Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: Access denied

Access denied

Sep 19, 2026

By Dasha Burns, Will Steakin and Adam Wren

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With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner

THIS JUST IN — POLITICO EIC Jonathan Greenberger emailed the newsroom: “A few minutes ago, our colleague Cheyenne Haslett attempted to enter the White House to do her job as a POLITICO reporter. Secret Service denied her entry to the complex and confiscated the pass that allows her access to the White House. We stand by her and all reporters here covering the White House. As we said yesterday, we will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights.”

DRIVING THE DAY

Donald Trump reupped his battle with the “FAKE NEWS” media on Truth Social yesterday, banning CNN, MSNOW and POLITICO for reporting “LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States,” with “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”

Playbook called sources in and around the administration to find out why — after months of low approval ratings for the president and his signature issues — now?

Here’s what we learned.

Many senior staff were surprised by the directive, which happened while Chief of staff Susie Wiles was out of town, and weren’t aware it was coming until they saw the post, according to three people close to the White House with knowledge of conversations in the West Wing.

One person said Trump previously tried to ban certain media, at one point even trying to put the press in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, but was talked down.

On Friday the press shop was blindsided and unsure of how to respond, with one aide simply pointing back to Trump’s Truth Social post.

Even so, they’re taking it seriously.

“It’s real and permanent as far as POTUS is concerned,” the person said.

This morning, MS NOW said their journalists “were denied access to the White House grounds” in a statement.

“MS NOW intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy,” the statement continued.

CNN said its reporters were also denied entry. “CNN’s mission to report on the U.S. government will continue regardless of any attempts to restrict physical access to the White House and other government buildings, or any other attempts to impede our journalism,” the outlet said in a statement.

Over a dozen current and former Trump White House White House officials Playbook called, texted and Signaled were also puzzled by the development. Other key White House officials reached out to us unsolicited to say it was a head scratcher.

Trump spoke with reporters in the Oval Office Friday shortly after the post at a pre-scheduled event on healthcare. He took questions, but didn’t offer much beyond decrying the “fake news,” adding that “cumulative stories” prompted the move.

Perhaps the incident will be filed away as one of Trump’s seemingly spontaneous eruptions that staff struggle to explain, from his fascination with genetics to his hatred for windmills.

But perhaps not. A second person close to the White House said there’s already been discussions about adding more outlets to the ban. Trump himself on Friday cited The New York Times and The Washington Post as possible additions.

Yesterday’s Truthsilade already feels different than in February 2025, when the Trump administration canceled subscriptions to the POLITICO Pro policy news services after falsely claiming the Biden administration subsidized publication. (He revived that thoroughly debunked claim yesterday.) At the time White House aides doubled down on Trump’s claims with prepared talking points.

This time sources inside the White House were still trying to make sense of what happened.

For now we’ll leave you with one last bite of telling Washington intel. CNN is scheduled for TV pool duty on Monday, and the White House hasn’t reached out to the other four network chiefs to change the rotation.

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1. FAILING UP: “Mike Waltz was banished to the UN. He’s taking advantage,” by POLITICO’s Nahal Toosi: “Around Washington, there’s speculation that [U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz] might someday go for a Senate seat from Florida, and no one rules out a presidential run. I’ve also heard he wouldn’t mind a quicker return to the capital. The late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told people that Waltz had sought his support in becoming secretary of State should Marco Rubio, whom many pols suspect has presidential aspirations, leave the role.”

2. IN THE COURTS: Federal district judges have ruled overwhelmingly against ICE’s mass detention efforts — but in federal appeals courts, judges’ rulings track much more closely with the partisan leaning of the president who nominated them, POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney reports. That could be a boon for the agency as the issue marches toward the Supreme Court, court watchers say.

3. NOW TRENDING: “The Content Creators Turned Democratic Operatives,” by POLITICO Magazine’s Liz Crampton: “After Trump’s 2024 victory, Democrats are playing catch up by taking a page from the GOP playbook: Influencers are being deeply embedded into campaigns, from Florida to Alaska, and candidates are popping up on screen with them, on their turf. Developing an influencer program is now a common component of a campaign, mapped alongside traditional voter outreach methods like door-knocking and phone-banking.”

4. GOV WATCH: Gubernatorial candidates nationwide are rushing to stake a claim on the great AI debate, calling for more state-based action to put guardrails on the technology — even if their demands lack specificity, POLITICO’s Alec Hernandez and Samuel Benson report. “POLITICO reached out to more than 18 Republican and Democratic gubernatorial candidates on their plans and received responses from eight,” they write. “Nearly all said they want states to take the lead on AI, signaling a frustration with Washington’s inaction and acknowledgement that — if they eventually secure the governor’s mansion — they can’t dismiss the growing warnings.”

5. ART OF THE DEAL: In a surprise Truth Social post last night, Trump announced that the U.S. and Denmark had reached an agreement for “permanent control over security” for Greenland, POLITICO’s Ashley Ahn and Paul McLeary report. The deal appears to preserve the sovereignty of the Danish autonomous territory and does not transfer any land to the U.S., but lays the groundwork for a broad expansion of the U.S. military presence there.

6. OUTLOOK NOT SO GOOD: “Trump is sober about the midterm prospects for Republicans, advisers say,” by WaPo’s Natalie Allison and Isaac Arnsdorf: “Trump in recent weeks has become sober about the gravity of the political situation, listening intently as he is presented with often discouraging polling, according to four people with knowledge of his recent comments, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. That shift has prompted him to take more action on the midterms — pledging to stump for candidates and opening his war chest in competitive races, for example — although it remains to be seen how effectively Republicans can gain ground over the next six weeks.”

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CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 18 funnies

political cartoon

GREAT WEEKEND READS AND TOP-EDS:

— Thomas Dans, a venture capitalist and MAGA influencer with no background in public policy or science, is the Trump administration’s top arctic adviser. ProPublica’s Heather Vogell reports on how he got there.

— Republican attacks on Democratic socialism “would be more potent if the GOP offered a clear contrast,” Marc Short, who served as chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, argues for WaPo. “Instead, the last two years of Republican rule have ushered more government intrusion into the marketplace than a socialist congressional caucus could ever deliver.”

— With one viral video, 24-year-old influencer Nick Shirley sparked the Trump administration’s increased scrutiny of Minneapolis — and inspired its broader, all-of-government crackdown on fraud, N.Y. Mag’s Eamon Whalen reports.

— Why do so many voters hate both parties? NYT Opinion’s German Lopez offers a compelling hypothesis using polling data from the Searchlight Institute.

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TALK OF THE TOWN

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Maine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson is the special guest for an NYC fundraiser on Wednesday, according to an invitation seen by POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman. The Park Slope event for joint fundraising committee Maine Victory Fund is hosted by il Leone owner Ben Wexler-Waite and Henry Beck and co-hosted by Paul Bird, Alexis Bittar, Michael Gillespie, Lauren Glant and Emily Graham. Suggested contribution levels climb up to $13,500. It's part of a broader fundraising swing, with Jackson set to join fundraisers in McLean, Virginia and Takoma Park, Maryland, on Thursday and Friday, per invites seen by POLITICO's Jessica Piper, the latter of which will also feature Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).

IN THEIR OWN WORDS — “Why the Kennedy Center matters so much to so many,” by WaPo’s Sophia Solano: “Earlier this week, we asked readers for their favorite memories at the Kennedy Center and received hundreds of responses. We heard stories from people who waited nine hours for ‘Hamilton’ tickets; who worked as ushers; who stopped in several nights to visit Millennium Stage on their way home from work; whose lives were shaped by the art they witnessed and the people they met. Here are some of their stories.”

TRANSITION — Peter Butkovich is now manager of government affairs at John Deere. He most recently served as senior legislative assistant to Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Mich.) and is a Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee alum.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) … Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) … Ariana Mushnick … Sonali Desai of the House Democratic Caucus … RaeAnn Ensworth … Washington Examiner’s Michael Barone … Toby Chaudhuri … U.S. Fund for UNICEF’s Michaela Johnson … David Pittman … Greta Carnes … Jeannie Bunton of the Consumer Bankers Association … Potomac Square Group’s Chris Cooper … Smithsonian Magazine’s Teddy Scheinman … Hannah Goss … Monica Crowley … Ben Cantrell of BlackRock … John Byers of Rep. August Pfluger’s (R-Texas) office … Will Hackman … Curtis Rhyne … Frank Konkel … Neal Urwitz … Michael Horowitz … Kimberly Halkett … Adam Temple … Brian Phillips Jr. … Erin Pelton … Meta’s Andrea Saul … Barry Scheck … Sarah Davey Wolman … Klas Bergman … Penguin Random House’s Stuart Applebaum … Larry Roman

THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here):

NBC “Meet the Press”: Steve Kornacki with new polling … Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) … Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) … Hasan Minhaj. Panel: Yamiche Alcindor, Jamelle Bouie and Sara Fagen.

CBS “Face the Nation”: Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) … Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) … Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) … Gary Cohn.

ABC “This Week”: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker … House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Panel: Donna Brazile, Faiz Shakir, Erick Erickson and Frank Luntz.

FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Michael Kratsios … Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) … Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.). Panel: Richard Fowler, Stef Kight, Josh Kraushaar and Reince Priebus.

MS NOW “The Weekend”: Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) … Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) … Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) … Maria Teresa Kumar … Ashley Davis … Ezekiel Emanuel.

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Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Giuseppe Macri and deputy editors Garrett Ross and Kyler Alvord.

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