
Sensational language
last-ditch bidMore neutral: request
The phrase judges the filing's chances rather than describing the request itself.
Trump takes California case to Supreme Court in last-ditch bid to block noncitizen ballots
Used byThe Washington Times (Right)
Absolutist framing
noncitizen ballotsMore neutral: ballots the government says may belong to noncitizens
The headline presents as settled that the ballots belong to noncitizens, while the article says the government says the people might be noncitizens.
Trump takes California case to Supreme Court in last-ditch bid to block noncitizen ballots
Used byThe Washington Times (Right)
Sensational language
last-ditch effortMore neutral: appeal
Presents a routine emergency appeal as desperate, a judgement the filing itself does not make.
Trump DOJ rushes to Supreme Court in last-ditch effort to purge voters
Used byRaw Story (Far Left)
Loaded verb
purge votersMore neutral: hold back ballots
Describes the request as removing voters, although the filing asks that ballots be held back pending citizenship checks.
Trump DOJ rushes to Supreme Court in last-ditch effort to purge voters
Used byRaw Story (Far Left)
Loaded verb
force CaliforniaMore neutral: order California
Force adds coercion to the request beyond the plain description of asking a court to order a state to act.
President Donald Trump on Monday urged the Supreme Court to force California to set aside potentially thousands of ballots the Justice Department claims may…
Used byCNN (Left)
Loaded modifier
a longshot requestMore neutral: a request that multiple lower courts have rejected
The outlet’s own assessment of the request’s odds, which other outlets did not make and the excerpt does not support with a cited source.
…of ballots the Justice Department claims may have been cast by noncitizens, a longshot request that multiple lower courts have rejected.
Used byCNN (Left)
Loaded modifier
sweeping allegationsMore neutral: allegations
Characterizes the government’s claims as sweeping in the outlet’s own voice, which pre-judges their scope.
…Court’s 6-3 conservative majority in the position of weighing in on Trump’s sweeping allegations of widespread noncitizen voting based on an uncertain record and an exceedingly…
Used byCNN (Left)
Sensational language
last-ditch pleaMore neutral: emergency request
The phrase judges the request as a desperate final attempt rather than describing it.
The Trump administration made a last-ditch plea to the Supreme Court on Monday, asking the justices to force California to set…
Used byNew York Post (Right)
Sensational language
long-shot appealMore neutral: emergency appeal
The phrase judges the appeal's chances rather than describing the request itself.
DOJ pursues long-shot appeal at Supreme Court over bid to isolate 20,000 California mail ballots
Used byWashington Examiner (Right)
Words quoted from someone else (2)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
Quotedillegal power grabMore neutral: federal action Democrats say is unlawful
The phrase adopts a Democratic characterization of the policy as its conclusion.
…has pressured in its noncitizen voting crackdown, which Democrats argue is an illegal power grab.
Quoted byDaily Mail (Right)
These are Democrats’s words. The outlets are reporting them.
Loaded modifier
Quotedsuspected illegal ballotsMore neutral: ballots the administration suspects belong to noncitizens
Calls the ballots illegal before any court has ruled on them; the wording is the government's own, given in its lawyer's filing.
…should issue a limited injunction directing California to stop commingling suspected illegal ballots with legal ones,” he wrote, “pending completion of the United States’ appeal…
Quoted byLos Angeles Times (Left)
These are D. John Sauer’s words. The outlets are reporting them.
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
8 outletsLeads with
- the number of ballots at stake
- lower courts rejecting the request
- possible disenfranchisement of citizens
- timing one day before the election
Leaves out
- county count of 7,035 names with Los Angeles addresses
- Solicitor General argument that mixed ballots cannot be traced
Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.
See the 8 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
- CBS NewsLeft
Trump administration asks the Supreme Court to set aside ballots from 20,000 alleged noncitizens
The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to set aside 20,000 ballots in California from alleged noncitizens. CBS News' Natalie Brand has the latest.
1 more from CBS News
- CNNLeft
Trump’s California ballot appeal puts Supreme Court in center of fight over allegations of noncitizen voting
President Donald Trump on Monday urged the Supreme Court to Loaded verb“force California”Force adds coercion to the request beyond the plain description of asking a court to order a state to act.More neutral: order CaliforniaDisagree with this highlight? to set aside potentially thousands of ballots the Justice Department claims may have been cast by noncitizens, Loaded modifier“a longshot request”The outlet’s own assessment of the request’s odds, which other outlets did not make and the excerpt does not support with a cited source.More neutral: a request that multiple lower courts have rejectedDisagree with this highlight? that multiple lower courts have rejected. …
- Raw StoryFar Left
Trump DOJ rushes to Supreme Court in Sensational language“last-ditch effort”Presents a routine emergency appeal as desperate, a judgement the filing itself does not make.More neutral: appealDisagree with this highlight? to Loaded verb“purge voters”Describes the request as removing voters, although the filing asks that ballots be held back pending citizenship checks.More neutral: hold back ballotsDisagree with this highlight?
The Justice Department is asking the Supreme Court to step into its fight with California over the state’s voter rolls, one day before Election Day. …
Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Intervene in California Ballot Case
In an emergency application, administration lawyers asked the justices to immediately order California to set aside 20,000 mail-in ballots.
Trump Administration Appeals To Supreme Court In Loaded verb“Push To Sideline”Sideline frames the appeal as an effort to push ballots out of the count, which goes beyond the neutral description most outlets used.More neutral: asks the Supreme Court to set asideDisagree with this highlight? 20,000 California Mail Ballots
A district court judge had denied the Justice Department’s request and warned that the demand could disenfranchise citizens in the midterms.
Also published by PBS NewsHour and The Boston Globe. It counts once.
Trump lawyers ask Supreme Court to set aside 20,000 California ballots
The appeal by the Trump administration comes days ahead of the midterm election, and after federal judges have rejected the bid to set aside 20,000 California ballots.
- NPRLeft
DOJ asks for Supreme Court to intervene on California ballot demands
On the eve of the Nov. 3 election, the Trump administration is hoping the Supreme Court will reverse lower courts that rejected its request to order California to set aside the ballots of thousands of people it says are "likely" noncitizens.
Trump administration appeals to Supreme Court in push to sideline 20,000 California mail ballots
The Boston Globe published a report that is shown in full at HuffPost.
From the center
4 outletsLeads with
- the administration's filing at the Supreme Court
- timing days before the midterm
- the wider California ballot dispute
Leaves out
- county finding that only 7,035 names had Los Angeles addresses
- some listed people confirmed as U.S.-born citizens
Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.
See the 4 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
- NewsNationCenter
Trump administration brings California ballot fight to Supreme Court
- CNBCCenter
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to hear California mail-in ballot appeal
The Department of Justice's request to the Supreme Court in the California case comes as it appeals dismissal of a lawsuit over Alaska's Senate election.
- The HillCenter
Trump administration brings California ballot fight to Supreme Court
The Trump administration on Monday brought its demand that California separate 20,000 mail ballots it says belong to likely noncitizens to the Supreme Court, thrusting the justices back into the center of the midterm campaign one day before Election Day. …
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to sideline 20,000 disputed California mail ballots
PBS NewsHour published a report that is shown in full at HuffPost. The headline is the one PBS NewsHour gave it.
From the right
8 outletsLeads with
- last-ditch or long-shot odds
- ballots framed as noncitizen ballots
- county data on Los Angeles addresses
- Solicitor General argument on segregating ballots
Leaves out
- lower courts ruling the list is not credible
Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.
See the 8 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
- The Daily SignalFar Right
DOJ Seeks Supreme Court Review in California 20,000 ‘Likely’ Noncitizen Ballot Dispute
The Justice Department is asking the Supreme Court to require California to set aside more than 20,000 suspected fraudulent ballots. Just one day before Election Day, the DOJ filed an emergency request asking the high court to intervene in its bid to temporarily set aside the …
- Washington ExaminerRight
DOJ pursues Sensational language“long-shot appeal”The phrase judges the appeal's chances rather than describing the request itself.More neutral: emergency appealDisagree with this highlight? at Supreme Court over bid to isolate 20,000 California mail ballots
The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to intervene on Monday in its fight over California’s voter rolls, seeking an emergency order separating mail ballots associated with more than 20,000 suspected noncitizens one day before Election Day. Solicitor General D. …
- New York PostRight
Trump takes fight over 20,000 California mail-in ballots to Supreme Court day before election
The Trump administration made a Sensational language“last-ditch plea”The phrase judges the request as a desperate final attempt rather than describing it.More neutral: emergency requestDisagree with this highlight? to the Supreme Court on Monday, asking the justices to force California to set aside 20,000 mail-in ballots it claims were sent to noncitizens.
- The Epoch TimesFar Right
DOJ Asks Supreme Court to Freeze California Ballots the Day Before Midterms
The federal government is asking justices to segregate 20,000 mail ballots suspected of belonging to noncitizens after an appeals court declined.
- The Washington TimesRight
Trump takes California case to Supreme Court in Sensational language“last-ditch bid”The phrase judges the filing's chances rather than describing the request itself.More neutral: requestDisagree with this highlight? to block Absolutist framing“noncitizen ballots”The headline presents as settled that the ballots belong to noncitizens, while the article says the government says the people might be noncitizens.More neutral: ballots the government says may belong to noncitizensDisagree with this highlight?
The Trump Justice Department filed a Sensational language“Hail Mary petition”The idiom judges the filing as a desperate long shot rather than describing it.More neutral: emergency petitionDisagree with this highlight? with the Supreme Court on Monday that asked the justices to block California from counting 20,000 ballots the feds say were mailed to people who might be noncitizens ineligible to vote.
- Fox NewsFar Right
DOJ appeals to Supreme Court to reverse block on segregating 20K California ballots
The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to temporarily block rulings denying its bid to segregate over 20,000 California mail-in ballots.
- Just the NewsFar Right
Trump admin asks Supreme Court to intervene in alleged noncitizens voting in California case
The Justice Department, in its emergency appeal to the high court, is asking for a "limited injunction" to stop California from counting ballots the DOJ says are from noncitizens while lower courts consider the case.
- Daily MailRight
Trump DOJ Loaded verb“thumbs its nose”The idiom casts the Justice Department as openly scornful of a court, which the supplied reporting does not establish.More neutral: does not comply withDisagree with this highlight? as Loaded modifier“nemesis judge”Calling the judge a nemesis pre-judges him as an opponent of the administration before the ruling.More neutral: federal judgeDisagree with this highlight? in noncitizen Sensational language“voting war”The word war dramatizes a legal dispute over voter rolls.More neutral: dispute over noncitizen votingDisagree with this highlight? days before midterms
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to identify the states and localities it has pressured in its noncitizen voting crackdown, which Democrats argue is an Partisan shorthand“illegal power grab”The phrase adopts a Democratic characterization of the policy as its conclusion.More neutral: federal action Democrats say is unlawfulThese are Democrats’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?.
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
22 hr 31 min later
Its first report, Nov 2, 11:34 AM EST
Center
22 hr 43 min later
Its first report, Nov 2, 11:45 AM EST
Right
First to report
Daily Mail, Nov 1, 1:03 PM EST
See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
- Daily MailRightNov 1, 1:03 PM EST
- Fox NewsFar RightNov 2, 10:50 AM EST
- NPRLeftNov 2, 11:34 AM EST
- Los Angeles TimesLeftNov 2, 11:41 AM EST
- HuffPostFar LeftNov 2, 11:41 AM EST
- The HillCenterNov 2, 11:45 AM EST
- CBS NewsLeftNov 2, 11:47 AM EST
- The New York TimesLeftNov 2, 11:48 AM EST
- CNBCCenterNov 2, 11:50 AM EST
- The Boston GlobeFar LeftNov 2, 11:51 AM EST
- The Washington TimesRightNov 2, 11:52 AM EST
- Raw StoryFar LeftNov 2, 11:56 AM EST
- CNNLeftNov 2, 11:58 AM EST
- NewsNationCenterNov 2, 12:06 PM EST
- The Epoch TimesFar RightNov 2, 12:19 PM EST
- New York PostRightNov 2, 12:38 PM EST
- Washington ExaminerRightNov 2, 12:42 PM EST
- PBS NewsHourCenterNov 2, 12:53 PM EST
- The Daily SignalFar RightNov 2, 1:06 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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