Trump Bans Media from White House, Europe on High Alert, College Sports Bill

Up First from NPR

This episode of Up First covers President Trump's controversial ban on CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from the White House, escalating tensions ov

Key takeaways

Trump's media ban is widely seen as a symbolic move with limited legal enforceability due to First Amendment protections.

Main topics

White House media access restrictions

Notable quotes

"The constitutional protection does not depend on whether the president likes a news organization's coverage." – Jackie Heinrich, White House Correspondents Association

Conclusion

Despite political theatrics, institutional checks remain strong—courts,

Transcript preview

Speaker 5 (0:01) President Trump says he's banning three news organizations from the White House. Speaker 1 (0:06) It's being seen as an attack on free speech. But Speaker 5 (0:09) it's not clear how the ban will actually be enforced. Speaker 1 (0:12) I'm Debbie Elliott. Speaker 5 (0:13) And I'm Scott Simon, and this is Up First from NPR News. Speaker 1 (0:19) Europe is on high alert. Leaders Speaker 5 (0:21) say that threats from Russia are intensifying. Speaker 1 (0:24) And that European nations need to prepare for possible drone and even missile attacks. We'll have Speaker 5 (0:30) the view from Moscow. And Congress is pitching in for college sports. A Speaker 1 (0:35) new bill aims to overhaul the rules and financing around what's become a multi-billion dollar industry. So Speaker 5 (0:42) please stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your weekend. Speaker 8 (0:56) This message comes from WISE, the smart way to manage your money around the world. With WISE, you can send, spend, and receive money in over 40 currencies at the mid-market rate. Learn more at WISE.com. T's and C's apply. This message comes from Bloomberg. Our Town, from Bloomberg's Big Take podcast, follows residents of Gainesboro, Tennessee, after a group of far-right Christians moves in with plans for a radical social experiment. Listen to Our Town wherever you get your podcasts. This message comes from Pod Save America. Every week, John Lovett, Tommy Vietor, Jon Favreau, and Dan Pfeiffer dive deep into political news with guests from across the political spectrum. Listen wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Speaker 5 (1:44) President Trump has banned three news organizations from the White House, CNN, MSNOW, and Politico. In Speaker 1 (1:51) a post online, he promised, quote, other fake news media outlets to follow. Speaker 5 (1:56) We're joined now by NPR's Ron Elving. Ron, thanks so much for being with us. Speaker 2 (2:00) Good to be with you, Scott. Speaker 5 (2:01) And Ron, this summary ban, this is America. Couldn't the president do that? Speaker 2 (2:06) We find ourselves asking that question a lot these days. I'm not a constitutional law scholar. But I know how to consult people who are, and there's broad agreement that the president cannot do this in the manner he wishes. Once he opens the door to the media, he cannot close it partially to exclude those whose reporting may displease him. It's been to court, been ruled a violation of the First Amendment guarantee. And the president of the White House Correspondents Association, Jackie Heinrich, noted yesterday. that the constitutional protection does not depend, quote, on whether the president likes a news organization's coverage, agrees with its reporting, or approves the questions its journalists ask. Now, Heinrich is herself a senior White House correspondent for Fox News, and she also said, quote, this is about more than the rights of journalists. It is about the right of the American people to receive a full and independent account of the activities, policies, and decisions of whoever. occupies the nation's highest office. Now, President Trump tried to ban one CNN reporter years ago. He tried to ban the Associated Press early in his second term. Courts backed the media both times. Although the AP ruling is still being appealed, but Trump may have his reasons to blow off steam this way, perhaps thinking it will distract from news that's been making him unhappy this week. Speaker 5 (3:25) Including perhaps no agreement with Iran that would end the war, the U.S. Congress, including seven Republicans, voted to end President Trump's powers to prosecute it. What do you see developing here? Speaker 2 (3:37) Congress is in a struggle toward fulfilling its constitutional duties regarding war making. We are right up against the basic constitution here again. In this case, the power to declare war belongs exclusively to Congress, which has, of course, devised its own ways to use the military. Without such a declaration, one is a formal AUMF. That's an authorization for use of military force. We all learned that acronym after 9-11 when U.S. forces went into Afghanistan and then Iraq. Here we have Congress trying to rein in the president using the few tools it has. Speaker 5 (4:12) Also, the Supreme Court blocked a Trump administration plan to restrict mail-in voting and the Federal Reserve raised interest rates. These are two more rebukes of the president? Speaker 2 (4:22) Hard to miss that reading in both cases, and surely Trump himself took both of them that way. He went on to social and blasted the rate increase in personal terms and also to denounce his own appointees to the Supreme Court, all three, by the way, for going against him on the mail-ins. Speaker 5 (4:39) An AI is top of the mind for