Court Temporarily Blocks Media Ban, Trump-Xi White House Meeting, UNGA Diplomacy

Up First from NPR

A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the Trump administration from banning specific news outlets from the Whi

Key takeaways

Judge Timothy Kelly granted a 14-day temporary restraining order to CNN, MSNOW, and Politico.
The Trump administration's ban was reportedly motivated by claims that these outlets write 'negative news'.

Main topics

White House media ban
Trump-Xi summit

Notable quotes

The judge was not persuaded that national security was the real reason behind the bans.

Conclusion

The episode highlights a period of intense legal and diplomatic fricti

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:02) A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to let journalists from CNN, Politico, and MSNOW back into the White House. The Speaker 6 (0:08) judge was not persuaded that national security was the real reason behind the bans. What happens next to Trump's media ban? Speaker 2 (0:14) I'm Ian Martinez, that is Leila Fadl, and this is Up First from NPR News. Speaker 2 (0:20) Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with President Trump at the White House today. Besides the pomp and pageantry, the two leaders have a lot to discuss from Taiwan to Iran and even AI. What are they each looking to gain? Speaker 6 (0:32) And Iran's president called the U.S. a bully at the United Nations General Assembly. Ukraine's president pushed for a ceasefire with Russia on energy and grain. Is there any real movement toward ending either war? Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day. Speaker 7 (0:53) If the creation of the universe was translated into music, what would it sound like? Ideas about how to make sense of the incomprehensible. Speaker 8 (1:08) Most of science in general is actually intuitable. Speaker 7 (1:13) That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast. Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Tanya Mosley, co-host of Fresh Air. Each week we go beyond the headlines and dive deep into an issue like the Epstein files, the dismantling of voting rights, and the conflicts abroad. Listen to Fresh Air interviews to better understand our world. Find us on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 2 (1:42) Three media organizations are reporting that some of their staffers were denied entry to the White House this morning. That's despite a federal judge ordering the Trump administration just hours earlier to restore access to CNN, MSNOW and Politico. The president had banned them from the grounds of the complex because they, quote, purposely write negative news. In a ruling just after midnight, Judge Timothy Kelly granted a two-week temporary restraining order to the outlets. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press had filed a friend of the court brief in the case supporting the three outlets. NPR is one of the organizations that signed on to that brief. Speaker 6 (2:18) NPR's David Fokinflik joins us now to talk about this. Good morning, David. Speaker 3 (2:22) Good morning. Speaker 6 (2:23) So given that some of these journalists have been denied entry, is the White House defying this court order? Speaker 3 (2:30) unclear. CNN Politico and MSNOW said some of the staffers were denied entry to the White House early this morning. Politico said one of its reporters had their press pass confiscated by the Secret Service, was blocked from entering the White House grounds. You saw on the air live this morning on CNN that one of their White House journalist Betsy Klein was turned back, although the network says one of its producers was able to enter using their pass. I've spoken to folks at CNN and MSNOW. And, you know, what they're saying at the moment is they're not 100 percent clear. Is this intentional foot dragging an intention to defy or just logistical complications? Obviously, you know, you've got the Justice Department arguing this case in court, the White House Comms Department setting out policy and secret service in a sense, implementing it. So we don't really know. Speaker 6 (3:16) What did the late night court ruling say exactly? Speaker 3 (3:20) Yeah, this was after midnight last night or this morning, I should say, Eastern Time. Judge Timothy Kelly, he's a U.S. District Court judge in D.C. He ordered the White House representatives to, and these are his words, immediately return, reinstate and restore. the press credentials, the reporters of the three news organizations. And while the litigation continues, that's a 14-day temporary restraining order. Remember the word immediately there. It does not happen immediately. So