US Domestic News Roundup: Pentagon chief says he should have handled cancer diagnosis better; Labor-backed group sues to block Massachusetts gig worker ballot proposal and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Several fatalities reported after small plane crashes into Florida mobile home park

Several fatalities were reported on Thursday after a small plane crashed into and demolished a mobile home in Clearwater, Florida, officials said. Images posted online by the Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department showed flames and smoke billowing from the destroyed home.

In Michigan, autoworkers offer to fight for Biden, but Gaza protesters want him out

U.S. President Joe Biden won a strong pledge of support on Thursday from union autoworkers crucial to his reelection bid in Michigan, while protests over his backing of Israel's actions in Gaza shadowed the trip. Biden's travel to the election battleground state was intended as a celebration after the United Auto Workers (UAW) union recently endorsed his reelection bid. But his visit was also met with protests from some of the state's sizable Arab-American community, who demand the president seek a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war and have refused to meet his campaign.

Trump civil fraud verdict now expected by mid-February

A ruling in the New York state attorney general's $370 million civil fraud case against former U.S. president Donald Trump will not come until early to-mid February, a court spokesperson said Thursday. Justice Arthur Engoron, who oversaw a three-month trial in the case last year, had said he planned to rule by the end of January but offered no guarantees. His eventual ruling could deal a major blow to Trump's business empire as the businessman-turned-politician seeks the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 U.S. election.

Michigan school shooter's mom says she was not responsible for guns

The mother of a Michigan boy who shot and killed four high-school classmates in 2021 testified in her own defense on Thursday, saying she was not responsible for buying or storing the gun used in the killings. Jennifer Crumbley, 45, took the stand in what is believed to be the first trial to target a parent of a school shooter. She and her husband, James Crumbley, 47 - for whom a separate trial is to start in March - are both charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Trump sees diminishing fundraising returns from combative court appearances

Donald Trump has made his myriad legal woes a major focus of his presidential campaign, but after raking in millions around his first court appearances last year he has seen a sharp dropoff in fundraising off his sometimes combative clashes with judges. Trump's main fundraising group raised about $4 million on each of his two biggest single-day hauls last year: on April 4 after pleading not guilty to charges around alleged hush money payments to a porn star, and on Aug. 25 after pleading not guilty to charges of election fraud in Georgia, according to disclosures by WinRed, the dominant online fundraising platform for Republicans.

Pentagon chief says he should have handled cancer diagnosis better

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday apologized for failing to tell President Joe Biden and senior staff about his recent prostate cancer diagnosis ahead of time, adding that the health scare was a "gut punch" that had shaken him. Austin, 70, also apologized for the way he handled his subsequent hospitalization, which was kept secret from the public, senior staff and Biden himself for days.

Trump, Haley campaigns ramp up attacks in South Carolina

The campaigns of Donald Trump and Nikki Haley went into full attack mode on Thursday in South Carolina, the state to hold the next major Republican presidential nominating battle on Feb. 24. Haley, Trump's last remaining rival, has infuriated the former president by refusing to drop out of the nominating race after his back-to-back wins in Iowa and New Hampshire strengthened his grip on the nomination and set up a likely general election rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden in November.

How the U.S. defense secretary's aversion to headlines made him one

Standing over 6 feet tall and weighing more than 250 pounds (113 kg), U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has a towering presence at the podium. But current and former officials say that belies a deep urge to maintain the lowest possible public profile. Austin, 70, says his need for privacy drove him to make what could be the biggest blunder of his career - keeping two hospitalizations since December secret, even from his boss, President Joe Biden.

Labor-backed group sues to block Massachusetts gig worker ballot proposal

A labor-backed coalition on Thursday filed a lawsuit seeking to block an industry-supported bid to ask Massachusetts voters to decide whether ride-share and delivery drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft should be treated as independent contractors rather than employees. A group of voters who count drivers and union leaders as members asked the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to conclude that the five industry-backed proposals should not have been certified for inclusion on the November 2024 ballot.

'Take Our Border Back' vehicle convoy to rally near US-Mexico border

A vehicle convoy carrying Americans opposed to illegal immigration plans to rally at three points near the U.S.-Mexico border on Saturday, with organizers saying the action will focus on peaceful protest and prayer. Critics of the convoy, however, worry it could fuel anti-immigrant sentiment at a time of acrimonious political sparring over the border and high numbers of migrant crossings.