Colorado River crisis could force drastic water measures across the West, experts say

May 16, 2026 9:20 PM EDT / CBS News

Los Angeles — The Colorado River is in crisis, with a growing population taking more water from it as a hotter climate is drying up the supply.

The snowpack in the Rockies that feeds the river fell to record lows this winter, pushing major reservoirs downstream — like Lake Mead and Lake Powell — toward critically low levels.

Approximately 40 million people across the West depend on the Colorado River for water daily, with many taking it for granted. But the region could soon face drastic measures as the river keeps shrinking.

“The causes of those declining reservoir levels are multiple,” said Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University. “It’s not one thing, but certainly this year we didn’t get any help from Mother Nature.”

Federal officials recently began releasing billions of gallons of water into Lake Powell, a reservoir in Utah and Arizona, to prevent disruptions in hydropower.

At the same time, Arizona, California and Nevada are scrambling to conserve water, unveiling an emergency proposal that would pay some users to consume less.

But without a broader agreement among the states the river flows through, each fighting for more of the share, experts warn mandatory water cuts could deepen. That would threaten farming, hydropower and the water supply millions of people rely on in cities from Phoenix to Los Angeles.

A record-low snowpack across the Colorado River Basin is intensifying concerns at Lake Mead, where water levels remain low on April 30, 2026, in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Arizona. RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

And with key federal operating rules set to expire later this year, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation — which constructs and manages dams, power plants and canals across 17 Western states — is expected to decide this summer how future cuts will be divided among states.

blob:https://www.cbsnews.com/b75da112-1e43-4928-860d-5cf329790459

Experts warn that without major long-term changes in water use, the Colorado River could become catastrophically overdrawn.

There has been some unexpected relief, however. An unusual May storm brought several feet of snow to the Rockies last week. It will help for now, but experts say it is not enough to end the threat millions of people now face.

英国伦敦星期六（5月16日）举行两场大规模示威活动，其中“团结国王”游行者聚集在伦敦市中心。 （法新社）

英国数万人星期六（5月16日）游行穿过伦敦市中心，分别参与两场大规模示威游行，一场是由极右翼活动人士发起的“团结王国”游行，另一场则是声援巴勒斯坦人的反示威活动。

路透社报道，警方出动4000名警力，包括来自首都以外的增援部队，并承诺在他们称之为近年来最大规模的公共秩序行动中“尽可能果断地行使职权”。

两场游行结束后，警方说已逮捕43名涉及各种罪行的人，并称两场抗议活动“总体上没有发生重大事件”。警方早前预测，这两场立场对立的游行将吸引至少8万人参与。

这场游行由极右翼活动人士汤米·罗宾逊发起的“团结王国”游行，被英国首相斯塔默星期五指责“公然散播仇恨与分裂”。团结王国游行旨在反对高移民水平和其认为的回教对英国民族认同的威胁。

英国政府禁止11名“外国极右翼煽动者”入境参与这次的抗议活动。

延伸阅读

支持“巴勒斯坦行动”示威活动 英国逮捕逾500多人

罗宾逊去年9月率领的一次抗议活动吸引约15万人参加。当时发生的冲突导致26名警员受伤，其中四人伤势严重。这次有四名警员受伤，但均无大碍。

Exorbitant World Cup ticket prices creating sticker shock for soccer fans

May 16, 2026 / 9:25 PM EDT / CBS News

Inglewood, California — FIFA is facing backlash for sky-high prices and fees for the upcoming World Cup, causing consternation among fans and providing fuel to critics who accuse soccer’s world governing body of greed.

This World Cup will be the biggest ever after it was expanded from 32 to 48 teams, with 104 matches across the U.S., Canada and Mexico that are projected to generate a record $10.9 billion in revenue, according to FIFA.

FIFA’s official resale marketplace has shown staggering prices, with the sport’s governing body pocketing a 15% fee from both the seller and the buyer for each sale.

“If some people put on a secondary, on the resale market, some tickets for the final at $2 million, Number one, it doesn’t mean that the tickets cost $2 million,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in an interview earlier this month. “Number two, it doesn’t mean that somebody will buy these tickets.”

Infantino joked that if someone does pay $2 million, “I will personally bring him a hot dog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience.”

Last week, FIFA on its ticketing platform tripled the price for the top seats to the July 19 World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to $33,970, the Associated Press reported.

According to the ticket analytics firm TicketData, the average price for the cheapest tickets on resale markets across all World Cup group stage games as of Friday was $553. The cheapest available ticket for the final was $7,734.

President Trump, when asked last week about World Cup pricing, said even he personally wouldn’t pay $1,000 to watch the U.S. play Paraguay in the tournament’s U.S. opener June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, south of Los Angeles.

“I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest with you,” Mr. Trump told the New York Post.

CBS News saw some tickets priced at more than $45,000 on secondary markets for the match.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta was also not buying in. He sent a letter to FIFA Wednesday seeking answers about potentially misleading ticketing practices after reports that FIFA “sold tickets based on seating categories displayed on stadium maps and later altered those seating categorizations before assigning precise seat locations.”

But the sticker shock doesn’t stop at tickets. FIFA requires host cities to foot the bill for security and transportation costs, though the Federal Emergency Management Agency says some of those expenses will be offset by federal funding.

New Jersey Transit announced that round trip train fares to MetLife Stadium from Manhattan for World Cup games will run $98. The usual fare is $13.

New Jersey Transit CEO Kris Kolluri argued the increased fare spares daily commuters from carrying the cost of transporting hundreds of thousands of additional riders during the six-week tournament. Kolluri said that the cost to New Jersey Transit to run trains for the eight World Cup games at MetLife is estimated at about $48 million, and the train tickets are priced to cover that.

“Commuters in New Jersey should not carry the cost years into the future for a wonderful event, no doubt. But the fans who are going to the game should bear the burden of the cost, and that’s all we’re trying to say,” Kolluri said in a news conference last month.

Train tickets from Boston to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, will be $75 round trip for World Cup matches. Typically, those tickets are about $20 for concerts and sporting events, such as New England Patriots games.

Vancouver, B.C., is also pushing back, denying FIFA’s request for a police motorcade for Infantino.

“Any transportation arrangements that are made will be appropriate, measured, and consistent with how Vancouver safely hosts major international events,” Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s office said in a statement.

There are some signs those high prices could be contributing to keeping fans away. According to CBS News New York, new data from the commercial real estate company CoStar showed that several New York City hotels currently only have a third of their rooms occupied on World Cup match nights, 12% below last year’s levels at this time for the same dates.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/world-cup-prices-shock-fans-excited-but-too-expensive/

英国伦敦数万人参与两场大规模示威活动

2026年5月17日 09:01 / 联合早报

英国伦敦星期六（5月16日）举行两场大规模示威活动，其中“团结国王”游行者聚集在伦敦市中心。 （法新社）

英国伦敦星期六（5月16日）举行两场大规模示威活动，其中“团结国王”游行者聚集在伦敦市中心。 （法新社）

英国数万人星期六（5月16日）游行穿过伦敦市中心，分别参与两场大规模示威游行，一场是由极右翼活动人士发起的“团结王国”游行，另一场则是声援巴勒斯坦人的反示威活动。

路透社报道，警方出动4000名警力，包括来自首都以外的增援部队，并承诺在他们称之为近年来最大规模的公共秩序行动中“尽可能果断地行使职权”。

两场游行结束后，警方说已逮捕43名涉及各种罪行的人，并称两场抗议活动“总体上没有发生重大事件”。警方早前预测，这两场立场对立的游行将吸引至少8万人参与。

这场游行由极右翼活动人士汤米·罗宾逊发起的“团结王国”游行，被英国首相斯塔默星期五指责“公然散播仇恨与分裂”。团结王国游行旨在反对高移民水平和其认为的回教对英国民族认同的威胁。

英国政府禁止11名“外国极右翼煽动者”入境参与这次的抗议活动。

罗宾逊去年9月率领的一次抗议活动吸引约15万人参加。当时发生的冲突导致26名警员受伤，其中四人伤势严重。这次有四名警员受伤，但均无大碍。

世卫：非洲伊波拉疫情构成“国际关注的突发公共卫生事件”

2026年5月17日 09:06 / 联合早报

非洲疾控中心星期六（5月16日）在声明中说，这次的伊波拉疫情，目前已报告336个疑似病例和88起死亡病例。图为在刚国（金）的一所医院。 （路透社）

世界卫生组织宣布，刚果（金）和乌干达出现的伊波拉疫情已构成“国际关注的突发公共卫生事件”。

综合法新社和新华社报道，世界卫生组织星期天（5月17日）宣布，刚果（金）和乌干达境内由邦迪布吉奥病毒（Bundibugyo）引发的伊波拉疫情，已构成“国际关注的突发公共卫生事件”。

世卫组织也说，这次疫情不符合大流行紧急情况的标准。

非洲疾控中心星期六（16日）在声明中说，这次的伊波拉疫情，目前已报告336个疑似病例和88起死亡病例。

刚果（金）卫生部长康巴星期六警告说：“邦迪布吉奥病毒目前既没有疫苗，也没有特定治疗。这种病毒株有着很高的致死率，可达到50%。”

刚果（金）暴发伊波拉疫情 死亡病例65起

伊波拉是人畜共通病毒，主要感染途径是透过患者体液传染，如血液、汗、呕吐物、排泄物、尿液、唾液或精液等。

病毒引起的伊波拉出血热是目前世界上最致命的病毒性出血热，致死原因主要为中风、心肌梗塞、低血容量休克或多脏器损害，死亡率高达50%至90%。

世卫：非洲伊波拉疫情构成“国际关注的突发公共卫生事件”

2026年5月17日 09:06 / 联合早报

世卫：非洲伊波拉疫情构成“国际关注的突发公共卫生事件”

非洲疾控中心星期六（5月16日）在声明中说，这次的伊波拉疫情，目前已报告336个疑似病例和88起死亡病例。图为在刚国（金）的一所医院。 （路透社）

世界卫生组织宣布，刚果（金）和乌干达出现的伊波拉疫情已构成“国际关注的突发公共卫生事件”。

综合法新社和新华社报道，世界卫生组织星期天（5月17日）宣布，刚果（金）和乌干达境内由邦迪布吉奥病毒（Bundibugyo）引发的伊波拉疫情，已构成“国际关注的突发公共卫生事件”。

世卫组织也说，这次疫情不符合大流行紧急情况的标准。

非洲疾控中心星期六（16日）在声明中说，这次的伊波拉疫情，目前已报告336个疑似病例和88起死亡病例。

刚果（金）卫生部长康巴星期六警告说：“邦迪布吉奥病毒目前既没有疫苗，也没有特定治疗。这种病毒株有着很高的致死率，可达到50%。”

伊波拉是人畜共通病毒，主要感染途径是透过患者体液传染，如血液、汗、呕吐物、排泄物、尿液、唾液或精液等。

病毒引起的伊波拉出血热是目前世界上最致命的病毒性出血热，致死原因主要为中风、心肌梗塞、低血容量休克或多脏器损害，死亡率高达50%至90%。

委内瑞拉马杜罗一亲信被引渡至美国

2026年5月17日 09:44 / 联合早报

2024年1月，时任委内瑞拉总统马杜罗（左一）和商人萨博（右二）在委内瑞拉首都加拉加斯出席活动。 （路透社）

委内瑞拉移民局星期六（5月16日）说，已依据当地移民法律驱逐商人亚历克斯·萨博，以便其就涉嫌在美国实施的犯罪行为接受调查。

法新社报道，被捕的萨博是一名委内瑞拉商人，也是前总统马杜罗的盟友。

据当时一名美国执法官员透露，萨博于今年2月在委内瑞拉被捕，抓捕行动由委内瑞拉当局与美国联邦调查局联合执行。萨博被捕和被驱逐至美国表明，在现任委内瑞拉总统罗德里格斯领导下，美委两国执法部门的合作已提升至新高度。

54岁的萨博拥有委内瑞拉和哥伦比亚双重国籍，据信与委政府及马杜罗关系密切。

美国司法部门于2019年7月以洗钱等罪名起诉萨博。2020年6月，萨博以委政府特使身份前往伊朗，经停非洲国家佛得角时被捕，2021年10月被引渡至美国。

2023年12月，根据美委达成的一项协议，美方释放萨博。据哥伦比亚媒体今年2月报道，萨博在委内瑞拉被捕，将被引渡到美国。

一名知情者声称，萨博可能向美国当局提供信息，以加强美方针对马杜罗的刑事指控。

今年1月，美国通过军事行动抓捕马杜罗夫妇。据报道，马杜罗及妻子弗洛雷斯已在纽约联邦地区法院被起诉，包括毒品恐怖主义共谋、共谋走私可卡因等多项罪名。两人都否认相关指控。

Maduro’s alleged ‘bag man’ Alex Saab arrested less than 3 years after Biden pardon: report

May 16, 2026 9:55pm EDT / Fox News

The Colombian businessman’s arrest signals new cooperation between US authorities and Venezuela’s interim president

Paul Mauro: US expects ‘full mapping’ of Maduro’s network from Venezuelan officials

Fox News contributor Paul Mauro joined ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss Maduro’s impending arraignment, the potential for private vs. public defense and more.

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Alex Saab, a 54-year-old Colombian businessman and close ally of captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, was reportedly deported after his February arrest in a joint U.S.-Venezuelan operation.

The development comes less than three years after former President Joe Biden pardoned and released Saab in a controversial 2023 prisoner swap.

The high-profile arrest highlights a new level of cooperation between U.S. authorities and Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez.

MADURO ALLY ALEX SAAB ARRESTED IN JOINT US-VENEZUELAN OPERATION, OFFICIAL SAYS

Venezuela’s then-President Nicolas Maduro speaks to supporters next to Colombian-born businessman Alex Saab during a rally in Caracas on Jan. 23, 2024.(Gabriela Oraa/AFP)

Following Maduro’s capture in a January U.S. military raid, Rodríguez stripped Saab of his cabinet position and his role as the main conduit for foreign investments, according to a report from The Associated Press.

If returned to U.S. custody, Saab could become a crucial star witness against Maduro, who is currently awaiting trial on drug charges in Manhattan.

Court hearings previously revealed that Saab held secret meetings with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for years, helping them identify corruption within Maduro’s camp.

VENEZUELA ORDERS NATIONWIDE MANHUNT FOR SUPPORTERS AFTER MADURO’S ARREST BY US FORCES

Businessman Alex Saab is seen at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on Dec. 20, 2023.(Pedro Rances Mattey/Anadolu)

Described by U.S. officials as Maduro’s “bag man,” Saab was previously detained in 2020 on bribery charges, with U.S. officials alleging he siphoned $350 million out of Venezuela, according to the AP.

While Biden’s 2023 pardon was focused on a specific 2019 indictment over unbuilt low-income housing, Saab still faces active federal investigations over alleged bribery conspiracies involving Venezuelan food import contracts.

The Venezuelan immigration authority confirmed a “Colombian citizen” was being sent away due to U.S. criminal investigations, but avoided confirmation of his destination to bypass Venezuelan laws prohibiting the extradition of its own nationals, the AP reported.

Colombian businessman Alex Saab is seen in Caracas, Venezuela, on Dec. 21, 2023.(Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters)

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The U.S. Department of Justice and Saab’s lawyer, Neil Schuster, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Alexandra Koch is a Fox News Digital journalist who covers breaking news, with a focus on high-impact events that shape national conversation.

She has covered major national crises, including the L.A. wildfires, Potomac and Hudson River aviation disasters, Boulder terror attack, and Texas Hill Country floods.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6387254450112

委内瑞拉马杜罗一亲信被引渡至美国

2026年5月17日 09:44 / 联合早报

2024年1月，时任委内瑞拉总统马杜罗（左一）和商人萨博（右二）在委内瑞拉首都加拉加斯出席活动。 （路透社）

委内瑞拉移民局星期六（5月16日）说，已依据当地移民法律驱逐商人亚历克斯·萨博，以便其就涉嫌在美国实施的犯罪行为接受调查。

法新社报道，被捕的萨博是一名委内瑞拉商人，也是前总统马杜罗的盟友。

据当时一名美国执法官员透露，萨博于今年2月在委内瑞拉被捕，抓捕行动由委内瑞拉当局与美国联邦调查局联合执行。萨博被捕和被驱逐至美国表明，在现任委内瑞拉总统罗德里格斯领导下，美委两国执法部门的合作已提升至新高度。

54岁的萨博拥有委内瑞拉和哥伦比亚双重国籍，据信与委政府及马杜罗关系密切。

美国司法部门于2019年7月以洗钱等罪名起诉萨博。2020年6月，萨博以委政府特使身份前往伊朗，经停非洲国家佛得角时被捕，2021年10月被引渡至美国。

2023年12月，根据美委达成的一项协议，美方释放萨博。据哥伦比亚媒体今年2月报道，萨博在委内瑞拉被捕，将被引渡到美国。

一名知情者声称，萨博可能向美国当局提供信息，以加强美方针对马杜罗的刑事指控。

今年1月，美国通过军事行动抓捕马杜罗夫妇。据报道，马杜罗及妻子弗洛雷斯已在纽约联邦地区法院被起诉，包括毒品恐怖主义共谋、共谋走私可卡因等多项罪名。两人都否认相关指控。

Federal funding for Trump’s ballroom in jeopardy after Senate ruling

2026-05-17 02:39 UTC / Reuters

By Nolan D. McCaskill

May 17, 2026 2:39 AM UTC Updated 4 mins ago

[1/2]Aerial view from the top of the Washington Monument shows construction crews as they continue site preparation for a planned White House ballroom in the area of the former East Wing in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 2, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno

• Summary

• Senate parliamentarian removes security funding for White House ballroom project
• Democrats criticize project as costly, Republicans cite security needs
• Legal battle ongoing over demolition of East Wing

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) – A U.S. Senate official on ​Saturday removed security funding that could be used for President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom from a massive spending package, Democratic lawmakers ‌said, imperiling Republican efforts to devote taxpayer money to the contentious project.

The decision by the Senate’s parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, deals a blow to Trump and his administration, which has sought the money for security purposes related to the ballroom.

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Trump has said the construction of the ballroom would be funded by $400 million in private donations. But Senate Republicans are seeking $1 billion in taxpayer funding to ​the Secret Service for security upgrades to the ballroom and other structures being built beneath it.

FRIVOLOUS DIVERSION OR NECESSARY MODERNIZATION?

Democrats have criticized the ballroom as ​an expensive and frivolous diversion by Trump at a time when Americans face rising costs such as higher fuel prices. ⁠Trump, a real estate developer-turned-politician, has written on social media that it will be “the finest Building of its kind anywhere in the World.”

McDonough ruled that the ​security funding provision falls under chamber rules that require 60 votes to pass most legislation, according to the office of Senator Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the ​Senate Judiciary Committee.

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Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate.

The parliamentarian interprets Senate rules, including whether legislative provisions are permitted. Republican senators still could revise the legislation to try to gain the parliamentarian’s approval.

“While we expect Republicans to change this bill to appease Trump, Democrats are prepared to challenge any change to this bill,” Merkley said in a statement.

Senate Majority Leader John ​Thune’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.

If Republicans do not succeed, they may be unable to include the ballroom-related funding in a $72 billion ​spending package they plan to bring to a vote on the Senate floor, with passage expected on a party-line vote with Democrats opposed. The bulk of the legislation is devoted ‌to immigration ⁠enforcement.

Republicans have been invoking complex budget rules to try to secure passage without any Democratic support. Democrats have opposed funding for Trump’s signature immigration crackdown absent reforms they have sought since federal immigration agents killed U.S. citizens in separate incidents in Minnesota in January.

Republicans have said federal funding for ballroom security is needed to ensure presidential safety, citing an April incident in which an alleged gunman is accused of storming a black-tie media gala in Washington that Trump attended.

The administration has said the ballroom ​will modernize infrastructure, bolster security and ​ease strain on the White House, ⁠which often relies on temporary outdoor structures to host large events. Trump has said the ballroom will be completed around September 2028, near the end of his second term in office.

Democrats, hoping to win control of Congress in November’s midterm elections, ​are seizing on Republican support of the ballroom to portray Trump’s party as out of touch with the cost-of-living ​concerns of Americans at ⁠a time of rising energy costs driven by the Iran war he and Israel launched in February.

Trump last year ordered the demolition of the White House’s East Wing – constructed in 1902 during Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency and expanded four decades later during Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency – to make way for his ballroom.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organization, filed ⁠a lawsuit ​challenging the project, arguing that neither the president nor the National Park Service, which manages the ​White House grounds, possessed the authority to tear down the historic structure or erect a major new facility without explicit congressional approval.

A U.S. appeals court in April allowed construction to continue after the ​judge handling the National Trust lawsuit issued an order halting the project.

Reporting by Nolan McCaskill and David Morgan; Editing by Andy Sullivan, Will Dunham, Sergio Non and William Mallard

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