US News Roundup: California governor proposes wildfire fund; cities brace for immigration raids

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Missouri orders lone abortion clinic to close; judge keeps it open for now

Missouri health officials on Friday refused to renew the license of the state's only abortion clinic, but the facility will remain open for now as a judge left in place an injunction blocking its closure. At a brief state circuit court hearing on Friday, Judge Michael Stelzer said it might be days before the court would come to a decision on whether the state could shut its only abortion clinic, which is operated by women's healthcare and abortion provider Planned Parenthood.

Trump's half-cocked and loaded tweet draws barrage of reaction

U.S. President Donald Trump, whose Twitter malaprops often set off a deluge of social media criticism, was targeted on Friday for a linguistic misfire involving the phrase "locked and loaded." In a series of tweets on Friday morning Trump outlined why he said he had decided to call off a military strike on Iran he had planned in response to its having shot down a U.S. drone. He said he decided the estimated death toll of 150 would be a disproportionate response.

California governor proposes a $21 billion wildfire fund

California Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed helping utilities create a fund of up to $21 billion to compensate future victims of wildfires sparked by the companies' equipment or employees, an aide said on Friday. The proposal by the Democratic governor follows the bankruptcy filing earlier this year of San Francisco-based utility PG&E Corp, which anticipates $30 billion in liabilities from wildfires that have been blamed on its equipment, including the state's deadliest blaze which killed more than 80 people last year.

U.S. conservative group to launch attacks ads against Biden during Democratic debate

Club for Growth, a conservative political group, will launch new attack ads against Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden targeting his past statements about race that will run during his first debate appearance next week. The decision by Club for Growth to attack Biden is based on internal polling the organization conducted that was viewed exclusively by Reuters. The ad will air on MSNBC and NBC stations in Des Moines, Iowa, according to the organization.

Democratic presidential hopefuls seek black support at South Carolina fish fry

A fish fry in South Carolina on Friday drew the largest crowd of Democratic presidential candidates yet and gave them a chance to gauge support among black voters, who will be a crucial voting bloc in the early primary state next year. Twenty-one of the 24 major candidates seeking the party's 2020 nomination attended the gathering in Columbia hosted by U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn, the highest-ranking black lawmaker in Congress.

Nine dead as plane crashes in Hawaii, believed during skydiving trip

Nine passengers and crew were killed on Friday evening when their plane crashed near an airfield in Hawaii, authorities said, during what broadcaster CNN said was a skydiving trip. The twin-engine King Air plane went down near the Dillingham Airfield, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) said. The fire service said the aircraft was engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived and there appeared to be no survivors.

Prosecutors won't drop charges against Navy SEAL despite trial twist

Military prosecutors said on Friday they will not drop premeditated murder charges against a U.S. Navy SEAL charged with stabbing to death a teenaged Islamic State militant in Iraq in 2017, despite testimony from another SEAL who claimed to have killed the prisoner. Navy SEAL medic Corey Scott told the court on Thursday that he held his thumb over the victim's breathing tube until he died, saying he did so to save the young militant from being tortured by Iraqi forces.

U.S. cities brace for immigration raids, say they will not participate

U.S. cities expected to be hit by a wave of immigration raids intended to deport recently arrived families who are in the United States illegally said on Friday they would not cooperate with federal authorities. In a call with reporters earlier this week, Mark Morgan, the acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the agency would target for deportation families that have received a removal order from a U.S. immigration court.

Massive Philadelphia refinery fire threatens facility's future

A massive fire at Philadelphia Energy Solutions Inc's oil refinery on Friday damaged the largest U.S. East Coast plant to the point that it could remain shut for an extended period, according to Philadelphia city officials and company sources. As of the late afternoon, the fire was "confined and contained," but could not be put out entirely, because a connection line feeding fuel to the tank where a combination of propane and butane was burning could not yet be shut, Philadelphia Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said in a press conference.

FDA approves drug for loss of sexual desire in women

The U.S. drug regulator on Friday approved Palatin Technologies and Amag Pharmaceuticals' drug to restore sexual desire in premenopausal women, the latest attempt to come up with a therapy that some have dubbed as "female Viagra". The therapy, Vyleesi, will compete in a market which has seen previous attempts fail. Analysts have said that a drug that safely and effectively treats loss of sexual desire in women could eventually reach annual sales of about $1 billion.