News Wrap: Kim Jong Un arrives in Russia to discuss major arms deal with Putin

Amna Nawaz:

In the day's other headlines: The stage is set for North Korea's Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet and discuss a major arms deal. Kim arrived today in Russia's far east on his armored train greeted by officials and a brass band.

It's his first foreign trip since the pandemic. The initial stop was at Khasan, near the city of Vladivostok. Russian reports suggested Kim is headed for the Vostochny spaceport, where the meeting with Putin could take place.

The Russian president declared today that the criminal cases against former President Trump have exposed all that's wrong with the U.S. political system. Putin spoke at an economic forum in Vladivostok. He said Russia will benefit from the attacks on Mr. Trump.

Vladimir Putin, Russian President (through interpreter):

As for the prosecution of Trump, for us, what's happening in today's conditions, in my opinion, is good, because it shows the rottenness of the American political system, which cannot pretend to teach others democracy. Everything that is happening with Trump is the persecution of a political rival for political reasons.

Amna Nawaz:

The Russian leader also said it's unlikely that Moscow's relations with Washington will improve much, no matter who wins the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

Iran today publicly identified five prisoners in the U.S. that it wants freed for five Iranian Americans held in Tehran. That came a day after the Biden administration allowed Tehran to draw on $6 billion in frozen funds for humanitarian aid. The State Department rejected criticism that the move amounts to paying ransom.

Matthew Miller, State Department Spokesman:

Iran is not going to release these American citizens out of the goodness of their heart. That is not real life. That is not how this works. That was never going to happen. We have to make tough choices and engage in tough negotiations to bring these American citizens home.

Amna Nawaz:

The frozen funds are to be transferred from South Korea to Qatar. The State Department said they can be frozen again if Iran violates the agreement.

The beating death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis has sparked federal civil rights charges against five former police officers. Today's announcement came nine months after that fatal traffic stop. Like Nichols, the defendants are Black. They have already pleaded not guilty to state charges of second-degree murder.

The biggest federal antitrust trial in a generation kicked off today, pitting the government against Google. This morning, attorneys for the tech giant and the Justice Department arrived at federal court in Washington. It's expected that the trial will last 10 weeks. Federal prosecutors say Google uses the dominance of its search engine to stifle competition. The company denies that.

Advisers to the FDA say the leading ingredient in many over-the-counter cold medicines is essentially useless. They reported that finding today about the decongestant phenylephrine after new studies showed it's no better than a placebo. The compound is found in Sudafed, DayQuil, and other products. The FDA must now decide whether to order those versions off the market.

And on Wall Street, stocks headed lower, as investors waited for the August inflation report. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 17 points to close just below 34646. The Nasdaq fell 144 points, or 1 percent. The S&P 500 gave up 25 points.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": we report from on the ground in Ukraine, where a counteroffensive is slowly regaining territory from Russian forces; child poverty increases sharply following the expiration of an expanded tax credit; plus much more.