The US Supreme Court begins a new term on Monday, and media outlets have shifted its current relationship with President Donald Trump into focus.

The Term: New Supreme Court terms begin in October every year and remain actively in session until late June or early July. Slated for this term are high-profile cases on issues like religion, immigration, guns, climate change, election laws, tariffs, birthright citizenship, and more. Reuters (Center bias) highlighted that the term will begin with a term where Boulder, CO, has sued ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy for monetary damages related to climate change.

Cases: Some outlets across the spectrum, like Washington Times (Lean Right) and CBS News (Lean Left), have published news coverage unpacking some of the top cases in detail. In one case, Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota, the court will decide whether Arizona can enforce a 2022 law requiring proof of citizenship for state voter registration and whether its voter-roll cleanup procedures conflict with federal restrictions under the National Voter Registration Act. In another, Department of Homeland Security v. D.V.D., the court will rule whether the Trump administration's third-country deportation policy violates federal immigration law, the Due Process Clause, and protections against torture. Other cases will involve whether governments can ban AR-15 rifles or rely on juries of fewer than 12 people for criminal cases.

How The Media Covered It: Several outlets from the center and left have framed the new term coming as the court has had a strained relationship with President Trump. An analysis from CNN (Lean Left) said as the term begins, "one key player will be noticeably absent: President Donald Trump," but that "the respite is unlikely to last." It also said the court's term comes "after months of near-constant confrontation with the White House." The Hill (Center) described the court's relationship with Trump as "shaky" and added a bit of analysis: "Left-leaning groups have remained optimistic in their chances before the conservative-majority court after last term produced a mixed outcome for the president." Fox News (Right) framed its news article much differently and said the term begins "with fresh questions over [the court's] legitimacy and its future." It prominently noted that according to a recent poll from Gallup (Center), the court's approval rating had dropped to a record low of 33%. Newsmax (Right) highlighted that one of its correspondents said the term "could deliver significant victories" for Trump.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the Pentagon Office of Religious Affairs on Wednesday, highlighting his department's "sacred duty" to provide "first-class religious support, wherever we send our warriors."

The Details: "This is not going to be a paper-pushing shop; it's going to have real teeth," Hegseth said during his "State of the Force" speech. He asserted that the department is "placing spiritual health at the same level as physical health," echoing the Trump administration's recent initiative to do similarly for healthcare coverage. Hegseth said troops will be able to "report straight to the top," but he also stated that the office shouldn't neither be "construed to compel religious participation [n]or to diminish the free exercise rights of any service member, civilian employee, or family member of any faith or no faith."

RELATED: Hegseth Describes Culture Shift, New Military Projects in 'State of the Force' Speech | AllSides

What's Next: The Defense Department ordered the following within 90 days: "a comprehensive baseline report of all unfunded and underfunded religious affairs requirements, including, but not limited to, delivery of religious ministry, facilities and infrastructure, logistics, chaplain-led programs, chapel youth programs, faith-based homeschool support for military families, programs related to suicide reduction, and contracted services from faith-based non-Federal entities; research, technology, and analytical tools to support spiritual fitness, spiritual readiness, and spiritual resilience; chaplain in-service procurement programs, chaplain and religious support team training and education."

RELATED: Gallup Poll Finds Religious Resurgence Among Young Men | AllSides

How The Media Covered It: Outlets on the left covered this story more prominently than those on the right, often emphasizing the "direct line" to Hegseth, who identifies as Christian. Though the Defense Department's memo does not specifically mention Christianity, Mother Jones (Left bias) framed Hegseth himself as a Christian nationalist. Military.com (Lean Left) used similar framing but also suggested that the establishment of the office would likely be legal. "The potentially more consequential litigation, if it comes," it said, "will likely target how the office operates."

Outlets across the political spectrum fact-checked Hegseth's statement that "Ninety-five percent of our force recognizes an Almighty God." While he was largely correct in saying that less than 5% of troops identify as nonreligious, his statement conflicted with government-derived data that classified about a quarter of troops as religiously unsure or unaffiliated.

In a possible appeal against the "No Kings" movement, Washington Examiner (Lean Right) also highlighted, "'As Psalms 33:12 extols us, 'Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,"' Hegseth said. 'Two hundred fifty years ago, we rejected an earthly king, an ocean away, appealing instead to a heavenly king above.'"

RELATED: Millions Protest Against Trump in Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests | AllSides

Tracking Trump On Religion: President Trump said religion was "under threat" in the US during his 2024 presidential campaign. Once elected, he established both the White House Faith Office and a task force to "eradicate anti-Christian bias." His administration launched initiatives to support religious foster parents and deny visas to those to oppose religious freedom, but the president has also faced criticism for his conflicts with Pope Leo XIV, as well as the "blasphemous" depiction of himself as Jesus Christ on social media. Track Trump's campaign promises on religion here.

RELATED: Media Outlets Split Coverage on Pope Leo's Comments on Assisted Dying and Global Stability | AllSides

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The US economy added 29,000 jobs in September – a slower growth than expected, according to several outlets. Unemployment rates also rose to 4.2%.

The Details: The figure was below the 90,000 estimate from economists. Unemployment was also above the previous 4.1%, according to a poll by LSEG. Fox Business (Lean Right bias) reported that jobs were down in the private sector, while manufacturing added 9,000 jobs. Healthcare added 16,700 jobs in ambulatory care, while nursing and residential care facilities lost 8,700 jobs. Construction also added 11,000 jobs in September, which was above the average of 10,000 over the last 12 months. Long-term unemployment accounted for 27.1% of all unemployed people, according to Fox Business.

For Context: Jobs reports from July and August totaled 154,000 jobs added, which was 60,000 less jobs than originally reported. The Associated Press (Lean Left) noted that unemployment rose partly because 485,000 people entered the workforce and not all of them found jobs right away.

Resilient Labor Market: Fox Business noted all the numbers fell below expectations. It quoted a Vanguard senior economist who said the figures mean "the labor market remains resilient, but it is not accelerating." The economist also said the report "strengthens the case for the Federal Reserve to remain patient" before increasing interest rates again. A JPMorgan Wealth Management strategist told Fox Business the report is "further evidence that the labor market is not a source of inflationary pressure" and that it's "an ideal outcome for financial markets." The Wall Street Journal (Center) and Associated Press also noted the labor market remains resilient.

Low-Hire, Low-Fire: Wall Street Journal said, "The economy doesn't need to generate as many jobs as it used to just to keep the labor market steady. The population is aging, and an immigration clampdown has reduced growth in the supply of workers." It wrote that the job market remains in a low-hire, low-fire state that "provides stability but can be frustrating for Americans used to more opportunity." That dynamic, it said, has made it harder for newcomers to break into the job market or for people to seek new roles.

Looking Toward Midterms: Associated Press called the numbers "disappointing." It said the new hiring data could "draw the Federal Reserve's attention back to hiring and jobs" as many Fed officials have focused more on fighting inflation. AP contextualized the report within Americans' feelings ahead of midterms, saying they feel "unsettled" over the economy and the high cost of living. It also focused on employer and employee sentiment, quoting a Glassdoor chief economist who said "Employee confidence has been continuously grinding downward over the last year as workers grow increasingly anxious about everything from layoffs to AI."

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Amazon has pledged $1 billion to support communities where it operates data centers across the United States, amid growing concerns over the facilities' impact on local resources and the potential for rising electricity bills.

The Details: The announcement followed a White House meeting attended by President Donald Trump and technology executives, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Amazon said it plans to fund community college courses and job training in fields including electrical engineering, heating and cooling, information technology, health care and manufacturing. It also plans to provide grants for energy and water efficiency projects at homes, schools and public buildings, including insulation, heating systems, batteries and solar installations.

AWS CEO: Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman said in a blog post Amazon understands why some communities are concerned about data centers. "While there is much we (and other data center operators) are already doing, we've decided to codify our practices into a series of tenets that we're calling our 'Amazon Data Center Commitment,'" he said. Garman also wrote that he wants to dispel some myths about data centers, saying the centers "use very little water relative to other industries" and bring a "positive economic impact" and an increase in good jobs to communities.

Data Centers: Data centers house computer servers and other equipment that store and process large amounts of data. They provide much of the computing infrastructure used by online services, including artificial intelligence systems. Data centers often require substantial amounts of electricity and, in some cases, water for cooling. The construction of these facilities has become a growing issue for communities and lawmakers. Supporters point to jobs and economic investment, while some residents and officials have raised concerns about electricity and water use, environmental effects and more.

How The Media Covered It: Media coverage was largely consistent across the political spectrum. However, The Associated Press (Lean Left bias) gave more attention to growing public concerns about data centers, including their impact on electricity prices, water supplies and the environment. The Washington Examiner (Lean right) emphasized Trump's push for data center development and the benefits Amazon says its investment will bring to local communities. 

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