News Wrap: Americans freed from Iran arrive back in the U.S.

Amna Nawaz:

The five Americans freed in a prisoner swap with Iran are finally back on U.S. soil.

One by one, they stepped onto the tarmac early this morning at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Loved ones welcomed them home with cheers and tearful embraces after years of separation. They were freed after President Biden agreed to unfreeze nearly $6 billion in Iranian funds for humanitarian purchases.

A Moscow court has refused to consider the latest appeal by Evan Gershkovich, The Wall Street Journal reporter detained on espionage charges. His trial date has yet to be scheduled. Gershkovich appeared in public for the first time in months, standing behind glass walls.

Outside the court, the U.S. ambassador said she won't rest until he and American detainee Paul Whelan are released.

Lynne Tracy, U.S. Ambassador to Russia: The plight of U.S. citizens wrongfully detained in Russia remains a top priority for me, my team at the embassy, and the entire U.S. government. It is unacceptable that Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan still languish in Russian prisons on charges that are baseless.

Amna Nawaz:

Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison. Paul Whelan is serving a 16-year sentence on similar charges.

Forces in Azerbaijan fired on Armenian military positions today, killing at least five civilians and wounding scores more. The shelling happened in the long disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region that's under ethnic Armenian control. Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry released video of today's strikes. They called it an anti-terrorist operation launched after a land mine killed several soldiers and civilians.

India expelled a senior Canadian diplomat today hours after Canada did the same to an Indian diplomat. The dueling dismissals come amid allegations that Indian agents murdered Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver back in June. He was a Canadian citizen and leading advocate for Sikh independence.

India has called the claims absurd, but Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his decision to investigate.

Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister:

We are not looking to provoke or escalate. We are simply laying out the facts as we understand them. Canadians have a right to know and need to know when things are going on like this. And that's why we made the decision to do this.

Amna Nawaz:

Canada has the highest population of Sikhs outside of their home state of Punjab in India.

In Libya, authorities have divided the flood-ravaged city of Derna into four sections to create buffer zones to prevent the spread of disease. That comes amid reports that at least 150 residents have fallen ill after drinking contaminated water. Meanwhile, anti-government protests erupted outside one of the city's mosques. Demonstrators demanded a transparent reconstruction process.

Mohammed Ben Hamad, Libya Protester (through interpreter):

We ask that, if there are any rebuilding efforts, that no Libyan company be involved. Everyone in Derna is corrupt, from the head of the municipality to city officials. Derna should either be left as is, or a foreign company should be involved.

Amna Nawaz:

Protesters also called for a thorough investigation. Reports allege authorities ignored warnings that the two dams that collapsed near Derna during the storm needed maintenance.

And stocks slid on Wall Street today as investors awaited tomorrow's Federal Reserve decision on interest rates. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 106 points to close at 34518. The Nasdaq fell 32 points, and the S&P 500 slipped nine.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": Republican Congressman Ralph Norman on critical negotiations to avoid a government shutdown; why crews regularly remove tons of fishing debris from the bottom of the Gulf of Maine; the newest state and local efforts to register more people to vote; and the first woman to lead Texas' oldest HBCU recounts her remarkable life in a new memoir.