Donald Trump’s appearance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York will not receive coverage from the leading U.S. television networks on Monday, after broadcasters united in protest over the White House’s decision to bar CNN and MS NOW.

Fox News, CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC—outlets that make up the television news pool—said they would not send camera crews or reporters to cover the president’s scheduled events.

As a result, Trump’s visit to New York for the UN General Assembly is expected to go without live or recorded coverage on the major broadcast networks.

Real America’s Voice, a conservative media outlet, plans to stream the United Nations event. Hearst, meanwhile, will cover Trump’s activities at the White House for local television audiences.

Bryan Boughton, Fox News’ Washington bureau chief, confirmed Monday morning that no television news personnel would be assigned to the UN under the pool arrangement.

“This is to advise that, effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President,” Boughton wrote in an email.

“This follows the White House’s position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties. There will be no replacement pool put in place.”

The broadcasters have not said when their regular pool coverage of the president will resume.

CNN had been scheduled to provide the television pool crew on Monday. That plan changed after Trump barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.

The White House’s official daily schedule, distributed Sunday, confirmed that no television pool would operate Monday, effectively removing CNN’s scheduled assignment.

Trump has also warned that the New York Times and Washington Post could face similar action.

The president banned the outlets on Friday, accusing them of being “fake news” and criticizing their reporting on his administration.

Vice President JD Vance defended the move Monday, describing it as a matter of “basic fairness.”

“They can still report. They still have access to free speech. They’re just not going to get an office in the White House anymore,” Vance said.

Reporters from the barred organizations who arrived at the White House over the weekend saw some of their press credentials revoked.

The major television networks responded by backing the affected outlets and issuing a strongly worded statement condemning the president’s decision.

‘The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government,’ they said in a statement. ‘No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.’

When pressed for comment, the White House responded with a social media post from the president published earlier on Monday morning. 

‘The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish,’ Trump wrote. ‘It is instituting an assault on the fake news, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America.’

‘It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, now!’ 

The three media outlets Trump targeted, CNN, MS NOW and Politico, announced they would combat the administration in court over the ban. 

‘This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,’ they said in a statement released on Monday. 

‘Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting,’ the statement continued.

‘Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.’

The White House also published a cryptic social media post on Monday with a TV showing static with the caption: ‘Something’s coming. Stay tuned.’

Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, claims he was selling drugs less than 500 feet from the Portuguese resort where the three-year-old British girl vanished. He also says police stopped him three times as he tried to make a “quick getaway” that night.

Brueckner, 49, a convicted rapist and child sex offender, has long refused to give a full account of his movements when Madeleine disappeared from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in May 2007.

In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, however, he said he had been about 150 yards—roughly 450 feet—from the resort. Brueckner claimed he had stayed silent because he believed investigators were trying to frame him for Madeleine’s disappearance.

“I was on the beach, not far from Maddie’s hotel, selling drugs,” Brueckner said. German authorities identified him as the leading suspect in the case in 2020, but he has never been charged over Madeleine’s disappearance.

“I’d been in Spain and smuggled the weed into Portugal.

“I was even stopped by police three times on the street while they were looking for Maddie.”

Brueckner said he was attempting to leave the area quickly to avoid being caught with drugs, rather than because he was involved in the search for Madeleine.

“There were flashing blue lights and checkpoints everywhere,” he said.

“I just thought, ‘Get me out of here.’ Luckily, they [the cops] didn’t find the drugs.”

Brueckner, who was convicted as a teenager in 1994 for sexually abusing a child, continues to deny any role in Madeleine’s disappearance and maintains that authorities are attempting to implicate him.

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“I have nothing to do with the little girl’s disappearance,” he said.

“I would be happy if Maddie turned up tomorrow, then everyone would immediately understand that everything against me is and was staged.

“But that probably won’t happen, so I remain the prime suspect.”

German investigators named Brueckner as the prime suspect in 2020. Portuguese authorities later designated him an “arguido,” the country’s formal term for a suspect in a criminal investigation.

He was released from prison last year after completing a seven-year sentence for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Portugal.

Brueckner has also declined interview requests from London’s Metropolitan Police, which continues to investigate the case through Operation Grange. Scotland Yard established the operation in May 2011, placing it under the Specialist Crime Command.

It remains uncertain whether Brueckner’s latest claims will lead to any change in the long-running Metropolitan Police investigation into Madeleine McCann’s disappearance.

“As part of ongoing [inquiries,] we remain in close working discussion with policing colleagues in Germany and Portugal,” the Met told The Post in response to the allegations.

“We will continue to pursue any viable lines of [inquiry].”

With Post wires

Brooklyn Beckham and Paris Hilton were among the friends paying tribute to Presley Gerber after the model died at the age of 27.

Presley, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and entrepreneur Rande Gerber, was reported dead on Sunday. He had spent years dealing with drug use, panic attacks and mental health difficulties, and died at a rehabilitation facility.

Tributes quickly flooded social media, with Brooklyn, 27, Paris, 45, and Brody Jenner, 43, among those mourning their friend.

Brooklyn shared a photo of himself with Presley on Instagram, writing: “I am so heartbroken. Presley, you were the kindest and we are going to miss you so much x We love you.”

Paris commented on the model’s final Instagram post just hours before news of his death emerged. She later shared a photo of the pair on her Instagram Story, alongside the message: “I’m completely heartbroken. I still can’t believe this is real…”

“Presley, you were such a beautiful soul. So sweet, sensitive, kind and genuine. I cared about you so much, and I’m going to miss you more than words can say.”

Hilton said she would “cherish the memories” they shared over the years, including “the laughs, the conversations, and just being around you.”

She continued: “You had such a gentle heart, and there was something so special about you that anyone lucky enough to know you could feel…”

“I hope you knew how deeply loved you were and how many people cared about you. My heart is with your entire family during this unimaginable time. Rest in peace, my friend. Love you forever. You will be so deeply missed.”

Brooklyn also posted a photograph of himself and Presley together, describing his friend as “the kindest” and saying he and others would miss him deeply.

Just hours before Presley’s death was reported, Hilton had responded to his final Instagram post, in which he modeled clothing from the brand Vuori. “Love you bro,” she wrote, adding a heart-eyes emoji and a heart-hands emoji.

Brody Jenner, known for appearing on The Hills, also commented on the post Presley had shared the previous month. He posted a dove and broken-heart emoji alongside the words: “Love you brother.”

Fans also expressed their sympathy and sent condolences to Presley’s family. One commenter wrote: “Omg Presley. No words, such a kind soul. Rest easy, sending so much love.”

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Entertainment journalist Jason Kennedy added a brief tribute, writing: “Love you Presley.”

Presley had not posted on his main Instagram feed since sharing the Vuori modeling photo the previous month.

His struggles with mental health had been publicly documented. In March, he spoke about undergoing ibogaine treatment in Mexico.

Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive substance derived from an African shrub that is reported to help withdrawal symptoms and reset brain pathways. 

After Presley wrote about his experience, his family left supportive comments, with Cindy writing: ‘You are a warrior! Walked thru the fire to find yourself! So proud!’

His supermodel and actress sister Kaia Gerber added: ‘That’s my brother. I am so damn proud.’

And his dad similarly gushed: ‘I’m so proud of you and your courage. Facing what’s hard takes real strength and watching you find your way back to yourself is everything. I love you so much.’ 

In the caption of his post, Presley wrote: ‘Pre Ibogaine Flood Dose – quiet moment before everything changed. i was absolutely terrified, and I knew I would be again if I ever had to face something like this (helps to not go into the situations you do that get ya there but that’s life sometimes)… 

‘My mantras were love yourself and lis gotta be the last time for this reason. letting go of control didn’t come easy, but I trusted there was something bigger than me guiding it. I knew why i was there. I faced what I had been running from, and somewhere in all of it, i started finding my way back to myself…. We shall see…. Praying it’s the last time I have to come back…

‘Next time I’d like to choose. And absolutely can’t forget the incredible caring kind and on their sh*t team. Helps a lot haha. And I made some dope ass friends there  #iboga #ibogaine #rewireyourbrain #loveyourself #mentalhealth.’ 

His death comes just weeks after his younger sister Kaia opened up about the enormous toll her brother’s struggles had taken on their famous family. 

In admitting the turmoil had effectively ‘leveled everyone,’ she told Vogue: ‘When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone.’

— More than 100 presidents and prime ministers are set to arrive in New York this week for one of the most demanding events on the diplomatic calendar. They will gather at a United Nations facing wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, economic strain caused by disrupted energy markets and growing doubts about its ability to act in an increasingly divided world.

The U.N. expects 73 heads of state and 45 heads of government, as well as 49 ministers, 11 vice presidents and one crown prince, U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters Friday. Member states have submitted about 1,000 requests for bilateral meetings, and 168 events are planned during the high-level week, Dujarric said.

Asked to describe the mood inside U.N. headquarters as delegations prepared to arrive, Dujarric offered a brief assessment Friday: “high stress.”

The General Debate of the 81st U.N. General Assembly opens Tuesday, Sept. 22, under the theme, “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”

Yet beyond the speeches, motorcades and private meetings unfolding across Manhattan, another contest will be underway. Nearly every government represented in New York will be seeking a way to win the attention of the United States.

“This is their moment to grab a piece of American mindshare for sure,” Frank Ahrens, head of BGR Analytics, told News Media.

A new analysis released ahead of UNGA seeks to quantify which countries already command that attention.

The 2026 BGR Impact Index, prepared by BGR Analytics, the data division of Washington-based BGR Group, ranks 197 countries and economies by their overall presence in the United States. The index combines economic, cultural, diplomatic, institutional and geopolitical factors. Japan remains in first place for a third straight year, followed by Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom and South Korea.

That contest carries particular weight this year.

President Donald Trump is scheduled to return to the General Assembly Tuesday as the US-Iran war enters its seventh month. Fighting involving the Iran-backed Houthis has also increased pressure on shipping through the Red Sea and heightened concerns among Gulf states over regional security. Reuters reported Sept. 18 that European and Asian allies have largely rejected U.S. appeals for deeper involvement in the Iran conflict, while the extended war has placed additional strain on Washington’s ties with some partners.

The agenda reaches far beyond Iran. Russia’s war against Ukraine, Israeli-Palestinian tensions, Sudan, climate change and artificial intelligence are also expected to dominate discussions at the General Assembly. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are among the prominent leaders and representatives expected to address the gathering.

The interplay of military strength, diplomatic access and public opinion points to the central question at the heart of the BGR index: how should influence be measured?

BGR assessed more than 100 indicators, including gross domestic product, population, foreign investment, international students, cultural visibility and lobbying activity in Washington.

This year, however, one of the most important measures came from a relatively new arena: social media.

“We looked at 4.9 trillion pieces of data across an entire year because we know that a social media campaign can really move a country’s perception in the U.S.,” Ahrens said. “And that was really the big takeaway from this year’s index.”

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Social-media sentiment represents 20% of the index, making it the second-largest category behind cultural imprint, which accounts for 24%. Institutional ties and outward orientation each contribute 16%, while geopolitical nexus makes up 10%, economic size 8% and lobbying and Washington influence 6%. BGR said its core data was drawn from public sources, chiefly the U.N., U.S. government agencies and established research institutions. Meltwater provided the social-media data.

For smaller nations, the findings indicate that shifts in reputation can lead to especially dramatic changes in their rankings.

Bahrain posted the largest gain, rising 22 spots from No. 97 in 2024 to No. 75 in 2026. BGR linked much of the improvement to more favorable U.S.-oriented online sentiment and greater visibility following Bahrain’s election to a rotating seat on the U.N. Security Council, its victory in the Arabian Gulf Cup and a port call by the USS Nimitz.

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Georgia moved in the opposite direction, falling 31 positions, from No. 73 to No. 104. BGR said its deteriorating U.S.-facing online sentiment coincided with political unrest and arrests of journalists and opposition leaders.

Ahrens acknowledged that generating attention is not the same as wielding political influence. “Countries that make a lot of noise about themselves do get on the radar, but to stay on the radar, you have to have real accomplishments.”

The index attempts to address that distinction by combining sentiment with harder measures such as economic links, institutional rankings, lobbying expenditure and participation in international organizations.

Perhaps BGR’s most unusual example of how national perception can change did not come from a president, diplomat or lobbying operation.

It came from a German soccer fan.

BGR calls it the “Freddy Effect,” after a German World Cup visitor whose enthusiastic posts about traveling through the United States went viral this summer.

Ahrens said BGR found that positive sentiment toward Germany increased 13% over roughly three weeks during Freddy’s rise online. BGR links a substantial part of that increase to the reaction generated by his posts, although the data does not independently establish that he alone caused the change.

“Can you recreate a Freddy? I don’t know if you can reverse engineer him to that effect,” Ahrens said. “But what it shows you is how authentic communication really breaks through on social media.”

It is a lesson that may resonate with delegations arriving in New York this week, where hundreds of leaders will have only a few days to secure meetings, shape headlines and make their country’s case.