News & Current Events

On September 19, 2026, reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico were physically denied White House entry and had their press credentials confiscated or disabled, one day after President Trump announced the ban on Truth Social. The White House Correspondents' Association called for immediate restoration of access, and all three outlets signaled intent to pursue First Amendment defenses. Court precedent, including Sherrill v. Knight and the 2025 Associated Press injunction, establishes that credential denials cannot be arbitrary and require due process protections, though no lawsuit had been filed by the affected outlets as of the reporting date.

President Trump signed H.R. 5334 into law on September 18, 2026, establishing mandatory sanctions on Russian banks, officials, and energy entities, while granting discretionary authority to impose tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods and up to 100% on goods from countries that continue purchasing Russian oil or gas. The law creates the authority and triggers review deadlines beginning within 30 days of enactment, but as of September 20, no specific tariff rates had been set and no new H.R. 5334 designations had been issued by Treasury, State, or OFAC. Sanctions can be terminated only after Russia signs a peace agreement accepted by Ukraine's government and ceases military hostilities, subject to a congressional review period.