Rain from Tropical Storm Hilary lashes California and Mexico, swamping roads and trapping cars

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Tropical Storm Hilary inundated streets across Mexico’s arid Baja California Peninunsula with deadly floodwaters Sunday before moving over Southern California, where it swamped roads and downed trees, as concerns mounted that flash floods could strike in places as far north as Idaho that rarely get such torrential rain.

Forecasters said Hilary was the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, bringing flash floods, mudslides, high winds, power outages and the potential for isolated tornadoes.

Hilary made landfall along the Mexican coast in a sparsely populated area about 150 miles (250 kilometers) south of Ensenada, then moved through mudslide-prone Tijuana, threatening the improvised homes that cling to hillsides just south of the U.S. border.

At least 9 million people were under flash-flood watches and warnings as heavy rain fell across normally sunny Southern California ahead of the brunt of the storm. Desert areas were especially susceptible along with hillsides with wildfire burn scars, forecasters warned.

Mud and boulders spilled onto highways, water overwhelmed drainage systems and tree branches fell in neighborhoods from San Diego to Los Angeles. Dozens of cars were trapped in floodwaters in Palm Springs and surrounding desert communities across the the Coachella Valley. Crews pumped floodwaters out of the emergency room at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.

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Trump says he will skip GOP presidential primary debates

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that he will be skipping Wednesday's first Republican presidential primary debate — and others as well.

“The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had,” Trump wrote on his social media site. "I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!" His spokesman did not immediately clarify whether he plans to boycott every primary debate or just those that have currently been scheduled.

The former president and early GOP frontrunner had said for months that he saw little upside in joining his GOP rivals on stage when they gather for the first time in Milwaukee Wednesday, given his commanding lead in the race. And he had made clear to those he had spoken to in recent days that his opinion had not changed.

“Why would I allow people at 1 or 2% and 0% to be hitting me with questions all night?” he said in an interview in June with Fox News host Bret Baier, who will be serving as a moderator. Trump has also repeatedly criticized Fox, the host of the Aug. 23 primetime event, insisting it is a “hostile network” that he believes will not treat him fairly.

Trump had been discussing a number of debate counterprogramming options, including sitting for an interview with ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who has been hosting a show on the website formerly known as Twitter. Carlson was spotted at Trump's Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club ahead of the announcement, according to a person familiar with the visit who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it. The New York Times reported Saturday the interview set to air Wednesday has already been taped.

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Early results in Ecuador point to likely runoff between ally of ex-president and banana tycoon’s son

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (AP) — Early results in Sunday’s special presidential election in Ecuador pointed to a leftist backed by the country’s fugitive ex-president likely facing a runoff with the son of a banana tycoon.

Ecuadorians voted amid unprecedented violence that even claimed the life of a presidential candidate at the end of a campaign rally less than two weeks before the election.

Leftist Luisa González appeared set to advance to an Oct. 15 runoff, according to early results released by electoral authorities. She would likely face Daniel Noboa, a former lawmaker and the son of Alvaro Noboa, who built his wealth on a huge banana-growing and exporting business.

González has said she would have former President Rafael Correa as her adviser if she wins. Correa remains a major force in Ecuador despite being found guilty of corruption in 2020 and sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison. He has been living in his wife’s native Belgium since 2017.

One of Correa’s loudest critics was Fernando Villavicencio, the journalist-turned-presidential candidate killed Aug. 9 in Quito, the capital. One of Villavicencio’s investigations led to the criminal proceedings and subsequent conviction of Correa.

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Progressive Arévalo is 'virtual winner' of Guatemala election after corruption angered voters

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Outsider Bernardo Arévalo appeared to be the “virtual winner” of Sunday's election to be Guatemala’s next president after voters angry at widespread corruption and leaders’ failure to tackle it made a decisive choice for change.

A potential victory by the progressive candidate is almost certainly distressing politicians who have been enjoying impunity for corruption, along with some members of the monied elite and their allies in organized crime.

With more than 98% of the votes counted, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal reported that the son of former president Juan José Arévalo, representing the Seed Movement, led former first lady Sandra Torres by 58% to 36%.

Supreme Electoral Tribunal Magistrate Blanca Alfaro called Arévalo the “virtual winner” and called for an immediate national dialogue to begin to reconcile the country's deep political divides.

President Alejandro Giammattei congratulated Arévalo in a tweet on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He invited Arévalo to begin an orderly transition the day after the results are certified.

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From turmoil to triumph, Spain earns its first Women's World Cup title with a 1-0 win over England

SYDNEY (AP) — A champion's medal around her neck, Salma Paralluelo lay on the field for a while and nestled into the golden glitter that had fallen over Spain’s Women’s World Cup team as it celebrated a 1-0 victory over England.

Already a world champion in the Under-17 and Under-20 levels, Paralluelo took her time soaking up the atmosphere at Stadium Australia on Sunday after helping the Spanish women’s team overcome adversity to win its first senior major global title.

Olga Carmona scored in the first half of the final and Spain held on to cap the month-long tournament. Carmona's triumph was tinged with sadness after learning of her father’s death. The Spanish soccer federation issued a statement after the match to confirm Carmona’s father had died, without giving specific details.

Overcoming the turmoil that had surrounded the team, the victory made Spain the first team to hold the under-17, under-20 and senior women's world titles at the same time. Spain also joined Germany as the only nations to win both the men’s and women’s titles.

At the final whistle the Spanish players piled on each other in front of their goal. They were still dancing on the field before and after the trophy presentations.

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Sweltering temperatures bring misery to large portion of central US, setting heat records

HOUSTON (AP) — Sweltering temperatures lingered Sunday in a large swath of the central U.S., causing misery from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes.

Record high temperatures were recorded in Texas and other states. People were told to chug extra water while mowing lawns or exercising outdoors, and to check on neighbors to ensure air conditioning is available. The extreme heat prompted Texas' electric power grid manager to ask residents to voluntary conserve power for three hours on Sunday night.

“These high temperatures can impact our friends, families, and neighbors who may live alone, especially if they limit their use of air conditioning,” Sarah Russell, commissioner for the St. Louis Emergency Management Agency, said in a statement. “We urge everyone to stop and visit loved ones to ensure they are healthy and well during this extreme heat.”

The Dallas-Fort Worth area was expected to reach 110 F (43.3 C) Sunday after hitting 108 F (42.2 C) Saturday, said Sarah Barnes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The record high for those dates was 107 F (41.7 C), set in 2011.

The area is not cooling off enough at night, Barnes said.

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As thousands flee homes across British Columbia from wildfires, chiefs in one region report progress

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — As tens of thousands of people were under evacuation orders across British Columbia and firefighters battled raging wildfires throughout Canada on Sunday, fire chiefs in a region known as a summer destination for families said they’ve made some progress in the struggle.

There’s “finally a bit of a glimmer of hope,” West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Broland told a news conference of the progress being made in the Lake Okanagan region of southern British Columbia, an area of picturesque resort towns surrounded by mountains.

“The weather has allowed us to make progress,” he said, adding that crews were able to conduct more traditional firefighting techniques such as putting out hot spots.

If “conditions hold as they are,” he said, fire crews will start to see “real progress being made in a measurable way. And that finally is a bit of a glimmer of hope for us.”

Meanwhile, hundreds of fires continued to rage across British Columbia and 35,000 people were under evacuation orders Sunday.

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Where do the 2024 presidential candidates stand on abortion? Take a look

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — More than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion, the issue has at times dominated the discussion among the Republicans seeking their party's 2024 presidential nomination and is sure to be on display during the first GOP campaign debate Wednesday in Milwaukee.

Some of the division among the candidates has come over whether there should be a national ban on the practice — and after how many weeks — now that the justices have returned specific debate over abortion legality to the states.

A look at how the issue of abortion is playing out among Republican and Democratic candidates:

DONALD TRUMP

The former president, the current GOP front-runner, has often sidestepped the issue of abortion, even as Republicans across the country have celebrated the Supreme Court's decision.

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A tanker believed to hold sanctioned Iran oil starts offloading near Texas despite Tehran's threats

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An oil tanker long suspected of carrying sanctioned Iranian crude oil offloaded its cargo near Texas on Sunday, tracking data showed, even as Tehran has threatened to target shipping in the Persian Gulf over it.

Ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed the Marshall Islands-flagged Suez Rajan began the hourslong ship-to-ship transfer of its oil to another tanker, the MR Euphrates, near Galveston, some 70 kilometers (45 miles) southeast of Houston.

The fate of the cargo aboard the Suez Rajan has become mired in the wider tensions between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic, even as Tehran and Washington work toward a trade of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets in South Korea for the release of five Iranian-Americans held in Tehran. Iran has been trying to evade sanctions and continue selling its oil abroad, while the U.S. and its allies have been seizing cargoes since 2019 after the country's nuclear deal allowing the trade collapsed.

Already, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has warned that those involved in offloading the Suez Rajan's cargo “should expect to be struck back.” The U.S. Navy has increased its presence steadily in recent weeks in the Mideast, sending the troop-and-aircraft-carrying USS Bataan through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days and considering putting armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the strait to stop Iran from seizing additional ships.

The Los Angeles-based private equity firm Oaktree Capital Management, which owned the vessel up until late May, repeatedly declined to comment publicly. Greek firm Empire Navigation, which operates the vessel, did not respond to requests for comment. An email sent to Alma Maritime Ltd., the ship’s new owner, bounced back and a telephone number listed in its name rang unanswered.

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‘Blue Beetle’ unseats ‘Barbie’ atop box office, ending four-week reign

NEW YORK (AP) — The DC superhero film “Blue Beetle” led weekend ticket sales with a modest $25.4 million opening, according to studio estimates Sunday, dethroning “Barbie” from the top spot after a record-setting run that left movie theaters colored pink for a month.

The “Barbie” phenomenon is far from over. Greta Gerwig’s film, which earlier this week became the highest grossing Warner Bros. release ever domestically, nearly managed to stay No. 1 again with $21.5 million in its fifth weekend. It's up to $567.3 million in North America and an eye-popping $1.28 billion globally.

The other half of “Barbenheimer” also continues to perform remarkably well for a movie so far into its run.

Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” took in $10.6 million in its fifth week. With a $285.2 million domestic total, “Oppenheimer” now owns the distinction of being the biggest box-office hit never to land No. 1 at the weekend box office. The previous record-holder for that unlikely stat is 2016’s “Sing,” which grossed $270.3 million in the shadow of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Hidden Figures.”

Universal Pictures' “Oppenheimer” has done even better overseas. Its global gross stands at an estimated $717.8 million through Sunday.

News from © The Associated Press, 2023