Gloria Steinem's death Wednesday prompted significant reflection on her life and the feminist movement. Outlets on the left and some in the center highlighted her contribution to the feminist movement and questioned its future, while other center and right outlets explored her affiliation with the CIA during the Cold War.

Contributions to Feminism: BBC (Center bias) described Steinem as a "powerful icon of America's feminist movement" who "changed the lives of generations of women," highlighting her support of legalized abortion, same-sex marriage, and gender pay equality as well as her opposition to the death penalty and female genital mutilation. Steinem also launched Ms. Magazine, an all-female founded and operated periodical that still exists today, as well as coined the phrase "reproductive freedom," which continues to be used in debates about abortion. Steinem testified at Senate hearings for the Equal Rights Amendment in 1970, though Congress failed to pass it.

Involvement With the CIA: RT (Lean Right) and UnHerd (Center) both published analysis pieces on Steinem's affiliation with the CIA during the Cold War. According to RT, Steinem sought funding to do social reform work and promote women's freedom and independence and received funding for a nonprofit organization from the CIA after she learned that corporations were not interested in supporting her. The nonprofit, called the Independent Research Service, took liberal American students and young professionals to share American leftist ideas at Soviet youth festivals as an alternative to communism. At the time, Soviet messaging painted women as educated, socially active participants in public life, so it was "hardly surprising that it wasn't long before Washington understood the competitive value of offering its own version," RT wrote. UnHerd quoted Steinem's memoir, in which she wrote, "In my experience the [Central Intelligence] Agency was completely different from its image; it was liberal, nonviolent, and honorable."

Critiques of Steinem: An opinion piece in The Conversation (Lean Left) called Steinem "one of our greatest witnesses to a feminist revolution" but criticized some obituaries' oversimplification of the women's movement by calling her its "face" or "leader." The article noted that the 20th-century women's movement neglected racism and issues of sexuality and that Steinem faced criticism for fostering an "either/or feminism" through her fierce support of Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama before the 2008 election. BBC also noted criticism from Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique, who accused Steinem of making a private profit off the movement.

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An Illinois woman was charged with first-degree murder for allegedly killing her 2-year-old son. Outlets across the political spectrum included reports that the mother was "very invested" in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial prior to the incident.

The Details: Frankfort police responded to reports of an unresponsive toddler on Tuesday, Sept. 1. The police found a neighbor performing CPR on the child who was reportedly strangled in the basement and later died at a local hospital, according to a complaint filed on Friday. The mother, Corie Walsh, was found in a bathtub attempting to harm herself, according to prosecution. Walsh had reportedly been discussing the Clancy case in a group chat with friends in the hours leading up to the murder. Court documents said there was also another baby in the home and two school-aged children returned home around the time the toddler was found, however they were all unharmed. Walsh was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and is now in custody and "being held for medical treatment," according to NBC News (Lean Left bias).

For Context: A judge declared a mistrial in the Clancy case on Friday. Clancy faced three counts of first-degree murder and life in prison without parole for strangling her three children in 2023. She pleaded not guilty by reason of postpartum insanity. Clancy's trial became popular online, garnering millions of views and generating different perspectives with many women rallying in support of her during the trial.

RELATED: The Insight: How the Lindsay Clancy Case Became a Misinformation Chamber

Case Similarities: The Daily Caller (Right) compared similarities between Walsh and Clancy's cases, including that all the children were found dead in the basement of their homes, that they all died of asphyxia, that Clancy also attempted to take her life after killing her children and that both husbands were away at the time of death. The Caller also cited reports that Walsh had said she was "inspired" by the Clancy case. The New York Post (Right) described Walsh as "Lindsay Clancy-obsessed" in its headline.

A 'Tragedy': CNN (Lean Left) focused on quotes from Walsh's attorney, Andrea Lyon, who emphasized the "tragedy" of the incident. Lyon said Walsh had been in a "mental health crisis" and called the incident a "tragedy, for the Walsh family all of whom are mourning the loss of this child." Lyon also told CNN, "It is also a tragedy in that [Corie] herself was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time this happened." It included the case details toward the end of its article compared to other outlets like The Daily Caller, The Post, NBC and others which reported the details in the first paragraphs, including that the baby was hanged.

Community Response: ABC 7 Chicago (Center) and NBC 5 Chicago (Center) both included comments from Frankfort police department, local leaders and Frankfort residents. ABC 7 primarily focused on a community-led group that's connecting mothers with resources and support following the murder. NBC 5 also included quotes from individuals who called the incident a "heartbreaking tragedy" and quoted the Frankfort mayor who said, "I don't want people to draw conclusions out of school on this. Let the investigators get the information, get the facts."

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The populist "far right" Alternative for Germany (AfD) party delivered a decisive victory in Germany's eastern state Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, though it fell short of a parliamentary majority.

The Results: AfD won 43.8% of the vote and gained 16 seats in the state's parliament, for a total of 39. German Chancellor Frederich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party finished second with 17.2% and lost 25 of its 40 parliamentary seats. Notably, the democratic socialist The Left (DL) lost 4 seats, and the populist "far left" Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) won 5.3% – enough to enter parliament and take 5 seats. Election turnout was a record high 76.5%.

Political Context: Several mainstream parties in Germany have vowed to form a "firewall" against AfD and never form a coalition with it, meaning its only path to power would be through a majority. In May 2025, Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, designated AfD as a right-wing extremist organization. In Germany's most recent national elections in February 2025, AfD surged to finish second to the CDU with 21% of the vote, dominating in Germany's eastern states. Previously, in September 2024, AfD delivered a historic result in the east German state of Thuringia. Members of the Trump administration, like Secretary of State Rubio, Vice President Vance, and former government efficiency lead Elon Musk, have previously appeared sympathetic to AfD's platform. 

RELATED: 60 Minutes' German Censorship Segment: A Recycled NYT Report? | AllSides

BSW as Kingmaker?: Media commentators and analysts have said AfD's best path to governing could be a coalition with the newly-founded populist left-wing BSW party, which overlaps with AfD on a more hardline approach to immigration. BSW has said it would not elect AfD's Saxony-Anhalt leader, Ulrich Siegmund, as governor, but on Sunday said, "The firewall does not interest us, and we will speak with all parties." Qatari outlet Al Jazeera (Lean Left bias), The New York Times (Lean Left), and The European Conservative (Right) highlighted the prospect of a BSW-AfD coalition in analyses.

EU Leaders React: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that in Poland only "idiots or traitors" would celebrate the result. French Finance Minister Roland Lescure called it "very, very worrying." Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said it shows that "another Europe is possible." Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called it "a great night for Germany and Europe."

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Fox News has parted ways with longtime anchor Maria Bartiromo after more than 12 years with the network. But Bartiromo is disputing reports that she was fired.

The Details: After media reports announced Bartiromo's firing from Fox News, her attorney, Bryan Freedman, released a statement Thursday calling reports that she was no longer an employee of Fox News "irresponsible." Her attorney wrote in an email, "The release speaks for itself," according to Newsweek. Bartiromo has maintained a close relationship with President Trump and has frequently given him a friendly platform, but she has also at times publicly challenged members of his administration, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent over the rollout and messaging of Trump's tariff policy.

Fox News Media's Statement: Fox News Media issued a press release that didn't give details about Bartiromo's next endeavors or the reason for the departure from the news network. Fox News Media said, "We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 ½ years and wish her all the best on her next chapter." Shows previously hosted by Bartiromo, including Mornings with Maria, will transition to Mornings with FOX Business with rotating anchors, according to the press release. 

Trump's Reaction: Trump praised Bartiromo in a post on his Truth Social platform. "I can't believe Maria Bartiromo is no longer going to have her great show(s) on FoxNews/Business," he wrote. "Three different shows, always number one. Maria is a total professional, and a true warrior. Her fans, of which there are many, will not be happy. God bless you, Maria!"

How The Media Covered It: CNN (Lean Left bias) focused on the reported dispute over Fox's internal editorial guidance and Bartiromo's relationship with the Trump White House, framing her departure around Fox's corporate and editorial interests. Newsmax (Right) also reported the alleged sharing of internal guidance but gave more attention to Bartiromo's status as a prominent pro-Trump host and compared her departure with previous high-profile Fox exits, including Tucker Carlson and Bill O'Reilly. 

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Women accounted for 98% of new jobs in August, according to the monthly jobs report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), prompting headlines and analysis.

Jobs Report: The US added 162,000 new non-farm payrolls in August, something that mainstream outlets across the spectrum framed positively as a better-than-expected result. Unemployment stayed steady at 4.1%. Food services added 59,000 jobs, local government education added 42,000, manufacturing added 16,000, construction added 22,000, and healthcare added 13,000. Conversely, the information sector, which includes things like web infrastructure, lost 23,000 jobs. The Wall Street Journal (Center bias) called the report a "bright spot" after "early-summer doldrums" and noted that it previously polled economists who expected the economy to add 53,000 jobs in August.

Ladies First: Women accounted for 158,000 new jobs in August, while men accounted for 4,000. This was covered in headlines by a handful of mainstream outlets, including Fortune (Center), Semafor (Lean Left), CNBC (Lean Left), Just The News (Lean Right), and The Post Millennial (Right). President Trump shared Just The News' coverage on Truth Social and wrote, "No wonder they like me!!!"

Not Good News?: Semafor and Fortune both framed the news as lukewarm or possibly negative for women. Semafor quoted Indeed Hiring Lab and wrote, "Because women tend to earn less than men and are likelier to hold multiple jobs, the figure suggests hiring is clustered in low-paying, contingent roles, meaning it's not 'necessarily a positive story for women overall.'" Fortune spoke to Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, who said, "I think there's been way too much focus on the month to month – is it men gaining jobs or women? That moves around a lot." She claimed, ​​"The reason that women were down in July and up in August is almost entirely driven by education hiring – the teacher effect. It's not like something dramatically changed for women."

Another Angle: Fortune noted that men lost 6,000 jobs to women in leisure and hospitality and that "several other service industries showed the same pattern, where women accounted for more than 100% of net job growth since male employment fell." The Daily Wire (Right) highlighted that since President Trump took office for his second term, women have driven "nearly all net hiring." The Daily Wire referenced an analysis from the "left-leaning nonprofit" Economic Security Project, which noted that since December 2024, women's cumulative payrolls have risen by about 765,000, and men have dropped by about 6,000.

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President Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow on Saturday for over three hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and then to Kyiv on Sunday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Key Context: Ahead of the talks, Trump told reporters, "We have an idea for peace. I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They've done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we'll do it." Both Russia and Ukraine agreed to refrain from striking each other's capitals during the visits.

Moscow Talks: Mainstream reporting mostly focused on quotes from Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov. Ushakov told reporters that Witkoff and Kushner were "seriously prepared" for the meeting, which was "substantive, constructive, extremely candid and trusting." He said US envoys presented "a number of considerations regarding possible paths toward a settlement," and that "tangible advances of the Russian army in the combat zone were noted. And it was acknowledged that negotiations must be aimed at eliminating the root causes of the conflict." The two sides also discussed "in considerable detail" potential "major, mutually beneficial Russian-American" economic projects, according to Yushakov. Witkoff reportedly thanked Putin for the recent release of Robert Gilman, a former Marine who had been imprisoned in Russia.

Journey to Kyiv: Witkoff and Kushner flew out of Moscow and landed in Rzeszów, Poland, around 1:30 a.m. CEST on Sunday. They then proceeded by train to Kyiv, where they were greeted by several of Ukraine's top ministers, according to The Kyiv Independent (Center), which said they had to travel by rail because "Russian strikes prevented a flight." The outlet also reported that, according to "two people familiar with the matter… national security advisors from Germany, France, and the UK are also expected to attend the discussions."

Kyiv Talks: Zelenskyy said the discussions were "good" and included "several new ideas" but did not elaborate on what the ideas were. He said he was "grateful that, despite the long hiatus," there were "some form of negotiations" and that "Ukraine, Europe, and the US will meet in the near future." Zelenskyy also said the US will "increase the production" of "Patriot systems next year" because Ukraine is "counting on such systems to protect our state."

RELATED: How Conservative Western Media Spun a Female Biologist Into a 'Russian Escort' | AllSides

US Side: After the Kyiv talks, Kushner told reporters, "One thing Steve and I really thought would be productive is to go back to the trilateral format, which we were able to do about six months ago." Reflecting on previous trilateral negotiations, he said, "Everyone was speaking, you know, in Russian to each other and really discussing these issues in a very actually friendly manner, all in Russian." Zelenskyy said Ukraine must do "everything possible" to make these trilateral talks happen. The Kyiv Independent reported speaking to "a source familiar with the matter" who said Trump is expected to speak with Putin and Zelenskyy after his September 7 briefing.

Split Framing: Kremlin-funded RT (Lean Right) and CNN (Lean Left) both highlighted optimistic quotes from Witkoff in headlines after the Kyiv talks concluded on Sunday. Conversely, The Kyiv Independent framed the talks as a failure and quoted Zelenskyy, who said "the war will continue," in its headline.

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