Rick Spinrad, a former NOAA Administrator, explains why he believes the government staffing cuts implemented by the Trump administration may have hindered the response to the devastating floods in Texas.

Rick Spinrad, a former Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has expressed concerns that federal workforce cuts implemented during the Trump administration may have impacted the government's ability to respond effectively to severe flooding in Texas. Spinrad emphasized that the absence of a Warning Coordination Meteorologist—a position left vacant due to staffing reductions—was a critical issue, as this role is responsible for ensuring that emergency warnings are received and acted upon by local authorities.

According to Spinrad, while the technical aspects of forecasting and issuing warnings were maintained, the lack of follow-up and coordination hindered the emergency response. He noted that both his colleagues in the weather service and the commercial weather community questioned the absence of this key position during the crisis.

Ex-NOAA chief thinks DOGE cuts may have hurt flood response

Do you think these cuts to the federal workforce, you could see there being a direct line to this tragedy? I've talked with any number of my friends in the weather service, colleagues in the commercial weather community, and to a person, one of the first questions they asked was, where was the WCM, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist? I am convinced that the staff cuts that we saw were a contributing factor to the inability of the emergency managers to respond. The staffing was just fine, and the White House has concurred with this to get the forecast out, to get the watches and warnings issued. But when you send a message, there's no guarantee it's being received. So someone needs to follow up, and that's the Warning Coordination Meteorologist, a position that was vacant.

Liverpool's Portuguese forward Diogo Jota was probably speeding when the Lamborghini car he was driving crashed in northwestern Spain, killing him and his brother, police said in a preliminary report.

Cernadilla

Liverpool's Jota likely speeding when car crashed, police say

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Britain on Tuesday for a state visit mixing royal pageantry with thorny political talks about stopping migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats.

London

UK royals welcome France's Macron for state visit

U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. will send more weapons to Ukraine as Russian attacks intensified in recent weeks. The decision comes after the U.S. halted certain shipments last week.

Washington

Ukraine Invasion

Trump says U.S. will send more weapons to Ukraine

Brazil hosted the second and final day of the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.

Rio de Janeiro

BRICS summit ends on health issues, role of global south countries

U.S. President Donald Trump, hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, said the United States had scheduled talks with Iran and indicated progress on a controversial effort to relocate Palestinians out of Gaza.

Middle East Conflict

Netanyahu meets Trump as Israel, Hamas discuss ceasefire

Search teams continue to look for survivors after catastrophic flash floods overwhelmed parts of the US state of Texas. About 100 people have been killed and dozens more are missing. Officials say the National Weather Service didn't provide enough warning of the heavy rain.

Texas

Rising Texas death toll fuels anger over 'inadequate warning'

Leaders of BRICS have warned of the dangers of tariffs - saying they don't want a confrontation with US President Donald Trump. The group of emerging nations made the comments at their summit in Brazil. They also discussed Gaza and tensions in the Middle East.

Global Tariffs

BRICS summit rejects U.S. tariff threats, tackles trade and Gaza

Video captured by a BBC News crew shows French police slashing a boat filled with migrants trying to cross into the U.K. The crackdown comes ahead of a summit this week between the French president and British prime minister.

French police slashing migrants’ boat in crackdown

President Donald Trump's Justice Department and FBI released a memo concluding that there is no evidence Jeffrey Epstein had a "client list." The FBI confirmed that more than 1,000 victims were harmed by Epstein.

FBI: Epstein investigation turned up no 'incriminating client list'

The death toll from the devastating floods in Texas has risen to at least 90 as rescue workers continue to search for dozens of missing people. At least 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic in central Texas died in the floods.

Kerrville

At least 90 people killed in Texas floods

A shooter is dead after opening fire at a U.S. Border Patrol building in McAllen, Texas, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said. CBS News' Shanelle Kaul has the latest updates.

McAllen

Shooter killed after opening fire at U.S. Border Patrol building

Israel’s military launched airstrikes early on Monday targeting ports and facilities held by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The strikes followed a suspected Houthi attack on a ship in the Red Sea.

Sana'a

Israel strikes Yemen ports held by Houthi rebels

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with U.S. President Trump at the White House on Monday. The two leaders are expected to discuss the ongoing conflict in Gaza and a potential ceasefire with Hamas.

Netanyahu set to meet Trump at White House amid ceasefire optimism

U.S. President Donald Trump's 90-day pause on global tariffs announced in April is nearing its expiration, and the White House warned that steeper tariffs could roll out at the beginning of August.

White House warns higher tariffs could roll out August 1

Erin Patterson, the Australian woman accused of killing three relatives with a meal of death cap mushrooms baked in a Beef Wellington lunch, has been found guilty of three counts of murder and the attempted murder of the lone survivor.

Morwell

Australian woman found guilty in ‘mushroom murder’ trial

Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp along the Guadalupe River, has confirmed that at least 27 campers and counselors died in the devastating floods that hit the Texas camp.

Hunt

Camp Mystic confirms 27 campers, counselors killed in floods

President Donald Trump called Elon Musk's plans to form a new political party "ridiculous," launching new barbs at the tech billionaire.

Trump criticizes Musk's new 'America Party' as feud grows

Rescuers are searching for more than 40 people still missing, after flooding in the US state of Texas. The death toll has risen to at least 82, including 28 children - many of them from a summer camp. President Donald Trump has declared the area a disaster zone.

Death toll from Texas floods rises to 82, dozens still missing

BRICS leaders set to discuss key global political issues, but questions over the bloc’s cohesion arose as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin opted to skip the summit.

State of Rio de Janeiro

BRICS group slams tariffs, Iran conflict at summit in Brazil

The search for missing children from a girls' summer camp hit by flash floods in Texas entered a third day on Sunday, as rescuers faced the threat of more flooding and the death toll in the region reached at least 67.

Texas officials face questions over flood warnings

Search and rescue missions continue in Kerr County, Texas, after severe storms caused deadly flooding that has killed dozens of people. More than 20 children from the nearby Camp Mystic are still missing, officials say.

Texas campground owner describes flash floods: "It was just chaos"

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says he has formed a new political party after falling out with U.S. President Donald Trump over the "One Big Beautiful Bill."

Elon Musk launches 'American Party'

Israel has sent a delegation to Qatar for new indirect talks on a possible hostage and ceasefire deal despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the changes requested by Hamas to a previous proposal were "unacceptable."

Doha

Israel, Hamas delegations resume truce talks over Gaza in Doha

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei received an enthusiastic welcome at a mosque in Tehran as he made his first public appearance since the start of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.

Tehran

Iran's Supreme Leader makes first public appearance since war started

Search-and-rescue operations are expected to continue as the death toll continues to rise from Friday's flash flooding in central Texas, with authorities confirming at least 50 deaths so far, 15 of those children. Among the missing are girls from a Christian summer camp.

Death toll rises as search for Texas flood survivors continues

Rescuers are searching for survivors of a flash flood that hit central Texas on Friday, leaving at least 43 people dead, including 15 children. Authorities in Texas are now facing questions about whether they issued proper warnings in advance of rain-fuelled flooding.

Death toll from Texas flooding rises to 43

Experts link the rising frequency and intensity of heatwaves in Europe to climate change, warning that such extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common.

Athens

Firefighters across Europe battle wildfires

Rallies on the streets of Tel Aviv were held as the Israeli security cabinet reportedly gathered to discuss Hamas' response to a potential ceasefire-hostage deal.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Tel Aviv rally calls for the release of the remaining hostages

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday (July 5) that his latest conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump this week was the best and "most productive" he has had to date.

Kyiv

Zelenskyy says latest Trump call the 'most productive' yet

The unemployment rate for new college graduates has recently surged. Economists say businesses are now replacing entry-level jobs with artificial intelligence. Ali Bauman has the story.