The White House Readies the Red Carpet for Xi Jinping

Ukraine appeals for more American weapons as winter approaches. Plus, we'll set the scene as Washington rolls out the red carpet for Xi Jinping. And New York City makes DoorDash pay up for underpaying drivers. City Hall will not sit idly by while a megacorporation that made nearly a billion dollars in profits last year rips off the working people who keep our city moving. It's Wednesday, September 23rd. I'm Luke Vargas for The Wall Street Journal. And here is the AM edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories moving your world today. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he's asked President Trump for a new weapons package, including Patriot anti-missile systems, to support its war effort ahead of winter. Zelensky was speaking to journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly following a meeting with Trump. While the leaders didn't discuss diesel prices, Zelensky says he believes Trump will seek a ceasefire to end attacks on energy infrastructure. And he admitted that Washington had pressured him to curb drone attacks on refineries, which have added to turmoil in global energy markets. But he said that attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure require a response. Zelensky also said that President Putin is unlikely to curb attacks without further U.S. sanctions. And he singled out India, Turkey, and in particular China for supporting Moscow. Otherwise, Putin will not end, will not stop. I think only pressure, political pressure, sanctions, which are very influential on him, and for him, I mean, and internal questions of his just ordinary people, not his people who are around him. No, it's not about it. They are from other world, just ordinary people, ordinary society with a deficit of energy, with a deficit of. with a deficit of petrol, with a deficit of diesel, money, and et cetera. Only these questions he is afraid of. Zelensky's U.N. address is scheduled for later today. Well, staying with the General Assembly, Japanese Prime Minister Sanai Takeichi has called on the U.N. to remove references to so-called enemy states from its charter. Takeichi said that the term to describe defeated World War II nations had recently been weaponized by China and Russia to pressure Tokyo over its plans to ramp up defense spending. Takeichi said Japan has consistently pushed for nuclear disarmament, and she criticized the U.N. Security Council, saying the body was not functioning for international peace. A change to the U.N. charter would need to be approved by all five permanent members of the Security Council, which include China and Russia. Her comments come after a brief meeting with President Trump, where Japanese officials said they discussed efforts to reduce the two countries' reliance on the U.N. Chinese supply chains ahead of Xi Jinping's visit to Washington. Well, speaking of that meeting, the White House is getting ready to quite literally roll out the red carpet for the Chinese president, who's set to arrive in Washington later today for his first state visit to the U.S. in more than a decade. A state visit includes the highest level of diplomatic pageantry, complete with honor guards, a 21-gun salute, and a formal welcome on the White House south lawn. It comes after weeks of negotiations, with the White House agreeing to Beijing's requests to match the red carpet treatment that Trump received from China in May. Lingling Wei is the journal's chief China correspondent. This meeting matters more for what it signals than for anything it will actually produce. Neither side is going in with high expectations. Both sides wanted to go smoothly, and neither is ready to give much ground. Everyone assumes President Trump is the one who wants this summit, and he does. He said so loudly. But Xi Jinping wants it every bit as much. The Chinese leader needs the image. He wants to be seen at home, being received as an equal by a U.S. president. At a moment when his own hold on power has been scrutinized by the military and political purges, the succession question hanging over him, and the economy, that's weakening. Lingling says that while a major deal is unlikely, there are three key things she's watching out for. The first is Iran, and that's the one that matters most to Trump. China is by far the biggest financial lifeline to the Iranian regime, and the administration wants Beijing to feel real pressure to pull back. I'll be watching whether Trump leans on that in the room, and whether Xi Jinping gives him anything at all. The second is Taiwan, and that's Xi's priority. China wants Washington to move closer to his position, to slow or deny the arms sales to Taiwan. Any hint that Trump trades ground on Taiwan to get his Iran wing, or to try to get a better relationship with Beijing, is a big story. Another big item on the agenda may be the least ready-for-deal. Both sides say they want a channel to manage the risk, of artificial intelligence. But they don't mean the same thing by AI safety. For Washington, it's national security, and who controls the most advanced chips and the technology. And for China, it's the state's grip on information, and parties' hold on power. That gap leaves it unclear whether they can even set up the recurring dialogue mechanism they have floated to keep the AI race from falling apart. From tipping to miscalculation. Coming up, Qantas bets that flyers won't blanch at 18-hour direct flights between New York and Sydney. And we'll look at the patients exploring a growing range of alternate uses for GLP-1 weight loss drugs. Those stories and more after the break. How's this for a DoorDash bill? DoorDash had underpaid more than 260,000 delivery workers across New York City. Between April of this year and April of this year, DoorDash was the largest enforcement action in New York City history. DoorDash had underpaid more than 260,000 delivery workers across New York City history. Between April of this year and April of this year, and June of 2026. Often in violation of the minimum pay rate. Today, after years of corporate greed and impunity, we are holding DoorDash to account. DoorDash described New York City's laws as the most complex in the country and faulted technical problems and complicated situations for many of its compliance errors. The company said that, quote, while these mistakes weren't intentional, that doesn't make sense. Americans are about to lose access to cheap mail-order prescription drugs from Canada. On October 22nd, the U.S. is closing a long-standing regulatory loophole that's allowed customs agents to wave through low-value personal use packages. After that, each will be individually checked against FDA rules, and medications mailed from abroad will require a licensed customs broker and financial guarantee, a bar that few mail-order prescriptions have ever been able to break. The government is trying to crack down on illegal contraband that it says comes into the country via shipments that don't pay tariffs. According to a 2020 study, more than 2 million Americans who take prescription drugs buy them from outside of the U.S. in order to save money, with WSJ reporting finding that some prescriptions in the U.S. cost more than 100 times as much as those ordered from Canada. Meanwhile, the U.S. housing market is worsening. According to homebuilder KB Home, which reported a 20% drop in quarterly revenue yesterday and lowered its outlook. Speaking to investors, Executive Chairman Jeff Mesger said that rising mortgage rates were spooking potential homebuyers who are now sitting on the sidelines and hoping that lending costs top out. Even since the end of our quarter in August, rates have ticked up 20, 30 bits, and every time you get a little movement like that, it takes time for the consumer to digest it. They don't want to feel like they overpaid for a house because they've already paid for it. They want it at the peak of the rates. The Fed's quarter point rate hike this month pushed 30-year fixed rates above 7%. Should Six Flags put itself up for sale? Activist hedge fund Janna Partners thinks so, citing the theme park operator's disappointing Q2 earnings, in which losses more than doubled compared to the same period a year ago as fewer guests visit its parks. Six Flags shares are down more than 40% over the past year. Well, the outlook is much better for cybersecurity startups at least if you ask the investors pouring money into the sector. Global funding for seed rounds has already outpaced last year's totals, hitting $4.7 billion as investors bet that hackers using AI will up the need for new cybersecurity solutions. And who's up for an 18-hour flight? Australian airline Qantas is planning to roll out a new non-stop between Sydney and New York in the coming years, cutting travel time by ditching a two-hour refueling stop. It's a bet that travelers will pay more for faster journeys on more comfortable new aircraft. And finally, as pharma giants race to bring more weight loss drugs to the market, with Roche and Viking Therapeutics now hoping to get in the mix, perhaps it's no surprise that doctors and patients are exploring new off-label uses for popular GLP 1s. Journal Your Health columnist Sumathi Reddy says that while insurance doesn't typically cover using the drugs to treat conditions besides obesity and diabetes, patients say that microdosing helps to contain monthly costs. GLP 1s are helping people manage symptoms and pain for all kinds of conditions, even when they don't need to lose weight. This includes everything from endometriosis, which is an inflammatory condition in women where tissue becomes implanted outside the uterus and can cause a lot of pain. And then there's the GLP 1s, which is an inflammatory condition in women who have scarring and pain. It also includes autoimmune conditions and things like rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and knee and hip osteoarthritis. And it even includes gastrointestinal conditions like Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Doctors are sometimes prescribing GLP 1s off-label to treat patients with some of these conditions, though that's probably the minority of doctors. Others are choosing to do more research to see how it can impact patients. Well, neither Novo, nor Eli Lilly support off-label uses for their GLP 1s. We've learned that Lilly is studying alternative uses of its ZepBound, including to treat substance abuse disorders, heart disease, asthma, and more. And that's it for What's News for this Wednesday morning. Today's show was produced by Daniel Bach and Hattie Moyer. Our supervising producer is Sandra Kilhoff, and I'm Luke Vargas for The Wall Street Journal. We will be back tonight with a new show. And until then, thanks for listening. We'll see you next time.