US Courts Restore White House Access For CNN, MS Now And Politico
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico regained their press credentials at the White House on Thursday following a federal court order that reversed a recent ban imposed by the administration. The restoration of access came after District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that the revocation of the outlets' credentials likely violated their constitutional due process rights. The three American media organizations had been excluded from reporting on the White House grounds for six days, a move initiated by President Donald Trump. Despite the legal victory allowing them back onto the complex earlier in the day, both CNN and MS NOW reported that their journalists were subsequently denied entry to cover the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state dinner.
The conflict began when the White House Press Office issued letters accusing the three outlets of "trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues" and publishing sensitive or classified information. In its correspondence with CNN, the administration cited specific reports regarding the US-Iran war and alleged disclosures of top-secret construction details concerning a military bunker planned beneath the East Wing ballroom. Similar accusations were leveled against MS NOW and Politico, forming the basis for the initial suspension of their press passes. The administration argued that these actions were necessary to protect national security interests, while the judges noted that individuals must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the government deprives them of constitutionally protected interests.
On the day of President Xi’s visit, which included high-profile diplomatic events in Washington, no major American network provided live coverage of the proceedings. This absence was partly due to the breakdown of the traditional video pool system, where five major US broadcast outlets take turns shooting and sharing footage. Following the ban on CNN, the remaining four networks declined to participate in the pool as a show of solidarity, leaving a significant gap in domestic news coverage during a critical diplomatic event. Although the Secret Service initially turned away the journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico when they attempted to return early Thursday, the subsequent court ruling forced the White House to allow them back into the facility.
CNN senior reporter Betsy Klein documented the situation from the White House grounds on September 24, 2026, highlighting the tension between executive authority and press freedoms. The cable network confirmed later that day that two of its journalists were specifically barred from covering President Xi’s arrival, despite the general restoration of access to the compound. MS NOW also reported similar restrictions, underscoring the ongoing friction between the press corps and the White House administration. The incident marks a significant escalation in the dispute over journalistic access and editorial independence, with the judiciary intervening to restore procedural rights that the administration had suspended without prior hearing.
This report was produced in the Europe Brief News newsroom.
