The severe flooding also heavily damaged the Grand Canyon’s only water pipeline, a critical system that serves millions of park visitors each year. The destruction has created a difficult repair challenge and threatens to complicate an already yearslong effort to modernize the aging line, which runs through remote, steep terrain where even routine maintenance often requires helicopter support.

Following aerial inspections, park officials said roughly 40% of the pipeline appeared to have been damaged. The 12.5-mile Transcanyon Waterline has experienced dozens of breaks over the past several years, and a repair-and-replacement project valued at more than $200 million was already in progress when the flash floods struck.

Officials had not yet determined the full extent of the damage or how it could affect park operations, visitors and the people who live and work at the Grand Canyon year-round.

“We anticipate miles of the pipeline being destroyed,” Grand Canyon Deputy Superintendent Brian Drapeaux said.

A full survey of the devastation will not be completed until Tuesday at the earliest.

At least two people died in the floods, and one person remained missing as of Monday night after roughly 80 people were rescued over the weekend, according to officials.

The park stopped overnight accommodations, with officials saying significant water reductions are needed. This includes limiting shower time, turning off the tap while brushing teeth and flushing toilets selectively to protect the limited stored water on the South Rim, where most visitors frequent.

“They have got to keep law enforcement going, they have to keep rescue operations going, backcountry operations, park admin going, the clinic and the campground,” longtime river runner and Grand Canyon hiker Tom Martin said, adding that the park has hauled water in tanker trucks in the past.

The pipeline, which was completed in the 1970s, has broken more than 85 times since 2010.

The pipeline moves water from one side of the canyon, down to its base, across a bridge and back up the other side of the rough landscape. Any attempt to fix a break from rock falls or flash floods is precarious and costly and can take time, so fixing the latest damage will be complicated.

The pipeline upgrade project, which began in 2023, took more than a decade to design and fund. The project involves installing helicopter pads, building water treatment facilities and replacing several miles of pipeline. It also seeks to move the water intake for the pipeline further down the canyon to Bright Angel Creek, which would put it closer to Phantom Ranch, a popular lodge at the base of the canyon.

A 2018 evaluation of the project said key infrastructure for the intake would be outside of areas likely to flood.

Officials said even basic decisions proved to be complicated.

For example, the original pipe was aluminum, which is lighter and easier to move into the steep canyon but is more susceptible to breaking. Engineers chose a flex-steel material to balance weight and durability.

Even routine pipeline breaks lead to water restrictions. A decade ago, a hotel on the canyon’s rim that offers luxury dining and highlights its history hosting presidents had to reduce dishwashing and use paper plates and plastic utensils.

In 1995, a nearly month long repair on the pipeline required officials to truck in water.

The park had water conservation initiatives in place even before the latest flooding and damage.

The flooding has forced parts of the park to close, and more flooding was possible on Monday, according to the National Park Service.

“Consider changing your plans if you were going to hike, boat, or paddleboard to a slot canyon or normally dry wash. If you do still decide to recreate, check in at a nearby visitor center or ranger station,” the park website reads.

Officials previously said that the repair and replacement project would allow the park to meet its water supply needs for at least the next 50 years.

As the original pipeline was nearing completion in the 1960s, more than a foot of rain fell, which flooded the inner canyon and caused 40% of the project to be destroyed, according to officials.

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer apologized Monday after inaccurately indicating that US service members stationed overseas could be affected by the Trump administration’s push to restrict mail-in voting.

The remark came during Friday’s episode of “The Situation Room,” where Blitzer interviewed Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger about a lawsuit filed by Virginia and other Democratic-led states seeking to block President Donald Trump’s March executive order targeting mail-in voting. A federal judge last week temporarily halted the order for 14 days.

Spanberger argued that the administration’s actions were meant to discourage participation. “The continued attacks that we’re seeing from the Trump administration is really just an effort to get people fearful, to get people to stay home, and, in many cases, to eliminate what is a valid, safe, secure way for people to be able to have their voices heard and to vote,” she said.

Blitzer then told the governor, “And in Virginia, you have a lot of military personnel who totally rely on mail-in ballots if they want to be able to express their opinions.”

Spanberger agreed with the broader point, saying, “That’s true. It’s members of the military service, of our diplomatic service, intelligence services, people serving overseas in service to our country who get their ballots mailed to them at the various postings throughout the world.”

However, Blitzer made a “quick note of clarification” at the end of Monday’s program in reference to his exchange with Spanberger.

“We discussed legal challenges to the Trump administration’s directives for the Postal Service on mail-in voting. A comment I made suggested that US military and overseas voters’ ballots would be impacted by these directives. I want to be clear right now: those ballots are exempt from the Postal Service’s new rules implementing the president’s March executive order,” Blitzer told viewers.

“Those groups are covered under the Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Voting Act, just to be specific on that point,” he added.

A spokesperson for CNN pointed to Blitzer’s comments and declined to comment further.

Outgoing Army Secretary Dan Driscoll appeared to make a decisive break with Pete Hegseth as he prepared to leave office, reportedly criticizing the defense secretary directly to Donald Trump after months of speculation about tension between the two men.

Driscoll became the latest high-profile Washington figure to exit on Monday, when the White House confirmed that his departure was imminent.

According to The Atlantic, Driscoll met with President Trump last week and laid out a series of concerns about Hegseth’s handling of the Army.

People familiar with the conversation told the magazine that Trump was taken aback by the number of senior military officials and generals who had either been dismissed, pushed aside or blocked from promotions under Hegseth’s leadership.

Trump was also reportedly unsettled by Driscoll’s description of sweeping reductions across the Army’s senior ranks, as well as the service’s struggles to carry out a long-needed transformation.

Driscoll ended the meeting by telling the President that he was set to resign. 

A person familiar with Driscoll’s resignation said the secretary ‘brought up concerns with the administration surrounding Army transformation and readiness and Hegseth’s blocking those efforts specifically by firing the Generals who were responsible.’

One defense official believes Driscoll will be replaced by a Hegseth loyalist and will allow the Pentagon chief to do ‘generational damage.’ 

Sources also suggested Driscoll and Hegseth clashed over their ambitions, with Driscoll reportedly often telling people that he was close with Vice President JD Vance and even wanted to run for president himself someday. 

Hegseth himself denied reports he was preparing to run in 2028 late last week. 

The Secretary of Defense also reportedly disliked that Driscoll fostered good relationships with the media and tech executives, which garnered him additional roles within the Trump administration.  

‘The United States Army is more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of War,’ Anna Kelly told The Atlantic in a statement, while adding that Driscoll had been ‘highly effective’ in his service. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House and the Pentagon for comment.

Driscoll is an Iraq war veteran, tech investor and former adviser to Vance, whom Driscoll met at Yale Law School. When nominating Driscoll in 2024, Trump called him ‘a disruptor and change agent.’ 

As Army secretary, Driscoll was tapped for the unusual role of key negotiator to try to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. 

He was also a major force behind trying to cut the red tape for military contractors to quickly develop more drones and counter-drone capabilities as warfare rapidly changes around the world.

The Senate confirmed him in February 2025, voting 66-28, following an Armed Services Committee hearing that was largely unconfrontational and focused on how the Army could modernize its systems, improve recruiting and beef up the military industrial base.

Driscoll noted that his father and grandfather served in the Army, and he vowed to be a secretary focused on the needs of soldiers. 

According to the Army, Driscoll served as an armor officer from August 2007 to March 2011, deploying to Iraq from October 2009 to July 2010.

He also ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for a North Carolina congressional seat in 2020, getting about eight percent of the vote in a crowded field of candidates.

Driscoll had been rumored to step down at some point between now and the end of the year but the White House announced his departure Monday.

‘Secretary Driscoll has been highly effective in advancing President Trump’s agenda to Make America Strong Again at the Department of the Army by providing outstanding leadership during historic military operations, restoring an emphasis on readiness and lethality, assisting with negotiations between Russia and Ukraine , and more,’ White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told The Daily Mail in a statement.

The Wall Street Journal added that Driscoll is set to officially depart at some point in the coming days.

Driscoll has disagreed with Hegseth on a number of issues, including the Defense Secretary’s moves to block the promotion of several Army officers and the April ouster of a key Driscoll ally.

The firing of Chief of Staff Randy George earlier this year by Hegseth means the Army will no longer have a Senate-confirmed leader, as Donald Trump has yet to nominate a replacement for George.

The news comes amid Trump’s own clashes with Hegseth, with the Pentagon chief rumored to have been sidelined within the administration.

Both Driscoll and George’s jobs require majority approval from the Senate. A former Hegseth aide, General Christopher LaNeve, has been working as the interim replacement for George.

The New York Post reported in April that Driscoll caused George’s firing because the two are close.

George was Driscoll’s top aide and an official said that Hegseth has been worried Driscoll would replace him ever since the infamous March 2025 group chat fiasco, when Trump administration officials used the Signal app to discuss sensitive info.

‘This is all driven by the insecurity and paranoia that Pete has developed since Signal-gate. Unfortunately, it is stoked by some of his closest aides who should be trying to calm the waters,’ a source told the paper.

The White House backed Driscoll in a statement at the time and a source said Hegseth ‘can’t fire’ Driscoll for the time being.

‘He is very concerned about being fired and he knows that Driscoll is one of the top contenders, or a natural contender, to succeed him,’ the source added.

The firing of George was reportedly an attempt to get rid of anyone perceived to be an ally of Driscoll, who is also said to be close to Vice President JD Vance.

In April, one senior Pentagon official argued to the Washington Post that Driscoll focused too much on his political future instead of his role managing soldiers’ training and equipment.

Three others, though, disputed the suggestion that Driscoll has been performing poorly in the role.

One said Driscoll, who worked in venture capital and led an Army cavalry scout platoon during the Iraq War, has ‘made a ton of institutional changes and stayed out of things that the military shouldn’t touch, especially with culture wars.’

George, a Biden appointee, is understood to have clashed with the Trump Administration’s vision for the Army.

Yet those familiar with the situation say Driscoll intervened when Hegseth previously tried to fire General George, who was confirmed by the Senate in 2023.

The general had long been seen as a target for firing within the Trump administration not only because he was selected to lead the Army by the previous administration, but also because he served as a senior military assistant to former President Joe Biden’s defense secretary, Lloyd Austin.

George has also spoken out in favor of diversity training for military personnel, telling lawmakers during his confirmation hearing that it is just one component in a broader effort to build cohesive teams.

During his tenure, he worked closely with Driscoll, who reportedly backed the general’s effort to continually experiment with and adopt drones and other emerging technology.

The two even traveled to Ukraine last year in an effort to gather lessons learned from the war.

‘There have been multiple instances where Secretary Hegseth has tried to remove George and Driscoll has said, “No he’s done nothing wrong. He’s good,”‘ one official said, adding that the Army Secretary ‘has been very clear that merit should speak for itself.’

It remains unclear exactly why George was removed from his position.

But his ouster came after he faced two major issues: Hegseth’s decision to block the promotion of two black and two female officers to one-star generals and the controversial appearance of Apache helicopters outside Kid Rock’s home.

Sources told the Washington Post that George tried to meet with Hegseth to discuss the blocked promotion, but was rebuffed.

Hegseth has purged more than a dozen senior officers, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General CQ Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General James Slife and the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

A retired Massachusetts Superior Court judge says a not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity verdict would not amount to an easy path for Lindsay Clancy, noting that “prosecution doctors” would help determine when she could be released — and may be more likely to recommend that she remain confined.

Clancy, 36, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children — Cora, Dawson and Callan, all younger than 6 — who were found strangled inside the family’s home in January 2023.

Retired Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Jack Lu told News Media that even if Clancy were found not guilty by reason of insanity, she would probably spend a substantial period of time in a mental health facility.

He said a group of mental health officials would be responsible for periodically reviewing her commitment at the facility, but noted these are people who overwhelmingly side with prosecutors and usually testify on their behalf.

“They’re viewed as an arm of the prosecution,” Lu said of the officials. “I’m going to be very frank, they kind of view this through the lens of if in doubt, lock them up…The people making release decisions have a prosecutorial mindset.”

Lu said, if Clancy is committed to a mental hospital, “I imagine she’d be committed year after year after year for some period of time.”

“If you are committed on a mental health basis because of a major criminal case in Massachusetts, it is hard to get out… It is very difficult,” he said.

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He said there is another way for Clancy to be released from a mental institution if found not guilty by reason of insanity, which would be through the courts.

“The other way she could get out is if the government kept moving to commit her and the doctors did not really decide that she should be released, and then it goes to court and then a judge would decide whether she is a danger to herself or others,” Lu said. “It could be more of a contested hearing, and if she were to win that contested hearing, that is the second way that she gets out.”

Clancy’s case has drawn parallels with Constance Fisher, a then-24-year-old Maine woman who drowned her three children in a bathtub in 1954, according to the New York Times.

She was committed to a mental hospital, and after several years, she returned home. She was accused of drowning three more children in 1967 and was sent back to the mental hospital, before she escaped and was found dead in the Kennebec River.

The jury in Clancy’s case, consisting of nine women and three men, led by a female foreperson, concluded a third day of deliberations on Monday without coming to a verdict.

The jurors asked Judge William Sullivan around 4 p.m. to be dismissed for the day, and will return on Tuesday morning to continue deliberations.