(CNN) Fort Lauderdale and parts of South Florida were inundated Wednesday night by significant rainfall in a half-century rain event, prompting a flash flood emergency in Broward County and a mayor calling the deluge “the worst flood I’ve ever seen.” Ever seen.”

About 10 to 14 inches of rain fell across the region Wednesday, and an additional two to four inches are possible as heavy thunderstorms move slowly.

Fort Lauderdale is “experiencing severe flooding in many areas of the city,” Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue said on social media, warning vehicles to stay off roadways as they could become trapped or drown.

A flash flood warning — the highest flood warning — has been issued for parts of South Florida, including Fort Lauderdale. National Weather Service (NWS) Wednesday night at Miami.

“This is an especially dangerous situation,” the NWS warned. “Get to higher ground now! This is a very dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel until you are out of an area subject to flooding or an evacuation order.”

Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy told CNN that “city crews are doing everything they can” to use pumps wherever possible and keep drains clear.

“We’ve recorded 12 inches of rain since midnight, on top of days of non-stop rain,” Levy said. “There is extensive flooding in our city and across South Florida as the ground is already saturated. Many roads are impassable. Numerous vehicles are stranded and abandoned in the middle of our roads.

“I’ve lived here all my life. This is the worst flood I’ve ever seen,” he said.

Fort Lauderdale officials will activate its emergency operations center and declare a local state of emergency, saying in a statement Thursday morning that airboats and high-clearance vehicles have been secured from the county sheriff’s office and Florida Wildlife Commission.

“Staff are evaluating park facilities to convert them into staging/reunification centers for individuals affected by flash flooding. We expect to open these as soon as possible,” the city said. “There is no electricity in City Hall. We have reports of water flooding on the first floor of the Transport and Mobility (TAM) building.”

The city’s system is designed to receive at least 3 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, but they have “received more than 12 in close proximity”. Service crews will be out to respond to flooding reports and concerns.”

CNN has reached out to city and county officials for more information.

Four tornado warnings were issued in the area on Wednesday. A flash flood emergency is in effect for central Broward County until 2 a.m. Thursday.

Major parts of Broward County were flooded

Officials are asking residents to avoid driving or traveling in Fort Lauderdale Amidst the storms.

“Continuously responding to calls for police and fire rescue services,” it said City of Fort Lauderdale said in a press release on Wednesday evening. “Public works crews are clearing drains and running pumps to quickly reduce the water. Efforts are underway to reduce traffic congestion with a prioritized signal to assist people leaving the city. We ask drivers to stay off the roads and avoid the city of Fort Lauderdale until the water recedes.”

The flooding affected rush hour traffic on Wednesday and led to the closure of one tunnel, the city said.

“The Henry E. Kinney Tunnel is closed. Please avoid the area. Weather conditions combined with rush hour traffic are increasing problems in the downtown area,” the city said.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Wednesday that it has been “inundated with non-emergency 911 calls related to severe weather” and is urging residents to use 911 only for “true emergencies” and to avoid driving and call a tow truck. Company if a vehicle is stranded and not in an emergency.

Some local services are closed on Thursday. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is closed due to flooding and will reopen at noon. According to an update from the airport, and the Broward County Public Schools District announced the closure Thursday.

Brightline train service between Miami and Fort Lauderdale has been temporarily suspended. Service said On social media.

Rainfall totals in and around the Fort Lauderdale area Wednesday represented at least a 1-in-50-year rainfall event, according to a CNN analysis of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration precipitation statistics as of 9 p.m. ET Wednesday. 12 inches in 24 hours.

There may be more rain in some places. According to the latest flash flood emergency issued by the NWS in Miami, up to 20 inches of rain could fall in some areas, corresponding to at least a 1 in 200-year rainfall event.

Preliminary 24-hour rainfall indicates that many cities and suburbs have been affected. As of Wednesday night, 11.09 inches of rain had fallen in Fort Lauderdale, 12.21 inches in Lauderhill and 13.92 inches in Tania Beach.

CNN’s Brandon Miller, Robert Shackelford, Sarah Weisfeld and Devon Sayers contributed to this report.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett speak at Columbia University.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Good pictures

Legendary value investor Warren Buffett said he had no expertise in artificial intelligence, but thanks to Bill Gates, he took a crack at the sensational chatbot ChatGPT.

“I guess this is something I don’t understand, but the bill came in at least four or five months ago. [He said] ‘I’m going to show you the latest thing and what you can do with it.’ “I said, ‘Take the song ‘My Way’ and write it in Spanish,” Buffett told CNBC’s Becky Quick on “Squawk Box” from Tokyo on Wednesday. “Two seconds later, it comes out, it rhymes. All these wonderful things.”

The Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO spent decades telling shareholders that technology was outside his circle of expertise. After avoiding tech stocks for years, the “Oracle of Omaha” bought Apple under the influence of his investment lieutenants and the tech giant has now become one of the biggest and most successful ventures of his career.

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot developed by San Francisco-based OpenAI, which Microsoft is betting billions on. The tool is capable of taking written inputs from users and generating a human-like response.

Buffett recalls Gates saying that one of ChatGPT’s limitations was that it couldn’t tell jokes.

“I don’t know how to tell jokes, but I can tell you that it’s reading every book, every legal opinion. I mean, if you’re doing all kinds of things, the time it saves you is incredible,” Buffett said.

In the end, the 92-year-old investor said he wasn’t sure if advanced technology would benefit the human race.

“I think it’s an incredible technological breakthrough that shows what we can do,” Buffett said. “I think it’s extraordinary, but I don’t know if it will work.”

The technology has fueled concerns about potential abuses. For example, students are using ChatGPT to create entire essays, while hackers have begun testing it to write malicious code.

Gates and Buffett have been friends for more than three decades. The pair co-founded The Giving Pledge, which encourages the world’s super-rich to give at least half of their wealth to charity.

Angels — LeBron James had 30 points and 10 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers secured the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 108-102 overtime victory over the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA’s play-in game on Tuesday night.

Spoilers for successively Season 4 below

The US administration is considering cutIn a major change to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program, mileage ratings for electric vehicles (EVs) to meet fuel economy regulations for automakers.

The U.S. Department of Energy expects to significantly reduce the way petroleum-equivalent fuel economy is calculated for EVs, which could mean automakers must sell lower-emission cars.

If carmakers can’t meet CAFE rules, they’ll take out credits or pay fines.

Vehicles are ranked by their EPA combined city/highway rating. All electric vehicle fuel economy is assessed In miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe), 33.7 kWh equals 1 gallon of gasoline.

“Encouraging the adoption of EVs may reduce petroleum consumption, but giving more credit to that adoption may lead to increased net petroleum use because it enables lower fuel economy in conventional vehicles, which are the majority of vehicles sold,” the DOE said. Regulation.

“Furthermore, contrary to the original intent behind the fuel content factor, the “excessively high calculated fuel economy values ​​for EVs” would encourage manufacturers to produce additional EVs if they were able to achieve CAFE compliance with a relatively small number of EVs,” DOE said in the proposed rule.

According to DOE’s proposal released today, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (Auto Innovators) requested that DOE give careful consideration to determining whether to lower the EV mileage rating.

Contrary to the requests of other commenters, the Coalition requested that the ratings be increased if changed.

“Auto innovators said the intent of Congress was to encourage the use of alternative fuel vehicles. An increased value to PEF would lead to more sales of electric vehicles as alternatives to gasoline-fueled vehicles because automakers would be more profitable. A regulatory incentive to sell electric vehicles,” the DOE said.

DOE will accept comments on the rule on or before June 12, 2023.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More great reads from Oilprice.com:

USC is expected to hire former Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury as the senior offensive analyst, according to a program source. Athletic on Monday. NFL Network first reported that the Trojans were hiring Kingsbury. Here’s what you need to know:

• Much of Kingsbury’s role involves game-planning, watching film with coach Lincoln Riley and being a part of quarterback meetings, the source said.
• Kingsbury was fired by the Cardinals in January after Arizona posted a 4-13 record in 2022.
• Prior to his four-year stint in the NFL, Kingsbury spent six seasons (2013-2018) as the head coach at Texas Tech, going 35-40 with the Red Raiders.

AthleticInstant Analysis:

What this means for USC

This is technically Kingsbury’s second stint at USC. After being fired by Texas Tech in late 2018, he took the Cardinals job just a month later. It was considered a make-or-break hire for then-coach Clay Helton, so there was a real sting when Kingsbury left. The stakes are much lower this time as Riley calls the plays, but Kingsbury is a good resource to have in the quarterback room and on staff. — Morels

What’s the status of USC’s quarterback group?

The Trojans obviously return Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, but four-star prospect Miller Moss in the 2022 recruiting cycle and five-star signee Malachi Nelson in this latest cycle behind Williams. Having Kingsbury in the QB room in addition to Riley should really help their development. It also gives Williams a former NFL coach to work with. — Morels

Backstory

Kingsbury, 43, finished his tenure in Arizona with a 28-37-1 regular season record and 0-1 postseason record.

In 2021, the Cardinals’ only winning season under Kingsbury, they finished in the top 10 in the NFL in both scoring and total offense. Arizona finished near the bottom of the league in points scored and points allowed in 2022, but was without starting quarterback Kyler Murray for six games that season.

According to multiple reports in February, Kingsbury met with the Texans about the team’s offensive coordinator position before Houston ultimately hired Bobby Slovic in the role.

Riley led USC to an 11-3 record last season, his first at the helm. The Trojans lost their College Football Playoff hopes to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game and suffered a late-game slump against Tulane in the Cotton Bowl.

Required reading

(Photo: Joe Rondone/USA Today)

Washington (CNN) The US State Department officially appointed the Wall Street Journal correspondent on Monday Ivan Gershkovich Wrongfully detained by Russia.

“Today, Secretary Blinken determined that Ivan Gershkovich was wrongfully detained by Russia,” State Department principal deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said in a statement.

The designation lends further support to claims by the US government and the Wall Street Journal that the espionage charges against the reporter are baseless. That would empower the Biden administration to explore options Prisoner exchange etc To try to secure Gershkovich’s release.

His case will now be handled at the State Department by the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, which has played a key role in the release of American citizens held hostage and wrongfully detained around the world.

Two Americans recently brought home from Russia — Trevor Reid And Brittney Griner — Declared wrongful detention, prisoners released in transfers.

Paul Whelan, who has been imprisoned in Russia for more than four years on espionage charges he and the US government denies, has been declared wrongfully detained.

In his statement, Patel said, “The US government will provide all appropriate support to Mr. Gershkovich and his family.”

“We call on the Russian Federation to immediately release Mr. Gershkovich,” he said. “We call on Russia to release wrongfully detained US citizen Paul Whelan.”

“We are doing everything we can to support Evan and his family and will continue to work with the State Department and other relevant U.S. officials to secure his release,” the Wall Street Journal’s editor-in-chief and publisher said Monday.

“He is a distinguished journalist and his arrest is an attack on a free press and it will provoke the outrage of all free peoples and governments around the world,” said a statement by Emma Tucker and Almar Latur.

Gershkovich was detained in late March He was formally charged with espionage last Friday. As of Monday, officials at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow had not been granted consular access to Gershkovich.

“This is a violation of Russia’s obligations under our diplomatic convention and a violation of international law,” Patel told a State Department briefing on Monday. “We have emphasized the need for the Russian government to provide this access as soon as possible.”

The official determination that Gershkovich was wrongfully detained comes after a bureaucratic process within the US government.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said last week that he was going through that process “very deliberately but quickly,” but “(in his) own mind, there’s no doubt that he’s been wrongly detained by Russia.”

The journalist’s arrest — the first of its kind in Russia since the Cold War — prompted a top U.S. diplomat to act. A rare call to his Russian counterpart.

“Secretary Blinken expressed the United States’ grave concern about Russia’s unacceptable detention of an American citizen journalist,” the State Department readout of the April 2 call said.

The call was the third time Blinken has spoken with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov since the war in Ukraine began, and all of those conversations have discussed detained U.S. citizens. The two spoke in person for the first time since the war broke out on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in India last month, and Blinken said the war raised issues such as Russia’s suspension of participation in the New START nuclear deal. , and Whelan’s continued detention.

(CNN) Three unions representing about 9,000 Rutgers University faculty and staff will go on strike Monday morning, the unions said, marking the first academic strike in the university’s nearly 257-year history after nearly a year of contract negotiations.

Members of the unions will picket at Rutgers’ three main campuses in New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden, New Jersey, to demand higher pay, improved job security for adjunct faculty and guaranteed funding for graduate students, union representatives said. A joint publication.

“Those closest to our university’s mission of learning and teaching, research and service deserve more than simply surviving and scraping by,” Rutgers master’s student Michelle O’Malley said in a virtual town hall Sunday night.

There are three trade unions Rutgers AAUP-AFT, which represents full-time faculty, graduate workers, postgraduate researchers and consultants; The Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union, which refers to part-time lecturers; And AAUP-BHSNJIt refers to faculty who teach in the university’s clinical and public health facilities.

While union leaders expect the move to halt instruction and “uncritical research,” the university insists most classes will continue. Doctors at the university’s health facilities will “continue to perform patient care duties and important research, while suspending volunteer work,” the unions’ release said.

In Guidelines are published In the event of a strike, the university advised students to continue attending classes and completing assignments as usual.

“To say this is deeply disappointing would be an understatement,” Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway said in a letter to the community. According to Holloway, the two sides agreed to appoint a mediator two days before the strike was announced.

“For the past several weeks, negotiations have been steady and continuous,” the president said. “As I mentioned there has been significant and substantial progress, and I believe there are only a few outstanding issues. We will continue to negotiate as long as it takes to reach agreements and will not engage in personal attacks or misinformation.”

Union representatives, however, insist that the university has refused to meet their central demands.

“After sitting at the bargaining table for 10 months to win what we believe are fair and just things like fair wages, job security and access to affordable health care, we have no choice but to vote to strike,” said Amy Higer, a part-time lecturer at Rutgers and president of the Adjunct Faculty Union. said in a statement.

She continued, “We’ve heard administration say that a strike will hurt students. But do you know what really hurts students? Bad pay for teachers and high turnover from having to reapply for their jobs every semester.”

Inside New Jersey Governor Bill Murphy A statement University and union bargaining team representatives met in his office on Monday to “have a constructive dialogue,” he said.

In addition to the three groups that announced the strike, nine other unions are demanding new contracts with the university, according to a union release.

CNN’s Elizabeth Wolff and Rebecca Rice contributed to this report.

(CNN) Tiger Woods The five-time Masters champion will not resume his third round at Augusta National on Sunday after withdrawing from the tournament with a leg injury.

Posting Twitter, Woods said: “I’m disappointed to have to watch WD this morning due to a relapse of my plantar fasciitis. Thanks to the fans and @TheMasters for showing me so much love and support. Good luck to today’s players!”

The golf great endured a poor start to his third round and the sound of the klaxon. Day three of The Masters By the end of Saturday, it could be music to his ears.

On a cold and wet Saturday, with rain falling, Woods could be seen limping over the 17th hole. Woods was nine over for the match and six over for the round when organizers deemed the match unplayable due to persistent rain.

Before the start of play on Sunday, tournament organizers announced that Woods had withdrawn due to injury. Woods later revealed it was plantar fasciitis — a tissue inflammation that causes heel pain.

Woods suffered a severe leg injury in a 2021 car accident and has had multiple back surgeries over the years.

The 15-time major winner has only played once competitively this season and told reporters he was no longer playing or practicing in the build-up to the tournament.

“I don’t play many matches, and I don’t train. I’m limited in what I can do,” he said, according to Reuters.

But despite his hopes of winning a sixth green jacket fading long ago, he showed his usual grit and resilience to continue on Saturday.

Questions will now be asked about whether Woods will play again in the prestigious event. Last week he suggested he might do so. His final appearance at Augusta And he admitted to being inside “Constant” pain during Thursday’s opening round.

“I don’t know how many more (Masters) I have left,” he said before the tournament began.

Bottom of the leaderboard

Starting on the 10th hole, the organizers tried to end the play as much as possible Second round suspended Due to bad weather on Friday, Woods started his third round with a bogey.

Neither the situation nor his form improved much after that. Another bogey on the 14th and double bogeys on the 15th and 16th left the 47-year-old with the worst score of the day on the leaderboard.

He had little time to enjoy making the cut at Augusta tying the record for the 23rd consecutive time, He begins his third round a few hours after completing the second round.