Federal judge weighs Trump's White House press ban on CNN, MS NOW, Politico

A federal judge heard arguments Wednesday on whether to block President Trump's ban of MS NOW, CNN, and Politico from the White House, with the outlets claiming retaliation and the Justice Department citing national security. The outlets' lawyer argued the ban is clear retaliation for negative coverage, noting Trump's own statements prove "viewpoint discrimination." The Justice Department countered that White House access is a privilege, not a right, and defended the ban on national security grounds. Judge Timothy Kelly, who previously ruled against the White House in a similar 2018 case involving CNN's Jim Acosta, noted the lack of due process before the ban. The Justice Department offered the outlets until Friday to respond to new letters justifying the action.