I'm honored to be elected president of the @whca for 2028–2029. I look forward to serving my colleagues across the White House press corps to ensure robust and independent coverage of the presidency. I’m excited to build on the strengths of the association, including our shared commitment to a free and fair press.

President Donald Trump said Saturday he rejected a deal from Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. bloomberg.com/news/articles/… via @CMSub

Today the WHCA joined the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and nearly 50 news organizations in filing an amicus brief urging the court to immediately reverse the administration's ban on CNN, MSNOW, and POLITICO. The brief makes clear what the law has long established: the government cannot remove journalists from the White House because it dislikes their reporting. That is viewpoint discrimination, and a clear violation of the First Amendment. Today the WHCA backs that position in court, urging relief without delay. See the brief here: storage.courtlistener.com/re… Jacqui Heinrich, WHCA President

The print and radio pool also distribute their information to other outlets. Stills use their respective wire services to distribute images. WH has invited secondary and new media outlets into pool that do not have any responsibility to provide content beyond their own viewers/readers. Those outlets do not provide a collective product.

The president said it plainly in the Oval Office, describing his own planned action as a “ban on the free press.” The Constitution protects the freedom of the press from government interference. That protection does not depend on whether the president likes a news organization’s coverage, agrees with its reporting, or approves of the questions its journalists ask. This is about more than the rights of journalists. It is about the right of the American people to receive a full and independent account of the activities, policies and decisions of whoever occupies the nation’s highest office. The WHCA stands in defense of our colleagues at CNN, MSNOW, and Politico who are being singled out for doing their jobs. - Jacqui Heinrich, WHCA President

NEW: Our Bizweek cover story on Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He's ceded much of the job's typical flying-around-the-world duties to other Trump advisers as he spends afternoons in the West Wing, w/one office screen tuned to TruthSocial w/@EMPosts bloomberg.com/features/2026-…

What an incredible get for Semafor! Congrats to the amazing @ashleyrgold - excited for this next chapter!

Trump Says Saudi Nuclear Deal Subject to Forming Israel Ties bloomberg.com/news/articles/… via @CMSub

We have information that Moonshot AI distilled Anthropic’s Fable for the development of its K3 model. To do this they developed a sophisticated internal platform to conduct large scale distillation against U.S. models, allowing them to quickly switch between multiple methods of access to avoid detection. Moonshot AI has also acquired GB300-equipped servers and has accessed GB300s in Thailand, likely to train its AI models.   The United States strongly supports the free and fair development of AI, including a thriving competitive ecosystem that spans frontier models, specialized systems, open-source frameworks, and open-weight models. Legitimate AI distillation used to create smaller, more efficient models plays a vital role in this open innovation ecosystem. However, large-scale, covert industrial distillation aimed at stealing proprietary U.S. technology and undermining American research is unacceptable.

WHCA Stands With NYT Reporters

The US military says it has begun additional strikes against Iran

big deal! Today, President Trump informed Congress today of his administration’s intent to rescind Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.

Trump Says US Ceasefire With Iran Is ‘Over’ After Strikes bloomberg.com/news/articles/… via @HLowenkron @KateSullivanDC @CMSub

scoop: US Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer tells me in an interview that the US is deciding not to renew the USMCA trade agreement, instead entering rolling talks with Canada and Mexico for up to ten years @TheTerminal got it first

Big implications for midterms and outside spending as a 6-3 decision — along ideological lines by the justices — sides with the GOP to kill limits outside groups can spend in coordination with candidates cnn.com/2026/06/30/politics/…

NEWS: Shakeup in Karen Bass’ re-election campaign. Senior strategist Doug Herman stepped down this morning, per an email reviewed by POLITICO. Bass is bringing on Julie Chavez Rodriguez to run the campaign. More in today’s California Playbook PM

Trump tells @jendlouhyhc it would be "unacceptable" for any final deal with Iran to include any kind of fee for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz

Donald Trump Jr. had a private meeting with Indian billionaire Gautam Adani in Ahmedabad last November, around a year after US prosecutors accused Adani of orchestrating an alleged bribery scheme. Our story here 👇 bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

President Donald Trump said Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni “begged” him for a joint photo at this week’s G7 summit in France - a claim she called “fully made up.” Italy's foreign minister canceled his trip in response to Trump's comments. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

My colleagues at Bloomberg News obtained a copy of the text of the 14-point draft memorandum between the US and Iran (which is scheduled to be formally signed Friday, June 19, in Geneva). Neither the White House nor Tehran have published yet the text. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

After Frenetic Talks, Qatar Leads US and Iran Down Path to Deal bloomberg.com/news/articles/… via @FionamMacDonald @Josh_Wingrove @CMSub