Happening Today: DACA, Steve Bannon, Flu Shots, James Franco

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Judge Blocks Trump Decision to End Young Immigrant Program

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's decision to end a program protecting young immigrants from deportation. U.S. District Judge William Alsup granted a request by California and other plaintiffs to prevent President Trump from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program while their lawsuits play out in court. Alsup said lawyers in favor of DACA clearly demonstrated that the young immigrants "were likely to suffer serious, irreparable harm" without court action. The judge also said the lawyers have a strong chance of succeeding at trial. DACA has protected about 800,000 people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or came with families who overstayed visas. The program includes hundreds of thousands of college-age students. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced in September that the program would be phased out, saying former President Obama had exceeded his authority when he implemented it in 2012.

Search for SoCal Storm Victims That Killed at Least 13 Continues

A storm that slammed a California coastal community is over. The search for its victims is not. Authorities in Santa Barbara County were still trying to reach new areas and dig into the destruction to find dead, injured or trapped people after a powerful mud flow swept away dozens of homes. At least 13 people have been confirmed dead, at least 25 were injured and at least 50 had to be rescued by helicopters. Those numbers could increase when the search is deepened and expanded, with a major search-and-rescue team arriving from nearby Los Angeles County and help from the Coast Guard and National Guard along with law enforcement. They'll focus first on finding survivors. A sheriff said it's likely they'll find more people amid that destruction.

Magnitude 7.6 Quake Hits in Caribbean North of Honduras

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea between the coast of Honduras and the Cayman Islands, shaking the mainland and causing officials to briefly post advisories warning of the threat of possible tsunami surges around the region. There were no early reports of serious damage on land. Officials in Honduras said shaking was registered across much of the Central American nation and there were some reports of cracks in homes in Colon and Atlantida provinces along the northern coast and Olancho in eastern Honduras. Tsunami warning centers initially issued advisories stressing that people in Puerto Rico, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Jamaica and other Caribbean islands as well as on the coasts of Mexico and Central America should aware of the tsunami danger. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said later that the advisories had been canceled. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at a preliminary magnitude of 7.6. The tremor struck in the sea about 125 miles north-northeast of Barra Patuca, Honduras, and 188 miles southwest of George Town, Cayman Islands. The tremor occurred about 6 miles below the surface.

Ex-White House Strategist Steve Bannon Leaves Breitbart News After Break With Trump

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is stepping down as chairman of Breitbart News Network after a public break with President Donald Trump. Breitbart announced Bannon would step down as executive chairman of the conservative news site, less than a week after Bannon's explosive criticisms of Trump and his family were published in a new book. A report on the Breitbart website quotes Bannon saying, "I'm proud of what the Breitbart team has accomplished in so short a period of time in building out a world-class news platform." Trump lashed out at Bannon for comments made in Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," which questions the president's fitness for office. As Trump aides called him disloyal and disgraceful, the president branded his former chief strategist on Twitter as "Sloppy Steve," an apparent reference to Bannon's often unkempt appearance, and declared that "he lost his mind" when he was pushed out of the White House last August.

Repeat Flu Shots Offer Lingering Benefits in Elderly, Study Finds

There's a good reason not to skip the flu shot this year: a new study has found that older adults who get the shot every flu season were less likely to die or be hospitalized with severe complications, NBC News reported. People over 65 who got the flu shot every year but were taken to the hospital with influenza were twice as likely not to get severe complications of flu or die, according to the study, published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. "We probably only get exposed to influenza, the virus, every three to five years on average," said University of Rochester Medical Center immunologist David Topham, who was not involved in the research. "That's plenty of time for your immunity to wane." The flu season is off to a strong start in the U.S. this year, with some emergency rooms filling up.

James Franco's New York Times Talk Canceled Amid Allegations

The New York Times has canceled a public event with James Franco days after the Golden Globe winner was accused of sexual misconduct. The Times Talk event was intended to feature "The Disaster Artist" director and star and his brother and co-star, Dave Franco, discussing the film with a Times reporter. The Times said in a statement that "given the controversy surrounding recent allegations" it was canceling the event. Actress Violet Paley and filmmaker Sarah Tither-Kaplan have recently accused Franco on Twitter of earlier instances of sexual misconduct. Franco was in attendance at Tuesday's National Board of Review Awards gala in New York City to present his film's adapted screenplay award. He did not comment on the allegations. An email seeking comment from his publicist was not immediately returned.