IN THE NEWS TODAY
U.K. police are investigating reports of a terror attack after an explosion on a London underground train prompted panic during the morning rush hour there. Local media said passengers had suffered facial injuries from a blast and others had been left hurt in a subsequent stampede. (CNBC)
North Korea fired a missile that flew over Japan's northern Hokkaido far out into the Pacific Ocean, South Korean and Japanese officials said today, deepening tensions after Pyongyang's recent test of its most powerful nuclear bomb. (Reuters)
*North Korea's latest missile traveled farther, flew higher than its last (CNBC)
*'Dangerous arms race' on the Korean Peninsula: Seoul's worrying response (CNBC)
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that China and Russia need to take "direct action" against North Korea after Pyongyang fired a missile over Japan. He said the missile launch would "only deepen North Korea's diplomatic and economic isolation." (USA Today)
* UN Security Council to meet on North Korea missile test today (Reuters)
Even as President Donald Trump toured the damage in Florida from Hurricane Irma, Tropical Storm Jose was strengthening. It's expected to be a hurricane by tonight. A close brush with the U.S. East Coast next week cannot yet be ruled out. (Weather Channel)
House Speaker Paul Ryan and top Republicans pumped the brakes on talk of an immigration deal between Trump and Democrats. Ryan told reporters, "These were discussions, not negotiations. ... There isn't an agreement." (CNBC)
*Trump now says he backs deal to protect 'dreamers' (NYT)
President Trump called Sen. Bernie Sanders' proposed plan to eventually have Medicare cover the health-care needs of all Americans "a curse on the U.S.," that he promised to veto, if need be. Trump's comment came in two tweets, a day after Sanders rolled out his "Medicare for All" plan. (CNBC)
* Trump likely to fail on almost every campaign pledge in 2017, say global CFOs (CNBC)
Trump is not backing off his defiant response to violence at a white supremacist rally in Virginia last month. The president told reporters Thursday that he told Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., in a one-on-one meeting that "you have some pretty bad dudes" opposing white nationalists. (CNBC)
Harvard University withdrew a fellowship invitation to Chelsea Manning, the transgender U.S. Army soldier who was convicted of leaking classified data, after two top intelligence experts distanced themselves from the school over the invite. (Reuters)
A senior executive at China's state-backed internet finance body says "stateless" digital tokens such as bitcoin posed risks as they could be used for illegal actions, and rules are needed to support the development of "legal" digital currencies. (Reuters)
The company behind the popular mobile game "Angry Birds," Rovio Entertainment, confirmed the pricing for its IPO, which will value it at about $1 billion. Rovio expects to begin trading on the Nasdaq Helsinki pre-list on Sept. 29 and on the official list around Oct. 3. (WSJ)
Alphabet (GOOGL) may invest $1 billion in ride-sharing service Lyft. Separately, the Google parent responded to a gender discrimination lawsuit, saying it was reviewing the suit but disagrees with its allegations. The lawsuit accuses the company of discriminating against women in the areas of pay and promotions. (WSJ & CNBC)
Facebook (FB) announced plans to open its fourth artificial intelligence research lab, this one in the Canadian city of Montreal. The move comes after Alphabet (GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT) have invested in the local AI research scene. (CNBC)
* Facebook enabled advertisers to reach 'Jew haters' (ProPublica)
STOCKS TO WATCH
Oracle (ORCL) reported an adjusted quarterly profit of 62 cents per share, 2 cents above estimates, with revenue also coming above forecasts. Oracle's results were helped by a successful ramping up of its cloud-based business. But a warning on guidance was pressuring the stock in the premarket.
Phillips 66 (PSX) chartered a Marshall Islands-flagged ship to help meet fuel shortages resulting from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The energy producer took advantage of a temporary waiver of the Jones Act, which ordinarily requires the use of U.S.-flagged ships for transportation between U.S. coasts.
Macy's (M) plans to increase by 20 percent the number of workers it hires during the holiday shopping season to staff distribution and warehouses that support its online business, but total holiday hiring will fall.
Carnival (CCL) was downgraded to "neutral" from "outperform" at Credit Suisse, citing an uncertain outlook amid increasing threats to demand for cruises.