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National

Two more potent atmospheric river storms are hitting California Saturday through Tuesday. With the ground already saturated, the water has no place to go except to run off, causing deadly flooding. 

The big picture: The latest storm is prompting evacuations due to high water, and flood watches are in effect for two-thirds of the state's population. 

In the San Francisco Bay area, flood watches continue through Monday. 

In the mountains, snow depth is already at record levels for this time of year. 

As of Saturday, the state reported that mountain snowpack is at 263% of average for the date, and 126% of average for April 1, which is the typical seasonal peak. 

Following the several additional feet forecast to fall in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, some locations will have received at least 200 inches in just a single month. 

The latest: In Santa Cruz County, communities that had been evacuated and flooded earlier in the storm series are under evacuation orders once again amid flash flood warnings. This includes areas along the San Lorenzo River, including Felton Grove. 

Screenshot of a tweet showing rising water levels along the San Lorenzo River in Calif.

Evacuations were also underway Saturday for Soquel Village in Santa Cruz County.

High winds are also buffeting northern and central California, with gusts around 50 mph. Given the soggy soil, such wind speeds are enough to topple trees and power lines, knocking out power. 

As of Saturday afternoon, about 36,000 customers were without power in California, but that number is expected to grow as winds increase through the evening.

NWS observations showed that between 2 and 3.5 inches of rain had fallen across the Bay Area, with more rain and scattered thunderstorms in the forecast for the evening and overnight hours. 

California's mountains see staggering snowfall totals

Data: National Weather Service;  Map: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals

Winter storm warnings are in effect for the higher elevations of California,  including areas from Lassen National Park in the north, southward to Lake Tahoe and all the way to the mountains of San Diego County. 

Between the current storm and another one anticipated Sunday through Tuesday, some areas may see another five to six feet of snow on top of what has already fallen so far during the blitz of atmospheric river storms off the Pacific Ocean. 

The snow pack is so thick there is an increasing danger of avalanches, and infrastructure concerns are growing with several feet of snow sitting on rooftops, potentially causing some homes and businesses to be damaged. 

So far, the extraordinary amounts of precipitation dumped on California in the past few weeks have killed 19 people and caused upwards of $1 billion in estimated damages. 

There are signs of a weather pattern shift toward the end of next week, with dry high pressure moving into the state. However, it is unclear if this will be a fleeting break, or a lasting shift. 

"Do we stay dry through the end of month?" asked forecasters at the NWS in the Bay Area in an online forecast discussion. 

California's weather whiplash has climate change ties

Atmospheric rivers are narrow currents in the lower atmosphere that can carry vast amounts of water vapor thousands of miles from the tropics to mid-and-northern latitudes. 

Historically, atmospheric river events have been responsible for both a majority of the Golden State's precipitation each year, but also for its history of megafloods.

Climate change is adding even more moisture to atmospheric rivers, enabling them to dump higher rain and snow totals.

While the heavy rain and snow is recharging reservoirs and alleviating the soil moisture drought, California is still in a long-term severe drought from a groundwater and agricultural perspective. 

Studies show that climate change raises the odds of weather whiplash events from drought to flooding and back again.

In photos: "Potent" atmospheric river causes damage across California

3 more atmospheric rivers to slam flood-hit California

California's atmospheric river onslaught is not over yet

California flooded by yet more powerful atmospheric river storms

The state has never seen so much snow this early in the season.

Floodwaters from the overflowing Salinas River surround a home in Salinas, California, on Jan. 13.

Floodwaters from the overflowing Salinas River surround a home in Salinas, Calif. on Jan. 13. Photo: Josh Edelson/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

California

Climate change

Extreme weather

Breaking climate science and policy coverage as extreme weather events reshape communities. Keep tabs on the race to a low carbon economy, which may be bumpy as governments, climate tech startups and major oil and gas companies race to find their niche amid the changing energy landscape.

Energy & Climate

News and analysis of the scientific advances fueling AI and quantum computing, revolutionizing biology and medicine, and tackling climate change. Science is changing the world and colliding with the global politics that shape it.

Science

TEL AVIV — Tens of thousands in Israel gathered in the pouring rain to protest against the Netanyahu government's plan to weaken the Supreme Court and other democratic institutions. 

Why it matters: The plan, announced less than two weeks after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government took office, has deepened political divisions and stoked fear among some that the heightened tensions could tear Israeli society apart.

Driving the news: Authorities estimated that up to 80,000 people came out for the Tel Aviv protest, while several thousand rallied in front of the president's residence in Jerusalem. Marches were also held in other cities across Israel, including in the northern city of Haifa.  

The police blocked the road leading to Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had ordered the police to crack down on the protesters by using water cannons and arresting those who try to block roads. 

Catch up quick: The government’s plan, if implemented, will significantly limit the Supreme Court’s ability to review laws and strike them down.

It includes passing a law that would allow the governing coalition to override Supreme Court rulings by a simple majority of 61 votes in the 120-member Knesset.

It also seeks to end the Supreme Court's ability to revoke administrative decisions by the government on the grounds of "reasonability," significantly decreasing judicial oversight.

The plan envisions giving the government and the coalition in parliament absolute control over appointing judges.

Additionally, the plan includes changing the law so that ministers would be able to install political appointees as legal advisers in their ministries, something that is not under their authority today.

What they're saying: Israeli opposition parties, grassroots organizations and others have come out strongly against the plan, with legal experts saying it will eliminate the ability of the judicial branch to do the checks and balances against the executive and legislative branches, which are both controlled by the governing coalition.

Former Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who was the keynote speaker at the demonstration in Tel Aviv, said that the government "has launched a war against Israel's democratic institutions."

Former Supreme Court judge Ayala Procaccia told protesters that a "country in which judges need to demonstrate against attempts for regime change is a country in which all lines were crossed"

The big picture: In an unprecedented speech on Thursday, Israeli Supreme Court President Esther Hayut warned that the plan is aimed at “crushing” the independent judiciary and, if implemented, will “deal a fatal blow” to the country's democracy.

Israel’s Justice Minister Yariv Levin accused Hayut of turning the Supreme Court into "a political party that sees itself as being above the Knesset and above the people."

He claimed Hayut had joined forces with the opposition and said her speech was “a call to set the streets on fire."

Israeli protesters attend a rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new hard-right government in Tel Aviv on Jan. 14. Photo: Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli protesters rally in Tel Aviv against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government on Jan. 14. Photo: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli protesters in Tel Aviv protest against the Israeli government's plan to overhaul the Supreme Court on Jan. 14. Photo: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images

Tens of thousands attend an anti-government protest in Tel Aviv's Habima Square. Photo: Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

Go deeper: U.S. stresses need for "independent institutions" as Israel seeks to weaken judiciary

Tens of thousands in Israel rally against Netanyahu's far-right government

Many are angered about the government's plan to weaken the Supreme Court and other democratic institutions.

Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel

Conflicts, policies and powers are intersecting and shaping the world. Breaking news and analysis of national security, foreign policy and global crises.

World

President Biden's personal attorneys discovered an additional five pages of classified material at his home in Delaware this week, the White House said in a statement released Saturday.

The big picture:  The discovery of the additional pages comes after the White House confirmed a second batch of classified documents were discovered in Biden's Wilmington, Del. garage on Thursday.

Five new pages were found in a storage space while the Department of Justice was on site to take possession of the original classified document discovered on Wednesday, Richard Sauber, special counsel to the President, said in a statement.

 "While I was transferring it to the DOJ officials who accompanied me, five additional pages with classification markings were discovered among the material with it, for a total of six pages. The DOJ officials with me immediately took possession of them," Sauber said.

Sauber said the White House will continue to cooperate with authorities moving forward.

This is the latest twist in the discovery of classified documents found in Biden's former office at the Penn Biden Center and his Wilmington, Delaware home. 

On Thursday, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the appointment of Robert Hur as special counsel to investigate Biden's handling of classified documents.

Stauber previously said the White House was "confident that a thorough review will show that these documents were inadvertently misplaced, and the president and his lawyers acted promptly upon discovery of this mistake.”

Republicans in Congress have been using the unfolding controversy to accuse Biden, the Justice Department and the National Archives of a double standard since former President Trump faces a separate special counsel inquiry over multiple documents found at his Mar-a-Lago home last year. 

In contrast to Biden, Trump and his allies have been openly critical of the ongoing probe from special counsel Jack Smith.

Both Democrats and Republicans on the Senate and House Intelligence committees are looking to investigate the potential damage of both document cases from Trump and Biden, Axios' Zachary Basu writes.

White House reveals additional classified material found at Biden's home

The announcement comes days after the White House confirmed a batch of other classified documents had been found.

President Joe Biden waits to deliver remarks.

President Joe Biden waits to deliver remarks on Dec. 8, 2022. Photo: Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Biden administration

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

A federal judge ruled Friday that a Jan. 6 defendant who made it to the Senate chamber during the Capitol riot in order to "plead the blood of Jesus" could not be convicted of obstructing a joint session of Congress, per Politico.

Why it matters: Joshua Black is the first defendant who reached the Senate floor to be acquitted of obstruction of justice, a felony charge.

Driving the news: U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled after a weeklong bench trial that Black had a "unique stew in his mind" that made her uncertain of whether he understood that his actions were unlawful, Politico reports.

He was found guilty of other charges, including disorderly conduct in a restricted building while carrying a dangerous weapon (a knife).

Details: Black, of Alabama, was photographed on the Senate floor apparently bleeding from his cheek, per court documents.

He said in a YouTube video that he "wanted to get into the building so I could plead the blood of Jesus ... That was my goal."

He also admitted to carrying a knife because "you're not allowed to carry guns in D.C. and I don't like being defenseless," per the affidavit. 

The big picture: In the two years since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 950 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including 284 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, per the Department of Justice.

Jan. 6 rioter becomes first to be acquitted of obstruction charges

Joshua Black was found guilty of other charges, including disorderly conduct in a restricted building while carrying a dangerous weapon.

Demonstrators enter the U.S. Capitol after breaching security fencing during on Jan. 6, 2021. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Jan. 6

The United Kingdom condemned Iran Saturday over the execution of Alireza Akbari, a former Iranian defense ministry official.

Driving the news: "The execution of British-Iranian Alireza Akbari is a barbaric act that deserves condemnation in the strongest possible terms," British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement. "Through this politically motivated act, the Iranian regime has once again shown its callous disregard for human life."

Cleverly said Saturday morning that the U.K. had sanctioned Iran's prosecutor general, who, he said, "is at the heart of Iran's use of the death penalty."

"We're holding the regime to account for its appalling human rights violations," Cleverly added.

The execution was "carried out by a barbaric regime with no respect for the human rights of their own people," British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a tweet Saturday. "My thoughts are with Alireza’s friends and family."

Details: Akbari, a dual citizen of Iran and the U.K., was reportedly hanged in what was the latest in a number of executions carried out by the country, Iranian state news reported, per the Associated Press.

Akbari was charged with espionage and corruption for allegedly working with the British intelligence agency, MI6, and for reportedly being paid more than $2 million in various currencies for his work, CNN reports, citing Iranian state media.

Before the execution was reported, U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel tweeted that the charges against Akbari were “politically motivated” and execution would be “unconscionable.”

"We are greatly disturbed by the reports that Mr. Akbari was drugged, tortured while in custody, interrogated for thousands of hours and forced to make false concessions," he said in a video accompanying the tweet.

"Iran's practices of arbitrary and unjust detentions, forced confessions, and politically-motivated executions are completely unacceptable and must end," he added.

Human rights group Amnesty International said the U.K. should investigate claims that Akbari was tortured before he died.

Iran protesters call for 3-day strike as pressure builds

UK condemns Iran over "barbaric" execution of dual citizen Alireza Akbari

Akbari was charged with espionage and corruption.

Axios

Saturday's top stories

California flooded by yet more powerful atmospheric river storms

Tens of thousands in Israel rally against Netanyahu's far-right government

White House reveals additional classified material found at Biden's home

Jan. 6 rioter becomes first to be acquitted of obstruction charges

UK condemns Iran over "barbaric" execution of dual citizen Alireza Akbari

Good luck finding a spare copy of "Spare" at your local library

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China officially doubles its COVID death toll

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Brazil's Supreme Court to investigate Bolsonaro over capital riot