US Domestic News Roundup: U.S. lawsuit puts cannabis claims to test; Police arrest suspect in Black Friday shooting

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

California regulator orders PG&E to implement safety recommendations

California's top utilities regulator on Thursday ordered the embattled power utility Pacific Gas and Electric Co to implement safety recommendations the agency's staff outlined in an independent third-party report. The move by the California Public Utilities Commission comes as it investigates the cause of the Camp Fire that destroyed the town of Paradise, in the state's deadliest-ever wildfire.

Police arrest suspect in Black Friday shooting at Alabama mall

Police in Georgia on Thursday arrested a suspect in a shooting that wounded two people at an Alabama mall and left another man dead after he was apparently mistaken for the gunman during Black Friday sales, federal officials said. The case drew wide attention after police in Alabama said an officer had killed the gunman at the Riverchase Galleria near Birmingham, but then said the dead man was likely not to blame and that the actual shooter remained at large.

Some 88 killed, 196 missing three weeks after Camp Fire began: sheriff

At least 88 people have been killed and 196 people are listed as missing three weeks after the deadliest wildfire in California history torched a small mountain community leaving it in smoldering ruins, authorities said on Wednesday. The Camp Fire, which began on Nov. 8, destroyed nearly 14,000 homes and burned nearly 153,000 acres (62,000 hectares), an area five times the size of San Francisco, in and around the town of Paradise, a northern California community of 27,000 people.

Murder trial begins for driver in Virginia white nationalist rally

The man who plowed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters at last year's white nationalist rally in Virginia had every intention to kill, a prosecutor told jurors on Thursday at the start of his murder trial. "It was willful, premeditated murder," prosecutor Nina-Alice Antony said in Charlottesville Circuit Court, where James Fields, 21, is facing a possible life sentence.

Pentagon looks to exoskeletons to build 'super-soldiers'

The U.S. Army is investing millions of dollars in experimental exoskeleton technology to make soldiers stronger and more resilient, in what experts say is part of a broader push into advanced gear to equip a new generation of "super-soldiers." The technology is being developed by Lockheed Martin Corp with a license from Canada-based B-TEMIA, which first developed the exoskeletons to help people with mobility difficulties stemming from medical ailments like multiple sclerosis and severe osteoarthritis.

Schools work to restore routine to children of lost Paradise

For two dozen third-graders who survived the massive wildfire that largely obliterated Paradise, California, school is now the small home of their teacher, Sheri Eichar: Reading center on the couch, math in the kitchen nook, language in the corner. When it's time for recess, the pupils jog around the block of Eichar's suburban neighborhood in Chico, a 20-minute drive from Paradise.

California assessing legal action against use of force on Mexico border

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is assessing whether the state can take legal action over the Trump administration's use of force against a caravan of migrants or a decision and future threats to shut the border with Mexico, he said in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday. "We have been approached by folks who have expressed complaints," Becerra, who is the son of Mexican immigrants, said. "We are monitoring what's occurring."

Patents on pot? U.S. lawsuit puts cannabis claims to the test

In October, the U.S. government issued Axim Biotechnologies Inc a patent for a cannabis-based suppository to treat irritable bowel syndrome. Britain's GW Pharmaceuticals Plc , which recently brought to market a drug derived from marijuana for epilepsy, is now seeking patent protection for another one to treat eczema.

More money for Madoff victims, nearly 10 years after his arrest

Victims of Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme will soon receive another $695.3 million from a government compensation fund, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Thursday, less than two weeks before the 10th anniversary of the swindler's arrest. The payout, to more than 27,300 victims, is the third from the Madoff Victim Fund, which has roughly $4 billion and was set up in November 2013 to help individuals, schools, charities, pension plans and others recoup their losses from the fraud.

Two children shot in front of Mississippi hospital: local media

Two children in a car were hit by gunfire in front of a Jackson, Mississippi, hospital on Thursday, the city's police chief told the Clarion Ledger. A suspect fired at a car with a woman and two children inside in front of University of Mississippi Medical Center and the children, aged 1 and 3, were struck by gunfire, Jackson Police Chief James Davis told the newspaper.

(With inputs from Reuters)