The Associated Press has sued three Trump administration officials over access to presidential events, citing freedom of speech in asking a federal judge to stop the blocking of its journalists. We look at the litigation filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., on Friday, 10 days after the White House began restricting access to the news agency. Welcome to this week’s edition of AP Ground Game. |
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, left, departs after speaking with reporters upon arriving on Marine One with President Donald Trump on the South Lawn at the White House, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) |
AP sues 3 Trump administration officials, citing freedom of speech |
In the lawsuit, the AP says its case is about an unconstitutional effort by the White House to control speech — in this case not changing its style from the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” as President Donald Trump did last month with an executive order.
“The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government,” the AP said in its complaint, which names White House chief of staff Susan Wiles, deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich and press secretary Karoline Leavitt. The Constitution’s First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press, speech and religion and bars the government from obstructing any of them.
In stopping the AP from attending press events at the White House and Mar-a-Lago, or flying on Air Force One in the agency’s customary spot, the Trump team directly cited the AP’s decision not to fully follow the president’s renaming. While AP journalists have still been allowed on White House grounds, they have been kept out of the “pool” of journalists that cover events in smaller spaces and report back to its readers and other reporters. The AP has been part of White House pools for more than a century. Last week, about 40 news organizations signed onto a letter organized by the White House Correspondents Association, urging the White House to reverse its policy against the AP. They included outlets like Fox News Channel and Newsmax, where many of the on-air commentators are Trump supporters.
A Trump executive order to change the name of the United States’ largest mountain back to Mount McKinley from Denali is being recognized by the AP Stylebook. Trump has the authority to do so because the mountain is completely within the country he oversees, AP has said. Read more. |
|
|
Of note:
In an email to AP, Wiles said the news organization was targeted because its influential stylebook is used as a standard by many journalists, scholars and students across the country, the lawsuit said. She said the administration was hopeful the name change would be reflected in the AP Stylebook “where American audiences are concerned.” The Stylebook is used by international audiences, as well as those within the U.S. The AP has said that its guidance was offered to promote clarity, and that even though Gulf of Mexico will continue to be used, journalists should also note Trump’s action to change the name. |
|
|
Key federal agencies refuse to comply with Musk's latest demand |
Key U.S. agencies, including the FBI, State Department and the Pentagon, have instructed their employees not to comply with Elon Musk’s latest demand that federal workers explain what they accomplished last week or risk losing their job.
The pushback from Trump appointees marked a new level of chaos and confusion within the beleaguered federal workforce, just a month after Trump returned to the White House and quickly began fulfilling campaign promises to shrink the government.
Musk’s team sent an email to hundreds of thousands of federal employees on Saturday giving them roughly 48 hours to report five specific things they had accomplished last week. In a separate message on X, Musk said any employee who failed to respond by the deadline — set in the email as 11:59 p.m. EST Monday — would lose their job.
Administration officials scrambled throughout the weekend to interpret Musk’s mandate, which apparently has Trump’s backing despite some lawmakers arguing it is illegal. Unions want the administration to rescind the request and apologize to workers, and are threatening to sue. Read more. |
|
|
Of note:
Democrats and even some Republicans were critical of Musk’s ultimatum, which came just hours after Trump encouraged him on social media to “get more aggressive” in reducing the size of the government through his so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. |
| |
Trump to meet French and UK leaders |
Trump holds talks this week with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a moment of deep uncertainty about the future of transatlantic relations, with Trump transforming American foreign policy and effectively tuning out European leadership as he looks to quickly end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Trump also has made demands for territory — Greenland, Canada, Gaza and the Panama Canal — as well as for concessions from Ukraine in exchange for American support of its defense against Russia.
The foreign leaders’ visits come after Trump shook Europe with repeated criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for failing to negotiate an end to the war and rebuffing a push to sign off on a deal giving the U.S. access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals, which could be used in the American aerospace, medical and tech industries. Read more.
|
|
|
Of note:
Another clash is set to play out at the U.N. on Monday after the U.S. proposed a competing resolution that lacks the same demands as one from Ukraine and the European Union for Moscow’s forces to immediately withdraw from the country. |
|
|
President Donald Trump gives a thumbs-up as he arrives at the White House after speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
|
- Trump is set to host Macron on Monday, the three-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine. Starmer will be at the White House on Thursday.
|
|
|
|
