President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States and South Korea had "pretty much finalized" a deal on trade. His comments came at a dinner hosted by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, after a lavish welcome and gift-giving ceremony where Trump was awarded the country's highest award. The two allies unveiled a deal in late July under which Seoul would avoid the worst of U.S. tariffs on its imports.

Hurricane Melissa is making its way across Cuba on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm, a day after making landfall in Jamaica as one of the region's strongest storms on record. Cuban authorities have evacuated more than 735,000 people. Melissa rapidly strengthened in recent days, making forecasting more difficult.