The briefing for Sunday, September 20.

Reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were denied access to the White House on Saturday after President Trump announced Friday he was banning all three outlets, calling their coverage "fake news." Journalists from the networks said their security badges were deactivated at checkpoints, and Politico said its reporter's badge was confiscated by the Secret Service. All three outlets have vowed to fight the ban in court, arguing it violates their First Amendment rights.

Trump did not cite a specific story prompting the ban, telling reporters it stemmed from "cumulative stories over the last few years," and suggested other outlets like the New York Times and Washington Post could face similar treatment. The White House Correspondents' Association, along with press freedom groups including the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, condemned the move as unconstitutional, noting that courts have repeatedly held that once the government grants press access, it cannot revoke it based on the content of coverage. Unlike prior disputes over individual reporters or press pool access, this ban targets entire news organizations and blocks them from the whole White House complex, not just briefings or press pools.

The move comes amid what the BBC described as a difficult week for the president, including a Supreme Court ruling against his mail-in voting restrictions, a Federal Reserve rate hike he had opposed, and a court order limiting his ability to alter the Kennedy Center. Trump's approval ratings have also slipped to record lows this term, and his party faces a tough midterm election battle in November. The legal fight over the ban is expected to test First Amendment protections for the press in an unprecedented way, with implications that press advocates say could extend to any outlet whose coverage displeases the government.

Ukrainian forces fired more than 1,000 drones at Russia overnight into Sunday, including hundreds aimed at Moscow, in what the city's mayor called the largest drone attack the Russian capital has ever faced. The strikes damaged an oil refinery and a residential building, and Moscow region Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said the broader attack killed two people and wounded 20 across the region.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine used a mix of missiles and drones, including its domestically produced Flamingo and Pelican missiles, to target oil and logistics facilities, describing the goal as inflicting billions of dollars in damage on "the war machine." The attack coincided with the final day of Russia's first wartime parliamentary election, a vote that has been largely devoid of opposition to President Vladimir Putin and is expected to cement Kremlin control. Russia also held the vote in occupied Ukrainian territories and Crimea, which Kyiv has denounced as illegal.

Russia continued its own strikes over the weekend, hitting a monastery in Ukraine's Kherson region and killing a member of the clergy, while a separate attack on Kyiv killed a mother and her two children. The scale of Ukraine's latest barrage underscores an intensifying campaign to pressure Russia's economy through strikes on energy infrastructure, even as both sides show no signs of slowing the broader war.

The Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel released an opinion Friday declaring that the federal law barring licensed dealers from selling handguns to adults under 21 violates the Second Amendment and cannot be enforced. Assistant Attorney General Elliot Gaiser argued that 18- to 20-year-olds can vote, serve on juries, be drafted and face adult criminal penalties, making the age restriction constitutionally untenable.

Under current federal law, buyers must be 21 to purchase a handgun from a licensed dealer, though 18- to 20-year-olds can already buy from private sellers, and the minimum age for long guns from licensed dealers is 18. Federal appeals courts have been split on the constitutionality of handgun age limits, and the Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the issue since its 2022 decision reshaped how courts evaluate gun restrictions.

The opinion signals the Trump administration will not defend or prosecute cases under the existing law, effectively halting federal enforcement nationwide even though the statute remains on the books. The decision is likely to fuel further legal battles and could shape how similar age-based firearm restrictions are treated in courts across the country.

A federal judge in Rhode Island ruled Friday that the EPA illegally terminated the $7 billion Solar for All program, which was designed to bring solar power to more than 900,000 lower-income Americans. The EPA had rescinded the funds in August 2025, with Administrator Lee Zeldin calling the Biden-era program a "boondoggle" after Trump's tax and spending law passed Congress.

District Judge Mary McElroy found that Congress clearly intended the EPA to keep administering funds it had already obligated, and that the agency acted without legal authority when it ended the program. She vacated the termination. The EPA said it is reviewing the ruling and considering an appeal. The lawsuit was brought by the Rhode Island AFL-CIO along with the Rhode Island Center for Justice and Solar United Neighbors.

Advocates for the plaintiffs said the ruling could restore thousands of union jobs tied to the program and ease energy costs for lower-income families nationwide. The decision represents a check on the administration's ability to unilaterally cancel programs that Congress has already funded, a question likely to resurface in other funding disputes.

In-person early voting began Friday in Virginia, marking the start of a six-week window for Americans to cast ballots in midterm elections that could determine which party controls Congress. Voters will decide amid a cost-of-living crisis, the ongoing Iran war, and other pressing national issues. Absentee in-person voting also started in a handful of other states, including Minnesota and South Dakota, with broader early voting expanding elsewhere in the coming weeks.

Election officials say they are confident the vote will be secure and accurate, even as President Trump continues to question certain voting methods and push for changes including a federal search for noncitizen voters and pressure on officials to share voter data. In Virginia, early voters interviewed by the AP cited enthusiasm to participate, with one college student saying she wanted to be among the first in line.

The Nov. 3 election will include races for Virginia governor and state legislature, alongside the broader congressional contests. With the war in Iran weighing on public opinion and Republicans facing political headwinds, the results could reshape the balance of power in Washington for the remainder of Trump's term.