By Tal Shalev, CNN

(CNN) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saw his closest European ally soundly defeated in the Hungarian elections on Sunday.

The result is a blow to Israel’s longest-serving leader in an election year and has emboldened the country’s opposition, who see the upcoming vote, scheduled for October, as a critical moment for the nation.

Like US President Donald Trump, Netanyahu openly endorsed Orbán, recording a personal video endorsement for him at CPAC. “Viktor Orbán means safety, security, stability,” Netanyahu said in the pre-recorded statement. His son, Yair, who has cultivated his own ties with Orbán’s Fidesz party, attended the event in person, calling Budapest “almost a second home.”

Netanyahu has also praised Orbán’s ostensible steps against antisemitism, even as the Hungarian leader has himself faced accusations of antisemitism for rewriting Hungary’s holocaust history and negative portrayals of left-leaning Jewish philanthropist George Soros and Ukrainian leader Volodomyr Zelensky.

In a statement on social media on Monday, Netanyahu called Orbán a “true friend of Israel, who stood firmly by Israel’s side in the face of unjust international vilification.” He then congratulated Peter Magyar on his election victory.

Israeli media reported that Netanyahu’s American pollster, John McLaughlin, who also works for Trump, advised Orbán’s campaign as well.

The deep relationship between Netanyahu and Orbán, cultivated over the past 15 years, goes far beyond right-wing messaging. Last year, after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu over the Gaza war, Budapest announced its withdrawal from the ICC – making Hungary one of the few global destinations Netanyahu can visit without risking arrest.

Orbán has repeatedly blocked the European Union from issuing condemnation of Israel or taking punitive measures. Such measures require unanimity, and Orbán did not shy away from unilaterally blocking the actions.

‘A message of hope’ for Israel’s opposition

For Israel’s opposition, Orbán’s loss is being received as a moment of hope, and as evidence that even the most entrenched illiberal governments can be voted out

Efrat Rayten, a lawmaker from the left‑wing Democrat party, called the outcome “a message of hope.” “The idea that a leader who controls the institutions and the media is immune to defeat has been shattered,” she told CNN. “The lesson for Israel is unity, perseverance, and faith in civil society.”

Since the current Netanyahu government took office in January 2023, Israel’s opposition has repeatedly invoked Orbán’s Hungary as a cautionary model of what they argue Netanyahu is pursuing at home: hollowing out checks and balances and weakening the independence of the judiciary and the media.

“Israel will not become Hungary” was one of the central slogans of the 2023 mass protest movement against Netanyahu’s government sweeping judicial overhaul and legislative blitz. A March 2026 report by the left-leaning Zulat think tank described Israel as moving toward a “partially authoritarian” system. Unlike Orbán, the report noted, Netanyahu never formally declared his country a “non‑liberal democracy”,” but his government actions, it argued, are bringing it close to one.

Orbán’s defeat does not guarantee victory for those trying to oust Netanyahu, though it does offer a lesson for those trying to oust the Israeli premier.

“Change does not happen only in the corridors of Parliament,” Rayten said. “It begins in the streets, with people who refuse to give up.” But Rayten points out it requires something Israel has often lacked: unity between the opposition parties. Netanyahu’s critics are encouraged from the message stemming from Orban’s defeat, but whether that optimism is warranted remains to be seen.

The-CNN

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - Senior Day was perfect for the San Marcos Royals.

The Royals swept rival Dos Pueblos 5-0 to complete a perfect 12-0 Channel League season.

Before the matches 16 San Marcos seniors were honored.

The Royals #1 team of Cora Loomer and Evyn Miller won their match 21-15, 21-9.

San Marcos' #2 team of Reese Paskin and Alina Stapf won 21-14, 21-17.

Rounding out the matches #3 Royals team of Paige Hoadley/Charlotte Hastings cruised 21-6, 21-13; #4 Royals team of Lila Westmacott/Isla McClintock won 21-11, 21-19 and #5 Royals duo of Malia Hetrick/Jordan Schmoller won 21-17, 21-16.

Overall San Marcos is 23-2 on the season.

The post San Marcos completes perfect beach volleyball league season appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

Análisis por Aaron Blake, CNN

En la segunda mitad de 2025, el futuro del vicepresidente J.D. Vance como próximo candidato republicano a la presidencia parecía bastante prometedor. Este sentimiento se reforzó en diciembre, cuando el posible rival y secretario de Estado, Marco Rubio, dio a entender que ni siquiera lo desafiaría si Vance se presentaba a las elecciones.

Pero desde entonces, los acontecimientos —y la forma en que Vance los ha manejado— han suscitado cada vez más interrogantes sobre esa posibilidad. Entre ellos, un par de sonados fracasos durante el fin de semana.

En cuestión de pocos días, Vance fue enviado a hacer campaña a favor del primer ministro de Hungría, Viktor Orbán, en las elecciones parlamentarias de su país y a negociar un acuerdo de paz con Irán en Pakistán.

No consiguió ninguno de los dos.

El partido de Orbán sufrió una contundente derrota en las elecciones de este fin de semana.

La administración Trump se ha acostumbrado a inmiscuirse en elecciones extranjeras, y su historial reciente en este sentido es bastante sólido. Apoyó a los ganadores de las elecciones en Polonia en junio, Argentina en octubre, Honduras en diciembre y Japón en febrero.

(Para complicar aún más las intervenciones extranjeras, la administración también solía influir indebidamente en las decisiones, como cuando ofreció a los votantes argentinos un rescate de US$ 20.000 millones).

Pero las cosas salieron muy mal en Hungría, especialmente dada la repetida e increíblemente pública intervención de la administración Trump, que culminó con la visita de alto perfil de Vance en la víspera de las elecciones.

Por supuesto, Orbán ya iba por detrás en las encuestas antes de la llegada de Vance.

En una entrevista con Fox News el lunes por la noche, Vance reconoció que la administración sabía que había una “muy buena probabilidad” de que Orbán perdiera, pero afirmó que fue de todos modos porque era “lo correcto, apoyar a una persona que nos había apoyado durante mucho tiempo”.

A pesar de los esfuerzos del vicepresidente, el partido del oponente de Orbán, Péter Magyar, obtuvo una supermayoría.

Esto sirvió como recordatorio de que, por mucho que Trump haya invertido en Vance, este nunca ha resultado especialmente interesante ni convincente para los votantes por sí mismo.

Vance comenzó su discurso de campaña en Hungría llamando a Trump, pero la llamada fue enviada al buzón de voz antes de lograr comunicarse con el presidente en un segundo intento.

El otro gran revés se produjo durante la visita de Vance a Islamabad para negociar un posible fin a la guerra con Irán.

En los días previos, parecía que la administración estaba mucho más dispuesta a negociar que los iraníes. Y, horas después de su inicio, ni siquiera lograron ponerse de acuerdo sobre los términos del alto el fuego acordado.

En otras palabras, no parecía que ambas partes estuvieran particularmente cerca de llegar a un entendimiento sobre una paz a largo plazo. Y los Read more

By Marnie Hunter, CNN

(CNN) — The world’s busiest airport rankings for 2025 are out. Global air traffic last year showed significant growth, and the No. 1 airport held onto its longstanding title. But 2026 has introduced more uncertainty for air travel.

Total passengers are estimated to come in globally at 9.8 billion in 2025, according to preliminary figures released Tuesday by Airports Council International. That’s up 3.6% from 2024 and marks a gain of 7.3% from pre-pandemic 2019 figures. ACI, an industry federation representing more than 2,200 airports in 181 countries, will finalize traffic tallies in July.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Delta Air Lines hub in Georgia’s capital city, is once again No. 1 in the world for passenger traffic, with a whopping 106.3 million passengers using the airport in 2025.

While that’s an impressive number, it does represent a 1.6% decline from the 2024 total and a nearly 4% dip from 2019.

The Atlanta airport has held the world’s busiest airport title for 27 of the last 28 years, slipping just once in 2020 when air travel cratered during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dubai International Airport held onto the No. 2 slot for the third consecutive year. And Tokyo’s Haneda Airport jumped up one slot to take the No. 3 ranking in 2025. Dallas Fort Worth (No. 4) and Shanghai Pudong (No. 5) round out the top five.

“Generally we’ve seen growth in all regions, and it was really bolstered and fueled by international traffic,” Justin Erbacci, director general of ACI World, told CNN Travel, noting that traffic in the United States has recently flattened somewhat after some very robust years of growth.

While traffic at the world’s airports was strong, a variety of factors at play last year — including geopolitics and a fragile global economy — are big unknowns in how air traffic will stack up in 2026.

Dubai Airport, which holds the No. 1 ranking in a separate top 10 for international passengers, has suffered from major operational disruptions in 2026 since the start of the Middle East war, alongside other airports.

It’s still too early to tell exactly how deeply the war and global uncertainty will impact air traffic, Erbacci said. But the longer conflict in the Middle East drags on, the wider the impacts could be.

Right now, increases in the price of fuel are resulting in higher fares around the world and passengers have found “alternative routings,” he said, to bypass places that have experienced recent operational disruptions, including Dubai.

The supply of fuel is a bigger concern to Erbacci.

“If it goes much longer, we will start to see pressures on actual availability of fuel, which could impact the routes that airlines decide to fly,” Erbacci told CNN Travel in an interview early last week, just prior to the announcement of a cease-fire, which may not prove durable.

“If the crisis continues for several months yet, that’s going to also impact the global economy and inflation and that may or may not impact people’s propensity to fly, or where they fly, or how they fly,” Erbacci said.

For now, the desire to travel remains strong, he said. ACI expects to see the strongest growth going forward in regions including Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, with less significant but sustained growth in North America and Europe.

ACI sees “growth continuing, and a robust industry, notwithstanding geopolitical issues and how they may alter the impact, which none of us can really understand at this point,” Erbacci said.

World’s top 10 busiest airports for passenger traffic in 2025

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL): 106.3 million passengers; down 1.6% from 2024
• Dubai (DBX): 95.2 million passengers; up 3.1%
• Tokyo Haneda (HND)

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - It's a San Marcos sweep for Athlete of the Week honors at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table luncheon at Harry's.

The girls winner is senior lacrosse player Josephine Grossman and the boys winner is junior volleyball player Matteo Burdick.

Grossman tallied 15 goals in three wins for the Royals.

Burdick was named the MVP of the Karch Kiraly Tournament of Champions after leading San Marcos to the championship. He had 25 kills in the 5-set championship match win over Burbank-Burroughs.

The Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award for Bishop Diego High School was presented to Mateo Williams.

The junior plays football and basketball for the Cardinals and carries a 3.38 GPA.

(Mateo Williams shows off his award with Bishop Diego Athletic Director John Muller (left) and award sponsor Dave Pintard (right). Bryan Cornet photo).

The post San Marcos sweeps Athlete of the Week honors at SB Athletic Round Table luncheon appeared first on News Channel 3-12.