GEOFF BENNETT: The day's other headlines start in Los Angeles, where thousands of residents have been forced to flee a massive brushfire.

The Canyon Fire is roaring in the mountains north of L.A., not far from Santa Clarita and near the southern edge of the Los Padres National Forest.

The fire erupted yesterday and quickly grew to cover more than eight square miles.

As of this morning, firefighters were able to stop its spread and at last check it was 25 percent contained.

On top of those who have left, another 14,000 were under evacuation warnings.

For some, the flames have come practically to their doorsteps.

JOSEPH DELEONARDI, Resident: She said: "We got to go.

We got to go."

And as long as it was a couple hundred yards or 100 yards -- I don't think it was more than 300 feet away and back to this house and back of Dean's house.

It was that close.

GEOFF BENNETT: Meantime, the largest fire in California has now spread to 155 square miles in the center of the state.

The Gifford Fire has injured at least four people and is still burning.

August and September are typically the most dangerous months for wildfires in California.

The U.S. Justice Department subpoenaed New York Attorney General Letitia James today as investigators look into whether she violated President Trump's civil rights.

The subpoenas reportedly seek records related to two lawsuits James filed against Mr. Trump, one from a civil fraud case she won which led to a half-a-billion dollar penalty.

The other involved the National Rifle Association.

In response, James' office issued a statement saying in part -- quote -- "Any weaponization of the justice system should disturb every American."

It's the latest instance of the Trump administration investigating perceived enemies of the president.

President Trump is removing IRS Commissioner Billy Long after less than two months on the job.

The former congressman was confirmed by the Senate in June, despite having no experience in tax administration.

During his time in Congress, the former auctioneer and staunch Trump ally had sponsored legislation aimed at getting rid of the agency.

No reason has been given for his removal.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will reportedly serve as acting commissioner until a permanent replacement is found.

The IRS has now had six different people in charge this year.

At the White House today, President Trump hosted the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan for what was billed as a peace summit following decades of conflict between the two countries.

(APPLAUSE) GEOFF BENNETT: The parties signed a deal aimed at creating a transit corridor connecting Azerbaijan and its autonomous region located inside Armenia.

It's long been a sticking point in reaching a lasting peace.

The White House says it will be called the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.

The two countries separately signed economic deals with the U.S. that the officials say will boost cooperation in energy and technology.

In China, state media is reporting that floods have killed at least 10 people, with another 33 missing.

Heavy rains yesterday triggered the flooding and landslides in the mountains of China's northwestern Lanzhou Province.

WOMAN (through translator): The house collapsed.

All collapsed.

The stove was there, so many things, all smashed.

GEOFF BENNETT: Residents could only pick up the pieces of what wasn't swept away.

President Xi Jinping has urged an all-out rescue operation to find those who are missing and evacuate those still left in the affected villages.

The storms dropped nearly eight inches of rain in some areas, knocking out power and stranding more than 4,000 people.

On Wall Street today, stocks ended the week on solid footing.

The Dow Jones industrial average added more than 200 points on the day.

The Nasdaq rose more than 200 points as well, closing at a new all-time high.

The S&P 500 also ended in positive territory.

And the Hubble space telescope has captured the sharpest picture yet of a comet visiting from another solar system.

NASA and the European Space Agency released the image of the interstellar object called 3I/ATLAS as it traveled at a staggering 130,000 miles per hour.

That is the fastest ever recorded.

Thanks to the image, astronomers were able to narrow down their estimate for its size, saying its icy core is around 3.5 miles across.

NASA says the comet will make its closest approach to the sun in October, but poses no threat to the Earth.

And a passing of note.

Astronaut James Lovell has died.

As commander of the Apollo 13 mission in 1970, Lovell helped turn a near catastrophe into a triumph of human ingenuity.

It was a tale meant for Hollywood.

ACTOR: This is Houston.

Say again, please.

TOM HANKS, Actor: Houston, we have a problem.

GEOFF BENNETT: Tom Hanks famously played Lovell in the hit 1995 movie "Apollo 13."

He also joined Lovell when then-President Clinton awarded him the Congressional Space Medal of Honor back in 1995.

Even before Hollywood made him famous, Lovell was a legend in his own field, flying more than 700 hours in space during four separate missions.

He was meant to be the fifth man to walk on the moon and said that missing the chance was his one regret.

Lovell retired from the Navy and the space program in 1973 and went into private business.

NASA said in a statement that he died yesterday in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Jim Lovell was 97 years old.

Still to come on the "News Hour": President Trump proposes changes to the U.S. census to exclude undocumented immigrants; scientists desperately try to stop the country's largest wetland system from disappearing; and David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart weigh in on the week's political headlines.