The Brief

Amid a flurry of recent school board policies aimed at the rights of transgender students, California passed a new law in July that prevents schools from requiring staff to notify parents if a student identifies as LGBTQ.

The new law, AB 1955, came in response to a handful of school boards adopting policies that require teachers and other school staff to notify parents if a student identifies as a gender other than what’s on their school records.

“Teachers can still talk to their parents,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a press conference on Monday in which he touted a new plan to improve career opportunities for adults. “What they can’t do is fire a teacher for not being a snitch. I don’t think teachers should be gender police.”

LGBTQ advocates said that “forced outing” policies, such as those adopted in Chino, Temecula and a dozen other districts, infringe on students’ privacy and could potentially harm students whose parents disapprove of their identity.

The state sued to stop Chino’s policy, and most districts either scrapped their policies, tweaked the language or put them on hold.

This act “could not be more timely or necessary, and LGBTQ+ students across California can breathe a sigh of relief,” Tony Hoang, executive director of Equality California, which advocates for LGBTQ rights, wrote. “LGBTQ+ youth can now have these important family conversations when they are ready and in ways that strengthen the relationship between parent and child, not as a result of extremist politicians intruding into the parent-child relationship.”

‘The battle continues’

Opponents of the new law said that parental notification policies actually strengthen ties between students and parents, and schools should not withhold information on such important matters. Even though a parental notification measure that would have applied to all schools failed to qualify for the ballot, opponents vowed to keep fighting.

“This (law) doesn’t clarify anything. And nothing prevents individual teachers from bringing the issue up with parents,” said Roseville school board member Jonathan Zachreson, an organizer of the failed ballot measure and whose district was among those that passed parental notification policies. “So the battle continues.”

The new law also requires the state Department of Education to update its LGBTQ resources and encourage school districts to offer counseling, support groups, clubs, anti-bullying policies and other measures to support LGBTQ students and their families. Schools would have to pay for those services with their existing funding.

LGBTQ young people are particularly vulnerable on school campuses. In a recent survey of 18,000 LGBTQ young people nationwide, nearly half said they had been bullied in the past year, and 10% said they had attempted suicide. Those whose schools supported LGBTQ rights were less likely to suffer from mental health challenges.

Even if the new law sparks a backlash in more conservative areas of the state, California was right to move forward with it, especially as some states push ahead with their own parental notification policies, said USC education professor Morgan Polikoff.

“Will everyone like this law? Certainly not. Will it lead to conflict? There is no doubt,” Polikoff said. “But I am hopeful this will be good for the queer kids in California’s schools and will point the way toward similar efforts in other states.”

As the Boyle Heights warehouse fire burns into its sixth day, SoCal residents are increasingly concerned about the air quality and potential health risks that come with breathing in the smoke. So, what alerts have been issued so far and how can residents be prepared?

Both Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency on Saturday, a designation that helps California coordinate with local agencies to make sure there are enough resources for the firefight and residents who have been affected after a fire started at a cold storage industrial facility. Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis said at a press conference Monday that  the county is "delivering supplies, air filters, and air purifiers" to local households.

Los Angeles County public health officials and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) also issued a particle pollution advisory that remained in effect until today. Affected areas included: Central Los Angeles County, the San Gabriel Valley, East San Fernando Valley and Northwest San Bernardino Valley.

Although recent air quality readings appear as “moderate” to “good” on South Coast AQMD’s website, the fire is still burning and might be for a few more days.

So what can SoCal residents do to protect themselves?

If the air quality index reads “good” or “poses little to no risk” in some areas, hazardous ash can still be present. If you see ash on your car, or windowsills, you might want to stay inside if possible. In “moderate” or yellow zones, unusually sensitive people are also recommended to avoid longer periods outside.

In the next few days, some might notice windblown ash floating in the air or coating outdoor surfaces. These particles are otherwise known as “fine particulate matter,” which consists of soot, burned plastic and perhaps even traces of the spoiling frozen food from inside the warehouse.

Why that matters

Too much exposure from these materials may cause temporary irritation to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. If you suffer from health issues that are exacerbated by poor air quality, like respiratory illnesses, you may be affected by these conditions even more.

Four expert tips to protect yourself and your family:

• If you smell smoke or see ash, try to remain indoors with the windows closed. If you can’t, consider stepping outside with an N-95 mask, and refrain from engaging in any rigorous physical activity. 
• In your homes, also avoid using whole house fans (air conditioning is okay), as they can bring in the polluted air from outdoors. 
• If you have an air purifier, this is the time to use it. 
• Avoid using fireplaces, candles and vacuums, as they can introduce toxins into the clean, indoor environment.

For more guidance on precautions following the fires, visit Los Angeles County’s public health website for more. South Coast AQMD’s website also has more healthy and safety tips.

Updated June 22, 2026 at 16:22 PM ET

Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi has broken the record for most World Cup scoring.

Messi made the record goal, his 17th, during the first half of Monday's game against Austria. It was a heated match. Austria attacked relentlessly, and Argentina relied on its defense and on goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martinez. And, near the end in stoppage time, Messi scored again, finishing off at 2-0.

The team captain started off the World Cup with a bang: in the opener against Algeria, Messi scored a hat trick: three goals. A rare feat in soccer. He has scored all five goals for Argentina this World Cup. With the win, Argentina advances to the knockout round.

Messi hails from the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, an area known for producing excellent players. He faced challenges at an early age: he had a hormonal growth deficiency, which was difficult to treat in his hometown, given the severe economic crisis facing Argentina in the late 1990s. By 2001, the Messi family had decided to accept an offer for him to join La Masia, FC Barcelona's youth academy, in Spain. Messi was 13 years old.

It was at Barca that he rose to fame and developed his unique style of walking the pitch, patiently waiting for the right opportunity to jump on the ball, dribble skillfully past his opponents, and score.

Argentina's Lionel Messi, now the all-time World Cup scoring leader, celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 group match against Austria.

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Although a legend of Barca and European soccer, he often expressed a desire to play for the Argentine national team in a World Cup. He got his chance in his 20's, but it wasn't smooth: he was widely seen as a foreigner who had not paid his dues in the Argentine soccer system. His measured, calculating style of play was often misunderstood in South America, where players tended to have a quicker, more aggressive technique.

There were several World Cup attempts that were disappointing, and after the 2016 World Cup, he announced he would not be playing again. "It's over," he said outside the locker room, visibly shaken. "I tried so hard, it is unbelievable, but it hasn't worked. Me and this team are through."

The tides turned under the leadership of Argentine Coach Lionel Scaloni, and Messi led the team to a Copa America victory in 2021. Argentina won the World Cup the following year.

This is Messi's sixth World Cup and he's considered one of the best players in soccer history.

Messi also surpassed Brazilian superstar Marta, who had scored 17 goals at the Women's World Cup.

Copyright 2026 NPR

More than two dozen state historic parks are free through the end of the year in honor of Juneteenth — and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the free “special edition Historian Passport,” which typically costs $50, as a rebuke to President Donald Trump’s attempts to “rewrite the past,” according to a news release by the governor’s office.

Since his inauguration, Trump has ordered staff working at all National Park Service locations to remove any content that casts Americans in a negative light from parks, monuments and memorials.

“California doesn’t hide from hard truths and uncomfortable history — in fact, we embrace it and learn from it,” Newsom wrote.

Until July 6, Californians can download the state historic park pass for free and use it as many times as they want through the end of 2026. The pass gives free entry to state historic parks for up to four people.

The Historian Passport grants entry to more than 30 state historic parks, including parks like Olompali and Malakoff Diggins which, rather than just providing outdoor recreation, also have an educational emphasis on the state’s history.

Jack London State Historic Park in Napa Valley, California.

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Many of these parks tell the story of the state’s cultural or indigenous history, from missions and museums to temples and the site that sparked the California Gold Rush.

Newsom made a similar move to make state parks free for Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year, in response to Trump’s decision to eliminate the holiday from the list of fee-free days at national parks across the country, replacing it with his birthday on Flag Day.

How to get your free Historian Passport for up to four people

You must make an account with the state’s reservation site ReserveCalifornia.com to obtain a Historian Pass. Then, visit the site’s Advance Passes page and select “Special Edition Historian Passport” from the dropdown menu, which will show as costing $0. No payment information is required.

After checking out, you’ll receive an email with an attached PDF version of your Historian Passport.

The state recommends you print off this PDF to present at any California state historic park for free entry, although you may just be able to show the image on your phone too.

Bear in mind that cellphone service may be poor at many state historic parks, so it’s worth screenshotting the PDF to save it as an image on your phone in case you’re unable to search your email.

Looking for free entry to other state parks that aren’t included in the Historian Passport? Consider checking out a parks pass from your local library, which provides these passes as part of the California State Library Parks Pass program.

KQED’s Carly Severn contributed to this report.

Nearly six months after an off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed an armed man on New Year’s Eve in L.A., authorities have yet to finish their investigation into the incident.

Brian Palacios has been identified in court records as the officer who killed Keith Porter Jr., 43, at a Northridge apartment complex where both men lived. Those records are filed to a contentious custody case between Palacios’ girlfriend and her ex-husband, who told the court in a successful application for a restraining order that he feared for his safety and the safety of his children after Palacios harassed and threatened him.

Authorities previously have said Palacios is still employed by ICE, and court records responding to the restraining order show he has recently been placed on administrative duty. ICE officials did not respond to questions about his current status.

Stacie Halpern, an attorney representing Palacios, has not responded to calls or an emailed request to make her client available for an interview. Halpern has previously told news media her client shot Porter in self defense.

The context

Porter’s death came just over a week before ICE agents in Minnesota killed Renee Nicole Good, 37. Seventeen days later, ICE agents killed Alex Pretti, 37. The shootings of Good and Pretti, who were protesting ICE enforcement in their city, were captured on video, made international headlines and spurred Congressional inquiries.

The killing of Porter was not captured on video, did not take place during a protest and did not lead to the same level of outcry. Like with Good and Pretti, the initial law enforcement characterization of Porter’s shooting has come under scrutiny.

The Los Angeles Police Department opened an investigation shortly after the shooting. LAPD officials told the Board of Police Commissioners on June 2 they expected to finish their investigation and present findings to the Los Angeles District Attorney last week.

Instead, the district attorney’s office said the LAPD is still looking into the case.

"Our office has been briefed on this case and LAPD informed us there is further investigation to conduct before presenting a case to our office for filing consideration," Venusse D. Dunn, a spokesperson for L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, said Monday in an email responding to LAist asking about the status of the case.

Jamal Tooson, an attorney with the law firm Lessem, Newstat & Tooson, who is representing Porter’s family, called the delay “alarming, to say the least.”

Initial accounts of the shooting

Days after Keith Porter, Jr. was killed there, community members gather at a vigil organized by Black Lives Matter-LA outside the Northridge apartment complex where he lived.

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According to statements from federal officials, Palacios was off duty the night of the shooting. Federal officials and Palacios’ attorney have said he was acting in self defense when he shot and killed Porter. Police said a rifle was recovered at the scene.

In a statement released to the L.A. Times shortly after the shooting, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Palacios, who was not named at the time, as having “bravely responded to an active shooter situation at his apartment complex” and was “forced to defensively use his weapon and exchanged gunfire with the shooter.”

Porter’s friends have said he was shooting a rifle into the air to celebrate the new year. The LAPD, which has worked for years to reduce gunfire on the holiday, calls the practice a “deadly New Year’s tradition in our city.”

“If it actually happened the way the officer said it did, it would have been an open and shut case,” Tooson said.

Tooson said he has witness testimony contradicting federal officials' version of events — specifically the claim that gunfire had been exchanged — and submitted a tort claim on May 11 to the federal government on behalf of the Porter family. The government has 45 days to respond, before the family can pursue further legal action.

Porter was born and raised in Compton, according to a neighbor, Jieun Ko, who wrote a remembrance on Substack. Ko called her friend “diligent and hardworking.” He had two daughters, aged 10 and 20, when he was killed.

Why Porter’s family has questioned that account

Franceola Armstrong, Keith Porter. Jr.'s mother, embraces her cousin Nakeda Phillips days after he son was shot and killed.

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The claim letter sent to the federal government says that Porter was “attempting to peacefully return to his residence” when he was killed. The letter claims Palacios did not personally observe Porter firing a weapon, and that he failed to use de-escalation tactics before opening fire. “The use of deadly force was unjustified, unreasonable and without legal cause,” the letter reads.

"Although Mr. Porter was armed," the letter said, "he never posed an imminent threat to Agent Palacios or the public."

Tooson told LAist he interviewed two witnesses shortly after the shooting whose description of the shooting differ from what Palacios’ attorney and federal officials have described.

According to Tooson, both witnesses to the interaction between Porter and Palacios said they did not hear Palacios identify himself as a member of law enforcement. They also said they heard just three gun shots.

The autopsy report from the L.A. County Medical Examiner says Porter was shot three times.

If the two had exchanged gunfire — as federal officials claim — Tooson said the witnesses would have heard more shots.

“It’s not possible. If he was shot three times, they’re going to hear more than three shots,” Tooson said.

The witnesses also told Tooson the shots sounded like they came from the same weapon.

Tooson said he first spoke to the witnesses when canvassing the apartment complex the day after the shooting and that one of the witnesses provided footage from a Ring camera to LAPD that captured audio of the shooting.

Representatives for LAPD, ICE and DHS have not responded to requests for comment.

At a news conference in January, Tooson, who said the shooting "could be race related, and certainly a hate crime," publicly called on Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate Porter's killing.

Tooson told LAist he sent a letter and spoke to a representative at the Attorney General’s office but has not heard back.

Tooson said his main goal is to get transparency for Porter’s family. “They don’t have any other information other than the story that’s been shared, and it’s not adding up.”

Troubling allegations surface in custody dispute 

Palacios was first identified as the off-duty ICE agent who killed Porter by the Los Angeles Times in January based on court records filed in an unrelated custody dispute between Palacios’ girlfriend and her ex-husband.

That custody dispute has continued, with a judge granting a temporary restraining order against Palacios on May 22 that barred him from contacting his girlfriend’s ex-husband or their children. Omar Escorcia, the ex-husband, asked for the restraining order because, he told the court, Palacios threatened to send ICE agents to his home in a phone call on April 30.

Escorcia recorded the call and submitted that recording and transcripts to the court as evidence. Palacios separately recorded that conversation and a subsequent call, and also submitted it to the court.

According to the transcripts (LAist also reviewed the audio file), Palacios said during the conversation that he believed Escorcia leaked his name and involvement in the Porter shooting to activists.

“Because at this point, my agency’s going to go after you for conspiracy for what you did,” Palacios said, according to the transcript.

“Threats of violence and abuse of power were directed toward me and my family,” Escorcia wrote in the petition for the restraining order.

Escorcia added that Palacios “gives the impression that he is untouchable no matter who he hurts.”

In his petition, Escorcia states: “Palacios admitted to having murdered his neighbor on 12/31/2025 while telling me he would use his position as a federal agent to come after me at my home and to make criminal charges against me.”

Palacios has denied making any admission to Escorcia about the Porter shooting. He also denies making threats.

In February 2025, a court barred Palacios from contact with his girlfriend’s children, Escorcia wrote in the petition.

“The court was told about domestic violence by Palacios and his use of homophobic, racial, and abusive language,” Escorcia wrote. Palacios, in his response, said those allegations were investigated and not substantiated — and shared findings from social workers.

The 2025 orders are permanent, so Palacios violated them by threatening to send agents to his home, Escorcia wrote.

In the call Escorcia recorded, Palacios warns him that two agents are going to come to his home to interview Escorcia about his alleged sharing of Palacios' name, adding, "make sure no one's there that doesn't have papers, OK?"

Palacios denied Escorcia’s allegations

Palacios has denied Escorcia's allegations that he was threatening. He also denied the allegation that he admitted to killing anyone, in a response filed to the court on June 9.

In the response, Palacios wrote that Escorcia has “never liked that (Palacios) was in law enforcement.”

Palacios alleged that Escorcia has shared images on social media encouraging “vigilante justice” against him. He also wrote that he has had to move due to threats and harassment and said allegations of domestic violence and use of racist language were investigated back in 2025 and not substantiated by multiple agencies.

He wrote that the April 30th call was not a threat against Escorcia. “At that time I wanted him to understand that what he was threatening was a continuation of an ongoing investigation into his attempt to expose my location to the public,” Palacios wrote.

Palacios submitted another transcript of a follow-up call to the court, in which he specifically references Escorcia's mother. In his response to the restraining order, he states he held "no animosity toward [Escorcia] or those in his family, including his mother who has always been nice and polite to me... I was simply stating a fact as individuals need to be documented to be in the country."

Court records show Palacios surrendered six firearms on June 11 as part of the May 2026 restraining order.

According to records submitted to the court, ICE temporarily suspended Palacios’ authorization to carry a firearm on May 29, prompted by the May 22 restraining order. The letter states that Palacios will be reassigned to “work that is administrative in nature.” It also states that the restriction does not constitute a disciplinary action.

What's next

• After LAPD presents its findings, the district attorney may decide to pursue criminal charges against Palacios or to find the shooting was justified.
• Tooson said he expects the federal government to reject the Porter family's tort claim. At which point, the family will pursue a civil claim, Tooson said.