California may have had a brief respite from widespread flood watches on Thursday, but officials are warning that upcoming storms this weekend are expected to push into next week.
A major storm system sweeping across the South on Thursday killed at least nine people (seven in Alabama, two in Georgia) as it unleashed a series of tornadoes, causing significant damage and leaving a trail of destruction behind.
The latest: The National Weather Service said Friday that damage resulting from a tornado rated "at least" EF3 — with winds between 136 and 165 mph — has been confirmed in Autauga County, Ala., where most of the deaths were reported.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have seized $806 million worth of imports since a forced labor law aimed at Chinese manufacturers went into effect last June, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Intended to punishChina for its treatment of Uyghurs and other minorities across Xinjiang province, the crackdown has had the corresponding effect of crippling the U.S. solar market and freezing its supply chain.
Tesla has made significant cuts to the prices of new electric vehicle models in the U.S., according to listings on its website.
Driving the news: Elon Musk's firm has cut the price of its bestselling Model Y and Model 3 vehicles, along with its Model X sport utility vehicles and Model S luxury sedans.
The United Arab Emirates announced Thursday that the CEO of one of the world's biggest oil firms will lead the COP28 global climate talks in Dubai later this year.
Why it matters: The appointment of UAE climate envoy Sultan al-Jaber, who leads the state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil, as COP28 president was met with outrage from climate activists — many of whom were already concerned that the UAE, one of the world's largest oil and gas producers, was hosting the summit.
ExxonMobil's own climate science research, which began in the 1970s, accurately predicted the pace and severity of global warming, a new study finds.
Why it matters: The study is the first to examine the performance of Exxon's internal climate modeling as well as its scientists' collaborations with outside researchers. It provides a quantitative assessment of how much the company's executives may have known about the risks of burning oil and gas and when.
Despite official insistence that fears of a ban are unfounded, conservatives are suddenly championing gas stoves in a new culture war.
Why it matters: Mounting scientific evidence points to a link between a higher risk of respiratory problems and gas stoves — the prevalent means of cooking in roughly 47 million American households.
The death toll from California's relentless stream of extreme storm systems rose to 18 Wednesday, as the state's National Guard joined the search for a missing 5-year-old boy who was swept away in floodwaters.
The big picture: The latest in the barrage of atmospheric river events that have been unleashing heavy rains and destructive winds across the state was taking aim at the Pacific Northwest Wednesday, as flooding concerns remained in the storm-battered Bay Area ahead of the next major downpour there later this week.
