Crypto News: Zelenskiy woos US voters

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It's a telling sign of the state of global affairs that Volodymyr Zelenskiy's first stop on his US visit was in the swingiest of swing states in the presidential election: Pennsylvania.

The visit was to an ammunition factory, one of the few in the country making the kind of artillery shells that Ukraine is running low on in its fight against Russia. What's more it's in Scranton, President Joe Biden's home town and a symbol for the disaffected voter in the Rust Belt that will decide who wins.

Once a leader of the industrial revolution, this is a part of America succumbing to Donald Trump's angry incantations about restoring it to its past glory.

Pennsylvania also happens to be home to one of the largest Ukrainian American populations in the US. The race is that tight and Kamala Harris — as well as Biden and Trump — have campaigned heavily in the Keystone state.

The Ukrainian leader, who's pressing the US to allow him to use Western long-range weapons in Russia, wants to unveil his "victory plan" to end the war to both Republican and Democrat presidential candidates. He can't afford to play favorites.

WATCH: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says in interview that limits should be loosened on Ukraine's use of donated long-range weapons. Source: Bloomberg

After a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, he heads to Washington to see Biden and Vice President Harris.

He's also hoping Trump — who refuses to say whether he wants Ukraine to prevail against Russian President Vladimir Putin — will make time for him. "My feeling is that Trump doesn't really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how," Zelenskiy told the New Yorker.

Last year in the US, Zelenskiy cut a petulant figure, publicly squabbling with Poland and coming across as ungrateful to his allies. This time he's one of a number of foreign leaders directly inserting themselves into the US election in ways unthinkable not that long ago.

Then again a lot of unthinkable things have happened in US politics of late.— Flavia Krause-Jackson

Light trails from automobiles during a blackout in Kyiv on Sept. 2. Photographer: Olga Ivashchenko/Bloomberg

Israel stepped up air strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon today, as the two sides move closer to an all-out war. They have been exchanging cross-border rocket fire almost daily since Israel's war with Hamas erupted last October, but the conflict has intensified in the past week.

WATCH: The exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah are intensifying. Source: Bloomberg

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, popularly known as AKD, was sworn in as Sri Lanka's president today after a sweeping electoral win with a vow to reopen negotiations with the International Monetary Fund over a $3 billion bailout that came with unpopular spending cuts and tax hikes. The victory of the leftist showed the depth of frustration with a political elite that triggered the government's first default in its history.

South Korea warned of possible military action if North Korea continues to fly trash balloons across the border, a rare direct threat of retaliation since Pyongyang started sending them in May. The latest batch disrupted operations at South Korea's main Incheon International Airport for more than 90 minutes today and came as tensions along the Korean border have grown in recent months.

Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats held off the far-right Alternative for Germany and look set to retain power in the eastern state of Brandenburg, sparing the chancellor's party another embarrassing regional election setback. The SPD, which has ruled the state surrounding Berlin since reunification in 1990, secured a narrow victory in yesterday's election with 31%, while the anti-immigrant AfD placed second with 29%.

South Africa's elections brought a business-friendly coalition government to power in June, triggering a wave of investment announcements not seen in years. The new leadership, a sudden end to crippling power outages and a decision to allow private participation in key industries are now seen as a chance to reignite growth in Africa's biggest economy after a lost decade and a half.

Prime Minister Michel Barnier opened the door to taxing wealthy individuals and large companies to help repair France's massive budget deficit and reassure international investors.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has added artificial intelligence to his list of priorities for Brazil's presidency of the Group of 20 nations this year.

Mexico's ruling Morena party elected the second-eldest son of outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, as well as Interior Minister Luisa Maria Alcalde, for key roles in the party leadership.

The battle between Harris and Trump over the economy is set to intensify, with the rival presidential candidates planning dueling addresses this week on one of the campaign's defining issues.

The prospect of a pre-election government shutdown looks much less likely after congressional leaders presented a temporary spending bill that would keep US departments and agencies running through Dec. 20.

The measure does not include legislation, known as the SAVE Act, that would require Americans to show proof of citizenship to vote. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, had demanded that as the price of keeping the government open beyond the end of the month.

Yet when House Speaker Mike Johnson, who presides over a very narrow Republican majority, tried last week to advance a bill that included the SAVE Act, it failed. Johnson yesterday called the new measure a "very narrow, bare-bones" resolution. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said it was "free of cuts and poison pills."

The bill does contain $231 million in additional money for the US Secret Service to protect presidential candidates after two assassination attempts on Trump.

One thing to watch today: Biden meets with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates.

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Wall Street, Silicon Valley and Hollywood donors powered Harris' August fundraising surge, translating into a distinct campaign advantage to the tune of nearly $5 million a day that's allowing her to go on offense against Trump. As the presidential campaign enters the most expensive stretch, Harris and the Democratic National Committee are outspending Trump and the Republican Party each day by a three-to-one margin, according to the latest federal filings.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer wanted his Labour Party's annual conference to set out how it will deliver on its "change" promise to British voters. Instead, he arrived in Liverpool amid fresh reports about political donations and gifts and backbiting among top staffers over who wields power in Downing Street. That was on top of ructions about tax rises and spending cuts expected to dominate the government's first budget next month.

Labour pin badge merchandise in Liverpool yesterday. Photographer: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg

Thanks to the 48 people who answered the Friday quiz and congratulations to Jim McIrvin for being the first to name Taylor Swift as the pop star that Trump said he hates.

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