Good evening. I'm William Brangham. Jeff Bennett and Omnan of Oz are away.

On the news hour tonight, torrential rains inundate California, causing destructive floods and mudslides.

Author Erin Carmon on how her new book on how women are navigating post-Roe America.

And as children open gifts from the North Pole,

we look at how Santa Claus has evolved over the centuries.

St. Nicholas is this embodiment of generosity,

of unmerited favor, to which you add a fantasy, a midnight gift bringer from someplace

enormously exotic.

Welcome to the News Hour.

A powerful storm battered California, triggering mudslides, severe flooding, and multiple evacuations.

At least three people were killed, including a sheriff's deputy.

It's a record-setting Christmas day for rain in the Golden State, and more is coming tomorrow.

Officials are warning travelers to reconsider holiday travel plans as dangerous conditions may only get worse.

As floodwaters engulf a home in San Bernardino County, a rescue helicopter lands to evacuate the family that stranded up on the roof.

Tim Needham filmed this incredible scene.

We saw there were a bunch of emergency lights down at the end of the road, and we walked as far as we could without getting swept up in the water,

and saw that there were people that my neighbors were on top of their roof, three people

on top of the roof, just sitting there and waiting. Similar scenes played out across

Southern California today and yesterday, roads turning treacherous with mud and debris forcing

the shutdown of major highways. On hillsides badly burned by the massive fires earlier

this year, a deluge like this can loosen the soil even faster, making conditions even more

dangerous. In the canyon areas here, we have very steep terrain and we have the creek here behind

...