Trump’s Media Ban Escalates: Even Fox News Joins White House Pool Protest (Ep 846)

Just the Truth Podcast with Joey Hudson President Trump’s feud with some of America’s biggest news organizations has escalated dramatically. Trump announced that CNN, Politico and MS NOW were being banned from the White House. Now those organizations are fighting back in court. But there’s another twist. The major television networks—including Fox News—are standing together in a dispute over White House television pool coverage. ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC have suspended participation in the White House TV pool after CNN was prevented from fulfilling its scheduled pool assignment. That doesn't mean these networks have stopped covering President Trump or his administration. But it does mean something unusual is happening with the system television networks have traditionally used to provide shared coverage of presidential events. And on Monday, viewers saw the consequences. President Trump held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new White House helipad—but without normal television pool coverage, viewers watching the White House feed couldn't properly hear his remarks. So what exactly is happening? What did Trump ban? Why did Fox News join the other networks? And do CNN, Politico and MS NOW have a constitutional case against the White House? We’ll explain it. Plus, if you've considered buying a condo because a traditional single-family home has become too expensive, there's another number you need to look at before signing anything: The HOA fee. Rising HOA dues, insurance costs and enormous special assessments are creating serious problems for some condo owners—and in some cases they're making the units difficult to sell. Then Colin Kaepernick is back in the news. The former NFL quarterback is once again defending his controversial comparison between the NFL Combine and the slave trade. And South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick joins us with an update on the SCGOP's federal lawsuit challenging South Carolina's open-primary system and what the party is doing ahead of November. 📺 TRUMP vs. THE MEDIA—AND FOX NEWS JOINS THE PROTEST The relationship between President Trump and several major news organizations has reached another breaking point. Trump announced that CNN, Politico and MS NOW were banned from the White House. Reporters from those organizations subsequently had their access revoked. Now CNN, MS NOW and Politico have gone to federal court, arguing that the White House violated their First Amendment and due-process rights. The Trump administration maintains that it has the authority to control access to the White House and says these organizations have engaged in false reporting. But Monday brought another development. CNN was scheduled to handle television pool coverage of President Trump. The White House wouldn't allow CNN to perform that assignment. And the other television networks refused to step in and replace CNN. That includes ABC. CBS. NBC. And yes—Fox News. The television pool has now suspended its coverage of events designated for pool coverage. And that created an unusual scene during President Trump's ribbon cutting for the new White House helipad. Without normal television pool coverage, the White House provided its own feed. Viewers could see President Trump speaking—but couldn't properly hear what he was saying. So now this fight isn't simply Trump versus CNN. It's raising much broader questions about presidential press access, the First Amendment and whether a White House can exclude particular news organizations because it objects to their coverage. We'll look at what both sides are arguing and where this legal fight goes next. 🏢 THINK A CONDO IS THE AFFORDABLE OPTION? LOOK AT THE HOA Buying a condo has traditionally been one way to get into homeownership for less money. But increasingly, there's another number buyers need to examine just as carefully as the mortgage payment. The HOA fee. Condo owners around the country are reporting rapidly increasing HOA dues. Others are getting hit with major special assessments. Then there's insurance. Aging buildings can be expensive to insure, and if a condominium association loses adequate insurance coverage, buyers may have trouble obtaining conventional financing. That can create a vicious cycle. HOA expenses increase. Fewer buyers can afford the unit. Financing becomes more difficult. And an owner who needs to sell suddenly discovers that the supposedly affordable condo isn't so easy to sell. Nationally, median HOA fees have increased substantially since 2019, and some individual communities have experienced far larger increases. So if you're shopping for a condo, don't just ask: “What's my mortgage payment?” Ask: What's the monthly HOA fee? How much money is in the association's reserves? Are major repairs coming? Have there been recent special assessments? Is the building adequately insured? And are more assessments likely? A condo can still make financial sense. But the sticker price doesn't necessarily tell you what living there will actually cost. 🏈 COLIN KAEPERNICK DOUBLES DOWN ON NFL-SLAVERY COMPARISON Colin Kaepernick is back in the news. And he's revisiting one of his most controversial arguments. During a conversation with former NFL player and ESPN commentator Ryan Clark, Kaepernick defended the comparison he previously made between the NFL Combine and slave auctions. Kaepernick says the Combine creates a power dynamic in which prospective players are measured, examined and evaluated by teams before the NFL Draft. He described the experience as a “meat market” and argued that there are parallels between that process and slave auctions. Kaepernick acknowledges an obvious difference: NFL players can make millions of dollars. But he argues that what he considers the underlying power dynamics and intentions behind the evaluation process have similarities. His critics strongly reject that comparison, pointing to the enormous difference between voluntary, highly compensated professional sports and the forced ownership and exploitation inherent in slavery. So we'll let you hear what Kaepernick actually said and put his argument into context. 🗳️ DREW McKISSICK JOINS US South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick joins us with an update on a legal fight that could eventually change the way South Carolina conducts its primary elections. The SCGOP has been challenging South Carolina's open-primary system in federal court. The party argues that Republican voters and the Republican Party should have the ability to determine who participates in choosing Republican nominees. Opponents of closed primaries argue that South Carolina's current system gives voters flexibility and allows citizens who don't formally affiliate with a political party to participate. So where does the federal lawsuit stand? What would a victory by the SCGOP actually change for South Carolina voters? And with November approaching, what is the party doing to encourage Republican voters to participate in the midterm elections? We'll get an update directly from SCGOP Chairman Drew McKissick. 📩 Join our mailing list at JoeyHudson.com 📱 Firmin Ford Text Line: 864-477-JOEY (5639) Your texts are always welcome, and you can also leave a voice message that could be aired on a future podcast. Subscribe for daily political analysis, breaking national news, South Carolina politics and conversations about the issues affecting American families. 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