Trump says Putin agreed to supply diesel to US and global markets

vacillatedMore neutral: has alternated between

The word implies inconsistency or indecision as a judgement of Trump’s policy, where a neutral description of the alternating positions was available.

Trump has vacillated between tough economic penalties on Russia to halt continuing invasion of Ukraine…

Used byNew York Post (Right)

Trump’s war in IranMore neutral: the war in Iran

Attaches Trump personally to the war in Iran, a judgement that the other outlets’ “war in Iran” wording does not make.

Americans have seen their fuel costs rocket following Trump’s war in Iran

Used byThe Independent (Left)

far more than it’ll help AmericansMore neutral: could benefit Russia more than US consumers, according to critics

Presents a contested claim about who benefits as settled fact.

…Russian diesel—a move that will help Russian President Vladimir Putin far more than it’ll help Americans.

Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

ConsMore neutral: Gets

Says Trump was tricked into the deal before the facts of the deal support that claim.

Putin Cons Trump Into Making Massive Oil Deal With Russia

Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

MassiveMore neutral: Large

Describes the deal as massive, a judgement the announced volumes do not establish.

Putin Cons Trump Into Making Massive Oil Deal With Russia

Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

stunning change of policyMore neutral: change of policy

Uses dramatic language to describe a policy change that could be stated plainly.

The move marks a stunning change of policy after the US and its allies hit Russia with waves of sanctions over its…

Used byFrance 24 (Center)

to save himMore neutral: to help him

States as fact that Trump turned to Putin for rescue, which is a motive the report does not establish.

President Donald Trump has turned to Russian President Vladimir Putin to save him as he faces widespread frustration over soaring energy costs ahead of the midterms.…

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

war criminalMore neutral: describe the alleged act and any charge or ruling

A legal finding; attribute it unless a court has ruled.

The president turns to an accused war criminal to rescue him from the fallout of soaring diesel prices.

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

to rescue himMore neutral: to help him

Frames the deal as a rescue of Trump, which is an interpretation rather than a reported fact.

The president turns to an accused war criminal to rescue him from the fallout of soaring diesel prices.

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Desperate DealMore neutral: deal

Calls the deal desperate, a judgement of motive that the reported facts do not establish.

Trump Cuts Desperate Deal With Putin to Save MAGA’s Skin

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Save MAGA’s SkinMore neutral: to address his political standing

Asserts a motive for the deal and uses an informal partisan label in place of a plain description.

Trump Cuts Desperate Deal With Putin to Save MAGA’s Skin

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

commentators and criticsMore neutral: named critics, or the specific commentators quoted

Attributes the criticism to unnamed people rather than naming who made it.

But commentators and critics were quick to highlight contradictions between the new policy and prior…

Used byCNBC (Center)

set to create fresh crisisMore neutral: likely to strain relations with

Predicts a crisis in the outlet’s own voice without attribution.

President says deal essential to lower US fuel prices but move set to create fresh crisis with Ukraine and Nato allies US politics – live updates Donald Trump was on…

Used byThe Guardian (Left)

furiousMore neutral: critical

States Zelensky’s emotional state in the outlet’s own voice, when his reaction is shown by his quoted words.

Zelenskyy furious as Trump announces deal to buy Russian diesel

Used byThe Guardian (Left)

lambastedMore neutral: criticized

Heightens the description of Zelensky’s criticism beyond the plainer word for it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lambasted President Trump’s Friday deal allowing Russia to supply the U.S.

Used byThe Hill (Center)

decriesMore neutral: criticizes

A strong verb of protest that goes beyond the plainer act of criticizing.

Zelensky decries US-Russia diesel deal: 'Gifts to Putin will not bring peace'

Used byThe Hill (Center)

blastedMore neutral: criticized

The word presents lawmakers’ criticism as a forceful attack, where a neutral verb would describe the same reactions.

Numerous lawmakers and critics blasted President Donald Trump’s Friday announcement that he had struck a deal to obtain…

Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

bashedMore neutral: criticized

A slang verb of attack that adds hostility beyond the plainer act of criticizing.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky bashed President Donald Trump’s deal with Russia to supply millions of tons of diesel fuel to…

Used byWashington Examiner (Right)

bashesMore neutral: criticizes

A slang verb of attack that adds hostility beyond the plainer act of criticizing.

Zelensky bashes Trump over diesel deal with Russia

Used byWashington Examiner (Right)

painfully highMore neutral: high

The adverb adds an emotional judgement about prices that the reporting does not need to convey the facts.

supply of diesel over the next few months is unlikely to make a dent in painfully high prices at the pump or elsewhere, energy policy experts say

Used byABC News (Left)

hailsMore neutral: says

Adds approval to Trump’s announcement in the outlet’s own voice.

Trump hails Russia deal to release diesel as midterms loom

Used byFrance 24 (Center)

SputterMore neutral: Stall

The headline’s verb describes the talks as faltering in a dramatic way, when the excerpt only reports that the Kremlin said talks would not resume immediately.

Ukraine Peace Talks Sputter After Trump and Putin Strike Fuel Deal

Used byThe New York Times (Left)

explodeMore neutral: criticize

The verb presents Democratic criticism as an outburst, which goes further than the reported pushback in the text.

Democrats explode over Trump's Russia diesel deal

Used byThe Hill (Center)

BlastsMore neutral: Criticizes

The verb makes Zelenskyy’s criticism sound more forceful than a plain statement of disagreement.

Zelenskyy Blasts Trump’s ‘Weak’ Oil Deal With Putin, Trump Offers One-Word Response

Used byThe Daily Caller (Far Right)

Offers One-Word ResponseMore neutral: Trump Responds

The phrasing builds suspense around a short reply and reads like a teaser rather than a description of Trump’s response.

Zelenskyy Blasts Trump’s ‘Weak’ Oil Deal With Putin, Trump Offers One-Word Response

Used byThe Daily Caller (Far Right)

repeated outrageMore neutral: has repeatedly criticized

Describes the Ukrainian president’s emotional state in the outlet’s own voice where his statements could be reported directly.

The Ukrainian president has expressed repeated outrage at the agreement announced by Trump on Friday, which the US president said was…

Used byThe Guardian (Left)

toutsMore neutral: says

Touts suggests boastful promotion, whereas the report describes a statement about what the deal would do.

Trump touts diesel deal with Putin ahead of midterms

Used byCBS News (Left)

lashes out atMore neutral: criticizes

Lashes out describes an emotional outburst that the quoted remarks in the article do not themselves show.

Trump tells Ukraine to 'get a new leader' as he lashes out at Zelensky over diesel 'gift' to Putin

Used byDaily Mail (Right)

Lit Him UpMore neutral: criticized

Lit him up is slang for a harsh verbal attack, a judgement about the tone of Trump’s remarks that the report does not describe in those words.

Trump Lit Him Up for Refinery Attacks.

Used byRedState (Far Right)

fiery commentsMore neutral: remarks

Describes the remarks as dramatic in the outlet’s own voice rather than reporting what was said.

…outside the White House that it’s time for Ukraine to “get a new president.” The fiery comments came just hours after his administration announced a deal to have Russia supply…

Used byNew York Post (Right)

rips intoMore neutral: criticizes

Describes the tone of Trump’s remarks as an attack in the outlet’s own voice, beyond the quoted words.

Trump rips into Volodymyr Zelensky — insisting it’s time for Ukraine to ‘get a new president’

Used byNew York Post (Right)

sellingMore neutral: claims

Describing the White House as selling the price relief adds a judgement about the administration’s motive where a neutral verb such as describing or claiming was available.

…analysts warn the deal is unlikely to provide the price relief the White House is selling.

Used byMeidasTouch (Far Left)

Little ReliefMore neutral: Analysts Question Price Effect

The headline states as settled that consumers get little relief, although that is an analysts’ forecast rather than a measured outcome.

Market to Putin’s Diesel — Consumers Get Little Relief

Used byMeidasTouch (Far Left)

infuriatedMore neutral: objected to

The verb describes Zelenskyy’s emotional reaction in the outlet’s own voice, which goes beyond the reported facts of the announcement.

The US president infuriated Volodymyr Zelenskyy when he announced the deal on Friday, writing on Truth Social…

Used byThe Guardian (Left)

his own warMore neutral: the US-led war in Iran

Attributes the war to Trump in the writer’s own voice, while other coverage describes it as the US-led war in Iran.

The US president risks harming Ukraine to curb prices driven up by his own war

Used byFinancial Times (Center)

cynicalMore neutral: calculated

Calling the policy cynical attributes a motive to the president that the article does not establish from records.

Trump’s Russian diesel gambit is cynical and won’t work

Used byFinancial Times (Center)

increasingly favors DemocratsMore neutral: a midterm election that polls or forecasters say favors Democrats

The description presents an electoral trend as fact without saying who holds or measures that view.

…public criticisms from Republicans weeks ahead of a midterm election that increasingly favors Democrats.

Used byBloomberg (Left)

relishesMore neutral: welcomes

The verb describes the Kremlin’s reaction with added enthusiasm that the reporting does not quote.

Kremlin relishes in U.S.-Russia diesel deal and Trump's criticism of Zelenskyy

Used byPBS NewsHour (Center)

New CrisisMore neutral: New Dispute

Calling the situation a crisis adds drama beyond the reported facts of a sanctions decision and reactions to it.

After Russian Diesel Deal, Trump Faces New Crisis Over Ukraine

Used byThe New York Times (Left)

Helps Putin SurviveMore neutral: Trump’s Diesel Deal With Russia Eases Sanctions on Russian Fuel

The headline states as fact a conclusion about the deal’s effect on Putin’s position that the article does not establish.

Trump's Diesel Deal With Russia Helps Putin Survive

Used byHot Air (Far Right)

exposed the US to legal questionsMore neutral: raises legal questions for the US

The verb exposed frames the legal questions as a harm the deal caused, when the reporting only describes questions being raised.

President Donald Trump’s deal for Russian diesel exposed the US to legal questions, opened a rift with his Republican allies and European leaders and…

Used byBloomberg (Left)

Irks AlliesMore neutral: Draws objections from allies

The verb Irks adds a sense of annoyance to a description of how allies reacted that the reporting does not characterize that way.

Trump’s Diesel Deal Irks Allies and Is Unlikely to Reduce Prices

Used byBloomberg (Left)

ShockedMore neutral: Concerned by

Shocked asserts an emotional reaction that the article does not document beyond officials' cautious statements.

Shocked by the U.S.

Used byThe New York Times (Left)

RecoilMore neutral: Respond to

Recoil describes a visceral reaction, which goes further than the cautious response described in the article.

and Europe Recoil From Trump’s Diesel Deal With Putin

Used byThe New York Times (Left)

domestic political weaknessMore neutral: his political position at home

The phrase presents Trump's domestic political standing as weakness, a judgement rather than a documented fact.

…with Putin, the president has signaled to Moscow and Beijing that his domestic political weakness will be a rich source of pressure points.

Used byNational Review (Far Right)

DesperateMore neutral: Trump's Diesel Deal

Desperate attributes a state of mind and motive to Trump that the article does not establish.

Trump’s Desperate Diesel Deal

Used byNational Review (Far Right)

failed attemptMore neutral: attempt

Failed pre-judges the outcome of a deal the article describes as just announced.

Rupert Murdoch ’s flagship newspaper has ripped into President Donald Trump’s failed attempt to suck up to Vladimir Putin.

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

suck up toMore neutral: seek closer ties with

Suck up to implies servility and motive that the reported facts do not establish.

…’s flagship newspaper has ripped into President Donald Trump’s failed attempt to suck up to Vladimir Putin.

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

dropped jawsMore neutral: surprised some observers

Dropped jaws is a dramatic reaction claim, not a reported fact.

The 80-year-old dropped jaws on Friday when he announced a deal to purchase Russian diesel in a desperate bid to…

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

desperate bidMore neutral: bid

Desperate asserts a motive that the reported facts do not establish.

…dropped jaws on Friday when he announced a deal to purchase Russian diesel in a desperate bid to lower fuel prices ahead of the midterms on Nov.

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

braggingMore neutral: saying

Bragging adds a judgement of Trump’s manner to a claim the article reports.

…has imposed on Moscow since it invaded Ukraine in 2022, and came alongside Trump bragging that he had brokered an energy ceasefire between the warring countries.

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

ShredsMore neutral: criticizes

Shreds suggests a brutal attack, while the story reports an editorial criticism.

Murdoch Paper Shreds Trump Over Humiliating Putin Snub

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

HumiliatingMore neutral: unfavorable

Humiliating asserts how the rejection felt, beyond the reported facts.

Murdoch Paper Shreds Trump Over Humiliating Putin Snub

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

fierce criticismMore neutral: criticism

Fierce adds intensity to criticism the description does not characterize further.

…Trump’s plan to import Russian diesel despite Western sanctions has sparked fierce criticism in Washington, including from Republicans, as high fuel prices and the upcoming…

Used byFrance 24 (Center)

reapedMore neutral: received

Reaped implies Russia earned gains through deserved effort, which the excerpt does not establish.

Russia has reaped a diesel deal and an increase in U.S.

Used byThe New York Times (Left)

Hands Victories to PutinMore neutral: Trump Eases Sanctions on Russian Diesel

Hands Victories frames the deal as concessions to Russia beyond what the reported facts establish.

Trump Hands Victories to Putin, Who Offers More War in Return

Used byThe New York Times (Left)

maneuversMore neutral: efforts

“maneuvers” implies calculated tactics, while the same article's excerpt uses the neutral “efforts” for the same measures.

…sharply higher Tuesday, as doubts mounted that the Trump administration’s recent maneuvers to lower prices would make much of an impact.

Used byNBC News (Left)

one-sided cease-fire planMore neutral: cease-fire plan

The article calls the plan unbalanced in its own voice, without attributing that judgement to anyone.

The president’s proposed fuel deal with Russia and a one-sided cease-fire plan are putting Kyiv in a tough spot as winter approaches.

Used byThe New York Times (Left)

SqueezesMore neutral: Puts pressure on

The verb presents a policy as forceful physical pressure on Ukraine and adds a judgement the neutral wording would not carry.

Trump Squeezes Ukraine, Again

Used byThe New York Times (Left)

desperate effortMore neutral: effort

Calling the effort desperate attributes a motive and a state of mind to Trump without evidence.

The president’s desperate effort to bring fuel prices down has made this one of the most embarrassing weeks of his…

Used byThe Free Press (Right)

most embarrassing weeksMore neutral: difficult weeks

Calling the week embarrassing is a judgement of how the period went, not a reported fact.

…desperate effort to bring fuel prices down has made this one of the most embarrassing weeks of his second term, writes Aaron MacLean.

Used byThe Free Press (Right)

outlandishMore neutral: ambitious

The author characterizes Trump’s campaign promise as outlandish, a judgement rather than a described fact.

…your energy costs in half within 12 months after taking office.” The promise was outlandish, but Trump is hardly the first politician to make outlandish promises.

Used byThe Free Press (Right)

DisastrousMore neutral: Diesel Deal

The headline asserts a judgement about the deal’s outcome in the author’s own voice.

Trump’s Disastrous Diesel Deal

Used byThe Free Press (Right)

blowing pastMore neutral: proceeding despite

Adds drama to the president proceeding despite objections, where a plainer verb describes the same action.

President Donald Trump is pushing ahead with his deal to import Russian diesel, blowing past his party’s growing complaints about taking help from Vladimir Putin.

Used bySemafor (Center)

withering complaintsMore neutral: repeated complaints

Intensifies the description of Republican complaints beyond what the plain fact of the complaints requires.

…people, and he’s doing that,” a White House official said after days of withering complaints by Republicans.

Used bySemafor (Center)

run from itMore neutral: distance themselves from it

Describes Republicans’ stance as fleeing the deal, which characterizes their motives rather than their stated positions.

Trump doubling down on Russian diesel deal as Republicans run from it

Used bySemafor (Center)

war of choiceMore neutral: the war with Iran

The phrase labels the Iran conflict as unnecessary, a judgement that is contested and not established by the article.

Sky-high diesel prices are a result of Trump’s war of choice against Iran, but Trump repeatedly blames Ukraine as he again cozies up to Russian…

Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

cozies up toMore neutral: has reached a deal with

The phrase implies a favor-seeking closeness that the article does not document.

…war of choice against Iran, but Trump repeatedly blames Ukraine as he again cozies up to Russian dictator Putin.

Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

extort UkraineMore neutral: pressure Ukraine

The word presents a criminal-sounding charge as settled fact in the outlet’s own voice.

WASHINGTON ― Seven years after trying to extort Ukraine into helping him with his own reelection campaign, President Donald Trump appears…

Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

lashing out atMore neutral: criticized

The phrase describes the speaker’s anger as a motive, where a neutral verb would report only the criticism.

…it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president,” he told reporters Saturday after lashing out at Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for having attacked Russia’s oil…

Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

skirtingMore neutral: not yet stating a position on

Skirting suggests evasion, while the article reports that the candidates have not yet stated a position.

The GOP Senate candidates skirting Trump’s diesel deal with Putin

Used byWashington Examiner (Right)

howlsMore neutral: criticism

The word presents criticism as an animal noise, which adds emotional force beyond the fact that Democrats and some Republicans objected.

and global marketplace, with another 500,000 tons coming in November, drawing howls from Democrats and some Republicans over lifting sanctions on Moscow...

Used byThe Hill (Center)

admitsMore neutral: said

The verb implies reluctant confession, while Hinson was describing her view in an interview.

Trump's diesel gambit with Putin rattles Senate candidate Ashley Hinson as she admits sanctions relief makes her 'nervous'

Used byDaily Mail (Right)

follyMore neutral: a deal the writer opposes

Calls the deal a foolish mistake, which is the writer's verdict rather than a reported fact.

Trump’s diesel deal is folly — and the Ukrainian people will bear the cost

Used byNew York Post (Right)

feverish accusationsMore neutral: accusations

The word feverish adds drama to accusations that are not described further in the sentence.

Setting aside the feverish accusations that Trump is somehow Putin's subordinate, many think the president is overly…

Used byWashington Free Beacon (Far Right)

many thinkMore neutral: the columnist argues

The claim that the president is overly deferential is attributed to unnamed people.

Setting aside the feverish accusations that Trump is somehow Putin's subordinate, many think the president is overly deferential to the blood-soaked tyrant or even sympathetic…

Used byWashington Free Beacon (Far Right)

blood-soaked tyrantMore neutral: Russian president

The phrase pre-judges Putin with a label that goes beyond the facts of the sentence.

…Putin's subordinate, many think the president is overly deferential to the blood-soaked tyrant or even sympathetic to Putin's open disdain for Western pieties.

Used byWashington Free Beacon (Far Right)

disastrous war that he startedMore neutral: war with Ukraine

The words disastrous and that he started pass judgement on the war rather than describing it.

…underwater, stretched thin as gas prices skyrocket, battered by a disastrous war that he started, and staring down the barrel of midterm elections that could wipe out his…

Used byRolling Stone (Far Left)

Desperate Political TheaterMore neutral: political move

The headline adds a judgement of motive that the reporting does not establish as fact.

‘A Drop in the Bucket’: Trump’s Diesel Deal With Russia Is Desperate Political Theater

Used byRolling Stone (Far Left)

critics sayMore neutral: Name the critics and state their argument

The claim that Russia would be strengthened is attributed to unnamed critics.

…is pitching the idea as part of a peace deal with Ukraine, but Europe is wary and critics say Russia would be strengthened.

Used byThe New York Times (Left)

Lifeline to RussiaMore neutral: Allowing more gas sales to Europe

The metaphor of a lifeline dramatizes a proposal that the headline could describe plainly as allowing more gas sales.

Floats Lifeline to Russia: Allowing More Gas Sales to Europe

Used byThe New York Times (Left)

sweetheart dealMore neutral: deal

Characterizes the deal as a favor to Putin, a judgement the article does not support with evidence.

Donald Trump’s energy secretary has denied that the president’s sweetheart deal with Vladimir Putin is a betrayal of the people of Ukraine.

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

shocking arrangementMore neutral: arrangement

Adds drama to the deal before its terms are explained.

Chris Wright told Fox News that the president’s shocking arrangement with Russia, which permits Moscow to export millions of tons of diesel, has…

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

GoonMore neutral: Energy secretary

A derisive label for a government official that pre-judges him without naming his role.

Trump Goon Desperately Tries to Spin Shock Sweetheart Deal for Putin

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Desperately Tries to SpinMore neutral: defends

Presents the official's explanation as a desperate attempt to mislead, which the article does not show.

Trump Goon Desperately Tries to Spin Shock Sweetheart Deal for Putin

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Shock Sweetheart DealMore neutral: Diesel deal

Adds drama and a favoritism label before the terms of the deal are explained.

Trump Goon Desperately Tries to Spin Shock Sweetheart Deal for Putin

Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Russian economic boonMore neutral: benefit to Russia’s economy

Calls the effect of the waivers on Russia a boon, presenting a contested assessment as settled.

US sanction waivers are Russian economic boon

Used bySemafor (Center)