Garcetti confirmed as India ambassador in divided Senate after 20-month fight
Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti won confirmation Wednesday from a divided Senate as the nation’s next ambassador to India, more than a year and a half after he was first nominated by President Joe Biden and after weathering doubts about his truthfulness in a sexual harassment scandal involving a City Hall adviser.
The 52-42 vote gave the administration a longsought victory with several Republicans breaking party discipline for the vote that they said was critical to fill one of the country’s highest-profile diplomatic posts.
“It’s a national security imperative to immediately have an ambassador in place in India. We can’t afford to wait any longer,” said Indiana Sen. Todd Young, one of the Republican crossover votes.
The day began with uncertain prospects for Mr. Garcetti, a two-term, progressive Democrat first nominated to the diplomatic post by Mr. Biden in July 2021.
With several Democrats defecting, Mr. Garcetti’s fate rested with Republican senators in a chamber often divided along partisan lines. He secured seven GOP votes, more than enough to make up for the Democratic breakaways.
Kansas Republican Roger Marshall said having an ambassador in place in India was vital in advancing relations among members of the “quad” — the U.S. India, Australia and Japan, which he said puts pressure on China.
“We don’t agree on all the different policies he did as mayor, but I think he’s a good person at heart and he would be a good ambassador,” Mr. Marshall said. He said on the allegations: “He answered my questions adequately.”
Flooding, landslides persist in California
Southern California residents weary of a stormsoaked winter were hit Wednesday by parting shots from the season’s 11th atmospheric river, which flooded roadways, caused mudslides and toppled trees throughout the state.
Water, mud and rocks were reported on many roads, along with potholes that disabled numerous cars. Flooding closed several miles of Pacific Coast Highway through Huntington Beach, south of Los Angeles on the Orange County coast.
The National Weather Service said the 23.99 inches of rain recorded so far this water year in downtown Los Angeles make this the 14th wettest in more than 140 years of records.
Weather in northern and central sections of the state dried out earlier following Tuesday’s heavy rain and fierce winds that blew out windows on a San Francisco high-rise and gusted to 74 mph at the city’s airport.
Garbage piles up as French stage strike
French people hoping to preserve their retirement benefits took to the streets in a nationwide protest on Wednesday as a committee of lawmakers met behind closed doors to approve the wording of President Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular pension plan.
Mr. Macron likely has the means on the joint Senate and National Assembly committee to advance his plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, but it remains to be seen whether it can command a parliamentary majority. If not, Mr. Macron would have to impose the unpopular changes unilaterally.
Unions are hoping some 200 protests across the country will demonstrate the political consequences to such changes, which Mr. Macron has promoted as central to his vision for making the French economy more competitive.
Economic challenges have prompted widespread unrest across Western Europe. In Britain on Wednesday, teachers, junior doctors and public transport staff were striking for higher wages to match rising prices. And Spain’s left-wing government joined with labor unions to announce a “historic” deal to save its pension system by raising social security costs for higher wage earners.
Cyclone Freddy gone; flooding still possible
After killing hundreds and displacing thousands as it barreled through Mozambique and Malawi since late last week, Cyclone Freddy has dissipated over land, although flooding remains a threat in both countries, a regional monitoring center said late Wednesday.
The cyclone has killed at least 225 people in Malawi’s southern region including Blantyre, the country’s financial hub, according to local authorities.
Another 88,000 people are displaced. In neighboring Mozambique, officials say at least 20 people have died since the storm made landfall in the port town of Quelimane on Saturday night. Over 45,000 people are still holed up in shelters, with about 800 square miles still underwater, according to the EU’s Copernicus satellite system.
“There are many casualties — either wounded, missing, or dead and the numbers will only increase in the coming days,” said Guilherme Botelho, the emergency project coordinator in Blantyre for Doctors Without Borders. Malawi, which has been battling a cholera outbreak, is at risk of a resurgence of the disease, Mr. Botelho said.