Update: After refusing access to reporters From CNN, MS NOW, and Politico All morning, and after a complaint by the networks to judge Kelly, the White House back down. They restored access and provided the court with this attestation:
I, Micah Stopperich, declare under penalty of perjury pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1746 as follows:
1. I am the Director of White House Press Operations.
2. This declaration has been prepared in connection with litigation in Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump, No. 1:26-cv-3287 (D.D.C.).
3. The information contained in this declaration is based on my personal knowledge or on information made available to me.
4. On September 24, 2026, White House Operations were notified at 7:10 am to restore access to affected reporters by turning on their hard badges.
5. White House Operations began the process of reinstating badges at 7:25 am.
6. United States Secret Service indicated that badges were back on at 9:07 am. United States Secret Service also began locating confiscated badges.
7. Confiscated badges were delivered to White House Operations at 9:45 am.
8. The White House press team dropped badges at the entry gate for members of the press to pick up around 9:55 am.
9. United States Secret Service has represented that press passes that were turned on were available for pick up at the press gate as soon as they were delivered.
I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct.
Micah Stopperich
Welcome to the Jim Acosta Morning Memo on aon a Thursday morning after Donald Trump suffered a major loss and literally rolled out the red carpet for his rival in smothering the free press. I’m Jim Acosta, let’s go to work.
Let Press Freedom Ring: Our top story — another YUGE loss for Trump, as Trump-appointed Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order and ruled that Trump must immediately quote “return, reinstate, and restore the White House ‘hard pass’ press credentials held by employees of CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO.”
Even more humiliating, Judge Kelly used Trump’s own words to let him hang himself. In dismissing the farcical “national security” argument, Kelly wrote:
“Nothing in the record that predates this suit suggests that the revocation of Plaintiffs’ hard passes was motivated by national security concerns. Certainly, that is not what President Trump said when he announced that he was ‘banning’ Plaintiffs from the White House—instead, he focused on the alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity of Plaintiffs’ reporting.”
You KNOW that had to hurt! More than when he was forced to give back Jim Acosta’s hard pass? Maybe not THAT much.
Silent Treatment: The television pool boycott in opposition to the ban continued to produce surreal moments in which Trump couldn’t be heard over the noise on the pro-MAGA replacement feed.
BumbleBrag: And when you could hear him, he was bragging about the corporate tech and banking heavyweights he will be rewarding with invitations to his lavish state dinner with President Xi.
Dictator Behavior: But breaking this morning, MS NOW reports that their White House correspondent was denied access this morning, along with CNN and Politico.
Lemire: MSNBC reporter Laura Barron-Lopez was denied access to the White House this morning, despite yesterday’s ruling
… Now, is there a possibility this is just incompetence? I will say, as someone who’s in and out of the White House building a lot, it is a complicated system with the passes, so maybe it hasn’t just been updated yet. But there is a real chance this is the White House saying no, that this is intentional.
Lisa Rubin: Yeah, and I want to note for you that according to Politico’s reporting this morning, its reporter who tried to gain admittance wasn’t just denied, but had his badge or hard pass confiscated by the U.S. Secret Service this morning.
Lemire: Yeah, we should note, in addition to MSN, reporters at Politico and at least a couple at CNN also denied access.
We’ll keep you posted as this story develops.
Xi’s Gotta Have It: And it didn’t escape notice that Trump was fighting the free press in court while he was scurrying out to greet repressive dictator Xi Jinping with a frankly groveling welcome ceremony. Here are staffers literally rolling out a giant red carpet as Xi’s officials watch and wait.
Dear Leader: Trump and Melania then greeted Xi and summoned children to present flowers to the President and First Lady of China.
Literally Cringe: Despite temperate 64-degree weather, Trump wore black gloves for the greeting ceremony, which you can see in the frankly hilarious viral clip of Trump getting the crap scared out of him by a fighter jet flyover.
THAT’s the MAGA alpha? I’m guessing Natalie skips that one.
As we’ve already observed, meeting a foreign leader on the tarmac is unusual for a US president. Trump has only done it once before — for Vladimir Putin.
The Xi festivities will continue today with meetings and a lavish State Dinner.
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But How Was The Play: MS NOW broke an absolutely stunning exclusive on Trump officials discussing, get this, adding Trump’s name quote “in some form” to Ford’s Theater — the site of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.
Maybe the Smithsonian can open a Museum of Dumbassery for him.
Trigger Warning:
