
The West's historic drought in 3 maps
CNN
Vast swaths of the West are experiencing a historic, unrelenting drought, the worst in the region in at least 20 years.
Climate change is playing a key role in these compounding crises: Drought and extreme heat are fueling wildfires; reduced snowpack and the lack of substantial precipitation are exacerbating water demands for millions of people, as well as agriculture, ecosystems and deteriorating infrastructure. In addition to mandatory water restrictions already in place, even stricter cuts are looming amid the drought in some states as water levels plummet along the Colorado River.
Federal regulators repeatedly granted appeals to remove Camp Mystic’s buildings from their 100-year flood map, loosening oversight as the camp operated and expanded in a dangerous flood plain in the years before rushing waters swept away children and counselors, a review by The Associated Press found.

Two of the most senior figures in the US government — Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the White House chief of staff — have been impersonated in recent weeks using artificial intelligence — a tactic that harnesses a rapidly developing technology that cybersecurity experts say is becoming the “new normal” in terms of cheap and easy scams targeting senior US officials.