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Daily Briefing: An entire California town evacuates

Nicole Fallert   | Paste BN

About 10,000 residents of Montecito, California, and its surrounding canyons were ordered to evacuate amid the downpours that continue to pound the state. Also in the news: The House has adopted new rules for the 118th Congress and Prince Harry's explosive memoir "Spare" is out today.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Meet the furry influencers with millions of followers.

Here are Tuesday's headlines.

Montecito evacuated amid relentless California storms

Forecasters expect a relentless string of storms to continue through Tuesday after dumping up to 14 inches of rain at higher elevations in central and Southern California. The storm on Monday prompted evacuation orders for 10,000 people along the central California coast, including the entire town of Montecito — home to Prince Harry and other celebrities — which saw 23 people killed in a mudslide five years ago. At least 14 people have died since the storms began last week, including two people killed by falling trees. Read more

What we know about the death of 13-year-old Sinzae Reed

Ohio residents and online activists are raising concerns about the actions of local police and county prosecutors after the homicide of a 13-year-old Black child killed in Columbus nearly three months ago. Columbus police arrested his white neighbor, Krieg Butler, 36, within 48 hours of Reed's death, and the Franklin County Prosecutor's office charged him with murder. However, those charges were dismissed a few days later after Butler claimed self-defense. 

One thing to know: Reed's family compared his death to the death of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old unarmed Black child in Florida who was killed in 2012 by a man who claimed self-defense and was ultimately not found guilty.

  • Under an Ohio law that went into effect in 2019, a potential suspect no longer has to prove they shot someone in self-defense, instead the burden rests on the prosecution.
  • What happened to Sinzae Reed? Columbus police were called at about 5:45 p.m. Oct. 12 to an apartment complex on a report of a shooting. According to court records, an eyewitness saw Krieg Butler exit a red truck and fire multiple times at Reed.
  • Why were charges dismissed against Butler? Prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss the case in Franklin County Municipal Court after Butler's arrest. At the time, prosecutors said he alleged he had fired shots at Reed in self-defense. Contacted by Paste BN on Monday, the Franklin County Prosecutor's office said Columbus police are "in the process of investigating" Reed's death.

👉 Click here to read more about the case.

More news to know now

🌤 What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

New rules: The first big test for Republican-led chamber

Newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy survived the first test of his leadership, passing a rules package Monday that Republicans say will help the U.S. “get its fiscal house in order.” The rules adopted by the 118th Congress give more power to individual members, allow for aggressive investigation of the Biden administration on issues such as COVID-19 and the southern border; and make it more difficult to increase federal spending. The rules passed in a 220-213 vote: Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas was the only Republican to vote with Democrats. Read more

'Three amigos summit"

President Joe Biden, Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are set to meet for a series of talks on migration, trade and climate change. The three leaders are trying to mend tensions that have divided the continent. Tuesday's gathering of North American countries is held most years, and it's often called the “three amigos summit." Although Biden has faced some hiccups and snubs from López Obrador over the past year, the two leaders will need to work together on key issues facing both their countries: migration, drugs and guns. Read more 

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The biggest bombshells from 'Spare'

If you thought Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's 2021 Oprah interview was explosive, just wait until you get your hands on Harry's book. His new tell-all memoir "Spare" out Tuesday has already made droves of headlines thanks to leaked copies ahead of its release. But there's still plenty to learn from the book, which delivers tons of drama and insider knowledge of the inner workings of the royal family, but also a thoughtful, nuanced recollection of the biggest stories the public thought it knew about Harry. From how King Charles broke news of Princess Diana's death to how Harry and Prince William asked their father not to marry Camilla, these are the biggest things we learned. 

📷 Photo of the day: 2023 College Football Playoff national championship 📷

Georgia beat TCU 65-7 in the College Football Playoff national championship game to secure the program's first unbeaten season since 1980 and a place in history as back-to-back national champions. The offense went sideline to sideline and opened things up for quarterback Stetson Bennett, who completed 18 of 25 attempts for 304 yards and four touchdowns and was named the MVP in the final game of his college career. Read more about the game.

Click here to see more photos from the 2023 College Football Playoff national championship.

One more thing

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to Paste BN here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

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