Transcript of News Outlets Protest Trump's Media Bans, Trump At UNGA, Paramount Merger Settlement New

Media outlets, including NPR, are protesting President Trump's ban on CNN, MSNBC and Politico.

Organizations from Fox News to The New York Times are refusing to use shared audio, video and photographs of the president.

I'm Steve Inskeep, that's Leila Fadel, and this is Up First from NPR News. President Trump addresses the U.N. today. The war he started with Iran hangs over that gathering. He will also meet privately with leaders from the Gulf, Ukraine and Venezuela. Can he turn Turn those meetings into diplomatic progress.

The states suing to stop Paramount's merger with Warner Bros. Discovery are dropping their opposition. What promises did Paramount make to acquire Warner Bros.? And with CNN part of the deal, will it affect its independence? Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day. How do products end up on big box shelves? Well, we at Planet Money pitch the Planet Money board game. I'm trying not to think how much of a big deal it is and how much work has gone into it.

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Media outlets, including The New York Times and Fox News, are suspending their use of what's called pool audio, video, and photographs of the president. That's where a small group of reporters follows the president around. NPR is a leader in the radio pool and will not use audio from White House events until further notice. Here's what they're all responding to: reporters from CNN, MSNBC, and Politico were banned from entering the White House because the president didn't like what they reported. Those news organizations have sued the administration.

NPR's Brian Mann is following the developments and joins me now. Good morning, Brian.

Good morning, Leila.

So this expanded fast yesterday. What happened?

Well, really something we haven't seen before. You know, Trump's worked throughout his second term to pressure news organizations. He's used lawsuits and the power of regulatory agencies to threaten media companies when he doesn't like their coverage or their portrayals of him. But his latest move, blocking White House access for journalists from these 3 major news organizations, it triggered a very different, more unified response. First, we saw 5 major TV networks that provide that pool coverage Steve mentioned of Trump. They all announced they're suspending shared efforts as a protest. protest against Trump's action. This decision to push back against the White House was made in part by Brian Boutin, who chairs the TV pool, and he announced the boycott in an email to pool video subscribers. Boutin is the Washington bureau chief of Fox News, an outlet that's often been perceived as friendly to Trump. Here's how Fox News reported on the network's joint decision: Now, the White House Television Pool, which includes Fox News, releasing a joint statement. It reads the following: The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting, end quote.

Now, Leila, that protest then expanded through the day on Monday as other organizations, including The New York Times, NPR, and The Washington Post, announced they, too, were suspending use of shared pool photographs and audio. It's unclear how long this will last, but we did see it play out at one Trump event yesterday. There was a ribbon-cutting for the new White House helipad, and you couldn't hear what the president was saying.

Yeah, I saw that. He was definitely talking, but we didn't hear anything that he said. What's Trump saying about the media's response?

Well, he really doubled down yesterday, writing on his Truth Social platform. He called CNN, MSNBC, and Politico dangerous and a threat to democracy. In a statement sent to NPR, the White House argued that media access is a privilege for journalists, not a right. Then, during an appearance in New York City with Mayor Zoran Mamdani, he mocked the media protest. He said, they were going to boycott me, but they never boycott me, so I wasn't very worried about that. Then late yesterday, Trump and the White House announced they're launching their own 24/7 video stream. They're calling it Trump TV.

A lawsuit was filed yesterday aimed at overturning Trump's ban. Where does that stand?

Yeah, so in their legal filing in federal court, these news organizations that are blocked from the White House called Trump's action an unprecedented attack on press freedoms and the First Amendment. That case is going to be heard by Judge Timothy Kelly, who heard a previous case in 2018 where the White House rescinded press access for a CNN reporter. The judge sided with CNN in that case. Media organizations are asking him to do much the same, and there's a hearing expected on Wednesday. This is all happening, of course, with the midterm elections just over 40 days away, and many of Trump's Republican allies have urged him to focus on issues like the economy, inflation, and high gas prices. Instead, much of the president's attention appears to be focused on his anger toward journalists.

NPR's Brian Mann, thank you, Brian.

Thank you.

President Trump will address world leaders later this morning at the United Nations General Assembly.

Those world leaders will see a president who's under pressure at home and abroad. He's faced legal and political setbacks, as well as concerns about the economic effects of the war he launched against Iran.

NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez is following it all, and he joins us now. Good morning.

Good morning, Alaina.

So what do we know about Trump's U.N. speech?

Yeah, I mean, what we do know is that there's going to be a lot of attention on it, and that's largely because he's often made big news here in the past. I mean, remember in his first speech during his first term how he threatened to totally destroy North Korea, or last year when he blasted the U.N. for not living up to its potential? Now, based on conversations with the White House, Trump today is expected to paint himself as a problem solver, highlighting peace deals that he's announced around the world. And speaking of winning, I expect he'll tout his new deal with Denmark over security of Greenland. He actually has a signing event immediately after the speech. He's also going to be defending his Iran policy, which will be very interesting because he's going to be doing that in front of the Iranian president, who will also have a chance to speak, likely the following day.

Who's he going to meet with one-on-one on the sidelines?

Yeah, Trump's got meetings with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, the British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, as well as Gulf leaders and Venezuela's interim president, President Delcy Rodriguez. I spoke to Richard Fontaine, who served in the George W. Bush White House and now runs the Center for a New American Security. He says the significance of those meetings really speaks to the changing role of the UN as an institution, and some would even say maybe a weakening role.

The meat of the diplomacy will be done in the private meetings, not at the UN Security Council or in the UN General Assembly.

Layla, I mean, the reality is the members of the UN Security Council, as you know, often struggle to come to agreement on very key issues.

A UN panel just called for stronger safeguards on artificial intelligence agents. How big of an issue will that be at this year's assembly?

Yeah, it's, it's at the top of the agenda. Leaders will try to come to some kind of global agreement on guardrails. The dilemma, as outlined to me by Heather Connolly, who worked on European issues in the Bush State Department, is that so many of these issues revolve around China, and President Xi Jinping won't be there.

So this is the challenge, and I think what, in many ways, we have global leaders coming to New York to offer their own set-piece speeches, how they look at the world, but the world will not be looking towards New York on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. They're going to be looking at Washington.

Yeah, instead of flying to New York, Xi's actually going to be traveling to Washington for a state dinner with Trump.

I mean, doesn't that make sense that the focus will be on that meeting, given those are superpowers?

The issue is more timing, but also the weakening of the world body. I mean, you have all these global energy prices rising. You have global food prices rising. It's really a big moment where the world comes together in New York to tackle these global issues that are having a direct impact on the American people and the American economy. And just talking with Heather Connolly about this, in some ways, it's really going to be lost or perhaps drowned out by domestic as well as international politics.

That's White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Thank you, Franco.

Thank you, Leylah.

The biggest merger in Hollywood history is a bit closer to reality after states suing to stop it agreed to a settlement.

Paramount's Skydance wants to buy Warner Bros. Discovery in a deal valued at $111 billion. Paramount's owners have agreed to some concessions to resolve the antitrust lawsuit that was filed by various state attorneys general, including California's Rob Bonta: This settlement is not a vote of support for this merger.

It is not a blessing of the broader merger.

NPR culture correspondent Mandalit del Barco is covering this in Los Angeles and joins me now. Good morning, Mandalit.

Good morning, Leila.

So tell us what Paramount CEO David Ellison has promised in exchange for the settlement.

Well, for one thing, Ellison and company agreed to operate Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Studios separately for now. They promised to spend $300 million more to make movies in the U.S., and the court documents they signed say that in the first 2 years, the combined company will release at least 30 films a year, and at least 4 of those independent films. But it's unclear what it means that half of those films would be produced jointly.

What about the companies' news businesses?

Well, Ellison bought Paramount last year with the help of his billionaire father, Larry Ellison, who has ties to President Trump. Paramount runs CBS News, which has gone through many changes since then, and the state attorneys general worried that the merger would also affect news coverage of CNN that's currently run by Warner Brothers. In the deal, Paramount agreed to create a board to establish editorial independence for CBS and CNN, but the decree says the members will be appointed by the directors of the merged company. And we should note, Leila, that Warner Bros. Discovery and one of Paramount's businesses, Paramount+, are financial supporters of NPR.

How are critics of the merger reacting to this settlement?

Well, some politicians and many writers, actors, and other workers in Hollywood fear that this merger will lead to layoffs, fewer choices, and price gouging for audiences. They're skeptical of Paramount's promises, and they say they don't want so much consolidated power in the hands of the Ellisons. Álvaro Bedoya is a a former federal trade commissioner, and he advises one of the groups involved in the Block the Merger coalition. He told NPR he's upset that the attorneys general caved to Paramount after Ellison and company threatened to move their studios out of California.

They censored and bullied their way to the top here.

This is coming at a moment when people already perceive media freedom to be at risk.

By the way, Emote said just last Friday, President Trump barred journalists from CNN and 2 other media organizations from the White House.

Paramount also settled another lawsuit filed by the Writers Guild of America. What happened there?

Well, the WGA said in a statement that Paramount agreed to prohibit layoffs of CBS News writers. They also settled because it was too expensive to continue suing Paramount without support from the attorneys general. NPR also heard from screenwriter Jacob Tobia, a WGA member who says 2 of his TV shows he sold were canceled during media consolidations, and he predicts this deal will be terrible for artists.

This mega merger will be used as a chance for the Ellisons to censor content that is politically inconvenient or doesn't align with what they think America should look like.

David Ellison defends his deal as being pro-worker and pro-consumer, and a judge still has to approve the merger. Ellison thinks it could be done in 2 weeks.

NPR's culture correspondent Mandalit del Barco in Los Angeles. Thank you, Mandalit.

Thank you.

And that's Up First for Tuesday, September 22nd. I'm Leila Fawadid.

And I'm Steve Inskeep. Today's Up First was edited by Kelsey Snell, Rebecca Metzler, Russell Lewis, Mohammed Elbardisi, and Ali Schweitzer. It was produced by Julie Deppenbrock and Leah DeMoss. Our director is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Simon Laszlo Janssen, and our technical director is Carly Strange. Were you just saluting me right now, Carly? I'm saluting you. Our supervising senior producer is Vince Pearson. Join us tomorrow.

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