As US midterm campaigning enters its final weekend, courts rebuff Trump administration moves on California ballots and election workers, while Alaska fights a bid to set aside Senate ballots
In the final weekend before Tuesday's US midterms, an appeals court rejected a Justice Department request for California to set aside disputed ballots, and a federal judge barred federal threats of prosecution against election workers. Alaska's state government urged a judge to dismiss a DOJ suit over the Senate race, which involves a second candidate named Dan Sullivan.
Left 1 · Centre-left 13 · Centre 2 · Centre-right 5 · Right 4
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
Interference fears: 'How Trump and his allies seek to interfere in the US midterm elections' (The Guardian); 'Judge imposes sweeping emergency order halting DOJ pressure campaign on election officials across the country' (CNN).
Centre outlets
Centre-rated outlets headline it: “US midterm campaign enters final weekend as Alaska, California ballot fights heat up” (Reuters); “Appeals court rules against Trump — again — on California ballots” (The Hill).
Right-leaning outlets
The judge and the ballots: 'Biden-Appointed Judge Orders Trump Admin To Stop Threats Days Before Midterms' (Daily Wire); 'DOJ Seeks Alaska Ballot Review Amid Criminal Probe' (Newsmax).
Context
The wider geopolitical and historical background, in our words, each point linked to the source it comes from. Background, not a verdict on today's story. How we write it.
US midterm elections are held halfway through a president's term and decide control of Congress.
- All 435 House seats and about a third of Senate seats are contested. United States midterm election
- US elections are run by states and counties, not the federal government. Elections in the United States
Checked 2026-11-01. Links were opened and returned a page that day.
Search for more (live results, not checked by us): Wikipedia search · Explainers (Google News search) · Background and history (Google News search)
Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
Left 3
Centre 3
- Reuters
US midterm campaign enters final weekend as Alaska, California ballot fights heat up (paywall or login) - The Hill
Appeals court rules against Trump — again — on California ballots (paywalled or blocks bots) - BBC News top-up
Alaska Senate candidate denies knowing about alleged plot to put two Dan Sullivans on ballot
Right 3
- CBS News
DOJ calls allegations about 2 Dan Sullivans in Alaska Senate race "troubling," asks to segregate ballots - Fox News
Federal judge blocks Trump DOJ threats against election workers ahead of 2026 midterms - New York Post
Trump ask to set aside ‘Decoy Dan’ Alaska Senate ballots ‘not even possible’: attorneys
Showing 3 from each side of 25 rated outlets (L 14 / C 2 / R 9). 1 found by a targeted top-up search (marked; not counted in the split). More coverage
Video
News reports from outlets with a bias rating, balanced like the articles: the same number from the left, the centre and the right. A side with no matching video is named, never padded. Every video was checked to exist on YouTube on the day; titles are the publishers' own. Links open YouTube; nothing from YouTube loads on this page. How we pick.
Centre 1
Showing 1 from each side that has one.
YouTube searches (live results, not checked or balanced by us): News videos · Explainers · Podcasts
Deep dive
The two opposites side by side, seeking to understand rather than judge. These are possible readings of the coverage, built from the articles linked on this page; they are not claims about anyone's motives. How we write it.
Seen from the left
“US appeals court again rejects Trump bid to set aside California ballots” Al Jazeera
A possible reading: federal pressure on election officials risks intimidating those who run the vote.
May be protecting: the right to vote free of intimidation.
Seen from the right
A possible reading: federal action is needed to make sure only eligible votes are counted.
May be protecting: confidence that only eligible votes count.
What they agree on
An appeals court rejected a Justice Department request for California to set aside disputed ballots; Judge Trina Thompson temporarily barred federal threats of prosecution against election workers; Alaska's state government urged a judge to dismiss a DOJ suit over ballots for a second 'Dan Sullivan'. Both say they want an accurate count that the public trusts.
Where they truly differ
The administration says it is preventing non-citizen voting; election officials and judges say the moves amount to intimidation.
The paradox
Both sides frame their actions as protecting the integrity of the vote.
Open questions
- How many ballots are disputed in California and Alaska?
- When will the courts rule finally?
- Shared question: what checks on eligibility would both parties accept before election day?
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (24 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| HuffPost | Left | HuffPost is owned by BuzzFeed, Inc., a publicly traded digital media company based in New York. In November 2020, BuzzFeed acquired HuffPost from Verizon Media Group, with Verizon becoming a minority shareholder. In February 2021, BuzzFeed founder and CEO Jonah Peretti took charge of the combined properties. source |
| Al Jazeera | Centre-left | Al Jazeera is owned and funded by the state of Qatar. The founder and Chairman of the Board is Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, a member of Qatar’s ruling family, the House of Thani. According to a Fortune article, i n 2016, state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera laid off 500 workers due to Qatar’s financial troubles resulting from low global prices for oil and natural gas. source |
| Associated Press | Centre-left | The Associated Press (AP) is a nonprofit news cooperative with a profit of $1.6 million in 2016. It also sells content to other media organizations. According to an article titled “ AP reports loss on one-time accounting charges,” t he Associated Press lost $74 million in 2017, and it states the reason as “mostly due to one-time accounting charges related to the federal tax overhaul passed late last year.” source |
| Axios | Centre-left | Cox Enterprises, a significant media conglomerate in the U.S, primarily own Axios. The outlet generates revenue primarily through advertising, native content, and sponsored newsletters. Unlike some outlets, Axios does not rely on subscription fees, allowing its content to remain widely accessible. source |
| Bloomberg | Centre-left | Michael R. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP (The parent company of Bloomberg News). According to Investopedia, Bloomberg Terminal (remote software used to access financial information) is the most expensive among financial data providers. source |
| CNBC | Centre-left | CNBC is owned by NBC Universal, which Comcast owns. Comcast’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is Brian L. Roberts, founded by his father, Ralph J. source |
| CNN | Centre-left | No ownership data found |
| NBC News | Centre-left | No ownership data found |
| NPR | Centre-left | According to a Columbia Journalism Review article dated 2010, a large portion of NPR’s revenue comes from dues and fees paid by Member stations and corporate sponsorships. In another article by Columbia Journalism Review, they state that as of 2017, NPR receives less than 1 percent of its total funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting(CPB). source |
| The Guardian | Centre-left | The Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source |
| The Independent | Centre-left | The Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source |
| Washington Post | Centre-left | In 2013, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post for $250 million. Bezos is a frequent target of Trump, who has accused the businessman of using the Postal System as its “ Delivery Boy. ” The newspaper’s executive editor, Martin Baron, said Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon, is not involved in its news coverage. source |
| i (inews) | Centre-left | DMG Media owns iNews, which publishes the Daily Mail and The Metro. Advertising, sponsored content, and subscriptions generate revenue. source |
| Reuters | Centre | In April 2008, the British company Reuters Group was acquired by Thomson Corporation and formed Thomson Reuters. source |
| The Hill | Centre | In 2021, The Hill was purchased by Nexstar, which owns around 200 TV stations and media outlets nationwide. The founder, chairman, president, and CEO of Nexstar is Perry A. Sook. source |
| CBS News | Centre-right | CBS News is owned by Paramount Global, which was formerly controlled by National Amusements, Inc., the holding company of the Redstone family. In 2025, Paramount entered into a merger agreement with Skydance Media, effectively ending the Redstones’ majority control. CBS News generates revenue primarily through advertising and affiliate broadcasting fees..push({}); source |
| New York Post | Centre-right | The New York Post is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which owns many conservative/sensational media outlets worldwide. The paper is funded through advertising, subscriptions, and newsstand sales. source |
| Newsweek | Centre-right | Newsweek is owned by Newsweek Publishing LLC, which is co-owned by Dev Pragad and Johnathan Davis. Newsweek is funded through a paid subscription and advertising model. source |
| Washington Examiner | Centre-right | The Washington Examiner is owned by Clarity Media Group, owned by Philip Anschutz, an American billionaire entrepreneur who describes himself as a “conservative Christian.” Anschutz is also the owner of the right-leaning Weekly Standard and has donated millions of dollars to right-leaning causes, including anti-LGBT groups, such as the Family Research Council, which has been labeled a hate group. source |
| Washington Times | Centre-right | Operations Holdings Inc is the Washington Times owner, owned by the Unification Church of South Korea, through their holding company HSA-UWC (Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity). In 1954, Reverend Sun Myung Moon founded this religious movement in South Korea, known for its mass weddings, and its members are referred to as “Moonies.” source |
| Breitbart | Right | After the death of Andrew Breitbart in 2012, Larry Solov became CEO and president of Breitbart News. In 2017, according to Politico, Larry Solov revealed the owner of Breitbart as “himself, founder Andrew Breitbart’s widow, Susie Breitbart, and the Republican mega-donor family, the Mercers.” Further, Solov also stated that he wants “to disclose as little as possible about financial and ownership structure.” source |
| Daily Wire | Right | Bentkey Ventures, LLC (formerly Forward Publishing, LLC) owns the Daily Wire, which was heavily backed and co-founded by fossil fuel billionaires Farris and Dan Wilks. The platform generates revenue through a hybrid model combining premium digital subscriptions via DailyWire+, targeted advertising, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce. source |
| Fox News | Right | Rupert Murdoch is the owner and a board member of News Corp 21st Century Fox. According to Reuters, James Murdoch (son) was chief executive of 21st Century Fox and left in May 2018. L achlan (the other son of Murdoch) and Rupert Murdoch will serve as the new Fox co-chairman. source |
| Newsmax | Right | Newsmax is owned by publicly traded Newsmax Inc., which began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol NMAX on March 31, 2025. The company completed a $75 million public offering after previously raising approximately $225 million through a preferred-stock offering. source |