The Brief

Senior Gia Duarte of Fairfax High School has earned a spot at UC Berkeley, one of the top universities in the nation, despite not having reliable Wi-Fi or a computer at home.

The Los Angeles native said she was often teased by friends for logging so many hours of screen time on her phone — but that’s because she used a mobile hotspot for internet access. When that wasn’t enough, she’d stop by the Salvadoran American Leadership and Educational Fund (SALEF) to study and borrow a computer. That’s a community resource center in the Westlake neighborhood, run by her aunt, Jocelyn Duarte.

“They opened up so many programs and mentorship [opportunities] that also gave me an advantage to get into my dream college … and also gave my community access to knowledge and opportunities that they didn't have before,” Gia said.

After a robbery left the center without any devices, SALEF partnered with AT&T in 2022 to continue fighting the area’s digital divide. The telecom giant donated about a dozen computers, and now hosts free digital literacy trainings at three locations in L.A. County.

This type of public partnership among corporate companies, local government and nonprofits is growing in response to concerns that people in low-income communities are being left behind.

There’s now an array of free community resource centers across the county to help residents get online, fill in job applications, see a doctor via telehealth or do school homework.

Where to find free internet access and training resources

AT&T Connected Learning Centers

AT&T helps fund seven computer labs in California, including three in L.A. and one location in Orange County. All centers are equipped with high-speed internet and devices.

They’re designed to help kids, college students, adults and seniors learn basic computer skills like paying bills and submitting college applications. But the centers also provide free tutoring and mentorship opportunities.

• Coalition for Responsible Community Development’s YouthSource Center: 3101 S Grand Ave. (213-743-6193)
• Vermont Slauson EDC Technology Training Center: 1130 W. Slauson Ave. (323-753-2335)
• Salvadoran American Leadership & Education Fund (SALEF): 421 S. Bixel St. (213-480-1052)

Teen Tech Centers

There's a network of after-school centers called Community Impact Hubs. There are five Teen Tech Centers currently open, with three planned to launch by the summer and four more in 2025.

The goal is to help prepare at least 2,000 local youth annually for “creative career opportunities,” including jobs in the music and film industries, funded by the Greater L.A. Education Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation and Best Buy.

“It's like a really incredible classroom,” said Sam Gelinas of the Greater L.A. Education Foundation. “You have a green screen for film … kids playing [with] VR headsets on … or podcasting in the recording studio. It's sort of a messy creative learning space.”

The North Valley Caring Services location had a grand opening last month. Here’s a list of current and upcoming centers:

Currently open:

• Bresee Foundation, 184 Bimini Place, L.A., 90004
• Legacy LA, 1350 San Pablo St., L.A., 90033
• Vermont Slauson Economic Development Center, 6109 S. Western Ave., L.A., 90044
• North Valley Caring Services, 15453 Rayen St., L.A., 91343
• Antelope Valley Boys and Girls Club, 727 West Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster, CA 93534

Opening soon (Summer 2024):

• YMCA Long Beach at the Carmelitos Housing Development, Carmelitos Housing Community, 1000 E. Via Wanda Way, Long Beach, 90805
• Weingart East L.A. YMCA, 2900 Whittier Blvd., L.A., 90023
• Metro LA Boys and Girls Club at Watts/Willowbrook, 1339 E 120th St., L.A. 90059
• Dorris Dann Kids Campus, 4316 Peck Road, El Monte, 91732

Opening in 2025:

• Color Compton, 306 W Compton Blvd., #200A, Compton, 90220
• Southeast Rio Vista YMCA at City of Maywood, 4801 E 58th St., Maywood, 90270
• L.A. County Juvenile Detention Center

Bell Tech Center

The center, located at 4357 E Gage Avenue, is open to the public Monday through Thursday. It’s a community resource center/computer lab operated by the nonprofit Southeast Community Development Corporation. Children are also able to participate in free after-school computer skills training, as well as robotics courses.

L.A. County libraries

L.A. County offers free Wi-Fi at all of its libraries and parking lots. Residents can even borrow a laptop for use inside the library and for customers to borrow and take home (call your nearest library location for availability). Residents with a library card in good standing can print up to 10 free pages a day.

Many public libraries have a team of “digital assistants” onsite that can offer free, basic tech support for residents. It’s part of L.A. County’s Delete the Divide initiative. Read more about that here.

L.A. Public Library system

The city of Los Angeles offers free Wi-Fi at all 73 locations and other resources through its Tech2go program.

Patrons can borrow a "computer bundle" for up to six months, which includes a mobile hotspot, a Chromebook and a mouse. The service is available at 25 branches, click here for participating locations. Residents can also borrow a mobile hotspot on its own for six weeks.

Human-I-T

The nonprofit Human-I-T offers low-cost internet plans and devices, as well as a free online digital skills training in both English and Spanish. Haga clic aquí para español. You can also sign up for free, bilingual one-on-one tech support.

Searching by neighborhood

L.A. County also partners with the nonprofit EveryoneOn to help families stay connected. You can plug in your address here to find a comprehensive list of service programs available in your neighborhood, including low-cost internet plans and digital skills training.

A tool from the group BroadbandNow allows you to plug in your zip code and compare internet plans and prices in your area. You can also check the state’s interactive broadband map to see what type of service is available in your building or house.

And here is a list of broadband resources from the Digital Equity L.A. coalition, including a fact sheet that’s available in both Spanish and English.

MOUNT POCONO, Pa. — On the road in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, President Donald Trump tried to emphasize his focus on combating inflation, yet the issue that has damaged his popularity couldn't quite command his full attention.

The president told the crowd gathered at a casino and resort in Mount Pocono that inflation was no longer a problem and that Democrats had used the term "affordability" as a "hoax" to hurt his reputation. But his remarks weaved wildly to include grievances he first raised behind closed doors in his first term in 2018 — and later denied saying — asking why the U.S. doesn't have more immigrants from Scandinavia.

"Why is it we only take people from s—-hole countries, right?" Trump said onstage. "Why can't we have some people from Norway, Sweden, just a few?"

Trump said he objected to taking immigrants from "hellholes like Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia and many other countries." He added for emphasis that those places "are a disaster, right? Filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime."

Tuesday's gathering in the swing state — and in a competitive House district — was an official White House event, yet it seemed more like one of his signature campaign rallies that his chief of staff said he would hold regularly ahead of next year's midterms. But instead of being in an arena that could draw several thousand attendees, it was held in a conference center ballroom at the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, a small town of about 3,000 residents.

Voters starting to blame lasting inflation on Republicans

Following dismal results for Republicans in last month's off-cycle elections, the White House has sought to convince voters that the economy will emerge stronger next year and that any anxieties over inflation have nothing to do with Trump.

He displayed a chart comparing price increases under his predecessor, Joe Biden, to prices under his own watch to argue his case. But the overall inflation rate has climbed since he announced broad tariffs in April and left many Americans worried about their grocery, utility and housing bills.

"I have no higher priority than making America affordable again," Trump said. "They caused the high prices and we're bringing them down."

As the president spoke, his party's political vulnerabilities were further seen as Miami voters chose Eileen Higgins to be their first Democratic mayor in nearly 30 years. Higgins defeated the Trump-endorsed Republican Emilio Gonzalez.

The president's reception in the county hosting his Tuesday rally showed he could still appeal to the base, but it was unable to settle questions of whether he could hold together his 2024 coalition. Monroe County flipped to Trump last year after having backed Biden in 2020, helping the Republican win the swing state of Pennsylvania and return to the White House after a four-year hiatus.

As home to the Pocono Mountains, the county has largely relied on tourism for skiing, hiking, hunting and other activities as a source of jobs. Its proximity to New York City — under two hours by car — has also attracted people seeking more affordable housing.

President Donald Trump speaks at the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pa., Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.

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Matt Rourke

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In Monroe County, people agree that prices are a problem

But what seems undeniable — even to Trump supporters in Monroe County — is that inflation seems to be here to stay.

Lou Heddy, a retired maintenance mechanic who voted for Trump last year, said he's noticed in the past month alone that his and his wife's grocery bills have risen from $175 to $200, and he's not sure Trump can bring food prices down.

"Once the prices get up for food, they don't ever come back down. That's just the way I feel. I don't know how the hell he would do it," said Heddy, 72.

But Suzanne Vena, a Democratic voter, blames Trump's tariffs for making life more expensive, as she struggles with rising bills for food, rent and electricity on a fixed income. She remembers Trump saying that he would stop inflation.

"That's what we were originally told," said Vena, 66. "Did I believe it? That's another question. I did not."

The area Trump visited could help decide control of the House in next year's midterm elections.

Trump held his rally in a congressional district held by first-term Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, who is a top target of Democrats. Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, a Democrat, is running for the nomination to challenge him.

Speaking to the crowd before Trump, Bresnahan said the administration was working to lower costs, but voters "aren't asking for partisan arguments — they're asking for results."

It's not clear if Trump can motivate voters in Monroe County to show up in next year's election if they're worried about inflation.

Nick Riley, 38, said he's cutting back on luxuries, like going out to eat, as he absorbs higher bills for food and electricity and is having a hard time finding a good deal on a used car. Riley voted for Trump in 2020, but he sat out the 2024 election and plans to do so again next year.

"We're all broke. It doesn't matter whether you support Republicans or support Democrats," Riley said. "We're all broke, and we're all feeling it."

Trump to start holding more rallies before midterm elections

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said on the online conservative talk show "The Mom View" that Trump would be on the campaign trail next year to engage supporters who otherwise might sit out a congressional race.

Wiles, who helped manage Trump's 2024 campaign, said most administrations try to localize midterm elections and keep the president out of the race, but she intends to do the opposite of that.

"We're actually going to turn that on its head," Wiles said, "and put him on the ballot because so many of those low-propensity voters are Trump voters."

The challenge for Trump is how to address the concerns of voters about the economy while simultaneously claiming that the economy is enjoying a historic boom.

Asked on a Politico podcast how he'd rate the economy, Trump leaned into grade inflation by answering "A-plus," only to then amend his answer to "A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus."

Trump says economy is strong, but Americans should buy fewer dolls

The U.S. economy has shown signs of resilience with the stock market up this year and overall growth looking solid for the third quarter. But many Americans see the prices of housing, groceries, education, electricity and other basic needs as swallowing up their incomes, a dynamic that the Trump administration has said it expects to fade next year with more investments in artificial intelligence and manufacturing.

So far, the public has been skeptical about Trump's economic performance. Just 33% of U.S. adults approve of Trump's handling of the economy, according to a November survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

But Trump indicated that his tariffs and other policies were helping industries such as the steel sector. He said those industries mattered for the country as he then specifically told Americans that they should buy fewer pencils and dolls from overseas.

"You don't need 37 dolls for your daughter," he told the crowd. "Two or three is nice."
Copyright 2025 NPR

Temps will climb a few degrees today with highs now reaching the mid-80s.

Along the Orange County coast, temperatures will range from 72 to 80 degrees, and between 79 and 85 degrees for inland areas.

The L.A. County beaches will see temperatures from 72 to 77 degrees, and between 80 and 83 degrees inland.

Temperatures in the valleys and the Inland Empire will stay in the mid-80s. Daytime highs in the Antelope Valley meanwhile will remain in the upper 60s to mid-70s range.

Facing legal challenges, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has withdrawn a policy that Los Angeles-area homelessness officials say would have caused thousands of people to lose their subsidized housing.

Most federal funding for homelessness programs flows into the L.A. region through HUD’s Continuum of Care grant competition program. Last month, HUD changed its funding rules, limiting how much local governments can spend on permanent housing to 30% of their award totals.

The region currently spends about 90% of its more than $200 million budget covering people’s rent, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

Why this matters

The HUD policy that was withdrawn Monday would have caused more than 5,000 households to lose their rental subsidies, officials said.

In recent weeks, California and other states sued HUD, claiming the new federal policies “guarantee that tens of thousands of formerly homeless individuals and families will be evicted back into homelessness.”

A U.S. district judge in Rhode Island was poised to consider an emergency request to block HUD’s controversial policy when the agency announced it would revoke it.

What's next

HUD authorities said they plan to issue a revised notice about the funding soon, according to a statement posted on the agency’s website.

LAHSA spokesperson Ahmad Chapman told LAist that the agency anticipates most of the HUD rule changes to remain in the revised notice. He also said LAHSA plans to keep moving forward with its funding application and reallocating more than $100 million away from permanent housing and toward other interventions. The submission deadline is Jan. 14.

“LAHSA will continue to monitor this situation closely and may extend or even cancel the process as circumstances warrant," Chapman said.

Sarah Mahin, director of L.A. County’s Department of Homeless Services and Housing, said the HUD policy would redirect funding from programs with proven track records and that have helped move people off the streets and into safe, permanent homes.

“We hope officials heed the warnings from countless homelessness and housing experts nationwide and continue to invest in what we know works: permanent housing accompanied by the supportive services that help people stay housed,” she said.

Raul Malo, the leader of the country band The Mavericks and one of the most recognizable voices in roots music, died Monday night, according to a representative of the band. The guitarist and singer had been battling cancer.

He was hospitalized last week, forcing him to miss tribute shows staged in his honor at the Ryman Auditorium over the weekend. He was 60 years old.

"No one embodied life and love, joy and passion, family, friends, music and adventure the way our beloved Raul did," read a statement released by his family.

Malo's group, The Mavericks, mourned the loss of their leader in a social post.

"Anyone with the pleasure of being in Raul's orbit knew that he was a force of human nature, with an infectious energy," the statement read. "Over a career of more than three decades entertaining millions around the globe, his towering creative contributions and unrivaled, generational talent created the kind of multicultural American music reaching far beyond America itself."

Over a career that lasted four decades, The Mavericks lived up to the band's name, challenging expectations and following a roadmap crafted by Malo's expansive musical upbringing as the son of Cuban immigrants in Miami.

"I grew up in a very musical household. There was all kinds of music around always," he told WHYY's Fresh Air in 1995. "We listened to everything from Hank Williams to Celia Cruz to Sam Cooke to Bobby Darin. It didn't matter."

In 1992, Malo told NPR that his widespread influences weren't always understood or appreciated in his South Florida hometown, but he said that his struggle to fit in taught him to trust his instincts. Malo had become the guitarist and lead singer for The Mavericks in 1989, alongside co-founders Robert Reynolds and Paul Deakin, and his roaring, sentimental voice defined the band's sound and remained its constant as the group's catalog moved from slow, tender ballads to full-throttle rock songs. In 1995, the band released its biggest hit with "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down," a swinging country song featuring an assist from Tex-Mex accordion legend Flaco Jimenez.

As the band grew in members and devoted listeners, The Mavericks continued to push the boundaries of American music, weaving a richly layered tapestry of textures and stories. With more than a dozen studio albums, The Mavericks collected praise and recognition from the Academy of Country Music, the Country Music Association and the Recording Academy. Although they took a hiatus for several years, Malo never stopped making music — and returned to his bandmates with renewed inspiration.

Following its 30th anniversary, the group released its first full-length Spanish album in 2020, aptly titled En Español. The record reimagined Latin standards and folklore-tinged popular tunes; it also made an implicit political statement about Latin music's contributions to American culture.

"In our own little way, if we could get somebody that perhaps is on the fence on issues and hears us singing in Spanish and perhaps reminds them of the beautiful cultures that make up what this country is trying to be and what it should be, so be it," Malo told NPR at the time. "Yeah, I'm OK with that."

The following year, the Americana Music Association recognized The Mavericks with the Trailblazer Award. In 2024, the band released its last studio album, Moon & Stars. The release coincided with news of Malo's cancer diagnosis, which he discussed openly with NPR's Ayesha Rascoe.

Before being hospitalized last week, Malo had been scheduled to perform with The Mavericks at a pair of tribute concerts held this past weekend at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Over 30 artists, including Patty Griffin, Jim Lauderdale and Steve Earle, still gathered to pay tribute to Malo, with some of the proceeds of the night going to the cancer prevention organization Stand Up To Cancer.

According to his spokesperson, though Malo was too ill to attend, the concert was streamed to his hospital room Friday night.

Copyright 2025 NPR