WASHINGTON - The White House has barred CNN from traveling aboard Air Force One with President Donald Trump on his Saturday trip to Tennessee, the latest development in an ongoing dispute between the administration and several news organizations.

CNN had been scheduled to travel with the president as part of the rotating White House television press pool.

The White House informed the press corps of the change Friday evening when it distributed guidance for Trump’s Saturday schedule without CNN in its scheduled pool position.

The Washington Post first reported the decision, citing two people familiar with the matter.

Reuters subsequently confirmed the reported exclusion.

Trump is traveling to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he is scheduled to attend the University of Tennessee football game against the University of Texas at Neyland Stadium.

CNN was scheduled for television pool duty

The White House television pool consists of a rotating group of major television organizations that cover the president in situations where space prevents every news organization from attending.

Pool journalists provide reporting, video and other material that can then be shared with the broader press corps.

CNN had been assigned to travel aboard Air Force One for Saturday’s trip as part of that rotation.

Blocking the network from the presidential aircraft therefore affects not only CNN’s own coverage but the pool assignment it was scheduled to perform on behalf of other television organizations.

The decision follows a week of conflict over the administration’s treatment of CNN, MS NOW and Politico.

Federal judge restored White House credentials

President Trump announced Sept. 18 that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from the White House after criticizing their reporting.

The three organizations sued, arguing that the restrictions violated their First Amendment rights and constitutional due-process protections.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order early Thursday requiring the administration to immediately restore the organizations’ White House press credentials.

Kelly found that the outlets were likely to succeed on at least part of their constitutional challenge.

The temporary order remains in effect for 14 days while the litigation continues.

Reporters from the three organizations eventually regained access to the White House grounds Thursday after initially being turned away following the ruling.

Air Force One access raises separate issue

Kelly’s order specifically addressed the outlets’ White House hard passes and access to White House grounds.

The ruling did not explicitly address the administration’s authority to determine television pool assignments or access aboard Air Force One.

The Associated Press reported that the judge’s order also said nothing directly about Air Force One.

Attorneys representing the news organizations have argued that the principles underlying the ruling should also protect their participation in the press pool.

That question has not yet been finally resolved by the court.

The latest Air Force One restriction therefore comes against the backdrop of the existing court case but should not be treated as a judicial finding that the White House violated Kelly’s order.

Television pool recently resumed

The five-network television pool includes CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News.

The networks had suspended some pool coverage after CNN was removed from scheduled assignments following the White House ban.

The pool resumed operations Friday after CNN, MS NOW and Politico regained access to the White House complex.

CBS handled portions of Friday’s coverage involving Chinese President Xi Jinping.

CNN was also scheduled for coverage connected to Trump and Xi’s visit to the National Archives.

The decision to exclude CNN from Saturday’s presidential travel again raises questions about how the television pool will operate while the legal dispute continues.

Trump continues criticism of media organizations

Trump has repeatedly accused CNN, MS NOW, Politico and other major news organizations of publishing inaccurate or unfair coverage.

When announcing the original ban, Trump argued that media organizations should not be permitted continued White House access if he believes their reporting is false.

The affected outlets dispute that justification and argue that the government cannot condition press access on favorable coverage.

The administration has also raised national-security concerns in defending some of the restrictions.

Kelly said in his temporary ruling that the existing record did not provide sufficient support for the national-security justification used to defend the broader White House ban.

Press organizations argue against viewpoint-based restrictions

CNN, MS NOW and Politico maintain that the restrictions amount to unconstitutional discrimination based on the content and viewpoint of their journalism.

Other major news organizations have also criticized the administration’s actions.

The White House has maintained that access to the president and White House facilities can be regulated by the administration.

Those competing positions are now being litigated in federal court.

Trump heading to Knoxville

Trump’s Tennessee trip centers on Saturday’s football matchup between the Texas Longhorns and Tennessee Volunteers.

The game is being played at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.

The president’s visit has prompted additional security preparations and warnings of transportation delays around Knoxville and McGhee Tyson Airport.

CNN had expected to accompany Trump during that travel before the White House removed the network from the Air Force One assignment.

What happens next

CNN’s exclusion could become an additional issue in the existing litigation over White House media access.

The temporary restraining order restoring the three organizations’ White House credentials remains in effect while the broader case proceeds.

The courts have not yet issued a final ruling on the administration’s restrictions or specifically determined how the dispute applies to Air Force One and press-pool assignments.

For Saturday’s trip, however, CNN will not carry out the Air Force One television pool assignment it had been scheduled to perform.