Former U.S. Congressman Eric Swalwell has resigned amid explosive sexual assault allegations, as a fifth accuser comes forward with chilling claims from a 2018 incident. Authorities in Los Angeles have now launched a criminal investigation, intensifying the crisis surrounding the embattled politician. The accuser alleges she was drugged, assaulted, and choked unconscious during an encounter in a California hotel room. Swalwell has strongly denied all allegations through his legal team, calling them completely false.  

A powerful storm system is slamming the California coast, placing more than ten million people under flood watch as heavy rain, damaging winds and dangerous thunderstorms move across the region. Authorities warn of flash flooding, mudslides and debris flows, especially in wildfire burn scar areas from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles.