When President Trump moved to bar CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House over "biased" coverage, it set off a fast-moving legal showdown. Today, Eugene Volokh and Jane Bambauer break down why the law was surprisingly clear-cut. Drawing on a 50-year-old D.C. Circuit precedent and a fresh ruling on Oval Office access, they explain the crucial distinction between the press briefing room (a forum where reporters can’t be excluded based on viewpoint) and the Oval Office (the president's own turf, where he can talk to whomever he wants). Plus: the due process twist that let a judge sidestep the First Amendment question entirely, the White House's slow-motion compliance with the restraining order, and why "the First Amendment is not a Freedom of Information Act."
Recorded on September 25, 2026.
This book features 40 RealClearPolitics columns that I wrote between 2014 and 2025. Each chapter provides a snapshot of the plight of liberal education in America. Together, they form a short history of liberal education’s decline and provide a concise case for, and sketch measures essential to, reclaiming it.*
September 27, 2026
On Aug. 23, the U.S. Forest Service announced that it is considering rescinding the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Across the country, newspapers ran stories saying this would open the wilderness to logging.
September 26, 2026
Podcasts
California lately: Winners and losers in the aftermath of the Paramount antitrust settlement. The future of California’s beleaguered high-speed rail project. Gov. Newsom angling for trout (and the presidency) in a Montana photo-op. Plus, an upcoming debate in what otherwise has been a sleepy governor’s race.
September 25, 2026
