Okay, I’m back, and the laptop seems fine. On we go.
It has taken me a while to sort out what is happening with Trump’s media ban, but I believe this is it: Early this morning Judge Timothy J. Kelly issued a 14-day restraining order that reversed the ban on CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House. Even so, when reporters from the three media companies tried to enter the White House this morning, they were blocked and their press credentials confiscated. And then, probably after a lot legal thrashing around, they were given their credentials back and admitted some time before noon.
Early this afternoon Judge Kelly set filing deadlines for motions on a preliminary injunction, which could extend the restraining order beyond the 14 days.
I’m also reading in the New York Times:
The White House allowed a limited number of photojournalists, but not reporters, into the Oval Office for the start of Trump’s meeting with China’s leader, Xi Jinping. The print reporter and photographer pool has continued to operate even as the television pool was sitting out until the administration restored banned outlets’ access into the White House. During the event, Trump made a remark about how the Chinese had the friendliest press corps, according to photographers who were present and shared details with the print pool.
So he kept all the U.S. reporters out so he wouldn’t have to admit the ones he tried to ban. I hope the television pool continues to not “pool” him. This is from New Republic:
Despite a court order Wednesday night restoring White House access to Politico, MS NOW, and CNN, their journalists were still barred from the grounds Thursday morning. As a result, the entire White House TV press pool, which includes Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN, continued their boycott from broadcasting the president live, and were joined by White House photojournalists.
“Although a court decision restored media access to CNN, Politico & MS NOW earlier this morning, we are currently without a network pool camera. If anything changes, I’ll send out an update,” White House print pool reporter Kerry Picket said.
As a result, China Global Television Network was one of the few outlets to have video of Xi’s arrival at the White House, a reminder of when Trump in his first term barred the U.S. press pool from the building while allowing Russian state media to take pictures of Trump with Russian officials.
After the outlets were barred Thursday morning, they immediately notified the court. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly gave the White House until 12:30 p.m. to explain the continued ban. The White House responded just before the deadline, claiming in a court document that access was restored to Politico, CNN, and MS NOW as of 9:55 a.m.
So I think that catches us up with the media ban story. But see also A Revealing Exchange Between Donald Trump and Kaitlan Collins at The Atlantic. Trump was angry to see the CNN reporter there; apparently he thought his ban stopped her from covering him anywhere.
Update: I’m hearing that this evening that MS NOW and CNN reporter were denied access to some event before tonight’s state dinner for Xi Jinping. So this may be ongoing.
In other news, Bibi Netanyahu is not having a good day at the UN.
Dozens of representatives from participating member countries staged a mass walkout at the United Nations Thursday, just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walked up to the podium to begin speaking.
There are 193 countries in the United Nations General Assembly. It was the second year in a row that delegates protested Netanyahu’s appearance. As nearly everybody in the room stood up and filed out of the main hall, others remained but stood up and applauded the international protest.
Meanwhile, around the room, supporters of the Israeli leader began chanting, “Am Yisrael Chai,” a refrain that translates to “The nation of Israel lives.”
Netanyahu’s appearance came hours after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke to the General Assembly. Abbas decried what he described as Israel’s “malicious colonial scheme” to steal and control Gaza and the West Bank, and force Palestinians off the land.
Outside on the street, police were arresting participants of another protest. Hundreds of protesters with Jewish Voices for Peace—including celebrities Elliot Page, Susan Sarandon, Hannah Einbinder, and Chelsea Manning—blocked the U.N.’s entrance road, chanting, “We charged you with genocide, Netanyahu you can’t hide.”
Good times.
I believe Bibi is up for election in October. This might've been the last time we see him. My psychic friends point out that the world has been under the thumb of 3 tyrants, who have caused so much suffering: Bibi, Putin, and 45. They're all about the same age, and will be exiting this planet at very roughly the same time. Earth will be very different in just a few years. These monsters had to surface all the evil, so everyone can see it, and deal with it.
So tonight, around 5PM, CNN was "denied access to cover the arrivals at the White House State Dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping tonight, MS Now announced that it, too, had been barred." That's a quote from Deadline.
"CNN White House correspondent Kristen Holmes said that they were told that their credential to cover the event was only for a camera and audio, not an editorial presence. She had requested that she and her producer attend. “Again, no editorial presence, just a camera and audio, which certainly seems like a reaction to President Trump saying that he wanted the CNN coverage of the event,” Holmes said."
But wait. There's more!
"Trump claimed that the networks “refused to cover one of the Biggest and Most Beautiful Events to take place in many years, the arrival at the White House of the Highly Respected President of China, Xi Jinping, and his beautiful wife, Madam Peng. The event was magnificent — Actually made for Television but, because they’re Fake News, and because they knew how good it would be, they didn’t want credit to be given to ‘TRUMP,’ they refused to be there.""
It's so hard to know who to believe.
If there is any strategy to this, Trump wants to pretend he has complied with the court but, since His word can not be questioned, the lie that they chose not to attend any event is the legal fig leaf that covers all future incidents of being refused entry.
The networks will come bugged like an FBI informant to every WH contact. The documented refusal will be at odds with the Trump statement that it was the network's choice not to attend. Does Trump think Americans only care about the Second Amendment? I just think this will play horribly with everyone except MAGA and feed the direction of Trump's drop in the polls. Republicans in congressional races in interviews and debates will have to declare if they back Trump or freedom of the press? They will probably hope that when they say Trump didn't violate the First Amendment, voters won't know or check. I'm not so sure.
When the dust settles, who in the media will say that the evidence proves Trump is "Fake News." He's a liar by premeditation. It's documented over and over. Trump can't point to any examples of the MSM (and I am talking about the major networks) lying. The facts they present are almost always true. They add interpretation and opinion about what the facts mean. This is what Trump wants to stifle.
IMO, the press was a beachead MAGA had to capture to succeed. Trump was sure the press was no match for him. It's not looking good for the administration. The press has not buckled.
The White House press pool is still suspended, I believe, until the issue with the media ban is resolved. So the White House press wouldn't have sent cameras and equipment to the event. The press pool as I understand it is an agreement among some of the big media companies to take turns setting up television cameras ans other big equipment to make video that everyone can use. They do that because if every outlet hauled in their own equipment it would take up all the space. Trump F'ed Around and Found Out.
Trump chummed the water, and is now shocked at the number of circling sharks.
"Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also addressed the U.N. General Assembly earlier Thursday, delivering prerecorded remarks from his office in Ramallah after the United States denied him a visa to attend the gathering for the second year in a row."
(The Associated Press)