The Brief

Attorneys for the Menendez brothers are seeking yet another way to get them out of prison.

Responding to a request from Menendez lawyers, a Los Angeles County judge has ordered the District Attorney’s Office to prove why the brothers — who fatally shot their parents in 1989 — should remain incarcerated.

The judge’s order, dated July 7, notes that lawyers for Lyle and Erik Menendez have two pieces of evidence they say could have changed the outcome of the brothers’ second murder trial. One is a letter from Erik Menendez to a cousin, Andy Cano, that the lawyers say corroborates the brothers’ claims that they were sexually abused by their father, Jose Menendez, for years. The other is a declaration from Roy Rossello, a former member of the singing group Menudo, who said he was sexually assaulted by Jose Menendez in the 1980s.

In his order, Superior Court Judge William Ryan said the D.A.’s office had 30 days to respond.

How we got here

This isn’t the first time the information related to Cano and Rosello have been discussed in court documents.

L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman and his deputies have said both the letter to Cano and Rosello’s declaration are not new evidence. They have argued that neither is admissible in court and should not be considered.

Lawyers for the brothers, Mark Geragos and Cliff Gardner, have said the evidence refutes prosecutors’ arguments in trial and afterward that Jose Menendez was “not the kind of man” who would abuse his children.

The brothers shot and killed their parents in August 1989 at the family’s Beverly Hills home. Erik Menendez was 18 at the time of the murders. Lyle Menendez was 21. They are now 54 and 57, respectively.

After their arrests, Lyle and Erik Menendez long contended that they killings happened in self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father. They also said their mother knew about the molestations and that hers was a “mercy” killing.

Their claims were met with some skepticism at the time.

A jury at their first trial was unable to reach verdicts and the judge declared a mistrial. But they were convicted during a second trial in 1996, and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Erik Menendez (left) is shown in 2016 and Lyle Menendez in 2018 in photos provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

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California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

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AP

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Chance of being released

In May, the brothers were resentenced to 50 years to life in prison, meaning they are now eligible for parole.

The decision came at the end of a Superior Court hearing in L.A., during which the lawyers for the brothers argued successfully that they no longer pose a risk to public safety.

After hearing the arguments, Judge Michael Jesic said it was time the brothers, who had been incarcerated for more than three decades, got an opportunity for release.

“I think it's pretty amazing what they’ve done,” said Jesic, referring to the brothers' rehabilitation work on themselves and others in prison.

It will be up to a state parole board to determine if and when the brothers are released. That hearing is now set to begin late August, according to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The U.S. Postal Service could "derail" the midterm election if it continues rushing out "untested" technology as part of President Trump's push to restrict mail-in voting, a newly released whistleblower report warns.

With voting by mail for the midterms set to officially start this week, key parts of the USPS plan for carrying out Trump's directives, including requirements for states to comply, remain blocked for now by a court order in the legal fight over the president's executive order.

Still, the mailing agency has been preparing for months to launch an online portal that would allow state election officials to submit absentee voters' names and ballot envelope barcodes required by the now-blocked rule.

Testing of that new system, however, has been insufficient, according to claims by a whistleblower, outlined in a disclosure that Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut submitted Monday to USPS.

"USPS leadership, it appears, has discarded all best practices as they speed the project to be ready for a September 1 implementation — raising questions about whether catastrophic failure would be a feature rather than a bug," said the disclosure, prepared by Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit organization representing the anonymous federal government official with direct knowledge of the Postal Service's development of the new system.

If courts allow USPS' plan for Trump's order to proceed for the midterms, problems with the online portal could lead to eligible absentee voters not receiving their mail-in ballots in time or at all.

One potential logistical hurdle, the whistleblower claimed, stems from an unusual "zero-percent failure policy" USPS has set for the process of verifying that the mail-in ballots states want to send out meet the requirements of its new rule.

"As designed, the process is entirely unforgiving. It could delay ballots by the thousands in repeated verification cycles — and thus prevent states from mailing enormous numbers of ballots," the disclosure said.

Spokespeople for USPS did not immediately respond to NPR's questions about the whistleblower disclosure.

In a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner, Blumenthal urged Steiner to "abandon this ill-conceived, unconscionable plan and ensure that all Americans can exercise their constitutional right to vote, including by mail, without interference by USPS."

Blumenthal said on a phone call with reporters that he found the details of the disclosure "mind-boggling" as an elected official and U.S. citizen.

"And what the disclosure reveals is that the Postal Service has designed a system that is intended to fail," the senator added.

The president, who has voted by mail himself, defended his directives for USPS and other federal agencies as a way to curb illegal voting by non-U.S. citizens, which many studies and audits show is extremely rare.

Last week, a federal judge in Boston issued a temporary restraining order against USPS after finding that its plan for Trump's order is likely illegal because the mailing agency has no authority to control voting by mail.

The Trump administration has appealed that ruling to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, setting up what will likely be another battle at the Supreme Court, which has not yet weighed in on the legality of Trump's directives.

More lower court rulings on Trump's order may also be on the way as election officials and mail-in voters attempt to sort through the uncertainty the ongoing legal fight has caused.

Editor's note: USPS is a financial supporter of NPR.

Edited by Megan Pratz

Copyright 2026 NPR

Los Angeles County rolled out a new way to participate in Board of Supervisors meetings Tuesday with a revamped registration system that officials say will make it easier for residents to have their voices heard.

Under the pilot system, people making public comments over the phone will get a text message reminder when the item they want to speak on is before the board, meaning they don’t have to watch an entire meeting that can run hours-long. It also gets rid of all the access codes, pins and “raise hand” features callers would’ve been required to use.

Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district stretches from Whittier to Catalina Island, said what the board does is for the public, and it's the board's responsibility to make it as seamless and accessible as possible for residents to share their thoughts.

“This overhaul of our public comment system is about empowering residents in every corner of L.A. County — especially those who may not be able to take time out of their Tuesdays to come down to the Board Room — to speak up on the decisions that affect their lives,” Hahn said in a statement.

How does it work?

First, register here starting at 9 a.m. the day of the meeting if you’re planning to make public comments in person or over the phone. It’ll ask you to select the meeting you want to participate in and the agenda item(s) you want to speak on.

To speak over the phone, you’ll have to call (213) 444-2600 to connect to the meeting. Pins and access codes are no longer required, but expect to follow some prompts when you dial in. Plus, if you get disconnected, you won’t lose your place in line.

You’ll then get a text reminder when your agenda item is up (don’t forget to enter your phone number and opt in when you register). Each speaker will be called by name or by the last four digits of their phone number.

To speak in person, you can also register at a kiosk in the boardroom. You should check in at the kiosk when you arrive and wait until your name is called to the podium to speak.

You’re not required to register, but it’ll make the process quicker, according to county officials. Anonymous public comments are also allowed.

Officials said the new system is accessible for people with disabilities, including a portal that supports screen readers for blind or visually impaired people.

You can still submit written public comments online through the board’s website.

Why it matters

Residents have expressed “many concerns” about the previous public comment system for both in person and over the phone, Supervisor Hilda Solis said during Tuesday’s board meeting.

“I hope everyone will utilize this new system, it has been a great investment,” said Solis, who is also chair of the board. “I hope this will help to expedite all of those concerns.”

The pilot comes about a year after the L.A. County Board of Supervisors introduced real-time translation services and moved to a new teleconference platform for public comments after people reported issues with the old system.

How can I keep up with the board meetings?

• When: Supervisors meet at 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays. You can find the full calendar, including canceled meetings, here.
• Where: Room 381-B, 500 W. Temple St., Los Angeles.
• How to watch: The meetings are broadcast live here and on YouTube. 
  
  • They’re also aired on KLCS in the city of L.A. at 11 p.m. the following Wednesday.
• Agendas: You can find the agendas for each meeting here.
  
  • You can also sign up to have the agendas sent straight to your email inbox through that page.
  • If your internet access is iffy, you can call (213) 974-1442 to ask for the agenda to be mailed to you.

Kroenke Sports and Entertainment has reached a deal to purchase controlling ownership of the Los Angeles Angels from Arte Moreno.

The company led by Stan Kroenke made the surprising announcement Tuesday, saying it expects to close the transaction in early 2027. Major League Baseball, which must approve any sale, didn’t immediately comment on the news.

Kroenke’s company owns the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, Premier League champion Arsenal, the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids and SoFi Stadium, along with the large Hollywood Park campus around the multibillion-dollar Inglewood arena. The conglomerate has now moved into baseball with the Angels, whose turbulent 23-year tenure under Moreno’s ownership will finally come to an end.

“The Angels are a storied franchise anchored in a great market,” Kroenke said in a statement. “We look forward to an exciting future with the Angels organization.”

Moreno, an outdoor advertising magnate from Arizona, bought the Angels from the Walt Disney Company in 2003. While the club had steady success in its first years under Moreno with much of the roster that won the 2002 World Series, winning five AL West titles in six seasons during the 2000s, the Halos have entered a period of decline since their most recent playoff victory in 2009.

At 53-85, the AL-worst Angels are currently headed to their 11th consecutive losing season and their 12th consecutive non-playoff season, both the longest active streaks in the majors.