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  • Phillies invite young fan to meet Harrison Bader after viral home run ball dispute

    Phillies invite young fan to meet Harrison Bader after viral home run ball dispute

    YOU HAVE THIS BEAUTIFUL FAMILY HERE TODAY, ALL WEARING T SHIRTS TO CELEBRATE YOU. AND YOU GET TO BE DOWN HERE ON THE FIELD AND YOU’RE GOING TO THROW OUT THE FIRST PITCH. AS A LIFELONG ORIOLE FAN, I MEAN, I CAN’T IMAGINE A MUCH BETTER DAY. WELL, YES, FOR FIRST, THE FAMILY. WE HAVE A WONDERFUL FAMILY. THEY’RE ALL GREAT. THREE CHILDREN AND THEIR SPOUSES, NINE GRANDKIDS AND NINE GREAT GRANDKIDS. AND THEY’RE ALL GOOD AND THEY’RE ALL SMART AND THEY’RE ALL SUCCESSFUL. YOU MUST BE SO PROUD. I AM. BOB STRASBURG WAS DRAFTED INTO THE ARMY IN 1943. VERY QUICKLY. THEN HE MADE HIS WAY TO EUROPE. I WAS 18 WHEN THEY DRAFTED ME. AND THEY SOMEHOW GOT ME IN THE ARMY ENGINEERS. I HAD BEEN GOING TO COLLEGE FOR AN ENGINEERING AT THE TIME, BUT EVERYBODY GOT DRAFTED AT 18. ULTIMATELY, AFTER TRAINING AND SO FORTH, I ENDED UP IN ITALY. WE DID BRIDGES, WE DID ROADS, WE DID STUFF LIKE THAT, AND WE WERE ABOUT THE BEST OUTFIT IN ITALY. SO THEY SAID, WE’RE GOING TO GO TO JAPAN, OKAY. OH, WOW. WELL, WE DIDN’T WANT TO GO THERE. WE WEREN’T AT THE PORT OF THE PORT TO LEAVE WHEN THE WAR ENDED. SO THAT WAS GOOD. WE HAD A PARTY OR SOMETHING. AS FAR AS THE BASEBALL PORTION FOR MONDAY, BOB WAS READY. LET HER RIP. RIGHT. AND IF THE ORIOLES NEED AN OLD RIGHT HAND UNDERHAND PITCHER, I’M AVAILABLE. TO BE FAIR, PITCHING HAS BEEN A BIT OF AN ISSUE, SO I WOULD STAY NICE AND LOOSE. OH YEAH, DON’T ASK ME ABOUT ORIOLE PITCHING. WHEN IT WAS BOB’S TURN FOR THE CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCH, THE CROWD ROARED AND HE LOVED IT. STANDING AT FULL ATTENTION AND DRAWING EVEN MORE, HE WHISTLED A ONE HOPPER RIGHT OVER THE PLATE. A MOMENT HE, HIS FAMILY AND EVERYONE THAT WATCHED WON’T SOON FORGET. THANK YOU BOB, AND NATURALLY, I ASKED BOB THE KEY TO LIVING A VERY LONG LIFE. AND HE SAID, MAKE SURE TO SURROUND YOURSELF BY GOOD PEOPLE AN

    Phillies invite young fan to meet Harrison Bader after viral home run ball dispute

    Updated: 9:09 PM PDT Sep 5, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    The Philadelphia Phillies invited a young fan to meet Harrison Bader following their 9-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday night after an apparent dispute over a home run ball hit by the center fielder during the game. Bader hit a solo home run into the left field stands in the fourth inning at loanDepot Park. Several fans scrambled for the ball before a man came up with it and walked over and gave it to the boy and hugged him. Both were wearing Phillies gear.Video above: WWII vet throws ceremonial first pitch on Memorial DayMoments later, a woman, also wearing Philadelphia apparel, approached and appeared to shout at the man, who then grabbed the ball from the boy and gave it to her. It isn’t clear from videos circulating on social media who initially secured the ball when it landed. Later in the game, a member of the Marlins’ staff was seen giving the boy a prize pack, and he ended up going home with a signed bat from Bader, who met with him outside of the Phillies’ clubhouse after the game.The bizarre scene quickly went viral on social media and comes just days after another viral memorabilia-snatching moment in which a man took tennis player Kamil Majchrzak’s hat from a young fan at the U.S. Open and was widely criticized for the act.He apologized on social media on Monday and said he has returned it.

    MIAMI —

    The Philadelphia Phillies invited a young fan to meet Harrison Bader following their 9-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday night after an apparent dispute over a home run ball hit by the center fielder during the game.

    Bader hit a solo home run into the left field stands in the fourth inning at loanDepot Park. Several fans scrambled for the ball before a man came up with it and walked over and gave it to the boy and hugged him. Both were wearing Phillies gear.

    Video above: WWII vet throws ceremonial first pitch on Memorial Day

    Moments later, a woman, also wearing Philadelphia apparel, approached and appeared to shout at the man, who then grabbed the ball from the boy and gave it to her.

    It isn’t clear from videos circulating on social media who initially secured the ball when it landed.

    Later in the game, a member of the Marlins’ staff was seen giving the boy a prize pack, and he ended up going home with a signed bat from Bader, who met with him outside of the Phillies’ clubhouse after the game.

    The bizarre scene quickly went viral on social media and comes just days after another viral memorabilia-snatching moment in which a man took tennis player Kamil Majchrzak’s hat from a young fan at the U.S. Open and was widely criticized for the act.

    He apologized on social media on Monday and said he has returned it.

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  • Dozens charged after influencers broke into Kentucky Speedway, posted videos

    More than 30 people have been arrested after officials say “influencers” broke into the Kentucky Speedway and posted videos to social media.Gallatin County Sheriff Bud Webster says it’s been happening since June, when the first video was posted to social media. Video above: Kentucky Speedway treats seniors to victory lap around racetrack”It’s been quite the ordeal since then,” Webster said. “When they post to social media, it’s my understanding that they get paid if they get so many followers or hits, so that’s what the purpose of it is.”He said they’ve been getting into the speedway by jumping the fence or even cutting through.”There’s been vandalism and damage to the property,” Webster said.While the speedway no longer hosts NASCAR or IndyCar races, it’s still used for smaller events. Parts of the property are also rented out to companies.”I’m not sure what the future holds for the speedway, but they still maintain the property, they still operate, and they have staff on hand,” Webster said.He said videos have prompted others to go inside.”Those gentlemen had posted to social media about an abandoned speedway and since then, it’s been one group after another coming in there from all over,” Webster said. The sheriff emphasized that the Kentucky Speedway is private property and is not abandoned.The Kentucky Speedway opened in June 2000 and is owned by Speedway Motorsports.

    More than 30 people have been arrested after officials say “influencers” broke into the Kentucky Speedway and posted videos to social media.

    Gallatin County Sheriff Bud Webster says it’s been happening since June, when the first video was posted to social media.

    Video above: Kentucky Speedway treats seniors to victory lap around racetrack

    “It’s been quite the ordeal since then,” Webster said. “When they post to social media, it’s my understanding that they get paid if they get so many followers or hits, so that’s what the purpose of it is.”

    He said they’ve been getting into the speedway by jumping the fence or even cutting through.

    “There’s been vandalism and damage to the property,” Webster said.

    While the speedway no longer hosts NASCAR or IndyCar races, it’s still used for smaller events. Parts of the property are also rented out to companies.

    “I’m not sure what the future holds for the speedway, but they still maintain the property, they still operate, and they have staff on hand,” Webster said.

    He said videos have prompted others to go inside.

    “Those gentlemen had posted to social media about an abandoned speedway and since then, it’s been one group after another coming in there from all over,” Webster said.

    The sheriff emphasized that the Kentucky Speedway is private property and is not abandoned.

    The Kentucky Speedway opened in June 2000 and is owned by Speedway Motorsports.

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  • Commentary: Newsom’s redistricting move isn’t pretty. California GOP leaders are uglier

    King Gavin is at it again!

    That’s the cry coming from Republicans across California as Newsom pushes the state Legislature to approve a November special election like none this state has ever seen. Voters would have the chance to approve a congressional map drawn by Democrats hoping to wipe out GOP-held seats and counter Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Trump-driven redistricting.

    The president “doesn’t play by a different set of rules — he doesn’t believe in the rules,” the governor told a roaring crowd packed with Democratic heavyweights last week at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo. “And as a consequence, we need to disabuse ourselves of the way things have been done. It’s not good enough to just hold hands, have a candlelight vigil and talk about the way the world should be. … We have got to meet fire with fire.”

    California Republicans are responding to this the way a kid reacts if you take away their Pikachu.

    “An absolutely ridiculous gerrymander!” whined Rep. Doug LaMalfa, who represents the state’s rural northeast corner, on social media. Under the Democratic plan, his district would swing all the way down to ultra-liberal Marin County.

    The California Republican Party deemed the new maps a “MASTERCLASS IN CORRUPTION” (Trumpian caps in the original). National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Christian Martinez said “Newscum” was giving “a giant middle finger to every Californian.”

    Intelligent minds can disagree on whether countering an extreme political move with an extreme political move is the right thing. The new maps would supersede the ones devised just four years ago by an independent redistricting commission established to keep politics out of the process, which typically occurs once a decade after the latest census.

    Good government types, from the League of Women Voters to Charles Munger Jr. — the billionaire who bankrolled the 2010 proposition that created independent redistricting for California congressional races — have criticized Newsom’s so-called Election Rigging Response Act. So has former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a fierce Trump critic who posted a photo of himself on social media working out in a T-shirt that read, “F*** the Politicians / Terminate Gerrymandering.”

    I’m not fully convinced that Newsom’s plan is the MAGA killer he thinks it is. If the economy somehow rebounds next year, Republicans would most likely keep Congress anyway, and Newsom would have upended California politics for nothing.

    I also don’t discount the moderate streak in California voters that pops up from time to time to quash what seem like liberal gimmes, like the failed attempt via ballot measure to repeal affirmative action in 2020 and the passage last year of Proposition 36, which increased penalties for theft and drug crimes. Nearly two-thirds of California voters want to keep redistricting away from the Legislature, according to a POLITICO-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab poll released last week.

    If Californians reject Newsom’s plan, that would torpedo his presidential ambitions and leave egg on the face of state Democratic leaders for years, if not a generation.

    For now, though, I’m going to enjoy all the tears that California Republicans are shedding. As they face the prospect of even fewer congressional seats than the paltry nine they now hold, they suddenly care about rescuing American democracy?

    In this image from video, Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa speaks at the U.S. Capitol in 2020.

    (House Television via Associated Press)

    Where were they during Trump’s fusillade of lawsuits and threats against California? When he sent the National Guard and Marines to occupy parts of Los Angeles this summer after protests against his deportation deluge? When his underlings spew hate about the Golden State on Fox News and social media?

    Now they care about political decency? What about when LaMalfa and fellow California GOP House members Ken Calvert and Darrell Issa — whose seats the Newsom maps would also eliminate — voted against certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 victory? When the state Republican Party backed a ridiculous recall against Newsom that cost taxpayers $200 million? Or when the Republican congressional delegation unanimously voted to pass Trump’s Big Bloated Bill, even though it’s expected to gut healthcare and food programs for millions of Californians in red counties? Or even when Trump first pushed Abbott to pursue the very gerrymandering Newsom is now emulating?

    We’re supposed to believe them when they proclaim Newsom is a pompadoured potentate who threatens all Californians, just because he wants to redo congressional maps?

    Pot, meet black hole.

    If these GOPers had even an iota of decency or genuine care for the Golden State, they would back a bill by one of their own that I actually support. Rep. Kevin Kiley, whose seat is also targeted for elimination by the Newsom maps, wants to ban all mid-decade congressional redistricting. He stated via a press release that this would “stop a damaging redistricting war from breaking out across the country.”

    That’s an effort that any believer in liberty can and should back. But Kiley’s bill has no co-sponsors so far. And Kevin: Why can’t you say that your man Trump created this fiasco in the first place?

    We live in scary times for our democracy. If you don’t believe it, consider that a bunch of masked Border Patrol agents just happened to show up outside the Japanese American National Museum — situated on a historic site where citizens of Japanese ancestry boarded buses to incarceration camps during World War II — at the same time Newsom was delivering his redistricting remarks. Sector Chief Gregory Bovino was there, migra cameramen documenting his every smirk, including when he told a reporter that his agents were there to make “Los Angeles a safer place, since we won’t have politicians that’ll do that, we do that ourselves.”

    The show of force was so obviously an authoritarian flex that Newsom filed a Freedom of Information Act request demanding to know who authorized what and why. Meanwhile, referring to Trump, he described the action on X as “an attempt to advance a playbook from the despots he admires in Russia and North Korea.”

    Newsom is not everyone’s cup of horchata, myself included. Whether you support it or not, watching him rip up the California Constitution’s redistricting section and assuring us it’s OK, because he’s the one doing it, is discomfiting.

    But you know what’s worse? Trump anything. And even worse? The California GOP leaders who have loudly cheered him on, damn the consequences to the state they supposedly love.

    History will castigate their cultish devotion to Trump far worse than any of Newsom’s attempts to counter that scourge.

    Gustavo Arellano

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  • Prominent Al Jazeera journalist among several killed in Israeli strike on Gaza press tent

    AMMAN, Jordan — Israel’s military targeted a tent for journalists in Gaza City late Sunday, killing seven people, including Anas al-Sharif, a reporter for Al Jazeera who drew millions of followers on social media and emerged as a top voice in the Arab world for his chronicling of the war in Gaza over the last 22 months.

    Killed alongside the 28-year-old Al-Sharif were Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Moamen Aliwa and their assistant Mohammed Noufal. A sixth journalist, freelancer Mohammad al-Khaldi, who was in a nearby tent, was also killed, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

    In a statement, Al Jazeera, which is funded by the government of Qatar and has long had a fraught relationship with the Israeli government, described the killings as a “targeted assassination” that was “yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom.”

    “The order to assassinate Anas al-Sharif, one of Gaza’s bravest journalists, and his colleagues, is a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza,” the statement said, referring to the Israeli government’s recently approved plans for its military to take over the Palestinian enclave.

    “Al Jazeera emphasizes that immunity for perpetrators and the lack of accountability embolden Israel’s actions and encourage further oppression against witnesses to the truth,” the broadcaster’s statement said.

    Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani also excoriated Israel, saying in a statement on X that “the deliberate targeting of journalists by Israel in the Gaza Strip reveals how these crimes are beyond imagination.”

    Israel’s military confirmed it conducted the attack, issuing a statement shortly before midnight Monday saying it struck “the terrorist Anas Al-Sharif” who it said “posed as a journalist” but “served as the head of a terrorist cell” in the militant group Hamas.

    It claimed that “previously disclosed intelligence information” and “many documents found in the Gaza Strip” confirmed Al-Sharif’s involvement with Hamas. The documents, which the statement said included personnel rosters, lists of terrorist training courses, among others, “provide proof of the integration of the Hamas terrorist” within Al Jazeera.

    The documents were first released in October 2024 and accused six Al Jazeera journalists of involvement with Hamas or the Islamic Jihad militant group.

    At the time, Al Jazeera, along with a United Nations expert, the Committee to Protect Journalists and other groups cast doubt on the veracity of the documents. The U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of expression, Irene Khan, denounced Israel’s accusations against Al-Sharif in July as “unfounded” and a “blatant attempt to endanger his life and silence his reporting on the genocide in Gaza.”

    The Israeli military has previously made unsubstantiated claims that journalists it targeted and killed in Gaza were terrorists. In March, Israel killed Al Jazeera correspondent Hossam Shabat; in July 2024, it killed Ismail Ghoul and his cameraman Rami al-Rifi.

    Chief correspondent Wael al Dahdouh lost his wife, son, daughter and grandson in an Israeli airstrike in October 2023. Weeks after that, he was injured in a strike that killed Al Jazeera cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa.

    Israel has barred international journalists from entering Gaza even as it has targeted local reporters. Health authorities in Gaza say 237 journalists have been killed since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023. The Committee to Protect Journalists says at least 186 have been killed.

    Sunday’s drone attack came weeks after Israel stepped up its attacks on Al-Sharif, with the military’s Arabic-language spokesman accusing the Al Jazeera correspondent in July of spreading “propaganda” and taking part in “a false Hamas campaign on starvation.”

    Later that month, the Committee to Protect Journalists said it was “gravely worried” about Al-Sharif’s safety. The group’s Middle East and North Africa director, Sara Qudah, warned that the smear campaign against Al-Sharif represented “an effort to manufacture consent to kill Al-Sharif.”

    In a statement on Monday, Qudah said, “Israel is murdering the messengers.”

    “If Israel can kill the most prominent Gazan journalist, then it can kill anyone. The world needs to see these deadly attacks on journalists inside Gaza, as well as its censorship of journalists in Israel and the West Bank, for what they are: a deliberate and systematic attempt to cover up Israel’s actions.”

    British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “gravely concerned” over the repeated targeting of journalists in Gaza; Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders and other groups also issued condemnations. The U.S. government did not immediately provide comment.

    Al-Sharif’s killing drew tributes for a journalist who for many across the region came to embody Gaza’s suffering.

    On social media people shared poignant moments from his coverage, including when he covered his father’s killing in an Israeli airstrike in the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza City in December 2023; a video when he was reunited with his daughter this year; or when he almost broke down on air, his voice cracking.

    “Keep on going, Mr. Anas,” says an unseen passerby. “You are our voice.”

    Video posted to social media showed crowds massing at the Sheikh Radwan Cemetery for the journalists’ funeral. Video depicted mourners crying and embracing each other, while others in the crowd carried Al-Sharif’s shrouded corpse and chanted, “With our soul and blood, we will sacrifice ourselves for you, Anas.”

    Al-Sharif is survived by his wife, daughter and son.

    Minutes before the strike that killed him, Al-Sharif posted on X saying there was “intense, concentrated Israeli bombardment” of Gaza City for two hours.

    Al-Sharif’s final message, written in April to be posted in the event of his death, read: “If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice.”

    He continued: “I have lived through pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times, yet I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification — so that Allah may bear witness against those who stayed silent, those who accepted our killing, those who choked our breath, and whose hearts were unmoved by the scattered remains of our children and women, doing nothing to stop the massacre that our people have faced for more than a year and a half.”

    Nabih Bulos

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  • Ryan Garcia off the hook after reimbursing Beverly Hills hotel $15,000 for vandalism damage

    Ryan Garcia off the hook after reimbursing Beverly Hills hotel $15,000 for vandalism damage

    Mercurial boxer Ryan Garcia caught a break Tuesday when a judge dismissed a misdemeanor vandalism charge against him over the objections of the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

    Judge James P. Cooper III granted a civil compromise at the L.A. Airport Courthouse, noting that Garcia had paid restitution of approximately $15,000 to the Beverly Hills Waldorf Astoria hotel for damage stemming from an incident June 8 in which he allegedly damaged property in his room and the hallway.

    Garcia had no criminal record and was hospitalized after his arrest, but L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón said in a news release after the arrest that the popular lightweight boxer would be held accountable.

    “While we are grateful no injuries were reported in this incident, reckless behavior that damages property shows a blatant and unacceptable disregard for the safety and peace of our community,” Gascón said.

    Garcia, 26, responded with a post on social media: “No way I’m going to jail.”

    Turns out he was correct because, as the judge noted in open court, Garcia’s payment of full restitution prompted the Waldorf Astoria to decline to pursue the matter further.

    Cooper cautioned Garcia from the bench before dismissing the case, saying, “I have seen athletes lose their money, very quickly, because people always want to be around you to party when you have the money. But when that money’s gone, your friends are no longer around and they no longer have their hands out because your money’s gone. And you can look at Mike Tyson. It happened to Muhammad Ali. It happens to a lot of people in your field.”

    The incident marked the low point in a series of events that began with a stunning achievement, an upset over Devin Haney in April in which Garcia knocked down the World Boxing Council super lightweight titleholder three times en route to a majority decision. Haney retained his title because Garcia was 3.2 pounds overweight at the time of the fight.

    Eleven days later, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Assn. determined that Garcia had tested positive for Ostarine, a performance-enhancing drug that can stimulate muscle growth, the day before and the day of the fight. Garcia responded with mixed signals, first saying through his lawyers that he was the victim of contaminated supplements, then unleashing a rant on social media that seemed close to a confession.

    “Let’s go we positive. Positive vibes bruh. Yess so happy,” Garcia wrote in posts that have since been deleted. “I F***ING LOVE STEROIDS. I don’t care I’ll never make money again with boxing. Your loss not mine for setting me up lol joke’s on y’all. I will swallow all steroids.”

    The New York State Athletic Commission suspended Garcia for one year, fined him $1.2 million and ordered him to forfeit his $1-million purse. Garcia, who grew up in Victorville, is eligible to fight again in New York in April if he passes a drug test.

    Garcia said several times on social media before news of the suspension that he was retiring from boxing and later posted that he wanted to talk to UFC president Dana White about joining that organization.

    “I really hope boxing good without me,” Garcia posted. “I fought everyone and was willing to. They have turned there [sic] back on me. I’m innocent. I stand by that I don’t care what everyone says. Gun yo my head I say I didn’t take PED’s.”

    Now, however, Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) says he’s training for a potential rematch with Haney (31-0, 15KOs).

    “We training every day. We got to be ready so when Devin Haney wants that fade again. We already beat his a— one time. If we do it twice, no debating anymore,” Garcia told Cool Kicks.

    Haney’s father, Bill, responded by saying Garcia would need to pass a drug test before a rematch can be discussed. The two camps can jaw about it for a while because Garcia’s suspension doesn’t end until April 20.

    Garcia’s erratic behavior has continued since the hotel incident. The World Boxing Council expelled him in July after he used racial slurs against Black people and disparaged Muslim and Jewish people on social media. He also attacked the inclusion of LGBTQ+ music and pop culture performers during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics with a string of profane social media posts.

    In court, however, the judge focused on Garcia fulfilling his restitution to the hotel in dismissing the vandalism charge.

    “The court issues a lot of restitution orders and I will say that in 95% of them the victim never receives satisfaction,” Cooper said from the bench. “And I think in this situation, where the defendant has made full restitution, in a weird sort of way he’s sort of shown a lot of remorse for what happened and I think he gets the benefit of his bargain.”

    Steve Henson

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  • Newsom to sign California bill to limit ‘addictive’ social media feeds for kids

    Newsom to sign California bill to limit ‘addictive’ social media feeds for kids

    California will take a major step in its fight to protect children from the ills of social media with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature on a bill to limit the ability of companies to provide “addictive feeds” to minors.

    The governor’s office said Newsom on Friday will sign Senate Bill 976, named the Protecting Our Kids From Social Media Addiction Act and introduced by state Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley). The bill was supported by state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and groups such as the Assn. of California School Administrators, Common Sense Media and the California chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

    Newsom’s wife, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, is also outspoken about the links between social media consumption and low self-esteem, depression and anxiety among youth.

    The legislation attracted an unusual collection of opponents, including the American Civil Liberties Union of California, Equality California and associations representing giants in the industry that own TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. The California Chamber of Commerce argued that the legislation “unconstitutionally burdens” access to lawful content, setting up the potential for another lawsuit in an ongoing court battle between the state and social media companies over use of the platforms by children.

    “Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night,” Newsom said. “With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits.”

    The bill, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2027, with Newsom’s signature, prohibits internet service and applications from providing “addictive feeds,” defined as media curated based on information gathered on or provided by the user, to minors without parental consent. SB 976 also bans companies from sending notifications to users identified as minors between midnight and 6 a.m. or during the school day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. unless parents give the OK.

    The bill will effectively require companies to make posts from people children know and follow appear in chronological order on their social media feeds instead of in an arrangement to maximize engagement. Proponents of the bill point to warnings from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and others about a mental health crisis among youths, which studies show is exacerbated by the use of social media.

    “As a mother, I’m proud of California’s continued leadership in holding technology companies accountable for their products and ensuring those products are not harmful to children. Thank you to the Governor and Senator Skinner for taking a critical step in protecting children and ensuring their safety is prioritized over companies’ profits,” Siebel Newsom said.

    The industry has argued that it’s false to assume that feeds curated by an algorithm are harmful but that a chronological feed is safe. The ACLU also argued that age verification creates potential privacy concerns because it could require the collection of additional user data that could be at risk in a security breach and because it could threaten the 1st Amendment rights of people who cannot verify their age.

    Several groups advocating for LGBTQ+ youths suggested the bill could limit youths’ ability to engage on platforms that offer emotional support for their identities, particularly for kids who live in communities that might be hostile to their identity. Giving more control to parents could also potentially result in parents choosing settings that share sensitive information about the child, the groups said.

    The bill marks the latest action in a battle between state government and social media companies taking place in the California Legislature and the court system over the use of platforms by children.

    In October, Bonta’s office filed a lawsuit with 32 other states against Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, alleging that the company designed apps specifically to addict young users while misleading the public about the adverse effects.

    A bill that failed last year in the California Legislature would have made social media companies liable for up to $250,000 in damages if they knowingly promoted features that could harm children. Portions of a 2022 law that sought to require companies to provide privacy protections for children have also been held up in court.

    Taryn Luna

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  • A beloved Whittier pizza joint burns down. The owner suspects arson

    A beloved Whittier pizza joint burns down. The owner suspects arson

    Pizzamania, a beloved pizza restaurant and a staple in Whittier for more than 50 years, burned down Tuesday morning in a blaze that the owner believes might have been intentionally set.

    The pizza joint and four other businesses were damaged after a fire was reported at 2:25 a.m. in the one-story strip mall in the 13500 block of Telegraph Road, Los Angeles County fire officials said.

    Firefighters arrived to find the five businesses engulfed in flames. The blaze was extinguished by 3:04 a.m.

    Patrons and passersby posted images of the fire on social media, and expressed grief over the loss of the restaurant that has been a fixture in the community for decades.

    “NOOOOOOO!!!!” one person posted on Instagram, followed by a series of crying emojis.

    A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Fire Department said the cause of the fire is being investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

    “Someone came by and torched it,” said Warren Haines, one of the co-owners of the restaurant.

    Video cameras from the restaurant were destroyed in the fire, but Haines said video from one of the neighboring businesses showed what looked like someone intentionally setting the fire.

    Haines, who started the restaurant in 1973 with his business partner, Jim Barrit, said the person appeared to have targeted Pizzamania.

    Investigators were searching the area for more surveillance images, he said.

    Officials with the Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to inquiries about the fire.

    The fire put about 50 employees at the restaurant out of work, he said.

    “I’m pissed off,” he said. “It takes the wind out of your sail.”

    Just hours after the fire, Haines said his son, who handles social media for the restaurant, had received more than 700 emails from patrons devastated about the news and wondering how they could help.

    He said he was moved by their outreach and understands that Pizzamania was an icon in the community for decades.

    “They call, and half of them are in tears,” he said. “It means everything to me.”

    Haines said he’s reeling over the fire but intends to keep Pizzamania alive.

    “We’re an institution,” he said. “I intend to rebuild.”

    Salvador Hernandez

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  • ‘Misfire and explosion’ leave pyrotechnic workers injured at La Puente fireworks show

    ‘Misfire and explosion’ leave pyrotechnic workers injured at La Puente fireworks show

    A pyrotechnics worker was seriously injured and two other fireworks professionals suffered minor injuries Wednesday night due to a mishap during a show sponsored by the city of La Puente.

    “Our hearts are heavy as we share news about the La Puente’s Fortunate Jimenez Fireworks Show,” the city posted in a statement on social media. “One dedicated pyrotechnic technician was seriously injured due to a misfire and explosion. Two other technicians suffered minor injuries.

    “We ask for your thoughts and support for their families during this challenging time.”

    Those injured “were giving the community a wonderful 4th of July display,” the statement added.

    The incident apparently brought the show to a halt. “We thank the community for your patience and understanding,” officials stated.

    The city had promoted the event online as a “family-friendly beer garden celebration” that included live music and food, with festivities beginning at 4 p.m. at the La Puente Baseball Field.

    One witness, Tiffany Angulo, said on Facebook: “The firework did blow too low. Twice! I literally said, ‘God forbid anyone get hurt.’ Whatever company we purchased the fireworks from I hope we don’t again.”

    “We saw the explosion and asked staff if anyone was injured,” posted Maggie Perez Martinez in response to La Puente’s announcement. “They said, ‘No. everyone’s fine.’ So sorry to hear this.”

    Vincent A. Barela added: “So sad to read this, we were there and the show ended abruptly. Hope the show runners recoup quickly and with minimal injuries.”

    A Wednesday night report from NBC4 showed a small fire burning on the ground amid the pyrotechnic equipment. From the news helicopter, it looked as though fire crews and police officers were remaining clear temporarily of the potentially dangerous area.

    One social media poster, Shirley Garay-Bermudez, saw the incident as a sad, teachable moment: “This explains why fireworks are dangerous… The pyrotechnics are trained and do wear protective gear and they are aware anything can go wrong, which is why the fire department and paramedics are on site in cases of emergency. Prayers for all who were injured.”

    Howard Blume

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  • To find masked mob members who attacked UCLA camp, police using Jan. 6 tactics

    To find masked mob members who attacked UCLA camp, police using Jan. 6 tactics

    It is shaping up to be perhaps the biggest case in the history of the UCLA Police Department: how to identify dozens of people who attacked a pro-Palestinian camp at the center of campus last week.

    The mob violence was captured on live television, but it took three hours for police to bring it to an end. Those involved left, and no arrests were made.

    But the trail is not cold.

    UCLA detectives are now scanning hundreds of images in an attempt to identify the attackers. They intend to use technology that captures facial images and compares them to other photos on the internet and social media to put names to faces, according to law enforcement sources.

    The same technology has allowed police to identify suspects in smash-and-grab retail burglaries. It also was the heart of the Jan. 6 investigation, in which videos of those storming the U.S. Capitol helped the FBI identify many of the assailants and led federal prosecutors to charge more than 1,300 people. In those cases, investigators often were able to find social media images of the assailant wearing the same clothing as during the attack.

    “Technology has made the entire community into the eyes of law enforcement,” said retired Los Angeles police Capt. Paul Vernon, who led an effort after a mini-riot following the Lakers’ NBA championship victory in 2010 that resulted in dozens of arrests based on videos, social media posts and security footage. “Photo recognition has gotten a lot easier.”

    Vernon said an investigator also could gather cellphone data from the immediate area to prove an individual was there at the time of the incident. In some cases, assailants may have posted to their social media accounts, essentially bragging about their actions. Officers wearing body cameras may have also captured some of the behavior, he said.

    The attackers likely came in vehicles, so UCLA police will be examining data from license plate readers for movements near campus on May 1. Security cameras on streets neighboring the campus where they likely parked could yield more clues.

    Along with continuing protests, finding those who attacked the camp will be a major challenge for newly installed UCLA Associate Vice Chancellor Rick Braziel, a former Sacramento police chief. Braziel will be tasked with bringing to justice those responsible for what Chancellor Gene Block called a “dark chapter in our campus history.”

    On Monday night, Block outlined actions the school is taking in the aftermath of last week’s violence. University police will work with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office to identify and prosecute the assailants “to the fullest extent of the law,” he said. The university “also connected with the FBI about possible assistance,” Block said in a statement.

    Despite the technology, the probe faces hurdles. Some of the attackers wore masks, making it harder to identify them. In those instances, detectives will look for a moment before or after the attack when the perpetrators’ faces were revealed, an official who was not authorized to discuss the investigation told The Times.

    There is also deep anger among some protesters in the camp because it took so long for police to stop the attack. That distrust could take a toll. Many of the students who were injured, some of whom were hospitalized with their wounds, have gone to groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations for Southern California but haven’t spoken with campus police.

    UCLA is a small police department, so it is reaching out to other agencies and private entities to access the technology needed in the investigation, law enforcement sources said. But so far, UCLA hasn’t made a public appeal seeking information on specific suspects.

    In the wake of the Jan. 6 attack, the FBI made arrests based on information from relatives, work colleagues, teammates, former friends and ex-significant others after the FBI released photos of suspects. An army of web sleuths and politically knowledgeable social media watchers known as “sedition hunters” also dedicated themselves to identifying the mob and turning their names over to the FBI.

    Images from the UCLA attack are springing up on Instagram. In one case, a man can be seen using a plank to hit a pro-Palestinian protester and then punching and kicking others. Dressed in a black sweatshirt, white sweatpants and a black cap, his bearded face is not hidden. Police can use that image to track him down or ask for help identifying him.

    “Holding the instigators of this attack accountable and enhancing our campus safety operations are both critical,” Block said. “Our community members can only learn, work and thrive in an environment where they feel secure.”

    Richard Winton

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  • Firefighters quickly extinguish blaze at LAX

    Firefighters quickly extinguish blaze at LAX

    Firefighters on Saturday knocked down a fire that broke out at a one-story building on the south side of Los Angeles International Airport, officials said.

    A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department said 38 firefighters knocked down the attic fire in 40 minutes. They responded to the scene just after 11 a.m. No injuries were reported.

    It’s unclear what the building was used for, but officials said there were no passengers inside and all employees had exited before the Fire Department arrived.

    Video on social media showed smoke billowing from the building. Fire officials reported no impact on airport traffic and safety.

    Alene Tchekmedyian

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  • Smash-and-grab robbery startles Santa Anita mall holiday crowd

    Smash-and-grab robbery startles Santa Anita mall holiday crowd

    Police are investigating a robbery at a mall near the Santa Anita racetrack Sunday afternoon that shook crowds of holiday shoppers.

    “There was a smash-and-grab,” said Arcadia Police Lt. Tony Juarez. He said more detailed information would be released later. A security official at the Shops at Santa Anita also confirmed the robbery.

    “Everything is OK and everything is safe now,” said the official, who declined to give his name.

    On social media, posters reported shoppers running for cover and hiding in stores.

    This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

    Harriet Ryan

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  • Newport Beach police probe allegations NBA’s Josh Giddey had relationship with minor

    Newport Beach police probe allegations NBA’s Josh Giddey had relationship with minor

    Newport Beach police have launched an inquiry into NBA player Josh Giddey after allegations surfaced on social media that he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor, authorities confirmed Tuesday.

    Police provided few details about the ongoing investigation but said it involved a minor and that detectives were looking into whether a crime had occurred, said Sgt. Steve Oberon of the Newport Beach Police Department.

    The police inquiry comes after the NBA said Friday the league had begun its own investigation into whether Giddey, who plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder, had a relationship with a minor, CBS Sports reported.

    An NBA spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

    Questions about Giddey’s possible involvement with a minor first emerged on the social media platform X, where pictures and videos began to spread online.

    The images of Giddey with a female, who is allegedly underage, circulated online during Thanksgiving weekend.

    Giddey declined to address the allegations on Friday.

    “I understand the question, obviously, but no comment right now,” he said.

    Giddey, 21, is from Australia and is known to train in the Irvine area at times.

    Salvador Hernandez

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  • Two teachers at public charter school placed on leave over “lesson on the genocide in Palestine”

    Two teachers at public charter school placed on leave over “lesson on the genocide in Palestine”

    Two first-grade teachers at a public charter school located at a Los Angeles-area Jewish synagogue were placed on leave this week over statements about Israel and Gaza they allegedly shared in the classroom and on social media, according to synagogue and school officials.

    On Friday, Senior Rabbi Brian Schuldenfrei told KTLA that one of the teachers at Citizens of the World Charter School, which leases classroom space at Adat Ari El Synagogue in Valley Village, described on social media about teaching “a lesson on the genocide in Palestine” to first-graders.

    According to a copy of the post provided to The Times by a representative of the charter school, the teacher wrote on Instagram that they “did a lesson on the genocide in Palestine today w my first graders…” In a separate post, the teacher said that “my fav was a kid who was like “What if they just give the land back to Palestine and find somewhere else to live?”

    The school said the second teacher also posted about the lesson.

    In a statement, Citizens of the World L.A. executive director Melissa Kaplan said the personal social media posts “raised significant concerns, fear, anger, and harm for many” in the charter school and synagogue community, and that the school will coordinate with the Anti-Defamation League on training for school staff.

    The school is investigating the exact content of the lesson, a school representative said Saturday. If the teachers are reinstated, they will not return to the Valley Village campus, the representative said.

    Neither of the teachers could be reached for comment Saturday.

    In addition, the charter school’s principal will be taking a two-week leave of absence to focus on “sensitivity training,” the school said in a statement. In a statement, the principal apologized for “insensitive questions” she directed to the rabbi about when the synagogue would remove Israeli flags hanging in the courtyard.

    The flags have been on display in the courtyard ever since Hamas militants launched an ambush from Gaza on southern Israel on Oct. 7, leaving 1,200 Israelis dead with another 240 taken hostage. In the weeks since, as Israel launched its offensive, more than 11,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

    Samantha Masunaga

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  • An aide to an L.A. councilman traded Holocaust jokes about Amy Schumer. Now he’s out

    An aide to an L.A. councilman traded Holocaust jokes about Amy Schumer. Now he’s out

    A high-level aide to Los Angeles City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez resigned from his post Friday after facing criticism for making Holocaust jokes about the comedian Amy Schumer on social media.

    Josh Androsky, senior advisor to Soto-Martínez, took part in an exchange on X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier in the day that featured puns about concentration camps and what appeared to be disparaging remarks about Schumer’s weight.

    By the end of the day, the messages from Androsky, who has worked as a political consultant for at least three of the council’s 15 members, had been condemned by an array of civic leaders, including Mayor Karen Bass.

    “The anti-Semitic and misogynistic comments made today were reprehensible, disgusting and dangerous and in no way represent the city family,” Bass said in a statement issued just before midnight. “Especially now, City Hall must be a beacon of hope, not hate. I’m glad the staffer responsible has resigned.”

    Soto-Martínez, in a separate statement, called the posts from his employee “disturbing and reprehensible.”

    “With antisemitism on the rise in recent years and especially in recent weeks, cracking jokes about the holocaust isn’t just disgusting, it’s dangerous,” said Soto-Martínez, who chairs the council’s civil rights committee. “These antisemitic and misogynistic posts sickened me, and I have accepted his resignation effective immediately.”

    The Androsky incident appeared to have begun Friday morning, when the social media account for TrueAnon, a podcast, took aim at Schumer, who had posted a political cartoon derided as offensive to Palestinians living in Gaza and to protesters seeking to end the bloodshed there.

    The TrueAnon account wrote that Schumer, who frequently posts about the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, is “particularly sensitive to Jewish deaths due to her experience in the holocaust.”

    “The nazis named a concentration camp after her. It was called Da Cow,” the TrueAnon account wrote, offering a pun on Dachau, where more than 40,000 prisoners were killed, according to some estimates.

    Androsky, a onetime comedian who is Jewish himself, responded by saying “it’s f— up that you would say this about her when you know it was actually Cowschwitz.”

    Later, in an apparent reference to a sprawling cattle farm near the 5 Freeway, Androsky took another dig at Schumer, writing: “I called it cowschwitz!!! either way they all (and amy) smelled the same.”

    Androsky did not respond to multiple inquiries from The Times. He initially deleted his posts, then his entire account.

    Schumer has not publicly commented on the controversy. She described her Jewish heritage in one recent Instagram post, mentioning a relative who had “numbers from Auschwitz burned into his forearm.” In another, she apologized for making “hurtful” remarks about Gazans, promising to “be more careful.”

    The reaction to Androsky’s posts was swift among L.A.’s Jewish community leaders.

    Jake Flynn, a spokesperson for Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, said his boss had seen Androsky’s messages and was “appalled.” Sam Yebri, an activist who sits on the board of the legal services nonprofit Bet Tzedek, called the posts distasteful and antisemitic.

    “The fact that a city employee felt it was OK to make these words in a public forum, with such utter disregard for any consequences, is shameful,” he said in an interview.

    Androsky, an outspoken progressive, has been heavily involved in city politics in recent years, working as a consultant for the campaign of Councilmember Nithya Raman in 2020 and Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez last year.

    Soto-Martínez paid Androsky’s political consulting firm, Bright Future LA, nearly $108,000 for services performed as part of last year’s council campaign, according to Ethics Commission records. He also worked on the unsuccessful council bid of attorney Erin Darling on the Westside.

    Androsky left Bright Future LA when he took a job with Soto-Martínez, according to Anne Freiermuth, who is currently listed on state business forms as a manager or member of that firm.

    Androsky has long been known for his glib takes on social media. In February 2022, as Russia’s military was launching its invasion of Ukraine, he posted on Twitter: “Putin’s bad, NATO’s bad, but the vibes here at buca di beppo? pretty good!”

    In 2017, Androsky tweeted a joke about Bill Cosby that was denounced by some as insensitive to victims of sexual assault. He issued an apology and announced he was “stepping back” from his work with the L.A. chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, according to an archived DSA post.

    Naomi Goldman, a onetime spokesperson for former Councilmember Mike Bonin, said Friday on her own social media account that Androsky’s career should be placed “on the no-fly list.”

    “I would have vastly preferred to see Josh Androsky swiftly fired by [Soto-Martínez] with a strong leadership stance vs letting him decide his own outcome,” she wrote. “But at least he is gone from City Hall.”

    David Zahniser

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