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Good afternoon. Here's what you should know today, Sept. 24: | |
- We have five clues on where the UAW strike is headed next
- Republican 2024 candidates prep for a second debate—sans Trump
- After Milan, the fashion crowd heads to Paris
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| Thanks for reading What's News! Look for the 🔐 to enjoy a free article on us—and share the link with a friend (or forward the whole newsletter!). | |
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 | | House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is expected to focus on a short-term spending deal this week. PHOTO: ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES | | |
1. Congress faces a make-or-break week for avoiding a government shutdown. | |
| Leaders of the Republican-controlled House hope they can persuade GOP holdouts to get on board with four full-year bills and a short-term funding patch. With a shutdown set for Oct. 1 unless Congress acts, the plan marks a last-ditch effort by Republicans (🔐read for free) to find a way forward. If no deal is reached, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are set to be furloughed. | |
| U.S. Economy Could Withstand One Shock, but Four at Once? (Read) Meet the House 'Dysfunction Caucus' Vexing Kevin McCarthy (Read) Strategy to Counter China in Pacific at Risk in Congress Budget Fight (Read) | |
2. The auto workers strike is filled with wildcards. | |
| Negotiations continue between three Detroit automakers and the United Auto Workers union. One clue on how talks are going is the UAW's decision to spare Ford while calling more strikes at GM and Stellantis on Friday. While both sides said significant gaps remain on key issues, this is a signal that a tentative agreement could be close. | |
| Ford's Canadian Factory Workers in Line for 15% Wage Bump Under Tentative Deal (Read) | |
3. Donald Trump is turning to a familiar playbook. | |
| The former president has portrayed every campaign of his short political career in one of two ways: He either won, or the election was stolen. Now, he is framing the coming presidential election, for which he is the front-runner among Republicans, the same way, saying a series of criminal indictments against him are part of a scheme by Democrats to thwart him in next year's vote. Trump will be conspicuous by his absence at Wednesday's second GOP primary debate, where other Republican 2024 hopefuls will face off, hoping they can gain some traction and position themselves as his main challenger. | |
4. Meta plans to introduce AI chatbots to attract younger users. | |
| Facebook's parent could release artificial-intelligence bots with distinct personalities across its social-media apps as soon as this week, according to people familiar with the matter. Going after younger users has been a priority for Meta with the emergence of TikTok, which overtook Instagram in popularity among teenagers in the past couple of years. The company is expected to announce the first of the generative AI bots at the Meta Connect conference, which starts Wednesday. | |
5. Nike reports earnings amid a number of headwinds. | |
| The sneaker giant's first-quarter results, due Thursday, will come at a pivotal time for the company: Its stock is down around 20% year to date, as it faces a glut of inventory and a rash of thefts. This week, WSJ's "Take On the Week" podcast discusses the coming results and what investors can glean about the state of retail. It also goes over what to expect from Paris Fashion Week amid a slump in luxury-goods stocks. | |
| See the Best Looks of Milan Fashion Week: Spring/Summer 2024 (Photos) | |
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🗨 Follow coverage of detained WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich | |
| The WSJ's Evan Gershkovich is being wrongfully detained in Russia after he was arrested while on a reporting trip and accused of espionage—a charge the Journal and the U.S. government vehemently deny. Follow the latest coverage, sign up for an email alert, and learn how you can use social media to support Evan. | |
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