JOHN YANG: In the day's other news: President
Trump is heading to South Korea, after winding
up two days in Japan.
He complained today about the trade imbalance
with Japan, and defended his tough talk on
North Korea.
He called the North a threat to the civilized
world.
We will get a full report after the news summary.
And back in Washington, two of President Trump's
former campaign aides will stay under house
arrest for now.
They're charged in the special counsel's probe
of Russian election meddling.
One-time campaign chairman Paul Manafort and
business associate Rick Gates appeared today
in federal court in Washington.
They have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy
and money laundering.
The judge has asked for more information on
a bond package to guarantee that they won't
flee.
The House Ways and Means Committee began work
on a far-reaching tax overhaul bill today.
It would cut the corporate rate, simplify
individual rates, and add more than a trillion
dollars to the national debt.
Republicans and Democrats jousted over whether
the bill would help more than hurt, and who
would benefit.
REP.
KEVIN BRADY (R), Texas: We stand on the doorstep
of delivering the most sweeping tax overhaul
in more than 30 years.
But make no mistake, this day and this historic
legislation is not about us.
It's about providing long overdue relief to
American workers, families, and job creators.
REP.
BILL PASCRELL JR.
(D), New Jersey: I don't care whether you
live in Dakota, Jersey.
This thing is really shafting everybody.
It's an equal-opportunity shafter, this bill.
I got to admit that.
There are a lot of people expecting a tax
cut who will be big losers under this bill.
JOHN YANG: The lawmakers heard from staff
today that the bill would likely mean tax
hikes for about 38 million Americans by 2023.
But Republicans countered that, in the near
term, most people will get tax cuts.
In South Sudan, warnings today that more than
1.25 million people face starvation.
The United Nations and the South Sudanese
government say that's double the number from
last year.
And they say the country could plunge back
into famine.
The world's youngest nation has been ravaged
by a civil war that's killed more than 50,000
people since 2013.
2017 is on track to become one of the three
hottest years on record.
The other two, 2015 and 2016, but unlike this
year, those two years had strong El Nino weather
patterns that boosted temperatures.
The U.N.'s weather agency reports the average
surface temperature this year has run nearly
two degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial
levels.
And on Wall Street today, stocks made modest
advances, and Three major stock indexes closed
at record highs.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained nine
points to close at 23548.
The Nasdaq rose 22 points, and the S&P 500
added three.
