BRAVE MAG

Nearly two dozen deficiencies in emergency operations were found inCampMystic’s bid to reopen less than a year after 27 kids and counselors were killed in a devastatingflood,Texasstate regulators said on Friday.

After owners of theChristianall-girls camp applied for a license to reopen in late May, some families of girls killed filed lawsuits while several prominent state officials called for the license to be denied or delayed pending the outcome of ongoing investigations.

State health officials have issued an 11-page letter to a camp, detailing deficiencies in flood warning evacuation plans, emergency warning systems, safety alert monitoring, and camper safety training.

This communication arrived a week after a three-day court hearing in family lawsuits, where camp operators and staff admitted missing flood warnings, lacking a detailed evacuation plan, and delaying child evacuation.One of the camp’s owners, Richard Eastland, also died.

The letter notes that Camp Mystic is allowed to revise the emergency plan. Camp Mystic officials said they would work with the agency to address the problems cited.

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“Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our campers, and we hope to continue the nearly century-long mission and ministry of Camp Mystic to provide a Christian camping experience for girls that allows them to grow physically, mentally and spiritually,” the camp said.

The camp's emergency plan was submitted as part of strict new guidelines imposed by state lawmakers after the deadly flood.

DSHS spokesperson Lara Anton said many camps have received deficiency notices ahead of summer opening.

“This is part of the licensing application review process, and most youth camps have received a notice of deficiency letter for their emergency plan due to the statutory changes and increased emergency plan requirements,” Anton said.

Texaslawmakers have scheduled two days of hearings next week on what happened during the flood that ripped through the Guadalupe River and killed more than 130 people in all. Several lawmakers and theTexas Rangers, the state police elite investigations unit, visited the camp site this week.

LONDON (AP) — The challenge forKing Charles IIIas he embarks on this week's state visit to the U.S. is, as always, to live up to his mother’s example.

Britain Royals

Thelate Queen Elizabeth IIwowed Congress in 1991 with a speech that celebrated the shared democratic traditions of Britain and the United States, quoted Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Ralph Waldo Emerson, and highlighted the deep bonds between the two nations.

Those themes will also be at the top of Charles’ agenda as he celebrates America's 250th birthday and seeks to calm tensions surroundingPrime Minister Keir Starmer’srefusal to support U.S. President Donald Trump’s war against Iran, said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University in Texas.

“We’ve got to always make the distinction that there’s a difference between the government of the U.K. and the kings and queens of Great Britain, who are really always coming to try to put (on) a good face,” Brinkley told The Associated Press. “Politics come and go, prime ministers, presidents, come and go, but there’s something deeper about the special relationship between the United States and the U.K.”

Behind the scenes

Beneath the pomp and pageantry of Charles’ four-day trip to Washington, New York and Virginia is a carefully choreographed diplomatic event staged, like all royal visits, at the request of the British government. Starmer resisted pressure to cancel it after Trumpbelittled the British military’s sacrificesin Afghanistan and criticized him personally for failing to back the U.S. in Iran.

Despite those tensions, Trump has continued to speak warmly about Charles.

“History has shown that President Trump really tries to be impressive whenever he’s dealing with British royalty,” Brinkley said. “And I’m sure it’ll be the same this time around.”

Ever since 1939, when King George VI became the first British monarch to set foot on the soil of the country’s former colony, there’s been a special sort of excitement whenever the royals come to the United States.

Take that first visit, which took place as World War II loomed over Europe. The royals toured the east coast and attended a “picnic” at Roosevelt’s private home in Hyde Park, New York. “King tries hot dog and asks for more,’’ declared the New York Times.

But the big moment was when the royals traveled to Mount Vernon to lay a wreath at the tomb of George Washington, America’s first president. It showed respect at a time of isolationism.

“People could see the handwriting on the wall and know that it was going to be important for the United States and Britain to stay strong for fighting against Hitler,” said Barbara Perry, a presidential scholar at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center.

But bonding over sausages had broader benefits, helping the royals build links to the general public as well as its leadership. After war broke out in September 1939, Queen Elizabeth, the wife of George VI and mother of the future Elizabeth II, wrote to first lady Eleanor Roosevelt to say how moved she'd been by letters from Americans who enclosed small sums for British forces.

“Sometimes, during the last terrible months, we have felt rather lonely in our fight against evil things, but I can honestly say that our hearts have been lightened by the knowledge that friends in America understand what we are fighting for,’’ she wrote.

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The queen's connection

Queen ElizabethII built on those relationships, making four state visits to the U.S. during her 70-year reign. She helped President Gerald R. Ford celebrate America’s bicentennial in 1976 and met with President George W. Bush in 2007 as British and American forces fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Smoothing turbulent waters and reminding both sides about their common bonds were what those trips were all about.

Charles’ visit will be no different. It includes a commemoration of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, a ceremony honoring fallen service members and an event to be attended by Queen Camilla to mark the 100th anniversary of Winnie the Pooh stories by British author A.A. Milne.

Awkward events will be avoided.

The royals won’t meet with Jeffrey Epstein's victims, despite calls for the king to addresshis brother’slinks to the convicted sex offender. Nor are there plans for Charles to meet with his sonPrince Harry, who has been a critic of the monarchy since giving up royal duties and moving to California.

Those issues aren’t the priority, said Robert Hardman, author of “Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story.”

“He’s going because 250 years ago the Founding Fathers of the USA kicked out his great-times-five grandfather, and he’s going to say, `No hard feelings, it’s been a great divorce, we’ve had a lovely 250 years and let’s reflect on the high points,’’’ Hardman said. “I mean, there are going to be some very, very large elephants in the room during that visit … but, you know, there are plenty of other things for the king to focus on.”

History, not politics

Charles’ speech to a joint session of Congress offers the chance to deliver the message that long-term friendship is more important than transient disputes.

He is also likely to offer a bit of humor, as his mother did when she faced lawmakers in 1991.

Wearing soft peach amid a sea of gray suits, the diminutive monarch began her remarks with a joke about a blunder at the White House the day before, when her lectern was so tall it obscured the audience’s view of her.

“I do hope you can see me today from where you are,’’ she deadpanned.

The chamber erupted in laughter. A standing ovation followed. Then she launched into a speech about democratic values, the rule of law and the Atlantic Alliance.

But Charles will have to offer his own take on those ideas, Brinkley said.

“The theme of the speech is going to be American exceptionalism, American history, the importance of U.S.-British alliance, and some memories from the past,” he said. “But also about the love affair the two countries share with each other, even though it goes over rocky rapids from time to time.”

A teenager charged with the 2024 murder of a woman in London has appeared in court after being extradited from the United Arab Emirates.

Enzo Bettamio is accused of stabbing Kamonnan Thiamphanit, also known as Angela to her friends, to death at her home in the Bayswater area on 6 April 2024,WestminsterMagistrates’ Court heard on Saturday.

Bettamio, 18, of no fixed address, was extradited on a flight from Dubai to the UK on Friday. He appeared in court wearing a grey, prison-issue tracksuit and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.

No plea was entered, and Bettamio was remanded into custody to appear at the Old Bailey on April 28.

Prosecutor Frances McCormack told the court: “The defendant is charged with murder. The defendant was extradited from theUAEto the United Kingdom. He arrived and was charged yesterday.“

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The charge relates to the stabbing of the 27-year-old, which took place in Westminster in 2024.

“The circumstance of the murder was that the deceased was found at her home address, which was in Stanhope Place, on April 8 2024

“She was located with multiple stab wounds and pronounced dead at the scene.“

“The investigation was launched, and the defendant was noted as wanted. He was then extradited on April 24, yesterday, and arrived on a flight from Dubai.”

The charge follows a joint investigation by the Metropolitan Police and specialist lawyers in the Crown Prosecution Service, she added.