Daily Briefing: Following storm Hilary's path
Hilary is the first tropical storm to hit California in 84 years. Also in the news: The Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief funding shortfall comes amid numerous weather disasters, and a Russian spacecraft has crashed into the moon.
🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Don't pay federal student loans? Experts recommend you don't try boycotting payments.
Now, here we go with Monday's news.
Tropical Storm Hilary drenches Southern California
Tropical Storm Hilary has drenched Southern California from the coast to inland mountains and deserts. Floodwaters have prompted rescues from swollen rivers, and schools in Los Angeles, San Diego and other cities said campuses would close Monday in anticipation of more flooding dangers.
Hilary brought intensifying rain to the region, with some mountain and desert areas seeing more than half an average year’s worth of rain come down in just one day.
The storm moved into California after making landfall early Sunday in Mexico's Baja California peninsula. Hilary was the first tropical storm to cross into California from Mexico since Nora in 1997, the weather service office in San Diego said Sunday night.
Mud and boulders spilled onto highways, water overwhelmed drainage systems and tree branches fell in neighborhoods from San Diego to Los Angeles.
Hilary’s rainfall is an extreme, record-breaking event, experts say, and has an apparent connection with climate change.
Keep reading: Those without homes are ''most at risk of dying'' from Hilary in SoCal, advocates warn.
A presidential runoff is likely in Ecuador
The vote count in Ecuador's special presidential election points to a leftist backed by the country’s fugitive ex-president likely facing a runoff with the son of a banana tycoon. Ecuadorians voted on Sunday amid unprecedented violence that even claimed the life of a presidential candidate at a campaign rally less than two weeks before the election. Leftist Luisa González appears set to advance to an Oct. 15 runoff, according to early results released by electoral authorities. Read our latest coverage on the election.
Guatemala elected progressive Arévalo as president but there are legal moves to block him from office.
Denmark and the Netherlands announced plans Sunday to provide Kyiv with F-16 fighter jets.
More news to know now
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's grandson says ''it's clear'' they are ''in the final chapter.''
Blast Trump? Defend him? How DeSantis, Christie and other GOP candidates will seek to score debate points.
The push for gun reform has spread across Tennessee ahead of a special session.
A Kansas newspaper reporter had ''every right'' to access a business owner's driving record, her attorney says.
On today's 5 Things podcast, a look at the rise in charges over public threats. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.
What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.
Hawaii tragedy points to US wildfire vulnerability
President Joe Biden is heading to Hawaii on Monday to see first-hand the damage from the deadliest U.S. wildfires in more than a century. The visit comes as deadly wildfires in Maui reveal a vulnerability in the United States that is increasing along with threats from climate change: Huge swaths of the nation lie in dry danger zones where wildfires spark, and cash-strapped governments have ineffective emergency plans to save lives. Meanwhile, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell, warned that her agency is running low on cash to respond to deadly events. Read more
FEMA pledges nearly $5.6 million in aid to Maui survivors as the agency promises more relief.
''The next Maui could be anywhere'': The deadly combination in the Maui disaster was wildfire risk coupled with what some experts and victims have called questionable emergency preparedness.
Restaurant workers who lost homes in Maui fire strike a chord with those looking to help.
Rare flesh-eating bacteria kills 5 in Florida, 3 in New York, Connecticut
Five people in the Tampa, Florida, area have died from a rare flesh-eating bacteria that is also the recent cause of death for three others in Connecticut and New York. The Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, which can be found in raw or undercooked seafood, saltwater, and brackish water, led to the deaths of two people since January in Hillsborough County, home of Tampa, according to the Florida Department of Health. One of the Connecticut patients reported eating raw oysters from an out-of-state establishment, while the other two reported exposure to salt or brackish water in the Long Island Sound. And because of climate change and warming ocean waters, Vibrio vulnificus is migrating north, studies have found. Read more
The first case of a locally acquired malaria strain in over 40 years was reported in Maryland.
Dangerous levels of PFAS have been detected in water for 27 million Americans. Did the EPA find it near you?
Dads develop postpartum depression, too, and it can impact their child's mental health.
Just for subscribers:
Proud purple to angry red: These Florida residents feel unwelcome in a ''new'' Florida.
Children are terrified of school shootings, gun violence. Tennessee lawmakers should listen.
This queer youth choir gives teens a place to feel safe and change the world.
The exodus from the United Methodist Church in the U.S. is largely among white, Southern males.
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Spain wins 2023 World Cup with 1-0 victory over England
After a month of play Down Under, Spain has walked away victorious, beating England 1-0 on Sunday at Stadium Australia in Sydney to win its first World Cup title. La Roja scored their lone goal in the 29th minute with a sharp kick from Olga Carmona that landed in the right corner of the net. After 13 minutes of extra time, players raised their arms in victory and hugged each other with tears streaming down their faces. They celebrated the championship a little less than a year after 15 players wrote letters of resignation, decrying the leadership of head coach Jorge Vilda. Three of those players ended up playing in the World Cup as Vilda retained his position. Read more
Spain's captain who scored the game-winning goal learned after the final her father had died.
Analysis: Spain's federation wasted no time giving its players the middle finger after their World Cup win.
Here's why USWNT's absence from the World Cup final is actually great for women's soccer.
Quick hits
Americans face more sticker shock at the pump as gas prices hit 10-month high.
Will MLB place Rays star Wander Franco on administrative leave? A decision could come Monday.
Want a job that offers student-loan forgiveness? A public-service career may be the answer.
''As false as false can be'': Trader Joe's executives say no to self-checkout in stores.
After second tournament title this summer, Coco Gauff could be the US Open favorite.
Save on tech and appliances with Best Buy deals on Samsung, Sony and Hisense.
Photo of the day: Russian space agency says its spacecraft has crashed into the moon
Russia's robot lander the Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after it had spun into uncontrolled orbit, the country’s space agency Roscosmos reported on Sunday. Roscosmos said it lost contact with the spacecraft Saturday after it ran into trouble while preparing for its pre-landing orbit. The spacecraft was scheduled to land on the moon's south pole Monday, racing to beat an Indian spacecraft. Read more
Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.
Associated Press contributed reporting.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical Storm Hilary, Ecuador election, Hawaii wildfire, flesh-eating bacteria, World Cup, Russia, space: Daily Briefing
