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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Landslides of rock and mud closed roadways Friday across California as heavy rains kicked off what will be a series of storms poised to usher in the new year with downpours and potential flooding across much of the state and multiple feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada. The atmospheric river storm, a long and wide plume of moisture pulled in from the Pacific Ocean, began sweeping across the northern part of the state Friday and was expected to bring more rain through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Sacramento. A winter storm warning was in effect into Sunday for the upper elevations of the Sierra from south of Yosemite National Park to north of Lake Tahoe, where as much as 5 feet (1.5 meters) of snow is possible atop the mountains, the Natio...

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri judge has ruled that a pardon from the governor doesn’t mean the St. Louis lawyer and his wife who gained national attention for waving guns at racial injustice protesters in 2020 should get back the weapons they surrendered and fines they paid after guilty pleas last year. Mark McCloskey sued last year to have returned a Colt AR-15 rifle and a Bryco .380-caliber pistol that he and his wife, Patricia McCloskey, surrendered when they pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the confrontation with protesters. McCloskey said he was entitled to the guns and remitted fines because Republican Gov. Mike Parson pardoned him and his wife weeks after their guilty pleas. On Wednesday, Circuit Judge Joan Moriarty ruled that the pardon had no bearing on the plea agreement, ...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who will be remembered as the first pope in 600 years to resign, has has died, the Vatican announced Saturday. He was 95. A statement from Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said: “With pain I inform that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesia Monastery in the Vatican. Further information will be released as soon as possible.”

The executive summary of the House Jan. 6 committee’s report documents how former President Donald Trump was repeatedly warned by those closest to him – Cabinet members, campaign officials and even family members -- that claims he had lost his reelection due to fraud were false. But Trump spread those lies anyway. “This was not him hearing this from Joe Biden’s spokesman on MSNBC,” David Becker, co-author of “The Big Truth,” a book about the damage of Trump’s election lies, said in an interview. Trump’s lies about his loss in the 2020 presidential election sparked the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and have helped fuel millions of dollars in donations to the former president. Here are details showing he was told the truth about his loss and chose instead to lie about it. PLANNING ...

LONDON (AP) — Late goals from substitutes Raul Jimenez and Rayan Ait-Nouri ensured a winning start for new Wolverhampton manager Julen Lopetegui in the team’s 2-0 victory over fourth-division Gillingham in the English League Cup on Tuesday. Newcastle, Leicester and Southampton also reached the quarterfinals with victories as top-level soccer resumed in England after the World Cup in Qatar. In the night’s only all-Premier League matchup, Newcastle beat Bournemouth 1-0 with Kieran Trippier playing a key role at St James’ Park. The England defender sent in a cross that Bournemouth’s Adam Smith headed into his own net in the 67th minute. Leicester eased to a 3-0 win at third-division MK Dons. Youri Tielemans, who was part of Belgium’s group-stage exit from the World Cup, scored in the 18th ...

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States flew nuclear-capable bombers and advanced stealth jets in a show of force against North Korea on Tuesday, as the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un derided doubts about her country’s military and threatened a full-range intercontinental ballistic missile test. The deployment of the U.S. B-52 bombers and the F-22 stealth fighter jets for joint drills with South Korean warplanes was part of an agreement to protect South Korea with all available means, including nuclear, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said. The drills, which also included F-35 and F-15 fighter jets from South Korea, took place in the waters southwest of Jeju island, the ministry said. The U.S. F-22 jets were deployed in South Korea for the first time in four years ...