US News Roundup: Walgreens, Target remove J&J baby powder; California fire and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Walgreens, Target remove all 22-ounce J&J baby powder from their shelves

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc and Target Corp on Friday became the latest retailers to remove all 22-ounce bottles of Johnson & Johnson baby powder from their stores, after the healthcare conglomerate recalled some bottles because of possible asbestos contamination. "Following the national voluntary recall initiated by Johnson & Johnson, Target removed all Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder 22-ounce bottles from our stores and Target.com," the company said.

U.S. House impeachment testimony resumes with State Department witness

The Democratic-led impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump resumes with testimony from a senior State Department official on Saturday, a day after a judge buoyed the probe by dismissing a central Republican objection. Philip Reeker, the acting assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, is due to meet with the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight Committees behind closed doors at the U.S. Capitol.

Winds driving California wine country fire abate - for now

The winds that drove wildfires that forced some 2,000 people to flee homes in Northern California's wine country are expected to abate on Friday. While it gives firefighters a better chance to tackle the blaze and utility workers time to re-connect electricity, the break may be short-lived, forecasters with the National Weather Service (NWS) said early Friday.

In tweet, President Trump laments loss of iPhone home button

When Apple Inc removed the home button on some iPhone models starting in 2017, the change upset some of its customers because it forced them to swipe upward, rather than tap a button, to unlock the device or return to its home screen. It appears that U.S. President Donald Trump, who uses a government-issued iPhone, is among those who do not like the change.

U.S., Saudi talks on nuclear program going forward: U.S. energy secretary

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry said on Saturday that conversations with Saudi Arabia on a nuclear program are going forward. Speaking at a round table in Abu Dhabi he added that the United States did everything it could to have a ready global supply of oil.

Trumps weigh selling rights to their Washington hotel

The Trump Organization on Friday said it was exploring a sale of the rights to its Washington hotel, a property at the center of litigation over allegations that President Donald Trump violated anti-corruption provisions of the U.S. Constitution. The possible license sale, being marketed by real estate company JLL, stems in part from criticisms from ethics watchdogs and lawmakers regarding the family's profits from the hotel, which is in a historic building on Pennsylvania Avenue in the heart of the capital.

Obama on Rep. Cummings: 'Nothing weak about looking out for others'

Democratic leaders past and present remembered the late Elijah Cummings on Friday in eulogies that drew an implicit contrast between the civil rights activist and President Donald Trump, in whose impeachment inquiry the lawmaker played a leading role. "There's nothing weak about looking out for others. You're not a sucker to have integrity and to treat others with respect," said former President Barack Obama.

Two charities to pay $6 million to resolve U.S. pharma kickback probe

Two charities will pay $6 million to resolve claims they operated as pass-throughs for seven pharmaceutical companies to pay kickbacks to Medicare patients using their high-priced medications, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday. The settlements with the patient assistance charities Good Days and Patient Access Network Foundation were the first with foundations linked to an industry-wide probe that has resulted in $840 million in settlements with drugmakers.

Democrats take stage at South Carolina criminal justice reform forum

Nine Democrats vying to be their party's presidential candidate in 2020 will take part in a criminal justice forum in South Carolina this weekend, down from 10 after U.S. Senator Kamala Harris dropped out to protest an award given to President Donald Trump at the event on Friday. The forum at the historically black Benedict College in Columbia is an important showcase for Democrats ahead of South Carolina's Feb. 29 primary, the party's fourth state nominating contest. Six in 10 Democratic voters in the state are black.

United Airlines says in talks with Apple on San Francisco airport upgrade

United Airlines is in early discussions with Apple Inc about upgrading the U.S. carrier's terminal at San Francisco International airport, United's Chief Digital Officer Linda Jojo told journalists on Friday without providing more details. "I’m being deliberately vague," she said.

(With inputs from agencies.)