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Hello! I’m AllSides Managing Editor Henry A. Brechter. It’s Friday, March 3, 2023. Here’s your AllSides balanced briefing for today.

 

TOP STORIES FOR MARCH 3

See news from left, center, and right-rated sources with our balanced Headline Roundups on these stories:

  • President Biden plans to sign a bill overriding a progressive new Washington, D.C. crime law. The move puts him at odds with local leaders and other Democrats.

  • Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed a law effectively banning drag performances in public. Under the rule, "adult cabaret performances" from strippers or "male or female impersonators" are banned anywhere they "could be viewed by a person who is not an adult."

  • Former attorney Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife and son in 2021. A jury in South Carolina reached a verdict of guilty on all counts in the high-profile case.

  • A bipartisan Senate coalition introduced legislation to strengthen safety procedures and requirements for trains carrying hazardous materials. The bill's impetus was last month's toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

 

BIAS ALERTS

Read our Media Bias Alerts on two storylines that evoked partisan media biases this week.

Hunter Biden missed a House Oversight Committee deadline to hand over documents related to his foreign business dealings. Meanwhile, a former business partner of his agreed to cooperate with the ongoing federal probe of Hunter.

Right-rated outlets highlighted this news prominently; left-rated outlets didn't cover it at all. Read more

The Energy Department's announcement of its new stance on COVID-19's origins revived the divide between media outlets from left to right on the COVID-19 lab leak theory.

Right-rated outlets often focused on support for that theory and criticism of those who moved to rule it out prematurely. Left-rated outlets often focused on the lack of hard evidence for that theory, and gave more credence to the natural animal-to-human transmission origin theory. Read more

And check out the most recent update to the AllSides Media Bias Chart™!

 

DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES

What role does Christianity play in American politics today?

At the time of the nation's founding, Christianity was more prevalent in policymaking, voting, and political culture. While the number of religiously unaffiliated people grows and debates continue about the separation between church and state, it's no question that religion is still a politically influential concept.

Read perspectives from diverse academics about the role of Christianity in modern U.S. politics on our blog.

 

CAN BEER BRIDGE DIVIDES?

"Red states drink beer and blue states drink beer. Hipsters drink beer and farmers drink beer. But what if I told you beer can actually lower partisan animosity?"

A writer from our friends at the Listen First Project explored how beer and breweries can "offer a space for people to meet and connect with people from across the aisle."

Read more on our blog.

     

    TODAY'S WEATHER

    See today’s weather radar and temperature maps for your area from the NOAA.

     

    WHAT TO WATCH FOR NEXT WEEK

    • The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold hearings "to examine reining in dominant digital platforms, focusing on restoring competition to our digital markets."
    • Daylight saving time is set to start again at 2 a.m. local time on next Sunday, March 12. 

     

    GOOD NEWS

    A family dog in Detroit is being credited with saving the life of a toddler in a house fire. 

     

    Have comments on this briefing? Email us!

    Henry A. Brechter is the Managing Editor of AllSides. He has a Center bias.