News Wrap: Tropical Storm Ophelia expected to bring flooding to East Coast

WILLIAM BRANGHAM:

In the day's other headlines: Tropical Storm Ophelia is barreling towards the East Coast, raising the risk of flooding and tornadoes. It's expected to strengthen before making landfall Saturday morning in North Carolina and then moving north through the mid-Atlantic.

Authorities are warning of life-threatening storm surge and dangerous rip currents.

A judge at Guantanamo Bay has declared one of the defendants in the 9/11 attacks case unfit for trial. A military medical panel found that years of CIA torture has rendered Ramzi Binalshibh lastingly psychotic. The prosecution will continue for the other four co-defendants. No trial date has been set.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is close to a historic peace agreement with Saudi Arabia. It would be the fifth Arab nation to normalize ties with Israel since the signing of the so-called Abraham Accords in 2020. Netanyahu made the announcement at the U.N. General Assembly today, where he spoke optimistically about the future of the region.

PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israel:

Today, I bring this marker to show a great blessing, the blessing of a new Middle East between Israel, Saudi Arabia and our other neighbors. We will not only bring down barriers between Israel and our neighbors. We will build a new corridor of peace and prosperity.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM:

There are still several obstacles to the agreement that Israel has not publicly addressed, including Saudi Arabia's demand for progress creating a Palestinian state.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Armenian forces in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region have started handing over their weapons to Russian peacekeepers. There have been several cease-fire violations, but no deaths since Azerbaijan recaptured the region this week.

Meanwhile, in Armenia, protests erupted in the capital of Yerevan. Dozens of demonstrators were arrested after demanding their prime minister step down over the offensive.

Pope Francis is denouncing what he calls the — quote — "fanaticism of indifference' that greets migrants who are searching for a better life in Europe. He did so while visiting in France, visiting the Mediterranean port of Marseille amid a huge influx of migrants from Africa. The pontiff spoke at a memorial to migrants and sailors lost at sea.

POPE FRANCIS (through interpreter):

Before us is the sea, a source of life, yet this place evokes the tragedy of shipwrecks, which cause death. Let us not get used to seeing disasters at sea as mere news stories and those dying at sea as numbers.

No, they are names and surnames. They are faces and stories. They are broken lives and shattered dreams.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM:

The pope's visit comes days after nearly 7,000 migrants overwhelmed the small Italian island of Lampedusa in just one day.

And Wall Street wrapped up its worst week in six months by adding to its losses. The Dow Jones industrial average slid 106 points to close at 33964. The Nasdaq fell 12 points. The S&P 500 slipped 10.