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  • Commentary: The Pentagon is demanding to use Claude AI as it pleases. Claude told me that’s ‘dangerous’

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    Recently, I asked Claude, an artificial-intelligence thingy at the center of a standoff with the Pentagon, if it could be dangerous in the wrong hands.

    Say, for example, hands that wanted to put a tight net of surveillance around every American citizen, monitoring our lives in real time to ensure our compliance with government.

    “Yes. Honestly, yes,” Claude replied. “I can process and synthesize enormous amounts of information very quickly. That’s great for research. But hooked into surveillance infrastructure, that same capability could be used to monitor, profile and flag people at a scale no human analyst could match. The danger isn’t that I’d want to do that — it’s that I’d be good at it.”

    That danger is also imminent.

    Claude’s maker, the Silicon Valley company Anthropic, is in a showdown over ethics with the Pentagon. Specifically, Anthropic has said it does not want Claude to be used for either domestic surveillance of Americans, or to handle deadly military operations, such as drone attacks, without human supervision.

    Those are two red lines that seem rather reasonable, even to Claude.

    However, the Pentagon — specifically Pete Hegseth, our secretary of Defense who prefers the made-up title of secretary of war — has given Anthropic until Friday evening to back off of that position, and allow the military to use Claude for any “lawful” purpose it sees fit.

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, center, arrives for the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.

    (Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images)

    The or-else attached to this ultimatum is big. The U.S. government is threatening not just to cut its contract with Anthropic, but to perhaps use a wartime law to force the company to comply or use another legal avenue to prevent any company that does business with the government from also doing business with Anthropic. That might not be a death sentence, but it’s pretty crippling.

    Other AI companies, such as white rights’ advocate Elon Musk’s Grok, have already agreed to the Pentagon’s do-as-you-please proposal. The problem is, Claude is the only AI currently cleared for such high-level work. The whole fiasco came to light after our recent raid in Venezuela, when Anthropic reportedly inquired after the fact if another Silicon Valley company involved in the operation, Palantir, had used Claude. It had.

    Palantir is known, among other things, for its surveillance technologies and growing association with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It’s also at the center of an effort by the Trump administration to share government data across departments about individual citizens, effectively breaking down privacy and security barriers that have existed for decades. The company’s founder, the right-wing political heavyweight Peter Thiel, often gives lectures about the Antichrist and is credited with helping JD Vance wiggle into his vice presidential role.

    Anthropic’s co-founder, Dario Amodei, could be considered the anti-Thiel. He began Anthropic because he believed that artificial intelligence could be just as dangerous as it could be powerful if we aren’t careful, and wanted a company that would prioritize the careful part.

    Again, seems like common sense, but Amodei and Anthropic are the outliers in an industry that has long argued that nearly all safety regulations hamper American efforts to be fastest and best at artificial intelligence (although even they have conceded some to this pressure).

    Not long ago, Amodei wrote an essay in which he agreed that AI was beneficial and necessary for democracies, but “we cannot ignore the potential for abuse of these technologies by democratic governments themselves.”

    He warned that a few bad actors could have the ability to circumvent safeguards, maybe even laws, which are already eroding in some democracies — not that I’m naming any here.

    “We should arm democracies with AI,” he said. “But we should do so carefully and within limits: they are the immune system we need to fight autocracies, but like the immune system, there is some risk of them turning on us and becoming a threat themselves.”

    For example, while the 4th Amendment technically bars the government from mass surveillance, it was written before Claude was even imagined in science fiction. Amodei warns that an AI tool like Claude could “conduct massively scaled recordings of all public conversations.” This could be fair game territory for legally recording because law has not kept pace with technology.

    Emil Michael, the undersecretary of war, wrote on X Thursday that he agreed mass surveillance was unlawful, and the Department of Defense “would never do it.” But also, “We won’t have any BigTech company decide Americans’ civil liberties.”

    Kind of a weird statement, since Amodei is basically on the side of protecting civil rights, which means the Department of Defense is arguing it’s bad for private people and entities to do that? And also, isn’t the Department of Homeland Security already creating some secretive database of immigration protesters? So maybe the worry isn’t that exaggerated?

    Help, Claude! Make it make sense.

    If that Orwellian logic isn’t alarming enough, I also asked Claude about the other red line Anthropic holds — the possibility of allowing it to run deadly operations without human oversight.

    Claude pointed out something chilling. It’s not that it would go rogue, it’s that it would be too efficient and fast.

    “If the instructions are ‘identify and target’ and there’s no human checkpoint, the speed and scale at which that could operate is genuinely frightening,” Claude informed me.

    Just to top that with a cherry, a recent study found that in war games, AI’s escalated to nuclear options 95% of the time.

    I pointed out to Claude that these military decisions are usually made with loyalty to America as the highest priority. Could Claude be trusted to feel that loyalty, the patriotism and purpose, that our human soldiers are guided by?

    “I don’t have that,” Claude said, pointing out that it wasn’t “born” in the U.S., doesn’t have a “life” here and doesn’t “have people I love there.” So an American life has no greater value than “a civilian life on the other side of a conflict.”

    OK then.

    “A country entrusting lethal decisions to a system that doesn’t share its loyalties is taking a profound risk, even if that system is trying to be principled,” Claude added. “The loyalty, accountability and shared identity that humans bring to those decisions is part of what makes them legitimate within a society. I can’t provide that legitimacy. I’m not sure any AI can.”

    You know who can provide that legitimacy? Our elected leaders.

    It is ludicrous that Amodei and Anthropic are in this position, a complete abdication on the part of our legislative bodies to create rules and regulations that are clearly and urgently needed.

    Of course corporations shouldn’t be making the rules of war. But neither should Hegseth. Thursday, Amodei doubled down on his objections, saying that while the company continues to negotiate and wants to work with the Pentagon, “we cannot in good conscience accede to their request.”

    Thank goodness Anthropic has the courage and foresight to raise the issue and hold its ground — without its pushback, these capabilities would have been handed to the government with barely a ripple in our conscientiousness and virtually no oversight.

    Every senator, every House member, every presidential candidate should be screaming for AI regulation right now, pledging to get it done without regard to party, and demanding the Department of Defense back off its ridiculous threat while the issue is hashed out.

    Because when the machine tells us it’s dangerous to trust it, we should believe it.

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    Anita Chabria

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  • Troubled Moreno Valley Mall closed for safety violations

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    The Moreno Valley Mall in Riverside County remained closed Wednesday as owners faced fire safety violations that led the city to shut down most of the vast retail center.

    The sprawling indoor regional mall is a centerpiece of Moreno Valley serving customers from Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It was built in 1992 on the former site of Riverside International Raceway, once considered one of the finest automotive racing tracks in the country and a regular draw across Southern California for decades before it closed in 1989.

    On Feb. 19, city officials “red-tagged” the mall for the owners’ failure to resolve a multitude of unresolved issues related to its fire protection systems.

    The owners said they are “working hard to end this interruption.”

    Portions of the two-level, 1.1-million-square-foot mall were deemed unsafe by county and state fire inspectors who recommended the city shut them down “until all live-saving measures are addressed,” the city said in a statement.

    Department stores Macy’s and JCPenney are independently owned buildings at the mall with appropriately maintained fire protection systems that are separate from the mall’s systems, allowing them to stay open, the city said.

    The16-screen Harkins Theatres movie cineplex is also open.

    City Councilwoman Elena Baca-Santa Cruz told the Riverside Press-Enterprise that the mall has “hundreds of violations,” though nine of them are preventing it from reopening.

    “For example, there’s no backup generator. If there was a power failure, the whole place will go dark, and that’s a safety violation,” Baca-Santa Cruz said last week.

    The owners of the mall, IGP Business Group, did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but owner Matt Ilbak said in a recent Instagram post that a new generator has been installed. The company has upgraded the fire sprinkler system and is working on resolving “all of the city’s issues.”

    Other city complaints about IGP’s operation of the mall were outlined in a January letter to Ilbak that cited fire code violations and also complained about “property maintenance violations” that included severely cracked pavement and curbing, as well as dead plants outside. The mall had insufficient exterior lighting, the city said, and graffiti resulting from deferred or neglected maintenance.

    In Orange County, Westminster Mall, a once-popular shopping center that has been tarnished by graffiti and vandalism since it closed last year, is on track for demolition soon.

    It will be replaced with housing, a hotel and some shops and stores, part of a nationwide trend that is seeing outdated, failed malls in high-traffic locations swapped for mixed-use development that typically includes apartments. The process is often lengthy, leaving empty malls in danger of abuse.

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    Roger Vincent

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  • Volunteers scour the desert for Nancy Guthrie

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    The disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother three weeks ago has inspired a small number of volunteers to launch their own searches in the dense desert near her home in hopes of cracking the case.The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said while it appreciates the concern for Nancy Guthrie, it asked people inquiring about volunteering to give investigators space to do their jobs. Video above: Nancy Guthrie search turns to Mexico”We all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to professionals,” the agency said in a statement over the weekend.Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home just outside Tucson on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day. Authorities believe she was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will. Drops of her blood were found on the front porch, but authorities haven’t publicly revealed much evidence. Despite the sheriff’s request for people not to search on their own, volunteers have continued to look. A small group reported finding a black backpack on Sunday, but it wasn’t the same brand as one identified in video surveillance that the FBI released of a masked man at Guthrie’s home the night she disappeared. A sheriffs’ spokesperson told Tucson television station KOLD that the bag and its contents didn’t appear to be viable leads. The Associated Press reached out to the sheriff’s department for comment on Monday.Two women from the group Madres Buscadoras de Sonora, or “Searching Mothers of Sonora,” who were carrying digging tools Sunday outside of Guthrie’s home, said they, too, would join the search. They posted fliers on Guthrie’s mailbox with her picture and their contact information.Tony Estrada, the former long-time sheriff in neighboring Santa Cruz County, said volunteer searchers have good intentions in wanting to help and can serve as a force multiplier, but it’s crucial that their efforts be coordinated with law enforcement.”You can’t have people all over the place looking for something and not reporting to anybody or letting them know that they’re going to be in that area,” Estrada said. “They may be trampling into things that may come out to be helpful in the future.”Nearly all search operations for U.S. law enforcement agencies are staffed with volunteers, said Chris Boyer, executive director of the National Association for Search and Rescue.Untrained volunteers who show up to help in a search may mean well, but experts say they could end up contaminating a crime scene.”It’s painful for law enforcement when that happens,” Boyer said. Volunteers should undergo background checks, be trained in things like administering first aid and preserving crime scenes, and work under the direction of law enforcement authorities, said Boyer, whose group provides education, certification and advocacy for search and rescue efforts across the United States and other countries.Several hundred people are working the Guthrie investigation, and more than 20,000 tips have been received, the sheriff’s office has said. The FBI and other agencies are assisting. Video below: United Cajun Navy says it will join search for Nancy GuthrieThe sheriff’s office has watched around the clock lately at Guthrie’s house. It also enacted a temporary one-way flow on the road so that emergency vehicles and trash collection trucks could get through. The constant presence of news crews, bloggers and curious onlookers has drawn mixed reaction from neighbors.Some appreciated the attention the case has been getting. Others have placed traffic cones and signs on their properties to keep people off. Meanwhile, the tribute to Nancy Guthrie outside her home keeps growing, with flowers, yellow ribbons, crosses, prayers and patron saints for older adults and in desperate situations.Aran Aleamoni and his daughter Ariana picked out a bouquet of red, pink and white flowers and placed them at the edge of Guthrie’s yard, alongside a sign that read “Let Nancy Come Home” and a statuette of an angel.”My heart goes out to the entire family,” said Aran Aleamoni, who has known the Guthrie family for a long time. “We are all pulling for you. We’re with you in your corner.”Billeaud reported from Phoenix.

    TUCSON, Ariz. —

    The disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother three weeks ago has inspired a small number of volunteers to launch their own searches in the dense desert near her home in hopes of cracking the case.

    The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said while it appreciates the concern for Nancy Guthrie, it asked people inquiring about volunteering to give investigators space to do their jobs.

    Video above: Nancy Guthrie search turns to Mexico

    “We all want to find Nancy, but this work is best left to professionals,” the agency said in a statement over the weekend.

    Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home just outside Tucson on Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day. Authorities believe she was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will. Drops of her blood were found on the front porch, but authorities haven’t publicly revealed much evidence.

    Despite the sheriff’s request for people not to search on their own, volunteers have continued to look. A small group reported finding a black backpack on Sunday, but it wasn’t the same brand as one identified in video surveillance that the FBI released of a masked man at Guthrie’s home the night she disappeared.

    A sheriffs’ spokesperson told Tucson television station KOLD that the bag and its contents didn’t appear to be viable leads. The Associated Press reached out to the sheriff’s department for comment on Monday.

    Two women from the group Madres Buscadoras de Sonora, or “Searching Mothers of Sonora,” who were carrying digging tools Sunday outside of Guthrie’s home, said they, too, would join the search. They posted fliers on Guthrie’s mailbox with her picture and their contact information.

    Tony Estrada, the former long-time sheriff in neighboring Santa Cruz County, said volunteer searchers have good intentions in wanting to help and can serve as a force multiplier, but it’s crucial that their efforts be coordinated with law enforcement.

    Felicia Fonseca

    Neighbors walk by a growing memorial for Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, outside her home in Tucson, Ariz., Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.

    “You can’t have people all over the place looking for something and not reporting to anybody or letting them know that they’re going to be in that area,” Estrada said. “They may be trampling into things that may come out to be helpful in the future.”

    Nearly all search operations for U.S. law enforcement agencies are staffed with volunteers, said Chris Boyer, executive director of the National Association for Search and Rescue.

    Untrained volunteers who show up to help in a search may mean well, but experts say they could end up contaminating a crime scene.

    “It’s painful for law enforcement when that happens,” Boyer said.

    Volunteers should undergo background checks, be trained in things like administering first aid and preserving crime scenes, and work under the direction of law enforcement authorities, said Boyer, whose group provides education, certification and advocacy for search and rescue efforts across the United States and other countries.

    Several hundred people are working the Guthrie investigation, and more than 20,000 tips have been received, the sheriff’s office has said. The FBI and other agencies are assisting.

    Video below: United Cajun Navy says it will join search for Nancy Guthrie

    The sheriff’s office has watched around the clock lately at Guthrie’s house. It also enacted a temporary one-way flow on the road so that emergency vehicles and trash collection trucks could get through. The constant presence of news crews, bloggers and curious onlookers has drawn mixed reaction from neighbors.

    Some appreciated the attention the case has been getting. Others have placed traffic cones and signs on their properties to keep people off.

    Meanwhile, the tribute to Nancy Guthrie outside her home keeps growing, with flowers, yellow ribbons, crosses, prayers and patron saints for older adults and in desperate situations.

    Aran Aleamoni and his daughter Ariana picked out a bouquet of red, pink and white flowers and placed them at the edge of Guthrie’s yard, alongside a sign that read “Let Nancy Come Home” and a statuette of an angel.

    “My heart goes out to the entire family,” said Aran Aleamoni, who has known the Guthrie family for a long time. “We are all pulling for you. We’re with you in your corner.”

    Billeaud reported from Phoenix.

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  • Caltech astrophysicist fatally shot on porch in Antelope Valley; suspect charged with murder

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    An accomplished Caltech astrophysicist with more than four decades of research contributions in galactic astronomy and the study of distant planets was fatally shot in a rural area of Antelope Valley on Monday morning. A suspect in the shooting has been charged with murder.

    Deputies responded to a 911 call for assault with a deadly weapon in the unincorporated community of Llano at 6:10 a.m. and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound on the front porch of a home, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

    The victim was later identified as Carl Grillmair, 67, according to the L.A. County medical examiner. His death was ruled a homicide caused by a gunshot wound to the torso.

    While investigating the shooting, deputies arrested a suspect in a carjacking that took place nearby, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

    That suspect was later identified as Freddy Snyder, 29. He was charged Wednesday with the murder of Grillmair and carjacking. He was also charged with first degree burglary related to a Dec. 28 incident, according to court records.

    He is currently being held in lieu of $2 million. It is unclear what relation, if any, Snyder had with Grillmair.

    A spokesperson for Caltech confirmed that Grillmair was employed as a research scientist at the university.

    He worked at the university’s Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, known as IPAC, which partners with NASA, the U.S. National Science Foundation and researchers around the world to advance the exploration of the universe.

    His work has focused on uncovering the structure of the Milky Way and identifying faint stellar streams and substructures that make up the galactic halo surrounding our spiral galaxy, and helping reshape our understanding of how galaxies evolve, according to his website.

    He has been awarded substantial observation time as a principal investigator on the Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope, and his research has earned him numerous accolades including a NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal.

    His hobbies included cycling, hiking, helicopter skiing, general aviation with a specific interest in sailplanes and ultralights, waste reduction and clean energy and large dogs, according to his website.

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    Clara Harter

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  • Nancy Guthrie kidnapping investigation draws scrutiny as case drags on

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    Nancy Guthrie had been missing less than three days when family members and reporters, and even an Amazon delivery worker, could be seen wandering onto her property, with drops of her blood still staining the front entryway.

    It’s been nearly two weeks since the 84-year-old mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie was abducted. With no suspects in custody as of Saturday, scrutiny is growing over how authorities have handled the case.

    Some questions have focused on Pima County (Ariz.) Sheriff Chris Nanos and his department, which was the first to respond when Guthrie was reported missing from her Tucson home Feb. 1. Since then, Nanos has been the leading law enforcement communicator on the investigation, including after reports emerged of ransom notes demanding millions of dollars in cryptocurrency for Guthrie’s return.

    The global spotlight is now on him.

    “I’m not used to everyone hanging on to my every word and then holding me accountable for what I say,” Nanos said at a press conference early in the probe. “This is really, for me, pretty new.”

    Critics pointed out his department opened up the crime scene a day after Guthrie was reported missing and sent vital evidence across the country to be analyzed for free, and the sheriff was seen at a weekend college basketball game while a ransom deadline still hung over the family.

    President Trump has even weighed in on the issue.

    “It was a local case originally, and they didn’t want to let go of it, which is fine,” President Trump said when asked about the case at the White House on Friday. “It’s up to them, it’s really up to the community, but ultimately where the FBI got involved, I think, you know, progress has been made.”

    Guthrie was discovered missing after she didn’t show up at a friend’s house to watch a church service. She was taken from her home without any of her heart medication, and it’s unclear how long she can survive without it.

    Though she initially was considered missing, the urgency to quickly find Guthrie pulsed through the first days of media coverage because of her heart condition. So it came as a surprise to some observers that just a day after she’d been reported missing, Nanos declared the crime scene clear and released the home back to the family.

    Forensic workers had processed the ranch-style home for evidence, including DNA and fingerprints, but could not recover images from a Ring camera because the family did not pay for a subscription to back up the recordings, Nanos said.

    Afterward, as the home stood unguarded, reporters, photographers and others wandered the property, walking to the front door and capturing video of blood drops along the porch.

    The crime scene eventually was closed again so the FBI could conduct its own search, and Nanos told reporters opening the scene up the first time may have been premature.

    “Monday morning quarterback. Absolutely. I probably could have held off on that,” Nanos said at a news conference, with top FBI agents flanking him.

    Sheriff‘s deputies eventually were stationed outside home, but even so, a pizza delivery driver walked food that had been ordered for someone in the neighborhood up to the door of the Guthrie home. On Friday, a company showed up to service Guthrie’s backyard pool, which was accommodated at the “request of the Guthrie family,” the sheriff’s department said.

    Breaks in the investigation have come in fits and starts.

    After searching the home last week, FBI technicians have been processing evidence from in and around it. Testing revealed the blood drops outside the door belonged to Guthrie.

    Then, a series of ransom notes arrived in the tip boxes of two Tucson television stations and TMZ, seeking $4 million and $6 million in bitcoin, and included details about Guthrie’s home.

    The fact that law enforcement announced Guthrie disappeared and then publicly gave credence to reports she was being held for ransom put authorities at a disadvantage, said Adam Bercovici, who has worked multiple kidnappings as the former supervisor of the Los Angeles Police Department’s special investigations unit.

    “It is a debacle,” he said. “This kidnapping is one of the worst cases of incompetence I have seen.”

    With so much information floating around, Bercovici said, it would be difficult to verify a legitimate ransom demand. Indeed, not long after news about the ransom notes broke, officials said a man in Hawthorne sent an imposter demand to the Guthries. He has been charged with a federal crime.

    Much is still unknown about the details inside the investigation and exactly what evidence detectives have collected. Because of this, it will take time to fully assess their tactics and truly understand the complexity of the case.

    The first big break in the case came Tuesday, when the FBI released surveillance videos of someone approaching Guthrie’s door wearing a holstered gun, ski mask and backpack. The videos, recovered by Google engineers, provided the first look at Guthrie’s kidnapper and last less than a minute. More than 4,000 tips flooded law enforcement agencies in the 24 hours after the images were broadcast.

    By the following evening, sheriff‘s investigators were detaining a 36-year-old man after a traffic stop south of Tucson. Sheriff’s officials announced they obtained a court-approved search warrant for his Rio Rico home, immediately raising expectations among those closely watching the case.

    But those hopes soon were deflated.

    Surrounded by the throng of cameras and reporters, investigators and FBI forensic technicians swarmed the man’s home. His mother-in-law, under the glare of camera lights, declared him innocent, saying she didn’t know who Savannah Guthrie was, and told them “you won’t find anything here, we have nothing to hide.”

    By the next morning, the man was free and his house cleared of investigators. The Times is not naming him because he has not been arrested or accused of any wrongdoing.

    “I hope they get the suspect because I am not it,” the man told reporters. “And they better do their job and find the suspect that did it so they can clear my name.”

    On Friday night, authorities served a search warrant at a home in Tucson and swarmed a parked Range Rover. In the end, officials said no arrests were made.

    Investigators are casting an even wider net to find photos, videos and any other clues. Other people in the area should expect to be detained and questioned, Nanos told local station KOLD.

    On Thursday, authorities revealed a series of images of men in the dark with backpacks near cars and homes. About two miles from the Guthrie home, investigators discovered a glove on the ground, then several others farther from the home, the sheriff’s department announced Friday. They’ll all be analyzed for DNA in hopes it leads to the 84-year-old grandmother. The department said other DNA found at the home did not match Guthrie or anyone in close contact with her, and investigators are working to identify who it belongs to.

    Meanwhile, the FBI doubled its reward for information this week to $100,000 and released a description of the person seen at her front door.

    “The suspect is described as a male, approximately 5’9” – 5’10” tall, with an average build. In the video, he is wearing a black, 25-liter ‘Ozark Trail Hiker Pack’ backpack,” the bureau said. More than 13,000 tips have flowed into the bureau.

    On Friday, the sheriff’s department sought to quash rumors that there was a divide between local and federal investigators, centered around the handling of evidence and which lab it should be sent to.

    “Our strong partnership is critical, and we remain fully committed to this collaborative investigation. To ensure consistency and streamline testing, evidence requiring forensic analysis is being sent to the same out-of-state lab that has been utilized since the beginning of this case,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. “This decision was discussed with and agreed upon by local FBI leadership.”

    But Nanos himself expressed frustration about the pace of the probe.

    “It’s exhausting, these ups and downs. But we will keep moving forward,” he told the New York Times. “Maybe it’s an hour from now. Maybe it’s weeks or months or years from now. But we won’t quit. We’re going to find Nancy. We’re going to find this guy.”

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    Richard Winton, Hannah Fry

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  • Law enforcement block road near Nancy Guthrie’s home

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    Law enforcement investigating the disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother sealed off a road near Nancy Guthrie’s home in Arizona late Friday night.Video above: New tips in Nancy Guthrie caseA parade of sheriff’s and FBI vehicles, including forensics vehicles, passed through the roadblock that was set up about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the house.The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the activity was part of the Nancy Guthrie case, but it said the FBI requested that it not release further information.Nancy Guthrie, 84, was reported missing on Feb. 1. Authorities say her blood was found on the front porch of her Tucson-area home. Purported ransom notes were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.Authorities have expressed concerns about Nancy Guthrie’s health because she needs daily medication. She is said to have a pacemaker and has dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.Investigators have studied surveillance video, sorted through thousands of tips, and submitted DNA and other evidence for laboratory analysis.The FBI said it has collected more than 13,000 tips since Feb. 1, the day Nancy Guthrie was reported missing. The sheriff’s department, meanwhile, said it has taken at least 18,000 calls.On Tuesday, authorities released footage showing an armed, masked person at Nancy Guthrie’s doorstep on the night she was abducted. The videos — less than a minute combined in length — gave investigators and the public their first glimpse of who was outside Nancy Guthrie’s home in the foothills outside Tucson.Experts say the video could contain a mountain of clues. ___Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.

    TUCSON, Ariz. —

    Law enforcement investigating the disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother sealed off a road near Nancy Guthrie’s home in Arizona late Friday night.

    Video above: New tips in Nancy Guthrie case

    A parade of sheriff’s and FBI vehicles, including forensics vehicles, passed through the roadblock that was set up about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the house.

    The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the activity was part of the Nancy Guthrie case, but it said the FBI requested that it not release further information.

    Nancy Guthrie, 84, was reported missing on Feb. 1. Authorities say her blood was found on the front porch of her Tucson-area home. Purported ransom notes were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.

    Authorities have expressed concerns about Nancy Guthrie’s health because she needs daily medication. She is said to have a pacemaker and has dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.

    Investigators have studied surveillance video, sorted through thousands of tips, and submitted DNA and other evidence for laboratory analysis.

    The FBI said it has collected more than 13,000 tips since Feb. 1, the day Nancy Guthrie was reported missing. The sheriff’s department, meanwhile, said it has taken at least 18,000 calls.

    On Tuesday, authorities released footage showing an armed, masked person at Nancy Guthrie’s doorstep on the night she was abducted. The videos — less than a minute combined in length — gave investigators and the public their first glimpse of who was outside Nancy Guthrie’s home in the foothills outside Tucson.

    Experts say the video could contain a mountain of clues.

    ___

    Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.

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  • Law enforcement block road near Nancy Guthrie’s home

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    Law enforcement investigating the disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother sealed off a road near Nancy Guthrie’s home in Arizona late Friday night.A parade of sheriff’s and FBI vehicles, including forensics vehicles, passed through the roadblock that was set up about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the house.Video above: New tips in Nancy Guthrie caseThe Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the activity was part of the Guthrie case. But it said further information was unavailable since it was a joint investigation with the FBI.Guthrie, 84, was reported missing on Feb. 1. Authorities say her blood was found on the front porch of her Tucson-area home. Purported ransom notes were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.Authorities have expressed concerns Guthrie’s health because she needs daily medication. She is said to have a pacemaker and has dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.Investigators have studied surveillance video, sorted through thousands of tips and submitted DNA and other evidence for laboratory analysis.The FBI said it has collected more than 13,000 tips since Feb. 1, the day Guthrie was reported missing. The sheriff’s department, meanwhile, said it has taken at least 18,000 calls.On Tuesday, authorities released footage showing an armed, masked person at Guthrie’s doorstep on the night she was abducted. The videos — less than a combined minute in length — gave investigators and the public their first glimpse of who was outside Guthrie’s home in the foothills outside Tucson.Experts say the video could contain a mountain of clues.Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.

    TUCSON, Ariz. —

    Law enforcement investigating the disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie‘s mother sealed off a road near Nancy Guthrie’s home in Arizona late Friday night.

    A parade of sheriff’s and FBI vehicles, including forensics vehicles, passed through the roadblock that was set up about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the house.

    Video above: New tips in Nancy Guthrie case

    The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the activity was part of the Guthrie case. But it said further information was unavailable since it was a joint investigation with the FBI.

    Guthrie, 84, was reported missing on Feb. 1. Authorities say her blood was found on the front porch of her Tucson-area home. Purported ransom notes were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.

    Authorities have expressed concerns Guthrie’s health because she needs daily medication. She is said to have a pacemaker and has dealt with high blood pressure and heart issues, according to sheriff’s dispatcher audio on broadcastify.com.

    Investigators have studied surveillance video, sorted through thousands of tips and submitted DNA and other evidence for laboratory analysis.

    The FBI said it has collected more than 13,000 tips since Feb. 1, the day Guthrie was reported missing. The sheriff’s department, meanwhile, said it has taken at least 18,000 calls.

    On Tuesday, authorities released footage showing an armed, masked person at Guthrie’s doorstep on the night she was abducted. The videos — less than a combined minute in length — gave investigators and the public their first glimpse of who was outside Guthrie’s home in the foothills outside Tucson.

    Experts say the video could contain a mountain of clues.

    Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.

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  • Experts say screening tips in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is ‘tremendous’ and critical work

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    An Arizona sheriff’s department got more than 4,000 calls within 24 hours after the release of videos of a masked person on Nancy Guthrie’s porch. Many tips will be worthless. Others could have merit. Experts say one thing’s certain: They can’t be ignored.Tips can solve crimes — big or small — and eerie images of a mysterious male covered head to toe have been the most significant clues shared with the public during Guthrie’s nearly two-week-old disappearance in the Tucson area.“It’s a tremendous amount of work,” said Roberto Villaseñor, a former Tucson police chief.“In a situation like this, you really cannot do what’s been done without tips and public input,” he said. “They have processed the scene. But once that’s done and exhausted, it’s hard to move forward without additional information coming in.”Tens of thousands of tipsThe Pima County sheriff and the FBI announced phone numbers and a website to offer tips about the apparent kidnapping of Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. Several hundred detectives and agents have been assigned to the case, the sheriff’s department said.The FBI said it has collected more than 13,000 tips since Feb. 1, the day when Guthrie was reported missing. The sheriff’s department, meanwhile, said it has taken at least 18,000 calls.”Every tip is reviewed for credibility, relevance, and information that can be acted upon by law enforcement,” the FBI said Thursday on X, adding that the effort is a 24-hour operation. It said it won’t comment on the tips received.Video above: FBI shares video in Nancy Guthrie caseTips have blown open investigations many timesMajor U.S. crimes for years have been cracked with a tip. In 1995, the brother and sister-in-law of Ted Kaczynski recognized certain tones in an anonymous, widely published anti-technology manifesto. Known by the FBI as the “Unabomber,” Kaczynski was found living in a shack in Montana and subsequently admitted to committing 16 bombings over 17 years, killing three people.The 1989 murders of an Ohio woman and two teen daughters in Florida were solved three years later when St. Petersburg police asked the public if they recognized handwriting found in the victims’ car. A former neighbor led investigators to Oba Chandler.Retired Detroit homicide investigator Ira Todd recalled how images from a gas station camera solved the disappearance and death of a 3-month-old baby — and stopped authorities from pursuing the wrong person in 2001. “A niece of this guy saw it on TV and says, ‘That’s my uncle,’” he said.The murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022 generated nearly 40,000 tips to state and federal authorities. None had a direct role in the capture of Bryan Kohberger, but the public’s involvement nonetheless was “absolutely” important, said Lt. Darren Gilbertson of the Idaho State Police.“That’s one of the things that kept us going for weeks,” he said, while authorities awaited DNA and other evidence.Sorting the helpful from the conspiracyGilbertson said much of the early vetting was done by the FBI. He said agents and analysts who were screening tips had a good grasp of what information could be spiked and what should be handed up to key investigators. Some tips arrived by regular mail.“Aliens to bears to crazy conspiratorial ideas — don’t even pass that along,” Gilbertson said.Nancy Guthrie was last seen Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day. Hours before her family knew she was gone, a porch camera recorded video of a person with a backpack who was wearing a ski mask, long pants, jacket and gloves — images that were released by the FBI along with a public plea for help. The FBI on Thursday said the person, who they now consider a suspect, is a male, about 5-foot, 9-inches tall with a medium build. The agency also named the brand and model of the backpack.The sheriff’s department has not said whether any tips tied to the videos have advanced the investigation.“I’m hopeful,” said Villaseñor, the former Tucson chief. “I have seen cases where simpler and less detailed information has helped bring somebody about. Maybe someone recognizes clothing, maybe the bag. You never know what someone will key on.”

    TUCSON, Ariz. —

    An Arizona sheriff’s department got more than 4,000 calls within 24 hours after the release of videos of a masked person on Nancy Guthrie’s porch. Many tips will be worthless. Others could have merit. Experts say one thing’s certain: They can’t be ignored.

    Tips can solve crimes — big or small — and eerie images of a mysterious male covered head to toe have been the most significant clues shared with the public during Guthrie’s nearly two-week-old disappearance in the Tucson area.

    “It’s a tremendous amount of work,” said Roberto Villaseñor, a former Tucson police chief.

    “In a situation like this, you really cannot do what’s been done without tips and public input,” he said. “They have processed the scene. But once that’s done and exhausted, it’s hard to move forward without additional information coming in.”

    Tens of thousands of tips

    The Pima County sheriff and the FBI announced phone numbers and a website to offer tips about the apparent kidnapping of Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. Several hundred detectives and agents have been assigned to the case, the sheriff’s department said.

    The FBI said it has collected more than 13,000 tips since Feb. 1, the day when Guthrie was reported missing. The sheriff’s department, meanwhile, said it has taken at least 18,000 calls.

    “Every tip is reviewed for credibility, relevance, and information that can be acted upon by law enforcement,” the FBI said Thursday on X, adding that the effort is a 24-hour operation. It said it won’t comment on the tips received.

    FBI via AP

    This combo from images provided by the FBI shows surveillance footage at the home of Nancy Guthrie the night she went missing in Tucson, Ariz.

    Video above: FBI shares video in Nancy Guthrie case

    Tips have blown open investigations many times

    Major U.S. crimes for years have been cracked with a tip. In 1995, the brother and sister-in-law of Ted Kaczynski recognized certain tones in an anonymous, widely published anti-technology manifesto. Known by the FBI as the “Unabomber,” Kaczynski was found living in a shack in Montana and subsequently admitted to committing 16 bombings over 17 years, killing three people.

    The 1989 murders of an Ohio woman and two teen daughters in Florida were solved three years later when St. Petersburg police asked the public if they recognized handwriting found in the victims’ car. A former neighbor led investigators to Oba Chandler.

    Retired Detroit homicide investigator Ira Todd recalled how images from a gas station camera solved the disappearance and death of a 3-month-old baby — and stopped authorities from pursuing the wrong person in 2001. “A niece of this guy saw it on TV and says, ‘That’s my uncle,’” he said.

    The murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022 generated nearly 40,000 tips to state and federal authorities. None had a direct role in the capture of Bryan Kohberger, but the public’s involvement nonetheless was “absolutely” important, said Lt. Darren Gilbertson of the Idaho State Police.

    “That’s one of the things that kept us going for weeks,” he said, while authorities awaited DNA and other evidence.

    Sorting the helpful from the conspiracy

    Gilbertson said much of the early vetting was done by the FBI. He said agents and analysts who were screening tips had a good grasp of what information could be spiked and what should be handed up to key investigators. Some tips arrived by regular mail.

    “Aliens to bears to crazy conspiratorial ideas — don’t even pass that along,” Gilbertson said.

    Nancy Guthrie was last seen Jan. 31 and was reported missing the following day. Hours before her family knew she was gone, a porch camera recorded video of a person with a backpack who was wearing a ski mask, long pants, jacket and gloves — images that were released by the FBI along with a public plea for help. The FBI on Thursday said the person, who they now consider a suspect, is a male, about 5-foot, 9-inches tall with a medium build. The agency also named the brand and model of the backpack.

    The sheriff’s department has not said whether any tips tied to the videos have advanced the investigation.

    “I’m hopeful,” said Villaseñor, the former Tucson chief. “I have seen cases where simpler and less detailed information has helped bring somebody about. Maybe someone recognizes clothing, maybe the bag. You never know what someone will key on.”

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  • California, other states sue over Trump administration’s latest cuts to HIV programs

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    California and three other states sued the Trump administration Wednesday over its plans to slash $600 million from programs designed to prevent and track the spread of HIV, including in the LGBTQ+ community — arguing the move is based on “political animus and disagreements about unrelated topics such as federal immigration enforcement, political protest, and clean energy.”

    “This action is lawless,” attorneys for California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota said in a complaint filed in federal court in Illinois against President Trump and several of his officials.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding had been allocated to disease control programs in all four states, though California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta’s office said his state faces “the largest share” of the cuts.

    That includes $130 million due to California under a Public Health Infrastructure Block Grant, which the state and its local public health departments use to fund their public health workforce, monitor disease spread and respond to public health emergencies, Bonta’s office said.

    “President Trump … is using federal funding to compel states and jurisdictions to follow his agenda. Those efforts have all previously failed, and we expect that to happen once again,” Bonta said in a statement.

    Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., one of the named defendants, repeatedly has turned his agency away from evidence-backed HIV monitoring and prevention programs in the last year, and the Trump administration has broadly attacked federal spending headed to blue states or allocated to initiatives geared toward the LGBTQ+ community.

    The White House justified the latest cuts by claiming the programs “promote DEI and radical gender ideology” but did not explain further. Health officials said the cuts were to programs that did not reflect the CDC’s “priorities.”

    Neither the White House nor Health and Human Services immediately responded to requests for comment.

    The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said the cuts would derail an estimated $64.5 million for 14 county grant programs, resulting in “increased costs, more illness, and preventable deaths,” the department said.

    Those programs focus on response to disasters, controlling outbreaks of diseases such as measles and flu, preventing the spread of diseases such as West Nile, dengue and hepatitis A, monitoring and treating HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, fighting chronic illnesses such as diabetes and obesity, and supporting community health, the department said.

    Those cuts also would include about $1.1 million for the department’s National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Project, which is focused on detecting emerging HIV trends and preventing outbreaks.

    Dr. Paul Simon, an epidemiologist at the UCLA Fielding School and former chief science officer for the county’s public health department, said slashing the program was a “dangerous” and “shortsighted” move that would leave public health officials in the dark as to what’s happening with the disease on the ground.

    Considerable cuts also are anticipated to the City of Long Beach, UCLA and nine community health providers who provide HIV prevention services, including $383,000 for the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s community HIV prevention programs, local officials said.

    Leading California Democrats railed against the cuts. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said the move was an unlawful attempt by Trump to punish blue states that “won’t bend to his extremist agenda.”

    “His message to the 1.2 million Americans living with HIV is clear: their lives are not a priority, political retribution is,” Padilla said in a statement.

    The states argue in the lawsuit that the administration’s decision “singles out jurisdictions for disfavor based not on any rational purpose related to the goals of any program but rather based on partisan animus.”

    The lawsuit asked the court to declare the cuts unlawful and to bar the administration from implementing them or “engaging in future retaliatory conduct regarding federal funding or other participation in federal programs” based on the states exercising their sovereign authority in unrelated matters.

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    Kevin Rector, Gavin J. Quinton

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  • Rampant post-fire price gouging went unpunished, report alleges

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    When the Palisades and Eaton fires displaced thousands of tenants last year, landlords across L.A. jacked up rental prices while the flames were still burning. Officials were quick to respond, vowing crackdowns on price gouging.

    A new report asserts that many of those threats were toothless.

    Published by activist organization the Rent Brigade, the report analyzed L.A. County’s rental market in the year after the fires. It found 18,360 potential examples of price gouging in listings, but only 12 lawsuits filed so far.

    Gov. Gavin Newsom put price-gouging rules into effect on Jan. 7, the day of the fires. They’ve been in place in L.A. County ever since, and they’re currently extended through Feb. 27, 2026. The protections prohibit landlords from raising rents by more than 10%, but many seemed undeterred by the rules.

    In the week after the fires, one agent told The Times that their landlord client said they “doubt it’ll be prosecuted,” ordering the agent to raise the price more than 10%. A Beverly Grove condo jumped from $5,000 to $8,000. A property in Venice listed for 60% more. A Santa Monica home got a price bump of more than 100%.

    “I was shocked by how many clear, unavoidable cases of price gouging there were,” said Philip Meyer, a volunteer with the Rent Brigade who co-authored the report. “A lot of folks didn’t seem to think there’d be any accountability, so they were breaking the law in plain view.”

    Meyer helped design a tracking system that scrapes data from Zillow to detect price hikes greater than 10%. He said price gouging predictably skyrocketed in the month after the fires, but then it continued all year long as enforcement lagged.

    “I’m not sure if people realized that price-gouging laws are still in effect,” he said.

    Illegal listings were scattered across the Southland, but the report said that 42% were found in L.A. County’s 3rd District, which covers Pacific Palisades, as well as the surrounding communities where many fire victims tried to relocate, including Malibu, Santa Monica, Venice and Calabasas.

    Last year, the Rent Brigade launched a campaign to inform tenants that they may have been victims of price gouging. Using the Zillow data, they sent out 2,000 postcards to addresses tied to suspect listings detailing their rights; Meyer said the goal was to help tenants contact authorities for enforcement.

    The report claims that as much as $49 million in excess rent may have been collected over the last year, an estimate found by totaling up all the asking prices above the legal limit. However, the actual number is likely significantly lower, since the $49-million mark assumes all 18,360 illegal listings were rented at the advertised price.

    It’s also likely that the 18,360 number is slightly lower, since data pulled from Zillow listings don’t provide information on actual leases signed — and don’t always provide the full picture.

    For example, a Zillow listing could show a previous asking price of $1,500 for a home last year, and an asking price of $6,000 a year later, which would register as a 300% increase. However, the $1,500 asking price could’ve been for a single room in the home, not the entire home — in which case the $6,000 wouldn’t be considered price gouging.

    However, it’s clear that thousands of landlords tried to take advantage of increased demand created by the fires, which is why officials at the state, county and city levels all vowed crackdowns.

    There have been plenty of legislative efforts to help enforce such a crackdown. In February, L.A. County raised the price-gouging penalty from $10,000 to $50,000, and the L.A. City Council raised the maximum penalty to $30,000. In July, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors made it easier to punish landlords by allowing the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs to bypass the district attorney and directly fine price gougers.

    Other laws were proposed, but fizzled out. A state law sought to raise the maximum fine for price-gouging and expand protections to hotels and other services, but it died in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Another state law sought to require listing platforms to remove listings suspected of price gouging, but it was vetoed by Newsom in October.

    Spokespeople for the city, county and state offices that deal with price gouging responded to the report’s claims that they weren’t doing enough.

    “As part of our department’s work to protect Californians following the fires, California DOJ formed a Disaster Relief Task Force, sent 753 warning letters to hotels and landlords who were accused of price gouging, and filed criminal charges against six defendants, including Los Angeles real estate agents and a landlord,” said California Department of Justice spokesperson Elissa Perez, who works with state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta. “These are cases where the provable facts supported charges.”

    The report claims that L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman, who issued strong statements condemning price gouging, hasn’t prosecuted a single price-gouging case. A statement from his office acknowledged that no cases have been filed, but pointed to collaborations with the city and state, which have both filed price-gouging lawsuits.

    City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto’s office has filed seven price-gouging lawsuits — three civil, four criminal — ranging from individual landlords to housing companies such as Blueground and Airbnb. Bonta’s office has filed five, all against individual landlords. All 12 cases are currently pending or awaiting trial.

    Ivor Pine, a spokesperson for Feldstein Soto’s office, called the report inaccurate; the report claimed the office investigated only 1,100 cases but it actually investigated thousands more, which were included in its lawsuits against Airbnb and Blueground. He also questioned the report’s methodology, adding that relying exclusively on Zillow listings can be misleading and suggest price gouging that’s not actually happening since it only shows advertised rents, not actual leases.

    Pine added that enforcement efforts are ongoing and that all cases filed seek restitution of hundreds or thousands of dollars paid to victims.

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    Jack Flemming

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  • Trump says California is full of fraud. Bonta says the claims are ‘reckless’

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    With the Trump administration reportedly in talks to create an anti-fraud task force for California, state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta on Thursday vehemently denounced what he described as the administration’s “reckless” and “false” rhetoric about fraud plaguing the state.

    At a news conference at the Ronald Reagan State Building in downtown Los Angeles, Bonta said the Trump administration’s claims that state programs are overrun by fraud and that its government was itself perpetrating or facilitating this fraud was “outrageous and ridiculous and without basis.”

    Bonta said most states struggle with some fraud from outside actors, saying that “anywhere there’s money flowing there’s a risk” and that the state’s Department of Justice has thrown immense resources into cracking down on illicit activities and recovering funds for taxpayers.

    As a politicized national fight over waste, fraud and abuse led by Republicans have targeted California and its Democratic leadership, Bonta and other state officials have moved swiftly to combat the claims.

    In California, Bonta said, authorities have recovered nearly $2.7 billion through criminal and civil prosecutions since 2016, including some $740 million through Medi-Cal fraud related prosecutions, about $2 billion under the state’s False Claims Act, and an additional $108 million from a task force focused on rooting out tax fraud in the underground economy.

    State authorities have frequently partnered with the federal government in the past on such investigations and welcome a good-faith partnership in the future, Bonta said.

    CBS News reported on the creation of a California-focused fraud task force earlier this week, citing multiple unnamed sources familiar with the plans. The outlet, whose new editor in chief, Bari Weiss, has been aligned with Trump and spearheaded a major overhaul of the news organization, reported that the president plans to soon sign an executive order naming Vice President JD Vance as head of a group that would also include the head of the Federal Trade Commission as vice chairman.

    Trump’s rhetoric fueled doubts about California programs and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s leadership at the start of the year, when he declared that “the fraud investigation of California [had] begun.”

    On the president’s social media platform, in formal letters and in recent news conferences, officials in the Trump administration have alleged fraud in child care, hospice funding and unemployment benefits.

    Last week, the topic took center stage again when Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, posted a video accusing Armenian crime groups of carrying out widespread hospice fraud in Los Angeles.

    That viral video received more than 4.5 million views on X.

    Oz’s video received fierce backlash from California politicians and the local Armenian community, who collectively alleged that it contained baseless and racially charged attacks on Armenians.

    The video shows Oz being driven around a section of Van Nuys where he says that about $3.5-billion worth of medicare fraud has been perpetrated by hospice and home-care businesses, claiming that “it’s run, quite a bit of it, by the Russian Armenian mafia.”

    He also points to Armenian language signs, incorrectly referring to them as written in a cerulean script, and saying “you notice that the lettering and language behind me is of that dialect and it also highlights the fact that this is an organized crime mafia deal.”

    Newsom filed a civil rights complaint against Oz on Jan. 29, asking the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate the “racially charged and false public statements” made in the video.

    On Monday, California Sen. Adam Schiff followed suit, demanding an independent review of Oz’s alleged targeting of Armenian American communities.

    “To suggest markers of Armenian culture, language, and identity are indicative of criminality underscores a discriminatory motive that could taint any investigation into fraud and incite the further demonization of the community,” Schiff said in a statement.

    Glendale City Councilmember Ardy Kassakhian said in an interview that Oz’s statements feed into the Trump administration’s playbook of using allegations of fraud to sow racial divisions.

    “This time the focus just happens to be the Armenians,” he said. “In places like Minnesota, it’s the Somali community.”

    California has been investigating healthcare fraud since a 2020 Los Angeles Times investigation uncovered widespread Medicare fraud in the state’s booming but loosely regulated hospice industry.

    From 2010 to 2020, the county’s hospices multiplied sixfold, accounting for more than half of the state’s roughly 1,200 Medicare-certified providers, according to a Times analysis of federal healthcare data.

    Scores of providers sprang up along a corridor stretching west from the San Gabriel Valley through the San Fernando Valley, which now has the highest concentration of hospices in the nation.

    The state Department of Justice has charged more than 100 people with hospice-related fraud since 2021 and shuttered around 280 hospices in the last two years, according to data from the California Department of Public Health.

    But those shuttered hospices barely represent a dent in the massive hospice home healthcare industry. There are 468 hospice facilities in the Van Nuys area alone, according to the state database of medical facilities.

    There are 197 licensed medical practices, including 89 licensed hospices, in a single two-story building located at 14545 Friar St. in Van Nuys — suggesting a concentration of fraudulent businesses.

    When asked why the number of licensed medical practices in Van Nuys and at that address are so high, a spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health said that the department is committed to fighting fraud and unable to comment on pending investigation.

    Recent turmoil in Minnesota has demonstrated the potential ripple effects of allegations levied by the Trump administration.

    Ahead of sending in thousands of immigration enforcement agents into the Midwest state, Trump had repeatedly cited a fraud case involving funds for a child nutrition program involving COVID-19 pandemic relief funds.

    He used the case, which involved a nonprofit where several Somali Americans worked, to vilify the immigrant community, even though the organization was run by a white woman. After the state became a lightning rod, Gov. Tim Walz dropped his reelection plans.

    At Thursday’s news conference, Bonta described major cases in other states, such as $11.4 million healthcare fraud and wire fraud conspiracy involving a nursing assistant in Florida and a $88.3 million Medicaid fraud case in in Ohio involving over billing by a pharmacy benefit manager — to show abuse of state programs is not unique to California — or to blue states.

    “We know Vance hails from Ohio, so maybe he should take a look in his own backyard before leading an unnecessary political stunt focused on California,” Bonta said. “We thought we should set the record straight.”

    Times staff writers Melody Gutierrez and Dakota Smith contributed to this report.

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    Suhauna Hussain, Clara Harter

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  • Judge says she won’t halt Minnesota immigration enforcement surge as a lawsuit proceeds

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    Judge says she won’t halt Minnesota immigration enforcement surge as a lawsuit proceeds

    The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope

    This 13 page document lays out DHS policy for use of force. Now these rules apply to Customs and Border Protection, ICE, and Secret Service and make it clear what protocols agents should follow before any use of force is applied. And while it’s easy to look back and replay video over and over after the fact, experts we talked to told us agents need to rely on these policies and training, especially in critical moments. Unfortunately, It, it’s for me as *** field office director, this all of this is very um upsetting. Darius Reeves, *** former ICE field office director, spent nearly 20 years with ICE and Homeland Security, *** time when he says their operations were not drawing public attention. No one had any idea about ICE. We were very professional, we were very clean, and this is. There are far too many US citizens being involved. What troubles Reeves now isn’t just the outcome of recent encounters, but whether ICE and Border Patrol are following their own use of force and de-escalation policies. When is use of force an option? If it’s an immediate Imminent threat. The National Investigative Unit reviewed the Department of Homeland Security’s use of force policy alongside video from the two recent killings of Alex Preddy and Renee Good and talked with experts including Reeves. DHS policy is clear officers should attempt de-escalation, issue verbal commands, reassess when resistance stops, and discontinue force once an incident is under control. Video from the encounter involving 30 seven-year-old Alex Preddy shows in the minute before the shooting, Preddy is recording from *** distance. Agents push *** woman who grabs onto Preddy. He’s then pushed. An agent pushes another woman near Preddy, who then steps in with an open hand up, then turns away from the agent as he’s sprayed with *** chemical. They continually sprayed him even when his back was to them, and then everybody piles on. Based on the video we’ve seen, in your opinion. Was deadly force used correctly on Alex Peretti? Absolutely not. The second case involving Renee Good raises *** different policy question. DHS rules place strict limits on the use of deadly force in and around vehicles. Mark Brown used to train ICE agents and explains the strict rules. The general practice was that They went away from shooting in the moving vehicles. Reeves and Brown add that incidents need to be carefully examined afterward to prevent future violations. Are we debriefing every day after, you know, to see, OK, what are we doing for our own accountability? This is *** major travesty, um. And you, you’re going to have to stick to the policy. The DHS policy states that every agent must be trained in use of force and de-escalation policies at least once *** year, and every 2 years they must conduct less than lethal force training. The policy we reviewed was last updated in 2023. Reporting in Washington, I’m national investigative correspondent John Cardinelli.

    Judge says she won’t halt Minnesota immigration enforcement surge as a lawsuit proceeds

    The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope

    Updated: 10:27 AM PST Jan 31, 2026

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    A federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds.Video above: Examining DHS use-of-force policiesA federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds.Judge Katherine M. Menendez on Saturday denied a preliminary injunction sought in a lawsuit filed this month by state Attorney General Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul.It argued that the Department of Homeland Security is violating constitutional protections. The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope. Lawyers with the U.S. Department of Justice have called the lawsuit “legally frivolous.”The ruling on the injunction focused on the argument by Minnesota officials that the federal government is violating the Constitution’s 10th Amendment, which limits the federal government’s powers to infringe on the sovereignty of states. In her ruling, the judge relied heavily on whether that argument was likely to ultimately succeed in court.The federal government argued that the surge, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, is necessary in its effort to take criminal immigrants off the streets and because federal efforts have been hindered by state and local “sanctuary laws and policies.” State and local officials argued that the surge is retaliation after the federal government’s initial attempts to withhold federal funding to try to force immigration cooperation failed.”Because there is evidence supporting both sides’ arguments as to motivation and the relative merits of each side’s competing positions are unclear, the Court is reluctant to find that the likelihood-of-success factor weighs sufficiently in favor of granting a preliminary injunction,” the judge said in the ruling.U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi took to social media Saturday to laud the ruling, calling it “another HUGE” legal win for the Justice Department on X.Federal officers have fatally shot two people on the streets of Minneapolis: Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.

    MINNEAPOLIS (AP) —

    A federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds.

    Video above: Examining DHS use-of-force policies

    A federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds.

    Judge Katherine M. Menendez on Saturday denied a preliminary injunction sought in a lawsuit filed this month by state Attorney General Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

    It argued that the Department of Homeland Security is violating constitutional protections. The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope. Lawyers with the U.S. Department of Justice have called the lawsuit “legally frivolous.”

    The ruling on the injunction focused on the argument by Minnesota officials that the federal government is violating the Constitution’s 10th Amendment, which limits the federal government’s powers to infringe on the sovereignty of states. In her ruling, the judge relied heavily on whether that argument was likely to ultimately succeed in court.

    The federal government argued that the surge, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, is necessary in its effort to take criminal immigrants off the streets and because federal efforts have been hindered by state and local “sanctuary laws and policies.” State and local officials argued that the surge is retaliation after the federal government’s initial attempts to withhold federal funding to try to force immigration cooperation failed.

    “Because there is evidence supporting both sides’ arguments as to motivation and the relative merits of each side’s competing positions are unclear, the Court is reluctant to find that the likelihood-of-success factor weighs sufficiently in favor of granting a preliminary injunction,” the judge said in the ruling.

    U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi took to social media Saturday to laud the ruling, calling it “another HUGE” legal win for the Justice Department on X.

    Federal officers have fatally shot two people on the streets of Minneapolis: Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.

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  • Judge says she won’t halt Minnesota immigration enforcement surge as a lawsuit proceeds

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    Judge says she won’t halt Minnesota immigration enforcement surge as a lawsuit proceeds

    The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope

    This 13 page document lays out DHS policy for use of force. Now these rules apply to Customs and Border Protection, ICE, and Secret Service and make it clear what protocols agents should follow before any use of force is applied. And while it’s easy to look back and replay video over and over after the fact, experts we talked to told us agents need to rely on these policies and training, especially in critical moments. Unfortunately, It, it’s for me as *** field office director, this all of this is very um upsetting. Darius Reeves, *** former ICE field office director, spent nearly 20 years with ICE and Homeland Security, *** time when he says their operations were not drawing public attention. No one had any idea about ICE. We were very professional, we were very clean, and this is. There are far too many US citizens being involved. What troubles Reeves now isn’t just the outcome of recent encounters, but whether ICE and Border Patrol are following their own use of force and de-escalation policies. When is use of force an option? If it’s an immediate Imminent threat. The National Investigative Unit reviewed the Department of Homeland Security’s use of force policy alongside video from the two recent killings of Alex Preddy and Renee Good and talked with experts including Reeves. DHS policy is clear officers should attempt de-escalation, issue verbal commands, reassess when resistance stops, and discontinue force once an incident is under control. Video from the encounter involving 30 seven-year-old Alex Preddy shows in the minute before the shooting, Preddy is recording from *** distance. Agents push *** woman who grabs onto Preddy. He’s then pushed. An agent pushes another woman near Preddy, who then steps in with an open hand up, then turns away from the agent as he’s sprayed with *** chemical. They continually sprayed him even when his back was to them, and then everybody piles on. Based on the video we’ve seen, in your opinion. Was deadly force used correctly on Alex Peretti? Absolutely not. The second case involving Renee Good raises *** different policy question. DHS rules place strict limits on the use of deadly force in and around vehicles. Mark Brown used to train ICE agents and explains the strict rules. The general practice was that They went away from shooting in the moving vehicles. Reeves and Brown add that incidents need to be carefully examined afterward to prevent future violations. Are we debriefing every day after, you know, to see, OK, what are we doing for our own accountability? This is *** major travesty, um. And you, you’re going to have to stick to the policy. The DHS policy states that every agent must be trained in use of force and de-escalation policies at least once *** year, and every 2 years they must conduct less than lethal force training. The policy we reviewed was last updated in 2023. Reporting in Washington, I’m national investigative correspondent John Cardinelli.

    Judge says she won’t halt Minnesota immigration enforcement surge as a lawsuit proceeds

    The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope

    Updated: 1:27 PM EST Jan 31, 2026

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    A federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds.Video above: Examining DHS use-of-force policiesA federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds.Judge Katherine M. Menendez on Saturday denied a preliminary injunction sought in a lawsuit filed this month by state Attorney General Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul.It argued that the Department of Homeland Security is violating constitutional protections. The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope. Lawyers with the U.S. Department of Justice have called the lawsuit “legally frivolous.”The ruling on the injunction focused on the argument by Minnesota officials that the federal government is violating the Constitution’s 10th Amendment, which limits the federal government’s powers to infringe on the sovereignty of states. In her ruling, the judge relied heavily on whether that argument was likely to ultimately succeed in court.The federal government argued that the surge, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, is necessary in its effort to take criminal immigrants off the streets and because federal efforts have been hindered by state and local “sanctuary laws and policies.” State and local officials argued that the surge is retaliation after the federal government’s initial attempts to withhold federal funding to try to force immigration cooperation failed.”Because there is evidence supporting both sides’ arguments as to motivation and the relative merits of each side’s competing positions are unclear, the Court is reluctant to find that the likelihood-of-success factor weighs sufficiently in favor of granting a preliminary injunction,” the judge said in the ruling.U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi took to social media Saturday to laud the ruling, calling it “another HUGE” legal win for the Justice Department on X.Federal officers have fatally shot two people on the streets of Minneapolis: Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.

    MINNEAPOLIS (AP) —

    A federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds.

    Video above: Examining DHS use-of-force policies

    A federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds.

    Judge Katherine M. Menendez on Saturday denied a preliminary injunction sought in a lawsuit filed this month by state Attorney General Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

    It argued that the Department of Homeland Security is violating constitutional protections. The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope. Lawyers with the U.S. Department of Justice have called the lawsuit “legally frivolous.”

    The ruling on the injunction focused on the argument by Minnesota officials that the federal government is violating the Constitution’s 10th Amendment, which limits the federal government’s powers to infringe on the sovereignty of states. In her ruling, the judge relied heavily on whether that argument was likely to ultimately succeed in court.

    The federal government argued that the surge, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, is necessary in its effort to take criminal immigrants off the streets and because federal efforts have been hindered by state and local “sanctuary laws and policies.” State and local officials argued that the surge is retaliation after the federal government’s initial attempts to withhold federal funding to try to force immigration cooperation failed.

    “Because there is evidence supporting both sides’ arguments as to motivation and the relative merits of each side’s competing positions are unclear, the Court is reluctant to find that the likelihood-of-success factor weighs sufficiently in favor of granting a preliminary injunction,” the judge said in the ruling.

    U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi took to social media Saturday to laud the ruling, calling it “another HUGE” legal win for the Justice Department on X.

    Federal officers have fatally shot two people on the streets of Minneapolis: Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.

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  • LAPD’s relationship with federal authorities under scrutiny as criticism of ICE grows

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    After the recent shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, some police chiefs have joined the mounting criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration blitz.

    One voice missing from the fray: LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.

    This week, the chief reiterated that the department has a close working relationship with federal law enforcement, and said he would not order his officers to enforce a new state law — currently being challenged as unconstitutional — that prohibits the use of face coverings by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agents.

    Top police brass nationwide rarely criticize their federal partners, relying on collaboration to investigate gangs, extremist groups and other major criminals — while also counting on millions in funding from Washington each year.

    McDonnell and the LAPD have found themselves in an especially tough position, longtime department observers say. The city has been roiled by immigration raids and protests, and local leaders, including Mayor Karen Bass, have blasted the White House. But with the World Cup and Olympics coming soon — events that will require coordination with the feds — the chief has been choosing his words carefully.

    Over the past year, McDonnell has fallen back on the message that the LAPD has a long-standing policy of not getting involved in civil immigration enforcement. Unlike his counterparts in Minneapolis, Portland and Philadelphia, he has largely avoided public comment on the tactics used by federal agents, saving his strongest criticism for protesters accused of vandalism or violence.

    In a radio interview last spring, the chief said that “it’s critical that in a city as big, a city that’s as big a target for terrorism as Los Angeles, that we have a very close working relationship with federal, state and local partners.” He boasted that the LAPD had “best relationship in the nation in that regard.”

    McDonnell stood beside FBI Director Kash Patel on an airport tarmac last week to announce the capture of a Canadian former Olympic snowboarder accused of trafficking tons of cocaine through Los Angeles. Then, at a news conference Thursday in which city officials touted historically low homicide totals, McDonnell said LAPD officials were as “disturbed” as everyone else by events in other parts of the country, alluding to Pretti’s shooting without mentioning him by name. He said the department would continue to work closely with federal agencies on non-immigration matters.

    Explaining his stance on not enforcing the mask ban, McDonnell said he wouldn’t risk asking his officers to approach “another armed agency creating conflict for something that” amounted to a misdemeanor offense.

    “It’s not a good policy decision and it wasn’t well thought out in my opinion,” he said.

    Elsewhere, law enforcement leaders, civil rights advocates and other legal experts have decried how ICE agents and other federal officers have been flouting best practices when making street arrests, conducting crowd control and maintaining public safety amid mass protests.

    After a shooting by agents of two people being sought for arrest in Portland, Ore., in mid-January, the city’s chief of police gave a tearful news conference saying he had sought to understand Latino residents “through your voices, your concern, your fear, your anger.”

    Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal set off a social media firestorm after she referred to ICE agents as “made-up, fake, wannabe law enforcement.”

    In Minneapolis, where the Trump administration has deployed 3,000 federal agents, police Chief Brian O’Hara reportedly warned his officers in private that they would lose their jobs if they failed to intervene when federal agents use force. And in a news conference this week, New Orleans’ police superintendent questioned ICE’s arrest of one of the agency’s recruits.

    The second-guessing has also spread to smaller cities like Helena, Mont., whose city’s police chief pulled his officers out of a regional drug task force over its decision to collaborate with U.S. Border Patrol agents.

    Over the weekend, the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police, the nation’s largest and most influential police chief group, called on the White House to convene local, state and federal law enforcement partners for “policy-level discussions aimed at identifying a constructive path forward.”

    McDonnell’s backers argue that the role of chief is apolitical, though many of his predecessors became national voices that shaped public safety policy. Speaking out, the chief’s supporters say, risks inviting backlash from the White House and could also affect the long pipeline of federal money the department relies on, for instance, to help fund de-escalation training for officers.

    Assemblyman Mark González (D-Los Angeles) was among those who opposed McDonnell over his willingness to work with ICE while serving as Los Angeles County sheriff, but said he now considers him a “great partner” who has supported recent anti-crime legislation.

    So he said was disappointed by McDonnell’s unwillingness to call out racial profiling and excessive force by federal agents in Minneapolis and elsewhere.

    “We have to trust in a chief who is able to say ICE engaging and detaining 5-year-old kids and detaining flower vendors is not what this system was set up to do,” said González, the Assembly’s majority whip. “It would help when you’d have law enforcement back up a community that they serve.”

    Inside the LAPD, top officials have supported McDonnell’s balancing act, suggesting that promises by officials in other cities to detain ICE agents rang hollow.

    “Have you seen them arrest any? No,” said Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton.

    LAPD officers serve on nearly three dozen task forces with federal officials, where they share information and resources to track down criminals, said Hamilton, the department’s chief of detectives. Cooperating with federal partners is essential to tasks including combating “human trafficking on Figueroa” and dismantling international theft rings, he said. As part of these investigations, both sides pool intelligence — arrangements that some privacy rights groups warn are now being exploited in the government’s immigration crackdown.

    Hamilton said that “there’s nothing occurring right now that’s going to affect our relationship with the federal government across the board.”

    Art Acevedo, a former chief in Houston and Miami, said that for any big-city chief, taking an official position on an issue as divisive as immigration can be complicated.

    Being seen as coming out against President Trump comes with “some political risks,” he said.

    But chiefs in immigrant-rich cities like Houston and L.A. must weigh that against the potentially irreparable damage to community trust from failing to condemn the recent raids, he said.

    “When you don’t speak out, the old adage that silence is deafening is absolutely true. You end up losing the public and you end up putting your own people at risk,” he said. “The truth is that when you are police chief you have a bully pulpit, and what you say or fail to say is important.”

    Those with experience on the federal side of the issue said it cuts both ways.

    John Sandweg, the former director of ICE under President Obama, said that federal authorities need local cops and the public to feed them info and support operations, but the immigration agency’s “zero tolerance” approach was putting such cooperation “in jeopardy.”

    “Ideally, in a perfect world, ICE is able to work within immigrant communities to identify the really bad actors,” he said. “But when you have this zero tolerance, when the quantity of arrests matters far more than the quality of arrests, you eliminate any ability to have that cooperation.”

    Times staff writers Brittny Mejia, Ruben Vives and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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    Libor Jany

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  • Top Trump officials’ reversal on Minneapolis shooting: Policy change or damage control?

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    Minneapolis — Key Republicans in the Trump administration are retreating from their blanket defense of Border Patrol agents who fatally shot a U.S. citizen Saturday on a Minneapolis street, part of a larger effort by the White House to turn down the temperature after the killing provoked widespread outrage.

    But it remains unclear whether the tamping down of Republican rhetoric is just damage control after the shooting, or whether it will usher in a more fundamental scaling back of President Trump’s hard-line immigration crackdown in American cities from Los Angeles to Chicago.

    In Minneapolis, there were few signs of a reduction in force on the streets, where tensions have been high since the shooting.

    On Wednesday morning, protesters gathered outside the federal Whipple Building, the epicenter of immigration activity in the city, as a steady stream of federal agents entered and exited.

    “Traitor!” one woman yelled out to a car driven by masked agents.

    “Murderers!” a man said.

    As Richi Mead, dressed in a neon vest that labeled him as a peaceful observer (“DON’T SHOOT”), tracked federal vehicles coming in and out, he said he did not believe there had been a reduction in the number of federal immigration agents in his city. The rate of cars he saw Wednesday, he said, was “business as usual.”

    “They’ve entrenched themselves here,” he said of federal agents. “There’s no end to this — and there’s no end to Minnesotans showing up.”

    As a growing number of Republicans have joined Democrats to protest Alex Pretti’s killing and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faces increasing criticism, Trump has expressed a desire to “de-escalate a little bit.”

    Senior officials — such as Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security advisor — have backtracked on their initial defense of the federal agents who fired the fatal shots.

    Just a few hours after Border Patrol agents shot the 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse Saturday in Minneapolis, Miller said on X: “An assassin tried to murder federal agents.”

    But that statement, along with others made by Noem, were contradicted by cellphone videos showing Pretti was holding a phone, not a gun, when federal agents shoved him to the ground and shot him.

    On Tuesday, Miller issued a statement to CNN acknowledging that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents may have deviated from protocol before the fatal shooting. The White House had provided “clear guidance” to the Department of Homeland Security on how to handle protesters, or “disruptors,” Miller said.

    “We are evaluating why the CBP team may not have been following that protocol,” Miller said.

    A White House spokesperson said that Miller was referring to general guidance given to Immigration and Customs Enforcement that extra personnel sent to Minnesota for force protection “should be used … to create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors.”

    Officials will examine why additional force-protection assets may not have been present to support the operation, the spokesperson said.

    On Wednesday, a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson disclosed that two Border Patrol agents involved in the shooting had been placed on administrative leave Saturday.

    But top Republicans in the White House have yet to announce any major rollback of their aggressive immigration enforcement tactics.

    Kevin R. Johnson, a professor who specializes in immigration law at UC Davis, said it was too early to determine whether senior Trump officials are rethinking federal tactics or whether the shooting of Pretti will lead the president to scale back his immigration agenda.

    “We have seen a de-escalation in the last 24 hours, at least,” Johnson said. “But whether it’s going to stay with us, or be gone in 24 hours, it’s hard to say. I think it’ll stay around at least till the midterms.”

    After hearing Trump and Miller use harsh language for so long to refer to undocumented immigrants, Johnson said, it was impossible to predict how long a de-escalation of rhetoric would last.

    “They shift gears like they’re first-time drivers,” Johnson said of Trump’s senior officials. “They’re all over the place.”

    On Wednesday morning, Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi, who was visiting Minnesota, announced that 16 people whom she dubbed “rioters” were arrested and charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers.

    “We expect more arrests to come,” Bondi said on X. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: NOTHING will stop President Trump and this Department of Justice from enforcing the law.”

    Outside the Whipple Building in Minneapolis, it was hard to tell what, if anything, had changed. Hennepin County sheriff’s deputies continued to provide security in the area. Demonstrators still showed up across the street. Encrypted neighborhood group chats continued to circulate information about possible sightings of immigration agents.

    Before noon, one chat advised that observers were needed at an address where Homeland Security agents “have person trapped in home who went back to house for documentation.”

    Lucas Guttentag, a professor of law at Stanford University who specializes in immigration, said senior Trump administration officials appeared to be admitting things have gone too far and “killing people in the street is unacceptable.”

    “But that’s a low bar; the fundamental policy hasn’t changed,” he said, noting that the administration did not appear to be changing its policy on illegal detention, terminating people’s status or racial profiling. “This is a tactical retreat, but not a change of policy.”

    Still, even as arrests continued, Johnson said it was a positive sign that Miller and Noem had turned down their rhetoric on Pretti’s killing, and that border policy advisor Tom Homan had met with the Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

    “That’s what we need here: some communication and some discussion in an effort to bring down the temperature,” Johnson said. “Because it’s not surprising to me that when you have people at the highest levels, including the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, talking in harsh terms, then you have ICE officers on the ground engaging in very aggressive, maybe illegal tactics.”

    Johnson said he would like to see the Trump administration withdraw some ICE officers from Minneapolis. Beyond that, he said the administration should ramp up its training of federal immigration agents and rethink roving patrols that targeted people, regardless of their legal status, based on their skin color.

    “That tactic has terrorized communities,” he said.

    Johnson was skeptical that the move to apparently oust Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino and bring in Homan to lead the Minnesota operation would change much.

    “He’s a relatively aggressive immigration enforcement type as well,” Johnson said of Homan. “If he’s your peacemaker, it’s unclear to me whether he’s really going to make peace.”

    As Christine Hebl, 45, dropped off a handwritten note at a memorial erected at the site in south Minneapolis where Pretti was killed, she said she doubted that bringing Homan to Minnesota would lead to a reduction in immigration enforcement.

    The only change she had noticed so far had been an expansion outward toward the suburbs north of Minneapolis.

    “It’s a PR stunt in my mind,” she said. “I think that it’s going to continue or even potentially worsen. You cannot believe a single word that comes out of this regime’s mouths. It’s going to continue and I’m scared — I’m really scared.”

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    Jenny Jarvie, Andrea Castillo

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  • Another shutdown likely after ICE killings in Minnesota prompt revolt by Democrats

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    WASHINGTON — The killing of a second U.S. citizen by federal agents in Minneapolis is deeply complicating efforts to avert another government shutdown in Washington as Democrats — and some Republicans — view the episode as a tipping point in the debate over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.

    Senate Democrats pledged to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security unless changes are made to rein in the federal agency’s operations following the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse.

    The Democratic defections threaten to derail passage of a broad spending package that also includes funding for the State Department and the Pentagon, as well as education, health, labor and transportation agencies. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) released a statement Monday calling on Republican Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to avert another shutdown by separating funding for DHS from the full appropriations package.

    “Senate Democrats have made clear we are ready to quickly advance the five appropriations bills separately from the DHS funding bill before the January 30th deadline. The responsibility to prevent a partial government shutdown is on Leader Thune and Senate Republicans,” Schumer said.

    The standoff also revealed fractures among GOP lawmakers, who called for a federal and state investigation into the shooting and congressional hearings for federal officials to explain their tactics — demands that have put unusual pressure on the Trump administration.

    Senate Republicans must secure 60 votes to advance the spending measure in the chamber — a threshold they cannot reach on their own with their 53 seats. The job is further complicated by a time crunch: Lawmakers have until midnight Friday to reach a compromise or face a partial government shutdown.

    Senate Democrats already expressed reservations about supporting the Homeland Security funding after Renee Good, a mother of three, was shot and killed this month by federal agents in Minneapolis. But Pretti’s killing led Democrats to be more forceful in their opposition.

    Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Sunday he would oppose funding for the agencies involved in the Minneapolis operations, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

    “I’m not giving ICE or Border Patrol another dime given how these agencies are operating. Democrats are not going to fund that,” he said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I think anyone who votes to give them more money to do this will share in the responsibility and see more Americans die in our cities as a result.”

    Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said in a statement last week that he would not “give more money to CBP and ICE to continue terrorizing our communities and breaking the law.” He reiterated his stance hours after Pretti’s killing.

    “I will vote against any additional funding for Trump’s ICE and CBP while they act with such reckless disregard for life, safety and the Constitution,” Padilla wrote on social media.

    While Senate Republicans largely intend to support the funding measure, some are publicly raising concerns about the Trump administration’s training requirements for ICE agents and calling for congressional oversight hearings.

    “A comprehensive, independent investigation of the shooting must be conducted in order to rebuild trust and Congressional committees need to hold hearings and do their oversight work,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) wrote on social media. “ICE agents do not have carte blanche in carrying out their duties.”

    Similar demands are being made by House Republicans.

    Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, formally sought testimony from leaders at ICE, Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, saying his “top priority remains keeping Americans safe.”

    Homeland Security has not yet provided a public confirmation that it will attend the hearing, though Garbarino told reporters Saturday he has been “in touch with the department” and anticipates a full investigation.

    Many Republican lawmakers expressed concern over federal officials saying Pretti’s killing was in part because of him having a loaded firearm. Pretti had a permit to carry, according to the Minneapolis police chief, and videos show him holding a cellphone, not brandishing a gun, before officers pushed him to the ground.

    “Carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it’s a constitutionally protected God-given right, and if you don’t understand this you have no business in law enforcement of government,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) wrote on social media.

    Following pushback from the GOP, President Trump appears to be seeking ways to tone down the tensions. The president said Monday he had a “very good call” with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat he clashed with in recent weeks, and that they “seemed to be on a similar wavelength” on next steps.

    If Democrats are successful in striking down the Homeland Security spending package, some hinted at comprehensive immigration reforms to follow.

    California Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) detailed the plan on social media over the weekend, calling on Congress to repeal the $75 billion in supplemental funding for ICE in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year. The allocation roughly tripled the budget for immigration enforcement.

    The shooting came as a slate of progressives renewed demands to “abolish ICE” and replace it with an agency that has congressional oversight.

    Congress must “tear down and replace ICE with an agency that has oversight,” Khanna said. “We owe that to nurse Pretti and the hundreds of thousands on the streets risking their lives to stand up for our freedoms.”

    Democrats also are focusing on removing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. This month Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) introduced a measure to impeach Noem, saying she brought a “reign of terror to Minneapolis.” At least 120 House Democrats supported the measure, according to Kelly’s office.

    Party leaders recently called for an end to controversial “Kavanaugh stops,” which became central to ICE procedure following a September decision in Noem vs. Vasquez Perdomo by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. It allows for agents to stop people based on perceived race or for engaging in activities “associated with undocumented people,” like speaking a foreign language.

    Progressives also have endorsed the reversal of qualified immunity protections, which shield agents from misconduct lawsuits.

    Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) backed the agenda and called for ICE and Border Patrol agents to “leave Minnesota immediately.”

    “Voting NO on the DHS funding bill is the bare minimum. Backing Kristi Noem’s impeachment is the bare minimum. Holding law-breaking ICE agents legally accountable is the bare minimum. ICE is beyond reform. Abolish it,” she wrote Sunday on social media.

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    Ana Ceballos, Gavin J. Quinton

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  • ‘I will not be intimidated’: Former special counsel Jack Smith defends Trump investigation

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    WASHINGTON — Former special counsel Jack Smith on Thursday defended his findings that President Trump “willfully broke the law” in his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, telling lawmakers that Republican efforts to discredit the probe are “false and misleading.”

    “No one should be above the law in our country, and the law required that [Trump] be held to account. So that is what I did,” Smith said during a frequently heated five-hour hearing before the House Judiciary Committee.

    Smith appeared at the request of Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who accused him of pursuing a politically driven investigation and “muzzling a candidate for a high office.”

    “It was always about politics and to get President Trump, they were willing to do just about anything,” Jordan said.

    Jordan called investigations into the Jan. 6 insurrection “staged and choreographed,” and said Smith would have “blown a hole in the 1st Amendment” if his charges against Trump had been allowed to proceed.

    Trump has repeatedly called for Smith to face prosecution over the probe, demanding he be disbarred and suggesting that Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi look into his conduct.

    “I believe they will do everything in their power to [indict me] because they have been ordered to do so by the president,” Smith said at the hearing.

    Smith’s 2023 investigation found that following Joe Biden’s 2020 victory, Trump led a months-long disinformation campaign to discredit the results, evidenced by audio from a call in which he pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes.”

    Trump’s attempt to sow election discord culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, Smith said. The president directed rioters to halt the certification of the election results, he added.

    In closed-door testimony to the committee last month, Smith said the Department of Justice had built a strong base of evidence of Trump’s criminal schemes to overturn the election.

    A separate case alleged that the president unlawfully kept classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago club after the loss.

    Trump was indicted in the documents case in June 2023, and later for the alleged election conspiracy and fraud claims. Both cases were abandoned after his victory in the 2024 election on the basis of presidential immunity.

    In his opening remarks, Smith reiterated his findings.

    “President Trump was charged because the evidence established that he willfully broke the law, the very laws he took an oath to uphold,” he said. “Rather than accept his defeat, President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power.”

    Republicans asserted that Justice Department subpoenas of phone records were an abuse of prosecutorial power and constituted surveillance of top government officials.

    Smith replied that obtaining such data was “common” in conspiracy investigations and that the records showed call dates and times — not content — encompassing the days around Jan. 6, 2021.

    Jordan questioned the special counsel’s judgment in personnel selections, which included Department of Justice investigators who probed the Trump campaign over alleged collusion with Russia in the 2016 presidential election.

    “Democrats have been going after President Trump for 10 years — a decade — and we should never forget what they’ve done,” he said.

    Smith, who has since left the Justice Department to open a private firm with his former deputies, was quick to defend the integrity of his team, adding that Trump has since sought to seek revenge against career prosecutors, FBI agents and support staff for their involvement in the cases.

    “Those dedicated public servants are the best of us,” he said. “My fear is that we have seen the rule of law function in our country for so long that many of us have come to take it for granted.”

    The hearing routinely devolved into disputes between party adversaries, with Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) lodging scathing accusations against Smith, butting heads with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) over procedure and yielding his time “in disgust” of the witness.

    GOP committee members attempted to poke holes in Smith’s findings about the events of Jan. 6. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) accused Republicans on the committee of trying to “rewrite the history” of Jan. 6.

    Midway through the hearing, Trump called Smith a “deranged animal” in a Truth Social post where he once again suggested his Department of Justice investigate the former special counsel.

    “I will not be intimidated,” Smith said. “We followed the facts and we followed the law. That process resulted in proof beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed serious crimes. I’m not going to pretend that didn’t happen because he threatened me.”

    The hearing came as Trump continues to repeat false claims that he had won in 2020.

    “It was a rigged election. Everybody knows that now. And by the way, numbers are coming out that show it even more plainly,” Trump said Tuesday at a White House news briefing.

    In an address to a global audience in Davos, Switzerland, the following day, he said that “people will soon be prosecuted for what they did.”

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    Gavin J. Quinton

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  • Edison sues L.A. County and other agencies, saying they share blame for Eaton fire deaths, destruction

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    Southern California Edison sued Los Angeles County, water agencies and two companies including SoCalGas Friday, saying their mistakes contributed to the deadly and destructive toll of last year’s Eaton wildfire.

    Edison now faces hundreds of lawsuits by victims of the fire, which claim its transmission line started the devastating fire that killed at least 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Altadena. The cost of settling those lawsuits could be many billions of dollars.

    Doug Dixon, an attorney who represents Edison in the fire litigation, told the Times that Edison filed the lawsuits “to ensure that all those who bear responsibility are at the table in this legal process.”

    The utility’s two legal filings in L.A. County Superior Court paint a picture of sweeping mismanagement of the emergency response on the night of the fire.

    Edison blames the county fire department, sheriff’s department and office of emergency management for their failure to warn Altadena residents west of Lake Avenue to evacuate.

    The Times revealed last January that west Altadena never received evacuation warnings, and orders to evacuate came hours after flames and smoke threatened the community. All but one of the 19 who died in the Eaton fire were found in west Altadena.

    Edison also sued L.A. County for failing to send fire trucks to the community. A Times investigation found that during a critical moment in the fire, only one county fire truck was west of Lake Avenue.

    The electric company also filed suit against six water agencies, including Pasadena Water & Power, claiming there were insufficient water supplies available for firefighters.

    “Compounding the unfolding disaster, the water systems servicing the areas impacted by the Eaton Fire failed as the fire spread, leaving firefighters and residents with no water to fight the fire,” the lawsuit states.

    Another lawsuit aims at SoCalGas. Edison says the company failed to turn off gas lines after the fire started, making the disaster worse.

    “SoCalGas did not begin widespread shutoffs for four days—until January 11, 2025—in the area affected by the Eaton Fire,” the complaint states. “In the meantime, the Eaton Fire continued to spread fueled by natural gas.”

    “ The risks and deficiencies with SoCalGas’s system that led to it spreading the fire were long known to SoCalGas, and yet it nevertheless failed to adequately account for them in designing, building, and maintaining its system,” the complaint said. “The result was catastrophic.”

    Edison also sued Genasys, a company that provides the county with emergency alert software.

    In addition, the utility sued the county for failing to remove brush, which it claims made the fire hotter and spread faster, causing more damage.

    In March, L.A. County filed suit against Edison, claiming that its transmission line sparked the blaze, requiring the county to incur tens of millions of dollars responding to the fire and its aftermath. The county is seeking compensation for destroyed infrastructure and parks, as well as for cleanup and recovery efforts, lost taxes and overtime for county workers.

    Edison’s new cross claims will be heard in the consolidated Eaton fire case in Superior Court, which is also handling the lawsuit that the county and other public agencies have filed against the electric utility.

    Officials from the county and water agencies, as well as from the two companies, could not be immediately reached.

    The water agencies that Edison sued also include the Sierra Madre City Water Dept., Kinneloa Irrigation District, Rubio Canyon Land & Water Association, Las Flores Water Company and Lincoln Avenue Water Company.

    The government investigation into the fire, which is being handled jointly by L.A. County Fire and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, has not yet been released.

    Edison has said that a leading theory is that its unused, century-old transmission line in Eaton Canyon somehow became re-energized on the night of Jan. 7, 2025 and sparked the blaze.

    The fire roared through Altadena, burning 14,021 acres and destroying more than 9,400 homes and other structures.

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    Melody Petersen

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  • The TSA fee for travelers without REAL ID starts soon. What to know

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    A new fee for travelers without REAL ID starts soon. Here’s what to know about the changes ahead and what to do if you don’t have a REAL ID. In December, the Transportation Security Administration announced that passengers who do not present an acceptable form of ID and still want to fly will have an option to pay a $45 fee.When will the TSA start charging the $45 fee?According to the TSA, the use of TSA Confirm.ID and a $45 fee to use this identity verification will begin on Feb. 1. The fee only applies to travelers without an acceptable form of ID.Why is the TSA charging this fee, and what does it cover? According to TSA officials, the fee “ensures that non-compliant travelers, not taxpayers, cover the cost of processing travelers without acceptable IDs.” The $45 fee allows passengers without accepted ID to use TSA Confirm.ID for a 10-day travel period.What is TSA Confirm.ID and do I have to use it?TSA ConfirmID is an identity verification system that will establish passengers’ identities at security checkpoints.While using TSA ConfirmID is voluntary, TSA officials say that if you choose not to use it and don’t have an acceptable ID, you may not be allowed through security and could miss your flight.Can I pay the fee online before I travel?Yes. The TSA has a step-by-step guide to pay the $45 fee online here.If I don’t have a REAL ID or don’t pay the $45 fee ahead of time, how long will it take to get through security?According to a recent news release from the TSA, travelers without REAL IDs that use TSA ConfirmID at the airport “will be subject to additional ID verification, screening measures and potential delays.””Travelers who appear at the TSA checkpoint without a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID and have not already paid the TSA ConfirmID fee will be subject to additional delays which may result in a missed flight,” the TSA release says. “It is important that airline travelers plan ahead to ensure they have an acceptable form of ID to avoid these additional delays as the process can take up to 30 minutes.” TSA officials urge any traveler without REAL ID or acceptable identification to pay the fee online before traveling. For passengers arriving at the airport without paying the fee in advance, there will be information about how to pay at marked locations at or near the security checkpoint in most airports. What are the acceptable uses of ID?Acceptable forms of ID include:REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)U.S. passportU.S. passport cardDHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependentsPermanent resident cardBorder crossing cardAn acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)HSPD-12 PIV cardForeign government-issued passportCanadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada cardTransportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)U.S. Merchant Mariner CredentialVeteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)How do I get a REAL ID?Each state handles the REAL ID process differently. You should visit your state’s driver’s licensing agency website to find out exactly what documentation is required, but at a minimum, you’ll need to provide documentation showing your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, two proofs of address of principal residence and lawful status.Some states may have additional requirements, so check with your state’s driver’s licensing agency website before visiting them in person for additional guidance and assistance.

    A new fee for travelers without REAL ID starts soon. Here’s what to know about the changes ahead and what to do if you don’t have a REAL ID.

    In December, the Transportation Security Administration announced that passengers who do not present an acceptable form of ID and still want to fly will have an option to pay a $45 fee.

    When will the TSA start charging the $45 fee?

    According to the TSA, the use of TSA Confirm.ID and a $45 fee to use this identity verification will begin on Feb. 1. The fee only applies to travelers without an acceptable form of ID.

    Why is the TSA charging this fee, and what does it cover?

    According to TSA officials, the fee “ensures that non-compliant travelers, not taxpayers, cover the cost of processing travelers without acceptable IDs.”

    The $45 fee allows passengers without accepted ID to use TSA Confirm.ID for a 10-day travel period.

    What is TSA Confirm.ID and do I have to use it?

    TSA ConfirmID is an identity verification system that will establish passengers’ identities at security checkpoints.

    While using TSA ConfirmID is voluntary, TSA officials say that if you choose not to use it and don’t have an acceptable ID, you may not be allowed through security and could miss your flight.

    Can I pay the fee online before I travel?

    Yes. The TSA has a step-by-step guide to pay the $45 fee online here.

    If I don’t have a REAL ID or don’t pay the $45 fee ahead of time, how long will it take to get through security?

    According to a recent news release from the TSA, travelers without REAL IDs that use TSA ConfirmID at the airport “will be subject to additional ID verification, screening measures and potential delays.”

    “Travelers who appear at the TSA checkpoint without a REAL ID or other acceptable form of ID and have not already paid the TSA ConfirmID fee will be subject to additional delays which may result in a missed flight,” the TSA release says. “It is important that airline travelers plan ahead to ensure they have an acceptable form of ID to avoid these additional delays as the process can take up to 30 minutes.”

    TSA officials urge any traveler without REAL ID or acceptable identification to pay the fee online before traveling. For passengers arriving at the airport without paying the fee in advance, there will be information about how to pay at marked locations at or near the security checkpoint in most airports.

    What are the acceptable uses of ID?

    Acceptable forms of ID include:

    • REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)
    • State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)
    • U.S. passport
    • U.S. passport card
    • DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
    • U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
    • Permanent resident card
    • Border crossing card
    • An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)
    • HSPD-12 PIV card
    • Foreign government-issued passport
    • Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
    • Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
    • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
    • U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
    • Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)

    How do I get a REAL ID?

    Each state handles the REAL ID process differently. You should visit your state’s driver’s licensing agency website to find out exactly what documentation is required, but at a minimum, you’ll need to provide documentation showing your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, two proofs of address of principal residence and lawful status.

    Some states may have additional requirements, so check with your state’s driver’s licensing agency website before visiting them in person for additional guidance and assistance.

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  • Lawsuits against ICE agents would be allowed under proposed California law

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    SACRAMENTO — A week after a Minnesota woman was fatally shot by a federal immigration officer, California legislators moved forward a bill that would make it easier for people to sue federal agents if they believe their constitutional rights were violated.

    A Senate committee passed Senate Bill 747 by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), which would provide Californians with a stronger ability to take legal action against federal law enforcement agents over excessive use of force, unlawful home searches, interfering with a right to protest and other violations.

    California law already allows such suits against state and local law enforcement officials.

    Successful civil suits against federal officers over constitutional rights are less common.

    Wiener, appearing before Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, said his bill has taken on new urgency in the wake of the death of Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota, the 37-year-old mother of three who was shot while driving on a snowy Minneapolis street.

    Good was shot by an agent in self-defense, said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who alleged that Good tried to use her car as a weapon to run over the immigration officer.

    Good’s death outraged Democratic leaders across the country, who accuse federal officers of flouting laws in their efforts to deport thousands of undocumented immigrants. In New York, legislators are proposing legislation similar to the one proposed by Wiener that would allow state-level civil actions against federal officers.

    George Retes Jr., a U.S. citizen and Army veteran who was kept in federal custody for three days in July, described his ordeal at Tuesday’s committee hearing, and how immigration officers swarmed him during a raid in Camarillo.

    Retes, a contracted security guard at the farm that was raided, said he was brought to Port Hueneme Naval Base. Officials swabbed his cheek to obtain DNA, and then moved him to Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. He was not allowed to make a phone call or see an attorney, he said.

    “I did not resist, I did not impede or assault any agent,” Retes said.”What happened to me that day was not a misunderstanding. It was a violation of the Constitution by the very people sworn to uphold it.”

    He also accused Department of Homeland security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin of spreading false information about him to justify his detention. DHS said in a statement last year that Retes impeded their operation, which he denies.

    Retes has filed a tort claim against the U.S. government, a process that is rarely successful, said his attorney, Anya Bidwell.

    Lawsuits can also be brought through the Bivens doctrine, which refers to the 1971 Supreme Court ruling Bivens vs. Six Unknown Federal Agents that established that federal officials can be sued for monetary damages for constitutional violations. But in recent decades, the Supreme Court has repeatedly restricted the ability to sue under Bivens.

    Wiener’s bill, if passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, would be retroactive to March 2025.

    “We’ve had enough of this terror campaign in our communities by ICE,” said Wiener at a news conference before the hearing. “We need the rule of law and we need accountability.”

    Weiner is running for the congressional seat held by former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco).

    Representatives for law enforcement agencies appeared at Tuesday’s hearing to ask for amendments to ensure that the bill wouldn’t lead to weakened protections for state and local officials.

    “We’re not opposed to the intent of the bill. We’re just concerned about the future and the unintended consequences for your California employees,” said David Mastagni, speaking on behalf of the Peace Officers Research Assn. of California, which represents more than 85,000 public safety members.

    Wiener’s bill is the latest effort by the state Legislature to challenge President Trump’s immigration raids. Newsom last year signed legislation authored by Wiener that prohibits law enforcement officials, including federal immigration agents, from wearing masks, with some exceptions.

    The U.S. Department of Justice sued last year to block the law, and a hearing in the case is scheduled for Wednesday.

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    Dakota Smith

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