News Wrap: U.S. strikes alleged drug boats in Pacific, killing at least 14

Amna Nawaz:

In the day's other headlines: The U.S. military says it carried out three strikes against alleged drug boats in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, killing at least 14 people.

In a social media post, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes were launched yesterday and that one person survived. It marks a further escalation in the pace of the boat attacks that began in early September. At least 57 people have been killed in more than a dozen such strikes. The Trump administration has provided no evidence to support its claims that the boats were bringing drugs to the United States.

President Trump is heading to South Korea in the coming hours, where he will meet with China's President Xi Jinping later this week. Today, he was in Japan, where he and the nation's new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, signed an agreement vowing a — quote — "golden age" of the U.S.-Japan alliance.

(Applause)

Amna Nawaz:

Under the framework deal, the U.S. will tax Japanese goods at 15 percent, and Japan will set up a $550 billion fund of investments in the U.S. They also signed an agreement to cooperate on critical minerals.

The pair then headed to a docked aircraft carrier, where President Trump delivered a wide-ranging speech to troops and spoke highly of his host.

Donald Trump, President of the United States: I have such respect for Japan and the country, and now I have a really great respect for the new and incredible prime minister, I have to say this, the first female prime minister in the history of Japan.

(Cheering)

Amna Nawaz:

From there, Trump spoke at a banquet for business leaders. To mark his visit, a number of Japanese companies announced initiatives aimed at the U.S. market involving companies like Toyota and Toshiba, among others.

Here at home, the state of Texas is suing the makers of Tylenol for allegedly hiding unproven links to autism and other disorders. The lawsuit from Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton echoes recent allegations by President Trump that the active ingredient in Tylenol, acetaminophen, poses a risk to children's brain development during pregnancy. Scientists have found no such causal relationship.

Kenvue, a spin-off of health care giant Johnson & Johnson, calls the lawsuit's claims baseless.

Republican lawmakers released their long-awaited report today on former President Joe Biden's use of the autopen during his time in the White House. The findings from the House Oversight Committee argue that Biden's aides covered up his declining health and that his executive actions should therefore be considered null and void. That includes the pardon of his son, Hunter Biden.

They're calling on U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to open a full investigation. The report relies largely on public information and provides no specific instances of illegal activity. Democrats have dismissed the report as a — quote — "sham."

Amazon is slashing 14,000 corporate jobs as the company invests heavily in artificial intelligence. Today's cuts comprise about 4 percent of Amazon's overall work force, and they follow comments in June from the CEO, who said generative A.I. would likely reduce the need for corporate staff over the coming years. In 2023, the online retailer announced it was shedding 27,000 jobs after a boom in hiring during the COVID pandemic.

On Wall Street today, stocks ended higher ahead of tomorrow's rate decision by the Federal Reserve. The Dow Jones industrial average added roughly 160 points on the day. The Nasdaq rose nearly 200 points. The S&P 500 also closed in positive territory.

And actress Prunella Scales of "Fawlty Towers" fame has died.

(Laughter)

Prunella Scales, Actress:

I've seen better organized creatures than you running around farmyards with their heads cut off. Now, collect your things and get out.

Amna Nawaz:

Scales played Sybil, the exasperated wife of the hapless Basil Fawlty, as they ran a chaotic seaside hotel. The series only ran for 12 episodes, but has become one of Britain's best loved comedies. Scales was also a versatile stage performer and appeared in films over her nearly seven-decade career.

And she enjoyed an unlikely hit later in life with the travel show "Great Canal Journeys" alongside her husband Timothy West. Her family says she died peacefully at home in London after a long battle with dementia. Prunella Scales was 93 years old.