White House television pool resumes after banned news outlets regain access

A federal judge's order Thursday put a temporary hold on the White House's exclusion of CNN, and network camera crews were back covering presidential events by Friday. Trump had accused CNN, MS Now and Politico of unfair coverage, calling it "FAKE NEWS," and had kept all three out of the building. NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox News, which normally rotate White House filming duties with CNN, paused their own coverage beginning Monday to back the banned outlets, leaving most of that week without polished video of Trump's public activities, according to The Guardian · PBS NewsHour.

That gap proved consequential Thursday, when a summit between Trump and Xi Jinping went out without network video; ABC, next in line to record it, held off filming until it received assurance that CNN's ban would be lifted. That night, White House officials barred CNN and MS Now staff from a dinner honoring Xi, even though a same-day court order required the administration to reinstate CNN, MS Now and Politico for two weeks while their lawsuit proceeds.

By Friday, CBS confirmed through an internal memo that it would resume pooling duties "in a normal capacity with a full crew," covering Trump and Xi's arrival for tea and a tour of the National Archives. CNN anchor Pamela Brown reported on air that CNN's access "has been restored," closing out a standoff that had blacked out television coverage of Trump during the United Nations General Assembly.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian · PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian · PBS NewsHour →