The Brief

A cool-down continues today and tomorrow.

We'll see highs in the 70s at the beaches up to 80 degrees in the Los Angeles basin and in inland Orange County.

Coastal valleys will be in the mid-80s. The Riverside County valleys will range from 85 to 93 degrees. Antelope Valley highs will top out in the mid-90s, and the Coachella Valley will be as hot as 110.

And Southern California is in for another heat wave starting Monday.

The National Weather Service says we could see temperatures in the upper 90s to 105 across the deserts, lower mountains - from the Antelope Valley into the Inland Empire.

For the rest of the week, highs are expected to be in the triple digits.

Remember to hydrate, reduce exposure to heat, and check on your pets and loved ones.

About those warnings

The National Weather Service is warning of dangerous rip currents and breaking waves between 3 to 6 feet at L.A. and Ventura County beaches.

This will last until this evening. Swimmers should take precautions since strong rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea.

This Day In History

On this day in 2006, monsoon thunderstorms hit the deserts, affecting the Coachella Valley area when Highway 86 was washed out.

Things To Do

• Popular Kids Club
  Permanent Records Roadhouse
  1906 Cypress Ave., Cypress Park 
  Keep the holiday vibes going with a few laughs. The popular outdoor comedy show returns with headliners Iliza Shlesinger and Jon Daly, along with Avra Friedman, Chris Garcia, Nick Taravella and Julia Austin.
  COST: $8 - $12 MORE INFO

Check out our full list of things to do this week.

Two smoke relief centers are now open for residents impacted by the Boyle Heights warehouse fire.

The centers in Boyle Heights and East L.A. offer resources such as masks, food, water, temporary shelter, pet assistance and information from public health and air quality officials. They’re open 24 hours a day until further notice.

The city’s Department of Recreation and Parks and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office opened the Pecan Recreation Center as a smoke relief center Friday. A second center opened Saturday at City Terrace Park through the office of L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis. 

Here’s where they’re located: 

The fire broke out Wednesday, prompting an hours-long shelter-in-place order due to hazardous materials, including ammonia.

On Friday, a wind-driven flare-up at the site of the fire sent plumes of smoke over the city, hours after a second shelter-in-place order was lifted. Residents in the immediate area reported seeing ash on their homes and cars. On Saturday, many across Los Angeles County — from Pasadena to the West Adams neighborhood — also reported smelling smoke and experiencing poor air quality.

Two smoke relief centers are now open for residents impacted by the Boyle Heights warehouse fire.

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Courtesy City Terrace resident

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Jurado and her team were in the residential neighborhood near the fire site Friday, distributing air purifiers and masks. She said community groups, including Proyecto Pastoral, Running Mamis and Centro CSO, also went door to door distributing masks. 

Residents can contact Jurado’s office at Boyle Heights City Hall to request air purifiers and masks or to make donations at (323) 526-9332.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass spoke outside the building Friday evening, praising firefighters’ efforts. She added that people in the area could expect to continue to see smoke, and she urged people and their pets to stay inside as much as possible. She asked people to wear masks when they needed to go outside.

“We know that this is concerning. This is inconvenient, but we are doing everything we can to end this as soon as possible,” she said. “And we want everyone to be safe in the meantime.”

Read more:

• What materials burned in the fire and what to know about air quality
• How to keep yourself safe from the dismal air quality driven by fires

The post Smoke relief shelters open for residents impacted by Boyle Heights warehouse fire appeared first on LA Local.

TYRE, Lebanon — Iran dealt two quick blows to the interim agreement with the United States on Saturday, angered by Israel's continued attacks in Lebanon, saying it had closed the Strait of Hormuz and announcing that while its negotiators were going to Switzerland for talks, not much is likely to happen there.

Key mediator Pakistan, meanwhile, said the technical-level talks will begin Sunday in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, with Qatari mediators also participating.

In Tehran's first salvo, Iran's joint military command said the strait had been closed, citing the Israeli attacks and U.S. "bad faith" and "clear breach of its commitments" by failing to end the war. Its statement on state television warned that "if the aggression continues, subsequent steps have been planned."

Shortly after that, the state broadcaster announced that Iran's negotiating team was going to Switzerland, a trip that had been originally planned for Friday. State media said the team includes parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and central bank and oil officials, among others.

Iran's team departs for talks as uncertainty grows

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Bagahei, however, signaled that little might happen until Iran feels the U.S. is living up to the deal.

"This trip is therefore about demanding that the other side fulfill its obligations," he said, adding that negotiations toward a final agreement will begin only once key commitments are upheld. If they are not, he said, "then the memorandum of understanding as a whole will be jeopardized."

In Washington, Vice President JD Vance confirmed that the top U.S. negotiators — Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff — were already in Switzerland and have been working through technical details of the anticipated negotiations on Iran's nuclear program.

Vance told Fox News that he expects to leave for Switzerland "sometime the next couple of days" but acknowledged that "it's always a delicate coordination dance."

As part of efforts to revive the direct talks, Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Araghchi in Tehran earlier Saturday, according to officials in Islamabad who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the of the issue.

Meanwhile, the global economy braced for more uncertainty.

Shortly after Iran's announcement, which it did not address, the U.S. military said commercial ship traffic continued through the strait Saturday, with 55 merchant ships transiting, "moving large amounts of cargo and more than 17 million barrels of oil to global markets."

It was not clear when in the day they had transited.

Ships began transiting after the interim U.S.-Iran agreement was signed earlier in the week, a milestone that has left plenty of questions unanswered.

Israeli attacks in Lebanon kill at least 16

Earlier Saturday, Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 16 people, including two children, hours after reports emerged of a ceasefire agreement there. Seven people remained trapped under the rubble after the strikes hit the southern city of Nabatiyeh and nearby villages, Lebanon's National News Agency said.

The death toll in the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah has now surpassed 4,000, Lebanon's health ministry later announced.

Mediators were scrambling to halt the fighting between Israel and the militant Hezbollah group after a heavy exchange Friday killed at least 47 people in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers.

An Israeli military official said Hezbollah had fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight. The official spoke anonymously in line with regulations. Israel's army said it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets and militants in southern Lebanon, including Hezbollah command centers.

On Friday, the Israeli ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, said Israel "remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire" if Hezbollah honors the agreement and ceases hostilities.

On Saturday, Hezbollah said it had committed to the ceasefire but blamed Israel for violating it several times Friday night. A statement by the group's military wing said it would abide by the ceasefire but would also repel attacks by Israeli troops.

The conflict could sink the US-Iran deal

Hezbollah and Israel went to war two days after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, with Hezbollah firing rockets and drones at northern Israel and Israel seizing large swaths of southern Lebanon.

Neither Israel nor Hezbollah are signatories to the deal, which calls for a halt to military operations in Lebanon and for the country's sovereignty to be respected.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep Israeli forces in southern Lebanon until any threat to Israel is eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to halt its attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanon, which Iran says is also a condition of the deal.

A new round of U.S.-backed talks between the Lebanese government and Israel is expected to take place in Washington next week.

Fighting continues near the Israel-Lebanon border

A strike on Barish village killed four members of a family: parents and two children. In Arab Salim village, a body was pulled from a destroyed house, and in Doueir and Kfar Rumman villages, drone strikes killed a person on a motorcycle and a Lebanese soldier. Nine people were killed in strikes in Qannarit, Sohmor and Shehour villages.

Smoke rose into the sky over southern Lebanon and Israeli jets flew low over the coastal city of Tyre. Residents told The Associated Press they were relieved that Tyre had been spared in recent days, but now they were reminded that the war is not over.

"Our entire lives would change if there's a ceasefire," said one resident, Hussein Khoshman.

Netanyahu's office did not immediately comment on ceasefire efforts.

Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Israeli forces were operating in a "forward defense zone" and would continue doing so.

Just about every Saturday, Ulises Parias drives two hours to visit his father, Carlitos Ricardo "Richard" Parias, at the Adelanto Detention Center in San Bernardino County.

They talk on the phone regularly. Parias tells his father about his 16-year-old sister and about his college classes.

Occasionally, his dad's health comes up: His left arm hurts and he gets headaches, fevers and blurry vision. It has been over eight months since Parias' father was shot by federal agents during an immigration enforcement arrest in Los Angeles. Immigration attorneys representing Parias allege he is not receiving adequate medical care, including pain medication and physical therapy, following an encounter with federal agents that resulted in Parias being shot near his left elbow.

"The last thing he told me was, have a good day at school. Then, like five minutes later, I heard some commotion outside," Parias, 20, said in an interview with NPR. "My heart stopped for a minute, and then I quickly went outside [to] the streets. And that's when I found my dad's car. The window was shattered."

Attorneys for Parias have tried to secure his release from detention while his immigration case plays out.

So far, that request has been denied. Parias' case, his attorneys say, is one that exemplifies the challenges facing many detainees in a judicial and detention system with limited resources and dwindling avenues for any recourse, including for people with no criminal record.

This year brought increased scrutiny on federal law enforcement's use of force after two federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis and on the conditions within immigration detention centers, including medical care, amid some of the highest numbers of people in detention and of deaths of those in custody. Parias' case showcases the nexus of the issues — and the narrow scope of oversight and resources within the judicial and agency level for someone injured by the federal agency that is also detaining them.

"There are not enough people, and there's not enough concern. And that's leading to permanent disability and death," said Margaret Hellerstein, an immigration attorney representing Parias. "The legal avenues have been exhausted at this point."

Parias entered the country illegally in 2002 from Mexico and spent the past two decades living in the Los Angeles area, including with his two U.S. citizen children.

He gained a large social media following, monetizing his TikTok account as a primary source of income as he shared community events. When the Trump administration increased enforcement in Los Angeles last year, Parias began documenting immigration arrests and federal officer presence for his more than 250,000 followers. After more than two decades of living and working in the U.S. unnoticed, his activism put him on ICE's radar.

"I was worried. I was scared. I would keep telling him, 'Please be careful,'" Ulises Parias recounted. "'The only thing they care about is that you're not a citizen. That's all.'"

Encounter with ICE leads to shooting

In October, Parias was leaving his house when vehicles driven by federal officers blocked his path. Body camera footage obtained by the LA Times shows several federal agents surrounding the vehicle.

"I'm going to break the window," one yelled shortly after Parias came to a stop and began to smash the passenger-side window of the car Parias was driving, while holding a gun in the other hand. Yelling in Spanish can be heard from officers saying, "I am going to shoot you," and, "Turn off the car." Others yell, "Police, get out!"

Several officers drew their firearms as Parias appeared to try to move his car, which was blocked by a larger police vehicle.

Parias can be heard yelling in Spanish, "I don't have anything," and, "Kill me."

Officers yelled various instructions, including, "If you move, we will shoot," and, "Turn off the car," and seconds later, an officer opened fire.

"All use-of-force incidents involving individuals in ICE custody are documented and subject to internal review, consistent with ICE detention standards and DHS oversight requirements," an unnamed DHS spokesperson told NPR in a statement. The agency did not respond to questions about the outcome of any investigation into this use of force.

Following the shooting, Parias was taken to a hospital to be treated for a gunshot wound near his left elbow. The bullet also hit a U.S. marshal who was a part of the operation. The federal government brought criminal charges against Parias: assault on a federal officer.

Parias did not have any criminal history or infraction before the incident when he was shot, Hellerstein said.

NPR reviewed medical records from November to May that show Parias reported consistent pain and decreased mobility. A report from May includes details of pain radiating from his neck, down his arm, to his hand on his left side. The report also says no therapy was completed and Parias had been in a sling for six months. The records detail that there is decreased mobility in the left shoulder, and when "palpating his left forearm … presents tears in his eyes due to pain."

For months following the shooting, he was primarily prescribed Motrin, seizure and nerve pain medication gabapentin and muscle rub cream for the pain, as well as other medications.

DHS told NPR that from November to June, Parias has been seen by a nurse who, among other things, provided him a brace and sling, educated him on exercises to improve his range of motion and prescribed various pain and anti-inflammatory medications.

In March, a nurse assessed Parias for complaints of increasing pain, and the nurse noted decreased mobility, prompting the nurse to submit a referral for an orthopedic evaluation, as well as additional medications. An orthopedic surgeon evaluated Parias and also provided a physical therapy referral, according to DHS, though by May his pain still was not relieving. He has seen a doctor as recently as this week.

Immigration detention hinges on a bill that passed with bipartisan support

After spending nearly a week in the hospital in October immediately after the shooting, Parias was placed in federal criminal custody while the charges against him played out in federal court. In November, he was released and transferred to ICE custody, which according to court records, was done pursuant to the Laken Riley Act.

That legislation was the first bill President Donald Trump signed into law in his second term.

The measure, passed with the help of Democrats, directs federal immigration enforcement to detain and deport those without legal status charged with minor theft or shoplifting, assault of a law enforcement officer, or crimes resulting in death or serious bodily injury of another person.

It broadly expanded the scope of who ICE would prioritize for detention.

In December, U.S. District Judge Fernando Olgin dismissed the charges against Parias, citing, among other reasons, that he had not received constitutionally adequate access to legal representation. The government is appealing that decision, disputing that Parias was deprived of access to counsel.

While Parias remained in ICE custody, immigration attorneys submitted a habeas petition in District Court also to Judge Olgin. That is a legal avenue to argue that a person should not be detained.

"No one is eligible for bond. No one is eligible for a [bond] hearing … You have to file a habeas," Hellerstein said. "Which means, unfortunately, that for people like Richard who are languishing in detention and have serious medical concerns, you could be waiting for your decision for months and months and months."

A federal judge then ordered an immigration judge to hold a bond hearing. In court filings to immigration court, ICE argued that the immigration judge didn't have jurisdiction over the case because of the Laken Riley Act. The judge, according to filings reviewed by NPR, agreed and ultimately denied bond, adding that she would have done so even if the act was not in effect because Parias could be considered a flight risk due to his lack of legal status.

"I don't think that he was given a constitutionally adequate bond hearing. And to be clear, this is not unique to him. It's the way the law is at the moment," Hellerstein said, adding that the Trump administration also created a mandatory detention policy in addition to the Laken Riley Act, which mandates that anyone who entered the country illegally be held in detention while they fight their case. That has resulted in high numbers of habeas petitions in federal courts.

Hellerstein is going back to Judge Olgin, who ordered the bond hearing, asking for him to let Parias out of detention. That request has been pending since February.

Limited options for recourse 

Seeking additional help, the family and lawyers reached out to the office of Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., who later visited Parias at the Adelanto Detention Center.

"I have a constituent who is being detained in a facility hours from where his family lives. Who is in pain," Kamlager-Dove said in an interview with NPR. "What I am seeking is for him to get the treatment that he needs so that he can heal and so he can also want to live."

Caseworkers in the congresswoman's office have been in touch with DHS about Parias, including with the ICE officer assigned to the case. But she said that although the agency has been responsive, including in facilitating her visits, it is not providing what she is asking for.

"What I need to hear is that he is going to physical therapy, he is getting the kind of antibiotics and medical and prescription medication that he needs to help him with his vision, to help him with his headaches, to help him with his pain," Kamlager-Dove said.

Recently, congressional Republicans approved $70 billion for immigration enforcement, including detention capacity. But internal oversight offices at the agency are unfunded, including those that specifically investigated complaints about immigration detention conditions such as allegations about insufficient access to medical care.

Without control of either chamber of Congress, Democratic lawmakers and immigration advocates have limited options to ask for help.

"We don't have that many oversight tools. We have stretched ourselves to the limit in the hearings as a party in the minority," Kamlager-Dove said.

In recent weeks, other Democrats have continued to go to detention centers, including in New Jersey and Texas, seeking to review detainees' access to food and medical care, and information about detention capacity. But without legislative might, the lawmakers' options to go further are dwindling. Like others in her party, Kamlager-Dove is eyeing the upcoming midterms as a moment for potential change.

"If we are victorious in November, then we will have a lot more tools at our disposal," she said.

Detention policy adds pressure to families to leave

In the meantime, Ulises, Parias' son, has been working to fix the car in which his father was shot. He has cleaned up the blood and the broken glass.

He picks his sister up from school, talks to his father nearly every day on the phone and has helped his family navigate the complicated legal landscape.

"Every time a lawyer came to the house to speak with us, I had to translate everything," he said. "So basically I was the only person basically helping out the family just because I was the oldest."

Hellerstein sees Parias' detention as another example of the administration using detention as a tool to encourage detained and other undocumented immigrants to opt to leave the country.

"For most people, ICE detention is not punitive. Detention is civil detention," Hellerstein said. "You are not in ICE detention because you're being punished. You're in ICE detention because they think you're a danger or a flight risk."

A DHS spokesperson, in the statement to NPR, also said, "ICE detention is still not punitive."

For someone like Parias, who does not have a criminal record, the allegation of him being a danger to a community is easy to refute, she said. But a flight risk could be anyone without a clear path to legal status.

For now, Parias' son is trying to focus on his grades as he works on earning a mechanical engineering degree and find moments of joy like watching the World Cup games. But even that is bittersweet.

"This is the first World Cup where I'm experiencing it alone. And it feels wrong. Honestly, it feels wrong knowing that I don't have my dad to watch it with me," Parias said. "So I'm hoping the next step is to get a call from the lawyer saying soon he will be with us again."
Copyright 2026 NPR

A festival dedicated to handmade cat zines is taking place in Long Beach. Among the offerings: an illustrated ode to Filipino snacks and a cat army overthrowing an authoritarian regime.

The zines come in all formats and topics, including collages, illustrations and poetry, created by makers from as young as 10 to professionals in the animation industry.

“There's some just really silly ones about cat buttholes and different cats cleaning themselves,” said Matt Carr, mastermind of Cat Zine Fest.

Matt Carr, co-founder of Cool Cat Collective and Cat Zine Fest.

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A zine from Serbia featured in this year's Cat Zine Fest.

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Those titles are a tiny fraction of some 250 zines Carr and his partner, Jena Winberry Carr, received in the one-month submission period for this year’s festival, kicking off June 26, at their shop, Cool Cat Collective.

Thirty titles will be featured, many others will be on display until July.

“It is such an accessible medium,” said Jena, who was born and raised in Long Beach. “If you can access a piece of paper and a pencil, you can make a zine.”

Matt Carr and Jenna Winberry Carr.

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Handmade the old school way

Matt started the festival last year after searching high and low for DIY zines to stock at their cat-themed shop but came up short.

So he put out a call for submissions — “You just have to make a zine that features cats” — and got responses from across the world.

“The opening at the time was our busiest day ever,” Matt said. “It was a big success.”

Cool Cat Collective sells and displays only cat-themed things.

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Cat Zine Fest started in 2025, featuring homemade zines from around the world.

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Cool cats unite with a mission

The annual zine fest is just one event held regularly at the boutique on Fourth Street.

Cool Cat Collective on Fourth Street in Long Beach.

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The Carrs opened Cool Cat Collective in 2024 to proffer the coolest cat-related products imaginable. (Fancy scratch pads that look like a set of DJ turntables? You’re in luck.) But the shop also comes with a mission.

“We came up with the idea through being frustrated with the cat overpopulation problem in L.A. County,” Jena said. Up to 4 million stray and feral cats live on the streets, according to estimates from the city and county of L.A. “It's about being a collective solution.”

Cool Cat Collective holds workshops on cat care, and regular fundraisers for TippedEars, a nonprofit that uses TNR — trap, neuter, return — to reduce cat populations in Compton. (Groups like ASPCA endorse the method, while others, like PETA, do not.) The shop also fosters cats rescued by the organization to promote adoption.

Interior of Cool Cat Collective in Long Beach.

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A cat fostered by Cool Cat Collective that people can adopt.

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Currently, six cats are crashing at the Cool Cat Collective; they roam among three “petting” rooms through a custom-built cat walk near the ceiling.

Long Beach resident Lindsay Flaming Yeats and her son Ryan were playing with the kittens. She said her wife is allergic and so the collective is a good alternative.

“It's so fun for him to be able to come in and be around animals and learn to be gentle,” she said.

In two years, the cat-themed space has become a destination amid a community of independent businesses that has made the Fourth Street corridor unique.

“We kept getting people that were visiting from out of town to go to Disneyland and making us a part of their itinerary,” Matt said. “I was like, ‘Whoa, us and Disneyland in the same sentence. We've made it.’”