Good morning, and welcome to your Saturday roundup, with one story from Massachusetts, one from across the United States and one from overseas: a night of flash flooding south of Boston and on Cape Cod, a major change at the top of the White House staff, and the start of Pope Leo XIV's long-awaited tour of South America.
Massachusetts: Downpours flood roads and businesses in Falmouth, Brockton and across the South Shore
Heavy rain and thunderstorms on Friday sent water rushing through streets in southeastern Massachusetts, closing roads, swamping parking lots and seeping into businesses, NBC Boston, WCVB and Boston 25 News reported. Nearly three inches of rain fell in Falmouth, Massachusetts, according to 7News.
In Falmouth, police said there was flooding on Falmouth Heights Road, Grand Avenue, Menauhant Road and part of East Main Street. Water even got inside the Falmouth Police Department, and the department called in evening-shift officers early to handle weather calls. "If you encounter flooding, please do not drive through it," Police Chief Jeffrey Lourie said, according to WCVB. At a gas station and market off Route 28, floodwater rose to about knee level and the store closed for several hours while staff cleared clogged drains, Boston 25 News reported. Fallen leaves blocking storm drains made the problem worse.
In Brockton, Massachusetts, Westgate Drive flooded, cutting off access to several businesses. Some roads in Bourne, Massachusetts, were closed until Saturday, and Winslow Street in Provincetown, Massachusetts, was washed out, Boston 25 News said.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning Friday night for Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable and Dukes counties. A flood watch for southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island remains in effect until 10 a.m. Saturday. State emergency officials are reminding drivers that it is never safe to drive through flooded streets.
United States: Trump names Stephen Miller White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles
President Donald Trump announced Friday that Stephen Miller will become his White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles, the Associated Press, NBC News and CBS News reported. Miller, currently deputy chief of staff for policy, is set to start in the new role on Monday. The White House described him as the 33rd person to hold the job.
Wiles submitted her resignation Thursday night, according to a White House official cited by NBC News. Trump said on Truth Social that she had "done an outstanding job" and would move over to his political operation. Speaking to reporters, he added, "I wanted to make a change." Wiles wrote on X that Friday was her last day and that serving in the role "has been the honor of a lifetime."
Wiles ran Trump's 2024 campaign and became the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff. CBS News reported that she had planned to stay through the end of the year but that the timeline was moved up, and several outlets linked the change to Republican losses in Tuesday's midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate.
Miller, 41, has been one of Trump's longest-serving aides, starting as a speechwriter on the 2016 campaign, and is a principal architect of the administration's immigration enforcement policies, according to the AP and ABC News. In a statement, Miller thanked Wiles and said he was "honored beyond words."
World: Pope Leo XIV begins 12-day South America tour in Uruguay
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Friday to begin a 12-day trip that will also take him to Argentina and Peru, Reuters, the Associated Press and Vatican News reported. He was welcomed at Carrasco International Airport by Uruguay's President Yamandú Orsi. It is the first papal visit to Uruguay since 1988.
The trip comes about a month after the 71-year-old pope had surgery for lung cancer. The Vatican has said he has fully healed and needs no further treatment, and Leo told reporters on the flight from Rome that he feels "in fairly good shape," according to Reuters. The tour covers about 31,000 kilometers (19,300 miles), 10 cities and more than 30 speeches, most of them in Spanish.
Speaking to a crowd the Vatican estimated at 30,000 people in Montevideo's Independence Square, Leo urged South American countries to work through their differences by respecting the law, negotiating and patiently seeking agreement. He also called for health care that is "accessible to everyone, regardless of their resources," recalling his own recent illness, America Magazine reported, and warned that new technologies such as artificial intelligence must not turn workers into "a mere expendable cog."
The Chicago-born pope, who spent many years as a missionary and bishop in Peru, will visit three cities in Uruguay before traveling to Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Luján in Argentina and then Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa in Peru. The trip ends Nov. 17.
Stay connected
That's the Saturday morning roundup. If you're heading out this weekend south of Boston or on the Cape, give yourself extra time and steer clear of flooded roads. For community gatherings, talks and family events happening around Massachusetts, see the Mass Halal events calendar.