US Domestic News Roundup: Oklahoma gunman killed 4 people, including surgeon who treated him; Three people dead after shooting in Iowa church parking lot and more

The setbacks come as the Biden administration is hosting the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles next week, where the United States hopes to find common ground with other nations and issue a joint statement on migration. U.S. FDA staff says Novavax vaccine lowers COVID risk U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff said on Friday Novavax Inc's vaccine reduces the risk of mild-to-severe COVID-19 and that it was likely the shot could provide some level of protection against the Omicron variant.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Oklahoma gunman killed 4 people, including surgeon who treated him

A man who fatally shot five people including himself at an Oklahoma medical building, after buying an assault-style rifle on the same day, had gone there to kill a doctor who he blamed for back pain he felt after surgery, authorities said on Thursday. The suspect, identified as Michael Louis, entered a building on Tulsa's St. Francis Health System campus with a semi-automatic weapon on Wednesday and opened fire at anyone he encountered, Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin said at a news briefing. Two doctors, a receptionist and a patient were killed.

Three people dead after shooting in Iowa church parking lot

A man shot and killed two women in the parking lot of a church in Iowa state on Thursday and then turned the gun on himself, police said, adding three more dead to the toll in a series of recent shootings that have rocked the United States. The Iowa shooting took place shortly after President Joe Biden delivered a major address on gun violence in the wake of mass shootings in Buffalo, New York; Uvalde, Texas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, in recent weeks.

Ahead of U.S. midterms, Democrats struggle to find footing on violent crime

Fed-up Democrats in San Francisco and Los Angeles, liberal-leaning California cities reeling from COVID-era spikes in homicides and gun violence, may punish their own party at the polls next week over its criminal justice policies. San Francisco's progressive district attorney, Chesa Boudin, is likely to be pushed out of office in a recall vote, while voters in Los Angeles will be choosing a new mayor – with an ex-Republican as a leading candidate.

U.S. national spelling bee champ is Harini Logan of Texas in historic win

Harini Logan, 14, of San Antonio won the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday after a first-ever "spell-off" was required for a champion to emerge in the extremely close competition. Logan takes home $50,000 from Scripps, plus further money prizes and reference works from Merriam-Webster and Encyclopedia Britannica.

U.S. job growth beats expectations; unemployment rate steady at 3.6%

U.S. employment increased more than expected in May, while the unemployment rate held steady at 3.6%, signs of a tight labor market that could keep the Federal Reserve's foot on the brake pedal to cool demand. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 390,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department said in its closely watched employment report on Friday. Data for April was revised higher to show payrolls rising by 436,000 jobs instead of 428,000 as previously estimated.

Analysis: Corruption in Central America frustrates U.S. plan to tackle migration 'root causes'

More than a year into U.S. President Joe Biden's sweeping effort to tackle the "root causes" of migration with aid to Central America, projects likely worth millions of dollars have been canceled or put on hold due to corruption and governance concerns, U.S. officials and others tracking the issue said. The setbacks come as the Biden administration is hosting the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles next week, where the United States hopes to find common ground with other nations and issue a joint statement on migration.

U.S. FDA staff says Novavax vaccine lowers COVID risk

U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff said on Friday that Novavax Inc's vaccine reduces the risk of mild-to-severe COVID-19 and that it was likely the shot could provide some level of protection against the Omicron variant. The FDA analyzed data from Novavax's trial before the Omicron and Delta variants became the dominant strains.

Environmental group urges Biden to wean nation's biofuel program off liquid fuels

The Biden administration should rely less on liquid fuels like ethanol and focus more on cleaner technology like electric vehicles (EVs) and advanced biofuels when it reshapes the nation's renewable fuel program, environmental group Evergreen Action said in a report released on Friday. Evergreen Action was among a handful of environmental groups that advised U.S. President Joe Biden's transition team and has been an ally as the administration seeks to get climate change legislation through Congress.

Routing of emergency-911 calls questioned in Texas school massacre

Emergency-911 calls from children hiding from the gunman who killed 21 people inside a Texas elementary school were not routed to the on-scene police commander who waited nearly an hour before officers moved in to end the siege, a state senator said on Thursday. Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat whose constituency includes Uvalde, Texas, the town 80 miles west of San Antonio where last week's shooting occurred, said the lapse in how 911 calls were transmitted as part of a larger "system failure" that is still just coming to light.

Exclusive-Musk feels 'super bad' about the economy, needs to cut 10% of Tesla jobs

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has a "super bad feeling" about the economy and needs to cut about 10% of jobs at the electric carmaker, he said in an email to executives seen by Reuters. The message, sent on Thursday and titled "pause all hiring worldwide", came two days after the billionaire told staff to return to the workplace or leave, and adds to a growing chorus of warnings from business leaders about the risks of a recession.