Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Pair of California wildfires destroy homes near Los Angeles

A pair of wildfires have destroyed dozens of homes near Los Angeles and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents, fire officials said on Friday, days after authorities ordered power cuts across the state to prevent more blazes. Authorities ordered mandatory evacuations for hundreds of people as crews worked through the night to contain the so-called Sandalwood Fire, which had scorched about 500 acres near Calimesa, about 70 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. In California, food spoils, businesses close as power outages imposed

A California dentist canceled dozens of appointments and supermarkets tried to save rotting food on Thursday as electricity was cut to over 600,000 homes and workplaces in a second day of planned power outages to cut wildfire risks. Pacific Gas and Electric Co (PG&E) imposed the unprecedented shutoffs as gale-force winds and dry weather continued to pose a critical fire threat in northern California. Wildfire destroys homes, causes injuries in California mobile home park

A fierce wildfire that erupted in southern California on Thursday destroyed homes and structures and caused "numerous medical emergencies" at a Riverside County mobile home park, fire officials said. No further details were immediately available on how many mobile homes had been burned or the nature of the medical emergencies. Nike shuts down Oregon Project after ban of coach

Nike Inc shut down its Nike Oregon Project training group on Thursday, following the recent four-year ban of founder and coach Alberto Salazar by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The Nike Oregon Project (NOP) was a camp designed primarily to develop U.S. endurance athletes and Salazar, a celebrated distance runner who had won three consecutive New York City marathons from 1980, had been its head coach. El Paso mass murder suspect pleads not guilty, accused of targeting Mexicans

The Texas man accused of deliberately targeting Mexicans in a shooting spree that killed 22 people at an El Paso Walmart store pleaded not guilty on Thursday in his first court appearance. Patrick Crusius, 21, was indicted last month for capital murder and will face the death penalty if he is convicted, the El Paso County District Attorney Jaime Esparza said. California proposes new rules to enforce state privacy law

California proposed regulations Thursday that would give consumers more control over how businesses collect and manage their personal information, including requiring a "Do Not Sell My Info" link on companies' websites or apps. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra detailed the draft regulations for the state's new privacy law, due to take effect Jan. 1, which he said will allow people to "pull the curtains back" on information companies have collected on them. Trump EPA proposes overhaul of lead in drinking water rule, critics call plan weak

The Trump administration on Thursday proposed retooling a 1991 rule on lead and cooper contamination in drinking water, but critics said the change slows by 20 years the timeline for removing aging lead service lines that could expose children to a toxin known to harm developing brains. Andrew Wheeler, the Environmental Protection Agency chief, said at an event in Wisconsin that the plan would "ensure all Americans have access to clean drinking water." Biden says he would withhold foreign aid if countries discriminate against LGBTQ people

Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Thursday he would withhold foreign aid from countries that persecute lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, as he joined eight other Democratic presidential candidates at a forum on LGBTQ issues. The televised Los Angeles event was the second major presidential forum dedicated to LGBTQ issues during the Democratic nominating campaign, following an event in Iowa last month that drew 10 of the 19 candidates vying to take on President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election. Former Ukraine envoy scheduled to testify in Trump impeachment probe

The White House's promise to stonewall a congressional impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump will get an early test on Friday, when the former ambassador to Ukraine is scheduled to testify to House of Representatives investigators. Marie Yovanovitch, a career diplomat who was abruptly recalled from Ukraine in May, is scheduled to give a deposition to congressional investigators probing Trump in a scandal that has cast a pall over his presidency. FAA failed to properly review 737 MAX jet anti-stall system: JATR findings

An international panel of air safety regulators on Friday harshly criticized the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) review of a safety system on Boeing Co's 737 MAX jet that was later tied to two crashes that killed 346 people. The Joint Authorities Technical Review (JATR) was commissioned by the FAA in April to look into the agency's oversight and approval of the so-called MCAS anti-stall system before the fatal crashes.