KQED61%
KQED Politics Team Looks Back at the Defining Political Stories of 2025 and Ahead to 20260%
By Scott Shafer0% Marisa Lagos91%
12/20/2025, 12:05:19 AM
BS Summary: This article contains 9 faulty reasoning types, including Recency Bias, Availability Heuristic, and Negativity Bias, with Framing Effect as the most egregious example at 76.3% saturation with 71 hits. Analysis detected 300 faulty-reasoning hits from 93 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 0% and a BS Rank of 0% (0 of 16,813 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 100.00% of the article peer group.
This year in politics, President Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco received new mayors and a redistricting battle reshaped the state’s congressional map.
Scott and Marisa are joined by the San Francisco Chronicle’s senior political writer Joe Garofoli to analyze the year’s top political stories.
Plus, they look ahead to 2026, when the race of governor of California heats up and competitive midterm elections will determine control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Check out Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
Actor-Observer Bias
0%Actor-Observer Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.3%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Anchoring Bias
23.7%Anchoring Bias
OverallThis article
23.7%AuthorScott Shafer
2.7%PublicationCalMatters
0.9%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Availability Heuristic
34.4%Availability Heuristic
OverallThis article
34.4%AuthorScott Shafer
6.5%PublicationCalMatters
3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Blind-Spot Bias
0%Blind-Spot Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Confirmation Bias
23.7%Confirmation Bias
OverallThis article
23.7%AuthorScott Shafer
6.3%PublicationCalMatters
2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Dunning-Kruger Effect
0%Dunning-Kruger Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Framing Effect
76.3%Framing Effect
OverallThis article
76.3%AuthorScott Shafer
30%PublicationCalMatters
6.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Fundamental Attribution Error
0%Fundamental Attribution Error
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.3%PublicationCalMatters
0.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Halo Effect
0%Halo Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
5.3%PublicationCalMatters
2.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Hindsight Bias
0%Hindsight Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2%PublicationCalMatters
0.5%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Horn Effect
0%Horn Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
In-Group Bias
0%In-Group Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
3.8%PublicationCalMatters
1.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Loss Aversion
0%Loss Aversion
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.2%PublicationCalMatters
1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Negativity Bias
34.4%Negativity Bias
OverallThis article
34.4%AuthorScott Shafer
22.1%PublicationCalMatters
6.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Optimism Bias
30.1%Optimism Bias
OverallThis article
30.1%AuthorScott Shafer
3.5%PublicationCalMatters
3.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
0%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.1%PublicationCalMatters
0.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Overconfidence Bias
30.1%Overconfidence Bias
OverallThis article
30.1%AuthorScott Shafer
1.3%PublicationCalMatters
1.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Pessimism Bias
0%Pessimism Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.9%PublicationCalMatters
1.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Primacy Effect
0%Primacy Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.5%PublicationCalMatters
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Recency Bias
46.2%Recency Bias
OverallThis article
46.2%AuthorScott Shafer
7%PublicationCalMatters
0.9%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Representativeness Heuristic
0%Representativeness Heuristic
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.3%PublicationCalMatters
1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Self-Serving Bias
0%Self-Serving Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.9%PublicationCalMatters
1.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Status Quo Bias
0%Status Quo Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.2%PublicationCalMatters
0.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Sunk Cost Effect
0%Sunk Cost Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Ad Hominem
0%Ad Hominem
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.3%PublicationCalMatters
0.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Ambiguity (Equivocation)
0%Ambiguity (Equivocation)
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.3%PublicationCalMatters
1.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Anecdotal
0%Anecdotal
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.7%PublicationCalMatters
3.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Authority
23.7%Appeal to Authority
OverallThis article
23.7%AuthorScott Shafer
7.6%PublicationCalMatters
3.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Emotion
0%Appeal to Emotion
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
7.5%PublicationCalMatters
5.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Nature
0%Appeal to Nature
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.2%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Bandwagon
0%Bandwagon
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.7%PublicationCalMatters
0.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Begging the Question
0%Begging the Question
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.7%PublicationCalMatters
0.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Burden of Proof
0%Burden of Proof
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.2%PublicationCalMatters
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Circular Reasoning
0%Circular Reasoning
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Composition/Division
0%Composition/Division
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
False Dilemma
0%False Dilemma
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.4%PublicationCalMatters
1.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Gambler’s Fallacy
0%Gambler’s Fallacy
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Genetic Fallacy
0%Genetic Fallacy
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
1.6%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Hasty Generalization
0%Hasty Generalization
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
4.2%PublicationCalMatters
3.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Middle Ground
0%Middle Ground
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
No True Scotsman
0%No True Scotsman
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Personal Incredulity
0%Personal Incredulity
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Post Hoc (False Cause)
0%Post Hoc (False Cause)
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
3.9%PublicationCalMatters
2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Red Herring
0%Red Herring
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
2.5%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Slippery Slope
0%Slippery Slope
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.3%PublicationCalMatters
0.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Special Pleading
0%Special Pleading
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Straw Man
0%Straw Man
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0.2%PublicationCalMatters
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Tu Quoque
0%Tu Quoque
OverallThis article
0%AuthorScott Shafer
0%PublicationCalMatters
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
93 words analyzed.
Analysis
Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.