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  • Families reeling, businesses suffering six months after ICE raided Ventura cannabis farms

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    OXNARD — A father who has become the sole caretaker for his two young children after his wife was deported. A school district seeing absenteeism similar to what it experienced during the pandemic. Businesses struggling because customers are scared to go outside.

    These are just a sampling of how this part of Ventura County is reckoning with the aftermath of federal immigration raids on Glass House cannabis farms six months ago, when hundreds of workers were detained and families split apart. In some instances, there is still uncertainty about what happened to minors left behind after one or both parents were deported. Now, while Latino households gather for the holidays, businesses and restaurants are largely quiet as anxiety about more Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids lingers.

    “There’s a lot of fear that the community is living,” said Alicia Flores, executive director of La Hermandad Hank Lacayo Youth and Family Center. This time of year, clients usually ask her about her holiday plans, but now no one asks. Families are divided by the U.S. border or have loved ones in immigration detainment. “They were ready for Christmas, to make tamales, to make pozole, to make something and celebrate with the family. And now, nothing.”

    At the time, the immigration raids on Glass House Farms in Camarillo and Carpinteria were some of the largest of their kind nationwide, resulting in chaotic scenes, confusion and violence. At least 361 undocumented immigrants were detained, many of them third-party contractors for Glass House. One of those contractors, Jaime Alanis Garcia, died after he fell from a greenhouse rooftop in the July 10 raid.

    Jacqueline Rodriguez, in mirror, works on a customer’s hair as Silvia Lopez, left, owner of Divine Hair Design, waits for customers in downtown Oxnard on Dec. 19, 2025.

    (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

    The raids catalyzed mass protests along the Central Coast and sent a chill through Oxnard, a tight-knit community where many families work in the surrounding fields and live in multigenerational homes far more modest than many on the Ventura coast. It also reignited fears about how farmworker communities — often among the most low-paid and vulnerable parts of the labor pool — would be targeted during the Trump administration’s intense deportation campaign.

    In California, undocumented workers represent nearly 60% of the agricultural workforce, and many of them live in mixed-immigration-status households or households where none are citizens, said Ana Padilla, executive director of the UC Merced Community and Labor Center. After the Glass House raid, Padilla and UC Merced associate professor Edward Flores identified economic trends similar to the Great Recession, when private-sector jobs fell. Although undocumented workers contribute to state and federal taxes, they don’t qualify for unemployment benefits that could lessen the blow of job loss after a family member gets detained.

    “These are households that have been more affected by the economic consequences than any other group,” Padilla said. She added that California should consider distributing “replacement funds” for workers and families that have lost income because of immigration enforcement activity.

    A woman stands in a front of a window near quinceanera dresses

    An Oxnard store owner who sells quinceañera and baptism dresses — and who asked that her name not be used — says she has lost 60% of her business since the immigrant raids this year at Glass House farms.

    (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

    Local businesses are feeling the effects as well. Silvia Lopez, who has run Divine Hair Design in downtown Oxnard for 16 years, said she’s lost as much as 75% of business after the July raid. The salon usually saw 40 clients a day, she said, but on the day after the raid, it had only two clients — and four stylists who were stunned. Already, she said, other salon owners have had to close, and she cut back her own hours to help her remaining stylists make enough each month.

    “Everything changed for everyone,” she said.

    In another part of town, a store owner who sells quinceañera and baptism dresses said her sales have dropped by 60% every month since August, and clients have postponed shopping. A car shop owner, who declined to be identified because he fears government retribution, said he supported President Trump because of his campaign pledge to help small-business owners like himself. But federal loans have been difficult to access, he said, and he feels betrayed by the president’s deportation campaign that has targeted communities such as Oxnard.

    A woman poses for a portrait.

    “There’s a lot of fear that the community is living,” said Alicia Flores, executive director of La Hermandad Hank Lacayo Youth and Family Center in downtown Oxnard, on Dec. 19, 2025.

    (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

    “Glass House had a big impact,” he said. “It made people realize, ‘Oh s—, they’re hitting us hard.’ ”

    The raid’s domino effect has raised concerns about the welfare of children in affected households. Immigration enforcement actions can have detrimental effects on young children, according to the American Immigration Council, and they can be at risk of experiencing severe psychological distress.

    Olivia Lopez, a community organizer at Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, highlighted the predicament of one father. He became the sole caretaker of his infant and 4-year-old son after his wife was deported, and can’t afford child care. He is considering sending the children across the border to his wife in Mexico, who misses her kids.

    In a separate situation, Lopez said, an 18-year-old has been suddenly thrust into caring for two siblings after her mother, a single parent, was deported.

    Additionally, she said she has heard stories of children left behind, including a 16-year-old who does not want to leave the U.S. and reunite with her mother who was deported after the Glass House raid. She said she suspects that at least 50 families — and as many as 100 children — lost both or their only parent in the raid.

    “I have questions after hearing all the stories: Where are the children, in cases where two parents, those responsible for the children, were deported? Where are those children?” she said. “How did we get to this point?”

    Robin Godfrey, public information officer for the Ventura County Human Services Agency, which is responsible for overseeing child welfare in the county, said she could not answer specific questions about whether the agency has become aware of minors left behind after parents were detained.

    “Federal and state laws prevent us from confirming or denying if children from Glass House Farms families came into the child welfare system,” she said in a statement.

    The raid has been jarring in the Oxnard School District, which was closed for summer vacation but reopened on July 10 to contact families and ensure their well-being, Supt. Ana DeGenna said. Her staff called all 13,000 families in the district to ask whether they needed resources and whether they wanted access to virtual classes for the upcoming school year.

    Even before the July 10 raid, DeGenna and her staff were preparing. In January, after Trump was inaugurated, the district sped up installing doorbells at every school site in case immigration agents attempted to enter. They referred families to organizations that would help them draft affidavits so their U.S.-born children could have legal guardians, in case the parents were deported. They asked parents to submit not just one or two, but as many as 10 emergency contacts in case they don’t show up to pick up their children.

    A man with a guitar.

    Rodrigo is considering moving back to Mexico after living in the U.S. for 42 years.

    (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

    With a district that is 92% Latino, she said, nearly everyone is fearful, whether they are directly or indirectly affected, regardless if they have citizenship. Some families have self-deported, leaving the country, while children have changed households to continue their schooling. Nearly every morning, as raids continue in the region, she fields calls about sightings of ICE vehicles near schools. When that happens, she said, she knows attendance will be depressed to near COVID-19 levels for those surrounding schools, with parents afraid to send their children back to the classroom.

    But unlike the pandemic, there is no relief in knowing they’ve experienced the worst, such as the Glass House raid, which saw hundreds of families affected in just a day, she said. The need for mental health counselors and support has only grown.

    “We have to be there to protect them and take care of them, but we have to acknowledge it’s a reality they’re living through,” she said. “We can’t stop the learning, we can’t stop the education, because we also know that is the most important thing that’s going to help them in the future to potentially avoid being victimized in any way.”

    Jasmine Cruz, 21, launched a GoFundMe page after her father was taken during the Glass House raid. He remains in detention in Arizona, and the family hired an immigration attorney in hopes of getting him released.

    Each month, she said, it gets harder to pay off their rent and utility bills. She managed to raise about $2,700 through GoFundMe, which didn’t fully cover a month of rent. Her mother is considering moving the family back to Mexico if her father is deported, Cruz said.

    “I tried telling my mom we should stay here,” she said. “But she said it’s too much for us without our dad.”

    Many of the families torn apart by the Glass House raid did not have plans in place, said Lopez, the community organizer, and some families were resistant because they believed they wouldn’t be affected. But after the raid, she received calls from several families who wanted to know whether they could get family affidavit forms notarized. One notary, she said, spent 10 hours working with families for free, including some former Glass House workers who evaded the raid.

    “The way I always explain it is, look, everything that is being done by this government agency, you can’t control,” she said. “But what you can control is having peace of mind knowing you did something to protect your children and you didn’t leave them unprotected.”

    For many undocumented immigrants, the choices are few.

    Rodrigo, who is undocumented and worries about ICE reprisals, has made his living with his guitar, which he has been playing since he was 17.

    While taking a break outside a downtown Oxnard restaurant, he looked tired, wiping his forehead after serenading a pair, a couple and a group at a Mexican restaurant. He has been in the U.S. for 42 years, but since the summer raid, business has been slow. Now, people no longer want to hire for house parties.

    The 77-year-old said he wants to retire but has to continue working. But he fears getting picked up at random, based on how abusive agents have been. He’s thinking about the new year, and returning to Mexico on his own accord.

    “Before they take away my guitar,” he said, “I better go.”

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    Melissa Gomez

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  • He risked his life for American soldiers in Afghanistan. Would America let him in?

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    CHICAGO — Barely half an hour had passed since the flight landed at O’Hare International Airport, and the Army combat veteran’s palms were already sweating.

    Spencer Sullivan, 38, situated himself at the front of a crowd of people waiting near the exit for international arrivals. He knew it could be hours before his friend got through customs.

    Still, he said, “I’ve been waiting so long for this moment. I don’t want to miss it.”

    It had been just over 13 years since Sullivan, who now works in corporate development, first began helping his former interpreter in Afghanistan petition for a visa to live in the U.S.

    The process had been full of big hopes and bigger letdowns. Then, after they finally secured the visa in September, an Afghan immigrant was accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington.

    In the politicized aftermath, Sullivan wondered: Would his friend get in?

    Abdulhaq Sodais, left, and Spencer Sullivan have breakfast at a hotel in Skokie, Ill., a day after Sodais’ arrival in the U.S.

    After the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, teenage Abdulhaq Sodais enrolled in English classes with the goal of becoming an interpreter for coalition forces. Nearly a decade later in 2010, employment records show he was contracted by Mission Essential, one of the largest companies that supplied interpreters in Afghanistan to Western forces.

    Sodais, 33, and Sullivan, then a platoon leader, met two years later at a military base in the remote Zabul Province.

    Together they would go on intel-gathering missions, talking to village leaders, scouting unfamiliar terrain and observing the Taliban from hilltops, where Sodais interpreted their radio transmissions for Sullivan in real time.

    In December 2012, Sullivan returned to the U.S., though he and Sodais stayed in touch. The following year, the blast of an improvised explosive device left Sodais with a concussion and a bulging spinal disk. He returned to his parents’ home in Herat to recover.

    After his convalescence, he said, his supervisor told him to take a dangerous road back to the Zabul base — a day’s drive for a journey commonly traveled by air. Afraid it would be a suicide mission, he declined to take the land route and was fired for job abandonment.

    The denial of his first Special Immigrant Visa application soon followed.

    Those visas offer a pathway to citizenship for Afghans who were employed by the U.S. government or its private contractors. In establishing the program, federal officials acknowledged a moral obligation to protect allies who risked their lives to help the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.

    More than 50,000 such visas have been approved since 2009, according to the State Department.

    One requirement is “faithful and valuable service to the U.S. government.” Applicants denied visas are often deemed to have failed that provision, though interpreters and advocates have said the smallest inconsistency could trigger a denial. Over the next few years, Sodais said, three more visa applications would be denied.

    In a Nov. 23, 2014, recommendation letter, Sullivan, by then an Army captain, wrote that granting Sodais a visa “is the least that can be done in order to express America’s gratitude for his services.”

    “On multiple missions in enemy controlled villages, his life was threatened by local nationals in support of the Taliban for his assistance of [coalition] forces,” Sullivan wrote. “Abdulhaq did not cover his face while on mission, leaving him recognizable to Taliban informants, further endangering his life.”

    He was rehired by Mission Essential in 2014, but fired again in 2016, with a civilian contractor writing in his file that he had an “incompatible skill set with [the] unit’s mission.” She accused him — falsely — Sodais says, of checking his personal Facebook at the office.

    Mission Essential later told The Times that he was terminated by the military for poor performance but that it had no record of the incident he referred to.

    Sodais said he was confronted by his local mullah, or Muslim clergy leader, in 2015 for working with Western armed forces. The mullah said he was labeled an infidel, and his death had been sanctioned by the Taliban. He went into hiding at his parents’ home.

    Then, in July 2017, the Taliban killed Sayed Sadat, another interpreter who had worked with the platoon Sullivan had led. Devastated by the news, Sullivan reached out to Sodais, asking if he was OK.

    Sodais had gotten a new phone and didn’t reply. Sullivan, who now wears a metal memorial band with Sadat’s name and date of death, feared Sodais also was dead.

    two men walk in a wooded park

    Abdulhaq Sodais and Spencer Sullivan walk through a park in Bremen, Germany, in 2021. Sodais fled Afghanistan for Germany, and Sullivan worked for years to get him a visa to travel to the U.S.

    (Peter Dejong / Associated Press)

    What Sullivan didn’t know was that Sodais had fled Afghanistan and arrived in Germany in 2018 after seven months of travel with smugglers by land.

    After his first German asylum claim was rejected, a lawyer told Sodais he needed more evidence to back up his claims of working for the U.S. So, that Christmas Eve, he messaged Sullivan asking for photos from their missions together. He told Sullivan that if he couldn’t find safety and stability, he would take his own life before the Taliban could.

    Sullivan had been wracked with guilt since Sadat’s death and vowed to help. He sent the photos Sodais requested, wrote a letter of support and helped him navigate German bureaucracy. He even flew to Germany from his home in Virginia in 2019 to offer encouragement.

    But the asylum process moved slowly. By March 2021, Sodais, overwhelmed by fear of deportation, became deeply depressed and attempted suicide. At a psychiatric hospital, medical records show, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

    That August, as the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, Sullivan returned to Germany to help Sodais prepare for his final asylum appeal hearing.

    The verdict arrived a month later. He’d won.

    Sodais found succeeding in German society difficult. He felt a palpable sense of discrimination and was laid off from various contract jobs, including as a forklift operator and an aid helping special needs children on and off school buses.

    While Sullivan was happy his friend had found safety, he was disappointed that the country he had served continued to reject his requests for a visa.

    “He should be in America,” he said at the time. “We failed him.”

    In the meantime, life continued. Sodais married another Afghan refugee, Weeda Faqiri, in 2022. Sodais’ and Sullivan’s families met for the first time in 2022 when Sullivan, his wife and son visited Germany.

    Also that year, Sodais said, he won a $15,000 legal judgment against Mission Essential over lack of medical care after the explosive device blast more than a decade earlier.

    He and Sullivan decided to write a book about Sodais’ life and their friendship. “Not Our Problem: The True Story of an Afghan Refugee, an American Promise, and the World Between Them” is scheduled to publish in April.

    Last year, Sodais decided to make a final pitch to the U.S. government. On Feb. 4 came a reply unlike the others: “Approval of Appeal for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program.”

    people reach for food at a shared meal at a Kabob restaurant

    Abdulhaq Sodais and his wife, Weeda Faqiri, share their first meal in the United States at a restaurant in Chicago on Dec. 17.

    On Sept. 25, Sodais was issued a visa valid for just over five months, until March 3. Overjoyed, he and Faqiri, 26, began planning their move.

    Two months later, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was charged in the shooting that killed Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically wounded Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24.

    Lakanwal, who pleaded not guilty, entered the U.S. in 2021 through a Biden administration program for Afghans in the wake of the military withdrawal, and his asylum application was approved in April. In Afghanistan, he served in a counterterrorism unit operated by the CIA.

    After the shooting, the Trump administration enacted sweeping restrictions to legal immigration programs, including halting visa applications for Afghans and others.

    Worried that further restrictions could follow, Sullian called Sodais and told him there were likely two options: stay permanently in Germany, or attempt to move immediately to the U.S.

    Sodais chose the move.

    Sullivan learned that RefugeeOne, a Chicago-based group that aids refugees, could help. Using money from their book advance, Sullivan booked Sodais and Faqiri flights from Munich to Chicago, arriving Dec. 17.

    The night before their trip, the Trump administration announced a new proclamation titled “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States.” Under that order, even Afghans who had secured Special Immigrant Visas — people like Sodais — could be denied entry into the U.S.

    Sullivan panicked.

    “Well, this confirms our decision to get them here as fast as possible,” he said that night. “This is a deliberate dismantling of the SIV program, one brick at a time.”

    Then he learned the proclamation wouldn’t take effect until Jan. 1. The panic subsided a little.

    A woman is taken into custody by Border Patrol agents

    A woman is taken into custody by Border Patrol agents after she was accused of using her vehicle to block their vehicles while they were patrolling in a shopping center in Niles, Ill., on Dec. 17.

    (Scott Olson / Getty Images)

    On the day of Sodais’ arrival, Border Patrol leaders returned to Chicago for a fresh round of immigration raids and patrolled a neighborhood near the hotel where he and Faqiri would be staying.

    Sullivan said he would put himself physically between Sodais and immigration agents. He was half-joking, but it underscored the political moment.

    After Sodais’ plane landed, Sullivan knew he had seen one of his WhatsApp messages because of the two blue checkmarks next to it. But others were unread. Had he been denied entry?

    “After so many disappointments over the years, it’s hard to believe that anything’s going to go right,” Sullivan said, later admitting that “I was convinced they were cuffed face-down on the linoleum somewhere.”

    Spencer Sullivan, left, guides Abdulhaq Sodais to a parking garage at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Dec. 17.

    Spencer Sullivan, left, guides Abdulhaq Sodais to a parking garage at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on Dec. 17.

    The arrival of three giddy RefugeeOne employees lifted the mood. After years of serving mostly Afghans, Syrians and Ukrainians, they hadn’t picked up an arriving refugee since January, said Emily Parker, who oversees contract compliance.

    Parker said a private donor had paid for Sodais and Faqiri to stay a week in a hotel. They qualified for food stamps, three months of rental assistance, cash assistance and four months of Medicaid, a welcome provision because Sodais still suffers back pain from the explosion.

    On the other side of the arrivals door, Sodais and Faqiri were stuck in a winding line with hundreds of other foreigners. Sodais later said they were nervous — they had been questioned for an hour in Munich and nearly just as long on their layover in Lisbon.

    When they finally got to the front, the customs officer asked what Sodais did for work in Afghanistan. Sodais said he had been an interpreter for U.S. forces. Great, he recalled the agent replying, before welcoming them through.

    At 5:24 p.m., Sullivan’s phone rang. Sodais had exited through a different door, so Sullivan rushed to another part of the airport and pointed excitedly when their eyes locked.

    “You made it!” Sullivan said, pulling his friend in for a bear hug as they both sobbed.

    Without Sullivan, Sodais told the RefugeeOne workers, he would never have made it to the U.S.

    “He saved my life.”

    Abdulhaq Sodais, right, listens to Adriano Gasparini, a housing manager with RefugeeOne, after viewing potential apartments.

    Abdulhaq Sodais, right, listens to Adriano Gasparini, a housing manager with RefugeeOne, after viewing potential apartments in Chicago.

    The next morning, Parker conducted an intake interview with Sodais to determine potential job placements and explain the services her organization would provide. She said Sodais had technically entered the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident, and his green card should arrive in the mail within a few months.

    “That’s how it works with SIVs,” she said. “They’re already 100 steps ahead of any asylee or other refugee.”

    Sullivan let out a deep breath. “In my mind, we were playing a long gamble on the courts challenging the executive orders, so that’s good news,” he said.

    Sodais, who had applied for the visa with only Sullivan’s help and no lawyer, was also pleasantly surprised.

    “This is very exciting for me, because I heard Donald Trump say he stopped everything about refugees,” he said.

    a man looks out of a living room window

    Spencer Sullivan looks out of a living room window in a potential apartment for Abdulhaq Sodais and his wife in Chicago.

    After dinner — the couple’s first Chicago tavern-style pizza — Sullivan offered Faqiri a box to save her last slice, and she hesitated. Sodais gently explained that in Afghanistan, it’s not cultural norm to take food home from restaurants.

    “I just realized something,” Sullivan said. “You’re going to be my interpreter for the rest of our lives.”

    Sodais shot back a knowing smile.

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    Andrea Castillo

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  • Turnpike in Lake County expands from t

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    The Florida Turnpike is undergoing a large expansion in Lake County that officials hope will ease congestion as the area around Hancock Road in Minneola continues to boom, and the expansion marked a major milestone with the opening of two new lanes of traffic southbound.From the Hancock Road interchange to the State Road 50 interchange, the $162.3 million project has seen the expansion of the Turnpike from two lanes to four.The project is set to wrap up next year, but will continue northbound from Hancock Road to O’Brien Road.”Any time we can ease traffic, I think that’s going to work in favor to everybody,” said driver Jim Ashbaugh. “It’s just too much traffic. Any time you have expansion is great. We do like it now, the more work that’s being done.”As the expansion continues, the area around Hancock Road is booming, with the opening of a new Advent Health hospital this month and thousands of homes recently built and still under construction.”It’s been a lot of work, I know that. There’s been a lot of holdups, the way the traffic has been and everything. But I think it’s for a good thing,” said driver Russell Iglesias.Officials hope all the work will accommodate the thousands of new Lake County residents flocking to the area.”You’ve got a lot more people coming here, moving, so they’re going to look to build houses,” Ashbaugh said. “More and more people coming is going to make that much more traffic, but more jobs, right, more opportunity for people to come and make a little bit more money.”The work to expand from two lanes to four in both directions northbound from Hancock to O’Brien will conclude in 2028.

    MINNEOLA, Fla. —

    The Florida Turnpike is undergoing a large expansion in Lake County that officials hope will ease congestion as the area around Hancock Road in Minneola continues to boom, and the expansion marked a major milestone with the opening of two new lanes of traffic southbound.

    From the Hancock Road interchange to the State Road 50 interchange, the $162.3 million project has seen the expansion of the Turnpike from two lanes to four.

    The project is set to wrap up next year, but will continue northbound from Hancock Road to O’Brien Road.

    “Any time we can ease traffic, I think that’s going to work in favor to everybody,” said driver Jim Ashbaugh. “It’s just too much traffic. Any time you have expansion is great. We do like it now, the more work that’s being done.”

    As the expansion continues, the area around Hancock Road is booming, with the opening of a new Advent Health hospital this month and thousands of homes recently built and still under construction.

    “It’s been a lot of work, I know that. There’s been a lot of holdups, the way the traffic has been and everything. But I think it’s for a good thing,” said driver Russell Iglesias.

    Officials hope all the work will accommodate the thousands of new Lake County residents flocking to the area.

    “You’ve got a lot more people coming here, moving, so they’re going to look to build houses,” Ashbaugh said. “More and more people coming is going to make that much more traffic, but more jobs, right, more opportunity for people to come and make a little bit more money.”

    The work to expand from two lanes to four in both directions northbound from Hancock to O’Brien will conclude in 2028.

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  • A tale of two Ralphs — Lauren and the supermarket — shows the reality of a K-shaped economy

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    John and Theresa Anderson meandered through the sprawling Ralph Lauren clothing store on Rodeo Drive, shopping for holiday gifts.

    They emerged carrying boxy blue bags. John scored quarter-zip sweaters for himself and his father-in-law, and his wife splurged on a tweed jacket for Christmas Day.

    “I’m going for quality over quantity this year,” said John, an apparel company executive and Palos Verdes Estates resident.

    They strolled through the world-famous Beverly Hills shopping mecca, where there was little evidence of any big sales.

    John Anderson holds his shopping bags from Ralph Lauren and Gucci at Rodeo Drive.

    (Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)

    One mile away, shoppers at a Ralphs grocery store in West Hollywood were hunting for bargains. The chain’s website has been advertising discounts on a wide variety of products, including wine and wrapping paper.

    Massi Gharibian was there looking for cream cheese and ways to save money.

    “I’m buying less this year,” she said. “Everything is expensive.”

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    The tale of two Ralphs shows how Americans are experiencing radically different realities this holiday season. It represents the country’s K-shaped economy — the growing divide between those who are affluent and those trying to stretch their budgets.

    Some Los Angeles residents are tightening their belts and prioritizing necessities such as groceries. Others are frequenting pricey stores such as Ralph Lauren, where doormen hand out hot chocolate and a cashmere-silk necktie sells for $250.

    People shop at Ralphs in West Hollywood.

    People shop at Ralphs in West Hollywood.

    (Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)

    In the K-shaped economy, high-income households sit on the upward arm of the “K,” benefiting from rising pay as well as the value of their stock and property holdings. At the same time, lower-income families occupy the downward stroke, squeezed by inflation and lackluster income gains.

    The model captures the country’s contradictions. Growth looks healthy on paper, yet hiring has slowed and unemployment is edging higher. Investment is booming in artificial intelligence data centers, while factories cut jobs and home sales stall.

    The divide is most visible in affordability. Inflation remains a far heavier burden for households lower on the income distribution, a frustration that has spilled into politics. Voters are angry about expensive rents, groceries and imported goods.

    “People in lower incomes are becoming more and more conservative in their spending patterns, and people in the upper incomes are actually driving spending and spending more,” said Kevin Klowden, an executive director at the Milken Institute, an economic think tank.

    “Inflationary pressures have been much higher on lower- and middle-income people, and that has been adding up,” he said.

    According to a Bank of America report released this month, higher-income employees saw their after-tax wages grow 4% from last year, while lower-income groups saw a jump of just 1.4%. Higher-income households also increased their spending year over year by 2.6%, while lower-income groups increased spending by 0.6%.

    The executives at the companies behind the two Ralphs say they are seeing the trend nationwide.

    Ralph Lauren reported better-than-expected quarterly sales last month and raised its forecasts, while Kroger, the grocery giant that owns Ralphs and Food 4 Less, said it sometimes struggles to attract cash-strapped customers.

    “We’re seeing a split across income groups,” interim Kroger Chief Executive Ron Sargent said on a company earnings call early this month. “Middle-income customers are feeling increased pressure. They’re making smaller, more frequent trips to manage budgets, and they’re cutting back on discretionary purchases.”

    People leave Ralphs with their groceries in West Hollywood.

    People leave Ralphs with their groceries in West Hollywood.

    (Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)

    Kroger lowered the top end of its full-year sales forecast after reporting mixed third-quarter earnings this month.

    On a Ralph Lauren earnings call last month, CEO Patrice Louvet said its brand has benefited from targeting wealthy customers and avoiding discounts.

    “Demand remains healthy, and our core consumer is resilient,” Louvet said, “especially as we continue … to shift our recruiting towards more full-price, less price-sensitive, higher-basket-size new customers.”

    Investors have noticed the split as well.

    The stock charts of the companies behind the two Ralphs also resemble a K. Shares of Ralph Lauren have jumped 37% in the last six months, while Kroger shares have fallen 13%.

    To attract increasingly discerning consumers, Kroger has offered a precooked holiday meal for eight of turkey or ham, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry and gravy for about $11 a person.

    “Stretch your holiday dollars!” said the company’s weekly newspaper advertisement.

    Signs advertising low prices are posted at Ralphs.

    Signs advertising low prices are posted at Ralphs.

    (Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)

    In the Ralph Lauren on Rodeo Drive, sunglasses and polo shirts were displayed without discounts. Twinkling lights adorned trees in the store’s entryway and employees offered shoppers free cookies for the holidays.

    Ralph Lauren and other luxury stores are taking the opposite approach to retailers selling basics to the middle class.

    They are boosting profits from sales of full-priced items. Stores that cater to high-end customers don’t offer promotions as frequently, Klowden of the Milken Institute said.

    “When the luxury stores are having sales, that’s usually a larger structural symptom of how they’re doing,” he said. “They don’t need to be having sales right now.”

    Jerry Nickelsburg, faculty director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast, said upper-income earners are less affected by inflation that has driven up the price of everyday goods, and are less likely to hunt for bargains.

    “The low end of the income distribution is being squeezed by inflation and is consuming less,” he said. “The upper end of the income distribution has increasing wealth and increasing income, and so they are less affected, if affected at all.”

    The Andersons on Rodeo Drive also picked up presents at Gucci and Dior.

    “We’re spending around the same as last year,” John Anderson said.

    At Ralphs, Beverly Grove resident Mel, who didn’t want to share her last name, said the grocery store needs to go further for its consumers.

    “I am 100% trying to spend less this year,” she said.

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    Caroline Petrow-Cohen

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  • News We Love: School faculty sleep on roof after fundraising success

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    WEEK WITH SUNSHINE. HELLO AND THANK YOU TO THE EARTH SCIENCE CLASSES AT MERRIMACK HIGH SCHOOL, WHO I VISITED WITH YESTERDAY. WE TALKED ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY WE USE TO FORECAST STORMS, AND A RECAP OF THE BIG STORMS AND THE TYPES OF STORMS WE GET HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. SOME GREAT QUESTIONS BY THEM ABOUT MY JOB AND YES, ABOUT THE ALARM CLOCK. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, WHEN THREE CLASSES SHOW UP IN A THEATER, THEY ALL SPREAD OUT. SO NO ONE IS IN THE FRONT ROW. WHEN YOU DO A HIGH SCHOOL KIND OF THE WAY THAT GOES, ISN’T IT? BUT A HUGE THANK YOU TO

    News We Love: School faculty sleep on roof after fundraising success

    Updated: 5:18 PM PST Dec 21, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    Three faculty members at Lancaster County Christian School are sleeping on the roof as a reward for students surpassing their fundraising goal.At the beginning of this month, the school aimed to raise $500,000 to construct a new building on one of its campuses to alleviate overcrowded classrooms.Video above: Earth science classroomsThe school ended up earning more than $737,000.

    LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. —

    Three faculty members at Lancaster County Christian School are sleeping on the roof as a reward for students surpassing their fundraising goal.

    At the beginning of this month, the school aimed to raise $500,000 to construct a new building on one of its campuses to alleviate overcrowded classrooms.

    Video above: Earth science classrooms

    The school ended up earning more than $737,000.

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  • Lawmakers weigh impeachment articles for Bondi over Epstein file omissions

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    WASHINGTON — Lawmakers unhappy with Justice Department decisions to heavily redact or withhold documents from a legally mandated release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein threatened Saturday to launch impeachment proceedings against those responsible, including Pam Bondi, the U.S. attorney general.

    Democrats and Republicans alike criticized the omissions, while Democrats also accused the Justice Department of intentionally scrubbing the release of at least one image of President Trump, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) suggesting it could portend “one of the biggest coverups in American history.”

    Trump administration officials have said the release fully complied with the law, and that its redactions were crafted only to protect victims of Epstein, a disgraced financier and convicted sex offender accused of abusing hundreds of women and girls before his death in 2019.

    Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont), an author of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the release of the investigative trove, blasted Bondi in a social media video, accusing her of denying the existence of many of the records for months, only to push out “an incomplete release with too many redactions” in response to — and in violation of — the new law.

    Khanna said he and the bill’s co-sponsor, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), were “exploring all options” for responding and forcing more disclosures, including by pursuing “the impeachment of people at Justice,” asking courts to hold officials blocking the release in contempt, and “referring for prosecution those who are obstructing justice.”

    “We will work with the survivors to demand the full release of these files,” Khanna said.

    He later added in a CNN interview that he and Massie were drafting articles of impeachment against Bondi, though they had not decided whether to bring them forward.

    Massie, in his own social media post, said Khanna was correct in rejecting the Friday release as insufficient, saying that it “grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law.”

    The lawmakers’ view that the Justice Department’s document dump failed to comply with the law echoed similar complaints across the political spectrum Saturday, as the full scope of redactions and other withholdings came into focus.

    The frustration had already sharply escalated late Friday, after Fox News Digital reported that the names and identifiers of not just victims but of “politically exposed individuals and government officials” had been redacted from the records — which would violate the law, and which Justice Department officials denied.

    Among the critics was Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who cited the Fox reporting in an exasperated post late Friday to X.

    “The whole point was NOT to protect the ‘politically exposed individuals and government officials.’ That’s exactly what MAGA has always wanted, that’s what drain the swamp actually means. It means expose them all, the rich powerful elites who are corrupt and commit crimes, NOT redact their names and protect them,” Greene wrote.

    Senior Justice Department officials later called in to Fox News to dispute the report. But the removal of a file published in the Friday evening release, capturing a desk in Epstein’s home with a drawer filled of photos of Trump, reinforced bipartisan concerns that references to the president had been illegally withheld.

    In a release of documents from the Epstein family estate by the House Oversight Committee this fall, Trump’s name was featured over 1,000 times — more than any other public figure.

    “If they’re taking this down, just imagine how much more they’re trying to hide,” Schumer wrote on X. “This could be one of the biggest coverups in American history.”

    Several victims also said the release was insufficient. “It’s really kind of another slap in the face,” Alicia Arden, who went to the police to report that Epstein had abused her in 1997, told CNN. “I wanted all the files to come out, like they said that they were going to.”

    Trump, who signed the act into law after having worked to block it from getting a vote, was conspicuously quiet on the matter. In a long speech in North Carolina on Friday night, he did not mention it.

    However, White House officials and Justice Department leaders rejected the notion that the release was incomplete or out of compliance with the law, or that the names of politicians had been redacted.

    “The only redactions being applied to the documents are those required by law — full stop,” said Deputy Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche. “Consistent with the statute and applicable laws, we are not redacting the names of individuals or politicians unless they are a victim.”

    Other Republicans defended the administration. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chair of the House Oversight Committee, said the administration “is delivering unprecedented transparency in the Epstein case and will continue releasing documents.”

    Epstein died in a Manhattan jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He’d been convicted in 2008 of procuring a child for prostitution in Florida, but served only 13 months in custody in what many condemned as a sweetheart plea deal for a well-connected and rich defendant.

    Epstein’s acts of abuse have attracted massive attention, including among many within Trump’s political base, in part because of unanswered questions surrounding which of his many powerful friends may have also been implicated in crimes against children. Some of those questions have swirled around Trump, who was friends with Epstein for years before the two had what the president has described as a falling out.

    Evidence has emerged in recent months that suggests Trump may have had knowledge of Epstein’s crimes during their friendship.

    Epstein wrote in a 2019 email, released by the House Oversight Committee, that Trump “knew about the girls.” In a 2011 email to Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of conspiring with Epstein to help him sexually abuse girls, Epstein wrote that “the dog that hasn’t barked is trump. [Victim] spent hours at my house with him … he has never once been mentioned.”

    Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

    The records released Friday contained few if any major new revelations, but did include a complaint against Epstein filed with the FBI back in 1996 — which the FBI did little with, substantiating long-standing fears among Epstein’s victims that his crimes could have been stopped years earlier.

    Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), one of the president’s most consistent critics, wrote on X that Bondi should appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to explain under oath the extensive redactions and omissions, which he called a “willful violation of the law.”

    “The Trump Justice Department has had months to keep their promise to release all of the Epstein Files,” Schiff wrote. “Epstein’s survivors and the American people need answers now.”

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    Kevin Rector, Michael Wilner

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  • Department of Justice releases limited set of files tied to Epstein sex trafficking investigation

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    The Justice Department released thousands of files Friday about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but the incomplete document dump did not break significant ground about the long-running criminal investigations of the financier or his ties to wealthy and powerful individuals.The files included photographs of famous people who spent time with Epstein in the years before he came under suspicion, including some candid snapshots of Bill Clinton, who flew on Epstein’s jet and invited him to the White House in the years before the financier was accused of wrongdoing. But there was almost no material related to another old Epstein friend, President Donald Trump, aside from a few well-known images, sparing the White House from having to confront fresh questions about the relationship between Trump and Epstein.Links to the documents can be found here: part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4. The records, consisting largely of pictures but also including call logs, grand jury testimony, interview transcripts and other documents, arrived amid extraordinary anticipation that they might offer the most detailed look yet at nearly two decades’ worth of government scrutiny of Epstein’s sexual abuse of young women and underage girls. Yet the release, replete with redactions, seemed unlikely to satisfy the clamor for information, given how many records had yet to be released and because some of the materials had already been made public.Democrats and some Republicans seized on the limited release to accuse the Justice Department of failing to meet a congressionally set deadline to produce the files, while White House officials on social media gleefully promoted a photo of Clinton in a hot tub with a woman with a blacked-out face. The Trump administration touted the release as proof of its commitment to transparency, ignoring that the Justice Department just months ago said no more files would be released. Congress then passed a law mandating it.In a letter to Congress, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote that the Justice Department was continuing to review files in its possession, was withholding some documents under exemptions meant to protect victims and expected additional disclosures by the end of the year. Trump, who was friends with Epstein for years before the two had a falling-out, tried for months to keep the records sealed.But bowing to political pressure from fellow Republicans, Trump last month signed a bill giving the Justice Department 30 days to release most of its files and communications related to Epstein, including information about the investigation into his death in a federal jail. The law set a deadline for Friday.Limited details about TrumpTrump is hardly glimpsed in the files, with the small number of photos of him appearing to have been in the public domain for decades. Those include two in which Trump and Epstein are posing with now-first lady Melania Trump in February 2000 at an event at his Mar-a-Lago resort.Trump’s connection to Epstein is well-documented, but he has sought to distance himself from his former friend. He has said he cut off ties with Epstein after the financier hired young female employees from Mar-a-Lago and has repeatedly denied knowledge of his crimes.The FBI and Justice Department abruptly announced in July that they would not be releasing any additional records, a decision that was supported by Trump. But the president reversed course once it became clear that congressional action was inevitable. He insisted the Epstein matter had become a distraction to the Republican agenda and releasing the records was the best way to move on.The White House, meanwhile, has moved to shift focus away from Trump’s ties to Epstein, with Attorney General Pam Bondi last month saying that she had ordered a federal prosecutor to investigate Epstein’s connections to Trump’s political foes, including Clinton.Neither Trump nor Clinton has ever been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and the mere inclusion of someone’s name in the files from the investigation does not imply otherwise.Among other prominent Epstein contacts is the former Prince Andrew, who appears in a photograph released Friday wearing a tuxedo and lying on the laps of what appear to be several women who are seated, dressed in formalwear. Pop star Michael Jackson also appears in multiple photos, including one showing him standing next to a smiling Epstein.New photos of ClintonUnlike Trump, Clinton is featured prominently in the files, though the records included no explanation of how the photographs of the former president related to any investigation or the context surrounding them.Some photos showed him on a private plane, including one with a woman, whose face is redacted, seated alongside him with her arm around him. Another shows him in a pool with Epstein’s longtime confidant, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, and a person whose face was also redacted. He is also seen in a hot tub with a woman whose face was redacted.Senior Trump White House aides took to X to promote the Clinton photos.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote “Oh my!” and added a shocked face emoji in response to a photo of Clinton in the hot tub.“They can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton,” Clinton spokesman Angel Ureña said in a statement.“There are two types of people here,” he said. “The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships after that. We’re in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that.”The Epstein investigationsAfter nearly two decades of court action, a voluminous number of Epstein records had already been public before Friday, including flight logs, address books, email correspondence, police reports, grand jury records, courtroom testimony and deposition transcripts.Besides public curiosity about whether any of Epstein’s associates knew about or participated in the abuse, Epstein’s accusers have also sought answers about why federal authorities shut down their initial investigation into the allegations in 2008.“Just put out the files,” said Marina Lacerda, who says she survived sexual assault by Epstein. “And stop redacting names that don’t need to be redacted.”One of the few revelations in the documents was a copy of the earliest known concern about Epstein’s behavior — a report taken by the FBI of a woman in 1996 who believed photos and negatives she had taken of her 12-year-old and 16-year-old sisters for a personal art project had been stolen by Epstein. The documents don’t show what, if anything, the agency did with that complaint.Police in Palm Beach, Florida, began investigating Epstein in 2005 after the family of a 14-year-old girl reported being molested at his mansion. The FBI joined the investigation. Authorities gathered testimony from multiple underage girls who said they’d been hired to give Epstein sexual massages.Ultimately, prosecutors gave Epstein a deal that allowed him to avoid federal prosecution. He pleaded guilty to state prostitution charges involving someone under age 18 and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.Epstein’s accusers spent years in civil litigation trying to get that plea deal set aside. One of those women, Virginia Giuffre, accused Epstein of arranging for her to have sexual encounters, starting at age 17, with other men, including billionaires, famous academics, politicians and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, then known as Britain’s Prince Andrew.Mountbatten-Windsor denied ever having sex with Giuffre, but King Charles III stripped him of his royal titles this year.Prosecutors never brought charges in connection with Giuffre’s claims, but her account fueled conspiracy theories about supposed government plots to protect the powerful. Giuffre died by suicide in April.Federal prosecutors in New York brought new sex trafficking charges against Epstein in 2019, but he killed himself in jail after his arrest. Prosecutors then charged Maxwell, his longtime confidant, with recruiting underage girls for Epstein to abuse. She was convicted in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

    WASHINGTON —

    The Justice Department released thousands of files Friday about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but the incomplete document dump did not break significant ground about the long-running criminal investigations of the financier or his ties to wealthy and powerful individuals.

    The files included photographs of famous people who spent time with Epstein in the years before he came under suspicion, including some candid snapshots of Bill Clinton, who flew on Epstein’s jet and invited him to the White House in the years before the financier was accused of wrongdoing. But there was almost no material related to another old Epstein friend, President Donald Trump, aside from a few well-known images, sparing the White House from having to confront fresh questions about the relationship between Trump and Epstein.

    Links to the documents can be found here: part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4.

    The records, consisting largely of pictures but also including call logs, grand jury testimony, interview transcripts and other documents, arrived amid extraordinary anticipation that they might offer the most detailed look yet at nearly two decades’ worth of government scrutiny of Epstein’s sexual abuse of young women and underage girls. Yet the release, replete with redactions, seemed unlikely to satisfy the clamor for information, given how many records had yet to be released and because some of the materials had already been made public.

    Democrats and some Republicans seized on the limited release to accuse the Justice Department of failing to meet a congressionally set deadline to produce the files, while White House officials on social media gleefully promoted a photo of Clinton in a hot tub with a woman with a blacked-out face. The Trump administration touted the release as proof of its commitment to transparency, ignoring that the Justice Department just months ago said no more files would be released. Congress then passed a law mandating it.

    In a letter to Congress, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote that the Justice Department was continuing to review files in its possession, was withholding some documents under exemptions meant to protect victims and expected additional disclosures by the end of the year.

    Trump, who was friends with Epstein for years before the two had a falling-out, tried for months to keep the records sealed.

    But bowing to political pressure from fellow Republicans, Trump last month signed a bill giving the Justice Department 30 days to release most of its files and communications related to Epstein, including information about the investigation into his death in a federal jail. The law set a deadline for Friday.

    Limited details about Trump

    Trump is hardly glimpsed in the files, with the small number of photos of him appearing to have been in the public domain for decades. Those include two in which Trump and Epstein are posing with now-first lady Melania Trump in February 2000 at an event at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

    Trump’s connection to Epstein is well-documented, but he has sought to distance himself from his former friend. He has said he cut off ties with Epstein after the financier hired young female employees from Mar-a-Lago and has repeatedly denied knowledge of his crimes.

    The FBI and Justice Department abruptly announced in July that they would not be releasing any additional records, a decision that was supported by Trump. But the president reversed course once it became clear that congressional action was inevitable. He insisted the Epstein matter had become a distraction to the Republican agenda and releasing the records was the best way to move on.

    The White House, meanwhile, has moved to shift focus away from Trump’s ties to Epstein, with Attorney General Pam Bondi last month saying that she had ordered a federal prosecutor to investigate Epstein’s connections to Trump’s political foes, including Clinton.

    Neither Trump nor Clinton has ever been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and the mere inclusion of someone’s name in the files from the investigation does not imply otherwise.

    Among other prominent Epstein contacts is the former Prince Andrew, who appears in a photograph released Friday wearing a tuxedo and lying on the laps of what appear to be several women who are seated, dressed in formalwear. Pop star Michael Jackson also appears in multiple photos, including one showing him standing next to a smiling Epstein.

    New photos of Clinton

    Unlike Trump, Clinton is featured prominently in the files, though the records included no explanation of how the photographs of the former president related to any investigation or the context surrounding them.

    Some photos showed him on a private plane, including one with a woman, whose face is redacted, seated alongside him with her arm around him. Another shows him in a pool with Epstein’s longtime confidant, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, and a person whose face was also redacted. He is also seen in a hot tub with a woman whose face was redacted.

    Senior Trump White House aides took to X to promote the Clinton photos.

    White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote “Oh my!” and added a shocked face emoji in response to a photo of Clinton in the hot tub.

    “They can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton,” Clinton spokesman Angel Ureña said in a statement.

    “There are two types of people here,” he said. “The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships after that. We’re in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that.”

    The Epstein investigations

    After nearly two decades of court action, a voluminous number of Epstein records had already been public before Friday, including flight logs, address books, email correspondence, police reports, grand jury records, courtroom testimony and deposition transcripts.

    Besides public curiosity about whether any of Epstein’s associates knew about or participated in the abuse, Epstein’s accusers have also sought answers about why federal authorities shut down their initial investigation into the allegations in 2008.

    “Just put out the files,” said Marina Lacerda, who says she survived sexual assault by Epstein. “And stop redacting names that don’t need to be redacted.”

    One of the few revelations in the documents was a copy of the earliest known concern about Epstein’s behavior — a report taken by the FBI of a woman in 1996 who believed photos and negatives she had taken of her 12-year-old and 16-year-old sisters for a personal art project had been stolen by Epstein. The documents don’t show what, if anything, the agency did with that complaint.

    Police in Palm Beach, Florida, began investigating Epstein in 2005 after the family of a 14-year-old girl reported being molested at his mansion. The FBI joined the investigation. Authorities gathered testimony from multiple underage girls who said they’d been hired to give Epstein sexual massages.

    Ultimately, prosecutors gave Epstein a deal that allowed him to avoid federal prosecution. He pleaded guilty to state prostitution charges involving someone under age 18 and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.

    Epstein’s accusers spent years in civil litigation trying to get that plea deal set aside. One of those women, Virginia Giuffre, accused Epstein of arranging for her to have sexual encounters, starting at age 17, with other men, including billionaires, famous academics, politicians and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, then known as Britain’s Prince Andrew.

    Mountbatten-Windsor denied ever having sex with Giuffre, but King Charles III stripped him of his royal titles this year.

    Prosecutors never brought charges in connection with Giuffre’s claims, but her account fueled conspiracy theories about supposed government plots to protect the powerful. Giuffre died by suicide in April.

    Federal prosecutors in New York brought new sex trafficking charges against Epstein in 2019, but he killed himself in jail after his arrest. Prosecutors then charged Maxwell, his longtime confidant, with recruiting underage girls for Epstein to abuse. She was convicted in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

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  • The crime that haunts Mexico, sowing fear, disrupting life: extortion

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    MEXICO CITY — A shop owner facing threats shutters the clothing store that had been in his family for generations.

    A leader of a citrus growers association is kidnapped and killed after refusing mob demands for a cut of profits.

    Enraged peasant farmers fed up with paying graft turn on cartel thugs in a bloody showdown.

    In Mexico, these real-life incidents all arise from a signature offense: extortion.

    Gang shakedowns are rampant in Mexico, victimizing untold numbers — street vendors and taxi drivers, restaurateurs and farmers, factory owners and mine operators. All are coerced into paying tithes to criminal bands, sometimes the same cartels that run drugs.

    “It’s a very sensitive crime because of its social impact,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said last week. “It doesn’t only affect one person. It affects everyone.”

    An agent of the attorney general’s office in Mexican state of Michoacán inspects the area where vehicles were burned by members of criminal gang near the city of Quiroga in November.

    (Enrique Castro/AFP via Getty Images)

    Sheinbaum launched a high-profile crackdown against extortion, but her efforts face steep odds. Extortion, experts say, is a multibillion-dollar racket, perhaps even more lucrative than drug-trafficking. It sometimes is called “the invisible crime,” since most victims fail to report threats, fearing retaliation.

    Those targeted often confront a ghastly choice: accept ultimatums to hand over cash, property or other assets — or face death, a threat routinely aimed at family members as well.

    “Sure, I can say, ‘I won’t pay: They can go ahead and kill me,’ ” said Antonio, a floriculturist outside Mexico City who hands over almost $600 in derecho de piso [protection] at each flower harvest, the amount doubling in holiday seasons, including this month’s Virgin of Guadalupe feast. “But I cannot allow them to kill my kids. Or take my wife.”

    Like other victims who spoke to The Times, Antonio, 56, a father of four, asked that only his first name be used for security reasons.

    “We live in terror,” he said. “We have to work for these delinquents. And no one in the government helps us.”

    A man surrounded by flowers carries a bunch of cempasúchil flowers

    Farmer Jesús Cuaxospa works on his farm where he grows cempasúchil flowers in San Luis Tlaxialtemalco on the outskirts of Mexico City in October.

    (Claudia Rosel / Associated Press)

    Mexico and two other Latin American countries, Colombia and Honduras, are among the world’s five most extortion-scarred nations, according to the Global Organized Crime Index, an annual ranking from a Geneva-based research group. Filling in the top five are Somalia and Libya.

    Apart from the devastating impact on individuals and families, extortion exacts extreme societal costs: displacement, a profound sense of insecurity and the distortion of local economies.

    In Mexico, strong-armed extortion gangs have been accused of price-fixing, taking over industries, unions and transport routes, and running construction sites —and even setting prices for foodstuffs, building materials and other items.

    Sheinbaum regularly boasts of her administration’s success in curbing violent crime, especially homicides, down by more than one-third since she took office last year, according to official figures. But she concedes that extortion is on the rise, though there are no accurate metrics for an offense so hugely under-reported.

    Calling the eradication of extortion “one of the great challenges” facing Mexico, Sheinbaum pledged to bolster enforcement, stiffen penalties and increase safeguards for anyone receiving threats.

    She is championing a constitutional amendment to make extortion a federal crime and put the onus on law enforcement, not individuals, to hunt down violators. Prosecutors could pursue cases without victims having to file complaints.

    Since the inauguration of Mexico’s “National Strategy against Extortion” in July, authorities say police have arrested more than 600 suspects and fielded more than 100,000 calls to an expanded toll-free extortion hotline. Officials also moved to block cellphone access in Mexican prisons, where gangs specialize in “virtual kidnapping” — calling people on the outside and demanding ransoms for loved ones allegedly abducted.

    “Don’t answer a telephone number that you don’t recognize,” Sheinbaum warned people last week.

    In one notorious case, authorities say a prison gang targeted 14 nurses who were dispatched to Mexico City during the COVID-19 pandemic. Inmates using cellphones warned the nurses to stay in their hotel rooms and say nothing — they supposedly were under surveillance. Accomplices contacted relatives demanding cash. But police got wind of the scheme. No money was paid and no one was injured.

    Security forces stand guard following an operation at a butcher shop

    Security forces stand guard following an operation at a butcher shop allegedly linked to the La Familia Michoacana cartel in Sultepec, Mexico, in July.

    (Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images)

    Sheinbaum’s anti-extortion campaign faces a major barrier: Barring a massive culture shift, many victims will remain hesitant to approach the law, lacking trust in the system.

    “Making a complaint is not an option, because you never know if authorities are in collusion with the criminals,” said César, co-owner of a restaurant in downtown Mexico City.

    About two years ago, he said, one of his partners began to receive threats on his cellphone. The callers had the name of his wife and children. The partner was nervous but did nothing at first.

    “Then one day two South Americans arrived at the restaurant,” César recalled.

    Their message: Pay $2,500 a week to be “allowed to work in peace.”

    His partner soon abandoned the restaurant, and the city.

    Management hasn’t heard from the goons since.

    Even so, César, like the owners of many businesses, tries to keep a low profile; his name and those of associates aren’t on display at the restaurant. Staff is instructed not to blab to anyone.

    “Still, we live with uncertainty and worry all the time that these guys will come back,” César said. “We know that at any moment we could be victims.”

    Recent victims whose cases shocked Mexico include a successful young butcher entrepreneur in Tabasco state and a woman taxi driver in Veracruz state. Both were found dead after rejecting extortion threats, according to reports. The driver, Irma Hernández, 62, a retired teacher, was kidnapped and forced to make a jihadi-style video in which — surrounded by armed men — she implored her fellow cabbies: “Pay your cuota [fee] … or you’ll end up like me.”

    A private security force funded by avocado growers, on patrol.

    Avocado growers have received so many extortion demands from criminal gangs that some hired private security forces, like this one on patrol in Tancitaro, Michoacán, in 2019.

    (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

    Sometimes, though, the fed-up marks fight back.

    Two years ago the corn and bean growers of the impoverished hamlet of Texcapilla tired of paying annual protection fees of about $200 per planted acre and decided: No más. Armed with machetes and shotguns, the peasant farmers confronted enforcers of the dominant area cartel, La Familia Michoacana, on a soccer field outside a school. By the time the melee ended, authorities said, 14 were dead —10 gang members and 4 farmers.

    Carlos Manzo, the former mayor of Uruapan in Michoacán state, also pushed back. He blamed Sheinbaum’s government for not doing enough in Michoacán, where gangsters have long fleeced the booming avocado sector and other industries.

    “We are surrounded by criminal groups dedicated to extorting and killing,” Manzo told a crowd in May. “But we are going to confront them.”

    Manzo was assassinated last month at a Day of the Dead celebration in Uruapan.

    Less than two weeks earlier, Bernado Bravo, a leader of regional lime growers in Michoacán, also was shot dead. Bravo repeatedly had denounced extortion demands.

    With so much at risk, it’s not surprising that some potential victims bolt.
    .
    For more than 80 years, Vicente’s family ran a men’s clothing business in downtown Mexico City. He didn’t think much of it when, about four years ago, men began calling demanding money. Then one day three guys arrived at the shop.

    “They said if I didn’t pay, I would lack security, and if I lacked security, something might happen to my workers — if not to me, to my family,” Vicente recalled.

    Like many targets, Vicente hoped the threat would go away. But the menacing strangers kept barging in — and upping their demands, from $500 a month to $1,000 a month to $2,000 a month, all the way up to $10,000 a month.

    His sons urged Vicente to walk away: The business, however beloved, wasn’t worth a bullet to the head. Reluctantly, Vicente finally agreed. The shutdown left 15 people out of work, many of them longtime employees. Some ended up hawking clothing from street stalls.

    Vicente says he never reported the extortion attempt: Like César, he feared some crooked law enforcement insider would reveal his name and address to the mob. He has tried to put the experience behind him. But it hasn’t been easy. Three generations of family life revolved around that shop.

    “Because I refused to pay extortion I was forced to shut down the business that my grandfather founded in 1936, and that my father and I continued,” said Vicente, 67. “It was painful. Very painful.”

    McDonnell is a staff writer and Sánchez Vidal a special correspondent.

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    Patrick J. McDonnell, Cecilia Sánchez Vidal

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  • Notorious ‘winter vomiting bug’ rising in California. A new norovirus strain could make it worse

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    The dreaded norovirus — the “vomiting bug” that often causes stomach flu symptoms — is climbing again in California, and doctors warn that a new subvariant could make even more people sick this season.

    In L.A. County, concentrations of norovirus are already on the rise in wastewater, indicating increased circulation of the disease, the local Department of Public Health told the Los Angeles Times.

    Norovirus levels are increasing across California, and the rise is especially notable in the San Francisco Bay Area and L.A., according to the California Department of Public Health.

    And the rate at which norovirus tests are confirming infection is rising nationally and in the Western U.S. For the week that ended Nov. 22, the test positivity rate nationally was 11.69%, up from 8.66% two months earlier. In the West, it was even worse: 14.08%, up from 9.59%, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Norovirus is extraordinarily contagious, and is America’s leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC. Outbreaks typically happen in the cooler months between November and April.

    Clouding the picture is the recent emergence of a new norovirus strain — GII.17. Such a development can result in 50% more norovirus illness than typical, the CDC says.

    “If your immune system isn’t used to something that comes around, a lot of people get infected,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco.

    During the 2024-25 winter season, GII.17 overthrew the previous dominant norovirus strain, GII.4, that had been responsible for more than half of national norovirus outbreaks over the preceding decade. The ancestor of the GII.17 strain probably came from a subvariant that triggered an outbreak in Romania in 2021, according to CDC scientists.

    GII.17 vaulted in prominence during last winter’s norovirus surge and was ultimately responsible for about 75% of outbreaks of the disease nationally.

    The strain’s emergence coincided with a particularly bad year for norovirus, one that started unusually early in October 2024, peaked earlier than normal the following January and stretched into the summer, according to CDC scientists writing in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

    During the three prior seasons, when GII.4 was dominant, norovirus activity had been relatively stable, Chin-Hong said.

    Norovirus can cause substantial disruptions — as many parents know all too well. An elementary school in Massachusetts was forced to cancel all classes on Thursday and Friday because of the “high volume of stomach illness cases,” which was suspected to be driven by norovirus.

    More than 130 students at Roberts Elementary School in Medford, Mass., were absent Wednesday, and administrators said there probably wouldn’t be a “reasonable number of students and staff” to resume classes Friday. A company was hired to perform a deep clean of the school’s classrooms, doorknobs and kitchen equipment.

    Some places in California, however, aren’t seeing major norovirus activity so far this season. Statewide, while norovirus levels in wastewater are increasing, they still remain low, the California Department of Public Health said.

    There have been 32 lab-confirmed norovirus outbreaks reported to the California Department of Public Health so far this year. Last year, there were 69.

    Officials caution the numbers don’t necessarily reflect how bad norovirus is in a particular year, as many outbreaks are not lab-confirmed, and an outbreak can affect either a small or large number of people.

    Between Aug. 1 and Nov. 13, there were 153 norovirus outbreaks publicly reported nationally, according to the CDC. During the same period last year, there were 235.

    UCLA hasn’t reported an increase in the number of norovirus tests ordered, nor has it seen a significant increase in test positivity rates. Chin-Hong said he likewise hasn’t seen a big increase at UC San Francisco.

    “Things are relatively still stable clinically in California, but I think it’s just some amount of time before it comes here,” Chin-Hong said.

    In a typical year, norovirus causes 2.27 million outpatient clinic visits, mostly young children; 465,000 emergency department visits, 109,000 hospitalizations, and 900 deaths, mostly among seniors age 65 and older.

    People with severe ongoing vomiting, profound diarrhea and dehydration may need to seek medical attention to get hydration intravenously.

    “Children who are dehydrated may cry with few or no tears and be unusually sleepy or fussy,” the CDC says. Sports drinks can help with mild dehydration, but what may be more helpful are oral rehydration fluids that can be bought over the counter.

    Children under the age of 5 and adults 85 and older are most likely to need to visit an emergency room or clinic because of norovirus, and should not hesitate to seek care, experts say.

    “Everyone’s at risk, but the people who you worry about, the ones that we see in the hospital, are the very young and very old,” Chin-Hong said.

    Those at highest risk are babies, because it doesn’t take much to cause potentially serious problems. Newborns are at risk for necrotizing enterocolitis, a life-threatening inflammation of the intestine that virtually only affects new babies, according to the National Library of Medicine.

    Whereas healthy people generally clear the virus in one to three days, immune-compromised individuals can continue to have diarrhea for a long time “because their body’s immune system can’t neutralize the virus as effectively,” Chin-Hong said.

    The main way people get norovirus is by accidentally drinking water or eating food contaminated with fecal matter, or touching a contaminated surface and then placing their fingers in their mouths.

    People usually develop symptoms 12 to 48 hours after they’re exposed to the virus.

    Hand sanitizer does not work well against norovirus — meaning that proper handwashing is vital, experts say.

    People should lather their hands with soap and scrub for at least 20 seconds, including the back of their hands, between their fingers and under their nails, before rinsing and drying, the CDC says.

    One helpful way to keep track of time is to hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice, the CDC says. Chin-Hong says his favorite is the chorus of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.”

    If you’re living with someone with norovirus, “you really have to clean surfaces and stuff if they’re touching it,” Chin-Hong said. Contamination is shockingly easy. Even just breathing out little saliva droplets on food that is later consumed by someone else can spread infection.

    Throw out food that might be contaminated with norovirus, the CDC says. Noroviruses are relatively resistant to heat and can survive temperatures as high as 145 degrees.

    Norovirus is so contagious that even just 10 viral particles are enough to cause infection. By contrast, it takes ingesting thousands of salmonella particles to get sick from that bacterium.

    People are most contagious when they are sick with norovirus — but they can still be infectious even after they feel better, the CDC says.

    The CDC advises staying home for 48 hours after infection. Some studies have even shown that “you can still spread norovirus for two weeks or more after you feel better,” according to the CDC.

    The CDC also recommends washing laundry in hot water.

    Besides schools, other places where norovirus can spread quickly are cruise ships, day-care centers and prisons, Chin-Hong said.

    The most recent norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship reported by the CDC is on the ship AIDAdiva, which set sail on Nov. 10 from Germany. Out of 2,007 passengers on board, 4.8% have reported being ill. The outbreak was first reported on Nov. 30 following stops that month at the Isle of Portland, England; Halifax, Canada; Boston; New York City; Charleston, S.C.; and Miami.

    According to CruiseMapper, the ship was set to make stops in Puerto Vallarta on Saturday, San Diego on Tuesday, Los Angeles on Wednesday, Santa Barbara on Thursday and San Francisco between Dec. 19-21.

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    Rong-Gong Lin II

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  • L.A. City Council passes ordinance to streamline affordable housing

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    During her first week in office three years ago, Mayor Karen Bass issued a sweeping directive to speed up affordable housing applications. Now, that plan is permanent.

    The L.A. City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to adopt the Affordable Housing Streamlining Ordinance. Essentially, the ordinance takes Bass’ housing initiative, known as Executive Directive 1, and incorporates it into the L.A. Municipal Code, so the streamlined process will stick around even after Bass leaves office.

    Under the ordinance, developers get fast-tracked city approval for projects that include 100% affordable housing. Reviews for such projects typically take six to nine months, but under the directive, they’re required to be approved within 60 days.

    The expedited processing works by stripping away many of the discretionary review processes that typically bog down housing projects: City Council hearings, environmental reports, neighborhood outreach meetings, etc. As long as projects comply with certain criteria, including zoning and design review standards, they qualify for streamlined approval.

    Bass introduced the directive to make good on her campaign’s promise to address the city’s affordability and homelessness crises. It also serves as a response to housing developers who have long complained about the city’s complex permitting process, in which projects languish for weeks or months while navigating the red tape of reviews and inspections.

    Affordable housing applications have been pouring in under the directive.

    As of November, 490 projects have been streamlined, accounting for more than 40,000 affordable housing units, according to the Planning Department. Of those, 437 projects have been approved, with an average application process of 22 days.

    It’s unclear how many of those projects are actually being built. At a December City Council meeting, Planning Department officials said that as of July, 44 streamlined projects had been started, accounting for roughly 2,500 units. But there are no data on how many have been finished.

    Maria Patiño Gutierrez, deputy director for policy and advocacy at the nonprofit Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE), celebrated the decision to make the directive permanent, but said she hopes to see changes to the process down the road.

    “We want this ordinance to work and bring affordable housing, but we also want to make sure it doesn’t displace tenants,” she said.

    The directive has become increasingly watered down over the last three years as Bass carved out more and more areas from being subjected to streamlined applications. In June 2023, Bass exempted single-family zones from the directive, which accounts for 72% of land in L.A.

    A year later, she exempted historic districts — including areas of Highland Park and Lincoln Heights — as well as “very high fire hazard severity zones,” which include parts of Silver Lake and Hollywood Hills.

    To make sure streamlined projects weren’t displacing renters, Bass also exempted those that would replace rent-controlled apartment buildings with 12 units or more.

    These exemptions will carry into the newly adopted ordinance, though they may be tweaked in the months to come. In a Dec. 2 meeting, City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado argued that the exemption to preserve rent-controlled buildings should shrink from a minimum of 12 units to five units, claiming such projects could displace tenants in neighborhoods such as Boyle Heights and Lincoln Heights.

    Jurado said the current ordinance exempts 19% of rent-controlled buildings, but if the minimum threshold were set at five units instead of 12, it would exempt 36%.

    Housing groups are pushing for amendments as well. A public comment letter published by Public Counsel and SAJE argued that maximum rents for streamlined projects should be cheaper than they’re allowed to be under current rules.

    The directive defines “100% affordable housing” as 80% low-income units and 20% moderate-income units, but the nonprofits claimed that those rates, which would still let a “low-income” two-bedroom apartment be rented for as much as $2,726, are still too expensive for many Angelenos.

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  • Forgiveness, redemption and leadership define Team USA wheelchair curler Steve Emt

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    Forgiveness, redemption, and leadership. Those three principles define Team USA curler Steve Hempt. Here’s how Steve Hemp describes growing up in Hebron, Connecticut All American childhood, most popular kid in my high school, great student, and that 6 ft 5, *** great athlete, one who earned an appointment to the United States Military Academy and then transferred to play basketball for the powerful UConn Huskies. But in 1995, his life changed forever. I was *** drunk driver and fortunately I’m lucky to be alive and sitting here with you all great people today. I was left for dead on the side of the road. I woke up from my coma and I was told I was never gonna walk again at 25 years old. He passed out behind the wheel, flipping his pickup truck, and he was ejected. After the crash, Steve spent months lying to people, telling them *** deer caused his accident. Then he accepted responsibility. We’re human, we’re gonna mess up. Forgive yourself, accept what happened, and move on. Steve’s new direction becoming *** high school teacher and basketball coach and finding the sport wheelchair curling. I’m an 11 time national champion, two time Paralympic, going on 3, world championships, and my life slogan, I live by this and I. Every day it’s not what happens to you it’s what you decide to do with what happens. What’s happening now for Emp is historic. He just qualified with Laura Dwyer for the first ever mixed doubles curling event at the Paralympics, and he’s excited to travel to Italy for the first time. I’m looking forward to eating pizza. I don’t know, is it different than what we have in New York or Chicago? I don’t know, um, but just the landscape, the people, just being out there, and again, the opportunity to. Represent Team USA and the grant it’s the stages. It’s goosebumps. On top of being *** teacher, coach, and Paralympian, Empt is also *** motivational speaker who’s written *** self-help book. On the road to Milan Cortina, I’m Fletcher Mackel.

    Forgiveness, redemption and leadership define Team USA wheelchair curler Steve Emt

    Forgiveness, redemption and leadership define Team USA wheelchair curler Steve Emt

    Updated: 3:00 AM PST Nov 28, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    Forgiveness, redemption, and leadership: Those three principles define Team USA wheelchair curler Steve Emt. Here’s how Emt describes growing up in Hebron, Connecticut: “All American childhood, most popular kid in my high school, great student.”Standing 6-foot-5, Emt was a great prep athlete who earned an appointment to the United States Military Academy and then transferred to play basketball for the powerful University of Connecticut Huskies.But life changed in 1995.”I was a drunk driver; fortunately, I’m lucky to be sitting here with you, great people, today. I was left for dead on the side of the road, and when I woke up from a coma two weeks later, I was told I’d never walk again, at 25 years old,” said Emt. He passed out behind the wheel, flipping his pickup truck, and was ejected. After the crash, Steve spent months lying to people, telling them a deer caused his accident, then he accepted responsibility. “We’re human. We’re gonna mess up, forgive yourself, accept what happened, and move on,” Emt said.Steve’s new direction, becoming a high school teacher and basketball coach, and finding the sport of wheelchair curling. “I’m an 11-time national champion. two-time Paralympian going on three, world championships, too. My life’s slogan, I live by this, and I say it every day, ‘it’s not what happens to you, it’s what you decide to do with what happens,’” said Emt. What’s happening now is historic. He qualified with Laura Dwyer for the first-ever mixed doubles curling event at the Paralympics, and he’s excited to travel to Italy for the first time. “I’m looking forward to eating pizza. I don’t know, is a different than what we have in New York or Chicago? I don’t know, but just the landscape, the people just being out there. And again, the opportunity to represent Team USA on the grandest stage, I get goosebumps,” said Emt. On top of being a teacher, coach and Paralympian, Emt is also a motivational speaker who’s written a self-help book.

    Forgiveness, redemption, and leadership: Those three principles define Team USA wheelchair curler Steve Emt.

    Here’s how Emt describes growing up in Hebron, Connecticut: “All American childhood, most popular kid in my high school, great student.”

    Standing 6-foot-5, Emt was a great prep athlete who earned an appointment to the United States Military Academy and then transferred to play basketball for the powerful University of Connecticut Huskies.

    But life changed in 1995.

    “I was a drunk driver; fortunately, I’m lucky to be sitting here with you, great people, today. I was left for dead on the side of the road, and when I woke up from a coma two weeks later, I was told I’d never walk again, at 25 years old,” said Emt.

    He passed out behind the wheel, flipping his pickup truck, and was ejected. After the crash, Steve spent months lying to people, telling them a deer caused his accident, then he accepted responsibility.

    “We’re human. We’re gonna mess up, forgive yourself, accept what happened, and move on,” Emt said.

    Steve’s new direction, becoming a high school teacher and basketball coach, and finding the sport of wheelchair curling.

    Steve Emt poses for a portrait during the Team USA Media Summit ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on Oct. 28, 2025, in New York City.

    Mike Coppola/Getty Images

    Steve Emt poses for a portrait during the Team USA Media Summit ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on Oct. 28, 2025, in New York City.

    “I’m an 11-time national champion. two-time Paralympian going on three, world championships, too. My life’s slogan, I live by this, and I say it every day, ‘it’s not what happens to you, it’s what you decide to do with what happens,’” said Emt.

    What’s happening now is historic. He qualified with Laura Dwyer for the first-ever mixed doubles curling event at the Paralympics, and he’s excited to travel to Italy for the first time.

    “I’m looking forward to eating pizza. I don’t know, is a different than what we have in New York or Chicago? I don’t know, but just the landscape, the people just being out there. And again, the opportunity to represent Team USA on the grandest stage, I get goosebumps,” said Emt.

    On top of being a teacher, coach and Paralympian, Emt is also a motivational speaker who’s written a self-help book.

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  • Trump: US land action against alleged drug-trafficking networks in Venezuela will start ‘very soon’

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    President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that the United States is preparing to take new action against alleged drug trafficking networks in Venezuela, telling service members during a Thanksgiving call that efforts for strikes in land will be starting “very soon.””In recent weeks, you’ve been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers, of which there are many. Of course, there aren’t too many coming in by sea anymore,” Trump told service members in the call.Video above: Foreign Terrorist Org: How a new designation could escalate U.S. military action in Venezuela”You probably noticed that people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also,” the president continued. “The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.”We warn them: Stop sending poison to our country,” Trump added.Trump comments suggest he has made up his mind on a course of action in Venezuela following multiple high-level briefings and a mounting US show of force in the region earlier this month.Trump designated Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his government allies as members of a foreign terrorist organization earlier this week.The designation of “Cartel de los Soles,” a phrase that experts say is more a description of allegedly corrupt government officials than an organized crime group, as a foreign terrorist organization will authorize Trump to impose fresh sanctions targeting Maduro’s assets and infrastructure. It doesn’t, however, explicitly authorize the use of lethal force, according to legal experts.The US military has amassed more than a dozen warships and 15,000 troops in the region as part of what the Pentagon has branded “Operation Southern Spear.” The U.S. military has killed more than 80 people in boat strikes as part of the anti-drug-trafficking campaign.CNN reported earlier this month that Trump administration officials told lawmakers in a classified session the US was not planning to launch strikes inside Venezuela and doesn’t have a legal justification that would support attacks against any land targets right now.Lawmakers were told during the session that an opinion produced by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel to justify strikes against suspected drug boats does not permit strikes inside Venezuela itself or any other territories, four sources said.The officials did not rule out any potential future actions, one of the sources said.The administration has largely tried to avoid involving Congress in its military campaign around Latin America. A senior Justice Department official told Congress in November that the U.S. military could continue its lethal strikes on alleged drug traffickers without congressional approval and that the administration is not bound by a decades-old war powers law that would mandate working with lawmakers, CNN has reported.

    CNN —

    President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that the United States is preparing to take new action against alleged drug trafficking networks in Venezuela, telling service members during a Thanksgiving call that efforts for strikes in land will be starting “very soon.”

    “In recent weeks, you’ve been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers, of which there are many. Of course, there aren’t too many coming in by sea anymore,” Trump told service members in the call.

    Video above: Foreign Terrorist Org: How a new designation could escalate U.S. military action in Venezuela

    “You probably noticed that people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also,” the president continued. “The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.

    “We warn them: Stop sending poison to our country,” Trump added.

    Trump comments suggest he has made up his mind on a course of action in Venezuela following multiple high-level briefings and a mounting US show of force in the region earlier this month.

    Trump designated Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his government allies as members of a foreign terrorist organization earlier this week.

    The designation of “Cartel de los Soles,” a phrase that experts say is more a description of allegedly corrupt government officials than an organized crime group, as a foreign terrorist organization will authorize Trump to impose fresh sanctions targeting Maduro’s assets and infrastructure. It doesn’t, however, explicitly authorize the use of lethal force, according to legal experts.

    The US military has amassed more than a dozen warships and 15,000 troops in the region as part of what the Pentagon has branded “Operation Southern Spear.” The U.S. military has killed more than 80 people in boat strikes as part of the anti-drug-trafficking campaign.

    CNN reported earlier this month that Trump administration officials told lawmakers in a classified session the US was not planning to launch strikes inside Venezuela and doesn’t have a legal justification that would support attacks against any land targets right now.

    Lawmakers were told during the session that an opinion produced by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel to justify strikes against suspected drug boats does not permit strikes inside Venezuela itself or any other territories, four sources said.

    The officials did not rule out any potential future actions, one of the sources said.

    The administration has largely tried to avoid involving Congress in its military campaign around Latin America. A senior Justice Department official told Congress in November that the U.S. military could continue its lethal strikes on alleged drug traffickers without congressional approval and that the administration is not bound by a decades-old war powers law that would mandate working with lawmakers, CNN has reported.

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  • Run to Feed the Hungry 2025: Recaps from this year’s Sacramento Thanksgiving tradition

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    The 32nd annual Run to Feed the Hungry is now underway, bringing a record number of participants to the Thanksgiving tradition to benefit the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services.Organizers say it’s the largest Thanksgiving Day fun run in the country. It’s also the biggest fundraiser of the year for Sacramento Food Bank.The Nov. 27 event for 2025 offers a 5-kilometer or 10-kilometer run or walk. People will also join virtually and get a bib and shirt.The Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services helps hundreds of thousands of people get food assistance in Sacramento County each month through a network of 111 partner agencies. Last year, the organization distributed the equivalent of 33.2 million meals to an average of 309,285 people each month. This year, food banks have experienced increased demand. Days ahead of the fun run, the 2025 Run to Feed the Hungry had already set a new registration record, topping last year’s record of 31,660 participants on Monday. At the first event in 1994, there were 796 runners and walkers.Around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, organizers said registration for the run had sold out, with 34,050 runners. It’s the first time the event has sold out in its 32-year history.| MORE | A look at the weather for Run to Feed the HungryHere is what else you should know about this year’s event, which KCRA 3 and My58 help to sponsor. Live updates from Run to Feed the Hungry 9:15 a.m.: The runner who won the 10K just crossed the finish line for the 5K seconds before the 15-minute mark.9 a.m.: The 5K is now underway.8:48 a.m.: The first female runner finished seconds before the 34-minute mark.8:44 a.m.: The first three participants for the 10K race finished in under 30 minutes.8:15 a.m.: The 10K race began with the elite runners taking the lead.8 a.m.: This year’s run will provide 4 million meals to those in need.7:30 a.m.: Traffic expert and DJ Brian Hickey gives a preview of what music to expect during the run.7 a.m.: Some runners are already showing up to prepare for the fun run.6 a.m.: KCRA 3’s Deirdre Fitzpatrick and Teo Torres get an early look at the start of the course before the sunrise. Where are the road closures for Run to Feed the Hungry?Watch the video below for a quick snapshot of closures.Where does Run to Feed the Hungry take place?The event starts on J Street, west of the entrance of Sacramento State, and runs a loop through the East Sacramento neighborhood. The course ends at the Scottish Rite Temple at 56th and H streets. View the course map here.People usually park at Sac State and in the surrounding neighborhood. Event organizers say there is free bike parking near the start line. View the parking map here.Note: The J Street entrance to Sac State will be closed until after the race finishes. Are there race awards?Yes.People can choose to have chip timing and join a timed runner’s corral to compete for an award.The top three finishers in each age group will get a medal, and the top three overall men and women in the 5K and 10K will receive plaques and prize money.The top three masters (age 40 or older) among men and women will also receive plaques and prize money.Learn more here.How to check Run to Feed the Hungry race resultsYou can find out what time runners completed the run here. What else should I know?No bikes, skateboards, or scooters are allowed. People using strollers are not allowed in the timed races but are encouraged to sign up for the untimed events.Refunds and transfers are not available.Click here for more FAQs from organizers.Celebrating thankfulnessShare photos of what you’re thankful for this holiday season.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

    The 32nd annual Run to Feed the Hungry is now underway, bringing a record number of participants to the Thanksgiving tradition to benefit the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services.

    Organizers say it’s the largest Thanksgiving Day fun run in the country. It’s also the biggest fundraiser of the year for Sacramento Food Bank.

    The Nov. 27 event for 2025 offers a 5-kilometer or 10-kilometer run or walk. People will also join virtually and get a bib and shirt.

    The Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services helps hundreds of thousands of people get food assistance in Sacramento County each month through a network of 111 partner agencies. Last year, the organization distributed the equivalent of 33.2 million meals to an average of 309,285 people each month.

    This year, food banks have experienced increased demand.

    Days ahead of the fun run, the 2025 Run to Feed the Hungry had already set a new registration record, topping last year’s record of 31,660 participants on Monday. At the first event in 1994, there were 796 runners and walkers.

    Around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, organizers said registration for the run had sold out, with 34,050 runners. It’s the first time the event has sold out in its 32-year history.

    | MORE | A look at the weather for Run to Feed the Hungry

    Here is what else you should know about this year’s event, which KCRA 3 and My58 help to sponsor.

    Live updates from Run to Feed the Hungry

    9:15 a.m.: The runner who won the 10K just crossed the finish line for the 5K seconds before the 15-minute mark.

    9 a.m.: The 5K is now underway.

    8:48 a.m.: The first female runner finished seconds before the 34-minute mark.

    8:44 a.m.: The first three participants for the 10K race finished in under 30 minutes.

    8:15 a.m.: The 10K race began with the elite runners taking the lead.

    8 a.m.: This year’s run will provide 4 million meals to those in need.

    7:30 a.m.: Traffic expert and DJ Brian Hickey gives a preview of what music to expect during the run.


    7 a.m.: Some runners are already showing up to prepare for the fun run.

    6 a.m.: KCRA 3’s Deirdre Fitzpatrick and Teo Torres get an early look at the start of the course before the sunrise.

    Where are the road closures for Run to Feed the Hungry?

    Watch the video below for a quick snapshot of closures.

    Where does Run to Feed the Hungry take place?

    The event starts on J Street, west of the entrance of Sacramento State, and runs a loop through the East Sacramento neighborhood. The course ends at the Scottish Rite Temple at 56th and H streets. View the course map here.

    People usually park at Sac State and in the surrounding neighborhood. Event organizers say there is free bike parking near the start line. View the parking map here.

    Note: The J Street entrance to Sac State will be closed until after the race finishes.

    Are there race awards?

    Yes.

    People can choose to have chip timing and join a timed runner’s corral to compete for an award.

    The top three finishers in each age group will get a medal, and the top three overall men and women in the 5K and 10K will receive plaques and prize money.

    The top three masters (age 40 or older) among men and women will also receive plaques and prize money.

    Learn more here.

    How to check Run to Feed the Hungry race results

    You can find out what time runners completed the run here.

    What else should I know?

    No bikes, skateboards, or scooters are allowed. People using strollers are not allowed in the timed races but are encouraged to sign up for the untimed events.

    Refunds and transfers are not available.

    Click here for more FAQs from organizers.

    Celebrating thankfulness

    Share photos of what you’re thankful for this holiday season.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter

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  • The Disney+ Hulu bundle drops to $5 per month for one year during Black Friday

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    The Disney+ and Hulu (with ads) bundle is officially on sale for $5 per month for one year (for a total of $60) through December 1, giving new and returning subscribers a full year of both streaming platforms for less than the cost of a few movie tickets. The bundle includes Disney+ and Hulu’s basic plans with ads, so if you’ve been waiting for a sign to catch up on Only Murders in the Building or dive into the Star Wars universe, this is it.

    Disney+ and Hulu make one of the most balanced streaming pairs available, blending family-friendly favorites with acclaimed originals and network TV staples. Disney+ brings a vast library of animated classics, blockbuster franchises and exclusive content from Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and National Geographic. It’s the place to stream nearly every Star Wars film and series, plus the full Marvel Cinematic Universe lineup and Disney’s most recent theatrical releases.

    Disney+

    Instead of $13 per month for the ad-supported bundle, you’ll get it for $5 monthly for one year.

    $60/year at Disney+

    For families, it doubles as a reliable destination for animated favorites, from Encanto to Inside Out 2, and its kid-friendly interface makes it simple to hand over the remote without worrying about what’s queued next.

    Hulu balances things out with a more adult-oriented lineup of current TV shows, next-day network episodes and a growing roster of award-winning originals. The platform hosts series like The Bear, The Handmaid’s Tale and Only Murders in the Building, alongside comedies, thrillers and documentaries that regularly feature in awards conversations. It’s also the home for next-day streaming of ABC and FX shows, making it especially useful if you’ve already cut the cable cord but still want to keep up with primetime TV.

    The Duo Basic bundle ties these two services together under a single subscription, offering a simple way to expand your library without juggling multiple accounts. This tier includes ads on both platforms, but the trade-off is significant savings compared with paying for each service separately. For many households, that’s an acceptable compromise when it means access to such a wide range of content.

    Both platforms also integrate smoothly across devices. Disney+ is available on nearly every smart TV and streaming stick and Hulu’s interface is built around customizable profiles, so everyone in the household can keep separate watch lists. The bundle login works seamlessly between the two, and since they’re both owned by Disney, it’s easy to switch from a Marvel marathon to a new episode of The Great or Abbott Elementary without leaving the ecosystem.

    If you prefer a more premium experience, you can upgrade to the Duo Premium bundle for ad-free viewing, but the Basic plan remains the best value for most users. It’s an especially practical pick if you’re looking to consolidate your streaming subscriptions without losing access to major franchises or hit series.

    If you’re still comparing options or thinking about how to simplify your lineup, our guide to the best streaming services outlines how Disney+, Hulu and others stack up. But for those already invested in Disney’s worlds or Hulu’s critically acclaimed originals, this annual Duo Basic deal offers one of the easiest and most affordable ways to keep it all in one place.

    There are plenty of other Black Friday streaming deals to consider as well. Here are some of the best ones:

    • Apple TV+ — 6 months for $36: Apple TV+ is offering six months of access for only $36 for Black Friday, which comes out to a discounted price of $6 per month for the six-month period. The deal is live now for new and eligible returning subscribers and runs through December 1, giving you a chance to stream shows like Silo, The Morning Show and For All Mankind for less. The biggest caveat to the deal is that you must subscribe directly through Apple and not through a third-party service.

    • HBO Max — one year for $36: HBO Max’s Black Friday deal gives subscribers one year streaming for $36 through December 1. This Black Friday streaming deal is on the ad-supported option, which normally goes for $11 per month. With this discount, you’re getting it for $3 per month for one year. You can sign up via HBO Max’s website or, if you’re a Prime Video subscriber already, via that service as an add-on.

    • Paramount+ — two months of Essential or Premium for $6: This Black Friday deal brings the monthly price of either Paramount+ tier down to just $6 for two months, or $3 per month. The obvious better deal is on the Premium plan, which typically costs $13 per month.

    • Sling TV Orange — day pass for only $1: Sling TV launched Day Passes earlier this year, giving users one-day access to a variety of its packages. This deal cuts $4 off the normal price of a day pass for Sling Orange. With that, you get unlimited access for 24 hours to Orange’s more than 30 channels that includes ESPN, CNN, TBS and others.

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    Georgie Peru

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  • The Disney+ Hulu bundle drops to $5 per month for one year for Black Friday

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    The Disney+ and Hulu (with ads) bundle is officially on sale for $5 per month for one year (for a total of $60) through December 1, giving new and returning subscribers a full year of both streaming platforms for less than the cost of a few movie tickets. The bundle includes Disney+ and Hulu’s basic plans with ads, so if you’ve been waiting for a sign to catch up on Only Murders in the Building or dive into the Star Wars universe, this is it.

    Disney+ and Hulu make one of the most balanced streaming pairs available, blending family-friendly favorites with acclaimed originals and network TV staples. Disney+ brings a vast library of animated classics, blockbuster franchises and exclusive content from Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and National Geographic. It’s the place to stream nearly every Star Wars film and series, plus the full Marvel Cinematic Universe lineup and Disney’s most recent theatrical releases.

    Disney+

    Instead of $13 per month for the ad-supported bundle, you’ll get it for $5 monthly for one year.

    $60/year at Disney+

    For families, it doubles as a reliable destination for animated favorites, from Encanto to Inside Out 2, and its kid-friendly interface makes it simple to hand over the remote without worrying about what’s queued next.

    Hulu balances things out with a more adult-oriented lineup of current TV shows, next-day network episodes and a growing roster of award-winning originals. The platform hosts series like The Bear, The Handmaid’s Tale and Only Murders in the Building, alongside comedies, thrillers and documentaries that regularly feature in awards conversations. It’s also the home for next-day streaming of ABC and FX shows, making it especially useful if you’ve already cut the cable cord but still want to keep up with primetime TV.

    The Duo Basic bundle ties these two services together under a single subscription, offering a simple way to expand your library without juggling multiple accounts. This tier includes ads on both platforms, but the trade-off is significant savings compared with paying for each service separately. For many households, that’s an acceptable compromise when it means access to such a wide range of content.

    Both platforms also integrate smoothly across devices. Disney+ is available on nearly every smart TV and streaming stick and Hulu’s interface is built around customizable profiles, so everyone in the household can keep separate watch lists. The bundle login works seamlessly between the two, and since they’re both owned by Disney, it’s easy to switch from a Marvel marathon to a new episode of The Great or Abbott Elementary without leaving the ecosystem.

    If you prefer a more premium experience, you can upgrade to the Duo Premium bundle for ad-free viewing, but the Basic plan remains the best value for most users. It’s an especially practical pick if you’re looking to consolidate your streaming subscriptions without losing access to major franchises or hit series.

    If you’re still comparing options or thinking about how to simplify your lineup, our guide to the best streaming services outlines how Disney+, Hulu and others stack up. But for those already invested in Disney’s worlds or Hulu’s critically acclaimed originals, this annual Duo Basic deal offers one of the easiest and most affordable ways to keep it all in one place.

    There are plenty of other Black Friday streaming deals to consider as well. Here are some of the best ones:

    • Apple TV+ — 6 months for $36: Apple TV+ is offering six months of access for only $36 for Black Friday, which comes out to a discounted price of $6 per month for the six-month period. The deal is live now for new and eligible returning subscribers and runs through December 1, giving you a chance to stream shows like Silo, The Morning Show and For All Mankind for less. The biggest caveat to the deal is that you must subscribe directly through Apple and not through a third-party service.

    • Paramount+ — two months of Essential or Premium for $6: This Black Friday deal brings the monthly price of either Paramount+ tier down to just $6 for two months, or $3 per month. The obvious better deal is on the Premium plan, which typically costs $13 per month.

    • HBO Max — one year for $36: HBO Max’s Black Friday deal gives subscribers one year streaming for $36 through December 1. This Black Friday streaming deal is on the ad-supported option, which normally goes for $11 per month. With this discount, you’re getting it for $3 per month for one year. You can sign up via HBO Max’s website or, if you’re a Prime Video subscriber already, via that service as an add-on.

    • Sling TV Orange — day pass for only $1: Sling TV launched Day Passes earlier this year, giving users one-day access to a variety of its packages. This deal cuts $4 off the normal price of a day pass for Sling Orange. With that, you get unlimited access for 24 hours to Orange’s more than 30 channels that includes ESPN, CNN, TBS and others.

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    Georgie Peru

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  • California Atty. Gen. sues Trump Administration to stop homeless housing cuts

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    California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta sued the Trump Administration Tuesday seeking to stop a federal policy change that advocates say could force 170,000 formerly homeless Americans back on the streets or into shelters.

    The lawsuit focuses on a federal program known as Continuum of Care that sends money to local governments and nonprofits to fight homelessness.

    This month, the Trump Administration announced it was drastically cutting the amount of money the program will pay for rental subsidies in permanent housing and shifting those dollars to temporary housing and services instead.

    With subsidies for permanent housing reduced, advocates say 170,000 people could return to homelessness. Locally, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority has warned 5,000 L.A. County households, containing 6,800 people, could be at risk of losing their homes, which would erase the small decline in homelessness reported this year.

    “This [federal] program has proven to be effective at getting Americans off the streets, yet the Trump Administration is now attempting to illegally slash its funding,” Bonta said in a statement.

    HUD did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This month, the department said its policy change “restores accountability to homelessness programs and promotes self-sufficiency among vulnerable Americans” in part by redirecting most money to transitional housing and supportive services that it sees as more effective than permanent housing.

    Bonta filed the lawsuit along with 19 state attorneys general and two governors.

    The lawsuit alleges the HUD policy change violated the law in several ways, including that the department failed to properly notice the change and that the new restrictions on funding violate the separation of powers because they were not imposed by Congress.

    In addition to capping the amount of funds that can be spent on permanent housing, HUD is requiring more total homeless dollars be subject to competitive bidding.

    Bonta‘s office said the new rules also “eliminate funding to applicants that acknowledge the existence of transgender and gender-diverse people” and make it harder for cities and counties to get funding if they don’t “enforce certain policies this Administration favors, like bans on public camping.”

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    Andrew Khouri

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  • California braces for early, sharper flu season as virus mutation outpaces vaccine, experts say

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    California could see an early start to the annual flu season, as a combination of low vaccination rates and late mutations to the virus may leave the state particularly exposed to transmission, health experts say.

    Already, there are warning signs. Los Angeles County recently reported its first flu death of the season, and other nations are reporting record-breaking or powerful, earlier-than-expected flu seasons.

    Typically, flu picks up right after Christmas and into the New Year, but Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional physician chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, said she expects increases in viral activity perhaps over the next two to three weeks.

    “We’re expecting an early and likely sharp start to the flu season,” Hudson said.

    Last year’s flu season was the worst California had seen in years, and it’s not usual for there to be back-to-back bad flu seasons. But a combination of a decline in flu vaccination rates and a “souped-up mutant” is particularly concerning this year, according to Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco.

    “That may translate into more people getting infected. And as more people get infected, a proportion of them will go to the hospital,” Chin-Hong said.

    The timing of this new flu subvariant — called H3N2 subclade K — is particularly problematic. It emerged toward the end of the summer, long after health officials had already determined how to formulate this fall’s flu vaccine, a decision that had to be made in February.

    H3N2 subclade K seems to be starting to dominate in Japan and Britain, Hudson said.

    “It looks like a bit of a mismatch between the seasonal flu vaccine strains” and the new subvariant, Hudson said.

    It remains unclear whether subclade K will reduce the effectiveness of this year’s flu shot.

    In California and the rest of the U.S., “things are quiet, but I think it’s just a calm before the storm,” Chin-Hong said. “From what we see in the U.K. and Japan, a lot more people are getting flu earlier.”

    Chin-Hong noted that subclade K is not that much different than the strains this year’s flu vaccines were designed against. And he noted data recently released in Britain that showed this season’s vaccines were still effective against hospitalization.

    According to the British government, vaccinated children were 70% to 75% less likely to need hospital care, and adults were 30% to 40% less likely. Flu vaccine effectiveness is typically between 30% to 60%, and tends to be more effective in younger people, the British government said.

    Even if there is some degree of mismatch between the vaccine and circulating strains, “the flu vaccine still provides protection against severe illness, including hospitalizations,” according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

    “Public Health strongly encourages everyone who has not received the flu vaccine yet this year to receive it now, especially before gathering with loved ones during the holidays,” the department said in a statement.

    But “while mismatched vaccines may still provide protection, enhanced genetic, antigenic and epidemiological … monitoring are warranted to inform risk assessment and response,” according to scientists writing in the Journal of the Assn. of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Canada.

    Because the vaccine is not a perfect match for the latest mutated flu strain, Chin-Hong said getting antiviral medication like Tamiflu to infected patients may be especially important this year, even for those who are vaccinated. That’s especially true for the most vulnerable, which include the very young and very old.

    “But that means you need to get diagnosed earlier,” Chin-Hong said. Drugs like Tamiflu work best when started within one to two days after flu symptoms begin, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

    There are now at-home flu testing kits that are widely available for sale for people who are showing signs of illness.

    Also worrying is how the flu has surged in other countries.

    Australia’s flu season came earlier this year and was more severe than usual. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said that nation saw a record flu season, with more than 410,000 lab-confirmed cases, up from the prior all-time high of 365,000 that were reported last year.

    “This is not a record we want to be breaking,” Dr. Michael Wright, president of the physician’s group, said.

    Hudson noted Australia’s flu season was “particularly hard on children” this year.

    L.A. County health officials cautioned that Australia’s experience isn’t a solid predictor of what happens locally.

    “It is difficult to predict what will happen in the United States and Los Angeles, as the severity of the flu season depends on multiple factors including circulating strains, pre-existing immunity, vaccine uptake, and the overall health of the population,” the L.A. County Department of Public Health said.

    The new strain has also thrown a wrench in things. As Australia’s flu season was ending, “this new mutation came up, which kind of ignited flu in Japan and the U.K., and other parts of Europe and Asia,” Chin-Hong said.

    On Friday, Japan reportedly issued a national alert with flu cases surging and hospitalizations increasing, especially among children and the elderly, accompanied by a sharp rise in school and class closures. The Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun said children ages 1 through 9 and adults 80 and up were among the hardest-hit groups.

    Taiwanese health officials warned of the possibility of a second peak in flu this year, according to the Central News Agency. There was already a peak in late September and early October — a month earlier than normal — and officials are warning about an uptick in flu cases starting in December and then peaking around the Lunar New Year on Feb. 17.

    Taiwanese officials said 95% of patients with severe flu symptoms had not been recently vaccinated.

    British health officials this month issued a “flu jab SOS,” as an early wave struck the nation. Flu cases are “already triple what they were this time last year,” Public Health Minister Ashley Dalton said in a statement.

    In England, outside of pandemic years, this fall marked the earliest start to the flu season since 2003-04, scientists said in the journal Eurosurveillance.

    “We have to brace ourselves for another year of more cases of flu,” Chin-Hong said.

    One major concern has been declining flu vaccination rates — a trend seen in both Australia and the United States.

    In Australia, only 25.7% of children age 6 months to 5 years were vaccinated against flu in 2025, the lowest rate since 2021. Among seniors age 65 and up, 60.5% were vaccinated, the lowest rate since 2020.

    Australian health officials are promoting free flu vaccinations for children that don’t require an injection, but are administered by nasal spray.

    “We must boost vaccination rates,” Wright said.

    In the U.S., officials recommend the annual flu vaccine for everyone age 6 months and up. Those age 65 and up are eligible for a higher-dose version, and kids and adults between age 2 and age 49 are eligible to get vaccinated via the FluMist nasal spray, rather than a needle injection.

    Officials this year began allowing people to order FluMist to be mailed to them at home.

    Besides getting vaccinated, other ways to protect yourself against the flu include washing your hands frequently, avoiding sick people and wearing a mask in higher-risk indoor settings, such as while in the airport and on a plane.

    Healthy high-risk people, such as older individuals, can be prescribed antiviral drugs like Tamiflu if another household member has the flu, Chin-Hong said.

    Doctors are especially concerned about babies, toddlers and young children up to age 5.

    “Those are the kids that are the most vulnerable if they get any kind of a respiratory illness. It can really go badly for them, and they can end up extraordinarily ill,” Hudson said.

    In the United States, just 49.2% of children had gotten a flu shot as of late April, lower than the 53.4% who had done so at the same point the previous season, according to preliminary national survey results. Both figures are well below the final flu vaccination rate for eligible children during the 2019-20 season, which was 63.7%.

    Among adults, 46.7% had gotten their flu shot as of late April, slightly down from the 47.4% at the same point last season, according to the preliminary survey results, which are the most recent data available.

    “Before the COVID-19 pandemic, flu vaccination coverage had been slowly increasing; downturns in coverage occurred during and after the pandemic. Flu vaccination levels have not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels,” according to the CDC.

    The disparaging of vaccinations by federal health officials, led by the vaccine-skeptic secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has not helped improve immunization rates, health experts say. Kennedy told the New York Times on Thursday that he personally directed the CDC to change its website to abandon its position that vaccines do not cause autism.

    Mainstream health experts and former CDC officials denounced the change. “Extensive scientific evidence shows vaccines do not cause autism,” wrote Daniel Jernigan, Demetre Daskalakis and Debra Houry, all former top officials at the CDC, in an op-ed to MS NOW.

    “CDC has been updated to cause chaos without scientific basis. Do not trust this agency,” Daskalakis, former director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, added on social media. “This is a national embarrassment.”

    State health officials from California, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii on Friday called the new claims on the CDC website inaccurate and said there are decades of “high quality evidence that vaccines are not linked to autism.”

    “Over 40 high-quality studies involving more than 5.6 million children have found no link between any routine childhood vaccine and autism,” the L.A. County Department of Public Health said Friday. “The increase in autism diagnoses reflects improved screening, broader diagnostic criteria, and greater awareness, not a link to vaccines.”

    Hudson said it’s important to get evidence-based information on the flu vaccines.

    “Vaccines save lives. The flu vaccine in particular saves lives,” Hudson said.

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    Rong-Gong Lin II

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  • The first home has been rebuilt in the wake of the Palisades Fire

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    Less than a year after 6,822 structures burned in the Palisades Fire, the first rebuilding project has reached the finish line in Pacific Palisades: a two-story showcase home located at 915 Kagawa St.

    In a press release, Mayor Karen Bass announced that the home received a certificate of occupancy from the L.A. Department of Building and Safety on Friday, meaning it passed inspection and is safe to inhabit.

    “Today is an important moment of hope,” Bass said in a statement. “With more and more projects nearing completion across Pacific Palisades, the City of Los Angeles remains committed to expediting every aspect of the rebuild process until every family is back home.”

    The house was built by developer Thomas James Homes. Jamie Mead, the chief executive, said the permitting process took two months and the rebuild took six.

    “Given that the community needs housing, we thought this would be a great opportunity to show them what we can do,” Mead said.

    Plenty of rebuilding permits have been issued — nearly 2,000 in both the Palisades and Eaton fire zones, according to the state’s rebuilding dashboard — and the first few are reaching the finishing line. Earlier this week, an Altadena ADU received a certificate of occupancy as well.

    The Palisades property, however, is much bigger in scope with four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms across nearly 4,000 square feet. It replaces a 1,600-square-foot ranch that burned down in January.

    Fire-resistant features include closed eaves to block embers, as well as plumbing for a fire defense system that homeowners can choose to add, which covers the home in water and fire retardant when flames get close.

    The first rebuilt home in Pacific Palisades – which just received a certificate of occupancy – on Kagawa Street.

    (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

    Real estate records show Thomas James Homes bought the property before it was destroyed. It sold for $3.4 million last November.

    The house was built as a showcase home — an advertisement of sorts for other residents looking to rebuild. Mead said the company is building homes for 30 families in the Palisades and expects to build 100 more next year. On its website, the company claims it can complete a rebuild in 12 months.

    A grand opening, in which the home will be opened to the community, is set for Saturday, Dec. 6.

    Rebuilding timelines vary from community-to-community and project-to-project. According to the press release, roughly 340 projects have started construction in Pacific Palisades.

    Some residents are still deciding whether to stay or build, while others filed plans in the first months after the fires, taking advantage of government initiatives to streamline the process.

    Times Staff Writers Hailey Branson-Potts and Doug Smith contributed to this report.

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    Jack Flemming

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  • As Elon Musk plans a robot army, China’s humanoid bots are already on the market

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    As Elon Musk touted plans to eventually manufacture an army of Tesla bots in Silicon Valley this month, humanoid robots were already being produced and sold to consumers in China.

    Chinese and U.S. companies have begun a battle to build the world’s best bots. While it’s early days, experts say China is leading in the quantity of robots delivered to consumers, while America is ahead in the quality of robots demonstrated.

    Musk danced with Tesla’s Optimus bots at his company’s shareholder meeting and outlined plans for a factory in Fremont that he said will someday have the capacity to build a million bots a year, which would sell for around $20,000 in today’s dollars. One of China’s leading robotics companies, Unitree Robotics, already has a humanoid robot on the market that can walk, dance and perform basic tasks. Its least expensive version costs around $6,000.

    Tesla robot Optimus serves popcorn to guests at the Tesla Diner on the restaurant’s opening day on July 21.

    (Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)

    While the inexpensive Unitree bot is far less sophisticated than Optimus, its early entrance into the real-world market at an affordable price demonstrates China’s edge. The country has the parts, the production facilities and the pool of labor required to bring the rapidly evolving robots to market quickly and cheaply, said P.K. Tseng, an analyst at the tech consulting firm TrendForce.

    “The U.S. leads in technological innovation, while China excels in speed of implementation,” he said. “The real turning point will arrive when humanoid robots move beyond R&D prototypes to large-scale deployment.”

    The International Federation of Robotics, IFR, estimates that there are at least 80 humanoid robot companies in China, five times that of the U.S. A Morgan Stanley report on humanoid robots earlier this year estimated that Chinese companies had more than twice the number of robots unveiled than U.S. companies since 2022, while Chinese organizations have applied for more than three times the number of patents using the word “humanoid” in the last five years.

    At the forefront is Unitree, which went viral in January after its humanoid robots performed a Chinese folk dance live, marching rhythmically while tossing and twirling handkerchiefs. That model, which costs about $90,000, won the opening race at the inaugural Beijing Humanoid Robot Games in August, taking 6½ minutes to run about one mile.

    Students interact with a humanoid robot in China.

    Students from the Primary School Affiliated to Hefei Normal School interact with the humanoid robot “Xiao An” after a science class on Oct. 27 in Hefei, Anhui province, in China.

    (China News Service via Getty Images)

    The company has become a Chinese tech darling and is preparing for an initial public offering with a reported valuation as high as $7 billion.

    The ultimate goal of a general-purpose robot, one that can package goods, do household chores and assist in surgical procedures, is still years away. Humanoid robots are not yet fully autonomous and are mostly purchased by hobbyists, research institutions or manufacturers. Hyundai Motor Group is deploying robots made by Boston Dynamics in its car factories. In China, humanoid robots are also bought and rented as entertainment, to dance and perform at events.

    According to TrendForce, the latest generation of Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot greatly surpasses the products of China’s top manufacturers, including Unitree, in body and hand versatility, load capacity and battery life. Another advantage U.S. robotics companies have is advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, which will be crucial in developing robots that can learn to carry out basic human tasks on their own.

    Musk says Tesla’s edge is that it has the engineering capability to build limbs, AI to run the brains, and the manufacturing know-how to mass-produce the bots. He projects that the movements of the next generation of Optimus will be indistinguishable from those of humans.

    “It will seem as though there’s someone like a person in a robot outfit,” he told shareholders this month. “Really, it’s going to be something special.”

    His prediction recently came true — in China. EV maker XPeng demonstrated its latest bot this month and its casual gait was so human-like that the company had to convince some skeptics it was a robot by bringing heavy scissors on stage to cut away its synthetic skin and reveal its mechanical insides.

    By prioritizing commercialization, Chinese manufacturers are leaning on government support and manufacturing prowess for an upper hand in the latest frontier of a tech rivalry with the U.S., similar to how it came to dominate other industries like solar panels and electric cars.

    “They’re not first mover in anything. But they’re building a lot of robots, selling them really, really cheap, and just trying to get them out in the world,” said Erik Walenza-Slabe, a managing partner of Asia Growth Partners, a Shanghai-based consultancy that helps businesses expand in Asia. “That might be a better strategy in the long term.”

    Morgan Stanley estimates that the humanoid robot market will be worth $5 trillion by 2050, at which point China would probably have nearly four times as many humanoid robots in use as the U.S. Even as U.S. robot makers like Tesla expand production, their efforts could be hampered by a reliance on components that need to be sourced from China, such as screws, motors and batteries, the bank’s analysts said.

    A robot rehearses the 100-meter race before the opening ceremony of the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing in August.

    A robot rehearses the 100-meter race before the opening ceremony of the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing in August.

    (Ng Han Guan / Associated Press)

    While China’s mass deployment may help its companies beat the U.S. to real-world training, public mishaps have highlighted the limitations of Chinese technology and the potential risks to human safety.

    During the first robot half marathon in Beijing this year, many mechanical competitors fell down and overheated and only six out of 21 completed the course. Last December, a Unitree bot fell over and started convulsing at a demonstration, drawing online mockery.

    Meanwhile, the trade war between China and the U.S. could impede the development of better bots by both sides.

    Both countries have sought to build and leverage their strengths in high-tech fields. The U.S. has restricted exports of semiconductors to China, in an effort to stymie its rival’s technological development. Meanwhile, China has a near monopoly on rare earth metals, a critical component in batteries and computer chips, and has stepped up export controls to squeeze the U.S. and other nations.

    To achieve self-sufficiency, China has made advanced robotics a key tenet of its national strategy for technological and economic development. Earlier this year, China announced a state-backed venture fund to raise and invest $138 billion in robotics and artificial intelligence.

    “What China has wanted to do ever since they entered the robotics game is to circumvent the dominance of traditional technology by foreign vendors,” said Lian Jye Su, chief analyst for AI and robotics in Asia at Omdia, a research firm. “The only reason why China can do that is because they have policy support.”

    The lack of similar government policies in the U.S. could hamper efforts to compete with China, said Susanne Bieller, general secretary of the IFR, particularly as deployment and data become central to training robots with artificial intelligence.

    “In China, the government is encouraging companies to test out the new technology and that’s a critical advantage. That’s something American startups investing in humanoids will have to work much harder for,” she said.

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    Stephanie Yang

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  • ‘Should not be like this’: Maryland woman who lived in US for 30 years gets deported to Vietnam

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    Despite rallying the community’s support, a Maryland woman was deported after living in the country for more than 30 years.Melissa Tran, a wife, mother and business owner, was deported to Vietnam, her home country.”I love her to death. She has been just like a daughter to me,” said Kitty Chamos, a family friend.The community of Hagerstown has rallied to support Tran and her family over the last six months. Tran owns a local nail salon and is a wife and mother of four children.She moved to the United States from Vietnam in 1993.In 2001, when Tran was 20, she pleaded guilty to stealing money from her employer. She said she was pressured by an abusive boyfriend to do it. She paid restitution and served jail time.”She’s such a good person, and you know, she paid her debt. She did wrong, she paid her debt. It should not be like this,” Chamos said.Tran eventually moved on, started a family and opened the successful nail salon, never missing a check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In May, though, she was arrested by ICE and held in detention for five months before a judge ordered her release because Vietnam had not issued her travel documents.”She has always helped everyone she can help. Always. There was a lady there who didn’t speak English at all, and she befriended her and was helping her,” Chamos said.At an ICE check-in Friday, Tran learned that Vietnam agreed to issue her a passport, and she was arrested and taken again to a detention center. Her husband said she was deported to Vietnam on Monday.”I think it’s just absolutely horrible to take her away from her family and her children. They’re going to suffer so bad. They already have. It has just been a terrible ordeal,” Chamos said.Tran’s friends said she has distant relatives in Vietnam, but they are not sure where she will live. In the meantime, they will continue to raise money for her lawyer to try to bring her back to the United States.

    HAGERSTOWN, Md. —

    Despite rallying the community’s support, a Maryland woman was deported after living in the country for more than 30 years.

    Melissa Tran, a wife, mother and business owner, was deported to Vietnam, her home country.

    “I love her to death. She has been just like a daughter to me,” said Kitty Chamos, a family friend.

    The community of Hagerstown has rallied to support Tran and her family over the last six months. Tran owns a local nail salon and is a wife and mother of four children.

    She moved to the United States from Vietnam in 1993.

    In 2001, when Tran was 20, she pleaded guilty to stealing money from her employer. She said she was pressured by an abusive boyfriend to do it. She paid restitution and served jail time.

    “She’s such a good person, and you know, she paid her debt. She did wrong, she paid her debt. It should not be like this,” Chamos said.

    Tran eventually moved on, started a family and opened the successful nail salon, never missing a check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In May, though, she was arrested by ICE and held in detention for five months before a judge ordered her release because Vietnam had not issued her travel documents.

    “She has always helped everyone she can help. Always. There was a lady there who didn’t speak English at all, and she befriended her and was helping her,” Chamos said.

    At an ICE check-in Friday, Tran learned that Vietnam agreed to issue her a passport, and she was arrested and taken again to a detention center. Her husband said she was deported to Vietnam on Monday.

    “I think it’s just absolutely horrible to take her away from her family and her children. They’re going to suffer so bad. They already have. It has just been a terrible ordeal,” Chamos said.

    Tran’s friends said she has distant relatives in Vietnam, but they are not sure where she will live. In the meantime, they will continue to raise money for her lawyer to try to bring her back to the United States.

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