Weekly news review: April 8, 2023
What does the news landscape look like?
The Trump indictment story was at the top of the news all week. The expulsion of two Democrats from the Tennessee state House finished the week in second place.
This is how the top stories were covered on each side of the media yesterday:
Trump indictment (4% more on the right)
TN GOP vs. Dems (94% more on the left)
Abortion / Elections (122% more on the left)
Media bias ratings are from AllSides.
This is how articles from liberal and conservative outlets were distributed over the past five days among the top stories.
Liberal outlets used these words more than conservative outlets:
plaintiffs (5.6x)
filed (2.6x)
fda (2.3x)
Conservative outlets used these words more than liberal outlets:
mulvaney (20.6x)
bragg (3.5x)
sports (3.1x)
What is happening in the top stories?
Now for a deep dive into our top three stories, starting with…
Trump indictment
Key people: Donald Trump, Stormy Daniels, Alvin Bragg, Joe Tacopina, Piers Morgan
Latest developments:
Former President Trump used footage from his arraignment in New York as part of a new campaign ad released on Thursday.
Trump’s arrest fueled significant donations to his campaign, bringing in more than $4 million in the 24 hours after he was indicted.
Stormy Daniels’ response to Donald Trump’s calling her “horseface” has gone viral on social media, with a clip of her interview with Piers Morgan shared on Twitter reaching nearly 250,000 views.
Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina touted former President Trump’s fundraising numbers following the former president’s indictment on criminal charges and ahead of his slated Tuesday appearance in a Manhattan court for an arraignment.
TN GOP vs. Dems
Key people: Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, Gloria Johnson, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, Vice President Kamala Harris
Latest developments:
The Tennessee Republican Party has launched a fundraising effort to cash in on the expulsion of two Black Democrats from the state House, as their removal prompted some to accuse the party of racism.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris flew to Nashville on Friday in a show of support for Tennessee state lawmakers expelled for staging a rule-breaking demonstration for gun control on the statehouse floor after a recent school shooting.
After Tennessee Republicans were accused of racism in their ousting of two Black Democrats, GOP Representative Bryan Richey defended the vote, claiming one of the expelled lawmakers, Justin Jones, told him that he wanted to be kicked out.
The “Tennessee Three” have gone viral for speaking out of turn in support of a youth-led protest on gun control after the recent deadly shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville.
Democrats are pushing back against the way Republicans have exercised their power in Tennessee and other states where they hold overwhelming majorities in the legislatures.
Abortion / Elections
Key people: Janet Protasiewicz, Dan Kelly, Laura Kelly, Gretchen Whitmer, Steven Webb II
Background:
Janet Protasiewicz won the vacant seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, giving Democrats a 4-3 majority when she takes office in August.
Protasiewicz defeated her conservative opponent, Dan Kelly, by 11 percentage points in a race that saw spending top $42 million.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has a 174-year-old abortion ban that Democrats are now in a prime position to overturn.
In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer repealed a near-century-old abortion ban that was made null and void by Roe v. Wade until the landmark decision was overturned in June by the U.S. Supreme Court.
In Kansas, lawmakers approved a bill that would require healthcare providers to tell patients that medication abortions can be reversed once started, a claim medical experts call unfounded and potentially dangerous.