White House Media Ban Row: Trump Restricts Outlets, NYC Mayor Backs Full Press Access

US President Donald Trump asserted that the media cannot boycott him after major news organisations staged a boycott following his decision to ban CNN. Speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new White House helipad, Trump's remarks without the regular press TV pool ended in silence on air, as loud engine noise from Marine One overwhelmed the event. News networks including Fox, CBS, and ABC refused to replace CNN, while print outlets like the Associated Press and The Washington Post declined to publish photographs of the event to demonstrate solidarity. Despite the stand-off, Trump maintained that the press has an obligation to provide coverage, claiming significant economic achievements and foreign policy settlements while criticising media coverage of his administration. White House Correspondents' Association President Jacqui Henrich stated that CNN should not be barred.

A major showdown has unfolded between the Donald Trump White House and American media organisations. Major television networks have suspended their shared presidential pool coverage after the White House barred CNN, MS Now, and Politico from its grounds. The decision follows CNN being prevented from undertaking its scheduled pool duties, which are usually rotated among ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, and CNN. Rather than replacing CNN, the networks suspended the presidential TV pool, halting shared feeds for key presidential events, including Donald Trump's trip to New York for the UN General Assembly. Meanwhile, the three excluded outlets have filed a lawsuit against the administration, alleging violations of First Amendment protections and due process.

A major scandal has emerged in Tamil Nadu involving granite mining baron Veeramani, who has been arrested alongside Shanti and Mahendra Simon for the alleged sexual abuse of minors. The case, spanning allegations dating back over two decades and a 2019 incident, centers on video evidence recovered from a pen drive. Earlier, police spent nearly five months investigating before claiming lack of evidence and unable to identify the victim, seeking case closure. Following intervention by the POCSO Court and a change of regime, police identified the victim and the residential premises within twenty days, leading to the arrests and raising critical questions over earlier investigative lapses.

Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on the Bengal Special Intensive Revision matters, an affidavit filed by the Election Commission highlighted that thirty-seven lakh appeals remain pending out of over thirty-eight lakh total filings. With nineteen existing tribunals deciding only one lakh twenty-six thousand cases over six months, disposing of the backlog could take up to twelve years. The Election Commission suggested expanding tribunals to forty-two, aligning with parliamentary constituencies, and introducing software for remote hearings. The poll body also denied allegations of mass voter disenfranchisement affecting election outcomes, presenting vote margins against voter deletion data across constituencies.