The latest El Niño global climate pattern is officially over, ending a year-long episode in which its planet-warming influence helped blast ocean and air temperatures far into record-setting territory. Its end is no surprise, following the typical course of an earthly phenomenon that has been observed for centuries in some parts of the world. But this time, it brings with it new uncertainties in a world heated and changed by human emissions of fossil fuel exhaust and other greenhouse gases. Scientists believe El Niño’s end could break a string ofRead More

CNN  —  Multiple communities across South Florida — including the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas — flooded Wednesday amid bouts of torrential rain that prompted the state’s governor to declare an emergency and stranded drivers across the region. Flood warnings are in effect Wednesday night for parts of Broward, Miami-Dade, Collier and Hendry counties through Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service, which warned “life-threatening flooding” was ongoing earlier in the day. “Many areas are inundated with water w/ stalled cars & more rainfall is on the way,” theRead More

CNN  —  Hunter Biden’s historic conviction on three felony gun charges will add significant weight to a blockbuster Second Amendment appeal to be decided in coming days by the Supreme Court. Though the case deals with different circumstances and a different provision of a federal gun law, the high court’s decision this month on whether authorities may ban domestic abusers from owning guns could signal a path forward for Biden’s anticipated appeal – or make it harder for him to overturn his conviction. “I definitely think they’re connected,” Jacob Charles,Read More

Hunter Biden, the president’s son, was found guilty on three felony counts related to buying a gun while he was in the throes of drug addiction. On Oct. 12, 2018, he filled out the required federal background check form, marking “no” to a question about his drug use. His lawyers argued that the special counsel who brought the case, David C. Weiss, had no evidence that Mr. Biden used drugs the day of his purchase or in the surrounding period. Before deciding to convict him on all three charges, theRead More