Tuesday, September 22nd

What happened

CNN, MS NOW and Politico say they are suing the Trump administration to restore White House access after their reporters were barred and badges revoked. The White House also removed CNN from its Monday TV pool slot, leaving no primary television crew to cover President Donald Trump’s trip. The suit argues the ban violates the First Amendment and due process because it punished disliked coverage without notice or a chance to contest it. Trump said the outlets publish “fake news” and warned more could follow. Major TV pool networks said they would not replace CNN. The case goes to U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who handled a similar CNN dispute.

What happened

A New Jersey construction crew cut a fiber-optic cable, triggering a telecom outage that disrupted FAA air traffic control operations across the Northeast. Verizon said contractors dug up its cable and that Verizon was not responsible, while Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and initial reports identified an Amtrak crew. The failure began at Philadelphia TRACON, a regional control facility, after a primary circuit failed and controllers found the backup fiber was also damaged. The FAA ordered ground stops and delays at Newark, Philadelphia, Teterboro, JFK and LaGuardia. United Airlines and American Airlines offered travel flexibility as hundreds of flights were canceled. FAA officials said LaGuardia and Philadelphia were resuming service, while repairs continued elsewhere.

What happened

President Donald Trump met New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at Gracie Mansion and praised him afterward at a joint news conference. The meeting centered on affordability, especially a Sunnyside Yard housing plan in Queens that could add about 12,000 homes and need major federal help. The visit was the first by a sitting president to Gracie Mansion in 45 years, and it marked their third in-person meeting despite sharp political differences. They also discussed immigration, including Trump’s move to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants. Mamdani defended Haitian New Yorkers as vital to the city. City and White House staff will now hold deeper technical talks, but no funding deal was announced.