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Free Malaysia Today
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
US court says Trump can bar AP from key White House events for now
The Associated Press decided to continue referring to the 'Gulf of Mexico' – and not the 'Gulf of America' as decreed by US President Donald Trump. (AP pic) WASHINGTON : President Donald Trump can bar The Associated Press from some White House media events for now, a federal appeals court ruled Friday, pausing a lower court order to give access to the US news agency's journalists. AP journalists and photographers have been barred from the Oval Office and from traveling on Air Force One since mid-February because of the news agency's decision to continue referring to the 'Gulf of Mexico' – and not the 'Gulf of America' as decreed by Trump. In April, district court judge Trevor McFadden deemed that move a violation of the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and of the press. But on Friday, a panel of judges with the Washington-based federal appeals court ruled that, pending appeal, the government could go ahead and bar AP from 'restricted presidential spaces,' which it said did not fall under First Amendment protections. 'The White House therefore retains discretion to determine, including on the basis of viewpoint, which journalists will be admitted,' the ruling said. 'Moreover, without a stay, the government will suffer irreparable harm because the injunction impinges on the President's independence and control over his private workspaces,' it said. Following the ruling, Trump hailed on his Truth Social platform the 'Big WIN over AP today'. 'They refused to state the facts or the Truth on the GULF OF AMERICA. FAKE NEWS!!!' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the sentiment, posting to X, 'VICTORY! As we've said all along, the Associated Press is not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in other sensitive locations.' The AP, a 180-year-old news organisation that has long been a pillar of US journalism, has so far refused to backtrack on its decision to continue referring to the 'Gulf of Mexico'. In its style guide, it highlights that the Gulf of Mexico has 'carried that name for more than 400 years' and the agency 'will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen'. Trump has long had an antagonistic relationship with most mainstream news media, previously describing them as the 'enemy of the people'. Since his return to the presidency in January, his administration has sought to radically restructure the way the White House is covered, notably by favoring conservative podcasters and influencers. Two weeks after barring the AP, the White House stripped journalists of the nearly century-old power to decide which organisation's employees will be members of the daily pool of reporters and photographers covering presidential events. His administration has also pressed to dismantle US government-funded overseas outlets Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia, and is seeking to starve National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) of federal funds.
Japan Times
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Trump can bar AP from some White House events for now, U.S. appeals court says
President Donald Trump is free to bar the Associated Press from some White House media events for now, after a U.S. appeals court on Friday paused a lower court ruling mandating that AP journalists be given access. The divided ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit temporarily blocks an order by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, who ruled on April 8 that the Trump administration must allow AP journalists access to the Oval Office, Air Force One and White House events while the news agency's lawsuit moves forward. The 2-1 ruling was written by U.S. Circuit Judge Neomi Rao, joined by fellow Trump appointee U.S. Circuit Judge Gregory Katsas. Rao wrote that the lower court injunction "impinges on the President's independence and control over his private workspaces" and that the White House was likely to ultimately defeat the Associated Press' lawsuit. The Associated Press in a statement said it was disappointed by the decision and weighing its options. Trump in a statement on his social media platform Truth Social called the D.C. Circuit order a "Big WIN over AP today." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a statement on X said the Associated Press "is not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in other sensitive locations." She said the White House "will continue to expand access to new media." In a dissent, Circuit Judge Cornelia Pillard, an appointee of former U.S. President Barack Obama, said her two colleagues' ruling cannot be squared with "any sensible understanding of the role of a free press in our constitutional democracy." The AP sued in February after the White House restricted the news outlet's access over its decision to continue referring to the Gulf of Mexico in its coverage despite Trump renaming the body of water the Gulf of America. The AP's lawyers argued the new policy violated the First Amendment of the Constitution, which protects free speech rights. McFadden, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, said in his ruling that if the White House opens its doors to some journalists it cannot exclude others based on their viewpoints. Trump administration lawyers said the president has absolute discretion over media access to the White House and that McFadden's ruling infringed on his ability to decide whom to admit to sensitive spaces. "The Constitution does not prohibit the President from considering a journalist's prior coverage in evaluating how much access he will grant that journalist,' lawyers for the administration said in a court filing. On April 16, the AP accused the Trump administration of defying the court order by continuing to exclude its journalists from some events and then limiting access to Trump for all news wires, including Reuters and Bloomberg. Reuters and the AP both issued statements denouncing the new policy, which puts wire services in a larger rotation with about 30 other newspaper and print outlets. Other media customers, including local news organizations that have no presence in Washington, rely on the wire services' real-time reports of presidential statements as do global financial markets. The AP says in its stylebook that the Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years and, as a global news agency, the AP will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.
Reuters
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Trump can bar AP from some White House events for now, US appeals court says
June 6 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is free to bar the Associated Press from some White House media events after a U.S. appeals court on Friday paused a lower court ruling mandating that AP journalists be given access. The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit temporarily blocks an order by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, who ruled on April 8 that the Trump administration must allow AP journalists access to the Oval Office, Air Force One and White House events while the news agency's lawsuit moves forward. The AP sued in February after the White House restricted the news outlet's access over its decision to continue referring to the Gulf of Mexico in its coverage despite Trump renaming the body of water the Gulf of America. The AP's lawyers argued the new policy violated the First Amendment of the Constitution, which protects free speech rights. McFadden, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, said in his ruling that if the White House opens its doors to some journalists it cannot exclude others based on their viewpoints. Trump administration lawyers said the president has absolute discretion over media access to the White House and that McFadden's ruling infringed on his ability to decide whom to admit to sensitive spaces. 'The Constitution does not prohibit the President from considering a journalist's prior coverage in evaluating how much access he will grant that journalist,' lawyers for the administration said in a court filing. On April 16, the AP accused the Trump administration of defying the court order by continuing to exclude its journalists from some events and then limiting access to Trump for all news wires, including Reuters and Bloomberg. Reuters and the AP both issued statements denouncing the new policy, which puts wire services in a larger rotation with about 30 other newspaper and print outlets. Other media customers, including local news organizations that have no presence in Washington, rely on the wire services' real-time reports of presidential statements as do global financial markets. The AP says in its stylebook that the Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years and, as a global news agency, the AP will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.
Washington Post
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
New York legislators vote to preserve media access to encrypted police radio communications
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York state lawmakers have passed a bill to preserve media access to police radio feeds as law enforcement agencies increasingly encrypt their communications. The proposal, which was approved Thursday, would require police departments to grant journalists and emergency services organizations access to their encrypted radio communications. The bill allows for exemptions of information deemed 'sensitive.' The state will need to come up with exact rules on how access will work under the proposal. The measure is a victory for media organizations whose reporters and photographers often tune in to police radio chatter and then zip over to crime scenes or other big happenings in search of stories. 'Preserving access to police radio is critical for a free press and to preserve the freedoms and protections afforded by the public availability of this information,' said Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, a Democrat sponsor of the legislation. The New York Police Department said encrypting radio feeds is meant to protect officers and victims. 'Encrypting police radio communications is necessary for both the safety of law enforcement, as well as to protect the privacy interests of victims and witnesses,' the department said in a written statement. 'Requiring the NYPD to provide real-time access could jeopardize officer safety and victim privacy.' The proposal now heads to the desk of Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. Her office said she would review the bill.
Fox News
04-06-2025
- General
- Fox News
Federal judge delivers one-two punch to Trump in Abrego Garcia case
A federal judge granted a request Wednesday from more than a dozen major news outlets and publishers to unseal certain records in the case of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Salvadorian migrant and alleged MS-13 member who was deported from Maryland to El Salvador in March in what administration officials have acknowledged was an administrative error. Separately on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis granted a request from Abrego Garcia's legal team to file a motion for sanctions against the Trump administration. That filing is due June 11, she said in an order. The one-two punch from Xinis could give plaintiffs new ammo to pursue more formal punishments against the Trump administration if officials are found to have been acting in bad faith or knowingly defying court orders. It will also give new access to media outlets covering the case. Xinis agreed to grant in part a request from a group of 14 major media outlets and publishers – including Fox News, NBC News, CBS News, New York Times, the Washington Post and NPR – who filed a motion to unseal records in the Abrego Garcia case, citing concerns over the lack of public access, as well as over government efforts, or lack thereof, to facilitate his return to the U.S. In her order, Xinis agreed with the contention of the news outlets – referred to jointly as the "Press Movants" – that the public "enjoys a presumptive right to access court records, overcome only when outweighed by competing interests." As such, Xinis ordered the Trump administration to unseal a handful of documents that have so far been filed under seal, as part of a protracted legal battle over the status of Abrego Garcia. Xinis also ordered them to unseal a transcript from an April 30 hearing in his case. "The right to public access of court records remains critical to promoting 'trustworthiness of the judicial process, to curb judicial abuses, and to provide the public with a more complete understanding of the judicial system, including a better perception of fairness,'" she said Wednesday. The order comes amid a months-long court fight over the status of Abrego Garcia, who remains in El Salvador. Xinis in April ordered the Trump administration to comply with an expedited discovery schedule to determine whether they were complying with the directive to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S., which was upheld by the Supreme Court earlier this year. Since then, she has struggled to ascertain the status of Abrego Garcia, or efforts made to return him to the U.S. Trump officials, for their part, have repeatedly alleged that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, though any formal ties remain unproven. Lawyers for the government and Abrego Garcia's attorneys have sparred with Xinis in court over what exactly it means to "facilitate" his return – a months-long fight that Xinis most recently described as beating a "frustrated and dead horse." Xinis previously took aim at what she deemed to be the lack of information submitted to the court as part of an expedited discovery process she ordered last month, describing the government submissions as "vague, evasive and incomplete" responses, and which she said demonstrated "willful and bad faith refusal to comply with discovery obligations." The order is the latest development in the ongoing feud between Trump officials and the courts over the use of the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime immigration law used earlier this year to quickly deport migrants from the U.S. To date, the Trump administration has not knowingly complied with any court orders to return migrants who were removed and sent to El Salvador in the early wave of deportation flights, despite earlier court orders from Xinis, Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and others. It is unclear whether Xinis plans to begin contempt proceedings against the administration, though the federal judge in D.C. said earlier this year that he had found probable cause to do so.
