Judge Orders CNN Credentials Restored, But White House Blocks State Dinner Coverage

CNN was denied access to cover arrivals at the White House State Dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping, hours after a federal judge ordered the network's credentials restored. The denial followed a five-day ban on CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from White House grounds. CNN correspondent Kristen Holmes said she was told the credential allowed only camera and audio access, not editorial presence, despite requesting to attend with her producer. The judge's order had restored credentials, but the White House limited coverage to pre-credentialed media at the North Portico. President Trump claimed CNN and MS NOW refused to cover the event, calling them "Fake News," while network correspondents said they couldn't access the White House that morning. TV pool coverage remained halted after CNN was pulled from the rotation and other networks declined to replace them.