ARE WE SERIOUS HERE? – AT 11:31 A.M. ET:  CNN is suing the White House because the president wasn't nice to Jim Acosta.  From USA TODAY: 

WASHINGTON – CNN filed Tuesday a lawsuit against the Trump administration in federal court, demanding that the White House return correspondent Jim Acosta's press credentials, the cable news network announced Tuesday. 

"The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acosta’s First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process," the network said in a statement posted to its website.

The network said it was seeking "an immediate restraining order" forcing the White House to return Acosta's White House press credentials and that it "will seek permanent relief as part of this process." 

"While the suit is specific to CNN and Acosta, this could have happened to anyone," the statement reads. "If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials." 

The administration pulled Acosta's credentials last week after a heated exchange with President Donald Trump during a White House news conference, in which the president called the CNN reporter a "rude, terrible person." Trump went after Acosta because he persisted in asking a question about the investigation into Russian election meddling after Trump called on another reporter. 

COMMENT:  Oh please.  We have freedom of the press, but we also have freedom from the press.  No American, including the president, has any obligation to talk to a reporter or answer questions.  There is no law requiring a president to hold news conferences. 

There was a time when reporters were not permitted to quote the president directly.  The White House had to grant permission.

President Eisenhower had a wonderful technique of garbling his syntax so as to avoid giving a coherent answer.  Did the press run to the courts?

President Kennedy banned the old New York Herald-Tribune from the White House.  Did he go to prison for it?  Was the Supreme Court asked to intervene? 

When a president calls a reporter and gives an exclusive interview, do other reporters run to the nearest judge for relief?

And yet, you may be sure that CNN will do a little judge shopping and possibly find a judge who thinks he or she can "make a difference" by siding with CNN.  That would be a dark day. 

Turning reporters into dictators is not a good thing.

November 13,  2018