The Brief

The famous New York jazz club Blue Note officially opened its first outpost in Hollywood on Thursday night.

It’s not the first time the club has set roots in a new city — locations include Milan, Hawaii, Shanghai and São Paulo — but the club’s owners hope that it’ll soon become an integral part of L.A.'s jazz scene, especially as other venues have closed in recent years.

About new space

The Blue Note Los Angeles captures a classic jazz club vibe, with waiters taking orders off a prix fixe menu while squeezing in between tightly packed tables.

In a jazz club that prides itself on its intimacy, that’s a feature, not a bug. The club has open seating, so if you’re sat at a larger table, you’ll share space with — and inevitably meet — a cadre of fellow music lovers.

Guests at a pre-opening event at the Blue Note L.A.

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I walked the venue at a pre-opening event Wednesday, and there doesn't seem to be a bad seat in the house. There was even good sound all the way to the side, and the views of the blue-lit stage were excellent. If anything, since performer Robert Glasper was facing off to the side toward my table, it felt like I had a front-row seat. And I can definitely attest that the sound system is top-tier.

If you’ve been to the Blue Note in New York, you may notice that the space here appears a little bigger and swankier. My tablemates mentioned that they were immediately struck with how “L.A.” the club looked compared to its New York counterpart.

Blue Note Entertainment Group president Steven Bensusan told me this was a trick of the eye due to the L.A. club’s higher ceilings, which are meant to improve the space’s acoustics.

“ The club looks a lot bigger, but it really isn't,” Bensusan said. “The dimensions are almost the same, just about 10 feet wider.”

And Bensusan would know: His father, Danny Bensusan, founded the famous jazz club in 1981.

The club’s history

When the first edition of the Blue Note got started in Greenwich Village, it sought to bring legacy acts back to more intimate stages. Acts like Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie and Tito Puente started to become regular fixtures there, long after they’d sworn off performances at other jazz clubs.

“I grew up at the Blue Note in New York and really did get to be friendly and knew a lot of the legendary jazz musicians that really established the club,” Steven Bensusan told LAist. “You know, artists like Ray Brown and Milt Jackson and  some of the legends that really helped the Blue Note in New York.”

The photos on the Blue Note LA's walls double as a "who's who" of the last few decades of Jazz.

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And you can certainly feel the presence of those jazz legends — quite literally. Photos of performances from the Blue Note’s four-decade history adorn walls all over the venue.

Bensusan said creating camaraderie and a family atmosphere at the Blue Note L.A. was important to him.

To do so, the club’s owners tapped into the L.A. jazz scene. Bensusan said he’s consulting local acts like saxophonists Terrace Martin and Kamasi Washington to bring younger artists to the stage, as well as established acts.

At Wednesday's preview, as Grammy-winning keyboardist Robert Glasper played, it was easy to see jazz camaraderie at work. Glasper brought several collaborators on stage, including Martin and singers Ledisi and Lalah Hathaway. (Even if you’re not familiar with all these names, you may have heard the contributions Martin, Glasper and Hathaway made to Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly album.)

What’s to come

The venue’s upcoming slate of performers includes luminaries with deep jazz chops like Ravi Coltrane, Esperanza Spalding and Kamasi Washington. The venue’s bookers aren’t purists, though. Rapper Killer Mike, alt-rock pianist Ben Folds and pop star Charlie Puth are set to perform later this year.

And the venue still has more in store. Bensusan told LAist that in October, a second room called the “B-Side” will open. That’ll be a smaller venue, with a capacity of about 100 people.

Bensusan said that he hopes both stages at the Blue Note L.A. will fill a niche that doesn’t exist, allowing larger artists to play more intimate venues while also giving stages to up-and-coming artists.

“A  lot of times you'll have a younger artist that'll perform at a club, but nobody really knows about it,” Bensusan said. “So we're hoping that we help develop them and give them audiences that they may not have been able to play in front of.”

How to go

Location: 6372 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles
Hours: 7 p.m. to 9:30 pm.
Website: Blue Note LA | Upcoming shows

A refrigerated warehouse operated by Lineage Logistics has burned in Boyle Heights for nearly a week. Public health officials are urging residents nearby and downwind to protect themselves from the smoky air.

But what exactly is in the air is still unclear.

Authorities say they’ve cleared the most hazardous materials — ammonia and lithium-ion batteries — from the fire zone. A spokesperson for the L.A. Fire Department said foam insulation, wood pallets of food, and solar panels on top of the 500,000 square-foot building continue to smolder.

Materials including plastics, electronics and even rotting meat are likely burning, which means the pollution particles emitted “tend to be highly enriched with toxic organics, toxic metals, that are above and beyond what just normal, day-to-day air pollution would look like,” said UCLA air pollution researcher Yifang Zhu.

She said air quality indexes may capture the concentration of particulate matter in the air, but not necessarily the specific toxins in them.

“You'll have almost like a double jeopardy in a sense that the levels [of particulate matter] are higher, and the toxicity is also higher,” she said.

Measuring heavy metals or volatile organic compounds requires special monitoring equipment, Zhu said.

“It’s very difficult to measure,” she said.

But she suspects at least some types of health-harming heavy metals are likely to be in the smoke.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado on Monday called for more specifics about what is in the smoke.

People “shouldn't have to guess about what they're breathing or rely on rumors, scattered information and updates, and incomplete information,” she said at a news conference. Jurado, whose council district includes Boyle Heights, added that data from regulators, such as the South Coast Air Quality Management District, should be released in clear, understandable language in English and Spanish.

The South Coast AQMD told LAist before Jurado spoke that the agency has monitors that measure particulate matter, ozone, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, but not other types of pollutants. The agency said it has set up additional monitors at Eastman Avenue Elementary and Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School. The agency added that the Environmental Protection Agency is also monitoring air quality at the fence line of the facility. LAist has reached out to the EPA for details.

Zhu added that even when the fire is eventually put out, the cleanup can kick up even more pollution — a lesson learned through her research after the L.A. fires.

“ I think people really need to take precautions,” Zhu said, emphasizing that those closest to the fire and downwind should avoid being outside as much as possible, keep windows closed, run a HEPA or MERV 13 air filter, and wear an N95 or similar mask otherwise.

UC Irvine toxicology professor Michael Kleinman said if thawed meat is also burning, that could lead to further toxic gases being released.

Experts urged precautions, especially if you smell smoke.

“ For people who are very close to the fire, like the firefighters themselves, they have exposure to both particulate matter and potential toxic gases, and that's why you'll see them wearing respirators,” said UC Irvine chemistry professor Suzanne Blum. “But once you're some feet away from the building, then the primary concern is the particulate smoke that is coming from this fire.”

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.