Judge orders White House to restore access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration early Thursday to temporarily restore White House access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico while the news organizations' legal challenge continues.
(NBC)- A federal judge ordered the Trump administration early Thursday to temporarily restore White House access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico while the news organizations’ legal challenge continues.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order requiring officials to immediately restore the outlets’ White House press credentials. Kelly found the organizations are likely to succeed in showing their credentials were revoked without constitutionally adequate due process.
The three outlets have also argued that President Donald Trump’s decision to bar them from White House grounds violated their First Amendment rights. The administration has argued that access to the White House is a privilege and cited national security concerns. Kelly said he was skeptical that national security motivated the revocations.
The ruling came as Trump hosts Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state visit. Trump greeted Xi at Joint Base Andrews Wednesday before Thursday’s formal White House arrival ceremony.
Ahead of the meetings, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States and China agreed to extend their existing trade truce for two months, through Jan. 10.
Artificial intelligence is also among the issues surrounding the U.S.-China talks, along with trade, rare earth minerals and other economic and national security concerns.
Some Republican senators have publicly urged the administration to press Xi on issues including Taiwan and China’s relationships with Iran and Russia.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has argued that direct engagement between the world’s two largest economies is necessary despite their disagreements.
Trump and Xi have met twice face-to-face during Trump’s second term, with their latest meetings putting the economic and strategic relationship between the United States and China back at the center of the administration’s foreign policy agenda.
