President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters in the Oval Office on September 18, 2026. | Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images This story appeared in Today, Explained, a daily newsletter that helps you understand the most compelling news and stories of the day. Subscribe here. A hearing on President Donald Trump’s White House press ban ended without a ruling this afternoon — an admittedly anticlimactic outcome, but one that will likely change very soon. The Trump-appointed judge in the case, Timothy Kelly, appeared skeptical of the administration’s arguments for banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House grounds last week. Kelly said he would rule “as soon as possible.” Until then, the ban remains in place. By all accounts, Trump’s case is a feeble one. While the Justice Department attempted to argue on Wednesday that the three outlets’ reporting jeopardized national security, Trump himself kind of gave the game away last week when he said he had singled these organizations out over what he characterized as negative and inaccurate stories. The move sat poorly even with people and institutions you’d expect to be sympathetic to Trump: Fox News was one of several outlets that boycotted White House events this week to protest the ban, for instance. And...
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