Literally moments after the attacks began, Pleitgen began working on a plan to get into the country to cover the war. In May 2025, Trump signed an executive order cutting off federal funding for public media, citing what he called liberal bias in their coverage. Public media exists to serve the public interest — that of Americans — not that of any political agenda or elected official. Status’ Oliver Darcy reports that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was upset about a photo of her taken around Thanksgiving by AFP. Apparently, she thought it was an unflattering photo, although honestly, it seems unlikely anyone would give it a second thought if the White House had never complained.

Source: CNN April 01, 2026 17:33 UTC