US News Roundup: Facebook's steps to clamp down on misinformation; Chicago teachers strike and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Facebook announces steps to clamp down on misinformation ahead of 2020 election

Facebook has announced steps to combat misinformation and voter suppression ahead of the November 2020 U.S. presidential election, on the same day it disclosed the removal of a network of Russian accounts targeting U.S. voters on Instagram. Facebook said on Monday it would increase transparency through measures such as showing more information about the confirmed owner of a Facebook page and more prominently labeling content that independent fact-checkers have marked as false.

Wildfires threaten southern California homes, prompt evacuations

California firefighters worked through the night into early Tuesday to tackle a pair of wildfires threatening people's homes. Live aerial video footage broadcast by KABC-TV showed flames raging along a ridge-line at the edge of an affluent beach-front neighborhood located between Santa Monica and Malibu about 18 miles (30 km) west of downtown Los Angeles.

'Hopes dashed': Chicago teachers strike to enter fourth school day

School classes were called off for a fourth day in Chicago after the city and striking teachers in the third-largest U.S. school system failed to settle a contract dispute over issues such as class size and staffing. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) said it had canceled classes and after-school activities on Tuesday for its 300,000 students, who have been out of school since Thursday when the system's 25,000 teachers went on strike.

Drug firms avert landmark opioid trial as talks on $48-billion settlement set to resume

Four large drug companies could resume talks on Tuesday to try to reach a $48 billion settlement of all opioid litigation against them, after agreeing with two Ohio counties to a $260 million deal to avert the first federal trial over their role in the U.S. opioid epidemic. Drug distributors AmerisourceBergen Corp, Cardinal Health Inc and McKesson Corp and drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd agreed to the deal that removed the immediate threat of a trial that was to begin on Monday in Cleveland.

Massachusetts vaping sales ban can stand but needs fixes: judge

A Massachusetts judge on Monday declined to immediately halt a ban on the sale of vaping products adopted after an outbreak of e-cigarette-related lung injuries, but he said the state must redo the ban and get public comment this time. The ruling by Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Douglas Wilkins in Boston was a partial victory for Republican Governor Charlie Baker, who through an executive order last month adopted the toughest sales ban of any state in response to the outbreak.

Colorado mother accused of murdering daughter she said was terminally ill

A Colorado mother who authorities said solicited donations, charitable services, and government aid for her purportedly terminally ill daughter who died in 2017 has been indicted on murder charges in the girl's death, court documents showed on Monday. Kelly Renee Turner, 41, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her seven-year-old daughter, Olivia Gant, and with forgery, theft, child abuse and bilking Medicaid out of nearly $538,000, according to the indictment handed down in Douglas County District Court.

Presidential candidate Warren slated to join striking Chicago teachers at rally

Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, is expected to rally with striking Chicago school teachers on Tuesday as a work-stoppage led to classes being canceled for a fourth-day in the third-largest U.S. school system. Warren, a Massachusetts senator, is scheduled to visit with striking Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) teachers in the morning, according to her campaign.

Former President Carter hospitalized with broken pelvis after fall

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has been hospitalized with a minor pelvic fracture after a fall on Monday night, the Carter Center said on Tuesday, the second such accident this month for the nation's oldest living president. Carter fell at his home in Plains, Georgia, the center said in a post on Twitter, but added, "he is in good spirits and is looking forward to recovering at home."

Pedestrian fatalities on U.S. roads hit almost 30-year high

U.S. traffic deaths fell 2.4% in 2018 to 36,560 although the number of pedestrians killed rose to its highest level in nearly three decades, the U.S. auto safety agency said Tuesday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said traffic deaths fell for the second straight year - down 913 from 2017. The fatality rate fell by 3.4% to 1.13 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, the lowest rate since 2014.

Trump says being president has cost him $2 billion to $5 billion

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that being president has cost him between $2 billion and $5 billion that he would have made if he had continued running his business instead of getting into politics, a claim unsupported by evidence. But, he told reporters, "If I had it to do it again I would do it in an instant, because who cares, if you can afford it, what difference does it make?"

(With inputs from agencies.)