Judge likely to end White House ban on CNN, Politico and MS Now
A federal judge appointed by Trump signaled he's likely to permanently block the White House's ban on CNN, Politico, and MS Now reporters after the Justice Department failed to produce evidence that national security, rather than retaliation for critical coverage, motivated the ban. Judge Timothy Kelly extended his temporary restraining order to Tuesday, when he's expected to rule.
Attorneys for the outlets pointed to Trump's own Time Magazine interview, where he called the outlets 'fake news' without mentioning national security, and to his comment that the New York Times might be 'next.' The lone Justice Department attorney argued the president needs the same authority to revoke press access that the government has to revoke a passport, lest outlets publish nuclear launch codes.
The outlets' removal from the press pool led other broadcasters to pull their own coverage in solidarity. This mirrors a prior case where Trump barred the Associated Press over its refusal to use 'Gulf of America,' which a different Trump appointee ruled unconstitutional before a D.C. Circuit panel paused that ruling.
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