CNN, Politico, MS NOW regain White House access after judge blocks Trump ban

CNN, Politico and MS NOW have regained access to the White House, hours after a federal judge ruled President Donald Trump’s ban on the three outlets was likely unconstitutional and ordered it immediately reversed, BBC reports.

The outlets sought an emergency hearing after being denied entry Thursday morning, accusing the White House in a court filing of having “repeatedly violated” Judge Timothy Kelly’s ruling.

The hearing was called off once access was restored, with the White House confirming press passes had been returned by 09:45.

Kelly’s overnight ruling found the outlets were “likely to succeed” in showing the ban violated due process, further rejecting the administration’s national security justification, noting “the record lacks factual support for defendants’ contention that the revocation of plaintiffs’ hard passes will in fact protect national security.”

Trump had originally accused the outlets of writing “fiction or lies” about his administration, prompting their badges to be confiscated last Saturday.

Government lawyers had separately argued in a Tuesday filing that coverage of missile stockpiles, the White House ballroom construction and the Republican midterm convention posed security risks — a claim the outlets and more than 50 media organisations, including Fox News and the New York Times, rejected in a joint amicus brief.

While CNN, Politico and MS NOW confirmed their return, networks including Fox News, NBC, CBS and ABC, which had suspended pool coverage in solidarity, have yet to confirm resumption — leaving the standoff’s full resolution still unsettled even as Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state dinner.