News Wrap: August inflation report shows consumer prices up 3.4%

Amna Nawaz:

Also, today, the latest reading on U.S. inflation is fueling speculation that the Fed will raise interest rates when it meets next week. The Labor Department said this morning that consumer prices rose 3.4 percent in August when compared to last year.

That's the same as a month earlier. And energy prices remain elevated, with fighting in the Middle East showing no signs of easing. In fact, diesel prices hit record highs above $6 a gallon today. And that has a knock-on effect, since it pushes up the costs of shipping for groceries and other goods.

Health officials today declared an end to this year's cyclospora outbreak, which was the largest in U.S. history. The FDA expressed confidence that the recalled iceberg lettuce related to this particular outbreak is now off the market. Federal data shows that nearly 13,000 people across 21 states fell ill with the intestinal parasite this summer.

Most were in Michigan, where two deaths were tied to the disease. The FDA says it will continue its investigation into the outbreak's origins and how infections became so widespread.

In the U.K., lawmakers rejected a proposal to legalize assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales.

Woman:

The ayes to the right 270, the no's to the left 286.

Amna Nawaz:

Today's vote in the House of Commons effectively ends a two-year debate in Parliament that had inflamed passions among lawmakers and the public. The bill would have allowed patients with fewer than six months to live to choose to end their lives with medical assistance, provided they had the approval of doctors and an expert panel.

Polls suggest solid public support for the practice, but opponents have cited concerns about coercion and a lack of safeguards.

A senior British defense official says more than half-a-million Russian troops have been killed since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022. The assessment from the chief of the U.K.'s Defense Staff comes as Russia's advance has slowed significantly this year. Ukrainian casualties were not mentioned and neither side gives regular updates on losses.

In the meantime, Ukraine continues to strike Russia, with drones hitting this warehouse in the southwestern city of Saratov today, while, in Ukraine's capital of Kyiv, firefighters battled flames after Russian drones hit gas stations and residential buildings.

One woman who lost her apartment in the strikes spoke of her exhaustion even as air raids sounded.

Oleksandra Gaziyeva, (through interpreter):

I'm so tired of this that I don't know what to say. I don't see anything positive. Things are only getting worse and worse. Where do I find the strength?

Amna Nawaz:

Also today, Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized what he called the -- quote -- "unseemly actions" by Western leaders on the global stage.

In remarks ahead of this weekend's BRICS summit in New Delhi, he cited attacks on logistical facilities, the seizing of maritime vessels, and sanctions, among others.

A growing bipartisan group of lawmakers is calling for stronger A.I. regulations after two stark warnings this week about the dangers of the technology. Industry experts are still poring over the threats raised by Anthropic in a lengthy report yesterday. That includes attempts by bad actors to use its A.I. models to develop biological weapons and even efforts by Iran to target U.S. warships in the Middle East.

That comes after outgoing Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon sparked global concerns by posting online that A.I. could -- quote -- "kill us all" by the end of the decade.

An Indiana state senator has finally won his primary race four months after votes were cast and even after President Trump worked to defeat him. Spencer Deery was one of seven Republican lawmakers targeted by the president for refusing to redraw the state's congressional map to help the GOP pick up two House seats.

Five of those senators lost their primary bids after Mr. Trump backed their opponents. But the state Supreme Court certified yesterday that Deery won his primary by three votes, advancing him to the general election in November.

A teenage boy is safely back with his family after surviving for days on top of a capsized boat in Alaska's Bering Sea.

Man:

We will swing around and grab you!

Amna Nawaz:

A fishing boat working with the Coast Guard spotted the 15-year-old kneeling on his overturned boat on Monday before helping him on board. The Coast Guard said he had symptoms of hypothermia from the frigid waters.

The teenager was the sole survivor on board. His older brother and cousin drowned some time after the boat flipped over, and their bodies were later recovered.

On Wall Street today, stocks regained some of their losses from earlier in the week. The Dow Jones industrial average added more than 500 points. The Nasdaq rose nearly 1 percent. The S&P 500 also closed out the week with a solid gain.

Still to come on the "News Hour": former Secretary of State and New York Senator Hillary Clinton reflects on the tragedy of 9/11; we report from Afghanistan 25 years after the start of the U.S. war on terror; and David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart provide their analysis of the week's news.