January 1, 2026 – US Headlines

Story gist: Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor of New York City.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets like The Guardian directly report the swearing-in event. Center outlets like C-SPAN omit it entirely, focusing instead on President Trump’s New Year’s Eve speech at Mar-a-Lago. Right-leaning outlets provide no coverage, leaving that perspective absent and indicating potential differences in newsworthiness emphasis.

Story gist: Special Counsel Jack Smith testified before a House committee that the January 6 Capitol riot ‘does not happen’ without Donald Trump. He stated he had ‘proof beyond reasonable doubt’ in cases against Trump.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets like The Guardian emphasize Smith’s claim of ‘proof beyond reasonable doubt’ against Trump, using affirmative tone. Center outlets like Politico list neutral ‘7 takeaways’ from the testimony, focusing on key points without judgment. Right-leaning outlets are absent, omitting perspectives that might question Smith’s assertions or defend Trump.

Story gist: Nick Shirley visited daycares in Washington, D.C., and posted a viral video showing poor conditions. Reporters revisited the same daycares to report findings. The New York Times covered the White House’s intense response to the video.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets like The New York Times emphasize the White House’s ‘intense’ response to the viral video, focusing on administration action over daycare conditions. Center- and right-leaning coverage is absent, leaving perspectives that might highlight government failures in D.C. childcare or verify Shirley’s claims unrepresented.

Story gist: In recent incidents, alleged drug smugglers jumped overboard during U.S. Coast Guard boat strikes, according to the U.S. military. The Coast Guard is searching for survivors.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets like NYT frame the story humanely, headlining ‘Coast Guard Searches for Survivors After More Boat Strikes,’ emphasizing rescue efforts and implying repeated aggressive actions. No center or right-leaning coverage appears, omitting potential focuses on successful drug interdiction, border security achievements, or smugglers’ criminality.

Story gist: President Trump announced he is withdrawing National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland.

Bias summary: Left-leaning outlets like CNN specify cities (Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland), emphasizing locations with prior protest-related deployments. Center outlets like BBC use vague ‘some US cities,’ maintaining neutrality without naming places. Right-leaning outlets absent, leaving pro-Trump or de-escalation perspectives unrepresented in the cluster.