News Wrap: California faces another round of storms and flooding

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• Geoff Bennett:

  In the day's other headlines: California is confronting new storms blowing in from the Pacific, with seemingly no end in sight. They follow a parade of powerful storm systems that are already blamed for 14 deaths.

  Stephanie Sy has our report.

• Stephanie Sy:

  Flood warnings are in effect in major swathes of Northern and Central California. Some 10,000 residents of Montecito and Santa Barbara County, as well as 32,000 in Santa Cruz, are under evacuation warnings.

  Sacramento City Unified was among several school districts that canceled classes. More than 135,000 California customers were without power as of Monday afternoon.

  Meteorologists are predicting the storm could lead to a billion dollars in damages. Many residential areas are in shambles. Trees have fallen on cars and blocked roads.

• Ward Campbell, Sacramento Resident:

  Power went out. I'd gone upstairs with a flashlight and all of a sudden I heard a very loud concussion, that I knew right then this tree had fallen over.

• Stephanie Sy:

  A fallen branch killed a woman in Sacramento last night.

  California's Governor Gavin Newsom encouraged people to stay home in a safety briefing yesterday.

• Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA):

  And that's the imperative that we're trying to express here, is the seriousness of purpose in terms of just being safe and being thoughtful. Use your common sense.

• Stephanie Sy:

  Californians are counting their losses after a series of days of relentless rain and historic snowfall, including business owner and Dominic King.

• Dominic King, Business Owner:

  It's our family restaurant. We have had it for, like, a decade. It's definitely places where we have had a lot of good memories. It's more than just a business. So, it's really hard to see it kind of in the state that it's in, right?

• Stephanie Sy:

  That treacherous weather is not expected to let up until later this week.

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

• Geoff Bennett:

  Officials say the storms have not ended California's long-running drought, but have helped ease dry conditions and replenish water supplies.

  The Justice Department is reviewing a batch of potentially classified documents found in President Joe Biden's former institute. The White House said today that a — quote — "small batch of documents" with classified markings were discovered as Biden's personal attorneys were clearing out the offices of the Penn Biden Center where the president kept an office when after he left the vice presidency.

  A special grand jury in Georgia has finished investigating whether former President Donald Trump and his allies committed crimes trying to overturn the 2020 election. A judge in Atlanta dissolved the grand jury panel today. There's a hearing later this month on whether to make its report public. The local district attorney will decide whether to seek indictments based on the findings.

  The U.S. House of Representatives is facing a new fight tonight after last week's showdown over selecting a speaker. This time, the issue will be the rules governing the chamber for the next two years. Newly minted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy must wrangle support from GOP hard-liners and moderates, as some of the moderates are questioning the concessions he made to far right lawmakers to win his post.

  Iran sentenced three more anti-government protesters to death today after hanging two men on Saturday. The country's courts said at least four condemned protesters have been executed since September. At the Vatican today, Pope Francis broke his silence over Iran's protests and condemned the executions.

  Pope Francis, Leader of Catholic Church (through translator): The death penalty cannot be employed for a purported state justice, since it does not constitute a deterrent, nor render justice to victims, but only fuels the thirst for vengeance. I appeal then for an end to the death penalty, which is always inadmissible since it attacks the inviolability and the dignity of the person.

• Geoff Bennett:

  Despite the papal appeal, Iran's supreme leader signaled the country has no intention of softening its position.

  On the war in Ukraine, Russia rejected Kyiv's claim that Moscow is floating a possible peace deal with the European officials. A Kremlin spokesman called it — quote — "another fake," and Russian attacks continued without letup. A rocket strike near Kharkiv left a large crater after hitting a market. Ukrainian officials said it killed two women and wounded at least five other people.

  Dozens of countries and institutions pledged more than $9 billion today to help Pakistan recover from catastrophic floods. The unprecedented summer deluge killed more than 17 100 people and destroyed more than two million homes. Floodwaters are still receding across many parts of the country.

  And back in this country, police in Newport News, Virginia, are still trying to figure out what drove a 6-year-old boy to shoot his first grade teacher. That teacher, 25-year-old Abby Zwerner, remained hospitalized today in stable condition. The police chief said she had no attack — no warning of the attack.

• Steve Drew, Newport News, Virginia, Police Chief:

  Ms. Zwerner was providing class instruction. The 6-year-old child displayed a firearm, pointed — pointed it at her and fired one round.

  She took a defensive position where she raised her hand. The round went through her hand, exited the rear of her hand, and into her upper chest.

• Geoff Bennett:

  The chief called Zwerner a hero, who managed to shepherd her students to safety before receiving first aid.

  Thousands of nurses went on strike today at two major privately owned hospitals in New York. They began walking picket lines after contract negotiations stalled. Their demands include better staffing and higher salaries after nearly three years of the pandemic. The hospitals, Mount Sinai in Manhattan and Montefiore in the Bronx, have postponed non-emergency surgeries and diverted ambulances to other facilities.

  NFL player Damar Hamlin is back in Buffalo tonight for the first time since he suffered cardiac arrest during a game a week ago, Hamlin was transferred from a hospital in Cincinnati to one in Buffalo today. He tweeted that he's happy to be back. Doctors say Hamlin is now able to walk and is undergoing therapy.

  And on Wall Street, stocks struggled to find much direction. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 113 points to close it 33517. The Nasdaq rose 66 points. The S&P 500 slipped by three.

  And still to come on the "NewsHour": Republicans wrangle over which rules will govern the House of Representatives; the CDC warns of rising strep throat infection among children; and the true story behind one of the most damaging spies in American history.