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The Brief

The most important stories for you to know today
  • A festival of lights, celebrating hip-hop & more
    An abstract image of colorful holiday lights.
    The Bloc DTLA lights up the night at the debut of Sparkle DTLA.

    This week

    Attend a design fair. Listen to A Hip-Hop Origin Story with Chuck D. Watch a performance by Rhiannon Giddens and Silkroad ensemble.

    Our picks:

    • Can You Dig It?: A Hip-Hop Origin Story With Chuck D, downtown L.A. - This panel discussion focuses on an immersive audio docuseries on how the Bronx in the 1970s transitioned from "outlaw culture to hip-hop culture," with the turning point being the brutal murder of Black Benjie, a gang member-turned-peacemaker.
    • WestEdge Design Fair, Santa Monica - The WestEdge Design Fair returns to Santa Monica for the first time since 2019. Contemporary design professionals and enthusiasts can hear from more than 45 presenting speakers, 20 culinary and mixology demonstrations.
    • Sparkle Grand at the Bloc DTLA, downtown L.A. - Watch the debut of Sparkle DTLA as 18 million lights, synchronized to holiday tunes, illuminate the night. 

    Attend a design fair. Listen to A Hip-Hop Origin Story with Chuck D. Watch a performance by Rhiannon Giddens and Silkroad ensemble.

    Events

    Viewing Pick

    Dine and Drink Deals

    • Mon, Nov 13

      Badmaash: Hakka Hakka

      • Badmaash
        108 W. 2nd St., downtown L.A.

      Indian restaurant Badmaash, which continues to celebrate its 10th anniversary, offers a new Indo-Chinese dining concept, Hakka Hakka, at its DTLA location.

    • Tue, Nov 14

      My/Mochi: Pickle Mochi Ice Cream

      • Santa Monica Pickleball Center
        2501 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica

      Taste My/Mochi's limited-edition Classic Pickle mochi ice cream.

    • Wed, Nov 15

      Veg-Table Cookbook Dinner at Caldo Verde

      • Caldo Verde
        1100 S. Broadway, Downtown L.A.

      Caldo Verde celebrates bestselling author Nik Sharma and his book VEG-TABLE with a four-course meal.

    • Wed, Nov 15

      Great White x Molly Baz

      • Great White - Larchmont
        244 N Larchmont Blvd, Larchmont Village

      The Larchmont location of Great White, the Australian-owned all-day cafes, welcomes chef, recipe developer, and New York Times best-selling cookbook author Molly Baz.

    • Sat, Dec 30

      Tuk Tuk x Turntable PLAGE

      • Tuk Tuk x Turntable
        1644 Sawtelle Blvd., Sawtelle

      A new pop-up has taken over the Tuk Tuk x Turntable space on Sawtelle, offering a French coastal menu with a Thai twist.

  • Advocates aren't happy with LA's plans
    A large stadium is seen from across Lake Park in Inglewood, a sign that says "SoFi Stadium" can be seen in front of the stadium.
    The Los Angeles will host eight FIFA World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood this summer.

    Topline:

    Advocates had pushed L.A.’s World Cup host committee, an arm of the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission, to produce its human rights plan. But now that it's out, they're not satisfied.

    What's in the plan? It includes a list of online resources including where to file complaints with various local and state level agencies and a summary of local, state and federal laws protecting human and civil rights. The committee is also touting a partnership with L.A. County in which people can call 211 to report a concern during the tournament.

    How are activists responding? "Los Angeles is weeks away from hosting one of the largest sporting events in the world, and yet what has been posted is not a plan,” Stephanie Richard, director of the Sunita Jain Anti‑ at Loyola Law School, said in a statement. “It is a list of laws and hotline numbers."

    Read on…for concerns about ICE and other issues dropped in the human rights guidance.

    The Los Angeles World Cup host committee has quietly posted its guidance on human rights after months of speculation over where the plan was and when it would be published.

    Advocates had pushed the committee, an arm of the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission, to produce its plan. But now that it's out, they're not satisfied with what they're seeing.

    The human rights guidance is required by FIFA and outlined on the host committee's website. It includes a list of online resources including where to file complaints with various local and state level agencies and a summary of local, state and federal laws protecting human and civil rights. The committee is also touting a partnership with L.A. County in which people can call 211 to report a concern during the tournament.

    "Los Angeles is weeks away from hosting one of the largest sporting events in the world, and yet what has been posted is not a plan,” Stephanie Richard, director of the Sunita Jain Anti‑Trafficking Initiative at Loyola Law School, said in a statement. “It is a list of laws and hotline numbers."

    The human rights document also skirts fears around ICE and its potential presence at the tournament and surrounding celebrations. Todd Lyons, the agency's head, said earlier this year that ICE's investigatory branch will play a key role in security for the tournament.

    But ICE and immigration enforcement aren't mentioned on the host committee's web page on human rights or in its outline of its approach to human rights. "Immigration status" only gets a mention in the list of existing anti-discrimination laws.

    "It certainly could have been much stronger," Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles, said of the plan. She added that her organization participated in a roundtable on the plan, and she was disappointed ICE and recent immigration sweeps weren't mentioned in the resulting document.

    "In order for all of this to happen, immigrant workers are part of it," she said of the World Cup. "Your hotel workers, your service workers, stadium workers, drivers." 

    What other host committees are saying about ICE

    There have been some recent signs that other host committees aren't concerned that ICE will disrupt the tournament.

    • The head of the Miami host committee recently told The Athletic that Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally assured him that ICE would not be at World Cup stadiums.
    • The head of security for Houston's host committee told Axios that plans with the federal government had never included immigration enforcement.

    LAist reached out to spokespeople for the host committee for comment via email, phone and text, but did not hear back in time for publication. FIFA's press team also did not respond to an email from LAist.

    According to the host committee's website, the human rights plan is the result of coordination with the city and county of Los Angeles, the city of Inglewood, and 14 roundtable discussions held in the fall of 2025.

    "As a non-profit organization, the Host Committee’s role is primarily and necessarily focused on aligning and collaborating with governmental and non-governmental organizations," the document sums up the committee's approach.

    The plan also promises more actions, including "Know Your Rights" training for L.A. residents and visitors and "Know Your Responsibilities" training for businesses and vendors. The committee also says it will develop a "rapid response" strategy to respond to potential problems at the tournament.

    Available details on those plans were scant. And with the tournament just 30 days away, labor unions and community groups are continuing to voice concerns about potential ICE presence at SoFi Stadium and other potential consequences of the tournament coming to town.

  • Sponsored message
  • Eileen Wang accused of acting as 'illegal agent'
    A city of Arcadia web page has a photo of an Asian woman on the page for mayor and a note that Eileen Wang had resigned as of May 11.
    The City of Arcadia posted notice Monday on its website that Mayor Eileen Wang had resigned.

    Topline:

    The mayor of Arcadia has agreed to plead guilty to a charge she acted as an agent for China, federal prosecutors announced Monday. She has resigned from her position with the city.

    The charges: Eileen Wang, 58, faces one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Wang and Yaoning “Mike” Sun of Chino Hills, worked at the direction of the Chinese government and with individuals based in the U.S. to promote pro-People’s Republic of China propaganda in the United States. Those actions occurred between 2020 and 2022, prosecutors said.

    What's next: Wang, who was elected to the City Council in November 2022, was expected to make her first appearance in U.S. District Court Monday afternoon. Citing a plea agreement, prosecutors said she's expected to enter the guilty plea within the next few weeks.

    Read on... for more on the charges and allegations.

    The mayor of Arcadia has agreed to plead guilty to a charge she acted as an agent for China, federal prosecutors announced Monday. She has resigned from her position with the city.

    Eileen Wang, 58, faces one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison.

    What we know about the criminal case

    According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Wang and Yaoning “Mike” Sun of Chino Hills worked at the direction of the Chinese government and with individuals based in the U.S. to promote pro-People’s Republic of China propaganda in the United States. Those actions occurred between 2020 and 2022, prosecutors said.

    According to federal prosecutors, Wang and Sun operated a website — known as U.S. News Center — billed as a news source for the local Chinese American community in Los Angeles County. They posted content on the site, described as "pre-written articles," based on directives from Chinese government officials.

    Sun, 65, pleaded guilty in October 2025 in federal court to acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. He is serving a four-year federal prison sentence.

    Prosecutors also said Wang communicated with John Chen, whom they described as “a high-level member of the [Chinese government] intelligence apparatus,” in November 2021, and asked him to post an article from her website.

    In a group chat, Wang referenced the article and wrote: “This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to send,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

    Chen pleaded guilty in New York to acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China and conspiracy to bribe a public official. In 2024, he was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison.

    What's next

    Wang, who was elected to the City Council in November 2022, was expected to make her first appearance in U.S. District Court Monday afternoon.

    Citing a plea agreement, prosecutors said she's expected to enter the guilty plea within the next few weeks.

    Arcadia's mayor is selected from the elected council members. A post on the city's website announced that Wang had resigned her position as of Monday and that a new mayor would be picked from the remaining council members at the next meeting.

    Next Arcadia City Council meeting

    Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
    Location: Council Chambers, 240 West Huntington Drive, Arcadia
    Time: 7 p.m.
    Watch: Live stream or via live broadcast on lon the Arcadia Community Television Channel (AT&T channel 99, Spectrum digital channel 3). Daily replays at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

  • CA launches new program for newborns
    A closeup of newborn baby feet in a maternity ward.
    The state is partnering with Baby2Baby to send 400 free diapers home with families when they’re discharged from the hospital.

    Topline:

    Starting next month, families in California will get hundreds of free diapers for their newborns in a new state initiative.

    What’s new: The state is partnering with Baby2Baby, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit, to send 400 free diapers home with families when they’re discharged from the hospital. Any baby born in a participating hospital would be eligible, regardless of income.

    Which hospitals? State officials say the program will be first prioritized in hospitals that serve a large number of Medi-Cal patients, but said there isn’t a current list of participating hospitals. A spokesperson for the state’s Department of Health Care Access and Information said once hospitals begin to opt-in, a list will be available on Baby2Baby’s website.

    Why now: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said the program is aimed at easing the financial strain of raising a family. Newborns can need up to 12 diapers a day — and families spend about $1,000 on diapers in the first year of a baby’s life, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  • SCOTUS takes more time to consider national ban

    Topline:

    The Supreme Court on Monday gave itself more time to consider a national ban on telemedicine access to the abortion pill mifepristone. Rules for prescribing mifepristone online or through the mail remain in effect through Thursday at a minimum.

    The backstory: The tumult over the future of telemedicine access to mifipristone started on May 1 with a ruling from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. That ruling re-instituted prescribing rules from before the pandemic that required patients to receive mifepristone in person in a doctor's office or clinic. The Food and Drug Administration determined that the rule was medically unnecessary in 2021. The state of Louisiana sued last fall, arguing that telemedicine access undermines the state's abortion ban.

    What is telemedicine abortion: The telemedicine abortion process starts with a patient connecting with a healthcare provider on the phone or online. If the patient is eligible, that provider can prescribe two medications — mifepristone and another pill called misoprostol. Patients can pick up the medicine at a local pharmacy, or providers can mail the drugs to a patient's home. Now, most abortions in the U.S. use this combination of medications, and one quarter happen via telemedicine. After the 5th Circuit ruling, some providers said they would continue offering telemedicine access to abortion medication using a different protocol that involves higher doses of misoprostol and no mifepristone.

    Read on... for more on what's at stake.

    The Supreme Court on Monday gave itself more time to consider a national ban on telemedicine access to the abortion pill mifepristone.

    Justice Samuel Alito extended an earlier order he issued by three more days, so rules for prescribing mifepristone online or through the mail remain in effect through Thursday at a minimum.

    The case at issue

    The tumult over the future of telemedicine access to mifipristone started on May 1 with a ruling from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. That ruling re-instituted prescribing rules from before the pandemic that required patients to receive mifepristone in person in a doctor's office or clinic.

    The Food and Drug Administration determined that the rule was medically unnecessary in 2021. The state of Louisiana sued last fall, arguing that telemedicine access undermines the state's abortion ban.

    What is telemedicine abortion?

    The telemedicine abortion process starts with a patient connecting with a healthcare provider on the phone or online. If the patient is eligible, that provider can prescribe two medications — mifepristone and another pill called misoprostol. Patients can pick up the medicine at a local pharmacy, or providers can mail the drugs to a patient's home.

    That access is a big part of the reason why the number of abortions nationally has actually increased since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022. Now, most abortions in the U.S. use this combination of medications, and one quarter happen via telemedicine.

    After the 5th Circuit ruling, some providers said they would continue offering telemedicine access to abortion medication using a different protocol that involves higher doses of misoprostol and no mifepristone.

    Researchers say that method is just as safe and effective, but tends to cause more pain for patients and more side effects, like nausea and diarrhea. Misoprostol has other medical uses, such as treating gastric ulcers and hemorrhage, and has been on the market longer than mifepristone. It is likely to remain fully accessible, even if mifepristone is restricted.

    Since the FDA's prescribing rules for medications apply to the whole country, a change to the rules about how mifepristone can be accessed has national impact. That means it affects states with constitutionally-protected access to abortion, states with criminal bans, like Louisiana, and all states in between.

    States' rights

    Nearly two dozen Democratic-led states submitted an amicus brief in this case, writing that the appeals court decision put the policy choices of states with bans above the choices of states "that have made the different but equally sovereign determinations to promote access to abortion care."

    There are also stakes related to the power of FDA and other expert agencies to set rules. While the Trump administration's FDA did not respond to the Supreme Court's request for briefs, a group of former leaders of the agency, who served under mainly Democratic and some Republican presidents, wrote about this in an amicus brief.

    They defended the FDA's process in approving the medication and modifying the rules for prescribing it, and say the appeals court decision "would upend FDA's gold-standard, science-based drug approval system."

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