The Brief

Sixteen-year-old AB Hernandez is a natural athlete.

On a recent blustery afternoon, she stood at the edge of Jurupa Valley High School’s athletic field, waiting for her event at a track and field meet to be called. As a voice announced over the loudspeaker, “Girls Triple Jump!,” she ran to take her place. On her turn, she broke into a measured, high stride, arms swinging in time with her legs. She quickened her pace and hurtled towards a sand pit. As she reached her mark, she flung herself high into the air and forwards several meters. She quickly pointed her toes and reached her arms forward as she descended, finally splashing down into the sand. Cheers erupted from the stands while she rolled onto her stomach, stood and ran to her friends, smiling.

Hernandez is the transgender athlete who was thrown into the national spotlight after the president of a nearby school board doxxed her — revealing her name, her high school and the fact that she is trans. Since then, Hernandez has been seen her name in Newsweek and The Washington Post. She has been smeared on right-wing podcasts and harassed online; some of her antagonists have even shown up at her track meets.

A small faction of adults have made AB Hernandez the face of a campaign to rewrite California law that has allowed transgender children to play on their school’s sports teams for over a decade. None of them has children enrolled in the Jurupa Valley Unified School District; several homeschool their kids.

“This is all child abuse,” Nereyda Hernandez, AB’s mother, told Capital & Main in an exclusive interview. “They just need to leave my baby alone.”

The Hernandez family has lived in Jurupa Valley, an equestrian, mostly Latino city of about 106,000, for nearly 30 years. AB grew up, the youngest of four sisters, like many other local kids: on a ranch surrounded by family. Her grandparents immigrated to the United States from Mexico and El Salvador, and instilled a strong sense of faith and tradition into the family. Nereyda, who became a widow in her early 20s, raised her children regularly attending a Catholic church.

Nereyda did not know her daughter was trans until AB was in the eighth grade.

“I was accidentally asked about her. I just said, ‘I’m just letting her be her,’ but I really didn’t know,” she recalled. Nereyda said she did not always understand her daughter’s experience, but made a point to educate herself. “As long as in your household, your child has that support, you stand behind your child, then they’re gonna be OK. I’m gonna stand behind her 120%. That’s my job as a mom.”

In 2013, then-California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the School Success and Opportunity Act into law, ensuring that transgender youth can fully participate in all school activities, sports teams, programs, and facilities that match their gender identity. This past February, President Donald Trump banned transgender women and girls from college women’s and high school girls’ sports teams. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) stated in response to Trump’s action that it would allow trans athletes to compete under existing California law. Shortly afterwards, the U.S. Department of Education announced a Title IX investigation into CIF for its policy allowing transgender high school athletes to play girls’ sports. Title IX is a federal law aimed at preventing gender discrimination in education.

“There is the threat from the federal government to withhold funding. [And] there’s threats from the state government to withhold funding if we violate laws,” Superintendent Trenton Hansen said at the Jurupa Unified School District Board of Education’s March meeting. “Unfortunately, school districts are placed in the middle of this tug of war. All the information we’ve received from legal counsel … is that we follow the laws here in California, that [Trump’s] executive orders do not carry the weight of the force of law, and that these issues will need to be figured out in the court system.”

Many residents of Jurupa Valley, which Trump won by two points in November, have united in support of AB.

“Our community is in 100% support of our neighbors,” said Armando Carmona, a member of Jurupa Valley’s City Council. “I’ve extended 100% support to our young athlete, who’s competing at the highest level in high school, because they’re competing within the current rules. In this community we can talk about federal issues, we talk about state or even global issues. But at the end of the day, we all realize we’re neighbors first.”

City Council Member Armando Carmona stands outside Jurupa Valley City Hall.

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Jeremy Lindenfeld

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Five parents of children enrolled in JUSD schools who spoke with Capital & Main said they fully support AB competing.

“It’s not about the divide of the topic, it’s about the well-being of a child, that all she wants to do is play sports,” said Veronica Hurtado, whose son attends a local high school. “As a mom, I can assure you there’s not a mother in this community that wouldn’t agree with me when they say you’re worried about her safety and her mental health.”

Hurtado says she can relate to Nereyda Hernandez. When Hurtado’s daughter, Molly Ramirez, came out a lesbian, she says she was pressured by an administrator to stay in the closet. Hurtado promptly moved her daughter to a different school. Today, her daughter runs the family’s feed store, and says she feels accepted by the community.

“I have a lot of younger people generations younger than me that are coming out. And my goal is to make them comfortable,” Ramirez said. “I feel like that’s what our community is about.”

Molly Ramirez tends to one of her family’s horses.

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AB has been athletic her entire life. She has done tumbling, hip-hop dance, cheerleading, soccer, baseball and volleyball. Her mother says that sports has helped AB navigate difficult circumstances in the past, like the sudden death of Nereyda’s parents in 2021 from COVID-19 complications, and becoming the subject of a national debate.

“I think that [sports] is her way of coping with things. This is, in a sense, therapy,” she said. “’Cause at the beginning, I was worried about suicidal thoughts. I’ve always been scared of people hurting her.”

The onslaught against AB has been led by a former teacher and nearby school board president. Jessica Tapia, a former gym teacher at Jurupa Valley High School, was fired in January 2023 after stating she would not respect trans and nonbinary students’ pronouns — a violation of district policy. She began posting about AB on her social media pages in October 2024. Tapia was joined by five others at the Jurupa Unified School District Board of Education’s March meeting, where they misgendered AB repeatedly and demanded the board stop AB from competing.

“We know deep down in our heart this isn’t normal and it isn’t right,” Tapia said in an interview. “Any time that I have an opportunity to speak into an issue, especially a tip of the spear, hot topic issue, I take it as God calling me to use my voice, my experience, my platform, my influence to speak the truth.”

Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified School District and candidate for California Superintendent of Schools, began collaborating with Tapia’s Instagram posts about AB in February. One of those posts included the 16-year-old’s full name, and the name of her high school. Nereyda Hernandez subsequently sent a cease-and-desist to Tapia and Shaw, which Shaw tore up at a Board of Education meeting while deliberately misgendering AB.

“I stand with parents, athletes, and coaches who demand real fairness in sports and privacy protections for all students,” Shaw said in a statement to Capital & Main. “We will not be silenced, and we will not stop fighting until girls receive the respect, opportunities, and safety they deserve. Enough is enough.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently spoke to right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk about AB on the debut episode of his podcast “This Is Gavin Newsom.”

“It is an issue of fairness — it’s deeply unfair,” Newsom told Kirk. “I am not wrestling with the fairness issue. I totally agree with you.”

AB Hernandez is currently ranked third in the United States for triple jump behind two girls from high schools in Texas and Arizona, two states that have banned gender-affirming care for trans children.

Nereyda Hernandez said she wished the governor had stopped the conversation when her daughter was mentioned. Jurupa Valley City Councilmember Carmona agreed.

“Bringing in a minor, a minor of color into this worldwide debate or discussion … is a major challenge and it’s problematic,” Carmona said. “We have a family that’s been harassed and attacked by extremists on one side targeting a child.”

Newsom’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the Hernandez family’s concerns.

During a Friday afternoon visit to her church, Nereyda spoke to her priest about her daughter becoming the target of a hate campaign. He encouraged her to love her daughter, and to have her confirmed in the church.

In May, AB will compete at the CIF California State Track and Field Championships in Clovis, California. Nereyda says she and her daughter are looking forward to it.

“I hope that it has a positive impact, not just for my child, but for the future, for the future athletes,” Nereyda said. “And I tell my baby, ‘I really think and I really hope you open doors for other kids to be able to come out and live happy, because I see my baby’s happy being herself.’”

All photos by Jeremy Lindenfeld.

Copyright Capital & Main 2025

The FBI seized about 15 drones near SoFi Stadium and L.A. Memorial Coliseum on Friday and Saturday for violating temporary flight restrictions, Amir Ehsaei, special agent in charge of counterterrorism and crisis response at the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, told LAist. Multiple operators were cited.

Stadiums hosting World Cup games and official fan festival venues are designated as "No Drone Zones" by the Federal Aviation Administration on match days.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to drones violating the temporary flight restrictions," Ehsaei said.

One of the drones seized near SoFi Stadium on Friday.

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Courtesy FBI Los Angeles

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One of the drones seized Friday at SoFi Stadium.

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He said drone detection teams are deployed at all SoFi games. "We will be out at other places depending on the nature — the size, the scope — [and] different intelligence that we'll get based on  threat assessments."

Drones are prohibited at SoFi within a three-nautical-mile radius and up to 3,000 feet above ground level. They are also banned at the Coliseum for the official fan festival within a one-nautical-mile radius and up to 1,000 feet above ground level.

Violators could face fines of up to $100,000 and federal criminal charges.

Residents in East LA are weighing the promise of a new Metro E Line extension with concerns over construction disruptions, small-business impacts and whether more outreach is needed about the project.

The 4.7-mile extension of the Metro E Line would connect East Los Angeles to Montebello with four new stations. The project would relocate the existing Atlantic and Pomona station underground and include a mix of underground, aerial and street-level track transit.

The $7.9 billion project is expected to open for service between 2035 and 2037, according to Metro.

Construction will begin in 2029 and last approximately eight to 10 years, pending full funding approval. It’s part of a wider plan to connect the E Line to the city of Whittier, though officials say the work will be built in two phases due to funding constraints.

While officials say the project is intended to reduce traffic congestion and ease pressure on local roads, residents at a recent community meeting focused more on the immediate impact and communication.

Concerns over construction and local impact

“Thirty days for comment on a complex issue like this is ridiculous. … We need better outreach,” said East LA resident Clara Solis about a 30-day public comment period ending June 26.

Solis and others also raised concerns about how construction could affect traffic and disrupt local commerce, pointing to past transit projects.

“How is this going to impact the businesses? When the Gold Line went through, a lot of our businesses really suffered economically. We want to see a presentation on that. You should have a presentation just on how it’s going to impact the businesses,” Solis added.

A map shows the Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 project will extend the E Line nearly nine miles east from East Los Angeles to the City of Whittier. ()

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Calls for broader outreach

East LA resident Kristie Hernandez said community outreach for the project should also extend to people who do not necessarily live within the immediate 200-foot project radius.

“We need to understand that folks who don’t necessarily live within that close proximity also frequent that area when they drive,” said Hernandez.

Hernandez advocated for a 90-day public comment window and also called for presentations on underground infrastructure, especially in the wake of the East LA pipeline that was punctured during construction work in late May.

“We do not want that to happen again,” she said.

A promise for greater mobility

Lucia Martinez spoke favorably about the extension plans, considering that she relies on buses to get around East LA to do her shopping. She said she looks forward to using the Metro to travel to the Citadel as well as to the hospital in Pasadena.

“As an older woman who became aware of this project, I think it is amazing because I am someone who does not drive,” she said.

LA Documenter Rafael Cazzorla contributed reporting for this story. LA Documenters trains and pays LA residents to take notes at local government meetings around Los Angeles. You can find meeting notes and audio at losangeles.documenters.org

For the first time in nearly three decades, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new chemical UV filter for use in sunscreens sold in the U.S. And that has many dermatologists cheering.

"This is a very big deal," says Dr. Heather Rogers, a dermatologist in Seattle and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.

The new ingredient is called bemotrizinol, and it has several advantages over the chemical sunscreen ingredients previously available in the U.S., Rogers says.

"It hits like really every box for us that we have been waiting for as dermatologists and consumers," Rogers says.

Here's what you need to know about this new ingredient and how it could lead to better sunscreens sold stateside.

1. It blocks both UVA and UVB rays

Rogers says in general, you want to use sunscreens that are broad spectrum, meaning they protect against both UVA rays — the longer wavelengths that cause premature aging and wrinkles — and UVB rays, which lead to sunburns. Both types of UV rays can cause skin cancer.

She says the sunscreens currently sold in the U.S. do an excellent job of protecting against UVB rays, but the chemical UV filters available in sunscreens in the U.S. until now aren't as good at blocking out UVA rays.

In general, chemical sunscreens sold in the U.S. rely on an ingredient called avobenzone to block out UVA rays, says Kelly Dobos, a cosmetic chemist who teaches at the University of Cincinnati.

But avobenzone by itself isn't photo stable, meaning its protection can start to break down rapidly when exposed to sunlight. And as avobenzone breaks down, it can release molecules that lead to skin irritation, says Alexa Friedman, a senior scientist with the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, or EWG.

By contrast, bemotrizinol offers protection against both UVA and UVB rays all on its own, and it is photo stable, so it breaks down more slowly, offering better protection, Rogers says.

"So if you go a little longer than two hours to reapply your sunscreen, there will be more protection left," Rogers says. However, she says you should still reapply sunscreen every two hours.

2. It's long been used in other countries 

Bemotrizinol has been widely used in European and Asian sunscreens for decades. But it has taken 20 years for the FDA to approve its use in this country.

That's because in the U.S., sunscreens are regulated as over-the-counter drugs rather than cosmetics, as they're classified in Europe. That means ingredients need to undergo rigorous testing for safety and efficacy before they can be approved for use in the U.S.

"It's really expensive and time consuming," Dobos says. The European company DSM-Firmenich spent at least $18 million over more than two decades in its push to gain FDA approval for bemotrizinol.

3. It has a well-documented safety profile

However, all that testing means bemotrizinol has more safety data to back it up than any other chemical sunscreen ingredient currently approved in the U.S., says Friedman of EWG.

"This ingredient is exciting because we have that data to support its safety," Friedman says.

Friedman says animal testing showed bemotrizinol doesn't lead to concerns like reproductive harm, while clinical testing on humans found that it does not irritate the skin, even after repeated application over time, "which is hopefully how people are using sunscreens."

And because bemotrizinol's molecules are larger, it's not readily absorbed by the skin and into the bloodstream, she says.

That's important, because studies have shown that some of the other chemical sunscreen UV filters sold in the U.S. can be absorbed in the bloodstream, prompting calls for more safety data and leading to a backlash against sunscreen on social media fueled by misinformation. Rogers says that trend is concerning because skin cancer is the most common form of cancer.

"We just need to have sunscreen that people will use, that they'll trust," Rogers says. "And this ingredient is going to allow that to happen. And that is very exciting."

And bemotrizinol is also considered to be non-irritating, Friedman says. That should be welcome news to people who've been put off by chemical sunscreens in the past.

4. It could lead to sunscreens that look better on you

Until now, Rogers says, the only sunscreen ingredient available in the U.S. that offered the aforementioned advantages of bemotrizinol — photo stable, non-irritating, minimally absorbed into the skin and with good broad spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays — was zinc oxide.

Both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are mineral UV filters. Both chemical sunscreens and mineral sunscreens work by absorbing UV rays from the sun. Mineral sunscreens also reflect some UV rays. The bigger difference is that mineral sunscreens sit on the surface of the skin, while chemical sunscreens get absorbed into the skin, Rogers says.

The downside of mineral sunscreens is that they can leave an unattractive white cast on the skin — think of lifeguards with white paste on their noses. "Particularly if you're a person of color, zinc is going to make you look pale, white or ashy, which really makes it hard to use on a regular basis," Rogers says.

Bemotrizinol, on the other hand, is transparent on the skin, and because it protects against both UVA and UVB rays on its own, it doesn't have to be mixed with as many other chemical filters and stabilizers to achieve broad spectrum protection, Dobos adds. She says that should lead to more aesthetically pleasing, less greasy sunscreen formulations in the near future.

"I think it's a real win for public health," Dobos says. "If we can make a sunscreen that consumers like to use and want to use and apply in the proper amounts, I think that's something that's really going to be a win for consumers."

DSM-Firmenich has exclusive rights to market bemotrizinol in the U.S. for 18 months. It will be sold under the brand name Parsol Shield. The company says the first sunscreen products containing the ingredient should start hitting American store shelves around September.

The Justice Department on Friday approved Paramount's proposed $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.

After concluding its antitrust investigation into the pending merger, the department said in a statement that it found that the deal posed no threat to competition or consumers of film, broadcast television or streaming.

The decision clears the way for a merger of two rival Hollywood studio titans: Paramount, the owner of CBS, including CBS News, will swallow the much larger Warner, which includes HBO and CNN.

The DOJ''s Antitrust Division concluded that a union of two studio giants isn't anti-competitive because the streaming market has expanded the competition for conventional Hollywood studios, which includes Netflix, Apple and Amazon, as well as smaller streamers. The Justice Department's view is that, for the same reason, consumers won't lose out because there are plenty of other places to get entertainment.

Several states, including California, have raised antitrust concerns. The European Union is investigating as well.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who has been investigating the deal for antitrust violations, said in a post on social media following the Justice Department's approval: "The merger of Warner Bros and Paramount is not a done deal and remains under investigation by my office."

In a statement following the decision, Paramount described the deal as "pro-competitive," and would result in "a stronger company better positioned to compete against dominant technology platforms in an industry increasingly defined by intense competition for audiences, talent, technology, and investment."

The company said it planned to complete the merger as soon as possible, "delivering its benefits to consumers, creators, and the entertainment industry as a whole."

The consolidation will put media mogul David Ellison — son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison — at the helm of Warner Bros. studio as well as its cable and streaming properties, including CNN and HBO. The Ellison family took over Paramount and CBS last summer.

In the months leading up to the regulatory approval, critics in Hollywood feared the deal would consolidate an already concentrated media landscape and lead to fewer jobs and less creative content.

In April, thousands of directors, actors, writers and other industry talent — including Kristen Stewart, Pedro Pascal and Javier Bardem — signed an open letter opposing the merger.

The elder Ellison is also a financial backer and adviser to President Trump on artificial intelligence. Critics of recent changes at CBS under the Ellisons' control are concerned that, as they say has happened with CBS News, the acquisition would make CNN more friendly to Trump.

NPR's Carrie Johnson and Mandalit del Barco contributed to this story.
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