Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that following his speech to the United Nations’ 81st General Assembly Wednesday [UN Web TV, above] he secured a new deal for desperately needed Patriot missiles, the Kyiv Post reports. But Zelenskyy was tight-lipped about it and would not reveal the source, number of Patriots or when they would arrive in the Ukraine. He did claim Ukraine shot down 60% of incoming Russian ballistic missiles Thursday night, up from a 29% seen in July, which the Post suggests indicates some help already has arrived.
•UPDATE: The White House says President Trump will detail on Monday trade agreements made with Chinese President Xi during his state visit this week. Scroll this column for details on their meeting.
Defiant Netanyahu at the UN – Amidst large anti-Netanyahu protests in New York City, the Israeli prime minister played the ‘antisemitism’ card on Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who tried to block him from coming to the United Nations’ 81st General Assembly because of the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against him.
“Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani,” Benjamin Netanyahu said in his 40-minute speech to the General Assembly. “Since you were elected mayor, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York. They talk to me.”
Netanyahu addressed the war on Iran his government launched in late February with the Trump administration.
“Devastating Iran’s nuclear facilities was hard,” he said. “But for me, it was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make as prime minister. Because if we hadn’t done it, we’d all be dead.”
Netanyahu also pushed back against the accusations of genocide on Palestinians in Gaza that lead to the ICC’s arrest warrant.
“What genocidal regime gives a million polio vaccines to the enemy’s population? What genocidal regime enables the distribution of 2 million tons of food into Gaza?” Netanyahu said.
He later added; “Israel didn’t commit genocide. Israel has prevented genocide.”
According to Haaretz, Israel has not provided vaccines to Palestinians, but at most has allowed vaccine campaigns by international groups.
Netanyahu also cited two or three incidents of violence by Israeli settlers on Palestinian homes in the West Bank, saying perpetrators are “young juvenile delinquents, about 150 in numbers.”
The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that 23 Palestinians have been killed by settlers since the beginning of 2026, according to Haaretz.
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All Pomp, Scant Circumstance – Nothing substantive emerged from Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s state visit to the Trump White House this week. President Trump, in fact, was “very angry” there was press coverage his unprecedented red carpet greeting of Xi photo op upon his arrival at the airport, according to WAMU’s The 1A.
Tech titans at the state dinner Thursday were Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, X-DOGEman Elon Musk, Trump AI whisperer Jensen Huang of Nvidia, Apple’s Tim Cook, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, according to The New York Times, as well as executives from Google, Microsoft, Citi, Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, JP Morgan Chase, Pfizer, GE Aerospace and ExxonMobil.
If there were no announcements of, say, a Chinese automaker building an assembly plant in the US, there were expressions of mutual admiration between Trump and Xi, according to USA Today.
“As the leaders of our two nations, President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure, and we’ve never gotten along better,” Trump said. “Since the first trade ships from New York left the harbor to arrive on the banks of the Pearl River, Americans and Chinese have always exchanged goods, knowledge, customs and ideas.”
“President Trump has pledged to make America great again and led the American people in making significant strides,” Xi said. “China is committed to achieving great national rejuvenation and Chinese modernization has kept breaking your ground.”
Meanwhile, at the press table … After the White House initially defied US District Judge Timothy Kelly’s temporary restraining order that CNN, Politico and MS NOW be allowed in, the three outlets’ reporters and photographers were allowed access by Thursday afternoon. But while Politico journalists were able to attend the Trump-Xi state dinner, CNN and MS NOW were again barred.
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Gas Up – National average for a gallon of unleaded regular rose to $4.4918 Friday, up 0.93 cents from Thursday and up $1.5118 from February 27, AAA reports. Diesel is $6.5019 per gallon, 1.22 cents lower than Thursday. –TL
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UN General Assembly Day 3, Trump-Xi Day 1
THURSDAY 9/24/26
Trump White House Defies Court Order – US District Judge Timothy Kelly granted a temporary restraining order to restore access by CNN, Politico and MS NOW early Thursday, but that didn’t stop the Trump White House from denying them access later Thursday morning. According to Politico, its White House reporter was denied access Thursday, along with reporters for CNN and MS NOW.
The judge’s order was to immediately restore access for the news organizations after President Trump banned them from the White House late last week.
The three outlets have since filed an emergency request for a court hearing, CNN reports.
The reporters had expected to join other White House correspondents in covering Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
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About Zelenskyy’s Warning – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his address to the United Nations 81st General Assembly Wednesday warned that Vladimir Putin’s Russia is ramping up his threats beyond Ukraine, including to Moldova, Poland and the Baltic States. He added that Russia shows “no respect” for the sovereignty of countries in the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
“The more freedom Putin has to act, the more dangerous the world has become for everybody else,” Zelenskyy said.
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Gas Prices Rise Again, Diesel Eases – After a downward blip Wednesday, gas prices at the pump are up again for Thursday, according to AAA. The national average for a gallon of unleaded regular is $4.4825, up 0.81 cents over Wednesday and $1.5025 over February 27. The national average for a gallon of diesel slipped 0.76 cents to $6.5141. –TL
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United Nations General Assembly, Day 2
WEDNESDAY 9/23/26
Trump Sinks to New Low – Coincidentally following President Trump’s recount of his second-term successes before the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday, his approval rating has sunk to 29%, an historical low, according to the American Research Group’s latest poll. Trump’s disapproval rating in the poll, which has an error margin of 3%, is 68% in the ARG poll, Political Wire reports.
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Energy Ceasefire? – President Trump urged Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop striking Russian oil depots, Marketplace reports. Trump and Zelenskyy briefly met Tuesday evening, after the UN General Assembly.
Zelenskyy, who addresses the General Assembly Wednesday, says Ukraine is “ready for any kind of format of energy ceasefire,” The Guardian reports. He said he did not get a chance to say much to Trump Tuesday.
“I hope we will end this war, and President Trump will help us end this war,” Zelenskyy said. “We need to do it as quick as possible, before winter.”
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Diesel and Gas Prices Ease – The national average for a gallon of diesel fuel Wednesday is $6.5217, AAA reports, 0.59-cent lower than Tuesday, up 95.1141 cents from August 21. Unleaded regular is $4.4744 Wednesday, six-one-hundredths of an unobtainable penny lower than Tuesday and $1.4944 more expensive than on February 27.
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Trump’s Media Ban Goes to Court – Attorneys for CNN, Politico and MS NOW will cite an exchange between President Trump and CNN’s Kaitlan Collins at the United Nations Tuesday to argue for their temporary restraining order to end their banning from the White House, according to Mediate, citing a report by correspondent Scott MacFarlane of the left-leaning MeidasTouch news site.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump 45 appointee, hears the case Wednesday afternoon.
Attorneys for the three outlets prevented from entering White House grounds Saturday submitted to the court an Axios report of Trump’s remarks at the UN, in which he objected to Collins’ coverage, per Mediaite.
“I’m surprised that CNN is here, covering me,” Trump said. “You shouldn’t be here!”
Collins replied: “The United Nations allowed me in, sir.” – Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa