News Wrap: Back-to-back storms bring record rainfall to California

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• Amna Nawaz:

  In the day's other headlines: A state of emergency covered much of Southern California as a giant storm dumped a deluge. The same storm had already swamped Northern California and was blamed for two deaths.

  Stephanie Sy has our report.

• Stephanie Sy:

  It's the second so-called atmospheric river to churn its way across the state in a matter of days, bringing record rainfall, life-threatening floods and mudslides.

• Stan Lathan, California Resident:

  I never imagined it would be this bad.

• Stephanie Sy:

  Stan Lathan lives in Studio City. A mudslide damaged two of his neighbors homes.

• Stan Lathan:

  It was very, very loud, sounded like a — some sort of explosion or something, you know? The rain was very loud. We were just — you're pretty scared.

• Stephanie Sy:

  The back-to-back storms have been fueled by moisture from the Pacific, says Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA.

• Daniel Swain, Climate Scientist, UCLA:

  Well, an atmospheric river is, in a certain literal sense, exactly what it sounds like, which is a highly concentrated plume or a river of atmospheric water vapor in the air above your head being pushed quickly by the winds.

• Stephanie Sy:

  Those powerful winds were on full display, whipping up sea foam around the Santa Cruz Wharf. The National Weather Service issued a rare hurricane-force wind warning for the Central Coast, with gusts topping 80 miles per hour.

  Evacuation orders and warnings were posted for Santa Barbara, Monterey, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties.

  Teresa Rees was one of those residents ordered to evacuate.

• Teresa Rees, California Resident:

  I'm not sure how I'm going to handle it, so I'm just kind of in a wait-and-see kind of position. I have got my sandbags.

• Stephanie Sy:

  Officials were especially concerned about canyon communities that had burned in recent wildfires, putting them at high risk for flooding and mudslides.

  A month's worth of rain has inundated Southern California in the last day alone, and more than a million people in and around Los Angeles were under a flash flood warning today. As of this morning, about half-a-million customers across the state were still without power.

  Daniel Swain says climate change is playing a role in the severity and frequency of these storms.

• Daniel Swain:

  I think we can really expect to see more intense atmospheric rivers in a warming climate and more extreme precipitation events following from them.

• Stephanie Sy:

  Forecasters expect heavy to moderate rain to continue to fall on Southern California until tomorrow.

  For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Stephanie Sy.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Before the back-to-back storms, California had seen below-average precipitation since October and snowpack was just 30 percent of its historic average.

  An official mourning period began today in Chile after weekend wildfires killed at least 122 people with hundreds more missing. Wind-driven flames tore through the Valparaiso region. The city of Vina del Mar suffered some of the worst damage. Aerial footage there showed entire neighborhoods reduced to ash. Officials warned that the death toll is likely to rise as rescuers search homes.

  Buckingham Palace announced today that Britain's King Charles has been diagnosed with cancer, but gave no details on which type. The king is undergoing treatment as an outpatient and will — quote — "continue to undertake state business and official paperwork as usual," but he will not make public appearances. The king is 75 years old. He ascended to the throne in September of 2022.

  In El Salvador, the incumbent president, Nayib Bukele, appeared to be the landslide winner in his bid for reelection. In his first term, Bukele launched a sweeping crackdown on gangs and concentrated power in his own hands. Supporters poured into a plaza near the presidential palace last night as Bukele claimed victory without waiting for the official results.

  Nayib Bukele, President of El Salvador (through interpreter): In all of the history of the world, since the existence of democracy, never has a project won with the quantity of votes that we have won. The media says that Salvadorans are oppressed, don't want emergency measures, and are afraid of the government. Let God show the journalists this night of total freedom and total security.

• Amna Nawaz:

  El Salvador's Constitution bars presidents from holding consecutive terms, but a court allied with Bukele reinterpreted that ban, allowing him to run again.

  Back in this country, an oversight board called out Meta today over manipulated media on Facebook and its potential effects on elections. The panel said an altered video of President Biden showed the platform's current rules don't work. In a statement, it said Meta's policy is — quote — "incoherent and confusing to users and fails to clearly specify the harms it's seeking to prevent."

  There's yet more trouble for Boeing. The company says a supplier has found improperly drilled holes in some undelivered 737 MAX jetliners. Boeing says the holes do not pose a safety issue, but deliveries of about 50 planes may be delayed. It's the latest red flag after a door plug blew off a 737 MAX last month.

  And on Wall Street, stocks gave ground over fears that the economy is still too strong to allow for lower interest rates. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 274 points to close at 38380. The Nasdaq fell 31 points, and the S&P 500 was down 15.

  And this year's Grammy Awards winners are in the books, with women leading the way. Taylor Swift set a record last night, taking home album of the year for the fourth time. Miley Cyrus earned her first Grammys, including record of the year. And Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs performed a duet of "Fast Car," her hit from 1988 that he covered last year. Overnight, the original shot to number one on the iTunes charts.

  Still to come on the "NewsHour": Tamara Keith and Amy Walter break down the latest political headlines; a look at the overlap between former President Trump's court and election calendars; a poet-turned-author discusses his new novel about a young Iranian-American struggling with survivor's guilt; plus much more.