Trump sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll, must pay her $5 million, jury says

Donald Trump must pay $5 million in damages for sexually abusing magazine writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s and then defaming her by branding her a liar, a jury decided on Tuesday.

"Today, the world finally knows the truth," Carroll said in a statement. "This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed."

The former U.S. president, campaigning to retake the White House in 2024, will appeal, his lawyer Joseph Tacopina told reporters outside the Manhattan federal courthouse.

Carroll, 79, testified during the civil trial that Trump, 76, raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan in either 1995 or 1996, then harmed her reputation by writing in an October 2022 post on his Truth Social platform that her claims were a "complete con job," "a hoax" and "a lie."

Trump was absent throughout the trial which began on April 25. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called the verdict a "disgrace" and said, "I have absolutely no idea who this woman is."

Because it was a civil case, Trump faces no criminal consequences and, as such, there was never a threat of prison.

The jury, required to reach a unanimous verdict, deliberated for just under three hours. Its six men and three women awarded Carroll $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages, but Trump will not have to pay so long as the case is on appeal.

In April, Trump gave election regulators only the rough estimates of his wealth that are required in financial disclosures, listing over a dozen properties as worth "over $50 million" each.

'CORE PRO-TRUMP VOTERS ARE NOT GOING TO CHANGE'

President from 2017 to 2021, Trump is the front-runner in opinion polls for the Republican presidential nomination and has shown an uncanny ability to weather controversies that might sink other politicians.

It seems unlikely in America's polarized political climate that the civil verdict will have an impact on Trump's core supporters, who view his legal woes as part of a concerted effort by opponents to undermine him.

"The folks that are anti-Trump are going to remain that way, the core pro-Trump voters are not going to change, and the ambivalent ones I just don’t think are going to be moved by this type of thing," said Charlie Gerow, a Republican strategist in Pennsylvania.

Any negative impact is likely to be small and limited to suburban women and moderate Republicans, Gerow said.

Trump has cited the Carroll trial in campaign fundraising emails as evidence of what he portrays as a Democratic plot. He has said Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist and a registered Democrat, made up the allegations to try to increase sales of her 2019 memoir and to hurt him politically.

His poll numbers improved after he was charged last month with falsifying business records over a hush money payment to a porn star before his victory in the 2016 presidential election.

The first U.S. president past or present to be criminally charged, Trump has pleaded not guilty and said the charges are politically motivated.

E. Jean Carroll departs from the Manhattan Federal Court following the verdict in the civil rape accusation case against former U.S. President Donald Trump, in New York City, U.S., May 9, 2023. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Lis Smith, a Democratic strategist, said it remained to be seen whether the verdict in Carroll's case would make Trump "unpalatable" to Republican voters beyond his base, prompting them to coalesce around another candidate.

The trial featured testimony from former People magazine reporter Natasha Stoynoff, who told jurors that Trump cornered her at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in 2005 and forcibly kissed her for a "few minutes." Another woman, Jessica Leeds, testified that Trump kissed her, groped her and put his hand up her skirt on a flight in 1979.

Jurors also heard excerpts from a 2005 "Access Hollywood" video in which Trump says women let him "grab 'em by the pussy."

"Historically, that's true, with stars ... if you look over the last million years," Trump said in an October 2022 video deposition played in court. He has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual misconduct.

TRUMP MISTAKES CARROLL FOR EX-WIFE

Carroll testified that she bumped into Trump at Bergdorf's and agreed to help him pick out a gift for another woman. The two looked at lingerie before he coaxed her into a dressing room, slammed her head into a wall, pulled down her tights and penetrated her, she testified. Carroll said she could not remember the precise date or year the alleged rape occurred.

Jurors were tasked with deciding whether Trump raped, sexually abused or forcibly touched Carroll, and were separately asked if Trump defamed Carroll. The jurors found Trump sexually abused her but not that he raped her.

Before the jurors began deliberating, Judge Lewis Kaplan defined rape for them as non-consensual "sexual intercourse" through "forcible compulsion." He described sexual abuse as non-consensual "sexual contact" through forcible compulsion.

Jurors awarded Carroll $2 million in compensatory damages and $20,000 in punitive damages for her battery claim, and $2.7 million in compensatory and $280,000 in punitive damages for her defamation claim.

Trump's legal team attacked the plausibility of Carroll's account including why she had never reported the matter to police or screamed during the alleged incident.

Two of Carroll's friends said that she told them about the alleged rape at the time but swore them to secrecy because she feared that Trump would use his fame and wealth to retaliate if she came forward.

Carroll told jurors she decided to break her silence in 2017 after rape allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein prompted scores of women to come forward with accounts of sexual violence by powerful men. She went public with her account while Trump was president.

She said Trump's public denials wrecked her career and instigated a campaign of vicious online harassment by his supporters.

While Trump did not testify at the trial, a video clip from the October 2022 deposition showed him mistaking Carroll for one of his former wives in a black-and-white photo among several people at an event.

"It's Marla," Trump said in the deposition, referring to his second wife Marla Maples. Previously Trump had said he could not have raped Carroll because she was "not my type."

Russian forces strike Ukrainian army reserves, ammo depots by precision weapons

©Russian Defence Ministry/TASS

Russian forces delivered a massive strike by seaborne and airborne precision weapons against the Ukrainian army’s reserves and ammunition depots, hitting all the designated targets over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Tuesday.

"During the past night, Russian forces delivered a massive strike by long-range seaborne and airborne precision weapons against the temporary deployment sites of the enemy’s reserves, and also against ammunition depots. All the designated targets were struck. The strikes thwarted the [enemy] reserves’ advance to the areas of combat operations," the spokesman said.

Russian forces destroy 35 Ukrainian troops, artillery gun in Kupyansk area

Russian forces destroyed roughly 35 Ukrainian troops and a motorized artillery system in the Kupyansk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Kupyansk direction, aircraft and artillery from the western battlegroup struck the enemy units in areas near the settlements of Sinkovka and Berestovoye in the Kharkov Region. The enemy’s losses in the past 24 hours amounted to 35 Ukrainian personnel, one tank, two motor vehicles and an Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system," the spokesman said.

Russian forces eliminate 75 Ukrainian troops in Krasny Liman area

Russian forces eliminated roughly 75 Ukrainian troops in the Krasny Liman area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

In the Krasny Liman direction, operational/tactical and army aviation and artillery from Russia’s battlegroup Center struck the enemy manpower and equipment in areas near the settlements of Chervonaya Dibrova and Nevskoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic, the spokesman specified.

"As many as 75 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, three pickup trucks, a Grad multiple rocket launcher and two D-30 howitzers were destroyed," the general reported.

Russian forces destroy over 400 Ukrainian troops in Donetsk advance

Russian forces destroyed over 400 Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries in their advance in the Donetsk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"Over 465 Ukrainian personnel and mercenaries, two tanks, six armored combat vehicles, six motor vehicles, a Grad multiple rocket launcher, two D-20 and two D-30 howitzers were destroyed in that direction in the past 24 hours," the spokesman said.

Russian assault teams continue battles in western Artyomovsk

Russian assault teams continued fighting Ukrainian troops in the western part of Artyomovsk over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Donetsk direction, the assault teams continued battles in the western part of the city of Artyomovsk. Airborne Force units provided their support, immobilizing the enemy on the flanks," the spokesman said.

Operational/tactical and army aviation and artillery from Russia’s southern battlegroup struck the enemy units in areas near the settlements of Chasov Yar and Bogdanovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the general specified.

"Aircraft flew five sorties in that area in the past 24 hours. The battlegroup’s artillery accomplished 73 firing objectives," Konashenkov reported.

Russian forces destroy over 90 Ukrainian troops in southern Donetsk, Zaporozhye areas

Russian forces destroyed over 90 Ukrainian troops in the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas in the past day, he said.

In the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, aircraft and artillery from Russia’s battlegroup East struck the Ukrainian army units in areas near the settlements of Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Gulyaipole in the Zaporozhye area, the spokesman specified.

"Over 90 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, two motor vehicles and a Msta-B howitzer were destroyed in the past 24 hours. In addition, in the area of the settlement of Shcherbaki in the Zaporozhye Region, an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army’s 128th mountain assault brigade was obliterated," the general reported.

Russian forces wipe out Ukrainian ammo depots in DPR, Kherson area

Russian forces destroyed Ukrainian ammunition depots in the Kherson area and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the area of the settlement of Antonovka in the Kherson Region, an ammunition depot of the 124th territorial defense brigade was destroyed. In the area of the community of Verkhnekamenskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army’s 54th mechanized brigade was obliterated," the spokesman said.

In the Kherson direction, as many as 30 Ukrainian troops, five motor vehicles and two Gvozdika artillery systems were destroyed in the past 24 hours as a result of damage inflicted on the enemy by firepower, the general specified.

"Operational/tactical and army aviation and artillery of the Russian group of forces struck 72 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions, manpower and military hardware in 94 areas," Konashenkov reported.

Russian air defenses down Ukrainian Su-25 ground attack plane

Russian air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 ground attack aircraft and intercepted three rockets and a ballistic missile over the past day, he said.

"Air defense capabilities shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Su-25 plane near the settlement of Belozyorka in the Kherson Region. In the past 24 hours, they also intercepted three rockets of the Uragan and HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems and a Tochka-U tactical missile," the spokesman said.

In addition, Russian air defense systems destroyed ten Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles near the communities of Golikovo in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Spornoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Removka in the Zaporozhye Region, Novaya Mayachka and Belozyorka in the Kherson Region, the general said.

In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 419 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 230 helicopters, 4,052 unmanned aerial vehicles, 421 surface-to-air missile systems, 9,046 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,098 multiple rocket launchers, 4,774 field artillery guns and mortars and 10,077 special military motor vehicles since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, Konashenkov reported.

Any ideology of superiority is criminal — Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin
©Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

On May 9, Putin delivered a speech at Moscow's Red Square military parade, dedicated to the 78th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

President Vladimir Putin pledged on Tuesday that a war has been unleashed against Russia, but that Moscow will resolve it.

“Today, civilization is again at a decisive turning point, [and] a real war has been unleashed against our Motherland. But we repelled international terrorism, [and] we will protect the residents of Donbass, ensuring our security,” Putin underscored during a speech at the military parade in Moscow to mark the 68th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Any superiority ideology is, by definition, repulsive, deadly, and criminal, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the Victory Day parade on the Red Square on Tuesday.

"We believe that any ideology of superiority is inherently disgusting, criminal, and deadly," he said.

At the same time, Putin added that Western elites "still talk about their exclusivity, put people against each other and divide society, provoke bloody conflicts and coups, sow hatred, Russophobia, aggressive nationalism, destroy those family, traditional values that make humans human."

All this, he said, is done in order "to continue dictating, imposing their will, rights and rules on the peoples - in essence, a system of robbery, violence and oppression."

"They seem to have forgotten what the Nazis' insane claims to world domination led to," the president added. "They have forgotten who defeated this monstrous, total evil, who stood as a wall for their homeland and did not spare their lives for the liberation of the peoples of Europe," he said.

Russia’s enemies seek to destroy country, says Putin

Russia’s enemies seek to destroy the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Victory Day Parade on Moscow’s Red Square on Tuesday.

"They [those who cynically and openly prepared a new crusade against Russia] have as their goal, and there is nothing new about that, to destroy our country, cross out the results of World War Two, finally dismantle the system of global security and international law and stifle any sovereign centers of development," the head of state said.

The Ukrainian people fell hostage to the state coup and the West’s plans that are the root cause of the current disaster in Ukraine, Putin said.

"Exorbitant ambitions, arrogance and permissiveness inevitably turn into a tragedy. This is the cause of the catastrophe, which the Ukrainian people is living through," the head of state said.

"It [the Ukrainian people] became a hostage to the state coup and the criminal regime of its Western handlers that emerged on its basis, a bargaining chip in the implementation of their cruel and selfish plans," Putin said.

The demolition of memorials to fallen Soviet soldiers in some countries is a crime and the desecration of their feats, the Russian leader said.

"We see that memorials to Soviet soldiers are ruthlessly and cold-bloodedly destroyed, monuments to great commanders are pulled down and a real cult of Nazis and their accomplices is being created while there are attempts to erase the memory about true heroes and smear them," the head of state said.

As the Russian leader pointed out, "such desecration of the feat and the victims of the victor generation is also a crime, an outright revanchism of those who cynically and openly prepared a new crusade against Russia, who gathered the Neo-Nazi scum all around the world.".

'They Fired at Civilians': Mariupol Residents Recall 2014 Victory Day Massacre

Having illegally seized power in February 2014, the neo-Nazi Kiev regime banned Russian language and intimidated Russia-leaning Ukrainians in Donbass. Mariupol residents have shared with Sputnik how Ukrainian ultra-nationalists and the military killed and persecuted participants of the Victory Day Parade in the city nine years ago.

On May 9, 2014, the Kiev regime sent nationalists and the heavily armed military to prevent the citizens of the then-eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol from holding a Victory Day parade. The move came as part of brazen Russophobic policies pursued by the post-coup Ukrainian authorities and their Western backers following February 2014.

On May 9, the peoples of the post-Soviet space are celebrating the USSR's victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. Despite the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the historical memory of the war, which claimed the lives of 27 million people from all national groups of the country, has long served as a strong unifying factor for the inhabitants of post-Soviet Republics.

"This is our holiday, the day of the victory of our grandfathers," said Captain Olga Seletskaya, a participant of the events of May 9, 2014 in Mariupol and Donetsk militia veteran. "My grandfather fought in the Great Patriotic War [the term used for the war of liberation fought by the peoples of the USSR against Nazi Germany and its European allies – Sputnik], was a tank commander, top sergeant, went through the whole war, was captured, escaped, and reached Berlin. He did not like to talk about the war. So this day, May 9, for us is a holiday of the great victory over fascism."

Those, who seized power in Kiev in February 2014 have never concealed their resentment for the holiday given that many of them were the ideological heirs of Nazi collaborators Roman Shukhevych and Stepan Bandera, notorious leaders of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and its paramilitary wing the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).

"My great-grandfather fought in the Great Patriotic War. I grew up on his stories about the war. They knew that this was a sacred holiday for us, and it was necessary for them to spoil it in every possible way," noted Viktor, a participant of the events of May 9, 2014 in Mariupol, Donetsk militia veteran, and serviceman in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) forces.

Mariupol Defenders Took Measures to Protect Veterans

"I will not start exactly from May 9, but a little earlier, since we knew that there would be some kind of provocation from the nationalist battalions, the Right Sector*, and we were preparing for their attack," said Viktor.

Mariupol residents' concerns were justified: just a week earlier, Ukrainian ultra-nationalists and militias burned alive and bludgeoned to death roughly 50 pro-Russia activists in Odessa's Trade Unions House on May 2, 2014, much in the vein of the WW2-era Banderites.

Moscow Hosts V-Day Military Parade on Red Square

Banderites, a common name for OUN-UPA insurgents, were particularly responsible for the execution of nearly 34,000 Jews in Babi Yar, Kiev, in 1941, and massive ethnic cleansings of Poles in Volhynia and Galicia that claimed the lives of at least 88,700 Polish people, including women, children, and the elderly between 1943 and 1945. Ukrainian nationalists slaughtered Jews, Poles, Russians, Roma people, and other ethnic minorities, dubbing them "subhumans." Banderites would heavily mutilate the bodies of their victims in order to dehumanize them and strike terror.

Russia celebrated the 78th anniversary of the Soviet victory over the Third Reich by holding a military parade on Red Square, in the very heart of Russia's capital Moscow.

The Victory Day parade in Moscow is held annually to commemorate the nation’s triumph in the Great Patriotic War that started in June 1941 when Nazi Germany invaded USSR and ended in May 1945 when the Soviet army captured the German capital Berlin and the Nazis surrendered.

Despite last week’s attempts by Kiev regime terrorists to sow chaos in Moscow by staging a drone attack on the Kremlin, the parade proceeded without a hitch.

While the parade is already over, you can still check out how it went down by viewing this video.

Gunung Semeru Semburkan Lava Pijar Sejauh 1,5 Km

Lumajang - Pada hari Selasa pagi, 09/05/2023, Gunung Semeru di Kabupaten Lumajang, Jawa Timur kembali meluncurkan guguran lava pijar sejauh 1,5 kilometer dari puncak kawah Jonggring Saloko mengarah ke Besuk Kobokan.

Petugas Pos Pantau Gunung Api (PPGA) Semeru, Ghufron Alwi mengatakan, guguran terjadi sebanyak empat kali terhitung sejak pukul 00.00 - 06.00 WIB dengan durasi 52-86 detik dan beramplitudo 3-8 milimeter.

Namun, visual gunung yang tertutup kabut, membuat aktivitas vulkanik berupa guguran lava pijar yang teramati hanya satu kali.

"Teramati guguran lava pijar satu kali, jarak luncur kurang lebih 1.500 meter ke arah Besuk Kobokan. Secara kegempaan, ada empat kali gempa guguran terekam seismograf," kata Ghufron di Lumajang.

Selain itu, letusan asap berwarna putih kelabu teramati secara visual sebanyak tiga kali dengan ketinggian 100 meter di atas puncak condong mengarah ke selatan-barat daya.

"Teramati tiga kali letusan asap warna putih kelabu dengan ketinggian 100 meter condong ke arah selatan - barat daya," tambahnya.

Secara kegempaan, seismograf merekam telah terjadi 28 kali gempa letusan dengan amplitudo 12-23 milimeter berdurasi 77-189 detik.

Kepala Bidang Pencegahan, Kesiapsiagaan, dan Logistik BPBD Kabupaten Lumajang Wawan Hadi Siswoyo mengatakan, sampai saat ini status Gunung Semeru masih berada di level III (Siaga).

“Tingkat aktivitas Gunung Semeru hingga saat ini masih level 3 atau siaga,” jelasnya.

Wawan mengimbau, seluruh masyarakat yang berada di lereng gunung untuk tetap siaga dan mewaspadai risiko bencana dari gunung api aktif ini.

Pihaknya, telah menyiagakan petugas di Pos Pantau Curah Kobokan untuk mengamati situasi yang terjadi di gunung dan mengevakuasi warga apabila terjadi erupsi.

"Ada petugas kami di pos pantau di Curah Kobokan yang bersiaga selama 24 jam, kami juga koordinasi dengan muspika dan satgas keamanan desa untuk memantau perkembangan. Warga kami minta untuk siaga dan waspada," pungkasnya.

Video - Wildfires Ravage Canada's Alberta, Force Evacuation of 30,000 Residents

Nearly 30,000 people were evacuated in Alberta, Canada by the end of the weekend as more than 100 wildfires rage on. Almond Li reports.

Western Canada is grappling with a severe wildfire crisis as more than 100 active blazes rage across the region, where upwards of 960,000 acres were left charred. Officials have stated the intensity of the fires will serve as a preview of what's to come for the US.

Canadian authorities recently issued a round of evacuation orders as numerous uncontrolled wildfires in the Alberta province reached a new level of intensity, effectively prompting the displacement of approximately 30,000 individuals in the area.

Amid the escalating emergency, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith declared a state of emergency on Saturday, describing the situation as "unprecedented."

Alberta, known for being one of the world's largest oil-producing regions, "has been experiencing a hot, dry spring and with so much kindling, all it takes is a few sparks to ignite some truly frightening wildfires," Smith said.

With an abundance of dry vegetation, even a small spark can ignite formidable and terrifying blazes.

Alberta Wildfires 🙏 #Wildfires
.#AlbertaWildfires #Edmonton #Banff #breaking #ABFires #abpoli #fire #AlbertaStrong #trucking #Evacuation #Canada #RoadSafety pic.twitter.com/sXb9G4LADX

— 401_da_sarpanch (@401_da_sarpanch) May 8, 2023

Christie Tucker, spokesperson for Alberta's wildfire agency, shared that light showers in the southern part of the province on Sunday offered some respite.

Firefighters were able to access areas previously unreachable due to the extreme behavior of the fires. Nevertheless, conditions in the northern regions of Alberta remain extremely challenging.

"Our priorities today have been and always are wildfires that are threatening communities or human lives," Tucker emphasized.

Colin Blair, chief of Alberta Emergency Management, publicly acknowledged the difficulty in assessing property damage in certain areas as a result of "the ongoing smoke and fire conditions."

In Fox Lake, located in northern Alberta, an immense fire left a trail of destruction in its wake. Twenty homes, a store, and even a police station were reduced to ashes. The severity of the situation prompted the evacuation of some residents by boat and helicopter.

A look at the wildfire currently burning in Edmonton. Canada has been busy. #wildfire #Canadian pic.twitter.com/VnarbGd5s0

— The Hotshot Wake Up (@HotshotWake) May 1, 2023

Meanwhile, in neighboring British Columbia, two out-of-control wildfires forced residents to flee their homes. Authorities earlier issued warnings, stating strong winds in the upcoming days were expected to further exacerbate the blazes.

Over the past few years, western Canada has been plagued by extreme weather events. In 2016, forest fires in the oil sands region disrupted production and made 100,000 residents of Fort McMurray to evacuate, a feat that went on to severely impact the nation's economy.

In 2021, westernmost British Columbia experienced record-breaking temperatures that claimed the lives of over 500 individuals, accompanied by wildfires that decimated an entire town. The region was subsequently devastated by destructive floods and mudslides.

As the wildfires continue to wreak havoc and efforts to contain and extinguish the flames remain ongoing, authorities are urging residents to remain vigilant, follow evacuation orders, and prioritize their safety.

Many residents and oil workers rode to safety in motorhomes or with campers in tow, and set up in empty parking lots. Others are staying with friends or family, like Jerry Greiner, a resident from Dayton Valley, west of Edmonton, the capital of Alberta.

"We could see the smoke on Friday and there was a pretty strong wind," the 55-year-old told AFP, his eyes tearing up as he recounted receiving the order to evacuate that night.

"We quickly grabbed our bags (and went) to our friends' house. About 12 people stayed there," he said. This marked the first time he has ever had to flee wildfires.

Dayton Valley, a small town of 7,000, was completely abandoned. Trees and grass fields all around were blackened by the fires, and smoke billowed from a few charred buildings, but most of the homes appeared intact, observed an AFP reporter.

Smoke Shrouds Alberta, Canada, as Crews Battle Ongoing Wildfires

Timelapse satellite imagery posted by CIRA shows thick smoke across Alberta from Friday to Monday morning.

On Saturday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith declared a state of emergency due to the wildfires, calling it “a difficult and stressful time for many Albertans.”

By Monday morning, 105 active wildfires were burning in the province, according to official fire information.

A wildfire burns near Edson, Alta. As of Sunday afternoon, there were 108 active fires spread across Alberta, with 31 classified as out-of-control. (Alberta Wildfire)

Conditions remain volatile as officials say the extent of damage is difficult to determine as the situation develops.

An incident management team from B.C. arrived Sunday to take over the wildfire near Edson and the Pembina complex in the northern Rocky Mountain House area.

Firefighters from Ontario and Québec arrived in the province Saturday and have been deployed to assist in various regions.

Overnight Saturday into Sunday morning, five to 12 millimetres of rain was recorded in some of most affected areas such as Edson, Hinton and Jasper.

Scattered showers are expected to continue throughout Sunday afternoon, with some heavy localized rainfall of between five to 10 millimetres.

Declaring a state of emergency is a legal mechanism that provides the provincial government with a higher level of intergovernmental co-ordination by working with municipalities, organizations and businesses to support evacuated residents.

It also allows around-the-clock monitoring of the situation, access to emergency discretionary funds and the ability to mobilize additional support.

Yellen is calling CEOs personally to warn on US debt ceiling, sources say

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen discusses "U.S.-China Economic Relationship" during a forum hosted by the Johns Hopkins University at the Nitze Building in Washington, U.S., April 20, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger/File Photo

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is reaching out to U.S. business and financial leaders to explain the "catastrophic" impact a U.S. default on its debt would have on the U.S. and global economies, two sources familiar with the matter said on Monday.

The Treasury secretary is having one-on-one conversations with individual CEOs to warn them about the "dangerous consequences of the current brinkmanship," one of the sources said.

The sources declined to name the CEOs with whom Yellen had spoken in recent days, or provide any other details about their conversations, but one said they included executives in the financial sector and broader economy.

While the sources did not spell out her purpose, Biden administration officials have been speaking to business owners about pressuring Republicans to raise the debt ceiling without conditions.

The Treasury secretary delayed a planned trip to Japan for this week's Group of Seven finance ministers meeting to appear on the ABC News program "This Week" on Sunday, where she warned the failure of Congress to raise the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling could trigger a "constitutional crisis."

Talks on the issue should not take place "with a gun to the head of the American people," Yellen said in a pointed reference to Republican lawmakers' insistence on tying a debt-ceiling increase to sweeping spending cuts that Democrats oppose.

Yellen is now slated to leave for Japan this week and will hold a news conference in Niigata, Japan, on Thursday before the G7 meeting.

Yellen, other economists and analysts have repeatedly warned that a default on U.S. debt would result in millions of job losses, while driving household payments on mortgages, auto loans and credit cards higher.

Unlike most other developed countries, the U.S. puts a hard limit on how much it can borrow. Because the government spends more than it takes in, lawmakers must periodically raise the debt ceiling.