JUDY WOODRUFF: In the day's other news: President Trump canceled a meeting with Russian President
Vladimir Putin at the upcoming G20 summit.
He tweeted his decision after departing for Argentina.
In it, he cited Russia's seizure of three Ukrainian ships and 24 sailors near occupied
Crimea.
The president said he decided that -- quote -- "It would be best for all parties concerned
to cancel."
Now, that came less than an hour after he said he was still open to meeting with Putin.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called today for NATO to send more warships to the
Crimean region.
But a NATO spokesperson said that the alliance already has a strong presence there.
The Kremlin complained that Poroshenko is trying provoke new trouble.
President Trump is giving out mixed signals about trade tensions with China ahead of meeting
with China's president at the G20.
It comes as The Wall Street Journal reports that Washington might be willing to suspend
further punitive tariffs, in exchange for economic reforms by China.
Leaving the White House for Buenos Aires today, the president suggested he could go either
way.
DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: I think we're very close to doing something
with China, but I don't know that I want to do it, because what we have right now is billions
and billions of dollars coming into the United States in the form of tariffs or taxes.
So, I really don't know.
But I will tell you that I think China wants to make a deal.
I'm open to making a deal.
But, frankly, I like the deal we have right now.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Meanwhile, Beijing today criticized the U.S. for sailing two Navy warships through
the Taiwan Strait.
A destroyer and a cruiser passed through on Monday.
China claims Taiwan and the surrounding waters as its territory.
There's word, separately, that China is tracking electric cars within its borders, raising
new concerns about sweeping surveillance.
The Associated Press reports that more than 200 companies, including Tesla, Ford and General
Motors, transmit the data to monitoring centers, in accordance with Chinese laws.
Chinese officials say that the data is used to improve public safety.
Beijing also moved today to stop a medical team's work on gene-edited babies.
That's after a Chinese researcher claimed that he created twins with altered DNA to
resist the AIDS virus.
China's vice minister of science and technology said today that his agency has ordered that
the work be halted.
XU NANPING, Chinese Vice Minister for Science and Technology (through translator): The gene-edited
babies reported by the media obviously violates China's relevant laws and regulations.
It also crossed the line of morality and ethics adhered to by the academic community, which
is shocking and unacceptable.
We are firmly against this.
JUDY WOODRUFF: The researcher's claims have not been independently confirmed.
But he said today that he will cooperate fully with any investigation and make his data available
for outside review.
Back in this country, a hotly contested nomination for a federal judgeship in North Carolina
may have gone down to defeat.
Attorney Thomas Farr had been criticized for defending state laws that were biased against
black citizens.
Late today, South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott announced that he will vote no.
That ensures that Farr cannot gain a majority if no other votes change.
Flash flooding hit parts of Northern California today, as a new rainstorm drenched areas burned
bare by wildfire.
Rescue teams deployed to aid people trapped in cars.
Meanwhile, crews continued clearing debris and restoring electrical power on the outskirts
of Paradise.
The town was largely destroyed by fire this month.
Deaths in the United States hit a record high last year, 2.8 million, driven not just by
the elderly, but by younger and middle ages as well.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention blamed drug overdoses and the most suicides
in 50 years.
It says, as a result, life expectancy decreased for the second time in three years.
A baby born in 2017 is now expected to live an average 78 years and seven months.
U.S. officials now say that 42 migrants arrested in a border clash near Tijuana will not be
charged with illegal entry into the U.S.
They managed to cross during Sunday's melee between migrants who threw rocks and border
agents who fired tear gas.
The ultimate fate of the 42 is still unclear.
And on Wall Street, stocks slipped a little after Wednesday's big rally.
The Dow Jones industrial average lost 27 points to close at 25338.
The Nasdaq fell 18, and the S&P 500 was down six.
Still to come on the "NewsHour": a desperate search for those still missing after the deadly
California wildfires; what to watch for when President Trump meets world leaders in Argentina;
a new series, The Future of Work, as robotics and artificial intelligence become ever more
ubiquitous; and a Brief But Spectacular take on ending violence against women.