“We’ve been able to strengthen each other and work together to counter terrorism, to deal with issues like nuclear proliferation, to address the problems of conflict that are causing so much misery and hardship for so many people.”

Leaders are expected to issue a statement announcing new military commitments including joint exercises and cooperation on ballistic missiles. 

 

Jeb Bush has changed his mind after telling Fox News earlier this week he would have authorized the invasion of Iraq in 2001 if he’d been in his brother’s shoes. He’s now come out and said in hindsight he would not gone into Iraq. NPR’s Mara Liasson has more. 

After days of evasions and awkward answers, Jeb Bush has finally settled on a definitive response to the question “knowing what we know now, would have invaded Iraq?” In Tempe, Arizona, he said he would not have done what his brother George W. did. 

“I would have not engaged. I would not have gone into Iraq. That’s not to say that the world is safer because Saddam Hussein is gone. It is significantly safer.”

Bush has now associated himself with mainstream public opinion. Big majorities of Americans think the war in Iraq was a mistake and every one of the potential GOP presidential candidates have also said that knowing what we know now about the non-existent weapons of mass destruction, they would not have started the war in Iraq. Mara Liasson, NPR News, Washington. 

 

The death toll has now risen to eight following Tuesday night’s high-speed derailment of an Amtrak passenger train in Philadelphia. Investigators say the body was found in a mangled train car by dog. Officials say they now believe all 243 people on board that train have been accounted for. Amtrak says it expects limited train service between Philadelphia and New York to resume Monday. 

 

The S&P500 hit a record high today. As NPR’s John Ydstie explains, other major stock indexes also rose sharply. 

The S&P pushed a record high. It’s helped by some stability in the bond and foreign exchange markets. Interest rates have risen sharply in the bond market over the last month, curbing enthusiasm for stocks. But rates are now declining after reaching a six months’ high on Tuesday. Stock investors drove the S&P500 up 22 point, more than 1%. The Dow and Nasdaq also rose more than 1%. The S&P500 is up 1.6% for the year. Stocks have continued to rise despite Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen’s recent comment that stock values are quite high, suggesting investors might be taking excessive risks. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington. 

 

The Dow was up 191 points. 

 

This is NPR. 

 

Jurors deliberating the fate of convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev a few hours into weighing the penalty phase of the trial have reportedly sent true questions to the judge overseeing the case. The first question referring to the aiding and abetting in conspiracy concepts raised in the initial phase of the trial. During that phase Tsarnaev was convicted of committing the bombings with his brother that killed three and injured more than 260 others. The judge responded that whatever intensions Tsarnaev had, that needs to be determined by the jury. 

 

Restrictions are tightening today on would-be migrants abandoned at sea by human traffickers in Southeast Asia. As Michael Sullivan reports from Bangkok, both Thailand and Malaysia today made it clear they would be allowing any more boats to make land. 

Malaysia turned back at least one boat early today, but did provide food for the hundreds on board and fuel for the boat to go somewhere else. It appears that won’t be Thailand. The Thai Navy today spotted a vessel with hundreds of migrants on board and also provided food but made it clear the boat should go elsewhere. Yesterday it was Indonesia turning back at least one boat. Human Rights Watch is accusing the countries of playing a three-way game of human ping-pong with the migrants, several thousands of whom are believed to be trapped on boats offshore. All three countries have allowed boats to land before as recently as this week, but all are afraid accepting more will trigger an exodus from Myanmar’s western Rakhine state and Bangladesh. The Muslim minority Rohingya in Myanmar, formally known as Burma, suffer persecution at the hands of Myanmar’s Buddhist majority. For NPR News, I’m Michael Sullivan in Bangkok. 

 

Critical futures prices moved lower today. The price of oil down 62 cents a barrel ending the session at $59.88 a barrel in New York.