Five US TV networks halt Trump coverage over White House media ban

Five major US TV networks - CNN, MSNBC, Politico, ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC - have effectively halted coverage of President Donald Trump at the White House in protest over his decision to ban three major outlets from the premises. The ban came after Trump ordered the three networks to be barred on Friday, escalating his ongoing feud with the US media.

The five broadcasters announced they would no longer participate in the "pool" coverage of the White House, where a broadcaster films for all television outlets on a given day. This decision was made in solidarity with CNN, which had been scheduled to lead the White House TV pool for the day. The networks cited the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects freedom of speech, as the reason for their boycott, stating that the ban could not be a more direct assault on press freedom.

Trump, however, dismissed the media as "cancer" and a threat to national security, and accused the outlets of spreading "left-wing propaganda." The networks filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the ban immediately and argue that it violates the First Amendment.