US News Roundup: US government can be sued over climate; Hurricane strands many in Florida

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. government, but not Trump, can be sued over climate: judge

A group of young Americans suing the federal government over lack of action to fight climate change can proceed with their lawsuit, but U.S. President Donald Trump cannot be named as a defendant, a federal judge ruled on Monday. The decision by U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken in Eugene, Oregon, came before the case is scheduled to go to trial in federal court on Oct. 29.

Harvard accused of bias against Asian-Americans at trial

Harvard University discriminates against Asian-American applicants in order to limit how many it admits, a lawyer for a group suing the school said on Monday at the start of a trial that could have wider implications for the role of race in U.S. college admissions. The trial in federal court in Boston pits the Ivy League school against Students for Fair Admissions, which was founded by an anti-affirmative action activist and whose case is backed by the Trump administration.

Trump tells Mattis he is 100 per cent behind him after 'Democrat' jab

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said President Donald Trump has reassured him of his full support after the Republican president described his Pentagon chief as "sort of a Democrat" who could leave the administration. Mattis, speaking to reporters before landing in Vietnam on Tuesday, said he received the reassurance from Trump in a phone call during his nearly 20-hour flight from Washington.

Hurricane strands many in Florida Panhandle's poor, rural backcountry

Bernard Sutton, a 64-year-old cancer patient, and two buddies have been living out of a camping tent and broken-down minivan since his double-wide trailer home in rural Fountain, Florida, was torn apart by Hurricane Michael last week. On Monday, five days after the storm ploughed into Florida's Gulf Coast, Sutton was standing over a heap of clothes, books, furniture and other belongings he had salvaged from the wreckage.

Judge dismisses Stormy Daniels defamation lawsuit against Trump

A U.S. judge on Monday dismissed adult film actress Stormy Daniels's defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump and ordered her to pay his attorney's fees, saying a tweet the president had written referring to her was protected by free-speech laws. Daniels' lawyer, Michael Avenatti, said they would appeal the decision.

U.S. to propose TV ads for drugs must include list prices

The U.S. government, in an effort to increase pressure on drugmakers to lower costs for U.S. consumers, said on Monday it will propose requiring companies to include the price of their prescription medicines in television ads. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, in announcing the plan, dismissed suggestions by major U.S. drug companies that less stringent disclosures might be adequate.

Idaho wildlife official resigns over uproar about killing baboon family

An Idaho wildlife official was forced to resign on Monday after photographs of him posing with a family of baboons and other wild creatures he killed in September during a hunting trip in Africa went viral online, igniting a firestorm of criticism. In a resignation letter to Idaho Gov. C. L. "Butch" Otter, state Fish and Game Commissioner Blake Fischer cited poor judgment in posting the images.

Rescuers in Florida Panhandle search for missing people, bodies after hurricane

Rescue workers and volunteers searched for more than 1,000 people still missing in the Florida Panhandle and tens of thousands of residents remained without power on Tuesday after the area was devastated by Hurricane Michael last week. At least 19 deaths in four states have been blamed on Michael which made landfall on Wednesday and is one of the most powerful storms on record to hit the continental United States.

Real estate scion Robert Durst made his wife fear him: witness

Robert Durst, a real estate scion charged with murder who was profiled in the HBO television documentary "The Jinx," struck fear in his wife in the early 1980s before she disappeared, a witness testified in court on Monday in Los Angeles. Durst, a 75-year-old multimillionaire, was arrested in 2015 and charged with murder in the 2000 shooting death of his longtime friend and confidante Susan Berman.

Senator Warren, mocked by Trump as 'Pocahontas,' says DNA test backs her ancestry

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, ridiculed by U.S. President Donald Trump as "Pocahontas" for claiming Native American heritage, hit back on Monday with DNA evidence she said supported her assertion, a possible preview of a bare-knuckled presidential campaign in 2020. The Massachusetts lawmaker, known as a liberal firebrand in her party, said last month she would take a "hard look" at running for the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican Trump in 2020. She and Trump clashed frequently through the 2016 presidential campaign and Trump has cast aspersions on her claim to Native American ancestry.