US Domestic News Roundup: FDA to ban flavored e-cigarettes; Pentagon fails its first-ever audit; California wildfires

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Jurors in 'El Chapo' trial told of Mexico's drug wars, corruption

A key prosecution witness in the U.S. trial of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman on Thursday told jurors that there were "a lot of deaths" as the accused Mexican drug lord and his associates built the Sinaloa Cartel in the 1990s through bloody conflict with rival drug traffickers. Jesus Zambada told the jury that his brother, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, and Guzman used armies of sicarios, or assassins, to kill their enemies. Zambada, who has pleaded guilty to U.S. criminal charges, was testifying for a second day in Brooklyn federal court under an agreement to cooperate with prosecutors.

John Lennon's killer recalls inner 'tug of war' before the murder

Before he pulled the trigger that ended the life of rock icon John Lennon nearly 38 years ago, his killer remembers being in a "tug of war" with himself over what he was about to do, and even praying for a way out of carrying out his plan. In the end, the compulsion to gain notoriety by killing one of the most famous people in the world proved too powerful, a remorseful Mark David Chapman told parole officials at an Aug. 22 hearing that ended in a decision not to release him.

Labor unions file pension lawsuit against Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico violated a law meant to safeguard the pensions of its public-sector workers who have been unable to invest the more than $300 million they contributed to a new retirement plan, according to a lawsuit filed against the U.S. commonwealth's government and others by two labor unions on Thursday. The litigation, filed in U.S. District Court in San Juan, joins a long list of adversary cases in a form of bankruptcy Puerto Rico's federally created oversight board initiated in May 2017 to restructure the island's $120 billion of debt and pension obligations.

Pentagon fails its first-ever audit, official says

The Pentagon has failed what is being called its first-ever comprehensive audit, a senior official said on Thursday, finding U.S. Defense Department accounting discrepancies that could take years to resolve. Results of the inspection - conducted by some 1,200 auditors and examining financial accounting on a wide range of spending including on weapons systems, military personnel and property - were expected to be completed later in the day.

After 2,000 miles they crossed the U.S. border; then tragedy struck

The 911 emergency call came in to the U.S. Border Patrol's Tucson station around midnight. Joselino Gomez Esteban's voice crackled through an older cell phone from somewhere in Arizona's Sonoran Desert, the final stretch of a 2,000-mile (3,218 km) migration from Guatemala.

Crews search for California fire victims as list of missing grows

The search for victims of a catastrophic blaze that reduced a northern California town to ashes intensified on Thursday as authorities posted an expanded list of nearly 300 people reported missing in the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. At least 56 people have been confirmed dead so far in the Camp Fire, which erupted a week ago in the drought-parched Sierra foothills 175 miles (280 km) north of San Francisco and now ranks as one of the most lethal single U.S. wildfires since the turn of the last century.

Florida to recount ballots by hand in tight U.S. Senate race

Florida election officials on Thursday ordered a hand recount of ballots in a closely fought U.S. Senate race between Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson and his Republican challenger, Governor Rick Scott. Nelson trailed Scott by about 12,600 votes, or 0.15 percent of the more than 8 million ballots cast following an electronic recount.

FDA to ban flavored e-cigarettes at U.S. convenience stores

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday announced sweeping new restrictions on flavored tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes popular among teenagers in an effort to prevent a new generation of nicotine addicts. The much-anticipated announcement will mean that only tobacco, mint and menthol e-cigarette flavors can be sold at most traditional retail outlets such as convenience stores. Other fruity- or sweet-flavored varieties can now only be sold at age-restricted stores or through online merchants that use age-verification checks.

Proposed U.S. Space Force budget could be less than $5 billion: deputy defense secretary

The proposed U.S. Space Force, a new military service backed by President Donald Trump, could have an initial budget of less than $5 billion, the deputy defense secretary said on Thursday. The U.S. Air Force estimated start up costs for a proposed U.S. Space Force will be around $13 billion in the first five years.

Judge overturns Montana man's conviction in tribal bond scheme

A federal judge on Thursday overturned the conviction of a Montana man on charges that he helped run a scheme to defraud a Native American tribe and multiple pension funds through the issue of $60 million worth of tribal bonds. U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams in Manhattan ruled that the evidence at the trial earlier this year had not shown that the man, Devon Archer, knew that the bond issue was fraudulent, or that he received any personal benefit from it. Abrams said she was "left with an unwavering concern that Archer is innocent of the crimes charged."

(With inputs from Reuters)