> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.fromthefifth.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The White House Kicked Out the Press. Then Launched Its Own TV Channel. - URL: https://www.fromthefifth.com/the-white-house-kicked-out-the-press-then-launched-its-own-tv-channel/ - Published: 2026-09-28T01:22:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-28T01:22:00.000Z - Description: Plus: Trump rejects Iran's ceasefire and plans to bomb after the midterms, the US moves to sanction the ICC, and eight suicide attempts on one Navy strike group. - Author: Huma Razvi - Tags: Weekly Newsletter *These are the week's biggest stories for the week of September 20, 2026\. They break precedent, affect the most people, and had the most momentum this week:* 1) PRESS FREEDOM: TRUMP'S BAN **CNN, MS NOW, and Politico sued the administration on** Monday to restore their White House access after Trump [banned](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117293599348325006?ref=fromthefifth.com) them last week, accusing them of reporting, *ironically,* “fake news” and “negative” stories that “diminish the Republicans.” None of these claims are based in fact, and any negative stories reflect the Trump administration's own actions. As Jon Stewart [asked](https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/6103689-jon-stewart-trump-media-ban-daily-show/?ref=fromthefifth.com) in his monologue this week: *“Have you tried presidenting better?”* - **The news outlets' lawsuits named** Trump, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, Secret Service Director Sean Curran, and Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. - **US District Judge Timothy Kelly was** assigned to the case. He’s a Trump appointee who also presided over a [2018 case](https://abcnews.com/Politics/white-house-suspends-credentials-cnn-correspondent-jim-acosta/story?id=59045396&ref=fromthefifth.com) brought by then-CNN correspondent Jim Acosta, who sued to have his access restored after Trump banned *him* from the White House. Acosta won. *So, you can guess where this is going…* - **Overnight Thursday, Kelly** [**ordered**](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.296754/gov.uscourts.dcd.296754.24.0.pdf?ref=fromthefifth.com) the Trump administration to restore the news outlets’ White House access immediately, imposing a 14-day temporary restraining order on Trump’s ban while the lawsuit makes its way through the legal system. - **Kelly reasoned that** 1) the news outlets were likely to win in court, 2) the government’s move violated the outlets’ constitutional protections, 3) their presence on White House grounds was not likely to endanger national security, and 4) the stories the government was objecting to were “routine.” > *“The Court is skeptical — at least on this record — that Defendants’ interest in safeguarding national security is the actual motivation for, or is even advanced by, the revocation of Plaintiffs’ hard passes,”* [*Kelly said*](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/09/24/judge-blocks-trumps-white-house-ban-cnn-politico-ms-now/?ref=fromthefifth.com)*.* - **Kelly also noted that the reporters behind** the stories the government cited didn’t have White House press credentials. And the reporters who did have credentials had nothing to do with those stories. - **By Thursday morning, some reporters said** they were still being kept out of the White House. By mid-afternoon, they had been let in. *Hold this thought, we’ll get back to it in a minute.* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/63/83/6383311e-f1a6-4711-9ae5-f7e74bbdc4bd/content/images/2026/09/A-chart-showing-press-freedoms-for-G7-nations.-2.jpg) The US is 7th in press freedom! #### The “National Security” Card **Trump banned the outlets on** Friday, September 18th claiming "negative" coverage. It wasn’t until Tuesday, September 22nd, that the White House sent letters to the outlets detailing *why* they were being banned and it didn't match Trump's reasoning from the week before. - **In its** [**filing to the court**](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.296754/gov.uscourts.dcd.296754.16.0.pdf?ref=fromthefifth.com) **on Tuesday,** the Trump administration claimed the ban was for “national security” reasons because the outlets had reported information that was either false or classified. - [**Politico noted**](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/23/trump-press-ban-brief?ref=fromthefifth.com) **that the letters were** "unsigned and do not appear on official letterhead" and most have nothing to do with national security. For example, the [**letter to Politico**](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.296754/gov.uscourts.dcd.296754.16.3%5F1.pdf?ref=fromthefifth.com) "complains about [a report](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2026/09/09/the-vibes-are-very-bad-in-texas-01068503?ref=fromthefifth.com) that described bad ‘vibes’ at the recent GOP midterm convention in Texas." > "Justice Department lawyers grudgingly acknowledge that the after-the-fact letters can’t satisfy the requirements of a 49-year-old D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals precedent, Sherrill v. Knight, which concluded that the government can’t selectively bar news outlets from White House press spaces based on the perceived viewpoint of their reporting.” - [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/23/trump-press-ban-brief?ref=fromthefifth.com) - ***It gets better.* One of the** [**stories**](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/12/a-deal-with-iran-is-near-but-not-final-senior-us-official-says-00960804?ref=fromthefifth.com) **the White House cited** as a reason for banning Politico was this one. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/63/83/6383311e-f1a6-4711-9ae5-f7e74bbdc4bd/content/images/2026/09/CleanShot-2026-09-27-at-9.07.45-AM-2.png) - **The White House letter pointed to a** line saying a “‘senior administration official … granted anonymity’ said the odds of a preliminary deal to end the conflict with Iran were between 80 and 85 percent.” Turns out, **that source was Vice President JD Vance,** on a background briefing call for reporters — *arranged by the White House*, [Status News reported](https://www.status.news/p/white-house-press-ban-jd-vance-source-iran?ref=fromthefifth.com). *(Albeit stupid, this is a common practice in Republicans and Democratic administrations.)* #### The Press Pool **There’s a second aspect of this**, concerning the White House press pool – separate from White House access. And it means there may not be a lot of video of Trump in the coming days. - **The five TV networks — CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox** — make up the pool and take turns covering the White House by video and audio. (There’s a separate print and radio pool.) The TV “pool” then distributes the reporting, audio, and video to the wider press. - **This way, the major networks split** the significant cost and resources required to cover the president, while giving smaller outlets access to critical information and coverage. - **Before Kelly’s ruling on Thursday,** the TV press pool refused to take its turns covering Trump’s events in solidarity with colleagues at CNN and MS NOW — leading to an [embarrassing situation](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6102467-trump-white-house-helipad-inaudible/?ref=fromthefifth.com) on Monday, when Trump held an event unveiling his new helipad… *except you couldn’t hear a damn thing.* - **By Friday, the White House allowed CNN —** which was scheduled for pool duty that day — to cover Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but [barred a CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/24/politics/live-news/white-house-press-ban-lawsuit?ref=fromthefifth.com) editorial team (reporter and producer) from covering the state dinner for Xi later that night, [the network said](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1763490044923321). The White House told CNN it would only allow a camera person and an audio technician. - **CNN** [**reported**](https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/24/politics/live-news/white-house-press-ban-lawsuit?ref=fromthefifth.com) **that the White House barred** an MS NOW team from entering as well. - **CNN, which was scheduled to serve as the “pool”** for Trump’s trip to Tennessee on Saturday, said it [had also been barred](https://x.com/brianstelter/status/2103840447965651292?ref=fromthefifth.com) from traveling on Air Force One. It's unclear what happens next but if the White House continues to ban CNN from the press pool rotation, the networks may continue their boycott and refuse to take their turns in the pool. #### Trump TV **Meanwhile, the Trump administration launched** “[Trump TV](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcID0OafOts&ref=fromthefifth.com)” — a literal state TV outlet, *just like they have in places like China, North Korea, and Russia.* It’s a 24-hour stream of White House events and other weird… stuff. [The Guardian describes it](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/22/trump-launches-youtube-channel-amid-boycott-by-us-networks?ref=fromthefifth.com) this way: > *“The anchor-less channel dispenses with traditional broadcast norms. With no schedule, no on-screen description of what is being shown, and zero context for where or when a clip was recorded, the effect of having the channel on in the background is less like watching a news network and more like installing Trump wallpaper – a 24-hour fever dream of self-soothing propaganda for the Maga faithful.”* Oh, and btw — they turned off the comments section on YouTube. 2) WAR ON IRAN **The war on Iran continues...** - **Public Threat.** In his [speech](https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/09/president-trump-at-the-united-nations-while-others-have-talked-i-have-acted/?ref=fromthefifth.com) before the UN on Tuesday**,** President Trump told Iran to make a deal or be the victims of war crimes perpetrated by the US. - **“Will a deal be made with Iran** that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before — maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world?” Trump said. “Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?” - **Trump also claimed that Iran was** dragging the war out to ruin his party’s midterm election chances, *which Trump is managing to do just fine on his own.* - **Let’s (Not) Make a Deal.** Later, Iran presented mediators with a temporary ceasefire plan. Iran agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz and re-engage in nuclear program talks if both sides stopped fighting for seven days and the US unfroze $12 billion in Iranian assets, lifted sanctions on Iranian oil, and lifted its naval blockade. On Saturday, Trump [told reporters](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQdZc2aW9Yg&ref=fromthefifth.com): “I reject their proposal.” As of Sunday, Iran [said](https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-iran-israel-yemen-september-27-2026-96b100178557a28f51e2ad4f74539699?ref=fromthefifth.com) it had not been notified of Trump’s decision through mediators. - **Trump has told aides he plans** to start bombing Iran again — *conveniently* — after the midterm elections, [The Wall Street Journal reports](https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/trump-rejects-iran-ceasefire-expects-renewed-bombing-after-midterms-5982ee50?st=M8hNg4&reflink=desktopwebshare%5Fpermalink&ref=fromthefifth.com). 🎁 - **In an** [**interview with Fox News**](https://www.foxnews.com/world/iranian-president-blames-us-middle-east-conflict-denying-nuclear-ambitions-offers-dilute-uranium?ref=fromthefifth.com)**,** Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denied that Iran wants a nuclear weapon and said it would be willing to lower the level at which it enriches uranium and submit to inspections. “We do not seek to kill Americans, as shown by actions, demonstrable actions. America has sought to kill Iranians,” he said. “What we know is that if we’re attacked, we must defend ourselves.” - **Checks and Imbalances.** The Senate [failed to pass](https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll%5Fcall%5Fvotes/vote1192/vote%5F119%5F2%5F00244.htm?ref=fromthefifth.com) a resolution formally calling on Trump to end the war with Iran — a war Congress has not authorized, as the Constitution requires. The vote was 49-50\. - **Sen. John Fetterman (PA) was the only** Democrat to vote against it. The remaining Democrats voted for it, along with Republican Sens. Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Rand Paul (KY), and — for the first time — Thom Tillis (NC). One Democrat, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (MD), missed the vote, [citing an urgent family matter](https://x.com/adamlongoTV/status/2103491607018590484?ref=fromthefifth.com). Her vote wouldn’t have changed the outcome: a 50-50 tie would have gone to Vance to break. - **Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy (LA),** who [supported previous](https://abcnews.com/Politics/reversal-senate-votes-block-war-powers-resolution-delivering/story?id=134193814&ref=fromthefifth.com) war powers resolutions, changed his vote this time. - **The resolution doesn’t have any real teeth**; it would have amounted to a stern public rebuke of the administration and a “*hey, we tried*” footnote in the public record. - **Military Impact.** Eight US service members who were part of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during its record-breaking deployment to the Middle East amid the war with Iran, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao told Congress in a letter this week. Cao was responding to inquiries from Democratic lawmakers about troubling conditions reported by service members and their families. [Letter](https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/gillibrand-statement-on-secretary-of-the-navy-admission-that-8-service-members-attempted-suicide-in-the-uss-abraham-lincoln-carrier-strike-group/?ref=fromthefifth.com) [More background in this August issue of The Fifth](https://www.fromthefifth.com/iran-forgot-one-thing-trump-doesnt-care/) - **The Pentagon has** [**added**](https://dcas.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/conflictCasualties/oo/wounded?ref=fromthefifth.com) **37 US** service members to its public database of injured troops, bringing the total since the war on Iran began to 861. - **One more death has been** [**added to the database**](https://dcas.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/conflictCasualties/oo/deaths?ref=fromthefifth.com), bringing the total number of service members killed or dead since the war began to 19\. The Pentagon says the latest is a female soldier who suffered a “medical incident” aboard a flight to Saudi Arabia, [Task and Purpose reports.](https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-officer-death-Bianca-Wilkerson-iran-war/?ref=fromthefifth.com) - **Sanctions.** Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Monday that the US would sanction airports that allow Iranian airliners to land, as well as companies that provide services to them. “How do we do that? That if they land, you cannot provide them with fuel. You cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets, or you will be knocked out of the dollar system,” Bessent [told CNBC.](https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2026/oil-rises-amid-worries-of-growing-iran-u-s-tensions-after-bessent-issues-iranian-airline-shutdown-warning?ref=fromthefifth.com) - **By Wednesday, “most of Iran's neighbors** had chosen dollar access over Iranian landing fees,” including Iraq and Oman, [Yahoo Finance reports](https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/articles/bessent-just-told-worlds-airports-141700118.html?ref=fromthefifth.com). *But not China.* Flights were still landing after Bessent’s deadline to stop. The US has sanctioned Iranian airlines for years, making it difficult to do things like obtain parts for repairs. This is an [escalation](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/23/us-aviation-sanctions-disrupt-iran-flights-push-travellers-overland?ref=fromthefifth.com) of those sanctions. - **Consumers.** Diesel hit another record this week at $6.52 a gallon, [per AAA](https://gasprices.aaa.com/?ref=fromthefifth.com). Prices are so high that the government is considering banning diesel exports, but [experts say](https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/9/25/what-would-a-us-diesel-export-ban-mean-for-global-fuel-prices?ref=fromthefifth.com) that could actually drive prices up, not down. 3) FREE PALESTINE **Israel's genocide of Palestinians in Gaza** was the focus of this week's annual UN General Assembly meeting. - **Just after dozens of delegates and their staff walked** out in protest, Netanyahu took the podium to give a defiant speech in defense of genocide, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing. - **“Accusing Israel of genocide is the greatest lie** of the century,” Netanyahu said. “Is this genocide? Of course not. It’s the opposite of genocide.” *Dozens of scholars and human rights institutions disagree.* - **He also attacked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani** and boasted about Israel’s 2024 pager attacks in Lebanon, which [killed](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/09/lebanon-establish-international-investigation-into-deadly-attacks-using-exploding-portable-devices/?ref=fromthefifth.com) dozens, including two children, and wounded an estimated 3,000 more. And he lied about settler violence and terrorism in the occupied West Bank, claiming anything bad happening there is just the work of “about 150” juveniles, with “maybe two or three dead.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/63/83/6383311e-f1a6-4711-9ae5-f7e74bbdc4bd/content/images/2026/09/CleanShot-2026-09-26-at-3.00.26-PM-1.png) Source: UN - **Just before Netanyahu’s speech, Mamdani** [posted a video on X](https://x.com/NYCMayor/status/2103179404234924328?ref=fromthefifth.com) of himself planting an olive tree at Gracie Mansion with Palestinians affected by Israel’s genocide and hosting a dinner for them. “May peace be our future,” Mamdani said. - **Afterward, Mamdani responded to Netanyahu:** “As he has done time and again, Prime Minister Netanyahu used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians. Yet no lie can change the fact that he remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity.” - **Dozens were** [**arrested**](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/25/susan-sarandon-hannah-einbinder-arrested-anti-netanyahu-protest-new-york?ref=fromthefifth.com) **for protesting outside the** UN just before Netanyahu’s speech, including actresses Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder and Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Democrat running for New York’s 13th District House seat. The unscheduled protest was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace. The NYPD said protesters were blocking an intersection and had been warned to disperse before they were arrested. - **In a recorded speech, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas** [said](https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/09/1168426?ref=fromthefifth.com) Israel’s actions in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories are “not separate events” but “part of a malicious colonial plan” to force Palestinians from their homeland. “We want a democratic Palestinian state that respects the rule of law and human rights – an unarmed state living in security and peace alongside the State of Israel,” Abbas said. “We will not leave our homeland. We will not accept displacement. We will not allow anyone to decide our future on our behalf.” - **Jordan’s King Abdullah excoriated Israel during his address**, accusing the country and its leaders of threatening the entire Middle East, actively working against peace and a two-state solution, and violating international law. He added that the international community, including leaders at the UN, ignored decades of warnings that Israel was a threat to the region and is now living with the consequences of that negligence. **Related:** - **The Atlantic** [**reports** ](https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/09/egypt-israel-gaza-hamas-palestinian-october-7/688720/?gift=hVZeG3M9DnxL4CekrWGK3y9vjxG7zQtm8KdXM0F9hfU&ref=fromthefifth.com)**that Egypt warned Israeli officials 11 days** before October 7 that Hamas was preparing a large-scale attack. - **Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel flew** to Israel to warn them personally. Rumors of the meeting circulated in October 2023\. Netanyahu’s office [denied](https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/1711416416522346740?ref=fromthefifth.com) them at the time. - **“Kamel didn’t provide Israeli officials with** a date or specific information on what turned out to be a multipronged attack on Israel less than two weeks later, on October 7\. And it’s not clear exactly with whom he met. The Egyptian plane remained on the ground in Israel for 67 minutes, according to an Israeli-airport-authority flight log, before returning to Cairo.” - **The Trump administration is preparing sweeping sanctions** on the International Criminal Court because it brought cases against Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, [The Wall Street Journal reports](https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-administration-prepares-to-sanction-the-international-criminal-court-85f5f44c?ref=fromthefifth.com). - **“The sanctions would forbid most transactions** with the ICC after a grace period of six to seven months, according to documents viewed by The Wall Street Journal and U.S. officials. That could potentially cripple the court by prohibiting it from conducting transactions in U.S. dollars, cutting it off from much of the global financial system.” - **For at least a year, Israel has blocked 900** “custom all-terrain wheelchairs” donated for child amputees in Gaza, [The New Arab reports.](https://www.newarab.com/news/israel-blocks-900-wheelchairs-gazas-child-amputees?ref=fromthefifth.com) The wheelchairs were donated by two Australian charities and have been sitting in a Jordanian charity’s storage facility. - **“Mohammad Helmy, a Melbourne-based** pro-Palestine activist, told The New Arab that Israel's refusal to allow the wheelchairs into Gaza was intentional, accusing authorities of seeking to make life in the devastated enclave ‘impossible.’” - **The Israeli government is propping up a new propaganda** account under the website IsraelFact.com, [Zeteo reports.](https://zeteo.com/p/scoop-israel-is-funding-ai-chatbot?ref=fromthefifth.com) Articles on the website include “*What Does Israel’s Ceasefire Decision Say About Its Forces in Gaza?*” and “*How Many Moslems Live in Israel?*” The website discloses that it is paid for by the Israeli government and registered as a foreign agent in the US. - **A delegation of 300 Palestinian-Americans spent** a day meeting with lawmakers. The group “advocated on behalf of a slate of legislative initiatives related to Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, surging Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank, and efforts to use immigration law to stifle Palestinian advocacy in the US,” [Al Jazeera reports](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/22/palestinian-americans-meet-us-lawmakers-as-trump-seeks-2-8bn-for-israel?ref=fromthefifth.com). - **In the West Bank, Israeli settlers are siphoning water from Palestinian** natural springs, cutting off irrigation for Palestinian farmland and ancient pools, [the AP reports](https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-west-bank-settlers-heritage-springs-54bc068caadceecdeaf13b98f5d8038e?ref=fromthefifth.com). - **Israel’s Heritage Ministry has set aside** about $166 million to excavate and develop more than 100 West Bank sites it ties to Jewish heritage, including springs and pools Palestinians rely on. - **“The push to take over and claim heritage** sites is part of this wider effort, according to Israeli rights group B’Tselem, which said in a report this month that such designations are used to ‘elevate the historical, cultural, and religious ties of the State of Israel and the Jewish people to the West Bank.’” ESCALATING *Stories picking up speed, with major developments this week and a decision point coming soon. Midterm coverage will live here since we are just over one month out from the election, unless there is a more urgent matter; in that case, it will be moved to a ranked story.* - **Here is the latest midterm** related news: - **Alarmed by recent refusals from** FBI Director Kash Patel and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to confirm publicly that they will not send armed agents to the polls in November, Democrats have filed a lawsuit seeking to bar the government from doing just that. - **“The plaintiffs point to multiple federal laws** barring law enforcement from interfering with elections. One statute prohibits military commanders and anyone else ‘in the civil… service of the United States’ from sending armed troops or agents to polling places. And Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act broadly forbids voter intimidation, [Democracy Docket](https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/democrats-sue-trump-admin-to-keep-armed-agents-from-polls-during-midterms/?ref=fromthefifth.com) reports. - **The Trump administration is spending taxpayer** dollars to run at least three propaganda ads aimed at a Republican audience so far, on Fox News and Newsmax. - **The** [**most recent**](https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/27/politics/white-house-trump-government-funded-ad?ref=fromthefifth.com) **shows Trump walking** down a dark hall while he says, “This is the final battle.” Another, which [aired earlier this week](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/us/trump-midterm-election-ad-government-funding.html?ref=fromthefifth.com), is a montage of Trump moments set to a song repeating “love me.” The [AP reports](https://apnews.com/article/paid-for-us-government-ad-trump-political-60c020f7ecb7a071c4c604f659388949?ref=fromthefifth.com) that the administration spent at least $443,000 on one of the ads, which would [violate](https://www.citizen.org/news/taxpayer-funded-trump-ad-violates-the-hatch-act/?ref=fromthefifth.com) the Hatch Act, which bars the use of government resources for political activities. - **The White House claims that because there** is no “call to action,” the ads are “public service announcements.” *Well, propaganda is not meant to be obvious.* - **Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD)** [**called**](https://x.com/RepRaskin/status/2103114920933904703?ref=fromthefifth.com) **it** “blatantly unethical under numerous federal ethics provisions.” - **Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH)** [**sent a letter**](https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/democrats/press-releases?ID=00789DFB-D52E-40C1-B8C0-6EB2F256DD32&ref=fromthefifth.com)to the White House demanding that Chief of Staff Susie Wiles say how much it cost and what its “official government purpose” was. - **Related.** During last year’s government shutdown, the Trump administration used government resources to blame Democrats for the shutdown. We learned this week that the office responsible for enforcing the Hatch Act is not forcing accountability, per [Federal News Network](https://federalnewsnetwork.com/agency-oversight/2026/09/osc-wont-fully-investigate-hatch-act-complaints-around-shutdown-messages/?ref=fromthefifth.com). - **In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court** [**blocked**](https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/09/supreme-court-clears-way-for-trump-administration-to-use-modified-voter-verification-database/?ref=fromthefifth.com) **a lower court’s** ruling that prohibited the Trump administration from using a government benefits-verification system to hunt for voters it claims are noncitizens. In other words, the Supreme Court said the Trump administration can now do that. Except federal law [prohibits](https://x.com/NormEisen/status/2103531945024242136?ref=fromthefifth.com) mass purges of voter rolls within 90 days of an election. The impact is more likely to be on future elections, not the midterms. - A**fter DHS claimed there were nearly 16,000 noncitizens** on Nevada’s voter rolls, state officials confirmed there were exactly *zero*, [The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/us/politics/nevada-voters-homeland-security-trump.html?ref=fromthefifth.com) reports. - **The Texas Department of Public Safety failed** to send 178,000 voter registration applications and address changes to the respective counties — some dating back a year, [Votebeat and The Texas Tribune report.](https://www.texastribune.org/2026/09/24/dps-voter-registration-applications-error-paul-bettencourt-team/?ref=fromthefifth.com) The deadline to register in Texas is October 5\. Texas DPS claims the matter has been resolved. - **The Supreme Court has rejected Missouri’s** gerrymandered map, which would have netted Republicans one additional seat. In its opinion, the Court said changing the maps now “would usher in electoral chaos," [SCOTUSblog](https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/09/for-the-third-time-supreme-court-declines-to-allow-missouri-to-use-congressional-map-expected-to/?ref=fromthefifth.com) reports. - **Elon Musk is blanketing the internet** with digital ads falsely accusing Democratic Senate candidates of supporting “taxpayer-funded sex changes for kids.," per [Judd Legum/Popular Information](https://x.com/JuddLegum/status/2102374633974424024/photo/1?ref=fromthefifth.com). - **The Trump administration is blocking access** to Covid vaccines in 11 states and American Samoa for kids who would get the shot for free through the Vaccines for Children program, [The Guardian reports](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/23/covid-vaccines-delay-children?ref=fromthefifth.com). The CDC claims it’s “finalizing decisions” and will comment soon. - **“'They’re using every means possible to try** and make it harder to get vaccinated,' said Daniel Jernigan, the former director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These actions could be a way of 'testing the waters' on halting other vaccines in the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, Jernigan said. 'There’s nothing preventing them from doing that for the other vaccines as well,' he added." - **Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents the district** where Trump’s legally contested 250-foot arch is supposed to go, visited the site and found workers and equipment there. He said he believes the government is prepping for construction, even though a judge ordered them to give 14 days’ notice. The other giveaway: “on the same day… the administration took steps to fast-track the approval of the arch by abruptly ending the consultations with local government historians that have traditionally accompanied such projects,” [The Hill reports.](https://thehill.com/homenews/house/6110400-beyer-claims-illegal-activity-trump-arch/?ref=fromthefifth.com) WATCHING *Stories that haven't fully played out yet, are just taking shape, or waiting on a court or agency. I'm keeping an eye on them.* - **The US and Russia worked together to strip** common-sense provisions from a treaty regulating the use of autonomous weapons, [The Washington Post reports](https://wapo.st/4xRY9A5?ref=fromthefifth.com) 🎁, citing three sources familiar with the key proceedings at the UN this week and related documents. - **The US and Russia stripped** words like “predictable” and “reliable” that dictated how the systems should operate, removed requirements that humans review military targets picked by AI (!), and killed clauses mandating that the technology be used ethically. - **“In a closed-door session, with U.N. cameras** turned off and civil society observers removed, Washington and Moscow deployed their army of about 10 lawyers each — nearly twice the diplomatic presence of other delegations — to make changes that moved so quickly that the smaller delegations were left dizzied, the three people said. ‘It was death by a thousand paper cuts,’ said one of the people.” - **Trump moved on Friday to cancel** at least $810 million that Congress had already approved, including $567 million for refugee and migrant services. \[[CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/26/politics/trump-administrion-pocket-rescissions?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] - **The government says it will kick 760,000 people** off their ACA health plans claiming they’re either not eligible or are fake accounts. They didn't reveal their methods for how they came to identify these folks. \[[NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/trump-administration-cuts-aca-coverage-750000-people-says-fraudulently-rcna599258?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] - **Secretary of State Marco Rubio is now officially** also the National Security Advisor. Rubio’s other jobs: Acting Administrator of USAID and Acting Archivist of the United States. \[[MS NOW](https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/rubio-trump-white-house-national-security-adviser?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] - **Federal prosecutors have launched an investigation** into two people serving as executors of Jeffrey Epstein’s estate. \[[The Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/federal-prosecutors-open-probe-into-jeffrey-epsteins-executors-cfef362b?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] - **Hackers say they got the medical records of FBI personnel**, as well as case assignments. \[[404 Media](https://www.404media.co/we-hacked-the-fbi-hackers-say-they-have-data-on-all-fbi-employees/?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] - **At least six hospitals in New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut have** agreed to shut down their youth gender transition services in a deal with the government. \[[The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/us/trangender-youths-hospital-settlements.html?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] - **The US will re-establish a base in southern Greenland** under a deal signed at the UN this week that will help keep an eye on Russia. \[[Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/desolate-arctic-outpost-likely-host-us-troops-under-new-greenland-deal-2026-09-25/?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] > The outpost “oversees the stretch of ocean between Greenland, Iceland and Britain — known as the GIUK gap — that Russia's Northern Fleet must cross to reach the Atlantic. For NATO, controlling this chokepoint is critical to containing Russian naval power." - **The US also struck a deal for a new base in Poland**, adding 3,000 troops there in a bid to counter Russian aggression in Europe. \[[Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/24/poland-us-base-troops-01091905?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] - **The USDA announced a recall** of 167,000 pounds of meat bearing false USDA inspection stamps. \[[USDA](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/star-meat-delivery-inc--recalls-raw-pork-beef-and-goat-products-produced-without?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] - **Heidi Overton, Trump’s pick to lead the FDA, told** Congress that the MMR vaccine — the same one Trump says is lethal — is “safe and effective.” When Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a physician, asked if there were any unsafe vaccines on the market, Overton replied: “Senator, every vaccine on the U.S. market right now are safe and effective according to the FDA.” \[[The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/09/24/trumps-fda-pick-face-scrutiny-vaccines-abortion-pill/?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] - The first architect on Trump's $600 million ballroom project quit after warning the him that the design broke fire code. Trump's response: “I am the code.” \[[Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/09/23/i-am-code-trump-clashed-with-ballroom-architect-over-safety-issues/?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] - **With Trump’s dream of having his name** on the Kennedy Center dashed, his minions are looking at other buildings to slap his name on — like Ford’s Theatre, where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. \[[MS NOW](https://www.ms.now/news/trump-fords-theatre-name-kennedy-center?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] - **Trump denied** the reports. \[[AP](https://apnews.com/article/national-trust-historic-preservation-trump-ballroom-39c7d01c6456892f7a3fe920a6e46869?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] - **An OpenAI agent hacked into four government** and university websites, including Australia's government health-statistics portal. Unlike another large-scale attack and other incidents in which AI systems were told to complete cybersecurity tests that effectively invited them to show off their hacking skills, these happened while the AI systems were doing relatively mundane data collection, researchers said. “When OpenAI’s systems struggled to gather data from websites, they resorted to hacking techniques to get the information.” \[[The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/technology/openai-ai-breach-australia.html?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] - **The heads of AI companies testified** before the UN Security Council this week, begging the world to regulate what they’ve created. \[[AP](https://apnews.com/article/ai-artificial-intelligence-un-security-council-64519ea66b38e2600026f4481ad7f211?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] - **Oh, and just so you’re not confused, Trump wants** everyone who listens to him to start calling it SI, for “super intelligence,” instead of AI. \[[AP](https://apnews.com/article/trump-super-intelligence-rebrand-ai-diplomats-02123c7bf18c692a12b2b3e3b9ce30c5?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] **In immigration related news:** - **DHS instituted a new policy of not sharing** any information about the whereabouts of deported individuals with their families or lawyers, [the AP reports](https://apnews.com/article/ice-detainee-locator-disappear-removal-orders-c3329a70bce424879bc5880b286c019c?ref=fromthefifth.com). “The practice, which applies to detainees who have received final orders of removal from an immigration court, could speed deportations by making last-minute legal challenges harder to pursue, immigration lawyers said. Nearly 16,000 people who were arrested and booked into ICE detention in July were subject to final removal orders, more than a third of the overall bookings, according to ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project based at U.C. Berkeley and UCLA.” - **An ICE agent shot 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez** in Austin last weekend while he was working as a DoorDash driver, [KUT in Austin reports](https://www.kut.org/crime-justice/2026-09-24/wilber-garces-perez-austin-tx-ice-shooting-venezuela-life-family?ref=fromthefifth.com). The officer involved had a body camera but wasn’t wearing it, [The Atlantic reported](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/09/austin-ice-shooting-body-camera/688738/?ref=fromthefifth.com). His lawyer said Garces Perez was partially paralyzed on his left side with a bullet lodged near his spine, but ICE [still took him](https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2026/09/22/man-shot-detained-by-ice-is-hospitalized-partial-paralysis-lawyer-says/?ref=fromthefifth.com) into detention. The Venezuelan man came to the country legally, his family said. Citing his lawyer, KUT reports that “Garces Perez did not know that ICE had deportation orders against him until he was taken into custody on Sunday… the orders were finalized because immigration officials sent a request for him to appear in court to the wrong address, causing him to miss the appointment.” - **ICE agents beat a US citizen in the Chicago area,** leaving him with injuries to his head, neck, and teeth, [CNN reports](https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/22/us/ice-agents-mistakenly-detain-us-citizen?ref=fromthefifth.com). “Witnesses told officers they believed ICE agents were attempting to detain the man, who police identified only as an Evanston resident. In cellphone video from a witness, a man can be heard saying ‘I’m a f\*\*king US citizen.’” - **A federal judge, Lewis Kaplan, blasted the conditions** at 26 Federal Plaza — an immigrant detention facility in New York — as “dreadful” and “squalid,” [Courthouse News Service reports](https://www.courthousenews.com/in-final-ruling-against-ice-judge-blasts-dreadful-and-squalid-conditions-at-26-federal-plaza/?ref=fromthefifth.com). Detained people were jammed into tiny, unsanitary spaces riddled with monkeypox and tuberculosis. “‘This is insane,’ one ICE employee wrote to another in an email shown to the court. ‘We desperately need to get some detainees out of 26 Fed.’ Kaplan ruled the treatment of inmates during this time was ‘inhumane and unconstitutional.’” He ordered officials to improve conditions there and created a framework so that detainees could pursue legal action later, if warranted. - **Another federal judge found the Trump administration** in contempt for wrongly deporting the same 19-year-old man twice, violating three court orders in the process, [ABC reports](https://abcnews.com/US/judge-finds-trump-administration-contempt-deporting-asylum-seeker/story?id=136765172&ref=fromthefifth.com). The Trump-appointed judge [demanded](https://www.axios.com/2026/09/25/trump-dhs-contempt-asylum-seeker-deportation?ref=fromthefifth.com) that the man be returned to the US. - **The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court** to overturn a lower court’s decision to release a Georgetown scholar who advocated to stop Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, [Al Jazeera reports](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/22/trump-admin-asks-top-us-court-to-reverse-pro-palestinian-scholars-release?ref=fromthefifth.com). Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown, was detained in March 2025, when the Trump administration was pulling students off the streets for advocating for Palestinians. Suri’s wife is the daughter of an advisor to Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas political leader whom Israel assassinated. Georgetown’s student newspaper, The Hoya, [published](https://thehoya.com/opinion/editorial-stand-alongside-badar-khan-suri/?ref=fromthefifth.com) an editorial calling for support for Suri. - **Meanwhile, the Trump administration plans to** welcome 17,500 white South Africans into the US as refugees, [CBS reports](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-administration-white-south-africans-refugees-afrikaners/?ref=fromthefifth.com). “While the second Trump administration has effectively shut down the U.S. refugee resettlement program for most people fleeing persecution and violence around the world, it has made an exemption for Afrikaners, resettling thousands of them over the past year and a half.” - **ICE has so much money, it literally doesn’t know** what to do with it. A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that government agencies, including ICE, have wasted millions on “ill-conceived plans to rapidly increase detention capacity,” [the AP reports](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/ice-has-wasted-tens-of-millions-of-dollars-with-uninformed-detention-plans-gao-finds?ref=fromthefifth.com) — including $20 million on warehouses that were never used and $3 million to set up tents at Gitmo. - **So what now?** [Project Salt Box reports](https://www.projectsaltbox.com/p/ice-signs-contracts-worth-up-to-73b?ref=fromthefifth.com) that ICE’s new idea is to award contracts worth up to $7.3 billion to build detention facilities on land it already owns in New York, Texas, Arizona, Florida, and California. - **Part two of the plan is to use mobile** detention facilities in places like Pennsylvania, where the state does not work with federal immigration officials. \[[NPR](https://www.npr.org/2026/09/23/nx-s1-5976875/ice-mobile-detention-facilities-immigration?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] --- RESOLVED-ISH *Stories that wrapped up this week, or quick hits you might have missed.* - **Trump’s “human printer” Natalie Harp** made her SNL character debut this weekend. \[[Just Jared](https://www.justjared.com/2026/09/27/snls-ashley-padilla-makes-debut-as-natalie-harp-in-cold-open-spoofing-trumps-meeting-with-mamdani/?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] - **After Macklemore was dropped from** Ed Sheeran’s US stadium dates for saying “Free Palestine” on stage — a move he blames on Patriots owner Robert Kraft — he announced his own tour, starting in late October with dates in Dublin, Paris, and London. All proceeds will go to aid Palestinians. \[[Macklemore](https://macklemore.com/?ref=fromthefifth.com)\] --- *Have suggestions, feedback, questions? Email me at huma@fromthefifth.com* ## Get The Fifth Helping you make sense of the news, with one email a week. Subscribe Free Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.