The unofficial end to summer is here. School is started for most. Football season is upon us and soon the leaves will be changing color.

At the DSR Network, we remain as busy as ever with a full slate of podcasts scheduled for the fall. In the coming weeks, we'll be launching two new shows with new hosts creating even more content for our members.

Members receive an ad-free listening experience, an evening newsletter, an invitation to join the DSR Slack community, bonus content and more.

Best of all, if you become a member in the month of September, you'll receive 20% off the normal membership price.

Visit the DSR Network dot com slash buy and enter code school at checkout. That's the DSR Network dot com slash buy and code school. Thank you for your support.

It's September 19th, 2023 and this is your DSR Daily Brief. I'm Chris Cotnor and I'm Riley Fessler our top stories from international outlets this morning.

Five Americans who had been imprisoned in Iran and seen as hostages are finally returning to the United States in a controversial swap mediated by Qatar.

The release followed the transfer of six billion dollars of Iranian funds held in South Korea to banks in Doha.

The Americans, including Samak Namazi, Imad Shargi and Mirad Tabaz, had been detained on what the United States called baseless charges for political leverage.

In return, five Iranians imprisoned in the United States on sanctions related charges are also receiving clemency, though not all are expected to return to Iran.

The release is seen as a win for both sides with political implications and concerns about future hostage taking by Iran remaining.

President Joe Biden will address the UN General Assembly to assert that he has restored U.S. global leadership, which he claims was diminished under former President Donald Trump.

He will also emphasize the importance of supporting Ukraine's ongoing struggle against the Russian invasion.

Biden's message seeks to differentiate his stance from Trumps, raising questions about whether Trump would have aided Ukraine if he were in power.

Notably, several world leaders, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Vladimir Putin will not be attending the gathering.

Biden aims to convince both the international community and U.S. voters that his experienced leadership and support for Ukraine are vital amidst congressional divisions over additional funding for Kiev.

He also plans to discuss climate change and multilateral efforts to assist poorer nations.

After his UN speech, Biden will meet with U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres and leaders from Central Asian nations.

While China has courted these countries, the meeting is portrayed as part of a positive agenda.

Despite the absence of other major U.N. security council members, Biden's presence underscores the importance he places on diplomatic forums.

However, he won't attend a special climate summit, with U.S. climate envoy John Kerry representing him, and will have discussions with Brazilian President Luiz Ignacio Lula de Silva and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later in the week, including talks with Ukraine President Vladimir Zelensky at the White House on Thursday.

The United Auto Workers Union and Detroit's big three automakers, four General Motors and Stellantis, remain in a standoff after four days of strikes.

...