US judge lifts Trump’s White House ban on CNN, MS NOW, Politico

A federal judge in Washington ruled on Thursday that President Donald Trump likely violated the Constitution by cutting off White House access for reporters at CNN, MS NOW and Politico, and directed that their credentials be reinstated. The ruling came from US District Judge Tim Kelly, who was appointed by Trump himself, after CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued over the ban, which took effect September 18. On social media, Trump had accused the outlets of pushing "FICTION and LIES," a claim the Justice Department cited alongside national security concerns in defending the ban. Journalists from the outlets lost building access and had their credentials taken away starting Saturday, part of a broader pattern of hostility toward major news organizations during Trump's time in office. Kelly had previously intervened in a similar dispute involving CNN during Trump's first term, temporarily forcing the White House to reinstate a reporter's pass, according to The New York Times · France 24.

The ban drew swift pushback from the media industry. ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC jointly suspended their rotating pool coverage of the White House this week to back CNN, warning that the public depends on independent reporting and that no administration should punish outlets over unfavorable coverage. The White House Correspondents' Association and nearly 50 news organizations separately urged the court to overturn the bans. Days later, at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Trump questioned why a CNN journalist was covering him at all outside the White House.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The New York Times · France 24’s reporting. Read the full story at The New York Times · France 24 →