Judge extends White House access for CNN, MS Now and Politico reporters

A US federal district court judge, Timothy Kelly, ruled on Tuesday in Washington that the White House must continue to let journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico into the building while the news organisations' lawsuit against the Trump administration is heard. He granted a preliminary injunction, which bars officials from enforcing the decision to revoke the outlets' White House "hard pass" press credentials.

How the dispute developed

President Donald Trump on 18 September barred the outlets from the White House grounds, citing what he called their constant "reporting" of fake news. The organisations sued on 21 September, arguing the ban violates their constitutional rights. Kelly granted a 14-day temporary restraining order on 24 September, which expired on Tuesday. The outlets then asked the court for an injunction lasting the whole case, which could take months.

During the hearing, the judge told a lawyer for the federal government that his side had "a notice problem" that was "probably the biggest hurdle" to overcome. The order applies to all defendants except Trump himself.

Trump on the campaign trail in Alaska, Arizona and Montana

Trump spent the past 24 hours in Alaska and is due to hold rallies in Arizona and Montana on Wednesday. Alaska is one of several conservative states where Democrats have a chance of flipping a Senate seat, amid voter dissatisfaction with the cost of living and the Iran war. Polls show Democrat Mary Peltola tied or slightly ahead of Republican senator Dan Sullivan, in a state Trump won by 14 percentage points in 2024.

Sullivan acknowledged that Alaskans face challenges with energy costs, but said the Middle East conflict is temporary. In Alaska, Trump repeated his claim that he had to start the war on Iran because it was two weeks from having a nuclear weapon. US intelligence agencies told Congress in 2025 that Iran had suspended its pursuit of nuclear weapons in 2003.

Disputed post about tiger attack

Trump also shared a video of 23-year-old British man William Chapman being attacked by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Chapman's family said such content was causing them severe distress.