Your World Tonight - Devastation in Texas, Canadian flood readiness, drought in Saskatchewan, and more

Episode Date: July 7, 2025

Debris and destruction are spread for 100 kilometers along the Guadalupe River in Texas. Teams are still searching for the missing, and more than 90 people are confirmed dead. Adding to the heartbreak: questions over whether enough was done to warn people to get out.And: Canada doesn’t have a flash flood alert system. And some are saying it should. Its river plains could be at risk, and so could the people who live along them.Also: People in Saskatchewan are coping with the other side of the extreme weather spectrum – a severe lack of rain. Several communities have declared emergencies because of drought.Plus: U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the White House, Ontario police associations start major recruitment, an Australian woman is found guilty of poisoning her in-laws, and more.

I'm Joshua Jackson, and I'm returning for the Audible original series, Oracle, Season 3, Murder at the Grandview. Six forty-somethings took a boat out a few days ago. One of them was found dead. The hotel, the island, something wasn't right about it. Psychic agent Nate Russo is back on the case, and you know when Nate's killer instincts are required, anything's possible.

This world's gonna eat you alive. Listen to Oracle Season 3, Murder at the Grandview, now on Audible. This is a CBC Podcast. The force of that water was so insane, nobody could get into it. He was yelling, please throw me your baby and they couldn't and they got swept away. In Texas the water may be receding but the number of dead is rising and communities are inundated with pain.

The deadliest flood in the United States in decades. As the search for survivors continues, the work is difficult, the hope is dwindling, and the weather forecast is calling for more rain. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Juanita Taylor. It's Monday, July 7th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern. Also on the podcast... This spring has been the worst drought that we've lived through in our 33 years. Nothing even started, nothing grew.

In this country, it's a lack of rain overwhelming parts of Saskatchewan, turning the prairie grass brown, the soil dry and hard, and several communities are under states of emergency. Ranchers are warning of major losses and looking for help, struggling to feed their livestock and in some cases moving them away. Well three days after a raging flash flood tore through central Texas, the full picture of the tragedy is becoming clear. At least 95 people have been killed including more than two dozen girls from a summer camp.

Dozens of people are still missing, with rescue and recovery missions slowed by the devastation and the possibility of more bad weather. Sam Sampson reports. Though the Guadalupe River still rushes by, its levels have gone down, giving the world a better look at the grim reality in Texas. Cars piled on top of each other, their windows shattered and covered in debris. Houses swept off their foundation. Sheets of metal once part of those buildings twisted and scattered across the riverbank. Giant trees with overturned roots that make grown men look like tiny dolls

as they dig underneath looking for missing people. The force of that water was so insane. Lorena Guillen is trying to figure out what to do with her RV park, reduced to a field of crushed motor homes, trees, mud and traumatic memories of residents trying to save each other. He was trying to get to the family and all the way to water all the way to his waist and debris hitting him and he was yelling please throw me your baby and they couldn't and they got swept away. While most of the search and rescue crews are made of state-led teams,

hundreds of others like Michael Geyer are volunteers here to help find their neighbors dead or alive. We don't know what we're gonna find, if we're gonna find anything, but at least the fact that we can find closure for each and every individual and family member, especially for the children that were lost at the camps and are still missing,

I figured I could be doing my part just as much as these first responders and active personnel are doing. Much of the heartbreak centers around Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp along the riverbank near Hunt, Texas. This morning, officials confirmed 27 campers and counselors died in the disaster, and others are still missing. The children's cabins, once full of giggling and innocence, now lay in ruin. Inside, stuffed animals, water bottles, portable fans and sneakers are strewn on the ground, covered in silt. On the lawn lie multicoloured comforters and mattresses. There are reports camp counselors swam in the floodwater, helping children float atop mattresses until help could arrive.

The scene and stories devastating to everyone. Texas is grieving right now. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz shared his sorrow, adding that his own daughters were once campers there. The children, the little girls who were lost at Camp Mystic. That's every parent's nightmare. Crews said there will be a time to review what happened and if the warnings of the flash flood danger were adequate.

Many residents say they didn't receive any at all, instead waking up to a wall of water in the dark of night. instead waking up to a wall of water in the dark of night. But for now, national and local officials are focused on rescue and recovery missions. Helicopters, drones and heavy machinery have been brought in, but impending weather could slow their work or even bring it to a standstill. More rain is in the forecast for central Texas. Sam Sampson, CBC News, Washington. If you're wondering if that kind of tragedy could happen here in this country, you're not alone. Flooding is already Canada's most

costly natural disaster and weather experts say making sure communities are safe means better planning and warning systems. Jala Bernstein reports. Sadly, it probably will get worse in the future. Simon Legault is a meteorologist with the Quebec Climate Consortium, Uranoz. He says the catastrophic flash flood in Texas was an extreme event, but Canada is not immune. You know, we can never say never. Nature being as it is, nothing is impossible. Already in this country, floods have wreaked havoc from multiple atmospheric rivers in BC

to billions in damages last year after the remnants of Hurricane Debbie tore through Quebec and 2024's deadly flash flooding in Nova Scotia from post-tropical storm Barrel. We need to bring flood risk maps up to date across Canada. Catherine Bacos is with the InTac Centre on Climate Adaptation at Waterloo University. She says Canadians need that information to better prepare. On average, across Canada, flood risk maps are 20 to 25 years out of date.

Better maps, she says, lead to better prevention, like dams to protect some areas or wetlands to help absorb rain in others. Some regions are working on a fix. Halifax recently expanded the Sackville Rivers floodplain map, limiting new construction. It's something long-time environmental advocate Walter Regan has been pushing for for years. We have hard hats for workers. We have baby seats for children. We have seat belts. Floodplain zoning is a public protection measure

that's cost effective and long overdue. Quebec too is set to publish new flood maps next year. And last month, the federal government announced a nearly $7 million investment to improve flood mapping in high-risk zones across the country. Another tool that could save lives, an alert system for flash floods. We need a national flash flood program in Canada before something like this Texas disaster happens here. David Sills is the Deputy Director of the Canadian Severe Storms Lab.

He says Ottawa doesn't have the authority to send flood alerts to phones the way it does for storms. That's because waterways are under provincial responsibility. So there's a real mishmash of programs set up across the country to try to cover flooding. Sills says most regions in Canada are already seeing an uptick in more intense extreme rain. As the world continues to burn fossil fuels, the atmosphere is warming, allowing it to hold more and more water. Sills says a centralized system that could issue an emergency flood warning quickly could

make a big difference. Jela Bernstein, CBC News, Montreal. People in Saskatchewan are coping with the other side of the extreme weather spectrum, a severe lack of rain. A worsening drought has several municipalities under a state of emergency tonight. For ranchers and farmers, it means making major adjustments and difficult decisions. Alexander Silberman reports. At Six Mile Ranch in southwest Saskatchewan, Kareem Gibson looks out at her dozens of cattle roaming in a brown dry field. Nothing even started, nothing grew.

The earth is cracked and arid and there's little for the cattle to graze. Gibson's crops that are normally turned into hay bales didn't survive. This spring has been the worst drought that we've lived through in our 33 years. The province's southwest along the Alberta border is facing its worst growing conditions in a decade. With little to no spring rain, pastures have dried up and ranchers are forced to buy feed they normally grow. We're talking hundreds and hundreds of thousands, if not closer to a million, for us to replace all of that feed that we would normally produce ourselves.

The ranch moved some of their cattle to greener land 300 kilometers away, paying fees to another farmer. Clayton Gibson, Corrine's husband, says his community of about 300, where most people are ranchers, is feeling the strain. Small towns are having it tough already and this is just making it tougher on small towns I think. Further north, conditions in the fields are even worse. Several rural municipalities have declared local states of emergency. The Saskatchewan government has also lowered the threshold to file a crop insurance claim.

Farmers near natural water sources are doing what they can to adapt. We couldn't physically find feed anywhere in the province. Aubrey Reben is a rancher in Petrofka Saskatchewan about 50 kilometres north of Saskatoon. The weather in the area became so challenging, Reben invested in a costly irrigation system, pumping water from a nearby river. We said, hey, we've got to mitigate this chance of this happening ever again to us. For farmers in the southern prairies, the forecast shows a hotter than usual summer with uncertain levels

of rainfall. Crawford Luke is a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. The longer a drought goes on the more likely it is to stay dry because the ground is just getting drier and drier. At the Six Mile Ranch, Clayton Gibson is hoping desperately for rain. I mean if we don't get a lot of moisture this fall I'm not sure we should plant a crop next spring. Gibson says the persistent drought is financially and emotionally challenging and he questions how many more years his ranching community can live through. Alexander Silberman, CBC News, Regina. Residents of another Manitoba town are leaving ahead of an encroaching wildfire.

350 people who live in Leaf Rapids have been ordered to evacuate, and the city of Thompson has declared a state of emergency. There were 81 active wildfires in the province, 16 are near populated areas. Kristin Hayward is with the Manitoba Wildfire Service. She says the fire situation became much more serious over the last week. We've had a lot of lightning go through the province. You know, when numbers were really escalating, we were seeing over 25 new fires every 24-hour period popping up. When lightning strikes, it can take three to five days, sometimes

even longer for that smoke to pop up. So that's what we're dealing with now and more forecasted on the horizon unfortunately. Still ahead on the podcast, it's always high stakes when the leaders of the US and Israel meet but on this Washington visit, a ceasefire in Gaza hangs in the balance. And changing channel tactics, France and the UK are expected to announce new measures aimed at stopping migrant boat crossings between the two countries. The US President is hosting Israel's Prime Minister at the White House tonight. At the top of their agenda, the war in Gaza.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he believes a peace deal can be reached soon, as indirect talks between Israel and Hamas continue in Qatar. Sasha Petrosic is following the story for us and joins me now. Sasha, what do we know about what they will talk about? Well, Juanita, what they'll probably start with is a victory lap over their attacks on Iran. First by the airstrikes by Israel, and then that was followed by the United States,

which Trump claims destroyed Tehran's nuclear weapons program. But the most urgent topic over what's being described as a private dinner tonight is how to end the war in Gaza. After 21 months, the White House says that's Trump's utmost priority. That's the way Carolyn Levitt, the spokesperson for the White House said today. The utmost priority for the president right now in the Middle East is to end the war in Gaza and to return all of the hostages. Also, as you know, there was a ceasefire proposal that Israel supports that was sent to Hamas and we hope that they will agree to this proposal. We

want to see all of the hostages released. That's on the top of the president's mind. But Trump is also expected to pressure Netanyahu to wrap it up. And Sasha, where do negotiations sit now? Well, there is movement. The two sides are negotiating through mediators in Doha and Qatar, and there's a proposal on the table for a 60-day ceasefire, which would see more of the remaining hostages released by Hamas. There are 50 of them left, both alive and dead. It's a plan both Israel and Hamas are said to accept mostly.

Trouble is, we've been in this situation before. As recently as March, at the end of the last 60-day ceasefire, that was the last time I was in Jerusalem reporting on it and it was exactly the same standoff, with both sides accusing the other of putting up roadblocks to a permanent peace. Today there is still disagreement about the scale of Israeli troop withdrawals and the way aid is distributed. Hamas wants that done by the UN, not by Israeli and US contractors.

But the biggest disagreement is over whether the war will end at the end of the ceasefire. Hamas says it wants a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, an end to fighting, and it says it's willing to release all the remaining hostages in return. Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition partners have vowed to keep fighting until Hamas is no longer in power, destroyed. So the question tonight is, can Trump apply enough pressure on Netanyahu to end the war now, declaring

a military victory without a political total victory over Hamas? Juanita? Sasha Petrasek, thank you. My pleasure. That's the CBC's Sasha Petrasek in Toronto. On the shores of France, police are cracking down on migrants trying to cross into the UK by boat. Thousands have made the dangerous journey this year alone.

Briar Stewart explains the political pressure to stop them. In the shallows off the coast of northern France, migrants routinely cram into inflatable dinghies to try and make a risky voyage across the English Channel to the UK. Early Friday morning as dozens crowded onto a boat, watching from shore were French officers and a BBC news crew. Bigger waves, bigger waves, huge waves. As migrants pushed onto the boat, leaving a group including a child crowded near the propeller, officers waded into the water.

One grabbed a knife and slashed the boat before dragging it ashore. Since 2022, we have different testimonies saying that police come and cut in the boat when it's already in the water. Amalie Moyard is with the humanitarian group Utopia 56, which helps migrants and displaced people in France. So it's not new. What was new is that the press were there and was filming everything.

Moyar wonders if the authorities on the coast were motivated by the political pressure coming from the UK. As part of a three-year deal the UK gave France more than 800 million dollars to help stop boats from crossing. And Prime Minister Keir Starmer has repeatedly talked tough about cracking down on the smugglers. We've got to have a concerted effort to smash the gangs that are running this vile trade. But in the past six months UK government figures show around 20,000 migrants arrived by boat, up nearly 50% over the same period last year. In the last week alone, more than 2,000 crossed the channel in boats. Currently French officers will only wade into the water to intercept the migrants if there's

a danger to life, but France is considering allowing officers to stop boats further from shore. Peter Walsh is a senior researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford. There's a real lack of evidence on what the likely impact of those kinds of operational changes are. Yes, it will give the French officials another tool to tackle it with, but in my view, I don't think it's likely to be a game changer. At a summit this week in London, French President Emmanuel Macron is not only expected to discuss the crossings with Stammer but also how to return migrants who have crossed and aren't eligible for asylum. Briar Stewart, CBC News, London. Donald Trump has extended the pause on some US tariffs until August 1st.

The White House has started to send out letters to countries letting them know how much their goods will be taxed on their way into the country. Staunch US allies Japan and South Korea each face a 25 percent tariff. Other countries including Kazakhstan, Myanmar and South Africa will face tariffs ranging from 25 to 40 percent. And weeks ago I stood at this podium and I told all of you that the president was going to create tailor-made trade plans for each and every country on this planet and that's what this administration continues to be focused on.

Ontario's top cops are on a big recruitment drive. They say their push is needed to boost staffing and make streets safer. But some critics argue more officers doesn't lead to less crime. Thomas Diegle explains. Policing isn't just a job, it's a chance to make an impact. In a province-wide campaign featuring this newly released promotional video, Ontario's Police Chiefs Association and other groups are seeking to attract recruits. Find your purpose. Find your calling.

Police services across the province are warning of a staffing crisis, saying response times will rise as more retirements and resignations pile up. All the while they say it's getting harder to attract would-be officers. There's been a significant decline in the number of people putting their hand up to a life of service in policing. Roger Wilkie is deputy police chief in Halton region near Toronto. He points to a change in the way society views the job. Some of the social shifts in terms of the perspectives of what policing is has created some significant challenges for recruiting in this province. You know, it's such a noble profession. We need to take back the narrative on that.

Observers say the defund the police movement along with countless reports of officer misconduct, particularly targeting racialized people, have all left a lasting impression for many. What's more, University of Ottawa criminologist Michael Kempe says he frequently hears from students unsure about what joining the police would even entail. Are they doing crime prevention in partnership with all kinds of agencies? Are they helpers? Are they more along the lines of enforcers? And that lack of clarity makes people unwilling or least skeptical of applying. Whatever the reason, there's been a clear decline in what Statistics Canada calls police strength.

Across the country, the latest federal data shows the lowest officer to population ratio since 1970. But that figure can be misleading, says University of Toronto sociologist Timothy Bryan. These calls for more police assume that more police mean greater safety. And that's simply not how crime works. National statistics show the level and severity of crime steadily dropped from the 1990s onward and started to rise again in the past decade. Though Brian says North American cities with more police per capita aren't necessarily considered safer. What we find is that many of them also have higher rates of crime, violent crime and

homicides. Still in Ontario, police point to mental health impacts on officers when they're regularly asked to do more with fewer staff. Thomas Daigle, CBC News, Toronto. An Australian woman has been found guilty of murdering three of her in-laws by serving them lunch laced with poisonous mushrooms. An 11-week trial that gripped Australia and grew global attention came to a dramatic conclusion today with a jury finding the poisoning was no accident. Jessica Chung has the details. Colin, is there anything you'd like to say about the verdict?

Surprised by the verdict? Will you be appealing it? Walking out of the Supreme Court of Victoria in Morewell, Australia, defence lawyer Colin Manney said nothing to reporters after the verdict. Were you expecting your friend to be found not guilty? But Erin Patterson's friend, Ali Rose, spoke. I'm saddened. And it is what it is. Ali, she said to you, see you soon. Were you hoping to see her? I will see her.

Since April, Crown prosecutors argued Patterson had planned to kill her guests in 2023 when she served them a beef Wellington dish laced with death cap mushrooms. Patterson invited her extended family to her home in Leongatha near Melbourne under the false pretenses of discussing a cancer diagnosis. Three of them died in hospital from organ failure. One survived, becoming a key witness in the trial. Testifying, Patterson served each guest individually, but hers was on a different coloured plate. I'm devastated. I love them. And I can't believe that this has happened. And I'm so sorry. That was Patterson two years ago. In the trial, she claimed this was all a terrible accident.

But prosecutors argued Patterson deliberately looked online to find where death caps grew locally and was caught on camera disposing of a food dehydrator she used to prepare the mushrooms. I brought some death cap mushrooms, which have been dried for more than a year. University of British Columbia's botany professor Mary Burby calls death caps the world's most poisonous mushroom. It's invasive in Australia and Canada and is increasingly being found around Vancouver.

If you and I were to eat two of those mushrooms we'd have about a 50% chance of dying. The small town mystery that's gripped the nation... The interest in this trial in Australia and beyond is hard to overstate. I think it's quite unique really. I mean, I've never heard of anybody poisoning someone with mushrooms before. You could see the evidence was there, and I don't know why it took so long. It's a difficult case, but I couldn't see any other alternative. And it even provided a morbid boost to Morewell's economy.

Even though it's not great circumstances, it has been very good for our community. It's just been good that they've been able to come to our town and see what we have to offer. Patterson will be sentenced at a later date. She faces life in prison for a crime where the motive may never be known. Jessica Chung, CBC News, Vancouver. crime where the motive may never be known. Jessica Chung, CBC News, Vancouver. We close tonight with tennis and a shot on the line between man and machine. That happened on the sport's biggest stage.

This past weekend at Wimbledon on Centre Court, a match between Russia's Anastasia Pavlichenkova and Sane Kartel from Great Britain. Like other sports, tennis is embracing new technology and this year Wimbledon placed all human line judges with an electronic system. But at a critical moment there was a glitch. Stop, stop, stop. Stop, stop. Ladies and gentlemen, the electronic line calling system unfortunately was unable to track the last point, so we will replay the point.

The shot from her opponent was clearly out, but Pavlochenkova wound up losing a point. She should have won. The incident thrust Wimbledon's already controversial decision to ditch line judges back into the spotlight. But the tournament defended the ball tracking system, saying it was accidentally turned off and the technological breakdown was actually the result of human error. If you had lost the match because of that, how would you be feeling? No, I would just say that I hate Wimbledon and never come back here. Pavlochenkova was upbeat afterwards she overcame the missed call

and won the match but she worries about what tennis is losing as technology takes over. And then we're gonna have everything automatic I think we're losing a little bit of this charm of actually having human being and then it just becomes a little bit weird and like robot sort of orientated. Tennis isn't alone. Together with other pro sports, adopting innovations while learning to error is human. But technology isn't perfect either. Thank you for being with us. This has been Your World Tonight for Monday July 7th. I'm Juanita Taylor. Kaupatau.

Until tomorrow.