US Domestic News Roundup: For flooded inland Florida, Hurricane Ian saved the worst for last; Over 60 clinics in 15 U.S. states ceased abortion care post-Roe - study and more

The study, published on Thursday, found that 14 states no longer have any clinics providing abortions as of Oct. 2, which marked 100 days since the Supreme Court gutted the 1973 ruling that had guaranteed federal abortion rights. About 118,000 still without power in Puerto Rico two weeks after Fiona An estimated 118,000 homes and businesses were still without power in Puerto Rico on Thursday, over two weeks after Hurricane Fiona caused an island-wide outage for its 3.3 million people.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

For flooded inland Florida, Hurricane Ian saved the worst for last

Hurricane Ian carried a one-two punch for the inland Florida city of Arcadia and its surrounding county. Located 50 miles north of Fort Myers and about 50 miles west of the Gulf Coast, Arcadia first suffered the immediate effects of the Category 4 storm as it swept east, bringing torrential rains and hurricane-force winds to the interior of the state.

Over 60 clinics in 15 U.S. states ceased abortion care post-Roe - study

More than 60 abortion clinics across 15 states have stopped providing abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, according to a study by the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights advocacy research group. The study, published on Thursday, found that 14 states no longer have any clinics providing abortions as of Oct. 2, which marked 100 days since the Supreme Court gutted the 1973 ruling that had guaranteed federal abortion rights.

About 118,000 still without power in Puerto Rico two weeks after Fiona

An estimated 118,000 homes and businesses were still without power in Puerto Rico on Thursday, over two weeks after Hurricane Fiona caused an island-wide outage for its 3.3 million people. Fiona hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 18, about five years after Hurricane Maria also knocked out all power on the island.

California family kidnapped on Monday found dead, Sheriff says

Four members of a California family, including an 8-month-old girl, were found dead in a rural area on Wednesday after they were abducted in the city of Merced on Monday, authorities said. The victims were identified as the baby, Aroohi Dheri, who was abducted along with her mother, Jasleen Kaur, 27, her father, Jasdeep Singh, 36, and the baby's uncle, Amandeep Singh, 39. Police say the four were abducted on Monday morning from the family's trucking company in Merced, about 150 miles (240 km) east of San Jose.

Amazon to hire 150,000 workers ahead of holiday season

Amazon.com Inc said on Thursday it would hire 150,000 employees in full-time, seasonal and part-time roles across its operations in the United States ahead of the upcoming holiday season. The world's largest online retailer, which hired the same number of workers last year September, said the new roles are for packing, picking, sorting and shipping orders, and the workers will be eligible for a sign-on bonus of up to $3,000 in some locations.

Legal cannabis poses a quandary for US companies screening staff for drugs

Workers at Wyatt Bassett's furniture factory in Virginia use powerful tools to churn out the company's trademark dressers and headboards, so screening new hires for drugs is a no-brainer. Or it used to be.

Democrat-led Texas city steps up migrant busing to New York, outpacing Republican effort

The Democrat-led border city of El Paso, Texas, has sent more migrants on buses to New York City and Chicago than a campaign by Texas' Republican governor, a twist in an ongoing partisan battle over U.S. border security. El Paso, which sits across the border from Juarez, Mexico, has bused roughly 7,000 migrants to New York City since late August and sent more than 1,800 to Chicago, a city-run effort that far exceeds the more ad-hoc transportation of the past.

Kevin Spacey faces sexual misconduct civil trial in NY

It has been just under five years since Kevin Spacey's Oscar-winning career was upended by a slew of sexual misconduct accusations, starting when Anthony Rapp accused him of making an unwanted sexual advance in 1986. Both actors are now headed to Manhattan federal court, where jury selection is scheduled to begin on Thursday in Rapp's $40 million civil lawsuit over the incident, which allegedly occurred when he was 14.

Oath Keepers trial to resume with testimony from fresh witnesses

Prosecutors are expected to call fresh witnesses on Thursday as they argue their case in the trial of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and four co-defendants for their alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. During the first two days of testimony, FBI Special Agent Michael Palian read to the court text messages showing the defendants planning to go to Washington and preparing for violence, as they vowed to reject Joe Biden as the winner over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

Biden to tout IBM's $20 billion investment in New York over next decade

President Biden on Thursday will tout IBM Corp's plans to invest $20 billion in New York over the next decade in the development and manufacturing of semiconductors, mainframe technology, artifical intelligence and quantum computing. The announcement is the latest in a string of investments unveiled since Biden signed the Chips and Science bill in August that funded $52 billion to subsidize semiconductor chips manufacturing and research.