Day 607
September 18, 2026
2 incidents
- Major Abuse of Power Press Freedom
White House Bans CNN, MS NOW and Politico Reporters; Briefly Keeps Them Out Despite Court Order (September 2026)
In September 2026 President Trump announced he was "banning" CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, focusing, in a federal judge's words, on "the alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity" of their reporting; according to the court's order, their journalists' hard-pass credentials were revoked on 18 September. The Justice Department later defended the ban on national-security and "professionalism and decorum" grounds. Judge Timothy Kelly granted a temporary restraining order, finding nothing in the pre-suit record suggesting national security motivated the revocations and that required process had not been followed. On 24 September the outlets' reporters were initially denied entry despite the order; access was restored that day after the court ordered the government to respond.
- Serious Rights Violation Civil Rights
Castro pleads not guilty in federal court
After appearing in Hennepin County court on the state charges on September 17, Castro pleads not guilty in federal court in St. Paul and is released on a $75,000 bond with GPS monitoring, surrender of his gun and passport, and travel limited to southern Texas and Minnesota.