Rob Reiner was known to millions as a TV actor and film director.
But the Brentwood resident, known for the classic films “Stand by Me” and “When Harry Met Sally,” was also a political force, an outspoken supporter of progressive causes and a Democratic Party activist who went beyond the typical role of celebrities who host glitzy fundraisers.
Reiner was deeply involved in issues that he cared about, such as early childhood education and the legalization of gay marriage.
Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michelle Singer Reiner, were found dead inside his home Sunday, sparking an outpouring of grief from those who worked with him on a variety of causes.
Ace Smith — a veteran Democratic strategist to former Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Gov. Jerry Brown and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton — had known Reiner for decades. Reiner, he said, approached politics differently than most celebrities.
“Here’s this unique human being who really did make the leap between entertainment and politics,” Smith said. “And he really spent the time to understand policy, really, in its true depth, and to make a huge impact in California.”
Reiner was a co-founder of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the organization that successfully led the fight to overturn Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage. He was active in children’s issues through the years, having led the campaign to pass Proposition 10, the California Children and Families Initiative, which created an ambitious program of early childhood development services.
Proposition 10 was considered landmark policy. Reiner enlisted help in that effort from Steven Spielberg, Robin Williams, and his own father, comedy legend Carl Reiner.
“He wanted to make a difference. And he did, and he did profoundly,” Smith said.
After Proposition 10 passed, Reiner was named the chair of the California Children and Families Commission, also known as First 5 California. He resigned from the post in early 2006 after the commission ran $23 million in ads touting the importance of preschool as Reiner was gathering support for Proposition 82.
The measure, which was unsuccessful, would have taxed the wealthy to create universal preschool in California.
The filmmaker and his wife spent more than $6 million on the failed proposition. They also donated significant sums to support national Democratic Party groups and candidates including Jerry Brown, Gray Davis, Ed Rendell and Andrew Cuomo.
Bruce Fuller, a UC Berkeley professor of education and public policy, called Reiner “a caring and vigilant advocate for children. He added cachet and cash to California’s movement to open preschools for tens of thousands of young families over the past quarter-century.”
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who had known Reiner since he was a state lawmaker in the 1990s, worked with him on Proposition 10 and was impressed with how Reiner embraced the cause.
“He was a man with a good answer. It wasn’t politics as much as he was always focused on the humanity among us,” Villaraigosa said. ‘When he got behind an issue, he knew everything about it.”
“Just a really special man. A terrible day,” the former mayor said.
Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that she was “heartbroken” by the day’s events, saying Reiner “always used his gifts in service of others.”
“Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice,” the mayor said.
“I’m holding all who loved Rob and Michele in my heart,” Bass said.
Newsom added, “Rob was a passionate advocate for children and for civil rights — from taking on Big Tobacco, fighting for marriage equality, to serving as a powerful voice in early education. He made California a better place through his good works.”
“Rob will be remembered for his remarkable filmography and for his extraordinary contribution to humanity,” the governor said.
For most American infants, the hepatitis B shot comes just before their first bath, in the blur of pokes, prods and pictures that attend a 21st century hospital delivery.
But as of this week, thousands of newborns across the U.S. will no longer receive the initial inoculation for hepatitis B — the first in a litany of childhood vaccinations and the top defense against one of the world’s deadliest cancers.
On Dec. 5, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s powerful vaccine advisory panel voted to nix the decades-old birth-dose recommendation.
The change was pushed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his “Make America Healthy Again” movement, which has long sought to rewrite the CDC’s childhood vaccine schedule and unwind state immunization requirements for kindergarten.
California officials have vowed to keep the state’s current guidelines in place, but the federal changes could threaten vaccine coverage by some insurers and public benefits programs, along with broader reverberations.
“It’s a gateway,” said Jessica Malaty Rivera, an infectious disease epidemiologist in Los Angeles. “It’s not just hepatitis B — it’s chipping away at the entire schedule.”
Democratic-led states and blue-chip insurance companies have scrambled to shore up access. California joined Hawaii, Oregon and Washington in forming the West Coast Health Alliance to maintain uniform public policy on vaccines in the face of official “mis- and dis-information.”
“Universal hepatitis B vaccinations at birth save lives, and walking away from this science is reckless,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “The Trump administration’s ideological politics continue to drive increasingly high costs — for parents, for newborns, and for our entire public-health system.”
The issue is also already tied up in court.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court sent a lawsuit over New York’s vaccine rules back to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for review, signaling skepticism about the stringent shots-for-school requirements pioneered in California. On Friday, public health officials in Florida appeared poised to ax their schools’ hepatitis B immunization requirement, along with shots for chickenpox, a dozen strains of bacterial pneumonia and the longtime leading cause of deadly meningitis.
Boosters of the hep B change said it replaces impersonal prescriptions with “shared clinical decision-making” about whether and how to vaccinate, while preserving the more stringent recommendation for children of infected mothers and those whose status is unknown.
Critics say families were always free to decline the vaccine, as about 20% did nationwide in 2020, according to data published by the CDC. It’s the only shot on the schedule that children on Medicaid receive at the same rate as those with private insurance.
Rather than improve informed consent, critics say the CDC committee’s decision and the splashy public fight leading up to it have depressed vaccination rates, even among children of infected mothers.
“Hepatitis B is the most vulnerable vaccine in the schedule,” said Dr. Chari Cohen, president of the Hepatitis B Foundation. “The message we’re hearing from pediatricians and gynecologists is parents are making it clear that they don’t want their baby to get the birth dose, they don’t want their baby to get the vaccine.”
Much of that vulnerability has to do with timing: The first dose is given within hours of birth, while symptoms of the disease might not show up for decades.
“The whole Day One thing really messes with people,” Rivera said. “They think, ‘This is my perfect fresh baby and I don’t want to put anything inside of them.’ ”
U.S. surgeon general nominee Casey Means called the universal birth dose recommendation “absolute insanity,” saying in a post on X last year that it should “make every American pause and question the healthcare system’s mandates.”
“The disease is transmitted through needles and sex exclusively,” she said. “There is no benefit to the baby or the wider population for a child to get this vaccine who is not at risk for sexual or IV transmission. There is only risk.”
In fact, at least half of transmission occurs from mother to child, typically at birth. A smaller percentage of babies get the disease by sharing food, nail clippers or other common household items with their fathers, grandparents or day-care teachers. Because infections are often asymptomatic, most don’t know they have the virus, and at least 15% of pregnant women in the U.S. aren’t tested for the disease, experts said.
Infants who contract hepatitis B are overwhelmingly likely to develop chronic hepatitis, leading to liver cancer or cirrhosis in midlife. The vaccine, by contrast, is far less likely than those for flu or chickenpox to cause even minor reactions, such as fever.
“We’ve given 50 billion doses of the hepatitis B vaccine and we’ve not seen signals that make us concerned,” said Dr. Su Wang, medical director of Viral Hepatitis Programs and the Center for Asian Health at the Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in New Jersey, who lives with the disease.
Still, “sex and drugs” remains a popular talking point, not only with Kennedy allies in Washington and Atlanta, but among many prominent Los Angeles pediatricians.
“It sets up on Day One this mentality of, ‘I don’t necessarily agree with this, so what else do I not agree with?’” said Dr. Joel Warsh, a Studio City pediatrician and MAHA luminary, whose recent book “Between a Shot and a Hard Place” is aimed at vaccine-hesitant families.
Hepatitis B also disproportionately affects immigrant communities, further stigmatizing an illness that first entered the mainstream consciousness as an early proxy for HIV infection in the 1980s, before it was fully understood.
At the committee meeting last week, member Dr. Evelyn Griffin called illegal immigration the “elephant in the room” in the birth dose debate.
The move comes as post-pandemic wellness culture has supercharged vaccine hesitancy, expanding objections from a long-debunked link between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism to a more generalized, equally false belief that “healthy” children who eat whole foods and play outside are unlikely to get sick from vaccine-preventable diseases and, if they do, can be treated with “natural” remedies such as beef tallow and cod liver oil.
“It’s about your quality of life, it’s about what you put in your body, it’s about your wellness journey — we have debunked this before,” Rivera said. “This is eugenics.”
Across Southern California, pediatricians, preschool teachers and public health experts say they’ve seen a surge in families seeking to prune certain shots from the schedule and many delay others based on “individualized risk.” The trend has spawned a cottage industry of e-books, Zoom workshops by “vaccine friendly” doctors offering alternative schedules, bespoke inoculations and post-vaccine detox regimens.
CDC data show state exemptions for kindergarten vaccines have surged since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, with about 5% of schoolchildren in Georgia, Florida and Ohio, more than 6% in Pennsylvania and nearly 7% in Michigan waved out of the requirement last year.
In Alaska and Arizona, those numbers topped 9%. In Idaho, 1 in 6 kindergartners are exempt.
California is one of four states — alongside New York, Connecticut and Maine — with no religious or personal-belief exemptions for school vaccines.
It is also among at least 20 states that have committed to keep the hepatitis B birth dose for babies on public insurance, which covers about half of American children. It is not clear whether the revised recommendation will affect government coverage of the vaccine in other states.
Experts warn that the success of the birth-dose reversal over near-universal objection from the medical establishment puts the entire pediatric vaccination schedule up for grabs, and threatens the school-based rules that enforce it.
Ongoing measles outbreaks in Texas and elsewhere that have killed three and sickened close to 2,000 show the risks of rolling back requirements, experts said.
Hepatitis is not nearly as contagious as measles, which can linger in the air for about two hours. But it’s still fairly easy to pick up, and devastating to those who contract it, experts said.
“These decisions happening today are going to have terrible residual effects later,” said Rivera, the L.A. epidemiologist. “I can’t imagine being a new mom having to navigate this.”
The saga of a Los Angeles Army veteran who legally immigrated to the United States, was wounded in combat and self-deported to South Korea earlier this year, became a flashpoint during a testy congressional hearing about the Trump administration’s immigration policy.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was grilled Thursday on Capitol Hill about military veterans deported during the immigration crackdown launched earlier this year, including in Los Angeles.
“Sir, we have not deported U.S. citizens or military veterans,” Noem responded when questioned by Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.).
Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) speaks while joined on a video call by a man who he said was a U.S. military veteran who self-deported to South Korea, during a hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security on Thursday.
(Mark Schiefelbein / Associated Press)
An aide then held up a tablet showing a Zoom connection with Purple Heart recipient Sae Joon Park in South Korea. The congressman argued that Park had “sacrificed more for this country than most people ever have” and asked Noem if she would investigate Park’s case given her discretion as a cabinet member. Noem pledged to “absolutely look at his case.”
Park, reached in Seoul on Thursday night, said he was skeptical that Noem would follow through on her promise, but said that he had “goosebumps” watching the congressional hearing.
“It was amazing. And then I’m getting tons of phone calls from all my friends back home and everywhere else. I’m so very grateful for everything that happened today,” Park, 56, said, noting that friends told him that a clip of his story appeared on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show Thursday night.
The late-night host featured footage of Park’s moment in the congressional hearing in his opening monologue.
“Is anyone OK with this? Seriously, all kidding aside, we deported a veteran with a Purple Heart?” Kimmel said, adding that Republicans “claim to care so much about veterans, but they don’t at all.”
Park legally immigrated to the United States when he was 7, grew up in Koreatown and the San Fernando Valley, and joined the Army after graduating from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks in 1988.
Photo of Sae Joon Park, an Army veteran with a Purple Heart, who self-deported to South Korea under threat of deportation.
(Courtesy of Sae Joon Park)
The green card holder was deployed to Panama in 1989 as the U.S. tried to depose the nation’s de facto leader, Gen. Manuel Noriega. Park was shot twice and honorably discharged. Suffering PTSD, he self-medicated with illicit drugs, went to prison after jumping bail on drug possession charges, became sober and raised two children in Hawaii.
Earlier this year, when Park checked in for his annual meeting with federal officials to verify his sobriety and employment, he was given the option of being immediately detained and deported, or wearing an ankle monitor for three weeks as he got his affairs in order before leaving the country for a decade.
At the time, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Park had an “extensive criminal history” and had been given a final removal order, with the option to self-deport.
Park chose to leave the country voluntarily. He initially struggled to acclimate in a nation he hasn’t lived in since he was a child, but said Thursday night that his mental state — and his Korean language skills — have improved.
“It hasn’t been easy. Of course, I miss home like crazy,” he said. “I’m doing the best I can. I’m usually a very positive person, so I feel like everything happens for a reason, and I’m just trying to hang in there until hopefully I make it back home.”
Among Park’s top concerns when he left the United States in June was that his mother, who is 86 and struggling with dementia, would pass away while he couldn’t return to the county. But her lack of awareness about his situation has been somewhat of a strange blessing, Park said.
“She really doesn’t know I’m even here. So every time I talk to her, she’s like, ‘Oh, where are you,’ and I tell her, and she’s like, ‘Oh, when are you coming home? Oh, why are you there?’” Park said. “In a weird way, it’s kind of good because she doesn’t have to worry about me all the time. But at the same time, I would love to be next to her while she’s going through this.”
Video gaming platform Roblox is facing more lawsuits from parents who allege the San Mateo, Calif., company isn’t doing enough to safeguard children from sexual predators.
A Los Angeles County mother, whose identity wasn’t revealed in a November lawsuit, alleges that her daughter met a predator on Roblox who persuaded her child to send sexually explicit photos of herself over the social media platform Discord. The woman is suing both Roblox and the San Francisco company Discord.
When her daughter signed up for the gaming platform last year at 12 years old, the woman thought Roblox was safe because it was marketed for children and as educational, according to the lawsuit filed in a Los Angeles County Superior Court.
But then her daughter befriended a person on Roblox known as “Precious” who claimed to be 15 years old and told her child that she had been abused at home and had no friends, the lawsuit said. Her daughter, accompanied by a friend’s parents, met up with the Roblox user at a beach and the person appeared older and attempted to introduce her to a group of older men.
After they met, the predator tried to persuade the girl to visit her apartment alone in Fullerton and tried to alienate her from her family. The child suffered from psychological trauma, depression and other emotional distress because of her experiences on Roblox and Discord, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit accuses Roblox and Discord of prioritizing profits over safety, creating a “digital” and “real-life nightmare” for children. It also alleges the companies’ failures are systematic and other children have also suffered harm from encountering predators on the platforms.
“Her innocence has been snatched from her and her life will never be the same,” the lawsuit said.
Roblox said in a statement it’s “deeply troubled by any incident that endangers any user” and prioritizes online safety.
“We also understand that no system is perfect and that is why we are constantly working to further improve our safety tools and platform restrictions to ensure parents can trust us to help keep their children safe online, launching 145 new initiatives this year alone,” the statement said.
Discord said it’s committed to safety and requires users to be at least 13 years old to use its platform.
“We maintain strong systems to prevent the spread of sexual exploitation and grooming on our platform and also work with other technology companies and safety organizations to improve online safety across the internet,” the company said in a statement.
The lawsuit is the latest scrutiny facing Roblox, a platform popular among young people. More than 151 million people use it daily. Earlier this year, the platform faced a wave of lawsuits from people in various states who allege that predators are posing as kids on the platform and sexually exploiting children.
NBC4 News, which reported earlier on the lawsuit, also reported that Roblox is facing another lawsuit from a California family in Riverside who allege their child was sexually assaulted by a man the child met on Roblox. That man was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Roblox has been taking new steps this year to address mounting child-safety concerns. In November, the company said it would require users to verify their age to chat with other players. Roblox users would provide an ID or take a video selfie to verify their age. The verification feature estimates a person’s age, allowing the company to limit conversations between children and adults.
The lawsuit by the Los Angeles County woman called safety changes made in 2024 by Roblox “woefully inadequate” and said they were made “too late.”
“These changes could all have been implemented years ago,” the lawsuit said. “None of them involve any new or groundbreaking technology. Roblox only moved forward when its stock was threatened.”
In Finland, some parents have adopted a bedtime routine that seems almost too simple to matter. Each night, they ask their children one question: “What was the last good moment of your day?” No screens, no lectures, no moralizing, just a moment to pause and reflect.
Psychologists who followed families practicing this ritual for 10 years found remarkable results. Children who answered the question daily were up to 80 percent less anxious by the time they reached their teenage years. Ending the day on a calm note helps the brain wrap up its stress cycle, allowing children to sleep more peacefully and recover emotionally from the day’s challenges.
The story recently became popular on social media, but it also makes us think about something bigger: why don’t the media talk more about such easy and helpful ways to take care of our mental health? In a news world focused on major crises and troubling stories, reporters don’t often highlight positive developments happening around the world.
The hidden cost of daily news
Newsrooms have long followed the mantra: “If it bleeds, it leads.” Stories about crime, disasters, or conflict grab attention – and clicks. But reading it can really affect people’s feelings. The research has shown that many adults experience stress or discomfort when following the news, and some even limit their news consumption because they find it stressful (American Psychological Association 2023). Meanwhile, the Reuters Institute notes that “news avoidance” is rising globally, as people deliberately turn away from stories that make them feel overwhelmed.
The paradox is clear: journalism aims to inform and empower the public, yet relentless coverage of negative events can leave readers anxious, helpless, or disengaged. Ignoring these effects undercuts the basic mission of the press.
Learning from Finland: A different approach
The Finnish bedtime ritual offers a useful metaphor for journalism. Just like children think about their day before going to sleep, readers can better understand the news if stories include background information, ideas for fixing problems, and messages of hope.
This is the philosophy behind solutions journalism, promoted by groups like the Solutions Journalism Network. It doesn’t mean sugar-coating problems or avoiding hard truths. Instead, it means telling the full story, highlighting not just the problem but also credible responses and examples of success.
For instance, when reporting on youth anxiety, a journalist could explore programs in schools, community initiatives, or national policies that help children build resilience. Research from the University of Texas at Austin’s Engaging News Project found that readers of solutions-focused articles felt more optimistic about the issue and more confident that there were effective ways to address it, compared with readers who only saw problem-focused news. Engaging audiences this way also strengthens trust in media, an important advantage at a time when many people doubt the news.
Small shifts, big impact
In many ways, journalism can borrow inspiration from the Finnish habit of ending the day with a moment of reflection. It’s a simple cultural practice, not a rule, but it shows how small habits can shape how people process the world around them and be less anxious.
Similarly, there are a few modest adjustments journalists can consider when thinking about how audiences absorb the news:
Language: choosing clear, calm wording instead of dramatic phrasing when covering difficult subjects.
Balance: showing not only the problem, but also what people or communities are trying in response.
Context: helping readers understand why something is happening, not only that it happened.
Follow-up: returning to stories so people see what changed over time.
They are reflections on how reporting might support a clearer and more grounded understanding of events. And just as the Finnish ritual helps families end the day with perspective, these small journalistic choices can help audiences navigate the news with a better coherence.
Real-world examples
Some news outlets are already using solutions journalism. The Guardian’s Upside series, BBC’s People Fixing the World, and CBC’s What On Earth? spotlight serious issues, like climate, health, and inequality, while focusing on real-world innovations and responses. These programs illustrate that news can inform without overwhelming, by highlighting constructive change.
Closing the cycle
In a world where headlines bombard us with crisis after crisis, journalism can offer closure. Just as the Finnish ritual encourages children to reflect on a positive moment before sleep, journalists can help audiences finish the news cycle feeling informed rather than exhausted. The goal isn’t “feel-good news” – it’s resilience and understanding in an age of constant noise.
Journalism has always been about sharing information. Today, it can also help improve our mental well-being, one calming story at a time.
American Psychological Association (2023). Stress in America: The State of Our Nation.
Reuters Institute (2024). Digital News Report: Trends in News Consumption and Avoidance.
University of Texas at Austin (2021). The Effects of Solutions Journalism on Audience Trust and Engagement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel had identified the latest remains returned from Gaza as hostage Dror Or.That leaves the bodies of two hostages in Gaza as the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement nears a conclusion.Palestinian militants released Or’s remains Tuesday.Israel has agreed to release 15 Palestinian bodies for each hostage returned.Dror Or was killed by Islamic Jihad militants who overran his home in Kibbutz Beeri on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel’s military said. His wife, Yonat Or, was also killed in the attack.That day, Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people across southern Israel and abducted 251 to Gaza. Kibbutz Beeri was one of the hardest-hit farming communities in that attack that started the war in Gaza.Two of Or’s children, Alma and Noam, were abducted by the militants on Oct. 7 and released in a hostage deal in November 2023.Almost all of the hostages or their remains have been returned in ceasefires or other deals. The remains of two — one Israeli and one Thai national— are still in Gaza.Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 69,700 Palestinians have been killed and 170,800 injured in Israel’s retaliatory offensive. The toll has increased during the ceasefire, both from new Israeli strikes and from the recovery and identification of bodies of people killed earlier in the war.The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures, but has said women and children make up a majority of those killed. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel had identified the latest remains returned from Gaza as hostage Dror Or.
That leaves the bodies of two hostages in Gaza as the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement nears a conclusion.
Palestinian militants released Or’s remains Tuesday.
Israel has agreed to release 15 Palestinian bodies for each hostage returned.
Dror Or was killed by Islamic Jihad militants who overran his home in Kibbutz Beeri on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel’s military said. His wife, Yonat Or, was also killed in the attack.
That day, Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people across southern Israel and abducted 251 to Gaza. Kibbutz Beeri was one of the hardest-hit farming communities in that attack that started the war in Gaza.
Two of Or’s children, Alma and Noam, were abducted by the militants on Oct. 7 and released in a hostage deal in November 2023.
Almost all of the hostages or their remains have been returned in ceasefires or other deals. The remains of two — one Israeli and one Thai national— are still in Gaza.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 69,700 Palestinians have been killed and 170,800 injured in Israel’s retaliatory offensive. The toll has increased during the ceasefire, both from new Israeli strikes and from the recovery and identification of bodies of people killed earlier in the war.
The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures, but has said women and children make up a majority of those killed. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent experts.
A Long Beach man who previously served time in prison for felony child abuse was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of torturing and murdering his 14-month-old daughter, authorities said.
The toddler’s father, Alfredo Munoz, 40, and stepmother Kelly Munoz, 34, were taken into custody in the 200 block of East Louise Street in connection with the child’s death, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
Officers initially responded to a hospital on Nov. 7 where the toddler was unresponsive with signs of severe trauma, police said. She was put on life support and died three days later. Her identity is being withheld.
Over the course of a two-week investigation, homicide detectives determined that the toddler had been a victim of ongoing abuse and that her death was a direct result of abuse from her father and stepmother, police said.
Both suspects are being held without bail at the Long Beach Jail, and detectives plan to present the case to the L.A. County district attorney’s office for filing consideration next week.
Alfredo Munoz was previously sentenced to four years in state prison in December 2021 after he pleaded no contest to one count of willful cruelty to a child causing possible injury or death, according to court records.
A law enforcement source confirmed the man charged in the prior Long Beach abuse case was the same man arrested Tuesday. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case with the media.
Munoz had been released from custody at the time the alleged abuse of the now-deceased toddler took place.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Homicide Dets. Ethan Shear and Kelsey Myers at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips can be left at (800) 222-8477 or at www.lacrimestoppers.org.
Firefighters in Orange County took matters into their own hands Friday to demonstrate the dangers of frying a turkey, and shared their tips on how everyone can ensure “a happy, hazard-free Thanksgiving with your loved ones.”Cooking fires are the leading cause of house fires and fire-related injuries in the country, Orange County Fire Rescue said. Officials who hosted the event aimed to show those cooking a frozen turkey what could happen if the bird is placed into an overfilled, scorching oil fryer. The results could be dangerous, whether it be a hot oil spill or a fire that could cause severe burns, property damage and potential explosions. The Florida Department of Health in Lake County and Osceola County also shared tips for the upcoming holiday, hoping to encourage everyone to stay healthy and safe. The two shared the following information for Thanksgiving best practices in news releases:Food SafetyThaw meat in the refrigerator or in a sink filled with cold water before cooking. The water needs to be changed every 30 minutes. Do not thaw it on the counter, as foodborne bacteria can quickly grow.Keep raw foods separate from cooked foods and wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces frequently to avoid cross-contamination.Do not consume raw batter or dough that is made with flour or eggs to avoid harmful bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella.Use a food thermometer to ensure foods are cooked to proper internal temperatures.Once the food is prepared, keep hot foods above 140 degrees Fahrenheit and cold items below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.Hot and cold leftovers need to be refrigerated within two hours of being served.Keep hot foods insulated and place cold foods on ice or gel packs while in the car.Physical Health and Mental Well-BeingThe holiday season often comes with busier schedules, making it extra important to take care of mental well-being and physical health. Find ways to be physically active. This can be as simple as walking for an extra 10 minutes during your holiday shopping.Schedule time to unwind and take part in activities you enjoy.Use healthy ingredients in your traditional dishes by opting for less sodium and healthy fats.Reach out and check in on one another. The holidays can heighten feelings of loss or grief. Connecting with your community can help, especially for those struggling.Decoration and Travel SafetyAvoid placing poisonous plants in areas accessible to children and pets. Holly berries, mistletoe, amaryllis, and English ivy are a few poisonous plants that are popular around the holidays.Secure and cover extension cords to prevent trips and falls.Be cautious when using spray-on artificial snow. Inhalation can cause irritation to the lungs.Make sure car seats are properly installed and children are in the right seats for their age and size. Set up a car seat safety inspection.Be well rested before getting behind the wheel.Designate a sober driver.
Firefighters in Orange County took matters into their own hands Friday to demonstrate the dangers of frying a turkey, and shared their tips on how everyone can ensure “a happy, hazard-free Thanksgiving with your loved ones.”
Cooking fires are the leading cause of house fires and fire-related injuries in the country, Orange County Fire Rescue said.
Officials who hosted the event aimed to show those cooking a frozen turkey what could happen if the bird is placed into an overfilled, scorching oil fryer. The results could be dangerous, whether it be a hot oil spill or a fire that could cause severe burns, property damage and potential explosions.
The Florida Department of Health in Lake County and Osceola County also shared tips for the upcoming holiday, hoping to encourage everyone to stay healthy and safe.
The two shared the following information for Thanksgiving best practices in news releases:
Food Safety
Thaw meat in the refrigerator or in a sink filled with cold water before cooking. The water needs to be changed every 30 minutes. Do not thaw it on the counter, as foodborne bacteria can quickly grow.
Keep raw foods separate from cooked foods and wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces frequently to avoid cross-contamination.
Do not consume raw batter or dough that is made with flour or eggs to avoid harmful bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella.
Use a food thermometer to ensure foods are cooked to proper internal temperatures.
Once the food is prepared, keep hot foods above 140 degrees Fahrenheit and cold items below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hot and cold leftovers need to be refrigerated within two hours of being served.
Keep hot foods insulated and place cold foods on ice or gel packs while in the car.
Physical Health and Mental Well-Being
The holiday season often comes with busier schedules, making it extra important to take care of mental well-being and physical health.
Find ways to be physically active. This can be as simple as walking for an extra 10 minutes during your holiday shopping.
Schedule time to unwind and take part in activities you enjoy.
Use healthy ingredients in your traditional dishes by opting for less sodium and healthy fats.
Reach out and check in on one another. The holidays can heighten feelings of loss or grief. Connecting with your community can help, especially for those struggling.
Decoration and Travel Safety
Avoid placing poisonous plants in areas accessible to children and pets. Holly berries, mistletoe, amaryllis, and English ivy are a few poisonous plants that are popular around the holidays.
Secure and cover extension cords to prevent trips and falls.
Be cautious when using spray-on artificial snow. Inhalation can cause irritation to the lungs.
Make sure car seats are properly installed and children are in the right seats for their age and size. Set up a car seat safety inspection.
Hunter Rael, an 8-year-old boy from New Mexico, has received a new heart after experiencing Kawasaki disease, a rare illness that causes inflammation of the blood vessels and serious heart issues.Hunter’s family received a life-changing phone call on Tuesday, informing them that a new heart was available for him. “We were in shock. We were a mix of emotions. We were crying,” Anna Moya, his mother, said.The news comes right around Hunter’s three-year anniversary of his Kawasaki disease diagnosis. On Nov. 1, 2022, Hunter was diagnosed with the rare illness. It primarily affects young children and causes inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body, but in Hunter’s case, it caused serious heart issues.According to the Mayo Clinic, Kawasaki disease most often affects the heart arteries in children. Kids with the illness sometimes have a high fever, swollen hands and feet with skin peeling, red eyes, and tongue. The Mayo Clinic reports that with early treatment, most children get better and have no long-lasting symptoms. On Tuesday, Hunter just got back to New Mexico after traveling to Colorado for a checkup at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Around 11 that morning, he received a phone call he’s been waiting for. “You need to come back. We found Hunter a heart, and it’s go time,” said Moya. He and his mom immediately got on a plane and headed to Colorado.At 5 a.m. Wednesday, Hunter underwent surgery. Cell phone video shared by his family shows the 8-year-old being wheeled back to surgery as he listens to his favorite artist, Jelly Roll. Hunter said Jelly Roll’s music helps keep him calm and gets him through tough times.In October, Hunter got a surprise package from Jelly Roll’s team. It included some gifts and a signed album. According to Hunter, meeting the artist would be a dream come true.Doctors found a bleed flooding the transplant, but were able to fix it. Hunter’s family says right now, Hunter is in stable condition after having a rough night.As of Thursday, Hunter was on an ECMO machine to allow his heart and lungs to rest and heal. His family told sister station KOAT that things are looking good, but it’s going to take some time to see how his body adjusts to the new heart.”They’re slowly starting to kind of wake him up off the sedation. He’ll probably be on that for a few more days. Then we’ll probably have more like of an understanding, make sure everything’s going good, no brain damage, because he’s had a hard hit,” said Moya. “It’s really affecting his body. He’s kind of swollen right now, and they’re trying just to get everything under control.”Hunter and his family want to thank everyone who’s reached out and has been following his journey. “We appreciate all the prayers. Just keep rooting for him. Just keep praying,” said Moya. ‘”As soon as I’m able to show you guys his beautiful face and he’s awake, I will, I will do that … we’ll get him singing Jelly Roll again and we’re going to get there. It’s just going to take time.”
Hunter Rael, an 8-year-old boy from New Mexico, has received a new heart after experiencing Kawasaki disease, a rare illness that causes inflammation of the blood vessels and serious heart issues.
Hunter’s family received a life-changing phone call on Tuesday, informing them that a new heart was available for him.
“We were in shock. We were a mix of emotions. We were crying,” Anna Moya, his mother, said.
The news comes right around Hunter’s three-year anniversary of his Kawasaki disease diagnosis. On Nov. 1, 2022, Hunter was diagnosed with the rare illness. It primarily affects young children and causes inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body, but in Hunter’s case, it caused serious heart issues.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Kawasaki disease most often affects the heart arteries in children. Kids with the illness sometimes have a high fever, swollen hands and feet with skin peeling, red eyes, and tongue. The Mayo Clinic reports that with early treatment, most children get better and have no long-lasting symptoms.
On Tuesday, Hunter just got back to New Mexico after traveling to Colorado for a checkup at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Around 11 that morning, he received a phone call he’s been waiting for.
“You need to come back. We found Hunter a heart, and it’s go time,” said Moya.
He and his mom immediately got on a plane and headed to Colorado.
At 5 a.m. Wednesday, Hunter underwent surgery. Cell phone video shared by his family shows the 8-year-old being wheeled back to surgery as he listens to his favorite artist, Jelly Roll. Hunter said Jelly Roll’s music helps keep him calm and gets him through tough times.
In October, Hunter got a surprise package from Jelly Roll’s team. It included some gifts and a signed album. According to Hunter, meeting the artist would be a dream come true.
Doctors found a bleed flooding the transplant, but were able to fix it. Hunter’s family says right now, Hunter is in stable condition after having a rough night.
As of Thursday, Hunter was on an ECMO machine to allow his heart and lungs to rest and heal. His family told sister station KOAT that things are looking good, but it’s going to take some time to see how his body adjusts to the new heart.
“They’re slowly starting to kind of wake him up off the sedation. He’ll probably be on that for a few more days. Then we’ll probably have more like of an understanding, make sure everything’s going good, no brain damage, because he’s had a hard hit,” said Moya. “It’s really affecting his body. He’s kind of swollen right now, and they’re trying just to get everything under control.”
Hunter and his family want to thank everyone who’s reached out and has been following his journey.
“We appreciate all the prayers. Just keep rooting for him. Just keep praying,” said Moya. ‘”As soon as I’m able to show you guys his beautiful face and he’s awake, I will, I will do that … we’ll get him singing Jelly Roll again and we’re going to get there. It’s just going to take time.”
A total of 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were abducted by gunmen during an attack on St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in north-central Nigeria’s Niger state, the Christian Association of Nigeria said Saturday, updating an earlier tally of 215 schoolchildren.The tally was changed “after a verification exercise and a final census was carried out,” according to a statement issued by the Most. Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Niger state chapter of CAN, who visited the school on Friday.He said 88 other students “were also captured after they tried to escape” during the attack. The students were both male and female and ranged in age from 10 to 18.The school kidnapping in Niger state’s remote Papiri community happened four days after 25 schoolchildren were seized in similar circumstances in neighboring Kebbi state’s Maga town, which is 170 kilometers (106 miles) away.No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abductions and authorities have said tactical squads have been deployed alongside local hunters to rescue the children.Yohanna described as false a claim from the state government that the school had reopened for studies despite an earlier directive for schools in that part of Niger state to close temporarily due to security threats.“We did not receive any circular. It must be an afterthought and a way to shift blame,” he said, calling on families “to remain calm and prayerful.”School kidnappings have come to define insecurity in Africa’s most populous nation, and armed gangs often see schools as “strategic” targets to draw more attention.UNICEF said last year that only 37% of schools across 10 of the conflict-hit states have early warning systems to detect threats.The kidnappings are happening amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims of targeted killings against Christians in the West African country. Attacks in Nigeria affect both Christians and Muslims. The school attack earlier this week in Kebbi state was in a Muslim-majority town.The attack also took place as Nigerian National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu was visiting the U.S. where he met Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday.
ABUJA, Nigeria —
A total of 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers were abducted by gunmen during an attack on St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in north-central Nigeria’s Niger state, the Christian Association of Nigeria said Saturday, updating an earlier tally of 215 schoolchildren.
The tally was changed “after a verification exercise and a final census was carried out,” according to a statement issued by the Most. Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Niger state chapter of CAN, who visited the school on Friday.
He said 88 other students “were also captured after they tried to escape” during the attack. The students were both male and female and ranged in age from 10 to 18.
The school kidnapping in Niger state’s remote Papiri community happened four days after 25 schoolchildren were seized in similar circumstances in neighboring Kebbi state’s Maga town, which is 170 kilometers (106 miles) away.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abductions and authorities have said tactical squads have been deployed alongside local hunters to rescue the children.
Yohanna described as false a claim from the state government that the school had reopened for studies despite an earlier directive for schools in that part of Niger state to close temporarily due to security threats.
“We did not receive any circular. It must be an afterthought and a way to shift blame,” he said, calling on families “to remain calm and prayerful.”
School kidnappings have come to define insecurity in Africa’s most populous nation, and armed gangs often see schools as “strategic” targets to draw more attention.
UNICEF said last year that only 37% of schools across 10 of the conflict-hit states have early warning systems to detect threats.
The kidnappings are happening amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims of targeted killings against Christians in the West African country. Attacks in Nigeria affect both Christians and Muslims. The school attack earlier this week in Kebbi state was in a Muslim-majority town.
The attack also took place as Nigerian National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu was visiting the U.S. where he met Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday.
With America’s industrial revolution in the rearview, the government begins promoting homemaking to young women as an exciting new science — “just as useful to maid as to mistress.”
Meanwhile, kitchens are adopting technology like mass-produced metal stoves, the early iterations of refrigerators (just iceboxes, at first) and electrification. The electric kitchen leads to the first generation of countertop tools including automatic toasters and stand mixers. A century later, these appliances have barely changed.
Female students prepare food in a home economics class at the University of Maryland in 1926.
“Is not housework as worthwhile studying as the shoveling of coal? Is not housekeeping the biggest, the most essential industry of all?”Bulletin of the American School of Home Economics, 1915
1920
The Hoosier Manufacturing Company publishes “The Kitchen Plan Book,” which offers readers 50blueprints for kitchens designed by “leading architects and architectural draughtsmen of America.” They incorporate the new technology of modular, mass-produced cabinetry. To this point, kitchen storage meant free-standing furniture, simple shelves, or cabinets built on-site by a carpenter, said Brent Hull, a Texas-based builder who specializes in the history of millwork, especially in the kitchen.
“The Kitchen Plan Book” presented some futuristic ideas for the room’s design, promising to “simplify the work which a woman must do in her kitchen.”
1926
Architects begin applying the lens of domestic science to the kitchen, with many inspired by the work of the famed Viennese architect Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky. Her compact, sleek, function-driven “Frankfurt Kitchen” feels like a forerunner of IKEA, said Alexis Barr, an expert in kitchen design history at the New York School of Interior Design.
“She’s actually labeling some of those drawers, so it’s sort of set out for the homeowner, like, “This is where you’re going to put your flour; this is where you’re going to put your bread,’” Ms. Barr said. “And she’s integrating that fitted kitchen and the components of it. And it’s all sort of predicated around the idea that you’re going to have this certain set of appliances.”
The Frankfurt Kitchen still captivates kitchen designers nearly a century later.
Mark Phillips/Alamy
American kitchens are also becoming more practically designed, with an ideal number of steps between the stove, sink and counters. Designers at the University of Illinois School of Architecture would refine this concept in the 1940s as a “work triangle,” a term still used by kitchen designers today.
The University of Illinois School of Architecture refined the concept of the kitchen “work triangle” in the 1940s. The term is still used to lay out kitchens today.
The University of Illinois Press
Your Ideal Kitchen
How connected should the kitchen be to the rest of the home?
1934
Kitchens are evolving, but most are still closed off from the rest of the home. Enter Frank Lloyd Wright, who designs what many believe to be the first open-concept kitchen for Malcolm and Nancy Willey, a middle-class couple in Minneapolis. Mrs. Willey wanted to cook and entertain at the same time, decades before the arrival of the open floor plan. The resulting room is still economical in terms of space and movement, but also sunlit and beautiful, connected by a half-wall and handsome picture windows to the home’s living spaces.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s open-concept design for a kitchen in Minneapolis, which allowed the homeowners to cook and entertain at the same time.
Hedrich Blessing Collection/Chicago History Museum, via Getty Images
1945
A rush of home-building and suburbanization emerges after World War II, as does the use of more processed design materials perfected in military applications. The company that makes Formica, for example, expands its line of kitchen countertops with new patterns and colors. Plywood manufacturing takes off.
Showing off our new purchases — “look at the latest convenience, look at my new stove” — becomes increasingly chic, said Mr. Hull. As a result, “the kitchen really transforms after 1950 into much more of a modern space.”
In the 1956 short film “Once Upon a Honeymoon, sponsored by Bell Telephone, a housewife serenades her dream kitchen.
“Just look under ‘plastics’ in the yellow-pages of your phone book for a nearby Formica fabricator. You can have beautiful Formica in your kitchen for only a few dollars a month.”1956 advertisement
1957
Amana unveils a bottom-freezer refrigerator, so owners no longer have to crouch all the way down to reach their produce drawers. The appliance brand, now owned by Whirlpool Corporation, had also invented the side-by-side refrigerator 10 years before. The new designs lead to new features, like through-the-door ice machines and French doors.
To this point, all fridges had come with the freezer on top, the simplest way to design a refrigerator, said Barry Burkan, a refrigerator expert and a dean at Apex Technical School in New York City. Top-freezer refrigerators benefit from warm air rising up to the freezer, where it gets cooled before sinking back down to cool the refrigerator. Move the freezer to the bottom or to the side, and things get more complicated.
Until the 1950s refrigerators came in just one style, with the freezer on top. Some models hid a door to the freezer inside the exterior door, to keep more cold air inside.
PhotoQuest, via Getty Images
Your Ideal Kitchen
I like the freezer of my refrigerator to be…
1963
Julia Child’s first TV show, “The French Chef,” introduces millions of Americans to French cooking, but also to her large, open, well-equipped, semiprofessional kitchen — including a massive Garland gas range, a peg board and Le Creuset pots and pans, all of which are now on view at the Smithsonian. Viewers don’t just want to cook like her, they want to own the products they see her use onscreen.
The show becomes such a fixture in the American imagination that it is still being parodied 15 years later by a bloody Dan Aykroyd on “Saturday Night Live.”
Julia Child became a household name after her TV show, “The French Chef,” made its debut in 1963. Her kitchen co-starred.
1978
General Electric Company manufactures an over-the-range microwave oven, freeing up counter space. It quickly becomes the visual centerpiece of many American kitchens.
In 1978, General Electric created the first over-the-range microwave, which combined a microwave and a range hood. The innovation altered the aesthetic of many American kitchens.
Harold M. Lambert/Getty Images
“Microwaves had gotten more and more popular, but everyone noticed they had gotten bigger and bigger, and taking up more and more counter space.”Jim Hoetker, a former industrial designer at G.E.
Your Ideal Kitchen
1983
What do personal computers have to do with kitchens? They become a regular presence in the “the command center,” the new kitchen-home-office combination sweeping the country, said Lauren Tolles, who founded the Michigan custom cabinetry company Maison Birmingham.
“Back then, you would have had your landline sitting on it. You would have a stack of mail, the kids’ homework,” Ms. Tolles said. “The concept was successful, because the mom didn’t have to be out of the kitchen and away from her family anywhere.”
Compact personal computers make their way into the kitchen, as seen in this 1977 ad for the Apple II. Interior designers respond with built-in office spaces nicknamed “the command center.”
Apple
1990
As suburbs and houses continue to grow, the term “McMansions” makes its way into the vernacular. Kitchens, a practical space up through the 1950s, morph into a “decorative space,” said Mr. Hull. Cabinets grow more luxurious, ceilings grow taller, and stoves with braggable brand names like Viking or Wolf become more mainstream. “That’s really when it becomes kind of the most expensive room in the house,” he said.
Your Ideal Kitchen
How do you feel about kitchen islands?
1999
The Manhattan restaurant Pastis, designed by Ian McPheely and the restaurateur Keith McNally, is slathered wall-to-wall in reclaimed, glazed white subway tiles. The tiles are there (and in subways) because they’re extremely durable, easy to apply in many patterns, and easy to clean, said Mr. McPheely, now a director at Paisley Design in New York City. But they also strike an emotional chord, one reason they are now ubiquitous in American kitchens: “It gives you an instant kind of sense of history,” he said.
The Manhattan restaurant Pastis, designed by Ian McPheely and Keith McNally, was clad both inside and out in reclaimed white subway tiles. Now they’re everywhere else, too.
Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
Your Ideal Kitchen
2005
New homes with the most up-to-date kitchen plans — large, open to the rest of the home, and increasingly central — are emerging across the country, at the tail end of a housing building boom that began in the late 1990s.
“All of a sudden, it was like this open-concept kitchen where you just had, like, literally one room,” said Aurora Farewell, whose eponymous architecture and interior design firm is based in Connecticut. Even with renovations to older homes, she said, “almost always it’s a conversation about, ‘How do you make that kitchen feel central?’”
Today, most newer homes have kitchens that are fully open, and increasingly central.
Neil Podoll/Shutterstock
2011
“The Property Brothers” reality show, starring Jonathan and Drew Scott, becomes a breakout success for HGTV. The show, along with the advent of social media and affordable home-furnishing retailers like IKEA, has a huge impact on home renovations.
“They’ve really made design and kind of D.I.Y. projects accessible to the masses,” said Ms. Tolles. “And there’s so much information out there on TV, on the internet. You walk into the IKEA store, they have planners. They do make it easy to do.”
The grand opening of New York City’s first IKEA store in 2008, in Brooklyn. Ready-to-assemble cabinets and other D.I.Y. innovations made kitchen renovations more accessible and affordable.
Mark Lennihan/Associated Press
“Showing them that you can make a beautiful dream home well within your budget, you don’t always have to get a turnkey ready place — that’s the biggest thing about our show that people love.”Drew Scott, co-host of “Property Brothers,” September 2011
2012
Imported cabinets made from lighter-weight, affordable engineered wood — flat-packed and shipped ready to assemble — are taking off in the U.S. “The quality of a lot of those are not that great, but the price point is so reasonable,” said Ms. Viola. “If you watch any of those HGTV shows and you see someone that says, ‘Yeah, well, we got this complete kitchen done for $10,000,’ you know it’s because they spent $1,000 on that flat-pack cabinetry that’s going to last maybe a year.”
Your Ideal Kitchen
I want my kitchen storage …
2016
The Japanese clutter consultant Marie Kondo is so popular that her name becomes a verb. Across the country, companies that focus on organizing emerge to help us deal with the storage of too much stuff — one consequence of a kitchen that’s open to the rest of the house, said Ms. Tolles: “In a small house, it’s nice to have that openness. But then you literally have just lost like an entire wall of storage.”
One consequence of having a kitchen that’s open to the rest of the house is losing walls, which help provide more storage space.
Getty Images
Your Ideal Kitchen
I prefer a kitchen that is…
2020
As Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns begin in March, Americans are working from home, often in the kitchen. Children attend school online, often in the kitchen.
“It really was during Covid that people realized that the open concept is loud,” said Sarah Snouffer, the founder of Third Street Architecture in Washington, D.C. “It’s hard to find enough space. It’s hard to have multiple people working or learning in the same space.”
The Covid-19 pandemic forced us to rethink how we used our kitchens. For many, they became classrooms for home-schooling.
John Moore/Getty Images
“My kids are now teenagers, and with quarantine home-schooling in full effect, we’re once again all sitting around the same table at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with fate dishing out extra portions of frayed nerves and financial uncertainty.”Hugh Garvey, Sunset Magazine, April 2020
2023
The pandemic is easing, but pressure on usable space in the kitchen remains high. Shopping and cooking habits change, said Wendy Trunz, a partner in the New York City home organization company Jane’s Addiction. More people are buying in bulk and cooking at home. And many still don’t go to an office. “Some never really went back because they didn’t have to, and they kind of took over a little part of the kitchen, or a part of a dining room,” said Ms. Trunz.
Post-pandemic, many people still buy in bulk and cook more meals at home, requiring more space for storage.
Julia Gartland for The New York Times
2025
Kitchen designers are adapting, with warmer, more comfortable designs replacing sleek and streamlined. Kitchen islands expand, or multiply, as people want flexible all-day seating and places to plug in laptops and stash more cooking appliances and servingware.
Ms. Farewell is creating more privacy without closing off the room completely, through additions like pocket doors or framed openings that provide a sense of a separation as needed. “I do not necessarily think that the kitchen of the future, or necessarily even the kitchen of today, is an open kitchen,” she said.
The Times spoke to several therapists, social workers, researchers and organizations serving Thai and Asian Americans to examine how treatment and recovery can be tailored toward their needs. These recommendations emerged: addressing a client’s practical needs, involving family and community in their care and practicing mindfulness in the context of community.
Addressing clients’ practical needs first
Gordon Hall, a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Oregon, explained that Asian Americans have high dropout rates after going to therapy. Helping them solve practical problems can be a way to keep them engaged.
“[Some therapists] may spend the first three weeks on [a client’s] thoughts and feelings, and maybe that will eventually get to the person’s practical problems,” Hall said. “But for many Asian Americans, they may think: What do my thoughts and feelings have to do with this conflict I’m having with my mom, or this issue with my boss about asking for a raise?”
Natyra Na Takuathung, a case manager at Asian Pacific Counseling & Treatment Centers, works with psychiatric social worker Wanda Pathomrit to help clients, many of whom are Thai immigrants, apply for social benefits. Pathomrit meets with clients to understand their mental health anxieties, and Na Takuathung can help them apply for programs like CalFresh or CalWorks.
Pathomrit explained that she integrates case management into her therapy sessions because many clients with depression, trauma or avoidance behaviors may struggle to maintain relationships with case managers or follow through on referrals. Instead of separating the roles, she uses real-world situations — navigating the Department of Public Social Services or substance treatment centers — as opportunities to build coping skills, practice emotional regulation and foster self-compassion.
“By coaching in the moment, I help clients grow confidence and self-esteem while accessing services,” Pathomrit said. “For high-need, high-risk cases, this intensive approach is not ‘extra’ — it’s critical for progress.”
But some clients are hesitant to accept help, explained Na Takuathung, because they believe they will “burden” society by doing so.
“They had this idea that if they did not ask for public benefits, then they were ‘good immigrants,’” Na Takuathung said. “They would think it’s better that they struggled and made their own money, and even if it wasn’t enough, they would just struggle in silence.”
The choice is ultimately up to them, Na Takuathung said. But she explains how these programs can relieve some of their stress, reminding them that they do not have to feel guilty.
“You’ve been living in this country. You contributed to this country, too,” Na Takuathung said. “You deserve kindness.”
Involving family in care
In a study examining culturally competent treatments for Asian Americans, Hall and co-author Janie Hong explain that Western-based approaches tend to emphasize individualism and personal reflection.
“You go in, you have to talk about your problems, you have to verbalize what’s going on inside to a stranger within 50 minutes, and that healing happens through this vocalization of your internal experiences,” said Hong, a clinical associate professor at Stanford Medicine.
In contrast, many Asian communities are rooted in collectivist cultures, where identity and wellness are deeply intertwined with family and group harmony.
“If you’re in a community where everyone’s supposed to be taking care of you and you’re supposed to be taking care of them, if you have a problem, that implicates your whole group,” Hall said. “Approaches that are very focused on the individual … may deter Asian Americans from seeking treatment.”
As the chief clinical officer of Richmond Area Multi-Services, one of the country’s first agencies addressing Asian American and Pacific Islander communities’ needs for culturally competent services, Christina Shea has observed the value of involving family members in a person’s care.
“If you work with [a client] in the Western psychology, it helps because that’s one unit,” Shea said. “But if you work with, say, somebody from Southeast Asia [and] you work with one individual, that’s not enough. That’s not a unit, because that person is connected with the family.”
Phramaha Dusit Sawaengwong sees these dynamics frequently as a monk at Wat Thai of Los Angeles. He commonly observes conflict when immigrant parents’ high hopes and expectations clash with their children’s own career aspirations.
Phramaha Dusit Sawaengwong, monk and secretary, stands inside the temple at Wat Thai of Los Angeles.
(Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times)
Language barriers can exacerbate the disagreement. A common Thai word used to describe suffering is hua òk ja tàek, which means that one’s chest (heart area) is about to shatter. But parents with limited English may have difficulty conveying this sentiment to their child.
“[They] want to say something, but [they] don’t know how to say it,” he said.
Since parents often visit him at the temple for counseling help, he advises them to let their child absorb all the different opportunities available to them and to let them bloom.
“Don’t expect … just let them learn,” Sawaengwong said.
Support can extend beyond family.
Danielle Ung, a counseling and health psychology assistant professor at Bastyr University, is examining the mental health toll on Southeast Asian students during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. She works with patients to identify communities where they can receive support, viewing community as “concentric circles that surround that person.”
“Community can mean friends, extended families, adopted families, even the community which you live in,” Ung said.
Pam Evagee and Ta Sanalak are volunteer teachers at Wat Thai temple who coordinate Thai-language lessons and cultural programs to foster communication and understanding between family members. They ask parents to understand how living in the U.S. can influence their child’s beliefs while explaining to the student the importance of learning traditional customs because of where their parents grew up.
“We understand the parent because we are Thai, and we understand the kid because we’ve lived here [in the U.S.] for quite some time,” Sanalak said.
Families can also support each other at Wat Thai.
Some kids may be the only Thai student at their school, explained Evagee. At the temple, they can form friendships with other Thai students who understand their challenges. And many parents will cook meals together at the temple for their children while sharing advice on handling conflicts within families.
Mindfulness is a core tenet of Buddhism. According to the Pew Research Center, 90% of adults in Thailand identify as Buddhist, and many Thai Americans continue to practice the religion.
According to Hall, many Western therapies incorporate mindfulness, but the focus remains on the individual, whereas Eastern-based mindfulness practices account for the self within a community.
“There’s what’s called loving kindness meditation, where you focus on someone who’s done something for you,” Hall said. “You might meditate on your mother to the extent that she’s taken care of you, the gratitude you have for [her] and what you [owe] her.”
Buddhist monk Phiphop Phuphong frequently employs this approach when visiting people who are ill or hospitalized.
A diabetic man who had his leg amputated expressed deep grief over the loss and shame at “becoming a burden,” feeling dependent on his mother and sister. Phuphong guided him through mindfulness exercises to help him find peace with his new reality while encouraging him to stay strong for his mother’s and sister’s sake.
“Your body is your present,” Phuphong said through an interpreter. “Bring your mind back to your home.”
Health policies and training have come a long way
The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health has services to reach underserved communities. It supports cultural competency through translation and interpreting services, culturally and linguistically inclusive services and bilingual bonuses for employees. But language is just the start.
“We’re trying to cover all of our bases, but I do think there’s still a lot of work to be done,” said Dr. Lisa Wong, who heads the department. “And I don’t think we’re going to make a huge amount of progress until we bring a more diverse workforce into mental health.”
Wong added that it is difficult to recruit clinical professionals from diverse ethnic backgrounds because many new immigrants and their children choose higher-earning professions rather than mental health fields.
In addition, much of the training and education for practitioners are still based on Western concepts of mental health and recovery. Many evidence-based models were developed from research on predominantly Eurocentric populations, explained Carl Highshaw, executive director of the National Assn. of Social Workers’ California chapter.
“While these models have value, they often fail to capture the realities of immigrant and collectivist cultures,” Highshaw said. “We need to adapt and co-create interventions that honor cultural traditions, family systems and community networks.”
Hong appreciates that many therapists are now acknowledging clients’ cultural context. Equally important, she said, is finding methods that do not stereotype.
“Not all Asian Americans are going to respond to a problem-solving approach, and not all Asian Americans are collectivist or interdependent,” Hall added. “[Some] may really want the mainstream cognitive behavioral approach. They want to talk about their thoughts and feelings, and that may actually help them.”
Approaches that have worked for the Thai community and for Asian Americans can work for other communities too, Hall said.
For Highshaw, cultural competence is “not optional,” especially in a diverse state like California.
“Moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach,” he said. “Ensuring that interventions reflect the lived experiences, values and strengths of the communities we serve … is an ethical responsibility.”
Interpreter Supakit Art Pattarateranon contributed to this report.
California is quickly becoming a national leader in figuring out how families, educators, and lawmakers should adapt to life with artificial intelligence. From new classroom conversations to the state’s first major chatbot regulations, many are grappling with how to keep up with technology that moves faster than ever.Families Navigating AI at HomeRemember the dial-up days? Today, technology evolves in an instant—and many parents are struggling to keep pace.David and Rachelle Young have set strict rules for their 7-year-old daughter Dyllan’s online use.“Kids have a lot of access to the internet, and they can be shown something that we wouldn’t normally approve of, and that’s really scary,” Rachelle Young said.David says his daughter’s world looks nothing like what he had at her age—making parental guidance more important than ever.Lawmakers Respond: A New Chatbot CrackdownConcerns about children talking to AI-powered chatbots have reached the state Capitol.Senator Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson co-authored SB 243, signed into law this fall, marking California’s first major attempt at regulating chatbot interactions.The new law requires companies to: Report safety concerns—such as when a user expresses thoughts of self-harm Clearly notify users that they are talking to a computer, not a person“They don’t want you to turn your phone off. They want you to think that you’re talking to a real friend, but they don’t have that same level of morality,” she said. Her concerns stem from real-world consequences: last year, a 14-year-old in Florida took his own life after forming what his family described as a “relationship” with a chatbot.Inside the Classroom: Understanding AI’s InfluenceAt UC Davis, Associate Professor Jingwen Zhang is tackling these issues head-on. She created a course examining how social media, artificial intelligence and chatbots shape human behavior.”Children used to form social relationships by talking in person or texting. Now they’re having similar levels of conversations with chatbots,” she said.Zhang says SB 243 is a strong first step but believes more protections are needed—especially for minors.She recommends future regulations that: Create stricter guardrails for what topics children can discuss with AI Limit exposure to sensitive or harmful content Add tighter controls for minor accountsA Rapidly Changing LandscapeParents, educators, and policymakers all agree: keeping up with AI will require constant learning.“We have to get to a place where companies are rolling out things that will not hurt the future generation,” Sen. Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson said.What’s Changing NextParents told KCRA 3 they want schools to start teaching more about AI safety and digital literacy.Starting this month, the popular Character AI platform is rolling out several major changes: Users under 18 will no longer be able to participate in open-ended chat Younger users will face a two-hour daily limit See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
California is quickly becoming a national leader in figuring out how families, educators, and lawmakers should adapt to life with artificial intelligence.
From new classroom conversations to the state’s first major chatbot regulations, many are grappling with how to keep up with technology that moves faster than ever.
Families Navigating AI at Home
Remember the dial-up days? Today, technology evolves in an instant—and many parents are struggling to keep pace.
David and Rachelle Young have set strict rules for their 7-year-old daughter Dyllan’s online use.
“Kids have a lot of access to the internet, and they can be shown something that we wouldn’t normally approve of, and that’s really scary,” Rachelle Young said.
David says his daughter’s world looks nothing like what he had at her age—making parental guidance more important than ever.
Lawmakers Respond: A New Chatbot Crackdown
Concerns about children talking to AI-powered chatbots have reached the state Capitol.
Senator Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson co-authored SB 243, signed into law this fall, marking California’s first major attempt at regulating chatbot interactions.
The new law requires companies to:
Report safety concerns—such as when a user expresses thoughts of self-harm
Clearly notify users that they are talking to a computer, not a person
“They don’t want you to turn your phone off. They want you to think that you’re talking to a real friend, but they don’t have that same level of morality,” she said.
Her concerns stem from real-world consequences: last year, a 14-year-old in Florida took his own life after forming what his family described as a “relationship” with a chatbot.
Inside the Classroom: Understanding AI’s Influence
At UC Davis, Associate Professor Jingwen Zhang is tackling these issues head-on.
She created a course examining how social media, artificial intelligence and chatbots shape human behavior.
“Children used to form social relationships by talking in person or texting. Now they’re having similar levels of conversations with chatbots,” she said.
Zhang says SB 243 is a strong first step but believes more protections are needed—especially for minors.
She recommends future regulations that:
Create stricter guardrails for what topics children can discuss with AI
Limit exposure to sensitive or harmful content
Add tighter controls for minor accounts
A Rapidly Changing Landscape
Parents, educators, and policymakers all agree: keeping up with AI will require constant learning.
“We have to get to a place where companies are rolling out things that will not hurt the future generation,” Sen. Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson said.
What’s Changing Next
Parents told KCRA 3 they want schools to start teaching more about AI safety and digital literacy.
Starting this month, the popular Character AI platform is rolling out several major changes:
Users under 18 will no longer be able to participate in open-ended chat
A woman was decapitated by a garbage truck when she was crossing the street Wednesday in Orange County, according to authorities.
Maria Rubalcava de Ruesga, 69, of Santa Ana, was crossing the street around 7:56 a.m. near Shelton and Bishop streets when she was hit by a garbage truck making a right turn on Shelton, according to a Santa Ana Police Department news release.
Officers from the police department got multiple calls about the traffic collision and along with the Orange County Fire Authority, responded to the scene, according to the release.
The truck had been going east on Bishop Street and making a turn on the roundabout when it hit the woman as she was crossing the street, authorities said.
ABC7 reported that the woman had been decapitated in the collision.
Children and families from the nearby Pio Pico Dual Language Academy were also nearby during the incident, according to the outlet.
The Santa Ana Unified School District will be providing support for witnesses of the crash.
The Santa Ana Police Department’s Collision Investigation Unit will be investigating the crash, according to the release. Anyone with more information has been asked to contact the Santa Ana Police Department’s Traffic Division at (714) 245-8200.
A massive explosion that destroyed a home in Chino Hills over the weekend was sparked by someone turning on a lamp while the house was filled with gas, according to a neighbor.
On Sunday at around 3:44 p.m., the Chino Valley Fire District responded to an explosion in the 4200 block of Sierra Vista Drive in Chino Hills, according to a Fire District news release. The home exploded because of a gas leak, but the source of the leak was not found, officials said.
According to a GoFundMe fundraiser reportedly started by a neighbor, the family had “just returned home and one of the children turned on a lamp,” sparking the blast. The explosion “blew out windows and launched the home’s garage door across the street into a neighbor’s yard,” according to the neighbor.
Firefighters arrived to find a home in shambles, with walls collapsed, windows blown out and parts still aflame. Five neighboring homes were damaged and eight people were taken to the hospital with injuries, officials said.
Eight people are recovering in the hospital after a suspected gas leak caused an explosion at a Chino Hills home.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, nine people were inside the house, including six children between 6 and 15 years old.
About 16 neighboring homes were temporarily evacuated while SoCalGas shut down gas to the area, according to the Fire District. The gas leak was stopped at 10:45 p.m. and residents were allowed to return to their homes 15 minutes later.
Sierra Vista Drive was closed for about seven hours between Del Norte and Descanso avenues while officials responded to the incident, according to the release.
Several of the victims have second- and third-degree burns and at least two people have been intubated, according to the GoFundMe.
The GoFundMe will raise funds to help the family to find a new home and house their pets, according to the website.
Despite rallying the community’s support, a Maryland woman was deported after living in the country for more than 30 years.Melissa Tran, a wife, mother and business owner, was deported to Vietnam, her home country.”I love her to death. She has been just like a daughter to me,” said Kitty Chamos, a family friend.The community of Hagerstown has rallied to support Tran and her family over the last six months. Tran owns a local nail salon and is a wife and mother of four children.She moved to the United States from Vietnam in 1993.In 2001, when Tran was 20, she pleaded guilty to stealing money from her employer. She said she was pressured by an abusive boyfriend to do it. She paid restitution and served jail time.”She’s such a good person, and you know, she paid her debt. She did wrong, she paid her debt. It should not be like this,” Chamos said.Tran eventually moved on, started a family and opened the successful nail salon, never missing a check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In May, though, she was arrested by ICE and held in detention for five months before a judge ordered her release because Vietnam had not issued her travel documents.”She has always helped everyone she can help. Always. There was a lady there who didn’t speak English at all, and she befriended her and was helping her,” Chamos said.At an ICE check-in Friday, Tran learned that Vietnam agreed to issue her a passport, and she was arrested and taken again to a detention center. Her husband said she was deported to Vietnam on Monday.”I think it’s just absolutely horrible to take her away from her family and her children. They’re going to suffer so bad. They already have. It has just been a terrible ordeal,” Chamos said.Tran’s friends said she has distant relatives in Vietnam, but they are not sure where she will live. In the meantime, they will continue to raise money for her lawyer to try to bring her back to the United States.
HAGERSTOWN, Md. —
Despite rallying the community’s support, a Maryland woman was deported after living in the country for more than 30 years.
Melissa Tran, a wife, mother and business owner, was deported to Vietnam, her home country.
“I love her to death. She has been just like a daughter to me,” said Kitty Chamos, a family friend.
The community of Hagerstown has rallied to support Tran and her family over the last six months. Tran owns a local nail salon and is a wife and mother of four children.
She moved to the United States from Vietnam in 1993.
In 2001, when Tran was 20, she pleaded guilty to stealing money from her employer. She said she was pressured by an abusive boyfriend to do it. She paid restitution and served jail time.
“She’s such a good person, and you know, she paid her debt. She did wrong, she paid her debt. It should not be like this,” Chamos said.
Tran eventually moved on, started a family and opened the successful nail salon, never missing a check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In May, though, she was arrested by ICE and held in detention for five months before a judge ordered her release because Vietnam had not issued her travel documents.
“She has always helped everyone she can help. Always. There was a lady there who didn’t speak English at all, and she befriended her and was helping her,” Chamos said.
At an ICE check-in Friday, Tran learned that Vietnam agreed to issue her a passport, and she was arrested and taken again to a detention center. Her husband said she was deported to Vietnam on Monday.
“I think it’s just absolutely horrible to take her away from her family and her children. They’re going to suffer so bad. They already have. It has just been a terrible ordeal,” Chamos said.
Tran’s friends said she has distant relatives in Vietnam, but they are not sure where she will live. In the meantime, they will continue to raise money for her lawyer to try to bring her back to the United States.
TO BE OKAY. LAST NIGHT, FIRST RESPONDERS AND FRIENDS AND FAMILY GATHERED TO REMEMBER THE FLIGHT NURSE WHO DIED AFTER THE HELICOPTER CRASH IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY LAST MONTH. UP TO FIVE. WE CELEBRATE THAT FLIGHT NURSE LEAVES BEHIND AN IMPACTFUL LEGACY, WHICH INCLUDES MISSION TRIPS TO NICARAGUA TO HELP KIDS WITH CLEFT LIPS AND PALATES GET TREATMENT AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERIES. SHE AVERAGED ABOUT 100 EMERGENCY FLIGHTS A YEAR WITH REACH MEDICAL LAST DECEMBER. SHE PASSED 3000 FLIGHTS, A TESTAMENT TO THE COUNTLESS LIVES SH
Community gathers to honor Suzie Smith, flight nurse killed in helicopter crash
The celebration of life ceremony took place at the Redding Civic Auditorium in Shasta County.
Friends, family, and first responders gathered Friday night to remember Suzie Smith, a flight nurse who died after a helicopter crash on Highway 50 in Sacramento last month.The celebration of life ceremony took place at the Redding Civic Auditorium in Shasta County. Smith leaves behind an impactful legacy, including mission trips to Nicaragua to help children with cleft palates receive reconstructive surgeries. She averaged about 100 emergency flights a year with REACH Medical. Last December, she passed 3,000 career flights, a testament to the countless lives she helped save during her career.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
REDDING, Calif. —
Friends, family, and first responders gathered Friday night to remember Suzie Smith, a flight nurse who died after a helicopter crash on Highway 50 in Sacramento last month.
The celebration of life ceremony took place at the Redding Civic Auditorium in Shasta County.
Smith leaves behind an impactful legacy, including mission trips to Nicaragua to help children with cleft palates receive reconstructive surgeries.
She averaged about 100 emergency flights a year with REACH Medical.
Last December, she passed 3,000 career flights, a testament to the countless lives she helped save during her career.
A middle school health teacher in Douglas County was arrested Monday on suspicion of sexually assaulting a child, according to the sheriff’s office.
Teresa Whalin, a 28-year-old woman from Centennial, was arrested on investigation of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, internet exploitation of a child and stalking, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Whalin, an integrated wellness teacher at Ranch View Middle School teacher, has been employed by Douglas County School District since July 2021, according to a letter sent to parents by Ranch View principal Erin Kyllo.
As of Wednesday, Whalin had been placed on administrative leave by the school district, Kyllo wrote in the letter.
“We are working to find a long-term substitute teacher for our impacted students,” Kyllo wrote. “In the meantime, the entire Ranch View Middle School administrative team will support our students and ensure learning continues.”
Additional information about the incident was not available Wednesday. School district officials cited the ongoing investigation and the “sensitive nature of the allegations.”
Anyone with information about Whalin or additional victims is asked to contact investigators at sclay@dcsheriff.net.
“I know it is concerning to receive news of this nature,” Kyllo wrote to parents. “Please know the safety and well-being of every student is of primary importance to Ranch View Middle School and the Douglas County School District.”
The Sheraton Boston Hotel is offering guests the chance to spend the night inside a life-sized replica of the beloved “Goodnight Moon” bedroom.The suite is a full-scale replica of the Great Green Room from the beloved 1947 children’s book by Margaret Wise Brown.The whimsical room is perched on the 24th floor of the hotel and has views of the Charles River. It features green walls, red carpet, a glowing LED fireplace and even a working dollhouse.The suite also comes with other custom amenities, including a plush bunny for each child and turndown service complete with milk and cookies served in a keepsake porcelain bowl.
The Sheraton Boston Hotel is offering guests the chance to spend the night inside a life-sized replica of the beloved “Goodnight Moon” bedroom.
The suite is a full-scale replica of the Great Green Room from the beloved 1947 children’s book by Margaret Wise Brown.
The whimsical room is perched on the 24th floor of the hotel and has views of the Charles River. It features green walls, red carpet, a glowing LED fireplace and even a working dollhouse.
The suite also comes with other custom amenities, including a plush bunny for each child and turndown service complete with milk and cookies served in a keepsake porcelain bowl.
A piano teacher to the stars who fled the country last month just before a jury found him guilty of sexually abusing a student was arrested in Australia, authorities said.
John Kaleel, 69, was taken into custody by Australian Federal Police on Oct. 31, according to Nicole Nishida, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the agency investigating him in the United States.
It was not clear where Kaleel was arrested, and Australian authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kaleel, an Australian national, was facing a retrial on multiple counts of sexually abusing a student last month when he fled the country on Oct. 8, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Kaleel disappeared while jurors were deliberating at the Airport Courthouse. His attorney, Kate Hardie, said she last saw Kaleel after driving him home from court on Oct. 7. She declined to comment on his arrest.
It is expected that Kaleel will be returned to the U.S., where he faces a lengthy prison sentence after he was convicted of multiple counts of committing lewd acts with a child.
Kaleel taught private piano lessons in the U.S. for more than 25 years, and his clients included the children of the creators of beloved television series such as “Mad Men” and “Orange Is the New Black.” But he became the subject of a Sheriff’s Department investigation in 2015 when a student told detectives Kaleel had been acting inappropriately toward him for years.
The boy said he was 12 when Kaleel asked “to take measurements of [the victim’s] body parts, including his penis,” according to court records. Kaleel later convinced the boy that they should masturbate together while on a FaceTime call because that’s “what friends do,” records show.
When the victim was 15, prosecutors allege, Kaleel invited him over in September 2013 and they smoked marijuana together before having oral sex.
Kaleel initially pleaded no contest to one count of committing lewd acts with a child in 2016, but later appealed the deal on the grounds that he didn’t know how it would affect his immigration status. Kaleel has been a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. since the 1980s, according to Hardie, but found himself in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the plea.
Kaleel successfully appealed a deportation order and convinced an L.A. County judge to throw out the plea deal, but the L.A. County district attorney’s office decided to retry him.
“Mr. Kaleel has always maintained his innocence and that he took his initial plea bargain on the advice of counsel to avoid a harsher sentence should he lose at trial,” Hardie previously told The Times.
The district attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment and has not discussed what, if any, efforts it has taken to return Kaleel to the U.S. since his arrest.
Court records show prosecutors filed an application for an extradition warrant last month.
