A federal judge has overturned Trump's ban on three news outlets, and the networks' solidarity boycott left him complaining about a lack of coverage he himself caused — bad news for the White House, good news for press freedom.

• A Trump-appointed judge ordered the White House to restore press passes for CNN, Politico, and MS Now, rejecting the claim that the ban protected national security.
• Reporters were still turned away at White House gates during Xi Jinping's state visit, with badges deactivated at security.
• The five major TV networks, including Fox News, suspended their pooled coverage of Trump in solidarity.
• Trump then attacked the same outlets for not covering the Xi arrival — an event he had barred them from — while Chinese state media was allowed in.
• The timing points to a distraction: the ban landed the same day lawmakers secured enough votes to force the release of the remaining Epstein files.

Outlook: The restraining order runs two weeks, and the fight over press access likely returns to court while the Epstein vote waits for Congress to come back from recess.