'There's nothing left': Mississippi tornadoes kill 23

The challenger in the race for the United Auto Workers’ top leadership post claimed victory Saturday in a close election that is likely to give his slate of candidates control of the huge union. In a statement, challenger Shawn Fain’s slate said that a federal court-appointed monitor has declared Fain the winner over incumbent Ray Curry. A message was left Saturday seeking confirmation from monitor Neil Barofsky. It was the 372,000-member union’s first direct election of its 14-member International Executive Board, which came in the wake of a wide-ranging bribery and embezzlement scandal that landed two former presidents in prison.

Nicholas Lloyd Webber, the Grammy-nominated composer, record producer and eldest son of Andrew Lloyd Webber, died Saturday in England. He was 43 and had battled gastric cancer and pneumonia. Famed composer Andrew Lloyd Webber had been offering updates on Nick's health on social media in recent days. Nicholas died at a hospital in the south-central English town of Basingstoke, his father said. The senior Webber missed the Broadway opening Thursday of his “Bad Cinderella” to be at his son’s side with other loved ones. Nicholas is best known for his work on the BBC One’s “Love, Lies and Records.” He also worked on his father’s 2021 “Cinderella,” earning a Grammy nod for best musical theater album.

An explosion at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania Friday killed two people and left five missing, but authorities said one person was found alive in the rubble. West Reading Borough officials said a number of other people were injured by the explosion at the R.M. Palmer Co. plant about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency earlier reported five people dead but later also reported only two dead. The explosion just before 5 p.m. destroyed one building and damaged a neighboring building with apartments. The cause remains under investigation. A spokesperson says eight people were taken to Reading Hospital Friday evening.

Residents of rural Mississippi have recounted harrowing tales of survival after a deadly tornado tore through the state Friday night. In the tiny town of Silver City in the western part of the state, William Barnes's home was ripped right off its foundations. He said that he lost everything but managed to make it out alive with his young granddaughter. Other residents took cover in hallways, using blankets to shield themselves from broken glass as windows shattered from the tornado's force. The tornado killed at least 23 people as it surged nearly 170 miles across the Deep South.

A former Navy rescue swimmer is charged with attempted murder after Florida authorities say he tried to drown a security guard. Okaloosa County sheriff's investigators say 33-year-old Seth Beavers of Mount Sterling, Illinois, attacked the guard at a Florida Panhandle condominium Friday night after being told the pool was closed. The guard told investigators Beavers pulled him into the pool, struck him several times and held his head underwater while telling him he was going to drown him. Investigators say Beavers admitted pulling the guard into the pool and holding him underwater, but he said the guard swung at him first. Beavers is being held without bond. It couldn't be determined if he has an attorney.

Principal resigns after complaints on 'David' statue nudity

Crews for the “The Joker” sequel have been facing the possibility that filming in New York could be disrupted by real-life protests over the Trump case. Police kept watch as a protest of extras gathered at the steps of Gotham’s courthouse Saturday, chanting for freedom for their fictional embattled hero and only dispersing when the director called “cut.” The scene was all make believe, but New York City authorities have been bracing for a real-life version as prosecutors consider an indictment against former President Donald Trump, who has invited followers to rally on his behalf. The Trump protests have not materialized so far.

With at least 23 people dead, tornadoes that ravaged parts of Mississippi overnight were the deadliest in the state in more than a decade. That's according to National Weather Service records that say 31 people died in Mississippi in April 2011 during tornadoes that tore through several states. Alabama was hit hardest during that so-called “super outbreak” of twisters that killed more than 320 people. Just a month later, in May 2011, another deadly twister ripped through Joplin, Missouri, killing 158 people. Records show that 12 people died in Mississippi during Easter storms in April 2020 and 10 died in the state during a tornado event in April 2014.

Two Cuban migrants used a motorized hang glider to fly the approximately 90 miles from the communist island to Key West, Florida. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said the duo landed safely at Key West International Airport on Saturday and were turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol. Border Patrol officials didn't answer a phone call Saturday seeking comment. Overwhelmed by Cubans and other migrants arriving at the Mexican border and into Florida by boat, the Biden administration in early January implemented a policy change that makes them request a permit, or parole, online before arriving with the sponsorship of a relative or acquaintance in the U.S. Those who arrive without doing that risk deportation.