CNN, MS NOW and Politico sue Trump administration over White House press ban

CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, arguing that barring their reporters from the White House violates the First Amendment and due-process protections. The three outlets say their journalists hold permanent press passes yet were denied entry to the White House grounds starting over the weekend. The lawsuit describes the ban as a direct assault on press freedom and a departure from core constitutional principles.

President Trump said the decision followed an accumulation of coverage he considered unfair over the past two years, rather than any single report. A federal court hearing on a request for a temporary restraining order that would restore the outlets' access has been scheduled for Wednesday. The case has drawn comparisons to a similar 2018 dispute in which a court ordered the White House to reinstate a CNN correspondent's credentials.

In a show of solidarity, other television networks declined to provide White House pool coverage on Monday after CNN, which had been due to lead that rotation, was excluded. The dispute has reignited debate over press access to the White House and the scope of the executive branch's authority to determine which outlets can cover it from inside the building.