Flash flooding brought on by heavy rains prompted road closures, water rescues and commuter rail problems across the tristate area Sunday.

The National Weather Service said the hardest-hit areas appeared to be northern New Jersey, parts of New York’s Westchester County and a swath of coastal southeastern Connecticut along Interstate 95. The service issued flash flood warnings across the region for much of the morning Sunday as rain fell at a rate of 1 to 2 inches an hour in places.

Metro-North and Amtrak said their rail lines to New Haven, which serve Norwalk, Bridgeport and other major Connecticut communities, were experiencing delays and cancellations due to flooding impacts.

Tweed New Haven Airport also closed its departures terminal due to local flash flooding. Airport officials in a Facebook post said travelers with flights departing Sunday should not come until further notice.

The coastal stretch from Norwalk to Westport was among the most impacted in the state, receiving 6 to 7 inches of rain Sunday morning, with rainfall rates reaching 3 to 4 inches per hour.

In Westport, emergency responders conducted 13 rescues of people trapped in vehicles by floodwaters.

In New Jersey, Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh said emergency crews rescued about 20 people from rapidly rising floodwaters, including a woman who fell out of her wheelchair and ended up floating in the street.

Sayegh said there were no immediate reports of any deaths or severe injuries from the deluge.

WASHINGTON

Johnson: Payment would need approval

President Donald Trump’s proposal to send $5,000 to every American adult if his Republican Party maintains control of the House and Senate in the November election needs congressional approval, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday, while pledging to try to make it happen.

Trump made the unusual pitch at the party’s midterm convention in Dallas last week, promising a “Trump Dividend” if voters keep the GOP in power on Capitol Hill. The president later told CBS News Texas that he did not think Congress would need to authorize the payments, though he did not specify how he could spend more than $1 trillion without lawmakers’ authorization.

But Johnson, R-La., said congressional approval is needed. “I would assume, yes, he’d need Congress to act, and that’s a creative idea,” he said.

The dubious election-year gambit could cost more than $1 trillion, putting further strains on the country’s nearly $1.8 trillion annual budget deficit.

WASHINGTON

Families seek release of 9/11 records

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he will look into requests from families of Sept. 11 victims to release records that could shed light on Saudi Arabia’s alleged role in the attacks 25 years ago.

Several families have long alleged that a group of extremist religious leaders in Saudi Arabia gained influence in the Saudi government and aided the hijackers. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudis, but the Saudi government has long denied any involvement in the attacks.

The families have asked Trump to declassify and release the relevant records. Asked about it Sunday during his trip to Ireland, the president said he would consider it.

“I’m going to look at it when I get back,” Trump said just before boarding Air Force One to return to Washington after a weekend in Ireland.

The relatives of 9/11 victims have been engaged in a lengthy legal battle against the Saudis. One of them, Terry Strada, called on Trump during the remembrance in New York City on Friday to “tell the Saudis to stop lying.”

Pennsylvania

Third measles death reported

A Pennsylvania woman has died from complications associated with measles, the third death in the state this year involving the virus.

The 40-year-old woman died Saturday, Jefferson County Coroner Greg Furlong said in a Facebook post in which he called the death “measles-related.”

The post did not identify the woman other than as a resident of Jefferson County, a rural area about 50 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

The post did not say whether the woman was vaccinated against measles. No more information about the case would be released, it stated.

Pennsylvania’s two previous measles-related deaths involved infants.

IRELAND

Trump lifts 10% tariff on whiskey

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday at the close of a golf tournament in Ireland that he plans to remove a 10% tariff on Irish whiskey.

Trump said during the trophy ceremony for the Irish Open that he had been asked about the issue by everyone, including Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin and even some of the golfers. Irish Open winner Shane Lowry was among them, Trump said.

“Everybody’s been bugging me” to do it, the Republican president said. “And I said, ‘On behalf of the United States of America, I am going to take the tariffs off’” of Irish whiskey.

Irish whiskey currently faces the standard tariff imposed by Trump on most imports from the European Union, which was reduced from 15% to 10% in July.

MUSIC

Celine Dion returns to stage

Celine Dion has returned to the stage, performing her first full concert in over six years. She sang “All By Myself” as an encore, a song she’s been known for since 1996.

Dion, 58, had not played a full concert since March 8, 2020. She was diagnosed in 2022 with stiff person syndrome. She canceled a world tour, then what was left of it, and went quiet.

Her comeback concert in Nanterre, France, on Saturday included 25 songs over 2 hours and 15 minutes. The show is part of a punishing schedule of 16 shows in five weeks. Despite the challenges, Dion delivered powerful performances of hits like “My Heart Will Go On.” Fans were emotional, celebrating her triumphant return.

— From news services