Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 📰 White House bans CNN, MS NOW, Politico
• 🤝 Trump’s Greenland deal
• 🎭 Creepy AI actor interview

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.94-minute read (1,047 words).

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"Make failure your teacher, not your undertaker."

–Hilary 'Zig' Ziglar (1926-2012)

On Friday, President Trump barred three major news organizations—CNN, MS NOW, and Politico—from White House grounds over what he characterized as “fake news” and persistently negative coverage of his administration.

The ban went into effect Saturday, when reporters from all three organizations were turned away from the White House and had their press credentials deactivated or confiscated.

Reporters from those orgs are currently prevented from accessing White House grounds for briefings, presidential events, and other reporting opportunities available to credentialed members of the press.

It isn’t the first press access fight

During President Trump’s first term, the White House revoked reporter Jim Acosta’s press pass following a contentious news conference. CNN promptly sued, and a federal judge ordered his credentials restored.

Other more recent examples:

• The Trump admin restricted the Associated Press’ access to some presidential events last year, after it continued using the name “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America.” A federal judge ordered the AP’s access restored, though an appeals court later paused the ruling amid an ongoing legal battle.
• The Defense Department last year introduced new rules governing press access and credentials. Most major news organizations refused to sign the policy, and a federal judge later blocked key parts of it.

Driving the moves: The Trump admin argues that freedom of the press under the Constitution doesn’t guarantee journalists access to the president or government facilities. Officials have pointed to Zemel v. Rusk, a 1965 Supreme Court case holding that the right to publish doesn’t come with an unrestricted right to gather information.

Recent federal appeals court rulings have also recognized that the White House has broad discretion over access to certain presidential events and can place reasonable restrictions on its press areas.

On the flip side: The three outlets and press-freedom advocates argue the bans amount to “viewpoint discrimination,” or the government singling out certain people or organizations based on what they say or publish, due to the fact that President Trump explicitly tied their bans to coverage he considers negative or false.

A 1977 federal appeals court ruling found that while the White House doesn’t have to provide organizations with press access, it also can’t arbitrarily deny access to an otherwise credentialed journalist once press facilities have been established.

Worth mentioning: Five news networks—ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and Fox News—rotate as the designated TV crew for presidential events, and share the financial costs. In 2009, the Obama admin attempted to exclude Fox News from a set of pool interviews regarding executive pay, but backed down before any ban was enacted when the other four TV networks refused to participate in solidarity.

Looking ahead… CNN, MS NOW, and Politico are preparing to file legal challenges over Trump’s ban in the coming days. CNN is also scheduled to provide TV pool coverage for President Trump’s UN trip this week, potentially setting up a clash with the White House.

📊 Flash poll: Do you think the White House should be allowed to revoke press access for news organizations based on their coverage?

• Yes
• No
• Unsure/other

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🏢 Warren Buffett steps down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway on Friday after more than six decades in the role; he’ll become chairman emeritus and remain a director.
• 🐭 Disney hires Karandeep Anand, CEO of Character.AI, as the entertainment giant’s first-ever chief technology officer.
• 📲 Apple launches iPhone 18 Pro (starting at $1,199) and Pro Max ($1,299) ahead of the foldable iPhone Duo's October 23 release.

SPORTS, MEDIA, & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏟️ CFB Week 3: #8 Ole Miss beat #7 LSU to spoil Lane Kiffin’s homecoming, while Kentucky upset #9 Texas A&M and #23 Louisville beat #16 SMU. | NFL Week 2: Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams carted off with hamstring injury in loss to Vikings, while Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels suffers dislocated left elbow; see the full results.
• 🏛️🎥 Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts, a new $1 billion Los Angeles public museum from Star Wars creator George Lucas and his wife, opens in a star-studded ceremony.
• 🙏 Duncan Sheik, Tony- and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter who crafted the music for smash musical Spring Awakening, died at 56.

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SCIENCE, SPACE, & EMERGING TECH

• 💥🤖 New CNN exclusive report claims the US military last spring nearly boarded a Chinese ship thought to be carrying nuclear-weapon components in the Middle East—until US officials realized the report that "almost started a war" was "entirely false" because an AI chatbot used by a military analyst had mistakenly identified the ship’s cargo.
• 🚭 Scientists identify gene that may be responsible for why 10%-20% of all lung cancer diagnoses in the US come from people who have never smoked.
• 🏛️🤖 President Trump announces new federal oversight unit focused on AI, called the AI Force, along with plans to recruit an AI “czar.”

US, WORLD, & POLITICS

• 🇬🇱 President Trump announces deal to bolster US military presence in Greenland while leaving the island under Denmark’s control; agreement also bans non-NATO nations from establishing bases on Greenland or making certain investments in the island.
• 🏛️ Trump says he agreed to convert plans for a 250-foot-tall triumphal arch in Washington, D.C., into a "top grade Military Complex" equipped with snipers and drone storage.
• 🧑‍⚖️ Trump admin is reportedly preparing to impose sweeping sanctions on the International Criminal Court that would cut it off from much of the global financial system; Trump officials have discussed wide-ranging sanctions since the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the decision to go after officials from a nonmember state poses a threat to US sovereignty.

☝️ The Cape Wildlife Center in Massachusetts is caring for a rare two-headed diamondback terrapin turtle, found last week at a protected nesting site in Cape Cod. The turtle(s) are conjoined thanks to a rare developmental anomaly called bicephaly.

🤔 Did you know? About half of Earth’s oxygen production comes from the ocean, largely thanks to photosynthetic plankton. One tiny bacterium, Prochlorococcus, produces up to 20% of all oxygen in our biosphere, or more than Earth’s tropical rainforests combined.

📰 Worth a read: Always on guard? Learn what drives defensiveness, and get the “antidote”

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• My interview with "AI actor" Tilly Norwood creeped me out
• Fat Bear Week 2026 bracket is chunkier than ever
• How the apple pie became the symbolic food of a nation

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On Friday, we covered the Federal Reserve’s decision to raise baseline US interest rates for the first time in over three years, and what that means for the US economy.

❓ Our question to you: In your opinion, what should be the Federal Reserve’s next move after raising baseline US interest rates?

• Raise rates again: 40%
• Keep rates steady: 27%
• Cut rates: 17%
• Unsure/other: 16%

Read some of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 504 votes and 37 longform responses.

Monday: Monday Night Football: NY Giants v. LA Rams

Tuesday: President Trump to speak at UN General Assembly, kicking off week-long General Debate

Wednesday: US Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for September; Brothers starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson debuts on Apple TV

Thursday: Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit the White House;

Friday: Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson as To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen, debuts in theaters; Heart of the Beast starring Brad Pitt hits theaters

Can you guess the definitions of these Greek/Latin root words?

1. Hydr
2. Feder
3. Graph
4. Mort
5. Gust

(keep scrolling for the answer)

🐾 Can a good boy be...too good? When an intruder broke into a San Diego couple’s home while they were away on vacation, their golden retriever Nash didn’t exactly leap into guard-dog mode. Instead, Nash brought the stranger a toy and tried to get him to play, with the whole encounter captured on the couple’s indoor camera.

1. Hydr = Water (e.g., hydro, hydrate)
2. Feder = Treaty/agreement (confederation)
3. Graph = Draw/write (graphic)
4. Mort = Death (mortality, mortician)
5. Gust = Taste (disgusting)

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