Trump bans CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House

• Press freedom groups immediately called on news outlets to fight the bans.

The latest: Trump's Truth Social post called the three outlets "Fake News" and accused them of reporting "FICTION and LIES," before threatening to also ban other "Fake News Media Outlets."

• The White House declined to comment beyond Trump's post.
• "CNN stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting," the network posted on X. "We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government. Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right."
• Politico similarly wrote that it "will continue to fairly report on this White House and future ones. We will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights against any attempt to restrict them."
• MS NOW and the White House Correspondents' Association have not responded to Axios' requests for comment.

Between the lines: The scope of the ban wasn't immediately clear. As of shortly after the post, CNN continued to work from the White House, the network reported.

• The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has previously held that once the White House opens general press facilities to journalists, access can't be denied arbitrarily, and press pass restrictions must come with due process.
• A divided appellate court last year said the White House does have broader discretion over which journalists enter restricted spaces like the Oval Office and Air Force One. That case, brought by the Associated Press, remains unresolved.

Friction point: Trump has previously moved to restrict access for reporters and outlets he has clashed with.

• In 2018, the White House revoked CNN reporter Jim Acosta's credential. A federal judge later ordered the pass restored.
• Last year, the administration barred the AP from some events because it continued to use "Gulf of Mexico," sparking the still-pending First Amendment case.

State of play: The White House took control of selecting the presidential press pool from the White House Correspondents' Association last year.

• The Pentagon has also restricted press access, but a federal judge this year struck down parts of its credentialing policy. The Defense Department responded with a different restrictive policy that was also blocked, though that decision has been stayed pending appeal.

• Last month, the Treasury Department denied credentials to some journalists who sought to cover the G20 meeting in North Carolina.

What they're saying: Press freedom groups raised alarms about Trump's announced ban.

• Seth Stern, Freedom of the Press Foundation's advocacy director, called banning outlets over their coverage "a blatant violation of the First Amendment" and urged news outlets to challenge restrictions.
• Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, compared the move to Trump's efforts targeting universities and law firms.
• "With so many courts having ruled against him on exactly this point, you'd think President Trump would have learned this lesson by now," Jaffer said in a statement.
• The National Press Club blasted the move as well. "Every American should understand what is at stake. If implemented, this ban would mark an unprecedented assault on press freedom," president Mark Schoeff Jr. said in a statement.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer likened Trump's actions to those of an autocrat.

• "Donald Trump just did what dictators throughout history have done," Schumer wrote on X. "@realDonaldTrump- this is a democracy. You will not be able to manipulate the news or hide the truth."

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new information throughout.