CNN, STATE OF TEXAS

By Ashley Killough, Ed Lavandera, CNN

Austin, Texas (CNN) — After two days of emotional testimony, Texas lawmakers and investigators Tuesday laid out a grim assessment of Camp Mystic’s leaders’ role in last summer’s devastating floods that left 27 dead: no real evacuation plan and a delayed response as waters rose.

That’s raised mounting doubts for state lawmakers about whether the camp should reopen as planned.

The work of the state legislative committee – led by the same two investigators lawmakers hired in 2022 to investigate the Uvalde school massacre – offered the clearest picture yet of what happened at Camp Mystic’s Guadalupe River campus in July, pieced together through heart-wrenching testimony and chilling accounts.

“The fate of those girls was set before any first drop of rain ever fell,” said state Sen. Charles Perry, a Republican.

The investigators said the Eastland family, which owns and runs the camp, failed to build a flash flood evacuation plan, hold drills or give camp counselors any serious training in preparation for a major weather event.

And despite closely monitoring weather alerts in the early morning hours of the flooding, Dick Eastland, the longtime and beloved camp director, waited far too long to take action, investigators said. He died in the floodwaters after evacuating several campers and trying to save others.

“I understand completely when people point out the things we could have done that morning,” said Edward Eastland, a camp director and one of Dick Eastland’s sons. “I think about those things every day.”

“We’re so sorry. Every day. Every minute of every day, we’re so sorry,” Mary Liz Eastland, Edward’s wife, later added.

The investigation falls amid a variety of other probes into the tragedy at Camp Mystic, including as part of lawsuits filed by families against the camp’s leaders.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the two-day joint hearing of state House and Senate flood investigative committees and what investigators said took place as the disaster unfolded:

Camp director ran a tight ship but lacked a comprehensive flood plan

Investigators presented a timeline of events that paints a perplexing picture of Dick Eastland, who was deeply familiar with the region’s flood history yet created a culture of what investigators called flood complacency.

In an hours-long presentation Monday, investigators described Eastland as a patriarchal leader who “ruled” Camp Mystic, held a tight grip on decision-making across the camp and instilled a culture of “obedience” where campers, staff and family members strictly followed orders from up top. They said Eastland was “vigilant” about weather yet didn’t have a solid plan in case of a flood.

Por Joan Biskupic, Analista jefe de la Corte Suprema de CNN

Hace ocho años, en la primera batalla importante en la Corte Suprema de Justicia de EE.UU. sobre una política de Donald Trump, los magistrados desestimaron la retórica antimusulmana del presidente y confirmaron la prohibición de viaje a países de mayoría musulmana.

Ahora, los abogados de Trump invocan esta decisión judicial para instar a los magistrados a ignorar sus comentarios despectivos sobre los haitianos y a respaldar su plan de deportar a ciertos inmigrantes a quienes se les había otorgado previamente el “estatus de protección temporal” en Estados Unidos debido a la inestabilidad en su país de origen.

En el caso de la prohibición de viaje el presidente usó la estrategia de defenderla basándose en un interés “legítimo” de seguridad nacional, independientemente de si había estado motivada por animosidad.

Esta decisión marcó el inicio de la tendencia del tribunal a reforzar el poder de Trump. Fue también el primer caso importante en el que los magistrados conservadores adoptaron una postura que se ha vuelto miope ante las afirmaciones sesgadas del presidente.

Antes de ordenar la prohibición, Trump había afirmado: “El islam nos odia”, y prometió “un cierre total y completo” de la entrada de refugiados musulmanes.

“La cuestión que nos ocupa hoy no es si debemos denunciar las declaraciones”, comentó el presidente del Tribunal Supremo, John Roberts, al leer extractos de su opinión mayoritaria desde el estrado aquella dramática mañana de junio de 2018. “Se trata, más bien, de la importancia de dichas declaraciones a la hora de revisar una directiva presidencial aparentemente neutral, que aborda el asunto dentro del marco de la autoridad presidencial”.

Los magistrados disidentes criticaron a la mayoría por “aceptar ciegamente… una política discriminatoria motivada por la animosidad hacia un grupo desfavorecido, todo en nombre de una alegación superficial de seguridad nacional”.

Quizás la decisión más significativa de Trump hasta la fecha, relativa a su inmunidad frente a un proceso penal por actos oficiales, abordó directamente los motivos del presidente y los convirtió en un tema tabú.

Ese caso de 2024 surgió de las acusaciones de subversión electoral presentadas por el Departamento de Justicia contra Trump. (El asunto nunca llegó a juicio, debido a la intervención de la Corte Suprema).

“Al separar la conducta oficial de la no oficial”, afirmó la mayoría de la Corte Suprema, “los tribunales no pueden indagar sobre los motivos del presidente”.

Los magistrados disidentes se quejaron: “Según esa norma, cualquier uso del poder oficial para cualquier propósito, incluso el más corrupto, evidenciado por pruebas objetivas de los motivos e intenciones más corruptos, sigue siendo oficial e inmune”.

Una pregunta formulada por el juez Neil Gorsuch durante los argumentos orales del caso puso de relieve cómo algunos magistrados sopesaron las acciones de Trump con el respeto que merece el cargo de presidente.

“¿Debemos analizar los motivos, los motivos del presidente para sus acciones?”, preguntó Gorsuch, y agregó: “No me preocupa tanto este caso como los futuros… Estamos sentando un precedente histórico”.

La nueva disputa que se debatirá el miércoles deja al descubierto las motivaciones de Trump, específicamente las relacionadas con su supuesta animosidad racial.

Durante años, el presidente ha vilipendiado específicamente a los haitianos.

Trump describió a Haití como un país “sucio… Read more

By Lou Robinson, Renée Rigdon, Lauren Kent, Henrik Pettersson, CNN

(CNN) — As the war in Iran enters its ninth week with no clear end in sight, shipping traffic in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz has been completely reshaped, heavily disrupting global markets and supply chains for oil, natural gas, fertilizer and other essential products.

Before the United States and Israel launched their attacks on Iran in late February about 3,000 vessels typically passed through the Strait of Hormuz each month, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence. Oil tankers passing through accounted for an estimated 15 million barrels per day of crude and other oil product exports, data from the analytics firm Kpler shows, amounting to about one-fifth of the world’s oil trade.

But since the war began, traffic has been reduced to a trickle, with just 154 vessels recorded crossing in the entire month of March, according to Kpler data.

“The disruption is both rapid and unprecedented,” said Dimitris Ampatzidis, a maritime risk and compliance manager at Kpler.

Overall, traffic through Hormuz in the last two months has run at about 5% of the pre-war average, leading to shortages of refined products, especially in Asia.

Despite the dramatic disruption, a small number of ships are still coming in and out of the Persian Gulf via the strait. But experts say more vessels are leaving than entering, indicating that shipping operators are mitigating risks by avoiding the area entirely and reallocating flows.

“There are still over 800 vessels in the gulf, but ‘stranded’ isn’t the right term for all of them,” Ampatzidis told CNN in an email. “Many regional vessels, particularly Iranian and gulf operators, are continuing to operate normally within local routes.”

The strait is about 24 miles across at its narrowest point, which creates a chokepoint that Iran has been able to exploit as it exerts increased control over the world’s shipping and threaten vessels without needing to patrol a large area.

Following a ceasefire agreed on April 8, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi initially said that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be possible via coordination with Iranian authorities. But the next day, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that traffic through the strait had been halted again, following what it said was an Israeli ceasefire violation in Lebanon.

The IRGC has since published a map showing what it called “alternative routes for transit” through the Strait of Hormuz that channel traffic through Iran’s territorial waters and past Larak Island, enabling checks by the Iranian navy and port authorities. The Revolutionary Guard also marked a so-called “danger zone” in the part of the strait that was previously the main International Maritime Organization (IMO) shipping corridor.

“The official IMO lane has been almost entirely abandoned. Instead, most vessels are now using a route along the Iranian coastline,” Ampatzidis said. “At the same time, a significant share of traffic remains ‘dark,’ meaning vessels are operating outside any verifiable corridor.”

Meanwhile, Iranian state media has reported on the country’s plans to continue charging transit fees to some ships seeking to pass, making it lucrative for Iran to try to retain control of the waterway.

As a response to Iran’s actions, the US on April 13 announced a blockade on ships entering or exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas. US forces have directed at least 38 vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian por

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) -

CIF-SS Division 2 Round 1, San Marcos 15, Los Alamitos 14: Victoria Aldana scored the game-winner with just seven seconds left to lift the Royals to a come-from-behind win.

The Royals were down 12-8 late in the third quarter before rallying to outscore the Griffins 7-2 across the end of the third and all of the fourth quarter. 

Josephine Grossman scored first for the Royals and it was her 123rd career goal, breaking the school record set by Lucanna Plourde just last season. Grossman finished with seven goals so the career scoring record sits at 129 goals. 

Aldana scored 6 goals and had 6 assists for the Royals who advance to the second round at El Segundo on Thursday.

CIF-SS Division 3 First Round, Dos Pueblos 8, Downey 6: Linnea Clapinski scored 5 goals as she went over 100 goals in her record-breaking senior season. Stella Lawler made 12 saves for the Chargers who advance to the second round and will play at #1 seed Santiago of Corona on Thursday.

Cate 12, ML King 8

The post Girls playoff lacrosse: San Marcos wins thriller, DP and Cate advance appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Aleks Klosok, Amanda Davies, CNN

Madrid, Spain (CNN) — 50-50. With just over two years to go, a coinflip is the chance Simone Biles has put on competing at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The most decorated gymnast of all-time has previously stated she’ll be at the Games in “some capacity.”

Now in an interview with CNN Sports, Biles has offered a glimmer of hope to millions of fans around the world hoping to see her take to the floor for one last dance.

“I feel like we’re still at a 50-50 and that we’re still on a time crunch here now it’s almost half of 2026,” the 29-year-old says speaking at the recent Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid.

“We’re going to have to make these decisions pretty quickly.”

The 11-time Olympic medalist is currently taking a break from the sport to, as she puts it, allow her body to recover. She hopes to begin doing some Pilates and yoga soon but stresses “that’s as far as I got right now.”

What then is the key consideration for Biles as she weighs up a potential fourth appearance at the summer Games?

“Mental health plays a big role in it because, physically, my coaches will get me in shape,” she explains.

“I can get myself in shape. We believe in that ability. We’re really thankful that I’m still healthy.

“Mental is a huge thing and it’s a lot of dedication on that because the road’s not easy. It’s long, but it’s still work.”

Realness and rawness

Biles has openly and honestly shared her struggles with mental health since taking time away from gymnastics following the tumult of the Tokyo Olympics.

There, a mental block known as “the twisties” forced her to withdraw from multiple events, including the women’s team final.

It’s a moment she reflects on as being “pivotal” – not only for her, but the wider conversation both within sports and everyday life.

“I feel like it showed the realness to me because everyone thought I was a robot, she’s not real, but it’s like, down to the core, I’m just like you guys. I’m real,” she says candidly.

“It got me the therapy that I deserved, and I’m still currently in therapy.

“I had a lot of help and my core group was really helpful in letting me know that it’s OK people go through this and you’re just human.

“Gymnasts aren’t viewed as people who have weaknesses, and that was the first time that weakness was displayed on a global stage like that.

“Now, I look at it as being courageous and not so much a weakness.”

Supporting Malinin, Vonn

Just as Biles has her support network, she’s been keen to reciprocate that for her fellow US Olympians.

Following the end of the Paris Games and the conclusion of her US tour Gold Over America, she has enjoyed time away from the sport.

Biles, however, was an avid spectator at the recent Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

She watched on as figure skater Ilia Malinin experienced his own version of the “twisties.”

The “Quad God” was the clear favorite for the gold medal in the men’s individual competition only to see those dreams dashed, falling twice and failing to perform his trademark quadruple axel durin