NewzNewsmax CEO Chris Ruddy on Tuesday said he asked President Trump to reconsider his ban on CNN, Politico and MS NOW reporters from covering his administration and the White House. "I've urged the president to reconsider his position," Ruddy told "BBC Newsnight" in an interview. US media outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico asked a US court to restore their access to the White House after US President Donald Trump banned them, arguing that the ban violates the First Amendment and the right to a free press.
Kelly heard arguments about President Trump’s recent decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House grounds. He said he would issue a decision about it “as soon as possible.” A federal judge signaled he is skeptical of President Trump's ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House grounds.
Judge hears arguments in Trump media ban case with no immediate ruling as First Amendment fight continues WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge heard arguments Wednesday but did not rule from the bench in a case on President Donald Trump’s ban of three news outlets from White House grounds.The hearing marked the latest development in an extraordinary showdown between Trump and media outlets whose coverage he dislikes. Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico beginning Friday, assailing what he called “fake news.” More recently the president has said negative coverage was dangerous for the country.
The outlets argued they were singled out because of the content of their coverage — in other words, viewpoint discrimination and called the ban a “blatant violation” of the First Amendment.U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly — whom Trump nominated in 2017 and who ordered a CNN journalist’s access restored in a similar case in 2018 — didn’t immediately rule on the news outlets’ request for a restraining order. It was unclear when he would issue a decision.He opened by reminding both sides that he’s required to apply case precedent.The rulings in two prior cases over press access — including one that went to the U.S.
Supreme Court — made clear that journalists were entitled to an opportunity to be heard before they have their press passes revoked.Justice Department attorney Michael Velchik has argued that the rulings in the earlier cases were wrong.“Maybe they were, maybe they weren’t, but currently as a district judge I have to apply them,” Kelly said.Arguments began with Theodore Boutrous Jr., attorney for the outlets, calling the ban an “unprecedented, unreasonable punishment” and saying there was “not a semblance of due process.”Velchik told the court that “access to the White House is a privilege, not a right.”“The president should be able to take immediate action to protect national security,” he added.The administration has doubled down on its contention that it has the right to decide who can set foot in the White House.The Trump administration outlined ‘reporting incidents’ of each news outletIn filing late Tuesday, administration lawyers argued that the ban does not violate the First Amendment, which guarantees the right to a free press. It contended that the outlets, in their reporting, violated “standards of professionalism and decorum expected of those given access to the White House complex, including by trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and othe… Trump banned the outlets beginning Friday, assailing what he called “fake news.” More recently the president has said negative coverage was dangerous for the country.
It was unclear when he would issue a decision.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.The extraordinary showdown between President Donald Trump and media outlets whose coverage he dislikes moved Wednesday to a courtroom in the nation’s capital, where a judge is hearing arguments on whether the president’s move banning three news organizations from White House grounds violates the Constitution.The administration has doubled down on its contention that it has the right to decide who can set foot in the White House. “Access to the White House is a privilege — not a right,” it said in a court filing late Tuesday.It also argued that the reporting of the three outlets — CNN, MS NOW and Politico — poses a threat to national security.
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