California is hit by a record deluge
A ferocious atmospheric river dumped rain on California, spawning landslides, flooding roads and causing power outages across the region. More than 350,000 homes and businesses in the state were without power.
The relentless downpour, which began last night, stalled over the Los Angeles region, where officials warned of the potential for more flooding and mudslides. The rain was forecast to continue through the night.
Parts of Southern California are expecting 8 to 14 inches of rain today, potentially matching Los Angeles’s average annual rainfall total — 14 inches — in a single day. More than 10 inches of rain were recorded by noon in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel Air.
Atmospheric rivers — named for their long, narrow shape and the prodigious amount of water they carry — greatly affect California’s weather and water supplies. As humans continue burning fossil fuels and heating the atmosphere, the warmer air can hold more moisture — and storms are more likely to be extremely wet and intense.
King Charles was diagnosed with cancer
Buckingham Palace said King Charles III, Britain’s monarch, has been diagnosed with a form of cancer and was suspending his public engagements to undergo treatment. Palace officials said the king would still continue to carry out other duties and “remains wholly positive about his treatment.”
The 75-year-old sovereign, who began his reign barely 18 months ago, was discharged last week from a London hospital, following a procedure to treat an enlarged prostate. The palace did not disclose what form of cancer Charles has, but doctors detected the cancer during that procedure.
Blinken began a fresh push for a cease-fire deal
Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived today in Saudi Arabia, as part of a Middle East trip seeking to prevent a broader war in the region, and to rally allies around a proposal to release hostages held in Gaza.
The U.S. and its Arab allies are still awaiting a response from Hamas on a deal that would involve the exchange of more than 100 Israeli hostages held in Gaza for a pause in fighting and the release of Palestinians detained in Israeli jails.
The Biden administration is also working toward establishing diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Under a proposed deal, the U.S. would offer Saudi Arabia a defense treaty, help with a civilian nuclear program and increase arms sales. In theory, the countries would get Israel to accept conditions for concrete steps toward a Palestinian state in return for Saudi recognition.
Deadly wildfires scorched Chile
Officials in Chile said that at least 122 people had been killed and hundreds remained missing days after devastating wildfires ripped through the country’s Pacific coast. Tens of thousands of homes were destroyed in the flames, which ravaged entire neighborhoods and trapped people fleeing in cars.
In recent days, dozens of fires have burned across central and southern Chile, and several other countries in South America have also struggled to contain wildfires. The cyclical climate phenomenon known as El Niño has exacerbated droughts and high temperatures through parts of the continent, creating conditions that experts say are ripe for forest fires.
Women ruled the Grammys
Women thoroughly dominated last night’s Grammy Awards, as Taylor Swift became the first artist to win the Grammys’ top prize four times and Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, SZA, Lainey Wilson, Karol G and the band boygenius all won awards. The show also featured powerful performances by Joni Mitchell and Tracy Chapman — two godmothers of modern songwriting who have made rare public appearances in recent years.
Overall, “the show was particularly joyous, slick and thoughtful,” our critics wrote. It captured pop music as it actually is — centerless, and subject to change at any moment. Here is the full list of winners and the evening’s standout looks. We also have an appraisal of Chapman’s performance and thoughts on Jay-Z’s speech, which he used to excoriate the body that awards the Grammys.
Psychiatrists embrace outdoor therapy
A growing number of therapists are taking their therapy sessions outdoors, hiking, camping and braving the elements with their clients. They say that combining traditional talk therapy with nature and movement can help clients feel more open, find new perspectives and express their feelings.
While some in the field are leery of the emerging discipline, studies have found that being immersed in nature can be beneficial to mental health.
Young Chinese are flocking to ‘Dalifornia’
The Chinese mountain city of Dali, also sometimes known as Dalifornia, is an oasis for China’s disaffected or drifting. The city’s nickname is a homage to California, and the easy-living, tree-hugging, sun-soaked stereotypes it evokes.
But recently, Dali has filled with a different crop of wandering souls: young people from China’s megacities, who are fleeing the intense lifestyles that so many of them once aspired to. Worn out by the high cost of living, cutthroat competition, record youth unemployment and an increasingly suffocating political environment, they have turned Dali into China’s destination of the moment.