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RNZ News
an hour ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Extreme rain and flash flooding kills at least 2 people in eastern US
By Luke Snyder, Amanda Musa and Alex Stambaugh , CNN The Cross Bronx Expressway in the Bronx has all lanes closed due to flooding, leading to traffic jams on the New Jersey side of the bridge in Fort Lee. Photo: KYLE MAZZA / AFP Intense rain swamped the US East Coast on Monday, setting off dangerous flash flooding from Virginia to New York that killed at least two people and prompted dozens of rescues as water overwhelmed roads and subways. Monday (local time) saw the most flash flood warnings ever issued in a single July day, with nearly 100 issued, primarily across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Flooding was reported near Newark, New Jersey, New York City, northern Virginia and southern Maryland, according to the National Weather Service. Two people died in Plainfield, New Jersey, after a vehicle was swept away by floodwater, Union County spokesperson Kelly Martins told CNN in a statement. Authorities responded to reports of the submerged vehicle around 2:30am on Tuesday, Martins said. Union County police assisted with 19 water rescues and the county's regional communications centre received over 1200 emergency calls in just two hours during the height of the storm, she added. The area saw rainfall totals between 3 to 5 inches. More rain is expected on Tuesday across the southern Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic. Storms in the East on Tuesday will be more scattered and less intense than Monday's, but they could still bring some heavy rain wherever they bubble up - and with the ground already soaked in these areas, as little as an inch of additional rain could set off more flooding. Showers on Monday dominated the Northeast by the latter half of the day and the heaviest storms arrived by early evening, threatening rush hour commuters. New Jersey Gov Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency due to the flooding on Monday night, warning residents to "remain off the roads unless absolutely necessary". The governor on Tuesday noted some roadways remained closed as crews worked to "clear debris, make emergency road repairs, and remove abandoned cars caught in last night's flooding". New York City experienced its second wettest hour on record Monday night after a little over two inches (51mm) fell between 7pm and 8pm local time. This record is only beaten by the approximately three-and-a-half inches (89mm) of rain recorded during the remnants of Hurricane Ida in 2021 . New York City received a total of 2.64 inches (67mm) of rain, shattering its previous record for 14 July rainfall set in 1908. Videos on social media showed water gushing onto platforms in New York's subway and flowing through subway cars as passengers crouched on seats. At least one subway station was flooded by the deluge, according to a spokesperson with the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Several trains were also suspended, delayed or rerouted due to the flooding, according to MTA's website . Metro-North Railroad and New Jersey Transit said on their X accounts that they were also experiencing delays due to flooding. Several airports in the New York City area issued temporary ground stops and delays on Monday evening, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, and impacts were also reported at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Boston Logan International Airport. In New Jersey and Pennsylvania, cars struggled to navigate flooded streets, according to videos on social media, with multiple people needing to be assisted, according to authorities. North Plainfield, New Jersey, Mayor Lawrence La Ronde told CNN affiliate WABC emergency crews rescued people from at least 30 homes, after streets became completely flooded and were impassable. In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 16 water rescues were reported in Mount Joy Township Monday afternoon, according to the Mount Joy Fire Department. "Starting around 2:00pm, intense rainfall dropped over seven inches (178mm) of rain in less than five hours, overwhelming stormwater infrastructure and inundating portions of the borough," the fire department said in a Facebook post. "The west end of town was hardest hit, with reports of over five feet of water (1.5m) in some homes." In Virginia, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency - the most severe flood warning - late Monday into early Tuesday for the cities of Petersburg and Colonial Heights, where upwards of two to three inches (76mm) of rain fell in less than two hours. One gauge near downtown Petersburg showed the Lieutenant Run Creek rose more than 10 feet (3.04m) in two hours between 10pm and midnight Monday, reaching major flood stage. Water levels have since dropped. "Many neighbourhoods are underwater," with downed trees and power lines, Petersburg Fire Rescue & Emergency Services said in a Facebook post Tuesday morning. Crews were working through the night, "pulling people from flooded cars, responding to medical emergencies, clearing downed trees, and still answering every call for help," the department said. More showers are expected to develop in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast Tuesday afternoon, with a band of strong storms to stretch from northern Georgia to central Maryland. Central and eastern Virginia, western North Carolina and southern portions of Maryland and Delaware are most at risk for heavy rain, though these storms will not be as extreme as those on Monday. Storms with the heaviest rain will arrive by Tuesday evening. They will likely move slowly, and rainfall rates of more than two inches per hour could be possible. Showers will start dissipating on Tuesday night, clearing up in the region by early Wednesday. Weather will remain quiet until showers once again move through the Carolinas and Pennsylvania Wednesday afternoon. Exactly where and when these storms will develop is still uncertain, but it will not take much rain to cause sudden flooding in places where the ground is already saturated. The highest threat of flash flooding is along and east of the Blue Ridge mountains. Much of the area impacted by flooding Monday had seen up to 300 percent of their normal rainfall over the past two weeks. Record-breaking flood events have happened nearly back-to-back in recent weeks, most notably in Texas' Hill Country, where more than 130 people died after catastrophic flooding on 4 July . New Mexico, North Carolina and other East Coast states have also seen life-threatening floods and historic rainfall this month. More than 3000 flash flood warnings have been issued so far this year by National Weather Service offices around the country, with the current count higher than any previous year through 14 July since such records began in 1986. Overwhelming rainfall is becoming more prevalent in a warming world, as rising global temperatures drive weather toward extremes. Hourly rainfall rates have grown heavier in nearly 90 percent of large US cities since 1970, according to a recent study from the nonprofit research group Climate Central. Storms thrive on warm, moist air, and with the nation approaching peak summer heat, this month has seen the perfect conditions for flooding rain. -CNN
CNN
an hour ago
- Politics
- CNN
Trump Threatens Russia with ‘Severe' Tariffs - CNN This Morning with Audie Cornish - Podcast on CNN Podcasts
Trump Threatens Russia with 'Severe' Tariffs CNN This Morning 48 mins President Trump announces novel plan to send weapons to Ukraine and gives Putin a new deadline to make peace, promising to impose 'severe' tariffs on Russia if a deal isn't reached in 50 days. Also on today's show: Are the 'worst of the worst' really inside Alligator Alcatraz? Is the new 'Superman' movie 'woke?' Plus, the blowback continues over the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Obama to Democrats: ‘Toughen Up'
On Friday this column noted that former President Barack Obama was returning to the political fundraising circuit at an event in the Garden State. This naturally raised expectations that Mr. Obama would offer another trademark scolding to the assembled crowd. Our 44th president did not disappoint. Arlette Saenz reports for CNN:
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
More than 75 former judges urge Senate committee to reject Trump judicial nominee Emil Bove
More than 75 former federal and state judges on Tuesday called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to reject the nomination of Emil Bove, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, to a prestigious appeals court judgeship. 'Mr. Bove's egregious record of mistreating law enforcement officers, abusing power, and disregarding the law itself disqualifies him for this position,' the group wrote, pointing to a series of controversies Bove has been at the center of over the past six months while serving as a high-ranking Justice Department official. Those include investigating FBI and DOJ officials who worked on cases related to the January 6, 2021, insurrection and dropping federal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The letter also noted allegations that Bove 'explicitly plotted to violate court orders and direct law enforcement officers to engage in illegal acts' in an effort to further Trump's deportation agenda, referring to a whistleblower report from a former Justice Department attorney. 'That whistleblower, Erez Reuveni, has provided members of this committee with compelling evidence and volunteered to testify under oath,' the letter continued. 'The Senate has a duty to hear that testimony.' Bove, who would serve a lifetime appointment on the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals if confirmed by the Senate, repeatedly denied several accusations of corruption during his confirmation hearing last month before the Judiciary committee. 'I am not anybody's henchman,' Bove told the panel on June 25. 'I'm not an enforcer. I'm a lawyer from a small town, who never expected to be in an arena like this.' Several retired federal appeals court judges who were nominated by Republican presidents have signed on to the letter, including J. Michael Luttig, a Trump critic and a prominent conservative legal scholar put on the bench by President George H.W. Bush. Luttig endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris last year. Bove is set to receive a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation vote on Thursday. GOP Sen. Thom Tillis, a GOP swing vote, told CNN on Monday he is inclined to support Bove's nomination even though the nominee did not denounce violence on January 6 in a questionnaire obtained by CNN, a red line the retiring senator had drawn. The senator from North Carolina previously told CNN's Jake Tapper that he would not support any nominees who expressed support for the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. It was the reason Tillis would not support the nomination of Trump's former DC US Attorney nominee, Ed Martin, opposition which effectively derailed the nomination. The judges' letter also argues that it is 'deeply inappropriate' for a president to nominate their own former criminal defense attorney to serve on the federal bench. Bove's nomination marks the first time Trump has nominated one of his former lawyers for a federal judgeship. The group noted that those signees who served on the federal judiciary and went through Senate confirmation 'know how critical it is for the functioning of our justice system that Senators rigorously vet nominees for lifetime federal judicial appointments that affect countless lives.' Elevating Bove, the judges wrote, 'would not only compromise the integrity of the courts, it would set a dangerous precedent that judicial power may be wielded in service of personal fealty rather than constitutional duty.' White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement to CNN that Bove 'is unquestionably qualified for the role and has a career filled with accolades, both academically and throughout his legal career, that should make him a shoo-in for the Third Circuit.' 'The President is committed to nominating constitutionalists to the bench who will restore law and order and end the weaponization of the justice system, and Emil Bove fits that mold perfectly,' he added. If confirmed, Bove would be one of roughly a dozen judges with the power to review federal cases being appealed in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and the Virgin Islands. Bove, who spent a decade working as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, joined Trump's legal team in 2023. He worked on three of Trump's criminal cases over the span of roughly 18 months and became interim deputy attorney general soon after Trump took office in January. He quickly moved to align the department with Trump's vision, clashing with career officials in the process. Some of the department's more controversial moves, largely executed by Bove himself, resulted in mass resignations and firings within the department. This story has been updated with additional information. CNN's Annie Grayer, Manu Raju, Paula Reid, Casey Gannon and Holmes Lybrand contributed to this report.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump hasn't ruled out funneling longer-range missiles to Ukraine
As President Donald Trump hardens his position toward Moscow and seeks new ways to bring the conflict to an end, he is leaving open the prospect of allowing shipments of longer-range missiles to the country that would allow it to strike deeper into Russia, according to officials familiar with the matter. In conversations with European allies over the past several weeks, Trump has not ruled out allowing certain offensive weapons into Ukraine, including products Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously requested from the United States but not yet received, the officials said. Trump has also asked about Ukraine's ability to carry out strikes deep inside Russia in recent weeks in an effort to increase pressure on the Kremlin to drive an end to the war, according to a source briefed on the conversation. In a recent phone call with Zelensky, Trump asked about Ukraine's ability to hit both Moscow and St. Petersburg, the source said, a question first reported by the Financial Times. A US official and a White House official said the question was one of many the president asked about the conflict on the call, and seemed to be raised in passing. But the Ukrainians were stunned and took Trump's ideas seriously. Zelensky said that the strikes could be carried out if the Ukrainians had the weapons needed, the first source said. After the conversation, there has been follow-up discussion between Ukraine, other European countries and the US about long-range systems that could be given to Ukraine, the source said. Ukraine has already been reaching Moscow and the St. Petersburg area with drone strikes. After the Financial Times reported on Trump's question, the White House said Trump's words had been taken out of context. 'President Trump was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing. He's working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war,' press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN. The episode underscores the current dynamic between the two countries, as Zelensky works tirelessly to get Trump's ear and does not want to squander what might be limited support and engagement from the United States. Asked whether long range offensive missiles were under discussion as part of the NATO plan announced Monday, the alliance's secretary general said the scheme could include all types of weapons. 'It's both defensive and offensive, so it's all kinds of weapons. But we have not discussed in detail yesterday with the president. This is really being worked through with the Pentagon, by the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, together with the Ukrainians,' Mark Rutte said after meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. On Monday, Trump's NATO envoy Matt Whitaker said the immediate focus on shipping weapons to Ukraine was on defensive systems, like the Patriot missile batteries. But he didn't rule out providing offensive weapons. 'All weapons are both offensive and defensive,' he said. 'Obviously an air defense system is important and critical for the situation, but at the same time we're not taking anything off the table.' At the end of his term, President Joe Biden allowed shipments of powerful long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles to Ukraine for use inside Russia, though those weapons would not be able to reach the two cities Trump questioned Zelensky about in his phone call. Trump called the move 'stupid' and a 'big mistake,' and questioned why he wasn't consulted as he was preparing to take office. Ukraine has also previously requested — but not yet received – Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, or JASSMs, which are fired from F-16 fighter jets. European nations have previously provided those jets to Ukraine. For now, however, the priority appears to be getting Ukraine air defense systems — namely, the Patriot batteries that can intercept Russian ballistic missiles. Those products will be the first to enter the new weapons pipeline that Trump announced Monday involving European nations purchasing the products and then transferring them to Ukraine. The weapons will be available to ship quickly from existing stockpiles in Europe, and will likely be backfilled by new purchases from the US by European nations. 'When it comes to ammunition and missiles, we will work on this from now on, every hour, making sure that the stuff gets into Ukraine. But of course, we know it's not only Patriots,' NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told CNN's Jake Tapper on Monday, citing other systems used to intercept cruise missiles as essential to Ukraine's defenses. 'This is really discussing everything the US can still deliver without hurting the defense of the US itself,' he said. This story has been updated with additional developments.
