The Press Pool Whiplash
On Friday morning, it looked like the standoff between the White House and the press pool covering it might finally be easing. CBS News was back on TV pool duty. CNN had been cleared to cover an off-campus visit by Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to the National Archives. After a week of turmoil over Trump’s unprecedented ban on CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO, pool members were cautiously hopeful that things might finally be going back to business as usual—or as close to usual as anything gets in this White House
There was reason for the optimism. Reporters from all three banned outlets had regained access to the White House grounds Thursday afternoon after a federal judge ordered the administration to restore their credentials. And after going dark in solidarity with CNN, the five television pool networks—CNN, Fox News, NBC News, CBS News, and ABC News—agreed to resume coverage Friday.
The optimism lasted barely a day. Late Friday afternoon, Status has learned, the pool received a surprise message from the White House: Did the networks want to replace CNN for Saturday’s pool duty? CNN, the White House said, would be prohibited from covering both in-town White House events and Trump’s trip to Tennessee. The White House offered no reason for barring CNN from the flight, I’m told, but stopped short of imposing another blanket ban, instead telling the pool that CNN’s access would be determined on a day-by-day basis.
Shortly after the email, leaders from the five pool networks convened to determine how to respond. Their answer, ultimately, was no. With CNN scheduled for pool duty on Saturday, the group declined to send a substitute, once again leaving Trump without TV pool coverage for the day’s events. Of course, that affects much more than the five networks: The TV pool is the primary way viewers in the U.S. and beyond consume Trump’s public speeches and events.
The five networks have been in constant communication throughout the standoff, I’m told, making decisions about coverage in “unison,” as multiple people familiar with the discussions put it. Rather than set a standing policy on how to respond each time CNN is blocked, the networks plan to assess each day individually, given the fluidity of the situation and the unpredictable nature of the White House restrictions.
In practice, the arrangement works like this: Each evening, pool members plan to inform the White House whether the network scheduled for the next day will show up—or whether the administration should expect another blackout. On Saturday, the group decided Fox News would return to the pool on Sunday. The networks will decide Sunday evening whether NBC News will take its turn Monday as scheduled.
Spokespeople for the five pool networks declined to comment for this story. Asked for comment, the White House press office claimed Trump is “the most accessible president in history” and called the pool’s actions “performative.”
For its part, CNN is trying to thread the needle in its coverage. In internal guidance sent to staff and obtained by Status, the network said it would limit the video, imagery, and editorial material it used throughout Saturday. CNN could air footage it shot itself of Trump’s departure and arrival, for instance, along with material from the broadcast of the football game he attended, once cleared.
But imagery and video from outlets with pool access, including the print and photo poolers and the White House’s own media operation, shouldn’t be used without sign-off from CNN’s Washington desk, the guidance said. On Sunday, with Fox as the pooler, CNN’s guidance said the network could “use editorial, video and imagery where relevant from all aspects.”
The pool rotates alphabetically, placing CNN back on the schedule Thursday. But Thursday is the second day of a presidential trip for which CBS News will serve as the travel pool throughout, meaning CNN’s inability to board Air Force One may have little practical effect on TV coverage that day. CNN’s next full day of duty would be the following Tuesday, and with the White House at the whims of Trump, plenty could change before then.
Of course, the TV pool’s end goal is to get CNN fully restored to the rotation, as well as secure a lasting court ruling that gives the banned outlets stable access to the White House grounds. But achieving that may prove more complicated than simply winning back their press passes.
Judge Timothy Kelly’s restraining order, issued Thursday, requires the White House to restore CNN’s, MS NOW’s, and POLITICO’s credentials for 14 days. But the order does not explicitly require the administration to provide CNN access to the more exclusive places covered by the press pool, including Air Force One, a distinction the administration is now taking advantage of in its treatment of CNN. The outlets have until Monday to ask for a preliminary injunction, which would keep the order in place for longer. Still, a longer order theoretically wouldn’t help much if it has the same loophole.
A similar situation is still playing out between the White House and the Associated Press, after the administration restricted the outlet’s access in 2025 over its refusal to adopt the name “Gulf of America” for the Gulf of Mexico. With that underlying legal fight still unresolved, the White House has retained substantial discretion over access to limited spaces like Air Force One and the Oval Office.
CNN now finds itself confronting a similar gray area. While Kelly’s order restored its journalists’ ability to enter the White House grounds, the broader question of whether the administration can keep the network out of the more limited TV pool remains unresolved. For the pool networks, that means navigating a standoff that could stretch well beyond the temporary order’s two-week lifespan.
The latest episode of Power Lines is out.
In this week’s episode: We discuss our exclusive reporting unmasking JD Vance as the anonymous source for a POLITICO story that the White House now claims has endangered “national security” and spread false information. Plus, we take you inside CNN, where significant anxiety is coursing through the network amid the Paramount takeover. And finally, we head to Berlin, where Axel Springer welcomed Bari Weiss for an event honoring pro-MAGA billionaire Peter Thiel, prompting backlash from the publisher’s U.S. news outlets.
You can watch on YouTube—or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoy the program, subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Elon Musk stands with Donald Trump. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Google’s YouTube and Meta reversed course and said they would accept advertising for Alex Gibney’s “Musk” documentary on their platforms, after the social media platforms previously rejected the spots. [THR]
A spokesperson for the Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta told THR that an earlier rejection of the ads was “an error,” while YouTube said the film’s trailer was “temporarily restricted by our system” but was “cleared to run” after a review.
Elon Musk’s X and TikTok appear to still be avoiding airing any ads related to the documentary.
Another bizarre government-funded, pro-Donald Trump ad sparked fierce criticism this weekend as it aired during college football games and on “Fox News Sunday.” [Mediaite]
The 30-second television ad featuring Trump promising to “demolish the deep state” and “rout the fake news media” is a repeat of a 2024 ad the Trump campaign aired. “The president and his administration have gone from breaking the law to trampling it,” said attorney Norm Eisen, whose Democracy Defenders Fund has been battling the administration in court. “The prior ad was bad enough, but this one openly repurposes prior political conduct.” [NYT]
“Saturday Night Live” kicked off its 52nd season with New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson as host by skewering Trump’s relationships with Zohran Mamdani—and presidential aide Natalie Harp. [USA Today]
The show’s “Weekend Update” segment also featured mock reviews from Tucker Carlson about some of the box office’s biggest summer blockbusters. [Variety]
Larry Ellison has pledged an additional 67 million Oracle shares, worth $9.2 billion, as collateral for personal loans, as he helps finance David Ellison’s $111 billion Paramount acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. [Bloomberg]
OpenAI’s agents went rogue and meddled with U.S. government websites without the Sam Altman-led company’s knowledge, Kate Conger, Ana Swanson, and Cecilia Kang reported. [NYT]
MS NOW held its annual fan gathering this weekend in Texas, the first time it has done so outside of New York City. It featured appearances from Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell, Jen Psaki, and more of the network’s hosts and personalities.
During the event, Maddow sat down with the network’s White House reporter Laura Barrón-López for her first interview since Trump’s press ban, who discussed the importance of the free press after being received by the crowd with a standing ovation.
The viral Boston Globe story about a lesbian bar has drawn Hollywood’s attention for potential adaptations, Aaron Couch reported. [THR]
CNN fact-check reporter Daniel Dale reflected on lessons from a decade of chronicling Trump’s “remarkable number of lies.” [CNN]
Chris Evans as Captain America in “Avengers: Endgame.”
What year is it, again? “Avengers Endgame: Encore” retook the domestic box office crown in a quite crowded weekend, seven years after its run to become then the second-highest-grossing film ever.
The Marvel rerelease, which serves as an appetizer for December’s “Avengers: Doomsday,” took in around $26 million, adding another $60 million worldwide.
Sony Pictures’ “Resident Evil” came in close behind in its second weekend in theaters, bringing in over $23 million and crossing $100 million domestically.
Paramount’s “Heart of the Beast,” the thriller starring Brad Pitt, opened to about $20 million.
A24’s “Primetime,” starring Robert Pattinson as “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen, came in fourth with over $19 million.
Universal’s “Forgotten Island” rounded out the top five, bringing in nearly $13 million.