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In the last 72 hours, regions in Northern and Southern California have registered 5 to 9 inches of precipitation due to an unrelenting barrage of storms from the Pacific. A respite from the inclement conditions is anticipated for most of California and the Pacific coastline, although Northern California is predicted to experience additional rainfall and snowfall by Wednesday. Elements of the recent western tempest impacting California are set to merge with humid air from the Gulf of Mexico by Tuesday, potentially leading to inundating rains and a risk of severe thunderstorms across the Gulf Coast, spanning from Texas to Georgia. As of Tuesday morning, flood alerts are active in six southern states, stretching from Texas to Alabama.

Latest News Headlines for Tuesday January 23, 2024 – Mexico wants an urgent investigation into how U.S. military-grade weapons are increasingly being found in the hands of Mexican drug cartels, Mexico’s top diplomat said. Mexico’s army is finding belt-fed machine guns, rocket launchers and grenades that are not sold for civilian use in the United States. The Mexican army said in June that it had seized 221 fully automatic machine guns, 56 grenade launchers and a dozen rocket launchers from drug cartels since late 2018. — Russia’s foreign minister clashed with the United States and Ukraine’s supporters at a U.N. meeting Monday where Moscow ruled out any peace plan backed by Kyiv and the West, and China warned that further global chaos could impact the slowing global economy. Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s top diplomat, claimed that Ukrainian forces have been “a complete failure” on the battlefield and are “incapable” of defeating or weakening Russia. — Iran is “very directly involved” in ship attacks that Yemen’s Houthi rebels have carried out during Israel’s war against Hamas, the U.S. Navy’s top Mideast commander stated. Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of the Navy’s 5th Fleet, stopped short of saying Tehran directed individual attacks by the Houthisin the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. However, Cooper acknowledged that attacks associated with Iran have expanded from previously threatening just the Persian Gulf and its Strait of Hormuz into waters across the wider Middle East. — A narrowly divided Supreme Court on Monday sided with the Biden administration in a tense, ongoing dispute over the Texas-Mexico border and razor wire fencing installed by the state that had prohibited federal border agents from performing their duties. The court, by a vote of 5-4, cleared the way for federal agents to remove the wire, which administration officials and immigration advocates had called dangerous and inhumane. The Department of Homeland Security has also argued that the state’s activities interfered with clear federal supremacy in setting border enforcement policy. — Authorities in New Mexico are investigating after an explosive device was found Monday near a courthouse in Deming. The explosive device was found near Luna County Magistrate Court, according to the Deming Police Department. Police added there was the possibility of a second device, and advised people to steer clear of the area. Deming is located in southern New Mexico, about 35 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. — Authorities in Joliet, Illinois, are searching for a man police said should be considered “armed and dangerous” after seven people were found dead from gunshot wounds in two homes Monday. Investigators said they were looking for a suspect they identified as 23-year-old Romeo Nance. Officials from the Joliet Illinois Police and Will County Illinois Sherriff’s office said that they discovered the bodies of five victims in one home and another two in a nearby residence on West Acres Road Monday morning. — Norman Jewison, the acclaimed and versatile Canadian-born director whose Hollywood films ranged from Doris Day comedies and “Moonstruck” to social dramas such as the Oscar-winning “In the Heat of the Night,” has died at age 97. Jewison, a three-time Oscar nominee who in 1999 received an Academy Award for lifetime achievement, died “peacefully” Saturday, according to publicist Jeff Sanderson. Additional details were not immediately available. — With her new single “Yes, And?,” Ariana Grande has now debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the sixth time, tying with Taylor Swift for the most among women, according to Billboard. “Yes, And?” is the lead single off of Grande’s seventh studio album, “Eternal Sunshine,” which is set to be released on March 8. The song drew 27.2 million streams and garnered 24.8 million radio airplay audience impressions from Jan. 12 to Jan. 18, according to data collected by Luminate. — A healthy baby girl was born at the side of a New Jersey road with help from a police officer in the midst of a winter storm. The Sparta Police Department said Officer Christopher Botta responded to a report of a woman in labor at the side of Route 15, near the city’s border with Jefferson. Botta located the vehicle stopped at the side of the road and made contact with expecting parents Tyler and Stephanie. After confirming everything appeared normal, seconds later, Stephanie delivered the baby girl into Officer Botta’s hands. The Sparta First Aid Squad arrived on the scene and took the mother and newborn, Millie, to the Morristown Medical Center. Botta followed up with the family two days later and confirmed mother and baby girl were healthy and doing well.

Latest News Headlines for Monday January 22, 2024 – The death toll in the Gaza Strip, as reported by the Hamas-run Health Ministry, has exceeded 25,000 due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Despite this significant loss of life and extensive destruction, the Israeli government’s objectives to dismantle Hamas and secure the release of over 100 hostages remain unfulfilled. The Israeli authorities predict that the hostilities may persist for several additional months, given the current situation. — Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York and a breast cancer survivor, has also been diagnosed and treated for malignant melanoma. Her representative confirmed, “Sarah, Duchess of York, after her early-stage breast cancer diagnosis this summer, has now been treated for malignant melanoma.” The diagnosis came as several moles were removed and examined during her reconstructive surgery following a mastectomy, as per her representative’s statement. — In Germany, massive demonstrations erupted nationwide, with an estimated 250,000 individuals protesting against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The protests were sparked by a January 10th report from Correctiv, revealing that AfD representatives convened with extremist groups in Potsdam in November. Discussions at the meeting reportedly included the forced removal or “remigration” of foreigners and Germans of migrant heritage. — Moscow-appointed officials reported that Ukrainian shelling resulted in at least 27 fatalities and 25 injuries on Sunday at a marketplace on the outskirts of Donetsk, a city under Russian control in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities in Kyiv have not issued any statements regarding the incident, and The Associated Press has not independently verified these claims. Amid the almost 2-year-old conflict, both parties have increasingly resorted to long-range assaults due to largely static front-line positions across the 930-mile stretch. — An air ambulance helicopter crash in Oklahoma late Saturday night claimed the lives of three crew members. The incident was reported near Weatherford after Air Evac Lifeteam lost contact with the helicopter crew just before 11:30 p.m. According to a company statement on Sunday, the crew was en route back to their base in Weatherford, located 70 miles west of Oklahoma City, after completing a patient transport to the capital. — A “domestic-related shooting” in a suburb outside Chicago resulted in four fatalities on Sunday. A suspect was apprehended on the same day, as announced in a social media post by the Tinley Park Public Safety Department. Tinley Park, a village with a population of around 55,000, is situated approximately 30 miles southwest of Chicago. Police were actively investigating the residential area where the shooting occurred on Sunday afternoon. — In Killington, Vermont, 23 skiers and snowboarders were rescued from frigid conditions over the weekend after losing their way in the backcountry. Killington police, responding to a call around 2:30 p.m., utilized hiking, snowshoeing, and skiing with skins to cover approximately 5 miles and safely retrieve 21 lost individuals. The operation took place amid single-digit temperatures, as reported on the police department’s Facebook page. — Recently disclosed audio recordings reveal that the Marine Corps contacted 911 after an F-35 fighter jet disappeared over South Carolina in September of the previous year. The incident, referred to as a “mishap” by Marine Corps officials, occurred in the Lowcountry region of the state on September 17, 2023. The pilot managed to eject from the jet and safely parachute into a residential area in North Charleston, according to military reports. — Michigan firefighters swiftly responded to save a deer stuck in the icy waters of a frozen pond. The city of Wyoming shared on Facebook that their firefighters were called into action when a deer broke through the ice on a pond near 52nd Street. The city posted a photo depicting a firefighter cutting through the ice, creating a route for the deer to be safely pulled to shore. The city used this incident to emphasize the importance of vigilance around bodies of water, cautioning that ice can be deceptively thin, posing risks to animals and children alike.

Latest News Headlines for Saturday January 20, 2024 – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed concern over the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the U.S. presidency, labeling Trump’s assertion that he could halt the war between Ukraine and Russia in one day as “very dangerous.” During an interview with Channel 4 News in the U.K., Zelenskyy extended an invitation to Trump, the leading Republican presidential candidate, to visit Kyiv on the condition that he fulfills his bold claim. Trump’s campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung, did not provide a comment on the matter. — An Israeli assault on Damascus this Saturday resulted in the destruction of a facility utilized by the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, leaving at least five Iranians dead, as reported by Syrian and Iranian authorities. According to the Syrian military, the building in Mazzeh, a heavily fortified district in western Damascus, was completely obliterated. The Israeli air force reportedly launched the missiles from above the Golan Heights, an area under Israeli control. The Israeli military has not issued a statement regarding this incident. — Recent winter weather conditions have been linked to 83 confirmed fatalities over the past week, as per a tally by CBS News, with the nation still grappling with severe cold. The Tennessee Department of Health reported 19 weather-related deaths, and Oregon authorities confirmed 16 fatalities, which included three adults who perished when a tree toppled onto their car. Remarkably, a baby in the vehicle survived, as previously covered by CBS News. — President Biden announced student loan relief for an additional 74,000 Americans, encompassing professions such as teaching, nursing, and firefighting. This initiative introduces a further $5 billion in debt forgiveness. This recent announcement follows a series of debt cancellations after the Supreme Court halted Mr. Biden’s student loan forgiveness program last summer. To date, $136.6 billion has been forgiven for over 3.7 million Americans. — Sports Illustrated’s workforce received notice on Friday about the impending elimination of a “significant number, if not all,” of their positions, as disclosed by the publication’s union. The Sports Illustrated union conveyed through X: “This marks yet another challenging day in the turbulent four-year tenure of Sports Illustrated under Arena Group (formerly The Maven) management. We urge ABG to guarantee the continued publication of SI, maintaining its tradition of serving readers for nearly seven decades.” — Astrobotic Technology confirmed that its lunar lander met a fiery end over the South Pacific after a failed moon mission. The company lost contact and subsequently tracking of the lander as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, 10 days post-launch from Florida. John Thornton, the CEO, confirmed on Friday that U.S. Space Command verified the spacecraft’s disintegration in its final moments. — A small aircraft made an emergency landing on Loudoun County Parkway in Virginia on Friday afternoon. Miraculously, all seven passengers aboard emerged unscathed, as reported by the Virginia State Police and the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA detailed that the single-engine Cessna two-oh-eight Caravan executed a “hard landing” on the road around 12:50 p.m., shortly after its 12:15 p.m. departure from Virginia’s Dulles International Airport. The aircraft was originally bound for Lancaster Airport in Pennsylvania. — Microsoft disclosed on Friday that a Russian-affiliated group infiltrated some of its corporate email accounts. In a blog post, the tech giant reported that its security team detected the breach on January 12th and swiftly pinpointed the perpetrators: Midnight Blizzard, also known as Nobelium, a group with ties to the Russian state. According to Microsoft, Nobelium orchestrated a “password spray attack,” using a single widely-used password to attempt access to numerous accounts on the same platform. — A woman from Hagerstown, Maryland, made a spontaneous decision to buy a scratch-off lottery ticket instead of her usual drawing game entries, leading her to a $50,000 windfall. Normally a patron of games like Powerball and Mega Millions, the woman recounted to Maryland Lottery officials her last-minute change of heart. “I typically go for Mega Millions and Powerball tickets, but on a whim, I decided otherwise,” she shared. Her attention was drawn to a $1 Million Royale scratch-off ticket. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly why, stating, “There was just something compelling about that particular ticket.” At first glance, the ticket didn’t seem to be a winner. “It was a letdown initially; there were no matching numbers,” she explained. However, a unique symbol on the ticket, rather than a number, signified her substantial $50,000 prize. She described her reaction as a mix of astonishment and disbelief, questioning, “Could it actually be $50,000?”

Latest News Headlines for Thursday January 18, 2024- Texas Attorney General Paxton firmly resisted federal demands for state authorities to vacate a public park along the U.S.-Mexico border, recently taken over by state National Guard soldiers. This defiance sets the stage for a legal confrontation with the Biden administration regarding national immigration policies. Responding to DHS Jonathan Meyer, Paxton staunchly refuted the administration’s claim of the state’s actions being “clearly unconstitutional,” signaling that Texas has no intention of retreating from its stance. — The U.S. launched its fourth series of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen within a week, in response to continuous Houthi attacks on commercial vessels. U.S. Central Command confirmed that the operation targeted “14 Iran-backed Houthi missiles ready for launch in Houthi-dominated areas of Yemen.” CENTCOM highlighted the urgent threat these missiles posed to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships, ready to be launched at any moment. — Intense Israeli air raids hammered the Gaza town of Khan Younis, escalating the death toll of the conflict with Hamas militants to 24,448 Gaza residents and 193 Israeli troops. Yasser Zaqzouq, seeking refuge with his family at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, shared his harrowing experience with the BBC, stating, “This level of air strikes is unprecedented. The sheer terror, the children’s screams and cries, it’s the most intense armed confrontation we’ve ever witnessed.” — Hawaii’s state Legislature commenced a new session, committing to tackle critical issues exposed by the catastrophic wildfire that obliterated the historic town of Lahaina in August. Legislators emphasized the urgency of addressing these challenges not just for Maui, but statewide. Fire prevention is a paramount concern, affirmed Senate President Ron Kouchi. Meanwhile, Lahaina remains devastated, with cleanup progressing slowly, nearly six months after the fire claimed 100 lives. — In Massachusetts, Dean Kapsalis received a life sentence, with parole possible after 15 years, for the 2021 murder of Henry Tapia following a racially charged road rage incident. Last year, a jury found Kapsalis guilty of second-degree murder and other charges, stemming from a confrontation with Tapia on January 19, 2021. The altercation concluded with Kapsalis using a racial slur and fatally striking Tapia with his vehicle. Tapia later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital, according to prosecutors. — King Charles III of England is postponing upcoming engagements to undergo treatment for an enlarged prostate next week. Buckingham Palace announced, as reported by Politico’s European edition, that the king requires a “corrective procedure” for his benign enlarged prostate. Following the treatment, King Charles, aged 75, will take a brief hiatus from public appearances to recover. — A federal appeals court has opted to reinstate a U.S. sales prohibition on Apple’s premium watches amid a patent infringement dispute involving a sensor, potentially leading to the removal of these devices from stores for the second time in under a month. The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington issued this decision three weeks after temporarily lifting the ban, allowing Apple to resume sales of the implicated Series 9 and Ultra 2 watch models. This move reignites the legal battle with Masimo, a medical technology firm. — Americans facing hefty overdraft fees could soon see significant relief. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has proposed a new rule aimed at curbing exorbitant overdraft fees charged by banks. In the past two decades, Americans have shelled out nearly $300 billion in such fees, typically $35 per overdraft transaction. The new regulation could reduce this fee to as low as $3, offering substantial financial relief to millions. — A library in England recently received a book that was overdue by 44 years. The Essex Library Service shared on Instagram that an individual returned Great Prime Ministers by John Whittle to the Manningtree Library. The return date for the book was originally set for June 30, 1979. While it’s not specified if any late fees were charged for this delayed return, the Essex Library System disclosed in 2018 that it had accumulated over $442,000 in outstanding fines.

Remember in 1985 there was a movie about dancing being banned in a southern state? We thought it was entertaining but ridiculous. Imagine if that same movie was made about dictionaries being banned. We would have thought it was totally bonkers. Well, a school district in Florida is considering an unconventional addition to the state’s book prohibition: dictionaries. As revealed by the non-profit organization PEN America, Escambia County’s educational district has listed five dictionaries, eight encyclopedias, and “The Guinness Book of World Records” among over 1,600 titles potentially facing a ban. The right has officially gone “totally bonkers.”