White House restricts WSJ access to Trump over Epstein story
The move comes after Trump on Friday sued the WSJ and its media magnate owner Rupert Murdoch for at least $10 billion over the allegation in the article, which Trump denies.
The Trump administration's handling of the Epstein case has threatened to split the Republican's far-right Make America Great Again (MAGA) base, with some of his supporters calling for a full release of the so-called 'Epstein Files.'
The punishment of the Wall Street Journal marks at least the second time the Trump administration has moved to exclude a major news outlet from the press pool over its reporting, having barred Associated Press journalists from multiple key events since February.
'As the appeals court confirmed, The Wall Street Journal or any other news outlet are not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in his private workspaces,' said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
'Due to The Wall Street Journal's fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board (Air Force One).'
Trump departs this weekend for Scotland, where he owns two golf resorts and will meet with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Earlier this month, the US Department of Justice, under Trump-appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi, said there was no evidence suggesting disgraced financier Epstein had kept a 'client list' or was blackmailing powerful figures before his death in 2019.
In its story on Thursday, the WSJ reported that Trump had written a suggestive birthday letter to Epstein in 2003, illustrated with a naked woman and alluding to a shared 'secret.'
Epstein, a longtime friend of Trump and multiple other high-profile men, was found hanging dead in a New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges that he sexually exploited dozens of underage girls at his homes in New York and Florida.
The case sparked conspiracy theories, especially among Trump's far-right voters, about an alleged international cabal of wealthy pedophiles.
Epstein's death — declared a suicide — before he could face trial supercharged that narrative.
Since returning to power in January, Trump has moved to increase control over the press covering the White House.
In February, the Oval Office stripped the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) of its nearly century-old authority to oversee which outlets have access to certain restricted presidential events, with Trump saying that he was now 'calling the shots' on media access.
In a statement, the WHCA president urged the White House to 'restore' the Journal to the pool.
'This attempt by the White House to punish a media outlet whose coverage it does not like is deeply troubling, and it defies the First Amendment,' said WHCA President Weijia Jiang.
'Government retaliation against news outlets based on the content of their reporting should concern all who value free speech and an independent media.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
18 minutes ago
- Arab News
Epstein ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell finishes interviews with Justice Department officials
FLORIDA: Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, finished 1 1/2 days of interviews with Justice Department officials on Friday, answering questions 'about 100 different people,' her attorney said. 'She answered those questions honestly, truthfully, to the best of her ability,' David Oscar Markus told reporters outside the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, where Maxwell met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. 'She never invoked a privilege. She never refused to answer a question, so we're very proud of her,' Markus said. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence and is housed at a low-security federal prison in Tallahassee. She was sentenced three years ago after being convicted of helping Epstein, a wealthy, well-connected financier, sexually abuse underage girls. Officials have said Epstein killed himself in his New York jail cell while awaiting trial in 2019, but his case has generated endless attention and conspiracy theories because of his and Maxwell's links to famous people, such as royals, presidents and billionaires, including Donald Trump. In a social media post this week, Blanche said Maxwell would be interviewed because of President Trump's directive to gather and release any credible evidence about others who may have committed crimes. Trump has denied prior knowledge of Epstein's crimes and claimed he cut off their relationship long ago. But he faces ongoing questions about the Epstein case, overshadowing his administration's achievements. On Friday, reporters pressed the Republican president about pardoning Maxwell, but he deflected, emphasizing his administration's successes. Markus said Maxwell 'was asked maybe about 100 different people.' 'The deputy attorney general is seeking the truth,' Markus said. 'He asked every possible question, and he was doing an amazing job.' Markus said he didn't ask for anything for Maxwell in return, though he acknowledged that Trump could pardon her. 'Listen, the president this morning said he had the power to do so. We hope he exercises that power in the right and just way,' Markus said. Earlier this month, the Justice Department said it would not release more files related to the Epstein investigation, despite promises that claimed otherwise from Attorney General Pam Bondi. The department also said an Epstein client list does not exist. Maxwell is appealing her conviction, based on the government's pledge years ago that any potential Epstein co-conspirators would not be charged, Markus said. Epstein struck a deal with federal prosecutors in 2008 that shifted his case to Florida state court, where he pleaded guilty to soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. Epstein in 2019 and Maxwell in 2020 were charged in federal court in New York.
Arab News
18 minutes ago
- Arab News
UK's Keir Starmer condemns Israel in strongest terms yet as pressure mounts for Palestine recognition
LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned Israel with his strongest comments yet, as pressure mounts within and outside the government for Britain to formally recognize a Palestinian state. Starmer's remarks came after French President Emmanuel Macron said his country would recognize a Palestinian state, and as the two leaders, along with Germany's Friedrich Merz, were set to hold an emergency call on the issue. 'The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible. While the situation has been grave for some time, it has reached new depths and continues to worsen. We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe,' the UK prime minister said. For the first time with reference to Israel, his statement failed to mention the country's right to defend itself, or the hostages held by Hamas and other militant groups. Starmer 'appeared to have lost his patience with Benjamin Netanyahu's Israeli government,' The Independent said, adding that the PM 'appeared to be on the cusp of being prepared to recognize a Palestinian state.' The political movement among major European countries is taking place as Israel faces mounting global anger over its actions in Gaza. Starvation in the enclave has reportedly surged in recent weeks, with at least 113 hunger-related deaths being recorded, including 82 children, according to Palestinian health officials. The Israeli military has also killed scores of Palestinians queuing for food at designated aid sites operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US charity backed by Israel that is attempting to supersede Gaza's existing UN-operated aid system. Starmer added in his statement: 'I will hold an emergency call with E3 partners tomorrow, where we will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they (Palestinians) desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace. 'We all agree on the pressing need for Israel to change course and allow the aid that is desperately needed to enter Gaza without delay.' Starmer has faced significant pressure this week from within his own Labour Party, including Cabinet ministers, as well as from trade unions and academics, to recognize a Palestinian state. He added: 'We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.' Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said yesterday that recognition would lead to 'multiple benefits' and send a 'strong message' to the Netanyahu government. She is one of several government ministers who have privately urged Starmer to recognize a Palestinian state in recent months. The issue has also been raised at regular Cabinet meetings. Mahmood, the most senior Muslim politician in the UK, told The Times that though pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza was 'the most urgent thing of all,' Palestinian statehood represented the 'best mechanism to get us through a peace process.' In its manifesto for last year's general election, the ruling Labour Party pledged to recognize Palestine once in office. Labour's Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, also urged the government to follow France's lead. He warned that there could be no two-state solution — a longtime policy target of British governments — if 'there is no viable state left to call Palestine.' Another Labour politician, Emily Thornberrry, chair of the foreign affairs select committee, also urged Starmer to act. The UK's actions in relation to the Israel-Palestine conflict have 'time and time again … come too little, too late,' she wrote in an opinion piece for The Independent on Friday. Thornberry highlighted the potential of the major joint Saudi-French conference on the two-state solution, set to begin in New York next week. After addressing Parliament on a visit to London last week, Macron met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday, delivering a letter that said he would formally recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September. The French president was 'right' to do so, Thornberry said. 'A unified move by the signatories to the secret Sykes-Picot agreement which carved up the Middle East more than a century ago would demonstrate our sincere commitment to a two-state solution,' she added. 'The natural reaction of the British public to the scenes of starvation and death in Gaza is to call on their politicians to do something. The challenge for politicians is to ensure that what they do makes a real difference. 'The recognition of Palestine as part of a renewed commitment by the UK to work with others to build a peace process would be just that.'
Al Arabiya
18 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Education department says it will release billions in remaining withheld grant money for schools
The Trump administration is releasing billions of dollars in grants to schools for adult literacy, English language instruction, and other programs, the Education Department said Friday. President Donald Trump's administration had withheld more than 6 billion in funding on July 1 as part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House's priorities. The funding freeze had been challenged by several lawsuits as educators, Congress members from both parties, and others called for the administration to release money schools rely on for a wide range of programs. Congress had appropriated the money in a bill signed this year by Trump. Last week, the Education Department said it would release 1.3 billion of the money for after-school and summer programming. Without the money, school districts and nonprofits, such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of America, had said they would have to close or scale back educational offerings this fall. The release of that money came days after 10 Republican senators sent a letter imploring the administration to allow frozen education money to be sent to states. Those senators had also called for the rest of the money to be distributed, including funds for adult education and teaching English as a second language. The Education Department said Friday the Office of Management and Budget had completed its review of the programs and will begin sending the money to states next week. US Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, was among the Congress members calling for the release of the grants. 'The programs are ones that enjoy longstanding bipartisan support,' she said. She pointed to after-school and summer programs that allow parents to work while their children learn and classes that help adults gain new skills–contributing to local economies. In withholding the funds, the Office of Management and Budget had said some of the programs supported a 'radical leftwing agenda.' 'We share your concern,' the GOP senators had written. 'However, we do not believe that is happening with these funds.' School superintendents had warned they would have to eliminate academic services without the money. On Friday, AASA, an association of superintendents, thanked members of Congress for pressing to release the money. ___ The Associated Press education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters, and funded coverage areas at
