JUDY WOODRUFF: In the day's other news: Lebanon's leaders approved economic reforms aimed at
stopping mass protests.
Vast crowds filled Central Beirut over the weekend in a revolt against the ruling elite.
And, today, demonstrations shut down banks and businesses for a fifth day.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri met with his cabinet today, then announced the
reforms and hailed the protesters.
SAAD HARIRI, Lebanese Prime Minister (through translator): You have put the Lebanese national
identity back in its place above all sectarian or religious identity.
And this is the biggest national victory.
I'm not asking you to stop protesting or expressing your anger.
That is a decision that you take, and no one can give you a deadline.
JUDY WOODRUFF: The prime minister's economic package promises to deal with massive debt
by cutting salaries of top officials in half and closing some ministries.
In Hong Kong, new protests late today brought new street clashes.
Heavily armed police fired tear gas to break up groups who tried to block roads.
That came a day after riot police mistakenly sprayed a mosque with blue-dyed water, as
mass demonstrations turned violent.
Today, city leaders apologized.
Hundreds of people in Santiago, Chile, defied a curfew today, after the city became a battleground
over the weekend, with at least 11 dead.
On Sunday, protesters angered by growing inequality and a transit fare increase torched buses
and vandalized subway stations.
Soldiers fired tear gas and water cannon, and President Sebastian Pinera denounced the
protests.
SEBASTIAN PINERA, Chilean President (through translator): We are at war with a powerful,
relentless enemy that respects nothing or anyone and is willing to use violence and
crime without any limits, even when it involves the loss of human lives.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Pinera has suspended the transit fare hike, but he imposed a state of emergency
in Santiago and other cities.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today that he has given up on forming
a national unity government.
His chief rival, former military chief Benny Gantz, will now take a turn.
If he, too, fails, it could lead to Israel's third election in less than a year.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was dealt another blow in his efforts to get
a vote on a Brexit plan.
The speaker of the House of Commons said that parliamentary rules do not allow a vote, because
lawmakers had refused to act Saturday on the same question.
But he said the prime minister has other options.
JOHN BERCOW, Speaker, House of Commons: If the government have got the numbers, the government
can have their way.
And it's not for the speaker to interfere.
The judgment I have made is about the importance of upholding a very longstanding and overwhelmingly
observed convention of this house.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Britain faces an October 31 deadline to leave the European Union.
Canada held a national election today, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's job at stake.
He has been hurt by an ethics scandal and by his admission that he wore blackface years
ago.
Trudeau was joined by his wife and children as he cast his vote in Montreal.
He is vying to remain a leading progressive voice on the world stage.
His main opponent is Andrew Scheer, leader of the Conservative Party.
Back in this country, the three largest drug distributors and a major pharmaceutical manufacturer
reached a settlement with two Ohio counties in the opioid epidemic.
It totals $260 million, and it could lead to a broader national settlement of more than
2,600 lawsuits.
We will take a closer look later in the program.
The governor of Texas has declared a disaster in 16 counties after severe storms, including
a tornado, roared through the Dallas area overnight.
The twister touched down near the main airport.
It moved eastward, tearing through trees, ripping off roofs and left thousands in the
dark.
But the Dallas mayor said it could have been much worse.
ERIC JOHNSON, Mayor of Dallas, Texas: Considering the path that the storm took, and it went
across a pretty densely populated part of our city, I think we should consider ourselves
very fortunate that we didn't lose any lives.
No fatalities and no serious injuries in last night's storm, so I think we should all be
grateful for that.
JUDY WOODRUFF: The same weather system killed one person in Arkansas and three in Oklahoma.
The Trump administration is moving forward with a plan to collect DNA samples from legal
asylum-seekers and anyone who enters the U.S. illegally.
The Justice Department issued the proposed rule today.
It said that the biometric records would be transferred to an FBI database and used for
criminal investigations.
On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 57 points, to close at 26827.
The Nasdaq rose 73 points, and the S&P 500 added 20.
And, after 166 years, New York's Central Park will have a monument to famous women.
A city commission voted today to erect a statue of three pioneering figures.
They are women's suffrage icons Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, and Sojourner
Truth, who escaped slavery to became a leading abolitionist.
Central Park already has 23 statues, all of men.
Still to come on the "NewsHour": the latest from the campaign trail and a one-on-one interview
with Senator Bernie Sanders; Tamara Keith and Amy Walter break down the latest on the
impeachment fight in Congress and more; four drug companies reach a last-minute deal in
a high-stakes opioid case; and healing Flint, how focused nutrition programs battle the
effects of lead-laden water.