The decision to keep Brian Cole Jr., who allegedly placed explosives outside the Democratic and Republican National Committee buildings on January 5, 2021, was made two days after a hearing in which prosecutors argued that Cole would pose a danger to others if he were released and allowed to live with his family.

Judge Matthew Sharbaugh wrote that: “The sudden and abrupt motivation behind Mr. Cole’s alleged actions presents concerns about how quickly the same abrupt and impulsive conduct might recur.”

He continued: “More, Mr. Cole reportedly told the FBI that he assembled the IEDs ‘in the hours before he drove to Washington, D.C. on January 5, 2021.’”

Cole has yet to enter a plea to the charges. No trial date has been set.

Sharbaugh said the speed at which Cole was able to allegedly assemble the bombs “suggest he can prepare dangerous explosive devices in short order, over a matter of hours, not necessarily days or weeks.”

“Given the precipitousness with which Mr. Cole reportedly acted, and the speed with which he was able to construct the so-called ‘pipe bombs,’ the Court lacks confidence that even the most rigorous set of release conditions can reasonably guard against the risk of future danger,” the judge wrote.

Sharbaugh added too that he shared concerns with prosecutors about how Cole allegedly deleted evidence and continued to purchase alleged bomb making parts after Cole allegedly placed the two bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committee buildings.

Cole’s attorney argued he should be released into his grandmother’s custody.

Cole’s grandmother took the stand herself, promising to “make any adjustments that I need to make” to keep him out of trouble, adding that she had already placed cameras around the exterior of her home inside a gated community.

His defense attorney also stressed that Cole has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, two factors that should be considered for both his mindset in committing the alleged crimes and for his ability to navigate being in jail.

Further complicating the matter is that the Justice Department has secured an indictment against Cole that had not yet been accepted by a judge. Sharbaugh explained during the hearing that a grand jury in the local Superior Court in Washington, rather than the federal court, had handed up an indictment against Cole, and that he was watching a separate case with a similar issue move through the appeals process to determine what to do in Cole’s case.

A person familiar with the matter said that prosecutors used a superior court grand jury only because the federal grand juries were not meeting at the time.

Before his visit to Trump International Golf Club, the president made a detour to Arc Stone & Tile, a stone importer near Mar-a-Lago that bills itself as an Italian marble specialist, where he planned to buy marble and onyx, according to a White House official.

The purchase, which the official said would be made at Trump’s personal expense, represents the latest sign of the president’s close involvement in a project that would dramatically alter the White House’s footprint — and put Trump’s permanent stamp on the nation’s most famous address.

The planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which has ballooned in size and cost since Trump first announced it last summer, has also embroiled the administration in a running court battle.

Trump initially estimated that the construction would cost $200 million and promised that it wouldn’t affect the existing White House structure. Yet a few months later, he opted to bulldoze the entire East Wing with little advance notice, making way for an expanded ballroom that he now estimates will cost up to $400 million in personal expenses and private donations.

“We’re donating a $400 million ballroom,” Trump said in December. “I think I’ll do it for less, but it’s 400. I should do it for less, I will do it for less. But just in case, I say 400.”

Since returning to office, Trump has overseen a range of major changes to the White House, including paving over the Rose Garden, redoing the Palm Room and redecorating the Oval Office. He’s often favored pricey white marble and gold accents, imitating the style found throughout his Mar-a-Lago club, where he’s been spending the past two weeks for the holidays.

But the ballroom is, by far, Trump’s biggest and most disruptive project to date.

The sudden demolition of the iconic East Wing in October prompted public outcry and immediate legal challenges over the administration’s effort to bypass planning commissions that have traditionally reviewed proposed additions to the White House and other government buildings. A judge has since ruled that Trump officials must begin “consultation processes” with the two planning commissions.

Yet Trump has brushed off criticism of his unilateral reshaping of the White House, as well as the extensive time and energy he’s personally devoted to it. The administration is now seeking to rapidly win those official approvals, laying out a timeline that could allow for ballroom construction to begin as early as this spring and finish by mid-2028, prior to the end of Trump’s term.

Trump officials are expected to hold a public information meeting in front of the National Capital Planning Commission on January 8, and then meet with the Commission of Fine Arts the week after that. Those sessions could then clear the way for final presentations to the two boards within the next couple of months.

That’s a far more aggressive timeline compared with past White House projects, which have taken several years to break ground. Planning for a new perimeter fence on the White House grounds that began in 2014, for example, was not formally approved until three years later. It then took until 2019 for construction on it to begin.

But Trump, who has held regular White House meetings to discuss minute details of the project and insisted on personally selecting materials, has sought to clear away procedural obstacles. He appointed Will Scharf, the White House staff secretary, to run the National Capital Planning Commission, and bypassed initial reviews that typically take place prior to breaking any ground.

The president in the meantime has excitedly shared progress updates and queried allies and foreign leaders about the designs, showing off renderings that envision a massive gold-and-white ballroom that may ultimately dwarf the rest of the White House.

“I’m doing a magnificent, big, beautiful ballroom that the country’s wanted, the White House has wanted for 150 years,” Trump said last month alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had traveled to Mar-a-Lago for a meeting on Middle East issues. “It’s a massive job.”

On New Year’s Eve, some employees received emails saying their positions “would not be renewed” and “therefore, your services will no longer be needed” after their contracts expire in the first days of January.

The cuts target FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery (CORE) teams, which form the backbone of the agency’s operations during and after a disaster, and could be just the beginning of a larger effort by Secretary Kristi Noem and the Department of Homeland Security to shrink FEMA, potentially axing thousands of workers in the coming months who deploy during hurricanes, wildfires and other national emergencies.

According to two sources with knowledge of the terminations, which suddenly ousted roughly 50 CORE staff, the decision came from FEMA’s new acting chief Karen Evans — who was elevated to the role by DHS leadership after the embattled previous agency head resigned.

The notices stunned employees, who learned they would be let go within days. “Beyond cruel to be treated in such a way,” one of the workers said.

FEMA’s CORE employees are among the first federal boots on the ground during a disaster, working shoulder-to-shoulder with local officials, helping survivors and managing the crucial aid and grants that fuel recovery and rebuilding.

“FEMA can’t do disaster response and recovery without CORE employees,” a former senior FEMA official told CNN. “The regional offices are almost entirely CORE staff, so the first FEMA people who are usually onsite won’t be there. The impact is states are on their own.”

So far, DHS, which oversees FEMA, hasn’t given the agency much guidance about what comes next, leaving employees anxious about more cuts.

A DHS spokesperson denied that the department has implemented any new policy for these workers and did not address questions about this week’s abrupt terminations or the department’s broader plans to downsize the agency.

“The CORE program consists of term-limited positions that are designed to fluctuate based on disaster activity, operational need, and available funding,” the spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. “CORE appointments have always been subject to end-of-term decisions consistent with that structure and there has been no change to policy.”

Several sources told CNN that DHS has been considering letting more contracts expire as part of a push to downsize the agency, though officials have wavered on how deep the cuts will go.

CORE employees make up about 40% of FEMA’s workforce — over 8,000 people — working full-time hours on temporary contracts. Several thousand of these workers will see their contracts end in 2026.

Traditionally, CORE workers have served on two-to-four-year contracts that were almost always renewed. In 2025, DHS limited FEMA to renewing these contracts for just 180 days at a time while they considered a long-term plan to shrink the agency.

As of January 1, DHS revoked FEMA’s authority to renew those employees without approval from Homeland Security officials, according to internal documents obtained by CNN.

Now, DHS is instructing FEMA to let at least some of those contracts lapse, forcing employees to depart as their terms expire.

Under President Donald Trump’s second administration, DHS has argued for the past year that FEMA is bloated, despite a 2023 Government Accountability Office report that found the agency was facing a staffing shortfall of more than 6,000 employees—about 35% below its target level. Thousands of FEMA’s staff of about 25,000 left in 2025 due to layoffs and buyouts, deepening the shortage.

The latest cuts to CORE are part of a broader Trump administration effort to overhaul FEMA, shrink its footprint and shift more responsibility for disaster response to the states. A task force appointed by the administration – known as the FEMA Review Council – is expected to soon release sweeping recommendations, including a proposal to cut the agency’s workforce in half.

But after CNN exclusively obtained a draft of the recommendations this month, the White House abruptly postponed the task force’s final meeting, leaving FEMA’s future in limbo.

Inside FEMA and across the country, officials are sounding the alarm about the administration’s plan, warning that most states simply aren’t equipped to handle major disasters on their own.

Billions in federal funding for communities nationwide remain stuck in FEMA’s backlog, largely because of bureaucratic hurdles imposed by Trump’s DHS. With the future of federal funding up in the air, some states are already tightening their own budgets and laying off local emergency management staff whose departments rely on money from FEMA to brace for the impact.

The FEMA Review Council is expected to recommend moving some agency staff out of Washington, DC, and into other parts of the country — a move that could help fill some gaps if the CORE workforce is slashed.

Still, it likely means fewer federal boots on the ground when disaster strikes, leaving states with more responsibility for supporting survivors and navigating access to the federal resources that are still available — a bureaucratic process the Trump administration has vowed to improve.

“They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” Trump, 79, said of why he takes a larger dose. “I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?”

“They’d rather have me take the smaller one,” Trump added. “I take the larger one, but I’ve done it for years, and what it does do is it causes bruising.”

Trump gave the Journal an impromptu interview after learning that the publication was doing a story on his health. The interview appeared to be one of the most extensive conversations Trump has had with journalists on his health, as scrutiny has intensified this year over his age, fitness for office and whether he’s being sufficiently transparent with his medical information.

Trump has long had bruising on his right hand, which CNN has reported predated his return to the White House. But it drew more attention after he began trying to cover it with heavy makeup and bandages and shield it from cameras with his other hand. Observers have also raised concerns about swelling in his legs and his appearing to doze during public events.

The president took to Truth Social on Friday to again comment on his health following the publication of the interview, saying White House doctors have deemed him to be in “PERFECT HEALTH.”

The interview with the Journal, and the subsequent social media post, underscore how invested the president is in defending his health after he spent much of the 2024 presidential election campaign attacking his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for his own health issues.

Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, told the Journal that the president takes 325 milligrams of aspirin daily. According to Mayo Clinic, a low dose of aspirin, which “can help prevent heart attack or stroke,” ranges from 75 to 100 milligrams and 81 milligrams is commonly recommended. The Mayo Clinic also says that for aspirin therapy, the daily dose “is usually between” 75 to 325 milligrams.

Aspirin helps thin the blood, which can prevent clots from forming, but it also comes with the risk of excessive bleeding. In recent years, medical guidelines stopped recommending daily aspirin for many adults because the risks outweigh the benefits, and some suggest halting aspirin therapy entirely when patients are in their 70s.

Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor at George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences who was a longtime cardiologist for former Vice President Dick Cheney, said the latest updates from Trump and his team raise more questions than they answer.

“It’s uncommon to see that kind of bruising with one aspirin a day,” Reiner said. “My question is, ‘Does the president take any medications that have not been disclosed by the White House?’”

Barbabella said Thursday that Trump “remains in exceptional health.”

“President Trump’s medical evaluations and laboratory results continue to show excellent metabolic health, and have revealed his cardiovascular health puts him 14 years younger than his age. Overall, the President remains in exceptional health and perfectly suited to execute his duties as Commander in Chief,” he said in a statement to CNN.

Across a series of events last week, Trump — who last year became the oldest president to take the oath of office — appeared with discoloration or light bruising on the back of his left hand, in addition to the more persistent bruise on his right hand that has been visible for months.

The White House has previously explained that the bruising on his right hand is due to constant handshaking along with a regular regimen of aspirin that can make such discoloration more common.

Reiner said 325 milligrams of aspirin each day is not a very high dose, but there’s no medical reason to take that much on a daily basis. When someone sprains an ankle, he said, they might get a 325 milligrams of aspirin every four hours, which would be considered a high dose.

“Aspirin has been studied in varied doses, and the reason why 81 milligrams is given to people is that’s the dose which appears to have the best combination of protection from clotting events and bleeding caused by the drug,” Reiner said. “In other words, 325 milligrams increases the bleeding risk but doesn’t increase the efficacy. So we never use that.”

“The big issue here is transparency. All of these issues just highlight how opaque The White House has been about the president’s health,” he added.

In the interview, Trump also discussed a scan he underwent in October, which he previously described to reporters as an MRI. At the time, the president gave little detail around the procedure or what physicians were seeking to explore, telling reporters they should ask his doctors.

When asked about the scan by the Journal, Trump said it wasn’t an MRI but rather a CT scan. “It wasn’t an MRI,” Trump said. “It was less than that. It was a scan.”

Barbabella said Thursday the CT scan was done “to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues.” Last month, Barbabella released a memo saying the October medical imaging was of Trump’s cardiovascular and abdominal systems and that both showed “perfectly normal” results. In 2018, Trump had a coronary CT scan that did show some abnormalities — a steady build-up of plaque in his blood vessels, indicating moderate heart disease.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration’s transparency about testing Trump’s received, saying in a Thursday statement, “The President’s physicians and the White House have always maintained the President received advanced imaging.”

“Additional details on the imaging have been disclosed by the President himself, because he continues to be the most transparent and open president in history and has nothing to hide,” she added, while criticizing Biden.

Trump also addressed steps he has taken to treat other conditions, including swelling in his lower legs that the White House announced in July was due to chronic venous insufficiency — a common condition frequently found in older people.

Trump told the Journal he tried compression socks but “didn’t like them.” He also suggested he was not interested in taking up regular exercise.

“I just don’t like it. It’s boring,” Trump said. “To walk on a treadmill or run on a treadmill for hours and hours like some people do, that’s not for me.”

The Journal also asked the president about his appearing to doze off at recent public events and about his hearing. Trump defended himself on both scores.

During a Cabinet meeting last month, Trump closed his eyes for several seconds at a time. Similarly, during a November 6 event in the Oval Office, the president appeared to close his eyes or struggle to keep them open. But Trump told the Journal he didn’t actually fall asleep.

“I’ll just close. It’s very relaxing to me,” he said of his eyes being shut. “Sometimes they’ll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they’ll catch me with the blink.”

Of his hearing, Trump said he only struggled “when there’s a lot of people talking,” but otherwise downplayed any concerns.

Before and after his election, Trump questioned his predecessor’s fitness to serve, even alleging Biden was unaware of actions signed in his name using the autopen, which Biden denies. Biden dropped out of the 2024 race following a disastrous debate performance that further fueled concerns and criticism over his health and ability to serve.

Evacuation warnings were issued ahead of Thursday’s storm in parts of Los Angeles County over fears of debris flows and flash flooding like what happened during a destructive Christmas-week storm.

Though Southern California had so far avoided major problems, with just flooding on some major roads, the warnings remained in place.

Flooding was most widespread on roads in the San Diego area on Thursday morning, including on parts of interstates 5 and 8. Rescue teams with the San Diego Fire Department also had to rescue people trapped in their cars in the floodwater.

Farther north, flooding closed a part of the Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, according to Caltrans.

Flooded roads could become a familiar scene in the coming days with the state locked in a soggy pattern into early next week.

The next atmospheric river fueled-storm arrives in California late Friday into Saturday. Two more systems could then crash into the coast, one on Sunday and then another Monday into Tuesday.

Localized flooding from these storms is possible in much of the state, but more serious flooding is possible in a couple of areas.

One of those is northwest California, where a flood watch is in effect from Friday afternoon through Sunday. Southern California isn’t out of the woods either. There’s a Level 2 of 4 flooding rain threat from near Los Angeles northward to the Santa Barbara area this weekend, according to the Weather Prediction Center.

Colder air brought in by these storms will also allow snow to fall below major pass levels this weekend, including Interstate 80 through Donner Pass.

Over a foot of snow is likely at Sierra Nevada ski resorts, though exact totals remain uncertain and could make mountain travel hazardous. Some locations could see totals up to 3 or 4 feet through the weekend.

An avalanche last Friday killed a ski patroller and left another patroller injured at the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area in the eastern Sierra, according to the resort. It happened after feet of snow buried the mountain range last week.

The Netflix series that capitalized on ’80s homages and synth notes mixed with pop hits ended its fifth and final season with a 2-hour-plus finale that debuted on New Year’s Eve, in which no one (really) died, lifelong friendships were reforged in fire, and a bunch of Dungeons and Dragons nerds finally graduated high school (even though they all look old enough to have college under their belts by now, too).

The first two chunks of the season – unceremoniously released smack-dab on Thanksgiving and Christmas – set up this last adventure, putting in place the pieces for a climactic showdown in an episode titled “The Rightside Up” that summoned essentially every surviving member of the extended cast (even Mr. Clarke!) to defeat Vecna, a.k.a. Henry Creel, a.k.a. One.

In a behind the scenes clip released before the episode, “Stranger Things” co-creator Ross Duffer said that since it was the last hurrah for the show, they wanted to “make it as big as possible, and I don’t think we could put another character in, I think the whole thing would break.” That felt true in this final stretch – some characters barely uttered a word of dialogue in the last episode, not for lack of urgency, but simply because there was no space or time for them to do so.

Still, the stakes were set high, as Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) wrestled with a fateful choice of what to do at the end, since even if the Upside Down were to be irrevocably destroyed, her sheer existence could leave a door open to a new version and a new threat like Vecna. Ironically, her conundrum was not dissimilar to that of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator in that film franchise’s second installment, which costarred Linda Hamilton. In Season 5 of “Stranger Things,” Hamilton’s Dr. Kay came to represent the shady and evil militaristic organization that, like Skynet in the “Terminator” films, would stop at nothing to get a hold of Eleven and use her to reproduce the madness of the Upside Down.

Ultimately, Eleven employs a strategy that was seen in a much more recent film franchise, namely “Wicked,” with the magically powered girl intentionally letting everyone – even those she loves most – believe she’s dead, when really she’s off discovering new and distant lands.

As for Vecna’s final demise, it turns out that denizens of the theater had the upper hand going into the finale, since clues to Henry’s inception as Vecna that were presented in the West End and Broadway production of “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” were heavily referenced at the end.

For the many who have not seen the Tony-winning Broadway show, it explores Henry’s origins as they connect to his repressed childhood memories that were gradually revealed in Season 5. It all revolves around a briefcase that young Henry encounters in a cave, the contents of which begin his descent into the Upside Down. Helpful context via Nerdist and Reddit: The briefcase holds a sample of Dimension X particles, stolen from a lab, that invade Henry’s body and start the process of him becoming Vecna, opening the door to the Upside Down and the creation of Eleven and her “siblings.” Make sense? It’s ok if the answer is not a resounding yes.

Instead, it’s fun to get lost in the awe of the Mind Flayer, connected to Vecna, which in the finale episode is finally shown in all its glory as a Kaiju-sized spider. It bores down on our Hawkins heroes in Dimension X, but finally dies when they demonstrate how teamwork really does make the dream work. Special props go to Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) pulling gun-toting Sigourney-Weaver-in-“Aliens” duty, and Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) again wielding his newfound sorcery.

But, if you pressed pause as that final showdown unfolded and were surprised to see at least 40 minutes of runtime left, you most likely weren’t the only one. The denouement of this movie-sized episode was an inflated one, with lots of screen time devoted to wrapping up various characters and their storylines, like Hopper (David Harbour) finally getting his long-anticipated date night with Joyce (Winona Ryder) and jumping right to getting down on one knee and proposing, and an uproarious high school graduation sequence that showcased the rebellious brilliance of Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) paying tribute to dear departed Eddie (Joseph Quinn).

There were also some delicious needle drops, the most prominent being two Prince megahits “When Doves Cry” and “Purple Rain.”

After this strange year, making sure everyone got their happy ending on “Stranger Things” was more than welcome.

The circumstances of the individual cases vary, and some could have been involved in drug smuggling, the official said. US officials are still collecting information about what the Americans were doing in Venezuela and at the time of their detention, the official added.

Trump administration officials believe that the Maduro regime is detaining the Americans to build leverage against the US, the official said, as the pressure campaign against the Venezuelan leader — including the US strikes on drug boats, a CIA strike on Venezuelan port facility and recent oil blockade — has intensified in recent months.

The tactic mirrors that of Russia, Venezuela’s longtime ally, which has detained numerous Americans on Russian soil in recent years to use as leverage in Moscow’s tense relations with the US.

The New York Times was first to report on the recently detained Americans.

The State Department did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Trump administration officials have resisted saying that they are actively seeking regime change in Venezuela but have accused Maduro of being illegitimate and a narco-trafficker. The administration has been increasing pressure on Maduro, including the “blockade” of sanctioned oil vessels and other financial tactics.

In December the State Department announced two sets of sanctions against Maduro’s family members, targeting three of Maduro’s nephews, his sister-in-law and other relatives.

Also in December, the US conducted its first strike on a land target in Venezuela, hitting a port facility in a CIA drone strike, CNN reported.

“It is clear that the current status quo with the current Venezuelan regime is intolerable for the United States,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a December press conference when asked about comments from the White House chief of staff that Trump “wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle.”

Venezuela holds hundreds of people as political prisoners, according to human rights activists, some of whom were detained in the aftermath of a 2024 election in which Maduro claimed victory but that independent observers said was undemocratic.

Dozens of people were released from a Venezuelan prison on Thursday, Venezuelan rights groups said.

None of them are American, according to Alfredo Romero, the head of rights group Foro Penal.

This means that millions of Americans will likely have to shell out more — in some cases, a lot more — for coverage in 2026 or go uninsured. They could also try to find less expensive policies, though those usually involve tradeoffs.

Extending the beefed-up subsidies has been at the center of several battles on Capitol Hill in recent months. Democratic lawmakers refused to fund the federal government last fall unless the subsidies were renewed, leading to a record-long shutdown that only ended in mid-November with an agreement to hold a vote in the Senate on the matter. Both Democratic and Republican health care bills failed to pass the chamber in mid-December.

Moderate House Republicans fought with their leadership last month over temporarily extending the more generous assistance. Four of them ultimately decided to go nuclear and back the Democrats’ proposal.

Here’s what you need to know now:

Did all premium assistance disappear?

No! Only the enhanced premium subsidies enacted by the Biden administration as part of a 2021 Covid-19 relief package have expired.

The original subsidies, which are in the 2010 landmark health reform law, continue to be available. They limit monthly payments for the benchmark plan to no more than about 10% of enrollees’ household income for those earning less than 400% of the federal poverty level, or about $62,600 for an individual and $128,600 for a family of four.

But the enhanced subsidies made Obamacare coverage much more affordable, which helped draw a record 24.3 million people to sign up for 2025 policies. Lower-income Americans were able to enroll in policies with $0 or near $0 monthly premiums, while those in the middle class became eligible for help for the first time. Four out of five consumers were able to find 2025 plans for $10 or less a month.

Some Americans may also qualify for extra help from their states. Ten states provide eligible residents with additional state-funded subsidies that could blunt some of this year’s premium increase.

California, for instance, has allocated $190 million to replace the enhanced subsidies for many of its lowest income enrollees for 2026, said Jessica Altman, executive director of Covered California, the state-run exchange. However, that doesn’t come close to the $2.5 billion in federal enhanced subsidies that Golden State enrollees received in 2025.

In Massachusetts, residents with incomes below 400% of the federal poverty level qualify for longstanding state subsidies that will provide some additional aid, though most enrollees will still see their premiums rise, said Audrey Morse Gasteier, executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector.

Nationwide, enrollees’ annual premium payments are expected to spike by more than $1,000 — or 114% — due to the lapsing of the enhanced subsidies, according to KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research group.

What should consumers do if they want 2026 coverage?

Shop!

Many Affordable Care Act enrollees allow themselves to be automatically renewed into the same plan year after year. But it’s more important than ever for consumers to log onto their exchange, update their estimated income and check out available plans. They can also get in touch with an enrollment navigator, insurance broker or agent to discuss their medical needs and budget to see what policies might work for them.

The phones have been ringing off the hook at the Covering Florida navigator program this enrollment season, said director Xonjenese Jacobs. It had already received more than 1,750 calls by mid-December, compared to around 500 to 750 calls at that time in 2024.

Those whose premiums have skyrocketed beyond affordable levels could explore whether other insurers offer less expensive options or whether plans with higher deductibles and out-of-pocket costs have more reasonable premiums. They can check whether policies with narrower doctor networks or more restrictive HMO plans would reduce their monthly tab.

If consumers can’t afford any Obamacare policies, Covering Florida navigators also help them review alternatives to Affordable Care Act policies, such as short-term plans. But the navigators want to make sure that people consider plans that meet their medical needs since these alternatives typically don’t offer the comprehensive benefits and protections available in ACA policies.

More clients, however, are saying they have to forgo coverage for 2026 because of the higher premiums. In these cases, the navigators point them to federally qualified health centers that have sliding scale prices, Jacobs said.

“People are talking to you in real time while they’re literally trying to figure out what their next steps are going to be for their life,” she said.

“They’re saying, ‘I have to have this coverage.’ Or in some instances, they’re like, ‘I feel like it’s important for me to have health insurance, but I can’t afford this, so I need to figure out how I can make sure I continue to take care of my health care needs,’” Jacobs continued.

Covered California sent enrollees notices that included details about their current policy and subsidy amount but also listed another plan on the exchange with a lower premium so they could see that they have options, Altman said.

“Most people in Covered California … have plans available to them that cost less than the plan they have today,” she said.

While consumers should seek help if they feel they need it, they should also be aware of scams, said Devon Trolley, executive director of Pennie, Pennsylvania’s Affordable Care Act marketplace. Aware that people are concerned about premium hikes, fraudsters may try to push skimpier plans or fake coverage.

How is enrollment being affected?

The lapse of the subsidies is already taking a toll, say state exchange leaders. More people had been waiting to explore their options and to pick a plan in the hope that Congress would act before year’s end.

Several directors told CNN that new enrollment is down, terminations are up and more people are switching to less expensive plans, particularly bronze plans, which have lower premiums but higher deductibles and out-of-pocket costs. (Obamacare plans typically have four metal tiers, ranging from bronze to platinum.)

At Your Health Idaho, the number of new customers fell 22% from 2024, while twice as many customers terminated their coverage, Pat Kelly, executive director of the state-run exchange, told CNN in mid-December. People who disenrolled cited affordability at three times the rate of prior years.

Also, about 59% of enrollees selected bronze plans for 2026, compared to about 49% for 2025.

“Any time you see a shift in the metal tiers, from gold and silver to bronze, it’s a pretty good indicator of affordability concerns,” Kelly said, noting that open enrollment ended on Monday.

In New York, consumers are flocking to the New York State of Health website, call center and navigators, but a smaller share are actually selecting plans, Danielle Holahan, executive director of New York State of Health, the state’s exchange, said. In 2024, 70% of those found eligible for coverage went on to enroll. Last year, the figure was 64%.

“There’s a lot of shopping and there’s less enrolling,” she said.

New sign-ups are also down considerably in Pennsylvania and California. Overall, the 21 state-based exchanges have seen an 18% decrease in new customers to 210,500 through November 22, according to data released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The federal exchange, healthcare.gov, which handles enrollment for 30 states, has experienced a slight uptick in such consumers to 739,000 through November 29, according to CMS, which did not respond to a request for comment.

Exchange leaders consider new enrollments a better indicator than returning consumers or total sign ups, in part because many states saw big jumps in enrollment for 2025 so they expect to see a larger number of returning customers.

Also, existing customers who are automatically reenrolled into 2026 policies may opt to end their coverage by not making premium payments. Those who actively enrolled may try to make some initial payments but find they can’t afford it and drop their policies.

Already, the share of Pennsylvania enrollees effectuating their 2026 coverage by making their first month’s payment was 10 percentage points lower than a year earlier, Trolley said in December.

Several exchange directors told CNN they won’t have a good handle on 2026 enrollment — and the impact of the subsidy lapse — until April at the earliest. (Consumers who stop paying their premiums remain covered for three months before their policy is terminated.)

“There’s going to be a lot of coming and going,” Morse Gasteier said. “Particularly with respect to terminations, that may not be a clear picture right away.”

What if Congress extends the subsidies this year?

The leaders of state-based exchanges told CNN that they will be able to update their systems if Congress acts in January, though it may take time. A straightforward extension of the enhanced subsidies would be the quickest to implement. But if lawmakers make changes — such as setting an income limit or requiring minimum premium payments — it could take more time.

The state exchanges would let consumers know about the enhanced subsidy renewal and allow them to come back to sign up for coverage or to switch plans, leaders told CNN.

Massachusetts’ exchange could update its systems and notify consumers in about 15 days if Congress extends the enhanced subsidies with no changes in January, Morse Gasteier said, noting it has a “plan on a shelf.” The marketplace had to make changes to premiums and subsidies in 2021, when the enhanced subsidies were enacted.

Similarly, it would only take New York a week or two to adjust premiums and issue notices if the enhanced subsidies were simply extended, Holahan said. But the bigger challenge would be convincing those who terminated their coverage or opted not to sign up because of the premium spike to return to the exchange to look again.

“If we’ve lost them … getting them back, telling them that things have changed, it will be an uphill climb,” she said. “But we will do everything we can to outreach to them.”

Authorities said the blaze broke out in the early hours of New Year’s Day at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, one of Switzerland’s most exclusive locales.

Here’s what we know.

What happened?

Gaetan Lathion, spokesperson for police in the canton of Valais, said the “fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana.” He said about 100 people were inside at the time.

The venue lies at the very heart of the luxury ski resort, just a short walk from the bottom station of the lift that takes skiers up into the mountains. It has two bars, a dedicated shisha smoking area and a capacity of 300 people, with terrace space for 40, according to its website. Photos from inside the venue show a dark, cavernous space with a large, brightly lit bar at its center. It was not immediately clear which part of the bar was affected by the fire.

While the investigation is in its early stages, police have ruled out a terror attack, saying the tragedy is being treated as a fire.

Prosecutor Béatrice Pilloud said at a press briefing Thursday morning that it was too soon to determine its cause and that the investigation would “take a lot of time.”

Two witnesses told CNN affiliate BFMTV that the devastating fire was caused by sparklers placed in champagne bottles.

“There were waitresses carrying champagne bottles with sparklers on them, and they carried them close to the ceiling, which caused it to catch fire,” one eyewitness said.

“One waitress was standing on another waiter’s shoulders, and the bottle and the flames were just a few centimeters away from the ceiling,” the other reveler added.

“Once the ceiling was on fire, within about 10 seconds the entire nightclub was on fire,” the first eyewitness said. “We all ran out screaming and when we turned back, there were flames.”

Both witnesses said there were at least 200 people inside the establishment.

Another eyewitness recalled hearing people shouting as the fire tore through the bar. “There were people screaming, and then people lying on the ground, probably dead. They had jackets over their faces,” local resident Samuel Rapp told Reuters.

He continued: “Then I received videos where people were trying to get out, but they were trampling over each other, so it was hard to get out through the exit. And there were people shouting, saying, ‘Help me. Please help us.’”

People present initially described the fire as an “explosion,” a state council member said earlier Thursday during the press briefing.

Valais State Council member Stephane Ganzer, identified as a former firefighter, said: “The fire spread and, as it developed, caused a widespread explosion.”

Police have released footage from inside the venue after the fire, which appears to show the terrace area of Le Constellation. Chairs and benches can be seen in disarray, suggesting the panic of partygoers as they attempted to flee the blaze.

Large crews from the emergency services immediately responded. Operations are ongoing and the area has been closed off, with a no-fly zone in place over Crans-Montana, police said.

How many people lost their lives?

Swiss authorities have not yet given an exact number for those killed, saying it was “too early.” Police said in the press briefing Thursday morning that “dozens” were presumed dead and that the victims were likely of different nationalities.

Italy’s foreign ministry said approximately 40 people died in the blaze, citing Swiss police. The foreign ministry added in a statement that the victims could not be immediately identified due to severe burns.

Video from Reuters showed red and white police tape blocking access to the scene on Thursday. White forensic tents can be seen outside the bar as investigations into the fire continue.

President of the Swiss Confederation Guy Parmelin said the incident represented a “tragic loss that touches the whole country and far beyond,” as he offered his condolences to the victims and their families.

New Year’s Day was the first day of Parmelin’s one-year term as head of state; he postponed a traditional address to the nation out of respect for the victims of the fire.

French President Emmanuel Macron also offered his condolences to the bereaved, saying Switzerland has “the full solidarity of France and our fraternal support.”

Where are the injured being treated?

The huge number of people injured in the tragedy has overwhelmed the local medical system in the Valais canton, with patients being transported to hospitals across the country and abroad.

Speaking earlier on Thursday, State Council president Mathias Reynard said that the intensive care unit and the operating room at the Valais hospital were full.

Swiss public service broadcasters have reported that patients have been transported to hospitals in Geneva, Zurich, Lausanne and other major cities.

Switzerland has two specialized centers that treat patients suffering from major burns – one in Lausanne and one in Zurich, according to official information.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that the Niguarda Hospital in Milan was set to receive several patients as well.

Italy’s foreign ministry said Thursday afternoon that 15 Italian nationals were in hospital after being injured in the fire. It added that “as many” Italians remain unaccounted for following the disaster.

France’s foreign ministry said two French nationals were among the injured and had been “immediately taken into care by emergency services.”

Consular teams were in contact with Swiss authorities in case other French nationals were affected, the statement added.

Where is Crans-Montana?

The Crans-Montana resort is popular with foreign tourists. According to its official website, it welcomes around 3 million visitors a year, with roughly a fifth coming from abroad – most from France, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States.

It is famed for its year-round sunshine, which it owes to its position on a south-facing plateau in the Rhone Valley. The area – 1,500 meters above sea level – offers sweeping Alpine vistas stretching from the Matterhorn to Mont Blanc, one of Europe’s highest peaks.

Tourists are drawn by its understated glamor, with high-end shopping and fine dining as well as extensive ski slopes and a lively apres-ski scene.

With a small population of around 15,000, the area is said to have a close-knit community as well as being a low-key place for celebrities to go skiing, golfing and dining.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

Chris Eriksen returned home from New York to find the unexpected sight behind his house on Northeast 12th Court and Northeast 3rd Terrace, where a home is under construction.

“I did not know when you knocked on my door and told me there was something in the canal. I had no idea what you were talking about,” Eriksen said.

The truck belonged to Yaky Trucking Company and was working close to the seawall. An employee with the company explained the truck had to make multiple turns to navigate the tight space.

When the driver attempted to brake, the compressed air system failed to respond properly, causing the truck to roll into the water.

“A year ago, it was an empty lot. They started building that house probably mid summer, and so you watch it, you know, as it progresses. And you know, it’s a big house, we watch the pool go in and all, and this is a major curve ball,” Eriksen said.

Despite the unusual morning surprise, Eriksen found humor in the situation.

“I saw the truck in the water and just chuckled. I wished I had seen it go in, but I missed that. You don’t see this every day,” Eriksen said.

Three tow trucks eventually removed the construction vehicle from the canal. Eriksen documented the incident with photos and videos to share with family members.

“I got it on camera. I took pictures. I’m going to send them up north. My wife is up north, still with our grandchildren, and she’s laughing. My son is laughing,” Eriksen said.

Owners of Lots of Love Farm said the 3-year-old wallaby was found Tuesday night near the Walmart where he was last spotted.

“If this just didn’t become the best night ever! With the help of some really cool kids and a really cool dad. We caught Rex at the Walmart!! He is home safe and sound! Thank you, everyone, you’re all amazing. He must really like Walmart,” said Lots of Love Farm in a Facebook post.

Caitlyn Evangelista and her mother, Michelle, were out looking for Rex when they spotted something moving near a retention pond.

“I screamed like, ‘Stop, I think I see it.’ And then, you know, I tried to get a closer look, and I saw that you know, it was a wallaby,” she recalled. “I was just like, I couldn’t believe it. Like, there’s no way we just found this thing. It’s been lost for hours.”

They immediately called the farm and, in the meantime, a group of young men pulled up to help.

“They were like, ‘Were you out looking for the wallaby?’ and we’re like, ‘Yeah, he’s right here.’ They had a net in their car, but the owner was afraid that the wallaby would get scared, so the owner got food out of his pocket,” said Michelle Evangelista. “They were able to catch it by its tail and hold onto it.”

Klarissa Harper of Franklinville was among the shoppers who saw Rex on Monday in the Walmart parking lot.

“I was just picking up milk for my little brother. My mom sent me here,” Harper said. “And I’m leaving the parking lot, and I look over, and something’s hopping in front of my car.”

Harper said she immediately grabbed her phone, thinking she must be seeing things. “I couldn’t contain my excitement,” she said

Ron Layden owns Lots of Love Farm, which is a petting zoo and animal sanctuary located about a half-mile away from the Walmart. He said Rex had been moved to a different enclosure because of the cold, but “the cage didn’t get all the way shut.”

The Evangelistas are relieved the wallaby is back home safe and sound.

“I mean, everyone in town has been out, you know, looking for it and has been concerned,” said Michelle. “I’m just so happy that we were able to spot it.”

FHP says that they tried to stop a stolen 1999 Mercedes-Benz SL being driven by Bradley Daniel Roberts, 42. They add that the car, going at speeds of more than 120 mph, didn’t stop.

After troopers performed a PIT maneuver, the car stopped on Corkscrew Road, west of Coconut Point.

Troopers say that Roberts and his 14-year-old son, who was riding in the passenger seat, ran away. They arrested Roberts after a stun gun deployment and found his son hiding behind a nearby Publix.

A search of the car revealed a large amount of marijuana, two stolen shotguns, ammunition, drug paraphernalia with marijuana and cocaine residue and currency.

Roberts, who had an active warrant in New York, was placed under arrest for charges of grand theft for the guns and car, fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, possession of a stolen driver’s license, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, felony drug possession and more. He was taken to the Lee County Jail.

His son was arrested for resisting without violence and obstruction. The Department of Children and Family Services was notified.

FHP says that the incident remains under investigation.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said they’re actively trying to find the person or people seen getting out of a vehicle and setting the chicken on fire. PBSO said the chicken was found dead a short distance from where it was set on fire.

According to a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, the incident happened on Friday near the intersection of Avocado Boulevard and 60th Street near the acreage in Palm Beach County.

WPBF 25 News sat down with Capt. David Walesky, with Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control, who explained the need to find the suspect(s).

“A lot of times, this is outside of my expertise, but you always notice this with serial killers, that they start off torturing and doing harmful things to animals and children before they advance to where they do something, you know, on that higher level, I guess you would say,” Walesky said.

He said it’s clear the person who did this is unwell.

“This is not a normal thing to do to a live animal, so we need to find that person, and we need to get justice for that animal. But we also need to figure out what’s going on there to begin with, to prevent something more horrific from happening,” he said.

Walesky said they are conducting a necropsy on the chicken to verify the cause of death.

“A necropsy is basically the same thing as an autopsy with humans. So it’s performed by a licensed veterinarian. They go through, they collect tissue samples, skin samples, anything like that that would be helpful for forensics, for testing. They determine the cause of death,” Walesky said.

Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.

From there, he said that it can be used in court to help support anything observed by a witness. “So it kind of corroborates what we already know and brings science into that to better improve the chances of a conviction,” he told WPBF.

As of Jan. 1, 2026, a new law is set to go into effect aimed at people committing these types of crimes. It’s called Dexter’s Law and, among other things, is designed to implement harsher penalties in aggravated animal cruelty cases.

“You have to be afraid of the penalty in order to take that risk a lot of times. Hopefully, it’ll bring more awareness to animal cruelty crimes and the consequences of that when we see people getting a more meaningful sentence when they abuse an animal,” Walesky said.

When it comes to the chicken in this most recent animal cruelty investigation, Walesky shut down any speculation of this being a “ritualistic act.”

“This one right here doesn’t make any sense from a religious standpoint. It is not normal to light a live animal on fire as a part of any religious ritual out there, and that appears to be what has happened, and that is an act of animal cruelty at its just unexplainable form. Whoever did this needs to be prosecuted. There’s not a religion in the world that thinks it’s okay to light live animals on fire,” he said.

Walesky said, unfortunately, they’ve seen an uptick in animal cruelty cases involving livestock. However, he said he can’t imagine what the motive would be to do something like this.

“There are quite a few aspects of this that don’t make any sense. A lot of times, when people are doing things kind of evil like this, they’re doing it more in private. But this is just an intersection and just getting out on a vehicle at a random location and then, you know, lighting a chicken on fire. We don’t understand why, but it’s definitely not something that should be happening in our society,” he told WPBF.

Officials are now pleading with the public for help identifying the suspect(s).

“Anybody who may know who this individual is, recognizes this vehicle, or somebody who was unusually in possession of a chicken on that day. Anything may help. This is definitely a situation that we just don’t understand, but it’s definitely animal cruelty, and we would definitely like to see somebody prosecuted for this,” Walesky said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. C. Kovacs, from the Animal Crimes Unit, at KovacsC@pbso.org or Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County at 1-800-458-TIPS (8477). Tips can remain anonymous.

The manner of death was ruled to be suicide, the sheriff’s office said.

An open-field search on Tuesday led investigators to the remains in an area located “a few hundred yards” from Mendoza Olmos’ home, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said during a Tuesday afternoon news conference, adding that it was too early to identify the remains at the time.

Officials had not suspected foul play, the sheriff said, and the body had “indicators” of self-harm.

Officials were preparing to announce that another missing teen had been found safe when a call about the body came in, Salazar said.

Body found in a previously canvassed area

Officials had been aware of and looking for a firearm belonging to one of Mendoza Olmos’ relatives that was missing, Salazar said. A firearm was recovered near the body Tuesday, but police haven’t processed it yet, the sheriff previously said.

Dozens of volunteers helped in the search over the holiday, and the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office had said she could be in imminent danger.

On Tuesday, a joint force team of Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputies and FBI agents were conducting an open field search of an area they had checked once before, when they found a body about 10 minutes into their search, the sheriff said.

“Due to high brush, we made a conscious decision to head back out there and check again,” he explained.

The body was found on property belonging to a local landscape materials company, which said they are “deeply saddened” by the discovery and asked for “privacy and compassion for all involved as this matter is handled,” they wrote on Facebook Tuesday evening.

The company said they are cooperating with law enforcement throughout the investigation.

Asked previously why his office believed she might be in imminent danger, Salazar told CNN on Monday, “there’s some information I can’t divulge … due to the sensitivity of it.”

“We consider imminent danger to be anything from self-harm all the way through someone actually kidnapping Camila, and all of those possibilities exist at present,” Salazar said on Monday, noting that the missing woman had previously spoken of suicide. “We can’t rule anything out at this point in the investigation.”

Members of the community had lined up with maps and a drone to try to solve the mysterious disappearance.

“I thought I would find her like other times, walking, and we would come home together,” Rosario Olmos said in Spanish to CNN affiliate KENS after her daughter had gone missing the day before.

“I miss her. Daddy’s waiting for her at home,” her father, Alfonso Mendoza, had told CNN affiliate KSAT.

Last seen on neighborhood cam

Mendoza Olmos was last seen on a neighbor’s surveillance camera just before 7 a.m. on Christmas Eve outside her house. After she was seen looking inside her vehicle, the footage ends, according to the sheriff’s office, and there is no clear sign of where she went.

“As a Ring camera, it stops when it stops detecting motion,” Camila Estrella, one of Mendoza Olmos’ best friends, told CNN affiliate WOAI. “That’s all we saw of her, just opening the back of her car door. … We have nothing to trace her with.”

Family members and investigators say they’re not sure why she was looking inside the car. Since the vehicle was left behind, they believe she left the neighborhood on foot.

The sheriff’s office released a second video Monday showing what investigators believe is the last confirmed sighting of the teen. Dash-cam footage shared by a driver on their way to work around 7 a.m. on Christmas Eve shows a pedestrian believed to be Mendoza Olmos walking northbound on Wildhorse Parkway, between Shetland Wind and Caspian Spring.

Police urged residents to share any available video that could help aid in their search.

Teen left behind cellphone, iPad and car

The trail left for investigators to follow is confusing. Mendoza Olmos appears to have had her car keys with her when she disappeared, even though she didn’t take the car.

“One of the things that was very strange in this case is that the young lady left behind her cellphone,” Salazar told CNN.

The teen also left behind an iPad, according to police.

The notice of Mendoza Olmos’ disappearance was issued as a CLEAR Alert. In Texas, that requires investigators to believe that the missing person “is in imminent danger of bodily injury or death” or the disappearance is “involuntary such as an abduction or kidnapping,” according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The CLEAR Alert was discontinued on Tuesday.

Her mother told CNN affiliate KWEX she doesn’t think her daughter would voluntarily leave with a stranger.

“Cami’s not like that,” Olmos said. “Cami is very careful.”

Without a cellphone to monitor her movements, investigators had been looking for other evidence of where Mendoza Olmos may have gone, Salazar told CNN.

“The FBI and Homeland Security have been helping us out with intel gathering,” he said on Monday. “Things like outbound flights, border crossings, things like that.”

Authorities in Nuevo León, Mexico – where Mendoza Olmos has some family – have even put out a missing persons flyer about the teen, according to a post on the missing persons division of the Nuevo León Attorney General’s office Facebook page and her aunt, Celia Nora Olmos Sánchez, who lives locally.

As the news of Mendoza Olmos’ disappearance spread across the community, the search efforts have grown more intense.

“We’ve gone day and night, scraping our legs, not eating, just helping,” Estrella told WOAI.

Local investigators were working “basically around the clock” to find Mendoza Olmos, according to Salazar, and her mother asked for prayers that her holiday will end with joy.

“Please bring her back to us, or if my girl is watching, come back. That’s what we’re asking for,” Olmos told KWEX.

“She has a family that loves her,” Olmos added. “She has a life to live.”

“It really hurts to look at it now. Empty. And I didn’t know if I’d want it in my bedroom,” Nancy O’Sullivan said, reflecting on the armoire that her late husband had given to her as a Christmas present, and once held her precious jewelry.

Among the stolen items was a bracelet with a heart, a gift from her husband before he died.

“My husband had given me a beautiful bracelet with a heart in it during the time, before he passed, when he was sick,” she said.

O’Sullivan and her daughter had just relocated to Inwood Street in Port Charlotte and hired Patriot Relocation Corp for the move. According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, Anthony Constantino, an employee of the moving company, stole the armoire containing the jewelry while unloading items from the truck.

“I had noticed that a couple of the guys had disappeared, and I thought maybe they went on break or something like that. And then I was in the house and my daughter came running in and wanted her phone, and I did look out. At that point, I said, what’s going on? And she said, ‘We’ve been robbed, mom.’ And one sheriff’s car pulled up in like 15 seconds,” O’Sullivan said.

Although deputies recovered the armoire, the jewelry was missing.

Investigators reported that a stranger called 911 after witnessing a suspicious person dumping the armoire in a parking lot on Toledo Blade Boulevard. Security cameras captured Constantino removing the jewelry before abandoning the armoire.

“I do thank God for it,” O’Sullivan said, expressing gratitude for the recovery of the armoire. Constantino later turned himself in to the Charlotte County Jail on a warrant for grand theft.

“At this point in life, I’m just now really learning how to be careful and take care of things, and yourself — be careful,” O’Sullivan said.

Despite not recovering her jewelry, she hopes to warn others to prevent similar incidents.

“We had talked about it months before my daughter, and that we will take that with us in the car. And I had gotten a small case that you can put your jewelry in and then take it with you,” she said, advising others to keep valuables like jewelry, passports, and Social Security cards with them during a move rather than in a moving truck.

But for generations of business leaders, the 95-year-old has also served as something else: a teacher.

Buffett’s combination of success and sagacity has made him one of the most famous investors in the world, “on the Mount Rushmore of business leaders in our country,” Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks said. And through his advice-packed investor letters, his hourslong quote-fest annual meetings, his choices at work or in his personal life, Buffett has taught CEOs and executives around the world how to run their businesses and, in many cases, their lives.

Buffett, who’s spent much of his life among the top 10 richest people in the world, is stepping down Wednesday as head of conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway; protégé Greg Abel will take the reins Thursday.

As the iconic investor steps down from his post, several business leaders told CNN about the lessons Buffett leaves behind.

‘Predicting rain doesn’t count’

As a journalist, I’ve covered countless earnings reports. None were as fun as Berkshire Hathaway’s, in large part because Buffett remains among the business world’s top communicators.

He said what he meant, and he never used a 10-cent word if a one-cent word would do. And he was flat-out funny in a way that made covering him a hoot.

“What I’ve always admired about Warren Buffett, and (his late business partner) Charlie Munger for that matter, is their use of plain English and plain language to explain difficult concepts,” Steve Hafner, the CEO of Kayak, said. “It takes a lot of skill to take a complex issue and just split it to the bare minimum.”

Their dry wit made “their shareholder letter one of my favorite reads,” he added.

Some gems among those shareholder letters:

• “It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who’s been swimming naked.”
• “Predicting rain doesn’t count; building arks does.”
• “I’ve reluctantly discarded the notion of my continuing to manage the portfolio after my death – abandoning my hope to give new meaning to the term ‘thinking outside the box.’”

‘Our favorite holding period is forever’

One theme among the CEOs who spoke to CNN: Buffett’s legendary patience. Buffett was known to sit on ginormous piles of cash at Berkshire, waiting for the right opportunity to invest. And when he did invest, he was in it for the long haul: “our favorite holding period is forever,” he wrote to shareholders in 1989.

Investor, podcaster, entrepreneur and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci wrote to Buffett 30 years ago, saying he was buying Berkshire shares for his daughter.

“And since she was one and a half years old with a life expectancy of 84 years, she had 82 and a half years left in which to hold her stock,” Scaramucci said.

“He wrote back very quickly and said that was a manifestation of short-termism. His own intention was to hold the stock for a hundred years.”

‘I will be ruthless’

Yes, Buffett was a shark who made billions of dollars off Goldman Sachs, among the most hardcore capitalists on the planet.

But he was a shark with ethics.

“From Warren Buffett, I’ve learned that excellence really is a discipline,” said Larry Restieri, CEO at wealth management firm Hightower. “Set a clear direction, stay true to your principles and execute patiently.”

Buffett racked up a net worth around $150 billion, according to Bloomberg, but he always emphasized honesty and integrity.

And he expected the same from every single person who worked with him: “Lose money for the firm and I will be understanding. Lose a shred of reputation for the firm, and I will be ruthless,” he once testified before Congress.

‘A vast collection of possessions ends up possessing its owner’

Buffett famously loves flying private. He is a Cadillac fan. He is uber-wealthy, and he makes no apologies for it.

But he has also decided to pass on some of his massive riches. Buffett, along with Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, created the Giving Pledge in 2010 for the world’s richest people to promise “to give the majority of their wealth to charitable causes in their lifetime or wills.”

Marcel Arsenault, the CEO of Real Capital Solutions, is one of the people who signed that pledge. “Warren inspired me to think beyond monetary success,” he told CNN.

In a letter explaining his commitment, Buffett wrote: “Too often, a vast collection of possessions ends up possessing its owner.”

But giving doesn’t have to be about piles of cash.

“When you help someone in any of thousands of ways, you help the world,” Buffett wrote in 2025. “Kindness is costless but also priceless.”

Deputies said the woman, Deborah Collier, 69, was charged with attempted first-degree murder.

It all started when Collier’s family found a suicide note.

Deputies began looking for her after she left her home in the Daytona Park Estates area of DeLand and left behind a suicide note.

A VSO deputy spotted her vehicle and conducted a traffic stop for a well-being check.

Collier was located behind the wheel, while her 13-year-old great-granddaughter was unconscious in the passenger seat, according to the VSO.

Deputies said the child had white pill residue on her and found her totally unresponsive.

Inside Collier’s purse, authorities found prescription pills and a typed note explaining she was ending her and her great-granddaughter’s lives to spare the family further stress.

Detectives learned that the victim requires 24-hour care due to her disabilities. Collier and her husband were her sole guardians since birth.

VSO said the demands of caretaking have contributed to significant stress in the family.

Because Collier opposed placing the victim in an assisted living facility, she acted out of desperation and decided to end both her great-granddaughter’s life and her own, according to deputies.

Collier believed that no one would care for her like family.

Deputies said she was transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail and is currently being held without bond.

The president argued that blocking both measures was necessary to save taxpayer dollars.

“Enough is enough. My Administration is committed to preventing American taxpayers from funding expensive and unreliable policies. Ending the massive cost of taxpayer handouts and restoring fiscal sanity is vital to economic growth and the fiscal health of the Nation,” Trump said in a message to Congress, explaining his veto of one of the bills, H.R. 131, which aims to lower the payments certain communities in Colorado make for the construction of a water pipeline.

The other bill vetoed, H.R. 504, would expand the land reserved for the Miccosukee Tribe in Florida and instruct the Department of Interior to work with the tribe to mitigate flooding in the added area.

Congress can override the president’s veto by passing the bill again with a two-thirds majority in both chambers.

Trump’s veto of H.R. 131 in particular drew criticism with one lawmaker accusing the president of retaliation.

Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado said in a post on X, “This isn’t governing. It’s a revenge tour. It’s unacceptable.”

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.

The senator’s claim comes as Trump has sparred with Colorado’s Democratic Gov. Jared Polis over the governor’s refusal to release Tina Peters, a former election official and prominent 2020 election denier, from state prison. Earlier this month, Trump granted Peters a full federal pardon, which does not erase her state charges. Polis has said it’s a matter for the courts to decide.

In a Wednesday morning Truth Social post, Trump reiterated his calls for Peters to be freed, while again lashing out at Colorado’s governor and “the disgusting ‘Republican’ (RINO!) DA, who did this to her.”

The administration previously announced that it will close a critical research center in the state, with the White House implying that it was taking aim at the institution because of Polis.

GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, an ally of Trump who sponsored H.R. 131, said in a post on X, “This isn’t over.”

CNN has reached out to Boebert’s office for additional comment.

This isn’t the first time Boebert has been at odds with the president. She recently disagreed with Trump’s strong resistance to releasing files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump eventually signed the bipartisan bill to release the files, hundreds of thousands of which the Justice Department made public earlier this month with heavy redactions.

The Constellation Ball, as it has been named, is the ninth ball to usher in the new year at the famous Midtown Manhattan intersection. It measures 12.5 feet in diameter and weighs just over 12,000 pounds.

The ball features 5,280 circular Waterford crystals in three different sizes — 1.5-inch, 3-inch and 4-inch — as well as LED light pucks. The shape of the crystals is a departure from the triangular ones seen on previous balls since 1999.

“Each new crystal size features a unique design that celebrates the Ball’s spirit of eternal positivity,” reads a statement from the event’s organizers One Times Square.

Michael Phillips, president of Jamestown, the firm that owns and operates One Times Square, said the ball “is meant to represent interconnectedness, wholeness, and the cyclical nature of tradition, celebrating the eternal relationship between the past, present, and future.”

The ball drop is an integral part of New Year’s Eve celebrations for those who gather in Times Square, as well for people watching on television.

At 11:59 p.m. a dazzling ball glides slowly down a pole, while attendees — and millions of people tuning in from home — count down from 60. At the stroke of midnight, the crowd erupts into a cacophony of sound, often pulling their loved one in for a ceremonial kiss.

The Times Square ball first dropped in 1907, and it came into being thanks to Jacob Starr, a Ukranian immigrant and metalworker, and the former New York Times publisher, Adolph Ochs. The latter had successfully drawn crowds to the newspaper’s skyscraper home in Times Square with pyrotechnics and fireworks to celebrate the forthcoming year, but city officials banned explosives from being used after just a few years of the festivities.

So Ochs commissioned Starr, who worked for sign-making firm Strauss Signs (later known as Artkraft Strauss, a company at which Starr served as president), to create a new visual display.

Over the past century, that display, and symbol of the New Year, has evolved from an iron and wood cage adorned with light bulbs to a dazzling technicolor crystal sphere.

The concept was based on time balls, nautical devices that had gained popularity in the 19th century. As time-telling became more precise, ship navigators needed a standardized way to set their chronometers. Each day, harbors and observatories would raise and lower a metal ball at the same time to allow sailors to synchronize their instruments.

Both Ochs and the New York Times’ chief electrician, Walter Palmer, have been credited with the idea, allegedly inspired by the downtown Western Union Building, which dropped a time ball each day at noon. But Starr’s granddaughter Tama Starr, who joined Artkraft Strauss in 1982 and now owns the business, said in a phone interview that she believes it was her grandfather who came up with the concept of the ball being lowered and lit up with the new year numerals at midnight.

“The idea was to … have it illuminated with the brand-new electricity that had just come up to the neighborhood,” said Tama, who for many years served as foreperson at the Times Square ball drop. “And it was lowered by hand … starting at one minute to midnight, and that was the way it was done for many years.”

“It was an adaptation of an old, useful thing,” she added. “It was instantly popular. People just loved it.”

Though Manhattan had been partially illuminated by electricity since the early 1880s, the US National Park Service (NPS) notes that half of American homes were still lit by gas lights and candles until the 1920s. The sight of a glimmering ball lowering down from the dark skies would have seemed otherworldly.

When the ball reached the parapet with a sign displaying the numbers of the year, “the electrician would throw the switch, turning off the ball and turning on the numbers at the same time,” Tama said. “So it looked like the ball coming down transformed into the set of numbers.”

All of Times Square got in on the theatrics. In the first year, waiters in nearby restaurants and hotels wore battery-powered “1908” top hats that they illuminated at the stroke of midnight.

“It looked like magic to people,” said Tama.

‘A minute outside of time’

There have been seven different Times Square balls since that first descent, from a 700-pound iron structure fitted with 25-watt light bulbs, to a lighter aluminum frame after World War II, to a “Big Apple” during the administration of the city’s former mayor Ed Koch.

In 1995, when the ball got a glitzy update with rhinestones, strobe lights and computer controls, traditional signmakers were no longer needed — which meant that Artkraft Strauss, the company that had brought the ball to Times Square, was no longer needed either.

Nonetheless, Tama remembers her years as the timekeeper on the roof of One Times Square fondly.

When the last minute of the year arrived, workers lowered the ball using a complex pulley system.

In performing this ritual year after year, Tama sees an intrinsic link between the countdown, which she calls “a minute outside of time,” and the making of New Year’s resolutions.

“When you’re concentrating really hard, time seems to slow down,” she said. “It felt like the longest minute in the world. It felt like you had time to wash your hair, call your mother, change your life. You really can change your life in one minute — you can decide to be different. You can decide to be kinder and better.”

The monks entered Georgia on Saturday, traveling through Troup County and spending the night in Hogansville before continuing toward Coweta County and metro Atlanta. Local law enforcement agencies, including the Troup County Sheriff’s Office and the Hogansville Police Department, escorted and assisted the group as they moved through the area.

According to Hogansville police, more than 500 people gathered to greet the monks as they arrived at their campsite, many lining the roads from West Point to Hogansville to show support for their message of peace, kindness, and compassion.

A 120-day journey for peace

The monks began their walk on Oct. 26 in Fort Worth, Texas. When CBS News Atlanta spoke with Venerable Pannakara, he said the group had been walking for more than 60 days and still had nearly two months remaining before reaching Washington, D.C.

“We are walking for peace, loving kindness, and compassion to all people,” Pannakara said. He explained that the goal of the journey is to encourage individuals and communities to cultivate peace within themselves as a step toward peace in the wider world.

The monks acknowledged the physical toll of the journey, describing blistered feet and injuries along the way, but said the support they have received from communities across the country has helped sustain them.

“We have been receiving a lot of love and support from the communities,” Pannakara said, adding that the encouragement reinforces why they believe this is “the right time” to carry out the walk.

The walk spans roughly 2,300 miles over 120 days and includes a loyal canine companion, Aloka, who travels alongside the monks.

Support — and contrasting views — along the route

As the monks moved through Georgia, they encountered a range of reactions. Many supporters joined portions of the walk or gathered along roadways to offer food, water, and words of encouragement.

CBS News Atlanta also spoke with Billy Ball, a former pastor affiliated with Grace Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia, who said he came out to share a Christian perspective on peace.

Ball told CBS News Atlanta that while he believed the monks’ intentions were sincere, he felt compelled to express his belief that peace ultimately comes through Christianity. His comments reflected a theological disagreement but did not disrupt the walk, which continued peacefully through the area.

Billy Ball, a former pastor affiliated with Grace Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia, says he came out to share a Christian perspective on peace. CBS News Atlanta

A message focused on unity

Despite differing viewpoints encountered along the way, the monks have emphasized that the walk is not about politics or religious conversion, but about encouraging reflection, compassion, and unity.

Law enforcement agencies that accompanied the group echoed that sentiment in social media posts, describing the walk as a reminder of the importance of respect and understanding within communities.

The monks are expected to continue their journey through metro Atlanta in the coming days before heading north toward Washington, D.C., where they plan to conclude the walk.

More information about the Walk for Peace is available through the group’s public social media pages.

When she was out past the time it normally takes to complete the walk, her parents became concerned, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a social media post.

Distressed, the father turned to parental controls on the teen’s cellphone and tracked her location to a secluded and partially wooded area in Harris County, about 2 miles from their home in Porter – less than 30 miles outside of Houston.

The father followed the location into the woods.

When he arrived, he found his daughter and her dog inside a maroon pickup truck with a partially nude stranger inside.

The father helped his daughter escape the truck and contacted authorities who were able to, with the help of eyewitnesses at the scene, locate the truck and identify the driver as 23-year-old, Giovanni Rosales Espinoza, also from Porter, although the family told CNN affiliate KHOU they didn’t know him.

The teen and her family have not been publicly identified at this time.

The rescue underscores the growing popularity of parental-tracking tools – from smartphone location sharing to dedicated safety apps – as research shows children are getting smartphones at younger ages and more families are turning to these layers for added peace of mind.

An investigation revealed the suspect threatened the victim with a knife, abducting her from the street, according to Montgomery County detectives.

Espinoza was taken into custody without incident and charged with aggravated kidnapping and indecency with a child, according to inmate arrest records.

Montgomery County Sheriff Wesley Doolittle complimented his deputies and detectives for their work to apprehend Espinoza and assured the community the department is committed to keeping families safe.

“Christmas is a day meant for joy, but this man chose to shatter that joy by targeting a child,” Doolittle said.

Espinoza is currently being held without bond at Montgomery County Jail. It’s unclear if he has an attorney at this time.

SSgt. Ruben Tala, stationed at Travis Air Force Base, was traveling with his family through the Sierra corridor shortly after 8 a.m. when he saw an SUV spin out of control.

“During that time, I mean, I think it’s the adrenaline kicking in,” Tala said.

The SUV was teetering hundreds of feet above the ground. Video shared with KCRA shows Tala gripping the driver’s side door as the vehicle dangled over the edge.

“I thought about my wife and my daughter. What if there’s a family in that car? Somebody has to help,” Tala told KCRA.

As Tala worked to stabilize the situation, other good Samaritans stopped and joined the rescue effort. Together, they were able to help the driver and his wife reach safety. The woman was visibly shaken and clutching the couple’s two dogs.

Highway 50 is known for hazardous winter driving conditions, particularly during storms, when snow and ice can make the roadway treacherous even for experienced drivers.

Tala said the gratitude from the family left a lasting impression. One detail, he added, stood out to him afterward.

“It’s funny too, because one of their dog’s names is Luna, which is my daughter’s name,” he said. “I was like, how’s that a coincidence, right?”

Tala and his wife, Yvett, share a 22-month-old daughter and were on their way to the snow for the holiday when the crash unfolded.

“SSgt Tala and Yvett’s quick action and courage are a direct reflection of our Core Value of Service Before Self,” Lt. Col. Jason Christie, 60th Force Support Squadron commander, said in a statement.”We’re so proud to have them as our teammates and witness them ready to help anyone in need.”

The first two swans were found dead Dec. 23, and over the past five days, that number has risen to 12.

Sheehan explained that the deaths happened during the holidays, and specialized veterinary experts were not available at the time.

However, she said the deaths are suspected to have been caused by an avian flu outbreak.

“We can’t be certain until tests are completed,” Sheehan said.

The swans are currently stored in a secure location, awaiting necropsies to determine the cause of death.

In 2024, city staff discovered several dead birds at Lake Eola Park. Orlando officials later confirmed the cases were linked to avian influenza.

lake eola swansOfficials confirm positive cases of bird flu amid multiple swan deaths at Lake Eola The community can do certain things to protect itself, including:

Avoid direct contact with the birds at Lake Eola Park and only observe them from a distance. This goes for both people and pets at the park.

Avoid contact with any excrement from birds.

Removing shoes when entering homes and cleaning them off if contamination is suspected.

But some people may not realize that Tamiflu isn’t the only option.

Other flu treatments are available in the United States. These alternatives sometimes fly under the radar, in part because some are targeted for specific populations. But Xofluza, a one-dose pill, is approved for people 5 years and older – and can be a strong alternative for some people who may otherwise be prescribed Tamiflu.

Antiviral medications tend to work best when started within two days after symptoms begin, so having easy access to treatment options is key for treating the flu most effectively.

To treat flu this season, there are four antiviral drugs recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Tamiflu or oseltamivir, Xofluza or baloxavir, Relenza or zanamivir, and Rapivab or peramivir.

Tamiflu is used to treat flu in people ages 2 weeks and older, and to reduce the chance of getting the flu in people 1 year and older. The medicine is administered in liquid form or capsules, and typically must be taken twice daily for five days when used for flu treatment. When used for prevention after exposure, it is typically taken once daily for 10 days. Available as a generic or under the trade name Tamiflu, it may cost about $50 or less without insurance. The most common side effects include nausea and vomiting.

As another option, Xofluza is administered as a single-dose tablet and approved for ages 5 and older. It can be used to treat or prevent the flu, and it may cost nearly $200 without insurance, but eligible patients can use coupons to lessen costs. The most common side effects include diarrhea and vomiting.

“The most common complaint I hear about is vomiting from Tamiflu,” Dr. Ari Brown, a pediatrician based in Texas and author of the Baby 411 book series, said in an email. She referenced a 2023 study that showed about 18% of people experience vomiting with Tamiflu versus 5% with Xofluza.

The study also found that about 5% of people get diarrhea with Xofluza compared with none taking Tamiflu. “I’ve also had a few pediatric patients experience moodiness with Tamiflu, which is reported in the literature,” she said.

The “biggest difference” between Tamiflu and Xofluza is that Xofluza can stop viral shedding in one day while Tamiflu may take about three days, Brown said.

That means the rest of the household may have less exposure to the flu and fewer people may come down with it, but “both antivirals will help reduce the duration of the misery by a couple of days,” Brown said. For instance, with treatment, some people may experience five days of flu symptoms instead of seven.

Rapivab is one of the other prescription medications approved to treat flu. The drug is approved for ages 6 months and older, given once as an intravenous infusion by a health care provider. It may cost up to about $1,000 without insurance, and the most common adverse reaction in adults tends to be diarrhea.

Lastly, Relenza is the other recommended flu medication. It is inhaled in powder form, and typically administered using an inhaler device twice a day for five days. The prescription drug is approved to treat flu in ages 7 and older, and for preventive use in ages 5 and older. It may cost up to about $90 without insurance. Side effects include allergic reaction, dizziness or irritation of the nose, and it is not recommended for people with breathing problems, such as asthma.

‘Xofluza is rising in popularity’

Among the recommended flu treatments, Tamiflu tends to be the go-to flu medication for most patients. But Xofluza is becoming more widely used, Brown said.

However, it may not always be available in pharmacies, recommended by providers or covered by insurance.

“I suspect it is region-dependent,” Brown said about access to treatment.

“When one part of the country has surging flu cases, there is higher demand. We have not encountered this issue in Austin,” she said. For instance, this flu season, she has only had one Xofluza prescription that she needed to send to a different pharmacy because the first pharmacy was out of stock.

But overall, “Xofluza is rising in popularity over Tamiflu,” Brown said.

“One dose. Fewer side effects. More insurances are covering the cost of it now and manufacturer coupon makes it less expensive than in previous years,” she said, adding that she prefers it for her patients. “But all of the factors above–cost, ability to swallow a pill, availability can impact that decision.”

Another factor that may impact decisions: There is a growing concern about the influenza virus developing resistance to Xofluza.

“This is more in the minds of the practitioner – and I think it has been one of the reasons it hasn’t been used more frequently – the influenza virus can develop resistance to baloxavir, to Xofluza, during the course of treatment,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

“That happens sometimes around 10% of the time, so it’s not trivial. And that’s why I think the longer-term Tamiflu continues to be favored – that and the side effect of diarrhea,” he said. “So, Tamiflu tends to be recommended more frequently, despite the fact that you do have to take it for five days.”

Xofluza resistance has appeared to occur even more frequently in younger children, Dr. Tim Uyeki, chief medical officer of the influenza division at the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a call earlier this month of the CDC’s Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA).

“This emergence of baloxavir resistance is associated with a longer duration of symptoms,” Uyeki said during the call. “Fortunately, transmission of a baloxavir-resistant virus from person to person has been very, very limited. It’s been reported, but it appears to be very uncommon and there’s no circulation of baloxavir-resistant viruses or oseltamivir-resistant viruses in the general population.”

National influenza experts discussed on the COCA call that Tamiflu or oseltamivir is preferred for treating hospitalized patients and people with progressive illness.

Xofluza is not recommended during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, for outpatients with complicated or progressive illness, severely immunosuppressed people or hospitalized patients, because of the lack of information on its use for these groups.

But there are situations for which Xofluza may be preferred.

“For a patient with known or suspected influenza B, baloxavir has much greater efficacy against influenza B compared to oseltamivir,” Uyeki said during the call, adding that the medication is “generally well tolerated.”

“A single dose of baloxavir is not associated with many side effects and fewer side effects compared to oseltamivir,” he said. “For patients, I think every patient would prefer a single oral dose of baloxavir versus five days, twice-daily of oseltamivir treatment.”

At the end of the call, Uyeki added that researchers should continue studying the potential benefits of treating flu patients with a combination of antiviral medications, especially those with severe disease.

“I think we need more data for treatment of influenza in hospitalized influenza patients, so severe influenza,” he said. “And for that we need more data for a combination antiviral treatment, for example oseltamivir-plus-baloxavir.”

Its expansion once seemed limitless. It was even a joke. In 1998, an Onion headline read “New Starbucks Opens In Rest Room Of Existing Starbucks.” A few years later, comedian Lewis Black riffed that he’d gone to the “end of the universe” in Houston, where he saw one Starbucks directly across the street from another.

But Starbucks is now struggling, and its strategy of saturating urban areas to draw coffee drinkers on their way to work in the morning has backfired amid competition, the rise of remote work and rising costs.

So CEO Brian Niccol, hired last year from Chipotle to revive Starbucks, no longer wants its stores to be right next to each other. Starbucks is closing roughly 400 stores nationwide that are concentrated in large metro areas as part of its $1 billion restructuring plan.

Starbucks closed 42 locations in New York, or 12% of its total in the city. It recently lost its top spot as the largest chain in Manhattan to Dunkin’, according to Center for an Urban Future, a New York City think tank that tracks chain openings and closings.

Starbucks also reportedly closed more than 20 locations in Los Angeles this year; 15 in Chicago; seven in San Francisco; six in Minneapolis; five in Baltimore; and dozens more in other cities.

Niccol is trying to reposition Starbucks again as a “third place” between home and work.

The chain reviewed its more than 18,000 stores in the United States and Canada, and “closed locations that were underperforming or unable to meet our brand standards,” a Starbucks spokesperson said in an email. The company plans to open stores and remodel others in 2026, including in major metros like New York and Los Angeles, “featuring refreshed designs and elevated experiences that reflect the Starbucks brand.”

Victim of its success

In many ways, Starbucks pioneered the business model that’s now responsible for its struggles.

Before Starbucks, people couldn’t fathom paying more than two bucks for a cup of coffee, let alone have any concept of a latte.

But now Starbucks is closing urban locations in part because it’s been swamped by competition from niche coffee shops, smaller chains such as Gregory’s and Joe’s Coffee, and a wave of smoothie, bubble tea and other beverage shops.

“Urban America has seen a dramatic increase in competitive coffee shop openings that eat away at the store’s volume,” said Arthur Rubinfeld, the mastermind of Starbucks’ real estate and design strategies alongside CEO Howard Schultz during the 1990s and again from 2008 to 2016. Rubinfeld now runs Airvision, a consultancy for consumer brands.

Starbucks’ sales have stagnated in recent years, and closing a lagging cafe can also juice sales at another one nearby that’s “larger, more accommodating and close enough for the loyal customer,” Rubinfeld said.

Starbucks, which started in a hip part of Seattle, is now in its 50s and sees more room to grow and profit in the suburbs, analysts say. It’s expanding drive-through stores in suburbia, where labor, rent and other operating costs are lower than the most expensive cities in the country.

Remote work and homelessness

Other pressures have also led Starbucks to shutter cafes in cities.

New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco lost population after the pandemic in 2020, reducing their market sizes, although these cities have started to reverse losses since 2023.

And remote work has dealt a permanent blow to Starbucks in many central business districts that relied on huge numbers of office workers commuting every day, with the company closing locations in the ground floors of several downtown office buildings in Los Angeles as a result, said Catherine Yeh, the director of market analytics at CoStar Group.

And the company has also grown weary of being the public restroom provider of choice for many American cities.

“The mental health crisis in the country is severe,” former CEO Schultz said in 2022. “There is an issue of safety in our stores, in terms of people coming in who use our stores as a public restroom.”

Starbucks ended its policy this year that let anyone hang out at its stores or use the bathroom without making a purchase, and it posted signs outside stores banning panhandling, consuming alcohol and vaping.

‘Tougher slog’

The closures are part of Niccol’s attempts to revitalize Starbucks following years of slumping sales, strategy missteps and a revolving door of chief executives.

The chain is trying to win back customers looking to sit down for a cup of coffee by renovating 1,000 stores — 10% of its company-owned US locations — with chairs, couches, tables and power outlets over the next year.

But the turnaround under Niccol is taking longer than some investors hoped. Shares of Starbucks (SBUX) have dropped around 6% this year.

Remodels may help Starbucks’ turnaround, but improving operations in stores is a bigger hurdle for the company, said Sharon Zackfia, an analyst at William Blair.

Starbucks is serving customized drinks at the same place to two different sets of customers — people who want to grab their coffee and go and others who want to sit down and linger — and it’s struggling to satisfy these competing demands.

“It’s not an easy thing to fix,” Zackfia said. “It’s been a tougher slog than many expected.”

The incident occurred around 11 a.m. (5 a.m ET) on a busy stretch of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, which connects Ogun to the commercial center of Lagos, police reported.

Joshua, who has family ties in Ogun, sustained only “minor bruises,” but Boluwatife said two other occupants in the vehicle with him, including the driver, were killed. Those who died were foreign nationals, Ogun officials said.

“Anthony Joshua is well and responding to treatment,” Babaseyi Boluwatife, a spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, told CNN.

Joshua previously held three of the four major world championship belts in boxing and secured a gold medal in the super heavyweight category at the 2012 Summer Olympics while competing for Great Britain.

The fatal crash happened just over a week after he achieved a knockout win against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in their heavyweight bout in Miami on December 19. Joshua broke Paul’s jaw during the fight.

“Life is much more important than boxing,” Paul posted to X. “I am praying for the lost lives, AJ and anyone impacted by today’s unfortunate accident.”

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu also extended his sympathies, wishing Joshua a speedy recovery and calling him a “source of national pride.”

The highway on which the crash occurred has recently been identified as the most dangerous road in Nigeria, with more than 600 fatalities over a period of 27 months, according to statistics reported by local media.

According to a statement from Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Joshua was traveling in a Lexus SUV that collided with a parked truck while attempting to overtake.

It said preliminary findings indicated that the Lexus Jeep, “which was suspected to be traveling beyond the legally prescribed speed limit on the corridor,” lost control while overtaking and crashed into the stationary truck at the side of the road.

The agency added, “The primary causes of the crash being excessive speed and wrongful overtaking constitute serious traffic violations and remain among the leading causes of fatal road crashes on Nigerian highways.”

A video showing Joshua being rescued from the wreckage has been circulating on social media. The boxer, born to Nigerian parents in Watford, near London, has stayed connected to his roots.

The Joshuas have a prominent presence in Sagamu town, in Ogun, with their lineage spanning multiple generations. Joshua embraces his Nigerian heritage, which he visibly honors with a tattoo of Africa – specifically highlighting Nigeria – on his right shoulder.

Joshua could not immediately be reached for comment.

The wide-ranging storm has brought blizzard conditions, strong winds, an ice storm and tornadoes and is being followed by extreme temperature drops that are plunging millions back into the throes of winter.

The storm adds to an already challenging travel period, with more than 100 million people expected to drive for end-of-year trips.

Three semi-trucks and at least 20 vehicles were involved in a major pileup on Interstate 75 in Detroit late Monday morning. Travelers faced bursts of snowy conditions and strong winds as the winter storm swept into the metro area. No injuries have been reported, according to the Michigan State Police.

At least one person died in a traffic crash on Interstate 35 in north-central Iowa Sunday, Iowa State Patrol spokesperson Alex Dinkla said. No additional details about the incident were provided, but whiteout conditions forced the road to close from Ames, Iowa, to the Minnesota border Sunday into Monday afternoon and caused a 14-vehicle crash on the roadway on Sunday.

There have also been hundreds of crashes in Minnesota since the storm began Sunday, including 31 with injuries, according to the state patrol. Minneapolis-St. Paul has seen nearly 6 inches of snow and wind gusts over 30 mph.

Sunday and Monday were also expected to be two of the busiest air travel days of a holiday period that may set records, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

More than 3,000 flights in the US on Monday have been delayed and over 500 canceled after similar impacts Sunday, according to FlightAware. Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis-St. Paul are some of the major hubs that have been impacted by storms.

The storm’s powerful winds knocked out power to more than 250,000 customers in the Great Lakes and Interior Northeast, most of them in Michigan and New York, Monday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.

Wind gusts as strong as 79 mph have hit Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York. That’s the strongest wind gust measured there since June 1980, according to the National Weather Service.

Parts of Michigan have received close to 2 feet of snow: Marquette picked up 11.5 inches on Sunday alone, a new daily record, on its way to 22.3 inches of snow and counting.

As if a blizzard weren’t enough, the storm’s cold front also sparked a line of severe thunderstorms Sunday afternoon and evening, with damaging winds and a few tornadoes reported in parts of Illinois, including one that destroyed structures just outside of Decatur.

Northeast, Great Lakes face high winds, snow and ice Monday

More than 10 million people are under winter weather alerts from the Great Lakes into the Northeast. The storm prompted blizzard warnings in parts of the Upper Midwest Sunday into early Monday, but those have since expired.

The storm’s wintry and windy side spread toward the eastern Great Lakes and northern New England on Monday morning. Parts of northern New England and northern New York had ice accumulations of 0.25 inches or more thick.

Strong winds and snow have caused challenging travel conditions from Lower Michigan to western New York and northwest Pennsylvania.

High wind warnings have been posted across some of these areas on Monday, including Cleveland and Buffalo, New York. Wind gusts up to 60 mph were hitting most areas Monday afternoon, but gusts in downtown Buffalo reached 79 mph. That reading marked the city’s strongest gust in more than 45 years, according to the National Weather Service.

The winter storm will lock snowy conditions in over the Great Lakes snow belts into the New Year. Snow totals could reach 1 to 3 feet to the southeast of Lake Erie and east of Lake Ontario in western New York through the end of the week.

Extreme temperature change follows storm

Much of the central and southern US will go from 20 to 30 degrees above average this weekend to 10 to 15 degrees below average by Monday and Tuesday.

Dangerous wind chills as low as minus 30 degrees across parts of North Dakota and Minnesota early Monday made frostbite a real threat.

The return to colder, more seasonable conditions after the recent stretch of record-breaking springlike warmth is thanks to a frigid Arctic air mass moving in behind the winter storm.

Temperatures have dropped by as much as 55 degrees over 24 hours in Missouri, with more widespread drops of 25 or more degrees in a larger chunk of the Midwest and South.

Sunday also saw dramatic drops: In Springfield, Illinois, temperatures dropped from the 70s into the 40s in just a couple of hours.

The high temperature in St. Louis, Sunday afternoon was 78 degrees — an all-time December record. The temperature dropped 10 degrees in about 10 minutes as the cold front passed through the city, the National Weather Service reported. Eight hours later, St. Louis was experiencing snow and temperatures in the low 20s.

While winter storm conditions improve later in the week, the reset to colder air will keep winter hazards in play as the holiday travel rush continues.

If not for his brave actions, the baby girl might not be alive.

“I went out and saw the mom with the baby lifeless in her arms” Video from a home surveillance camera shows NYPD Officer Freddy Cerpa saving the life of the unresponsive 1-year-old girl. He checked her airway and then patted her on the back until she was breathing again. It happened on Dec. 7 at around 2 p.m.

Friday at NYPD headquarters, he spoke about his heroic actions, which he called just part of his job.

“I was home getting ready to go to work,” Cerpa said. “I hear banging on my door … ‘Please help my baby.’ I went out and saw the mom with the baby lifeless in her arms.”

The taps to the baby’s back he learned during police academy training about a year ago.

“I felt her chest go up and down, meaning that she’s starting to breathe again,” Cerpa said. “It’s an amazing feeling to know I was able to help save a baby’s life before Christmas.”

The parents knew they could get help by running to his front door because they are longtime family friends. The couple asked not to be identified.

“They gave me their gratitude about helping them and just let me know the baby’s fully recovered,” Cerpa said.

That very same week there was a similar save. On Dec. 10, NYPD Det. Michael Greaney saved a choking 8-month-old girl. That impressive rescue witnessed by many driving by along the Bronx River Parkway.

“Our mission is to preserve life, and I feel that’s the most Important part of being a police officer,” Cerpa said.

He said he will remember forever the rush of relief he felt.

Cerpa is assigned to the 43rd Precinct stationhouse in the Bronx. There’s one thing he wants every member of the public to know.

“If you have any precautions you want to take, like taking a CPR class there are resources you can find online,” Cerpa said.

That’s advice from an officer who knows when he’s off duty, he’s always on call.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

A quick-thinking 12-year-old boy on Long Island stopped a burglar who broke into his home on Tuesday afternoon, police said.

Tristen Taylor was inside his home on Eagle Avenue in Medford when he heard glass break in the kitchen and then someone moving around, according to police.

“I said, ‘I have to get out the house, the quickest way possible,'” Taylor said.

So the seventh grader hopped out of his bedroom window. Not long after, he spotted the man inside his home so he hid behind his garage and called police.

“I was on the phone with them, waiting for them to get here,” Taylor said.

Officers responded within three minutes and said they captured the alleged thief, identified as Christian Garcia, a 53-year-old homeless man, red-handed. Police said the suspect broke a kitchen window to get into the home.

Garcia, who now faces burglary and possession of burglary tools charges, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Central Islip on Wednesday.

The boy’s family credited movies he’s seen plus good instincts for the positive outcome.

“We were very proud that he was able to keep his composure and call the police as quickly as he did. Without even thinking about it, he automatically called 911,” said Timothea Taylor, the boy’s grandmother.

Tristen Taylor is also a hero to neighbors.

“I would hope my son would have done the same thing. When someone is breaking into the house, caution is to get out and call the police,” Mike Campanella said. “You just have to be brave and call them.”

Anyone with additional information about the alleged burglary is asked to call Suffolk County police at 631-854-8652.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Already, early on Christmas morning, a line of severe thunderstorms moved into Northern California with wind gusts in excess of 70 mph, setting off flash flooding in the San Francisco metro.

A “moderate” Level 3 of 4 risk of excessive rainfall is in effect for much of Southern California, including Los Angeles, as several more inches of rain are expected in the mountains north of the city and another 2 to 4 inches of rain in the city. Urban areas could see flooding during Christmas Day and into the evening.

Wednesday’s potent storm brought 5 to more than 10 inches of rain to Southern California’s mountains and 2 to 5 inches in lower elevations. While rainfall Thursday and Friday will be less than what fell on Christmas Eve, any new rain could result in flooding because the ground is already saturated.

Mudslides, rock slides and debris flows are again a threat on Christmas Day, particularly in areas where burn scars are present from recent wildfires. The scorched ground of these scars repels water instead of absorbing it, quickly turning rain into a surge of floodwater that pulls mud and debris with it.

“Any rainfall that occurs will immediately turn to runoff,” said the National Weather Service forecast office in Los Angeles in a forecast discussion early Thursday morning.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Shasta counties Wednesday to mobilize resources. The city of Los Angeles also declared a local emergency Wednesday evening to ensure departments “have the required resources in the days ahead,” Mayor Karen Bass said.

Here’s the latest:

• Flooding rain risk continues: About 15 million people in portions of Southern California are in the moderate-risk zone on Christmas Day, according to the Weather Prediction Center. This includes Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The center termed this a “high-end” moderate risk outlook, indicating the significant threat of further flooding from heavy rainfall. More than a dozen flash flood warnings were issued Wednesday in Southern California, and flood warnings remain in effect for parts of the region through early Christmas Day.
• Severe thunderstorms slam San Francisco: Flash flood warnings were issued Thursday morning in the San Francisco Bay region as unusually potent thunderstorms packing damaging winds and torrential rainfall moved through the region. San Francisco International Airport recorded a wind gust of 72 mph, and numerous gusts to 80 and 90 mph occurred in higher elevations in this region, according to the NWS. San Francisco emergency officials are “monitoring impacts across the city,” Jackie Thornhill, a spokesperson for the Department of Emergency Management, told CNN. They have received reports of downed trees and flooding “with significant impacts to roadways and potential impacts to homes,” she said. More thunderstorms are forecast to affect this region later Christmas Day and any storms that turn severe could produce damaging wind gusts or a brief tornado.
• Two dead in weather-related incidents: A motorist crashed and died on a wet roadway in South Sacramento, the state highway patrol told CNN. “While the crash is still under investigation, it appears that the vehicle was traveling at an unsafe speed on the wet roadway and lost control,” hitting a metal power pole, the agency said. Heavy rainfall had occurred at 5 a.m. and light rain was in the area during the time of the crash. In San Diego, a 61-year-old man died Wednesday when a large portion of a tree fell on him. High winds were blowing in the area at the time, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Capt. Jason Shanley.
• Rescues in mountain resort community: Emergency crews pulled people from flooded cars and homes in Wrightwood, a community in the San Gabriel Mountains about 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, amid dangerous flooding and debris flows. Some residents had to be rescued from rooftops by helicopter, according to fire officials, who told CNN they don’t yet have a tally of rescues, citing the “very dynamic” situation. Roughly 120 emergency personnel were working through the night to continue assisting residents, San Bernardino County Fire said.
• Widespread power outages: More than 165,000 homes and businesses were in the dark early Christmas morning, according to poweroutage.us.
• Chain controls in effect for I-80: The snowy side of this storm is in high gear in the Sierra Nevada, where several feet are expected to pile up. Chain controls are in effect for Interstate 80, which means chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles except those with four-wheel or all-wheel drive that also have snow-tread tires.

Risk stretches into Friday

All told, rainfall totals in Southern California through the end of the week could be as much as 4 to 7 inches in coastal and valley locations, while foothills and mountains see 6 to 14 inches.

To put those totals into perspective, a city like Los Angeles could see anywhere from two months’ worth of rain to nearly half a year’s worth in just a week.

Los Angeles has already seen a typical December’s amount of rain following Wednesday’s storm.

Impossible travel conditions in the mountains

Feet of snow falling in the Sierra Nevada are making travel there difficult or impossible at times, and these conditions will continue through Friday. That includes Interstate 80 through Donner Pass.

The heavy snow is causing weather whiplash for the region, which has had much less snow than usual to start the season.

Some relief from this nonstop stormy pattern looks to finally arrive for the upcoming weekend.

The British sovereign said that “pilgrimage is a word less used today, but it has particular significance for our modern world.”

He continued, “It is about journeying forward into the future while also journeying back to remember the past and learn from its lessons.”

Charles reflected on the “courage and sacrifice” of World War II and praised “the way communities came together,” in his traditional speech which coincided with the 80th anniversary of the end of the conflict earlier this year.

“These are the values which have shaped our country and the Commonwealth,” the King continued. “As we hear of division, both at home and abroad, they are the values of which we must never lose sight.”

As the King spoke about “stories of the triumph of courage over adversity” giving him hope, footage of Princess Anne’s surprise trip to Ukraine in September was shown on screen. She undertook the official visit at the request of the UK’s Foreign Office to highlight “the traumatic experiences of children living on the frontline of the conflict,” Buckingham Palace said at the time.

Charles also hailed the “spontaneous bravery” of those who have instinctively put “themselves in harm’s way to defend others,” following the Manchester synagogue attack and Bondi Beach shooting.

As he spoke, video was shown of Charles meeting survivors and emergency responders in Manchester, before the broadcast showed people laying flowers at a memorial honoring Bondi victims and survivors in Australia.

The tradition of the monarch’s Christmas broadcast dates back to 1932 and was first delivered by George V. It has since become a staple of the holiday for many Britons who gather to watch and listen to it at 3 p.m. on Christmas Day.

Written by Charles himself, it is one of the few occasions where he does not seek guidance from the government when drafting and usually leans heavily on religious teachings while reflecting current issues and concerns.

The King’s fourth Christmas address of his reign comes after a year of social and political turbulence in the UK – as national unity has appeared to splinter in an increasingly polarized political landscape, amid rising financial challenges with the cost of living crisis, and as issues championed by the hard right continue to gain momentum among broader parts of the population.

Charles reflected on the Christmas story of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem and the wise men’s journey to worship at Jesus’ cradle, and how in each instance they “relied on the companionship and kindness of others” and channeled “an inner strength” to cope with physical and mental obstacles.

“In times of uncertainty, these ways of living are treasured by all the great faiths and provide us with deep wells of hope, of resilience in the face of adversity, peace through forgiveness, simply getting to know our neighbors and by showing respect to one another, creating new friendships.”

He continued, “With the great diversity of our communities, we can find the strength to ensure that right triumphs over wrong. It seems to me that we need to cherish the values of compassion and reconciliation.”

The 77-year-old monarch filmed the seasonal message earlier this month at Westminster Abbey, a site that has a long history as a major church of pilgrimage, with visitors flocking to visit the shrine of Edward the Confessor located within.

He filmed the speech inside the Lady Chapel, where 15 kings and queens – including Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots – are buried.

It’s the second year in a row that the broadcast was filmed beyond the walls of a royal residence. Last year’s speech was recorded at a former hospital chapel in central London – an ideal location to reflect his words of praise to healthcare workers.

Wearing a pinstriped suit with blue tie and pocket square, Charles appeared to be in good spirits as he recalled his state visit to the Vatican with Queen Camilla where “we prayed with Pope Leo in a historic moment of spiritual unity.”

The King said later in his address, “As I meet people of different faiths, I find it enormously encouraging to hear how much we have in common, a shared longing for peace and a deep respect for all life.”

Behind Charles, brightly lit Christmas trees decorated the background. The trees were repurposed from the Princess of Wales’ annual “Together at Christmas” service held at the abbey in early December.

Catherine and her daughter Princess Charlotte performed a surprise piano duet as part of the program’s opening sequence when it aired on Wednesday night.

Westminster Abbey was also the setting for an Advent service which the King attended earlier this month, and brought together a congregation that included Christian leaders, members of the Anglican clergy, as well as representatives of other faiths and charities.

Twenty people were hospitalized with injuries, Bristol Police Chief Charles Winik told CNN early Wednesday. Authorities had previously said some people were missing, but Winik confirmed all nursing home residents and employees have been accounted for.

One of those killed was an employee, the police chief said.

Officials’ preliminary belief is that a gas leak caused the explosion, Shapiro said.

The investigation is being led by the National Transportation Safety Board, according to a statement Wednesday from PECO, the local utility company, which said, “It is not known at this time if PECO’s equipment, or natural gas, was involved in this incident.”

The NTSB has a division that investigates accidents involving the transportation of natural gas. CNN has reached out to the NTSB for comment.

Crews from PECO responded to reports of a gas odor in the facility shortly after 2 p.m., the company said in a statement Tuesday.

“While crews were on site, an explosion occurred at the facility. PECO crews shut off natural gas and electric service to the facility to ensure the safety of first responders and local residents,” the company said, adding they are not sure whether their equipment or natural gas was involved in the explosion.

First responders worked quickly to remove everyone they could find as they still smelled a heavy gas odor, Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito said. About 15 to 30 seconds after firefighters left the building, there was another explosion and subsequent fire, he said, showing just how dangerous conditions were during the early rescue efforts.

In addition to the fire, the building suffered major damage as the first floor partially collapsed into the basement, Dippolito said.

“The explosion was really quite catastrophic,” Shapiro said.

Officials said it was a massive effort by everyone on scene to save people inside quickly, describing scenes of pulling people out of windows, staircases and elevator shafts.

“There was one police officer who literally threw two people over his shoulders and ran with people to help,” Dippolito said.

Bristol Health & Rehab Center, formerly known as the Silver Lake Nursing Home, said in a Facebook post local authorities were responding to the facility and they would post updates when warranted. It is located about 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia in Bristol Township.

Harry S. Truman High School is being used as a reunification center for those displaced by the fire, said Christopher Polzer, assistant superintendent of Bristol Township School District.

Officials describe heroic effort

Tuesday’s fiery explosion drew an all-hands effort as neighbors flocked to help and officers from as far as three municipalities away showed up to lend rescue assistance.

The explosion occurred at 2:19 p.m., immediately lighting up radios with calls of the disaster, according to Dippolito. Within minutes, firefighters were on scene and started pulling people out of the compromised building, he said.

Willie Tye, who lives nearby, told the Associated Press he heard a “loud ka-boom” and “thought an airplane or something came and fell on my house.”

When he stepped outside, Tye said he saw “fire everywhere” and people fleeing the facility.

Images from the scene show a large black plume of smoke billowing from the roof as emergency vehicles surrounded the building.

The people who were rescued “were being brought out by the fire department were handed off to the police officers, which came from every direction, and I believe every municipality around here and were literally carrying the patients,” according to Dippolito.

First responders were able to rescue two people from the collapsed basement just before the second explosion, Dippolito said.

That explosion and the subsequent fire “actually helped us identify where the leak was coming from in the basement, and we just prevented it from spreading into other parts of the building,” Dippolito said.

Shapiro praised first responders, saying in the initial response to the incident, “You saw what real heroism is all about.”

Nursing home recently changed ownership

Bristol Health & Rehab Center, where Tuesday’s fatal explosion took place, changed ownership at the beginning of December, Shapiro said.

On December 10, the Pennsylvania Department of Health visited the facility, where a plan was put in place to “upgrade the standards at this facility,” he said. He didn’t elaborate on what upgrades needed to be made or the details of the plan.

“That work will obviously continue with the new owners to ensure that they do what is necessary to keep residents safe at this facility and at the others where they are being taken to,” Shapiro said.

State records show the state health department cited the nursing home for failing to comply with several regulations during its most recent inspection in October, before the facility’s ownership changed.

The citations included failing to maintain portable fire extinguishers on one of the facility’s three floors, failing to maintain access to some stairways and a lack of “smoke barrier partitions” on two floors.

The facility was issued no citations after a fire safety inspection in September 2024, according to Medicare.gov, but Medicare’s listing for the facility gives it a “much below average” rating.

CNN has reached out to Bristol Health & Rehab Center for more information on Tuesday’s explosion and on the plan. CNN has also reached out to the Pennsylvania Department of Health for more information.

“A dangerous scenario is unfolding, with widespread and significant impacts from flash flooding and debris flows expected,” the Weather Prediction Center said about areas near and north of Los Angeles as the downpours arrived Wednesday morning.

More than six flash flood warnings had already been issued in this area of most concern before 7 a.m. PT. “Significant flooding is already occurring,” the National Weather Service said in multiple warnings.

Some areas in the mountains of Ventura County have already seen more than 6 inches of rain.

Feet of mountain snow, severe thunderstorms and strong winds round out the multiple threats the state is facing.

Strong winds and heavy rain were already blasting Northern California this morning, including the Bay Area, where a wind gust up to 108 mph was clocked in the northern hills. Around 140,000 homes and businesses have lost power in the state, according to PowerOutage.us.

Rare high risk on Christmas Eve

A Level 4 of 4 “high” risk of flooding rain is in place for Southern California Wednesday, including more than 7 million people in portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, according to the Weather Prediction Center.

These high risk flooding events are incredibly significant: High risks are issued on fewer than 4% of days per year on average, but are responsible for more than 80% of all flood-related damage and 36% of all flood-related deaths, WPC research shows.

Evacuation warnings or orders were in place in parts of at least five Southern California counties, notably around areas recently burned by wildfires.

Rainfall rates could exceed 1 inch per hour at times Wednesday. That’s more than enough to trigger dangerous flash flooding and life-threatening debris flows on recent burn scars, including from January’s Eaton and Palisades fires.

The scorched ground of these scars repels water instead of absorbing it, quickly turning rain into a surge of floodwater that pulls mud and debris with it.

The holiday danger doesn’t end Wednesday: Another atmospheric river-fueled storm will follow Christmas Day and continue into Friday. It’s raising a Level 3 of 4 flooding rain risk for more than 12 million people, including many in Wednesday’s high risk.

All told, rainfall totals in Southern California through the end of the week could be as much as 4 to 7 inches in coastal and valley locations, while foothills and mountains see 6 to 14 inches.

To put those totals into perspective, a city like Los Angeles could see anywhere from two months’ worth of rain to nearly half a year’s worth in just a week.

Residents not evacuating despite orders

Ventura, Santa Barbara, Orange and San Bernardino counties all issued evacuation warnings or orders for the threat of flooding by Tuesday evening. They join orders and warnings first issued on Monday by Los Angeles County for areas in and around burn scars in the greater Los Angeles area, including the Eaton and Palisades fire zones.

The orders in the Los Angeles area for 383 properties that sheriff’s deputies reached out directly to, including going door-to-door, the county Office of Emergency Management said Monday.

But many of the people had chosen not to leave, the city’s Police Chief Jim McDonnell said at a Tuesday news conference.

“I would ask you to seriously reconsider that,” McDonnell said.

They include Steve Schklair and his family, who live in a warning area for debris flow and mudslides, recently moved back into their home in Altadena, which they spent almost a year rebuilding following the fires, he told CNN affiliate KCBS.

But the family will not be evacuating because they live in a “lucky spot” and will instead spend Christmas hunkered down at home, Schklair said.

“All the mud flows — and it does flow — (go) around the house and down the street, never comes up here,” he told KCBS.

Impossible travel conditions in the mountains

Feet of snow falling in the Sierra Nevada will make travel there difficult or impossible at times through Friday. That includes Interstate 80 through Donner Pass.

The heavy snow will be a big change for the region, which has had much less snow than usual to start the season.

If that’s not enough, severe thunderstorms are a threat for coastal parts of California both Wednesday and Thursday. Any storms that turn severe could produce damaging wind gusts or a brief tornado.

Some relief from this nonstop stormy pattern looks to finally arrive for the upcoming weekend.

Eight people were on board the plane – four Naval crew members and four civilians, the Mexican Navy confirmed in a statement. The plane had been transporting burn patients, Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen told CNN affiliate KPRC.

One person remains unaccounted for, an official with the Coast Guard’s Heartland sector told CNN. Two were recovered alive in undisclosed conditions.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum offered her condolences to the families of the passengers and sailors onboard the plane at a news conference Tuesday.

Sheinbaum said her government will investigate the cause of the crash, noting, “There were about 10 minutes during which communication with the aircraft was lost.”

Officials had assumed the plane had landed, she said. It was only later that her government learned of the accident, she said.

“Until the black box is recovered and analyzed, it will not be possible to know the cause of the crash,” Sheinbaum said.

Locals step in to assist with rescue

Sky Decker, who lives near the site of the crash, told CNN he jumped in to rescue a woman trapped in the debris when divers were not yet on scene.

“Everyone was just waiting for divers to arrive. And I thought if there’s a woman alive in that plane, she’s not going to be alive for long,” he told CNN. “It was critical to get her out of there.”

Decker worked his way through the wreckage before pulling the woman out alive.

“The woman was surviving by breathing on a pocket of air that was only about 3 inches from the ceiling of the plane,” he said.

He said he went back through the wreckage and also recovered a man who was already deceased.

The US Coast Guard is also investigating the cause of the crash.

The aircraft, a small twin turbo plane, took off from Mérida, the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán, and was headed for Galveston Scholes International Airport, which lies about 50 miles southeast of Houston, according to data from FlightRadar24.

Mexico’s Navy said the plane was helping with a medical mission in coordination with the Michou and Mau Foundation, which provides emergency transports to children with life-threatening burns to Shriners Children’s hospital in Galveston, according to the nonprofit’s website.

A statement from Mexico’s Navy shared on X said the plane had an “incident” during its approach to Galveston, but did not elaborate.

Billy Howell, who works at Galveston Bait and Tackle, told CNN affiliate KTRK there was “literally zero visibility” at the time of the crash, adding it is not uncommon near the island, where foggy conditions can roll in within minutes.

“As the sea fog goes and the wind blows and changes directions, the fog does get a lot more dense,” Howell said.

A dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrols were at the scene Monday night, the sheriff’s office said in a social media post. A call was received about the crash around 3:17 p.m., according to the Coast Guard.

“It looked like it would be impossible for anybody to survive. The plane was almost completely underwater,” Decker told CNN.

Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are on scene assisting the investigation, the Texas Department of Safety said in a post on X.

Mexico’s Navy said in a post on social media it extends “its deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident.” It said it is coordinating with the Mexican Consulate in Houston. CNN has reached out for more information.

The Michou and Mau Foundation also said in a post on X, “We express our deepest solidarity with the families in light of these events. We share their grief with respect and compassion, honoring their memory and reaffirming our commitment to providing humane, sensitive, and dignified care to children with burns.”

A spokesperson from NTSB said they are “aware of this accident and are gathering information about it,” according to the Associated Press.

CNN has reached out to the NTSB. The FAA referred a request for comment to the Coast Guard.

On Monday, some Canadian viewers noticed that the pre-planned “60 Minutes” episode was published on a streaming platform owned by Global TV, the network that has the rights to “60 Minutes” in Canada.

The preplanned episode led with correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi’s story — the one that Weiss stopped from airing in the US because she said it was “not ready.”

Several Canadian viewers shared clips and summaries of the story on social media, and within hours, the videos went viral on platforms like Reddit and Bluesky.

“Watch fast,” one of the Canadian viewers wrote on Bluesky, predicting that CBS would try to have the videos taken offline.

Progressive Substack writers and commentators blasted out the clips and urged people to share them. “This could wind up being the most-watched newsmagazine segment in television history,” the high-profile Trump antagonist George Conway commented on X.

A CBS News spokesperson had no immediate comment on the astonishing turn of events.

Alfonsi’s report was weeks in the making. Weiss screened it for the first time last Thursday night. The story was finalized on Friday, according to CBS sources, and was announced in a press release that same day.

On Saturday morning, Weiss began to change her mind about the story and raised concerns about its content, including the lack of responses from the relevant Trump administration officials.

But networks like CBS sometimes deliver taped programming to affiliates like Global TV ahead of time. That appears to be what happened in this case: The Friday version of the “60 Minutes” episode is what streamed to Canadian viewers.

The inadvertent Canadian stream is “the best thing that could have happened,” a CBS source told CNN on Monday evening, arguing that the Alfonsi piece is “excellent” and should have been televised as intended.

People close to Weiss have argued that the piece was imbalanced, however, because it did not include interviews with Trump officials.

Weiss told staffers on Monday, “We need to be able to get the principals on the record and on camera.” However, in an earlier memo to colleagues, Alfonsi asserted that her team tried, and their “refusal to be interviewed” was “a tactical maneuver designed to kill the story.”

At the end of the segment that streamed on Global TV’s platform, Alfonsi said Homeland Security “declined our request for an interview and referred all questions about CECOT to El Salvador. The government there did not respond to our request.”

The segment included sound bites from President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. But it was clearly meant to be a story about Venezuelan men deported to El Salvador, not about the officials who implemented Trump’s mass deportation policy.

“Tonight, you’ll hear from some of those men,” Alfonsi said in her intro. “They describe torture, sexual and physical abuse inside CECOT, one of El Salvador’s harshest prisons, where they say they endured four months of hell.”

“The torture was never-ending. Interminable,” said Luis Munoz Pinto, one of the former detainees interviewed by Alfonsi. “There was blood everywhere, screams, people crying, people who couldn’t take it and were urinating or vomiting on themselves.”

Alfonsi also interviewed a representative of Human Rights Watch, which published an 81-page report in November about abuses at the prison.

In a memo to colleagues on Sunday saying that Weiss had “spiked” the story, Alfonsi asserted that it was done for “political,” not editorial reasons.

Philippe Bolopion, executive director at Human Rights Watch, told CNN that Alfonsi’s allegation was troubling, “especially in light of pressures on press freedom in the US.”

“We look forward to the segment airing,” Bolopion said. “The evidence is clear regardless of what airs on 60 Minutes: the Trump administration disappeared these Venezuelan men to a mega prison in El Salvador where they were systematically tortured.”

But while the partial release — DOJ has said it will continue to release more files — included some never-before-seen pictures, it revealed little that had not already been known.

Extensive redactions and files presented without context have raised further questions. And the fact that DOJ has not yet released all of the materials in its possession sparked bipartisan pushback from lawmakers, who have threatened consequences if the agency does not abide by the law signed by President Donald Trump last month forcing the release of the files.

Here is what the release revealed, and what questions remain:

Early accuser vindicated

Friday’s partial release represented a major triumph for one of Epstein’s earliest accusers. Maria Farmer approached law enforcement about Epstein roughly 30 years ago, and has long accused the government of ignoring her accusations.

The release included an FBI document that described a 1996 criminal complaint against Epstein related to allegations of child pornography. The complainant’s name is redacted in the document, but Farmer’s lawyer confirmed to CNN that the complaint was made by her client.

The release indicates that law enforcement was aware of allegations against Epstein a decade before he was first arrested in 2006.

The “facts of complaint” part of the document says that the woman — who describes herself as a professional artist — had taken photos of her underage sisters for her own personal artwork.

“Epstein stole the photos and negatives and is believed to have sold the pictures to potential buyers,” the document reads. “Epstein at one time requested (redacted) to take pictures of young girls at swimming pools.” It continued: “Epstein is now threatening (redacted) that if she tells anyone about the photos he will burn her house down.”

Maria Farmer said in a statement that the FBI had “failed” her and other victims over the years.

Her sister Annie told CNN: “Just to see it in writing and to know that they had this document this entire time — and how many people were harmed after that date? We’ve been saying it over and over, but to see it in black and white that way has been very emotional.”

Lots of new pictures, few major revelations

Epstein was known to have traveled and associated with some of the most high-profile names in politics and show business in the late 1990s and early 2000s, before he was first arrested in 2006. Images released Friday, some of which had never been seen before, showed just how extensive his connections were.

Former President Bill Clinton was prominently featured in Friday’s release. One of the most publicized images was a picture of Clinton in a hot tub with his arms folded behind his head. Beside him is a person whose faced is redacted.

A Justice Department spokesperson said Friday that the redacted person is “a victim” of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse.

Clinton has never been charged with any crimes or accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing related to Epstein.

On Monday, a spokesperson for Clinton called on the Trump administration to “immediately release any remaining materials referring to, mentioning, or containing a photograph of Bill Clinton.”

“Refusal to do so will confirm the widespread suspicion the Department of Justice’s actions to date are not about transparency, but about insinuation – using selective releases to imply wrongdoing about individuals who have already been repeatedly cleared by the very same Department of Justice, over many years, under Presidents and Attorneys General of both parties,” said the spokesperson, Angel Ureña, in a statement posted on X.

In a letter sent to Congress Friday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the Justice Department’s extensive review of Epstein-related materials “did not … uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,” which would include Clinton.

A slate of celebrities was also included in pictures released by the Justice Department, including Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. CNN reached out to representatives for Ross and Jackson’s estate for comment but did not immediately receive responses.

The pictures were released absent much context about when or where they were taken, and a person’s inclusion in the files does not mean they knew about Epstein’s crimes.

And the release did not include anything close to a so-called “client list.” Earlier this year, the Justice Department said that there is no evidence that Epstein kept a “client list”, though that has not been enough to tamp down speculation, including among right-wing figures.

Removed files and redactions raise questions

There were few references to Trump, who also associated with Epstein years ago. One exception is an image that included a photo of Trump inside an opened desk drawer.

That image was one of more than a dozen released Friday that appeared to have been removed from the DOJ website Saturday.

Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing or charged with any crimes in connection with Epstein.

The Justice Department said on Sunday the image was temporarily removed while the agency worked to determine whether more information needed to be redacted to protect victims.

The image was later restored — and DOJ said in a statement that “after the review, it was determined there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted in the photograph, and it has been reposted without any alteration or redaction.”

After the image disappeared from the DOJ website, congressional Democrats accused Trump’s Justice Department of orchestrating a cover-up.

The release also faced scrutiny for how extensive, and how at times seemingly inconsistent, some of the redactions were.

A 119-page grand jury report was originally released completely redacted before the Justice Department rereleased it with “minimal redactions” Sunday.

The release also included some duplicate images where people were redacted in one image, but not the other.

Blanche said Justice Department officials worked to redact over 1,200 names of people who were identified as being victims of Epstein or their relatives, along with child sexual abuse materials, classified national defense or foreign policy information, or information which would jeopardize an active investigation.

The Justice Department acknowledged to a federal court in New York Friday afternoon that the “size and scope” of the redaction process it undertook in recent weeks made the result “vulnerable to machine error” and “instances of human error.”

Lawmakers slam DOJ for partial release

The law signed by Trump last month which ordered the Justice Department to release the Epstein files within 30 days demanded the release of “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” related to investigations into Epstein.

But Friday’s release was only partial, with DOJ saying there will be more releases to come. Lawmakers from both parties who worked to force the release of the files said they weren’t happy.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, a leading sponsor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, said DOJ’s Friday release “grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law” that Trump signed.

Both he and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, the law’s co-author, said they were exploring all options.

Khanna said that could include pursuing impeachment if DOJ does not ultimately fully comply. And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced a resolution Monday that would direct the Senate to begin taking legal action against the administration, though with Congress not in session until the new year, lawmakers would not be able to vote on such a measure before January.

Survivors slam ‘extreme redactions with no explanation’

Epstein survivors have also taken issue with the handling of the release of the files, contending that the disclosures so far have been incomplete and improperly redacted — and challenging to navigate as they search for information about their own cases.

More than a dozen survivors — along with family members of the late victim Virginia Giuffre — raised a myriad of concerns in a new statement issued Monday, including over “abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation” and what they said were some victims’ identities that were left unredacted “causing real and immediate harm.”

The DOJ has said that the agency is continuing to work through necessary redactions, and that more documents will be released.

“We’re going through a very methodical process with hundreds of lawyers looking at every single document and making sure that victims’ names and any of the information from victims is protected and redacted, which is exactly what the (Epstein Files) Transparency Act expects,” Blanche told NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday.

“On Dec. 22, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters,” SOUTHCOM wrote on X.

SOUTHCOM added no US service members were harmed in the strike.

At least 105 people have now been killed in strikes on suspected drug boats as part of a campaign, dubbed Operation Southern Spear, that the Trump administration has said is aimed at curtailing narcotics trafficking. The US military most recently struck two alleged drug-trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean last week, killing 5 people.

The administration has labeled those killed “unlawful combatants” and claimed the ability to engage in lethal strikes without judicial review due to a classified Justice Department finding.

The strikes are part of increased US military action in South America in recent months amid a pressure campaign on Venezuela, a nation that President Donald Trump has accused of stealing US “oil, land and other assets.”

Trump last week ordered a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers coming to and leaving Venezuela. The US has so far intercepted two other tankers off the coast of Venezuela this month and remains in pursuit of another. Those interdictions have come amid a massive US naval and troop buildup in the Caribbean as Trump applies pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, including those attempts to cut off his oil revenues.

Trump on Monday declined to answer a question about his endgame in Venezuela, even as he again raised the threat of land strikes and said it’d be “smart” for Maduro to step down.

“There’s no answer. He can do whatever he wants. We have a massive armada — the biggest we’ve ever had, and the biggest we’ve ever had in South America,” Trump said. “He can do whatever he wants. It’s all right, whatever he wants to do. If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’d be the last time he’s ever able to play tough.”

Venezuela claimed on Monday that the naval blockade ordered by the United States would disrupt global energy supplies in a letter signed by Maduro and read by Foreign Minister Yván Gil.

Maduro also criticized the US military deployment in the Caribbean, which the US has said is aimed at combating drug trafficking, calling it “a direct threat involving the use of force.” The letter condemned the US attacks on vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific, describing them as part of a “systematic practice of lethal force” outside international law.

U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies are actively searching for Randy Spivey, 57, and his nephew, Brandon Billmaier, 33, who went missing during the trip that began Friday morning.

Family members reported Spivey and Billmaier were missing after they left from their private dock in Iona early Friday morning and didn’t return before sundown.

The boat, a green 42-foot Freeman catamaran named “Unstoppable,” was found by the Coast Guard on Saturday morning running and drifting about 70 miles offshore from Fort Myers, with no one on board.

Officials emphasize that the operation remains a search-and-rescue effort, not a recovery mission.

The U.S. Coast Guard, leading the search from Miami, is joined by Collier and Lee County fire and law enforcement crews, with firefighters volunteering their time on the water. Volunteer pilots have also joined the search, taking private planes from Naples Airport to assist in locating the missing fishermen.

Randy Spivey’s boat was found by the U.S. Coast Guard 70 miles offshore, running with nobody on board. Search coordinators have renewed hope after learning that they may have been wearing blue and yellow auto-inflate life jackets, which could increase their chances of survival.

Scott Smith, a civilian rescue coordinator for the U.S. Coast Guard, said, “Randy was more likely wearing a life jacket and an auto-inflate life jacket, which gives everybody a little bit more hope that if they’re wearing life jackets.”

Despite more than 48 hours passing, crews continue to search aggressively, holding on to hope that Spivey and Billmaier can still be found and brought home. The search efforts are ongoing, with live updates expected from Fort Myers Beach.

Family members are also part of the Southwest Florida community for a large, coordinated volunteer search, which began early Sunday morning and continues on Monday.

In a message shared online, the family is calling on anyone with a boat capable of a 225-mile range to help.

The Coast Guard issued a new official search grid at 8 a.m., which is distributed to volunteers by text. Boats are departing from ports between Punta Gorda and Marco Island. Volunteers are asked to text message Paul at (239)634-3400 with the following information:

Departure port

Vessel name

Captain and first mate names and cell numbers

Vessel range

“Thank you for your help and prayers. Please pass this on,” the family said, expressing gratitude for the community’s support.

The U.S. Coast Guard says the active search area remains about 70 miles offshore, centered near 25-36N, 083-16W, spanning roughly 35 statute miles and reaching up to 5,000 feet in altitude.

A smaller cutter, multiple aircraft, and surface crews are involved. Air Force assets also assisted.

The Coast Guard advised all aircraft to maintain situational awareness and not to interfere with search-and-rescue crews.

They also urged monitoring of Channel 16 and reporting any important information to the U.S. Coast Guard.

If you have information, you can also contact the U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Pete watchstanders at 866-881-1392.

Watcherstanders maintain a continuous watch and direct coordination with partner agencies to deploy Coast Guard assets at a moment’s notice for emergent search and rescue cases.

An image released by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service shows the two canal boats trapped in the sinkhole – which measures approximately 50 by 50 meters (approximately 164 square feet) – while a third boat leans over the sinkhole’s slope.

Canal boats are long vessels designed to navigate Britain’s system of narrow canals. Historically, the boats were used to transport cargo but have since evolved into floating homes and are also used for recreational purposes.

Rescue teams responded to a “significant breach” of the Shropshire Union Canal in Whitchurch, a historic market town near the Welsh border, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said Monday.

A “major incident” was declared at 5.17 a.m., but the situation was later declared “stable,” said Scott Hurford, Area Manager at the service. Search and rescue activity has since ended, he added.

No individuals are currently believed to be on board the affected boats and no injuries have been reported, he said.

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said rescue crews had been working in challenging conditions due to unstable ground and “rapidly moving water,” but managed to bring more than 10 members of the public to safety. The service didn’t provide further information about those people.

Emergency services asked the public to avoid the area while teams continue to deal with the incident.

The Canal and River Trust, the largest canal charity in the United Kingdom, said Monday that it was carrying out “initial investigations into the possible cause of the breach and will provide more details in due course.”

“Our teams are on site and have dammed off the affected section of (the) canal. The priority is the safety of boaters and those in the immediate area,” the charity said in a statement.

The 5-time Primetime Emmy nominee – who confirmed via his social media earlier on Saturday that he was retiring from “SNL” after the telecast – played a Delta Sky Club employee working his last shift at the airport on Christmas Eve, armed with a broken eggnog machine.

Various cast members came up to him posing as holiday travelers, and it soon became clear that the skit was a vehicle to send Yang off.

“This is my last shift. It’s sad. I’m gonna miss everything about this place. The way it smells,” he told fellow cast members, including Andrew Dismukes.

“The celebrities who come through. Just last week, Josh O’Connor came through,” Yang added jokingly, in a nod to last week’s “SNL” host.

He soon called his elderly wife at home, who was played by this weekend’s host, Ariana Grande, and was later joined by both her and the night’s musical guest Cher for a rendition of The Eagles’ “Please Come Home for Christmas.”

At one point Yang broke down while expressing gratitude for his time on the long-running NBC sketch show.

“I just feel so lucky that I ever got to work here. And I just wanted to enjoy it for a little bit longer. Especially the people. I’ve loved every single person who works here,” he said tearfully.

Yang’s midseason departure from the show follows several other cast members who revealed they were leaving ahead of the start of Season 51, which included Devon Walker, Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Emil Wakim and others.

The new storm and another after it are prompting new evacuations in the Los Angeles area’s burn scars and a rare high risk for flooding from forecasters with months’ worth of rain and life-threatening flooding expected in Southern California.

At least one person is dead after flash floods from the first storm inundated Redding, roughly 150 miles north of Sacramento, according to Redding Mayor Mike Littau, who said police and fire crews carried out water rescues Sunday.

A police officer pulled the victim from a flooded vehicle, Littau said Monday morning, though the official cause of death is still under investigation. Officials have not said how many water rescues were carried out in the city.

Shasta County, where Redding is located, was hit particularly hard Sunday evening, with heavy rain flooding multiple roadways, including parts of Interstate 5, according to officials.

Nearly a month’s worth of rain fell in the Redding area Saturday through Sunday: One of the city’s fire stations measured just over 5 inches of rain.

Redding police said they responded to “numerous calls for stranded motorists” and urged drivers to avoid flooded streets.

Paul Mast posted video of his son standing in the middle of a Shasta County road flooded by a nearby creek. Mast said they were on their way to a family Christmas gathering but had to turn around because floodwater had washed out part of the road.

Shasta County wasn’t the only area underwater on Sunday: Crews also performed water rescues in Humboldt County, where the floodwater was chest-deep in some places. There were “numerous incidents” where deputies rescued people from vehicles stalled in floodwater, a sheriff’s office spokesperson told CNN. Several homes flooded, forcing residents to evacuate, in some cases by boat and jet ski.

While the flooding is subsiding Monday, there have been reports of washed out roadways, debris flows and mudslides throughout the county, the sheriff’s office said, urging residents to stay vigilant ahead of this week’s upcoming storms.

Farther east, in Placer County, rising water on the South Yuba River prompted evacuations. Officials issued warnings for multiple properties in Cisco Grove in the Sierra Nevada on Sunday and at least nine people were evacuated from one home there, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.

Early Monday, Sonoma County deputies rescued a motorist in Santa Rosa who drove into floodwater and had to climb onto the roof of their vehicle amid the rising water, the sheriff’s office said.

More flooding rain, debris flows and rock slides are widespread concerns with this week’s multiple storms. Strong winds that could potentially knock out power are also expected.

Much of California is under a flood watch until Friday.

New storms will expand serious flood threat across the entire state

Heavy, potentially flooding rain will continue to focus on Northern California into Tuesday, especially from the northern Sierra Nevada foothills into the Bay Area.

Then another, more widespread storm steps up to the plate. This strong atmospheric river is set to slam the entire state Tuesday night into Wednesday. It could bring life-threatening flooding.

A Level 4 of 4 “high risk” of flooding rain threat is in place for more than 5 million people in mountainous parts of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Santa Barbara counties in Southern California on Wednesday, according to the Weather Prediction Center. A Level 3 of 4 risk is in place for more than 13 million others in the region.

These high risk flooding events are incredibly significant: High risks are issued on fewer than 4% of days per year on average, but are responsible for more than 80% of all flood-related damage and 36% of all flood-related deaths, WPC research shows.

Evacuation orders and warnings were issued by Los Angeles County for areas in and around burn scars in the greater Los Angeles area, including January’s Eaton and Palisades fire zones. The deadly blazes were two of California’s most destructive fires in history and burned a combined 16,246 structures, according to CalFire.

The orders are for 383 properties that sheriff’s deputies are directly reaching out to, including going door-to-door, according to the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management.

The torched earth of a burn scar can’t absorb water like it used to and instead repels water like concrete. When combined with intense rainfall rates, all that water can catapult downhill at breakneck speeds, along with mud and other debris with devastating effect.

Another atmospheric river will be right on the first’s heels, keeping stormy conditions locked in over the state Thursday into Friday.

Level 2 of 4 threats of flooding rain persist in much of the state on Thursday and Friday.

Rainfall totals in Southern California through Saturday could be as much as 4 to 8 inches in coastal and valley locations, while foothills and mountains see 8 to 12 inches.

To put those totals into perspective, a city like Los Angeles could see anywhere from two months’ worth of rain to nearly half a year’s worth in just a week.

The National Weather Service in Los Angeles warned of significant issues from the upcoming storms, including “widespread urban flooding, mud and debris flows and very hazardous driving conditions.”

“START TAKING PROTECTIVE ACTIONS NOW,” the NWS urged Sunday night.

Recent wildfire burn areas will be particularly prone to debris flows. Portions of the Eaton, Palisades, Hurst and Kenneth fires fall within the high risk of flooding rain area.

The abundant moisture will also fuel feet of snow farther north in the Sierra Nevada and make travel there difficult or impossible at times. It will be a big change for the region, which has had much less snow than usual to start the season.

Some relief from this nonstop stormy pattern looks to finally arrive for the upcoming weekend.

The jackpot for the next drawing – on Monday night – is the fourth largest in the Powerball game and the fifth largest among US lottery jackpots, according to a news release. It will be the 46th drawing in the current jackpot run.

The winning numbers Saturday were 4, 5, 28, 52 and 69, with red Powerball 20.

Saturday’s drawing marks the second time the game has produced back-to-back jackpots exceeding $1 billion, Powerball said.

If a player hits the jackpot Monday, they can choose between an annuitized prize estimated at $1.6 billion or a lump sum payment estimated at $735.3 million.

While no one won the grand prize Saturday, tickets sold in California, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Ohio matched all five white balls to win $1 million, Powerball said.

Saturday’s drawing also produced 112 tickets that won $50,000 prizes and 22 tickets that won $150,000 prizes, according to the news release.

A ticket in New Jersey won a $500,000 prize after matching all five black balls in a Double Play drawing, Powerball said. Double Play is a $1 add-on feature that lets players replay their Powerball numbers in a separate drawing for a chance to win up to $10 million.

The odds of winning the Powerball’s jackpot are 1 out of 292.2 million, though the odds are better for smaller cash prizes, some as low as $4.

The Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET.

People at the funeral service in Sydney held bouquets of flowers, framed photos of Matilda, dolls and stuffed animals, as shown in videos of the ceremony, which was attended by several political figures, according to national broadcaster the ABC.

The young girl’s death has touched many in the grieving community. One woman who visited a makeshift memorial on Wednesday said she had crocheted 15 butterflies to represent each of the deceased. “The one in the middle is a brightly colored blue one and that’s for Matilda,” she told Chinese state-owned broadcaster CGTN.

Matilda had been attending the Hanukkah celebration with her parents, younger sister and friends on Sunday when she was wounded in the shooting. She was then rushed to hospital, where doctors fought unsuccessfully to save her.

At a memorial event on Wednesday, Matilda’s parents reflected on their daughter’s final moments. “Like she’s running around happy and then…what I see before my eyes is she’s lying on the ground,” her mother, Valentyna, said through tears.

The family had moved from Ukraine to Australia in the 1990s, and enjoyed walks on the beach, picnics in the park and walks to the zoo, said Matilda’s aunt Lina, who did not wish to share the family’s surname.

Tearful and out of breath, Valentyna said that after leaving Ukraine, she “could not imagine I would lose my daughter here.”

Hero officer named

A police officer hailed as a hero for shooting dead one of the attackers responsible for the Bondi Beach massacre has been identified by Australian media as Detective Senior Constable Cesar Barraza.

Barraza is believed to have shot dead Sajid Akram, 50, according to the Sydney Morning Herald and CNN affiliates 9News and 7News.

In video of Sunday’s attack, a man believed to be Barraza, wearing a shirt and tie, can be seen firing at the gunmen from about 48 meters (157 feet) away as the pair used long-arm guns to indiscriminately fire on dozens of families celebrating Hanukkah. Barraza can be seen using a tree for cover as he fired on the two shooters as they carried out their attack from the footbridge.

Police said Wednesday they were unable to confirm the identity of the officer who shot the attackers as they were awaiting ballistic examination before confirming who actually fired the shot.

“I am incredibly proud of the officer who has been identified, as I am of every police officer who was there on that day,” Police commissioner for New South Wales Mal Lanyon said. “The bravery they went through, to approach and resolve that situation, is incredible.”

Barraza, a Bondi-based officer who has reportedly been on the force for at least 15 years, appeared on an Australian reality TV show called Recruits in 2009, a documentary series that followed the daily life of police recruits training to becoming officers.

“My name is Cess Barraza, I’m 26, and I want to be a police officer because I hate crime,” Barraza said on the show.

Meanwhile, Ahmed al Ahmed, the bystander who wrestled a gun from one of the alleged attackers before being shot, was presented with a check for more than $2.5 million Australian dollars ($1.65 million) in donations as he continued to recover from his injuries in hospital, according to a social media video posted by one of the crowdfunding organizers.

A GoFundMe page was set up for people to donate to Ahmed, to “show our gratitude and support for someone who has demonstrated incredible courage,” the page reads.

The Instagram video posted on Thursday by Zachery Dereniowski showed Ahmed receiving the money as he lay in his hospital bed. It was not immediately clear when the check was presented to him. Asked to give a message to those who had supported him, Ahmed urged people to “stand with each other, all human beings… And keep going to save lives.”

Ahmed, a 43-year-old father to two girls, questioned if he deserved the money and said his quick actions to save lives came “from the heart.”

He added, “It was a nice day, everyone enjoying, celebrating, with their kids… And they deserve to enjoy and it’s their right.”

Ahmed, who was shot several times in the shoulder, is preparing to undergo a third, eight-hour surgery on Friday, according to ABC.

Crackdown on hate speech

As the nation mourns the victims of Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost three decades, authorities have vowed to take tougher action on both gun control and antisemitism.

Speaking on Thursday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced there would be legislative reforms cracking down on people who spread “hate, division and radicalization.”

That includes greater penalties for hate speech, and for preachers and leaders who promote violence. Hate speech will be an “aggravating factor” in sentencing for crimes involving online threats and harassment, and Australia will develop a system to list organizations whose leaders engage in hate speech or promote violence or racial hatred, he said.

Australia’s home affairs minister will also have new powers to cancel or reject the visas of people who spread hate and division, or who would do so if allowed to enter the country.

Albanese also announced a task force that will work for 12 months to ensure the Australian education system “prevents, tackles and responds to antisemitism.”

“There is no place in Australia for antisemitism,” Albanese said. “Australians are shocked and angry – I am angry.”

The Australian Federal Police are also looking into alleged hate preachers as part of their investigation and will execute further search warrants in the coming days, police commissioner Krissy Barrett said on Thursday.

Reflecting on her recent trip to Sydney, the commissioner paid tribute to the victims – and the youngest of them all.

“Every day we see the beautiful and joyful faces now lost, and in them we see our own loved ones,” Barrett said. “Today is the funeral of little Matilda. She was so young, she was so innocent, and my heart is so heavy for her family.”

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Kensington Palace has released the springtime image of the royal couple, together with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, to mark the festive season.

“Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas,” reads the caption that accompanies the family shot posted on social media Thursday.

The picture was taken by photographer Josh Shinner in April.

The couple released pictures that appear to have been taken on the same day to mark the occasions of George’s 12th birthday in July and Louis’ 7th birthday in April as the boys look like they’re wearing the same clothes.

Both are wearing checked shirts, George with a fleece gilet on top and Louis with a V-neck sweater.

By contrast, the image released for their sister’s 10th birthday in May was taken by their mother, Catherine.

The Princess of Wales is an enthusiastic amateur photographer whose own pictures of her children are regularly released on special occasions.

However, in a handful of instances, renowned professional photographers, including Mario Testino, Chris Jackson and Millie Pilkington, have been behind the camera.

Senior members of the British royal family traditionally release a copy of the card they send to family, friends and colleagues over the festive period.

Earlier this month, the King and Queen released their official Christmas card, which featured a photograph to mark the occasion of their 20th wedding anniversary, which they celebrated earlier this year.

The princess has been making a gradual return to royal duties since being diagnosed with cancer last year. In September 2024, she announced that she had completed chemotherapy and was “doing what I can to stay cancer free.”

Her husband, Prince William, told “Schitt’s Creek” star Eugene Levy that 2024 had been “the hardest year” of his life, with both Catherine and his father undergoing cancer treatment.

Dash cam video shows the child, believed to be just 3 or 4 years old, standing alone in a median at Settlers Creek Drive and Cornhusker Road at about 5:30 a.m. in the rain, on November 8th. The boy was barely visible in the early morning darkness.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KMTV’s editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Driver Ed Coleman spotted the child and immediately turned his truck around to help. Coleman wrapped a blanket around the boy and called police.

“And there’s this little boy he can’t be much older than 3 years old just standing in the middle of the road,” Coleman said during his call to police.

The child had a small bag with pull-ups and clothes with him, though it’s unclear if he or a parent packed it or why he was alone in the intersection.

Coleman kept the child warm and dry in his truck while waiting for police to arrive. He even let the boy watch a movie on his phone to keep him calm.

Officers arrived shortly after Coleman’s call. An hour later, police contacted Coleman to confirm the child’s parents had been located and he was safe.

But the battle is far from over. Let’s break down what just happened and what to expect next.

So, what just happened?

Early Wednesday morning, Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, published a letter to shareholders and an SEC filing, formally rejecting Paramount’s latest offer for the entire company, deeming the hostile takeover bid “illusory.”

The current deal to sell Warner’s studios and streaming assets to Netflix, the board said, is still better for WBD shareholders.

Why did WBD reject Paramount?

Mostly, it’s about money: The WBD board said Paramount’s deal “provides inadequate value and imposes numerous, significant risks and costs on WBD.”

But WBD also called Paramount’s offer too risky. Its board wrote that Paramount had “consistently misled” WBD’s shareholders by claiming its $30-per-share, all-cash offer was “backstopped” by Paramount CEO David Ellison and his father, Larry Ellison, the Oracle co-founder worth an estimated $240 billion.

Meanwhile, in the background, lawmakers have raised national security concerns over Paramount’s use of financing from Middle Eastern partners.

What is Paramount saying?

The Ellisons insist they are fully backstopping the bid — guaranteeing funding if partners back out. But WBD’s letter refutes the claim: “It does not, and never has.”

Paramount last week claimed to have “air-tight financing,” and deemed any suggestion otherwise to be “absurd.”

And in its regulatory disclosures, Paramount said that sovereign wealth funds controlled by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates would hold no voting power over WBD if the transaction is completed. However, the royal families’ involvement has only sharpened scrutiny of the Paramount offer.

What does Paramount do next?

Paramount now has the opportunity to come back with a higher, more firmly backstopped offer to WBD. However, the company’s initial statement after WBD’s rejection “affirms commitment” to its “superior” $30-per-share offer.

That posturing suggests the Ellisons will push forward by convincing WBD shareholders to tender their shares into Paramount’s current offer rather than accept Netflix’s offer for the streaming and studio assets.

This could turn into a long, drawn-out battle to win over shareholders. WBD board chair Sam DiPiazza told CNBC on Wednesday morning that the shareholder vote won’t happen until the spring or “early summer.”

Does Netflix need to do anything?

In the short run, not much. Netflix has already entered into its deal with Warner Bros., and now it must wait for WBD shareholders to vote on the matter.

But if Paramount comes back with a more lucrative offer and WBD accepts that new deal, Netflix would have an opportunity to counter. It would have to decide if WBD is still worth it at a higher price.

All the while, the streaming giant will need to remain disciplined, avoiding public missteps that could give Paramount (or future regulators) any openings, and reaffirming to WBD shareholders why their offer is the better deal.

What are regulators doing?

WBD said Wednesday it is working with regulators, who are reviewing its deal with Netflix.

In the meantime, Netflix has begun to assuage industry concerns about its potential ownership of WBD’s massive studio and streaming assets and the impact on theatrical film distribution.

On Tuesday, Sarandos made a surprise appearance at the Canal+ content showcase in Paris, where he told attendees that “Our intentions when we buy Warner Bros. will be to continue to release Warner Bros. studio movies in theaters with the traditional windows.”

The surprise merger drove shares of Trump Media 25% higher in premarket trading.

The companies said the all-stock transaction is valued at more than $6 billion and will create one of the first publicly traded fusion companies.

After the deal closes, shareholders of Trump Media and TAE would own about 50% of the combined entity.

The news comes as Trump Media’s share price has plunged this year. Truth Social has struggled to gain traction, remaining a far smaller player than rival social media platforms.

Trump Media has announced efforts to diversify into artificial intelligence, crypto and asset management.

Fusion has long held the promise as a source of clean, safe, and cheap energy. It creates energy using essentially the same process as the sun and other stars, smashing hydrogen atoms together to release energy. Although researchers have made advances in laboratories, fusion has yet to provide energy on a commercial scale.

But TAE says it is poised to be able to do just that, with plans for to start construction of the first utility-scale fusion power plant in 2026 at a yet to be determined location.

“TAE has more than 25 years of R&D in the lab and safely built and operated five fusion reactors and importantly proven major energy and fusion breakthroughs over the years, putting TAE at the top of the mountain in the fusion global scene in our view,” said Dan Ives, tech analyst with Wedbush Securities, in a note Thursday.

“TAE will also clearly have major political support from President Trump in our view and this importantly will create a major nuclear fusion US energy domestic bet over the coming years,” he wrote.

Nuclear power has come back into vogue in recent years as artificial intelligence creates huge new demand for electrical energy to drive computers in data centers. Fusion or other sources of power could help with America’s electrical supply problems.

“It’s an arms race with China,” Ives told CNN. “The US facing major energy shortages/issues to fuel the AI data center transformational buildout over the next decade. While the US is ahead of China from an AI technology perspective, China is clearly leading on the energy front with a major surplus. If they’re a US answer for fusion, it’s TAE. The biggest thing missing is capital.”

While Trump Media and Technology Group is not profitable, it does have significant assets, especially from its crypto currency investments. Its balance sheet showed $1.5 billion in digital assets on the books and an additional $550 million in other short-term investments.

But that is a paltry amount compared to the cash on hand at various other major tech companies. For example, Google owner Alphabet has $95.7 billion in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities on its balance sheet.

Trump’s company taking ownership of TAE could give it political clout. But it could also make it more politically controversial for it to receive any kind of federal government support, such as grants, low. interest loans or permitting approvals.

Devin Nunes, the CEO of Truth Media & Technology Group, will serve as co-CEO of the combined company with Michl Binderbauer, CEO of TAE.

“Fusion power will be the most dramatic energy breakthrough since the onset of commercial nuclear energy in the 1950s—an innovation that will lower energy prices, boost supply, ensure America’s AI-supremacy, revive our manufacturing base and bolster national defense,” he told Fox Business Thursday. “TMTG brings the capital and public market access to quickly move TAE’s proven technology to commercial viability,”

Around the same time, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley announced the man’s detention from a podium, telling residents they can “breathe a little easier.”

It turned out to be the wrong man.

Patel’s announcement, made in a post on X, highlighted the role of the FBI in using cellphone tower data to find the alleged person of interest. By that time, however, some investigators already knew that the person of interest’s cellphone was never identified at the scene of the shooting, casting doubt on the man’s involvement, three people familiar with the investigation told CNN.

Within hours, those doubts grew as investigators determined that tests on shell casings found at the scene of the shooting didn’t match the DNA of the person of interest, two of the sources said. Two handguns found in the hotel room of the person of interest also didn’t match ballistics of the casings, and a residue test on the man’s hands came back negative, the sources said.

The man detained was released later Sunday.

“It’s fair to say that there is no basis to consider him a person of interest,” Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said Sunday of the man who was detained. “So that’s why he’s being released.”

To be sure, the Brown University shooting is a local and state-led investigation and the FBI’s role is to assist. After tensions over the weekend, officials regrouped Monday and Patel dispatched more resources to Providence to support the investigation.

The FBI is now offering a $50,000 reward for tips leading to the identification and conviction of the shooter.

Patel’s Sunday post on X, saying, “We activated the Cellular Analysis Survey Team, to provide critical geolocation capabilities,” projected precise investigative work and confidence that investigators were homing in on the person responsible.

Such cellphone tower data, which shows precise locations and movement of phones connecting to towers nearby, has been key to finding suspects in crimes, including the man charged in the probe of the Washington, DC, pipe bombs placed near the RNC and DNC headquarters in 2021.

The FBI director’s social media post angered local and state officials in Rhode Island who viewed it as premature and damaging to the probe.

A person familiar with the FBI director’s social media post said that Patel was referring to the use of the CAST data to pinpoint the person’s location at the hotel.

The FBI declined to comment.

The tweet and its backlash echoed an earlier episode in which Patel prematurely announced an arrest in the September assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Prior to becoming FBI director, Patel cultivated a large MAGA following with frequent podcast appearances and social media posts attacking the FBI with “deep state” conspiracies. Now, he continues to be quick to post on social media, even amid ongoing investigations.

Asked at a Senate hearing about his erroneous social media post in the Kirk investigation, Patel acknowledged he could have used better terminology but defended his post: “I don’t see it as a mistake. I see it as something — working with the public to identify that there was a subject in custody.”

Rhode Island local and state officials overseeing the Brown shooting say they’ve had a good working relationship with the Boston-based FBI officials working with them in Rhode Island. They aren’t as pleased with top FBI leadership.

In an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett, Neronha expressed his frustration that information about the person of interest had become public.

“I think because people who aren’t familiar and aren’t experienced in investigations got over their skis,” Neronha said Monday night.

In this case, there were others also on the radar as possible persons of interest.

Still, local prosecutors worked to draft a search warrant of the hotel room. The person of interest had turned off their phone during a period, which some investigators believed to be suspicious, two people familiar with the investigation told CNN.

He was released later that night after investigators uncovered other information that seemed to point in other directions, law enforcement officials said.

Wednesday night’s winning numbers were 25, 33, 53, 62, 66, and red powerball 17, with a Power Play multiplier of 4.

While no one won the grand prize jackpot, two lucky winners each won $2 million, according to the Powerball website. Those winning tickets were sold in Arizona and Massachusetts.

Six lucky winners also each won $1 million, the website said. Three of those tickets were sold in New York, and one each in Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

The jackpot is the second largest of the year and the sixth highest in the lottery game’s history, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. It’s been steadily crawling up in value to rival the largest jackpot this year, September’s $1.787 billion jackpot, split between winners in Texas and Missouri.

The winner of the jackpot can choose between two payment options: a lump sum or one upfront payment followed by 29 escalating installment, which lotteries offer through an annuitized prize plan that takes interest into account.

The lump sum is paid to winners at once from the money in the jackpot pool, which is typically lower than the annuitized value. For this jackpot, it is now an estimated $686.5 million; nearly half of the annuitized amount often advertised on billboards.

Both figures are before taxes, though some states don’t tax lottery winnings. Three of these states, California, Texas and Florida, have had some of the largest jackpot earnings in US lottery history.

The odds of winning the Powerball’s jackpot is 1 out of 292.2 million, though the odds are better for smaller cash prizes, some as low as $4.

Wednesday marked the 44th drawing in the series – a game record for the most drawings in a jackpot cycle, according to Powerball.

The Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET.

The 1986 film almost didn’t get made before rocketing to cult status and helping launch the careers of its young stars, including Wil Wheaton, Jerry O’Connell and Corey Feldman. The film also helped make a star of River Phoenix, who died at the age of 23 from an overdose in October 1993.

Phoenix’s fellow “Stand By Me” cast members are now in mourning once again, after Reiner was found dead this weekend with his wife in their Brentwood, California home. Their son, Nick Reiner, was being charged with two counts of first degree murder on Tuesday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney said at a press conference.

O’Connell told CBS Mornings on Monday that Reiner “was like a father” to him. In a passionate all-caps post on Instagram, Feldman said the same, calling Reiner a father to all on set during the summer they filmed the movie, and a “surrogate father” to him and Phoenix in particular.

“Stand by Me,” based on the Stephen King short story “The Body,” follows four young friends in a small town who venture into the wilderness to find the body of a missing boy. Their travels bring them face-to-face with the prospect of their own mortality and the realities of what it is to grow up, becoming a formative experience that brings them closer.

Reiner and much of the cast have said in the past that the four main characters – Gordie, played by Wheaton, Chris, by Phoenix, Teddy portrayed by Corey Feldman and Vern by O’Connell – were very similar to the actors who portrayed them.

“He chose me because he saw so much of Gordie in me,” Wheaton wrote in a heartfelt blog post on Monday following Reiner’s death. “Back then, I didn’t know what that meant, only that he made me feel like I was enough.”

O’Connell echoed that thought on CBS Mornings, telling a moving story from set to show how Reiner allowed him to be himself. Hyperactive as a child, O’Connell was often told by his mother to “just sit on your hands and shut up.” At one point on the set of “Stand by Me,” he was ad-libbing and getting into character during a scene before Reiner yelled “Cut,” called out his name and came over, causing O’Connell to think he had yet again spoken out of turn.

“And he goes, ‘Jerry, Keep going man. That’s what I’m talking about right there. Keep going. More,’” O’Connell remembered.

Wheaton described how Reiner made sure the young cast “got to be kids” when they weren’t shooting. In an oral history published in Variety for the film’s 30th anniversary in 2016, O’Connell even called Reiner “the fifth boy in ‘Stand by Me.’”

Reiner talked at length in that history about the work he did to get the best out of his young actors, calling kids people who can have “great instincts” but who as yet have “no craft.”

Recalling one of the movie’s pivotal scenes, when Phoenix must break down while talking about stealing milk money, Reiner explained what he did to help the young actor access his emotion. “I just took him aside and said, ‘you don’t have to tell me what it is, but think about a time that an adult, somebody important to you, let you down and you felt like they weren’t there for you,’” Reiner said. “The next take is the one that’s in the movie.”

Speaking to People earlier this month in a piece about the film before Reiner was killed, Feldman said the director helped him as an actor with his first experience developing a character, since much of the work he’d done up to that point was just him “being a kid.”

“It was such a treat and such a pleasure to have Rob there as the director and acting coach, who really worked with us on developing these skills that most 13, 14-year-old boys wouldn’t even be thinking about,” he said.

In an essay in the New York Times on Tuesday, King wrote about his relationship with Reiner, and how he reacted after watching “Stand by Me,” based on “the only nakedly autobiographical story” he’d ever written. He said he was moved to hug Reiner after the movie was over, and after stepping away into the men’s room to get himself “under control,” he came back and Reiner asked if he had any notes.

“I had none. I had just let the whole thing wash over me. I marveled at what a good story the truth could make in the right hands.”

“In Rob’s hands, it all rang true,” King wrote in reference to Reiner, who also directed the Oscar-winning adaptation of his novel “Misery” starring Kathy Bates. “The funny parts were really funny (including the barf-o-rama) and the dramatic parts hit me where I lived.”

“Stand by Me,” in turn, meant a great deal to Reiner. “It was the first time that I did anything that was closely connected to my own personality,” he told Variety in 2016. “It had some melancholy in it and also had some humor in it. It was more reflective, and I thought, if people don’t like this, they’re not going to like what I like to do.”

The film became a huge success, earning an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay and a hallowed place in the pantheon of defining coming-of-age movies. The film’s producer, Andy Scheinman, said he and Reiner were in London filming “The Princess Bride” when it was released in theaters back home. “When Rob got back to the United States, he was the director of ‘Stand By Me,’” Scheinman recalled to Variety. “People treated him completely differently. There was a newfound respect.”

“Stand by Me” will mark its 40th anniversary next year, and in his post this week, Wheaton wrote how as a result, “ironically, tragically,” Reiner was already on his mind in the weeks before his death.

Speaking of Feldman and O’Connell, he described recently spending “entire days together in a tour bus, catching up on 40 years of life and work, and fondly remembering that one magical summer we spent together, that will tie us to each other for the rest of our lives.”

“We talked extensively about how much we all loved Rob, and how much he loved us,” Wheaton wrote. “The world knows Rob as a generational talent, a storyteller and humanitarian activist who made a difference with his art, his voice, and his influence. I knew that man, but I also knew a knew a man who treated me with more kindness, care, and love than my own father ever did. And it is the loss of that man that is piercing my heart right now.”