UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Donald Trump spoke and made the diplomatic rounds. The U.N. secretary-general gave his final opening speech. And on the grounds of the United Nations, Greenland entered a bit of a new era.
But there was lots more.
While leaders from some of the world's most powerful nations get most of the headlines, the U.N. General Assembly meetings, which started Tuesday, make news that touch all parts of the globe. Here are few moments that might not be the top headlines but will likely get attention in delegates' home countries:
The Cuban delegation withdrew from the session of the United Nations when President Donald Trump began talking about Cuba in his speech accusing it of being a “failed” state.
Later, Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodríguez reacted on X, rejecting what he called “falsehoods” and “slanders."
“The U.S. government is unable to accept that Cuba is, and has the right to be, a fully independent and sovereign country," Rodríguez wrote.
“The economic blockade, including the energy siege, only threatens Cuba and the rest of the nations. It is an act of genocide and collective punishment," he said. "We are a country of peace and we deserve peace," he said.
There was an unusual playlist before Trump was set to sign an agreement giving the U.S. the ability to expand its military presence on Greenland.
As aides and media awaited the leaders for the signing, they listened to a cover of “Send in the Clowns.” That ballad is from the musical “A Little Night Music” and includes the lyrics:
“Sorry, my dear,
But where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns.
Don’t bothеr, they’re here.”
Other tracks included “One More Night” by Phil Collins and “I Wanna Know What Love Is” by — wait for it — Foreigner. Before Trump entered, the words to Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” rang out.
South American leaders agreed that transnational organized crime is one of the region’s greatest challenges, with the presidents of Peru, Keiko Fujimori, and Chile, José Antonio Kast, calling on the United Nations to strengthen measures against criminal organizations and to join forces in combating “terrorism.”
Chilean President Kast said for the first time in a long while, Latin American governments are truly coordinating to tackle organized crime.
“Latin America is the continent of the future, and those of us leading the continent today are ready to drive that change,” Kast said.
Chile’s president, who was backed by Trump during his presidential campaign, said recent measures have resulted in an 11.5% reduction in the homicide rate over the past six months, while warning that “the task is not finished” but rather “just beginning.”
“A safer country is a country with greater confidence. Where there is confidence, there is more growth, employment, and investment,” Kast said.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said Israeli leaders were “openly advocating the displacement of Gaza’s population,” warning that such a policy would obstruct efforts to improve conditions for Palestinians.
He called on Israel to fulfill its commitments to halt operations, withdraw from Gaza and lift the blockade. Qatar has worked with Egypt and the United States to mediate the Gaza ceasefire and push for implementation of the agreement.
Finland President Alexander Stubb paid tribute to Elena Kalku, an ambassador from Finland who he said has had a “wonderful 44-year career” in diplomatic service and will retire at the end of the month. She was sitting behind Stubb as he spoke, and he thanked her for her service.
“And of course, with her president speaking here, you never know whether this will be the low point or the high point of her career.” Stubb joked.
Finland's President Alexander Stubb is applauded while speaking during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Peru's President Keiko Fujimori attends a meeting of the multinational political and security coalition "Shield of the Americas" on the sidelines the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at the UN headquarters. (Charly Triballeau/Pool Photo via AP)
Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney is seen from behind a glass pane as he waits to meet with President of Chile José Antonio Kast, not shown, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN headquarters on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — On a day of high-stakes diplomacy on the global stage, President Donald Trump began his United Nations visit by telling a prominent U.S. journalist, “You should not be here.”
“It’s an honor to be here,” Trump said as he entered U.N. doors Tuesday ahead of his speech to the General Assembly and faced Kaitlan Collins of CNN, a frequent target of his ire. “I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me. You should not be here covering me. You said you weren’t going to cover me.”
As Collins noted later on air, CNN said nothing of the kind. The administration had banned CNN from White House grounds days earlier — along with MS NOW and Politico — and removed the network from pool duty. But CNN had been admitted into the U.N. as regularly credentialed media.
In any case, the tense moment was a stark reminder of how dramatically the bitter conflict between Trump and news outlets whose coverage he objects to as “fake news" has escalated in just a few days.
The current ban was the subject of a joint lawsuit filed Monday by the three outlets, asking a judge to find the administration's move unconstitutional. The White House had until Tuesday to respond, and a hearing is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
Later Tuesday, Trump doubled down on his remarks and said negative coverage was dangerous for the country.
Asked whether he would allow the outlets back in if the court rules against the White House, he said, “Well, it probably will, because this is a judge who’s not a particularly fair judge.” He was referring to U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, whom he appointed in 2017 and who ordered a CNN journalist’s access restored in a similar case in 2018.
“So you never know,” Trump added. "I think we have a right to clean out fake news."
Trump’s comments echoed others he's made since announcing the ban Friday. He has referred to “purposely negative stories,” but cited no specific stories — only generally “fake news” — as justification for the ban.
The ban and lawsuit are part of a long-running conflict between the president — especially in his second term — and media outlets he finds unfavorable. Trump has responded in the courtroom, or with regulatory action. He's also lashed out at individual reporters in person or over social media, sometimes in strikingly personal terms — as he has with CNN's Collins, most recently in a speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
On air, after her exchange with Trump on Tuesday, Collins said: “We never said we were not going to cover the president. We will do our best to cover him each and every day.”
Tuesday began with an item missing from the daily press schedule issued by the White House: It did not list the U.S. network pool, a departure from the norm.
CNN had been the designated pool network for the president’s trip to New York, according to a schedule that divides coverage of certain events between the five major networks. But Trump's ban removed it from pool duties.
The other pool members agreed, in solidarity, not to replace CNN with another network on the coverage, and further to suspend all pool coverage until further notice. Other news outlets also took steps in solidarity. The Associated Press joined a number of news organizations, including The Washington Post and The New York Times, in a decision not to publish photographs of presidential events Monday.
It remains to be seen how long both the ban and the collective media action will continue.
In speeches and meetings Tuesday, Trump was seen plenty by global audiences, thanks to UNTV — the official United Nations broadcast arm — and pool journalists covering other international leaders.
Meanwhile, a sign was spotted in the White House workspace: “I stand with AP, CNN, MS NOW, Politico.”
One longtime TV analyst says the lack of constant coverage will prove damaging to a spotlight-loving president — which may be one reason the standoff ultimately ends.
“This ban is not going to go on forever because he doesn’t want that to happen, anymore than anybody else,” said Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University’s Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture.
In the short term, Thompson said, audiences won't feel the impact in a lasting way — after all, he noted, there are many ways people get news outside of network coverage.
“We are not going to be deprived of important civic information,” Thompson said, as might have happened years ago when outlets and options were fewer.
On the other hand, if viewers were interested in what Trump said as he inaugurated a helipad at the White House on Monday, they were out of luck: The sound of Trump’s whirring, waiting helicopter drowned out his remarks. TV network crews usually work to capture clearer audio.
On a deeper level, Thompson said, news consumers will be impacted in a more serious way. He called out Trump's remarks labeling negative media coverage "dangerous" as troubling.
“These casual remarks, not even disguised, about what we always considered basic freedoms of the press ... that, I think, is a lot more serious,” he said.
President Donald Trump attends a multilateral meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council during the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, at the UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A sign in support of news outlets is seen at the White House press room, Sept. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
