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News in Review: Thursday, February 16, 2023
What does the news landscape look like?
Today’s top story is the 2024 presidential race. The story about spy balloons and UFOs has slipped to number two. The Ohio train derailment continues to gain coverage.
This is how the top stories were covered on each side of the media yesterday:
2024 / Trump / Haley (31% more on the left)
Balloons / UFOs / China (133% more on the right)
Ohio train derailment (22% more on the right)
Media bias ratings are from AllSides.
This is how articles from liberal and conservative outlets were distributed over the past five days amongst the top stories.
Liberal outlets used these words more than conservative outlets:
college (1.9x)
black (1.2x)
court (1x)
Conservative outlets used these words more than liberal outlets:
china (2.2x)
biden (2x)
defense (1.4x)
What is happening in the top stories?
Now for a deep dive into our top three stories, starting with…
2024 / Trump / Haley
Nikki Haley officially announced her campaign for the White House, which has quickly faced backlash from conservatives aligned with former President Trump.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) labeled former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley a “Bush in heels,” likening her to former President George W. Bush.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) said on Tuesday that she thinks Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) should “stay governor” for the time being, as he continues to attract speculation about a potential 2024 presidential bid.
Balloons / UFOs / China
The U.S. military has shot down three UFOs in the span of three days over the weekend.
The Biden administration has formed an interagency task force to investigate the UFOs.
Six Russian balloons were spotted over the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, with most shot down by the city’s air defenses.
High-altitude balloons from the U.S. have overflown China’s airspace “more than 10 times” in the past year, according to the Chinese government.
Ohio train derailment
Hundreds of residents of East Palestine, Ohio gathered at a town hall meeting to discuss safety concerns following a train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals.
GOP Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and J.D. Vance (Ohio) sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg demanding information about his department’s oversight of the U.S. freight train system.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a full list of toxic chemicals released from the train derailment.
Emergency responders intentionally breached five cars to let out the chemicals, which were diverted into a trench and burnt off.
West Virginia American Water is enhancing its water treatment process and installing a secondary intake on the Guyandotte River as a precaution.