Major storm drops record rain, downs trees in Northern California

FORESTVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A major storm moving through Northern California toppled trees and dropped heavy snow and record amounts of rain after knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people in Washington and Oregon. Forecasters warn the risk of flash flooding and rockslides would continue through Friday. The weather service has extended a flood watch for areas north of San Francisco as a plume of moisture known as an atmospheric river inundates Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Up to 16 inches of rain is forecast in Northern California and southwestern Oregon. The storm system unleashed winds earlier this week that left two people dead and hundreds of thousands without power in Washington state.

Jussie Smollett’s conviction in 2019 attack on himself is overturned

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Supreme Court has overturned actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction on charges that he staged a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and lied to Chicago police. The state’s highest court ruled Thursday on Smollett’s argument that a special prosecutor should not have been allowed to intervene after the local state’s attorney initially dropped charges. The 5-0 decision did not address Smollett’s claims of innocence. The Black, gay actor claimed two men assaulted him, spouted slurs and tossed a noose around his neck. Smollett was on the television drama “Empire,” which filmed in Chicago. Testimony at his trial indicated Smollett paid $3,500 to two men to carry out the attack.

The FBI and DHS leaders won’t testify publicly about national security threats

WASHINGTON (AP) — The leaders of the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have declined to testify publicly at a scheduled Senate hearing on global national security threats. It’s a break from precedent following years of open testimony before the panel. The hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee was supposed to have taken place Thursday. The decision to not appear was blasted by the committee’s chairman, Democrat Gary Peters of Michigan, who called it a “shocking departure” from tradition. In a statement, the FBI said the “Committee would benefit most from further substantive discussions and additional information that can only be provided in a classified setting.”

US home sales rose in October, notching their first annual gain in more than 3 years

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose in October, the first annual gain in more than three years, with home shoppers encouraged by easing rates and a pickup in properties on the market. Existing home sales rose 3.4% last month, from September, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.96 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. That’s matches the annual pace set in July. Sales rose 2.9% compared with October last year, representing the first year-over-year gain since July 2021.