News Wrap: Some devastated Indonesian villages still waiting for aid nearly a week later

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• Judy Woodruff:

  And in the day's other news, the death toll in Indonesia's tsunami topped 1,550, as aid trickled into the country. But some devastated villages are still waiting for help.

  John Irvine of Independent Television News reports from one of them.

• John Irvine:

  A look down the street that a ship came up. She surfed the tsunami, more than 1,200 tons riding the wave and plowing into the fishing village of Wani.

  Thirteen crew were on board at the time, and one of them described how after feeling the ship shudder during the earthquake, they saw water retreat from the shoreline. Knowing that meant a tsunami, they ran to the bridge, the highest point on the ship. Then they could only look down in horror as villagers were swamped by the violent surge of water. They heard screams, but were powerless to help.

  Since Friday, access to Wani has been difficult. So nothing in the way of aid has reached here yet, and people feel let down. Whatever help is at hand in the disaster zone, it always seems to be destined for somewhere else.

  Of all the vessels washed ashore here, it is perhaps this small one that is the best indicator of the sheer power of the tsunami. You see, when disaster struck, this boat was lying on the seabed, where it sank three years ago.

  Fishing villages like this will need a lot of assistance. After such a colossal assault by the sea, they will take a long time to right themselves.

• Judy Woodruff:

  That report from John Irvine of Independent Television News.

  Another American service member has died in Afghanistan, the seventh combat death there this year. Today's announcement gave no details, but the overall U.S. commander for the region said Afghan casualties are also rising. About 14,000 U.S. troops are currently in Afghanistan.

  Vice President Mike Pence accused China today of trying to undermine President Trump's standing with the American people. He cited the ongoing tariff war and said Beijing is targeting states that voted for the president in an effort to sway the midterm elections.

  In a Washington speech, the vice president said China wants a different American president.

• Vice President Mike Pence:

  Beijing is employing a whole-of-government approach to advance its influence and benefit its interests. It's employing this power in more proactive and coercive ways to interfere in the domestic policies of this country and to interfere in the politics of the United States.

• Judy Woodruff:

  President Trump made a similar claim at the United Nations last week.

  Meanwhile, Bloomberg is reporting that Chinese spies hacked major U.S. companies and government agencies by inserting secret microchips into servers built in China. Several of the companies have denied it.

  First lady Melania Trump spent much of this day in Malawi, one of the stops on her four-nation tour of the continent of Africa. She was greeted with chants and flowers this morning at the capital city's airport, as women danced and sang and waved flags. The trip is being seen in part as fence-mending after President Trump used a vulgar term to refer to African nations earlier this year.

  Back in this country, a Chicago jury began deliberating in the murder trial of a white policeman who killed a black teenager in 2014. Jason Van Dyke shot Laquan McDonald 16 times, saying the teen menaced him with a knife. Today, a defense lawyer argued that a video showing McDonald moving away was — quote — "essentially meaningless." The prosecution's said that Van Dyke's account is a lie.

  A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's efforts to end protections for nearly 300,000 immigrants. They are from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan living in the U.S. under so-called temporary protected status. The judge in San Francisco ruled the decision to halt the program was based on racial animus. The Justice Department condemned the ruling.

  On Wall Street, rising interest rates helped to push docks sharply lower. The Dow Jones industrial average last 200 points to close at 26627. The Nasdaq fell 145 points, nearly 2 percent, and the S&P 500 slip almost 24.

  And Juan Romero has passed away. He was the hotel busboy who famously cradled Robert F. Kennedy after the senator was fatally shot. That was in June 1968 on the night Kennedy won California's Democratic presidential primary. He died a few hours later. Juan Romero died Monday of a heart attack. He was 68 years old.

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