Trump bans CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, touching off a First Amendment lawsuit and a full TV pool blackout
All five broadcast networks suspended pool coverage Monday after Trump revoked credentials for three major outlets. A federal judge has set a Wednesday hearing on a temporary restraining order.
In brief
President Donald Trump's decision to ban three major news outlets from the White House triggered the most serious confrontation between an American president and the Washington press corps in decades. By Monday afternoon, CNN, MS NOW and Politico had filed a First Amendment lawsuit in federal court in Washington. Every major broadcast television network had pulled its pool cameras. And a Trump-appointed judge had set an emergency hearing for Wednesday.
The sequence began Friday, September 18, when Trump announced on Truth Social that he was barring CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, citing what he called their "constant 'reporting' fake news." Trump said on social media Friday, Sept. 18, that he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico "effective immediately" from the White House. On Saturday, White House reporters Betsy Klein of CNN and Akayla Gardner of MS NOW went live to report they had been turned away, their press badges deactivated. Politico said its White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett was also denied entry and had her badge confiscated.
The three organizations moved fast. MS NOW, CNN and Politico sued President Donald Trump Monday morning in Washington, D.C., federal court, seeking to reverse his total ban on those three media outlets from the White House. Journalists from the outlets were prevented from entering the White House on Saturday and had their credentials taken away, a day after Trump announced he would bar them from working there.
What the lawsuit says
In the complaint, the plaintiffs argue the White House violated their First Amendment rights by blocking them in retaliation for their reporting and discriminating against their viewpoint, and their Fifth Amendment rights for banning them without due process. The outlets' joint statement was direct: "This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes. Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists' credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public's right to independent journalism free from government interference."
Such a move would be "viewpoint discrimination" that courts have held violates free speech rights under the First Amendment. A 1977 U.S. Court of Appeals ruling, still in force today, holds that reporters cannot be barred from the White House or denied a permanent White House press pass without a clear explanation from the Secret Service that incorporates due process.
The civil case has been assigned to D.C. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who in 2018 oversaw former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta's lawsuit that similarly sought to restore his press pass. At the time, Judge Kelly, a Trump appointee, ruled in Acosta's favor after finding that the Trump White House did not afford him proper due process in revoking his credentials.
Judge Timothy Kelly later Monday ordered the Department of Justice to respond to the outlets' request for a temporary restraining order against the ban by Tuesday. Kelly scheduled a videoconference hearing on the outlets' request for 3:30 p.m. ET Wednesday. The judge was nominated by Trump to the federal bench in 2017.
Trump, for his part, was not subtle about his read on the case. Trump blasted U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, whom he appointed in 2017. Kelly in 2018 ruled in favor of CNN's then-chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta after the White House stripped Acosta of his press credentials. Kelly at the time ordered the administration to temporarily return Acosta's press pass. The White House acquiesced days later, returning the reporter's pass permanently. Trump wrote on Truth Social that "almost without question and, as usual, we'll go for appeal."
Every network pulled its cameras
The ban's immediate operational effect was stark. Monday had been CNN's assigned turn in the broadcast pool rotation, and the network could not fulfill it. The other pool members refused to step in.
In an unprecedented move, four of the five TV networks that provide White House pool coverage of President Donald Trump, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News and Fox News, joined in solidarity with CNN, which is the fifth TV pooler, announcing they are suspending coverage of the president at events because of his ban of CNN. "The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government," the five networks said in a joint statement Monday. "No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting."
The message suspending coverage came from an unlikely sender. Bryan Boughton, Fox News' Washington bureau chief and the current White House TV pool chair, wrote in an email to the other networks: "This is to advise that, effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President. This follows the White House's position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties. There will be no replacement pool put in place." He added that all other pool coverage, including Congress, VIPs, and selected events in Washington, would continue as normal.
The practical result was visible at the United Nations General Assembly, where Trump traveled Monday. Trump was inaudible during a press conference as a result of the suspended coverage. Print and photo journalists did not suspend their pool coverage of the president. The Washington Post and New York Times said Monday that they would not publish photographs of presidential events until midnight, joining what the Post described as a "collective effort with photographers in other newsrooms" to show support for outlets banned from the White House.
CNN secured its place in the White House TV pool after suing the Reagan administration and ABC, CBS and NBC in 1981. The pool later expanded to include Fox News. There is no modern precedent for all five networks simultaneously withdrawing.
Trump's defense
The White House did not submit a formal legal response Monday. Trump addressed the lawsuit through Truth Social. When asked in the Oval Office if the media ban is likely to be struck down in court, Trump responded: "I think it's good to point it out whether it survives or doesn't. I don't think that a court should allow fake news to be written day after day after day." He also said on Friday: "If they want to write them, that's fine. I don't have to let them into the people's house."
Vice President J.D. Vance, when asked about the lawsuit, argued that Trump is not "banning" media outlets. The White House press office, reached by NBC News for comment, directed NBC News to Trump's Truth Social post defending the move Monday morning.
Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, did not mince words. "The president's decision to bar news organizations from the White House for the content of their reporting is a flagrant violation of the First Amendment," said Jaffer, whose institute is filing a brief to support the lawsuit.
The White House Correspondents' Association president, Jacqui Heinrich, called on the Trump administration to immediately restore the three outlets' access. Heinrich is also Fox News' senior White House correspondent.
Trump said last Friday, when he announced the ban, that he might add others to the list. He has not specified which outlets could be next.
What to Watch
Wednesday, 3:30 p.m. ET: Judge Timothy Kelly has set a Wednesday hearing on CNN, MS NOW and Politico's motion for a temporary restraining order for Trump's White House coverage ban. The hearing will take place Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. ET via videoconference. Kelly has ordered the Trump administration to respond to the news organizations' claims by Tuesday. The same judge's 2018 ruling in the Acosta case is the closest precedent, and it went against the administration.
Due process question: The plaintiffs argue the White House violated their Fifth Amendment rights for banning them without due process, in addition to the First Amendment claim. Whether the administration can articulate a lawful process for the revocations will be central at Wednesday's hearing.
Pool restoration: The lawsuit by CNN, MS NOW and Politico is seeking a return of full access to the White House for their journalists and to operate the video pool, as previously planned. If the judge issues a temporary restraining order, cameras could return to the White House as early as this week. If he does not, the TV blackout of presidential events continues with no set end date.
Trump's appeal threat: Trump reacted to Kelly's assignment to the case in a social media post Monday, suggesting Kelly would rule against him and an appeal was forthcoming. Any appeal would go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
