What happened
A slow-moving rainstorm moved over Southern California yesterday, providing relief for crews fighting to finish containing wildfires that ravaged parts of Los Angeles County. But forecasts of intermittent bursts of heavier rain prompted the National Weather Service to predict a 10% to 20% chance of flash flooding and significant mudslides in areas where the fires scorched the vegetation baked the earth hard and impermeable.

Who said what
"In general, this is beneficial rain" for an area that has seen no measurable rain since October, AccuWeather senior meteorologist John Feerick told The New York Times. But "debris flows" are a real risk if one of the "showers happens to park itself over a burn area," National Weather Service meteorologist Carol Smith said on social media.

Work and fire crews prepared for the rain by filling sandbags and "removing vegetation, shoring up slopes and reinforcing roads in devastated areas of the Palisades and Eaton fires," now 90% and 98% contained, respectively, The Associated Press said.

What next?
The mudslide warning is in effect through this afternoon, but Los Angeles officials are also warning about a longer-term risk from ash that's a "toxic mix of incinerated cars, electronics, batteries, building materials, paints, furniture and other household items" containing "pesticides, asbestos, plastics and lead."

What happened
President Donald Trump yesterday threatened to hit Colombia with 25% tariffs, rising to 50% in a week, and other sanctions after it turned back two U.S. military aircraft trying to repatriate Colombian migrants. Bogota threatened retaliatory tariffs, but both sides backed off last night, with Colombia saying they had "overcome the impasse" and the White House claiming victory. 

Who said what
Colombian President Gustavo Petro initially said he rejected the U.S. aircraft because "a migrant is not a criminal" and must be treated with "dignity," not shackled in a military plane. Trump said Petro's decision "jeopardized the national security and public safety" of the U.S., and the steep import taxes were "just the beginning."

The White House said later that Colombia had agreed to all of "Trump's terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens" on civilian or "U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay." Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo did not mention the military aircraft but said Colombia had the "presidential plane ready" to "facilitate" the repatriation of Colombians.

What next?
The White House said the threatened tariffs would be "held in reserve, and not signed, unless Colombia fails to honor this agreement." Colombia provides 37% of America's cut flowers and nursery products and 20% of its coffee beans, The New York Times said, so a trade war would likely mean "more expensive coffee and flowers ahead of Valentine's Day."