Topline:
Demonstrators gathered across the country on Saturday, many animated by differing issues, but united in opposition to the Trump administration with the single message: "Hands off!"
What we know: Organizers said more than 1,300 "Hands Off!" rallies of varying sizes took place on Saturday, including more than a dozen in Southern California.
The context: Saturday's protests appeared to be the most widespread to date of Trump's second term.
Demonstrators gathered across the country on Saturday, many animated by differing issues, but united in opposition to the Trump administration with the single message: "Hands off!"
Organizers said more than 1,300 "Hands Off!" rallies of varying sizes took place on Saturday.
Since President Trump took office in January, various protests have taken place against his administration's plans and policies — from the mass firing of federal workers to immigration raids to the involvement of billionaire Elon Musk in the federal government.
Saturday's protests appeared to be the most widespread to date of Trump's second term.
"Hands Off" protests took place throughout Southern California at more than a dozen locations Saturday. Among the locations:
"There are so many issues," said Kelley Laird from Rockville, Md., who attended a rally in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. "They're coming after education, coming after health care, coming after the arts, coming after the press."
In Boston, protesters gathered to push back against the federal cuts on research and against the arrest of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University doctoral student who was arrested by federal agents in plain clothes, as member station WBUR reported.
In Sylva, N.C., over 300 people came together to oppose cuts to national parks, education and veteran services, according to BPR News. And in Portland, Ore., several thousand people rallied against what they describe as an "illegal, billionaire power grab" by Trump and Musk, OPB reported.
In D.C., thousands filled the grass near the Washington Monument, holding up signs supporting reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, Social Security, veterans benefits, and opposing tariffs.
Laird and her neighbors said they formed a group chat after Trump took office this year. They use the group chat, named "Sisters of the resistance," to coordinate attending protests together and offer support.
"We need to form community to bolster each other up because we have to be in this for the long run," said Emily Peck, who started the group chat.
Many attendees who spoke to NPR said they felt compelled to show up, because new concerns keep emerging.
"This is first time that I am trying to regularly participate," said Patty Kim, a retired federal worker, who attended the D.C. rally with her husband. "I felt so frustrated and paralyzed by the bunch of things that are going on that undermine human rights and humanity in this country that I love, that I had to do something."
Veterans Colleen Boland and Sonia Lundy, who have been actively participating in protests, said they view it as a continuation of the military oath they took years ago to protect Americans.
"We took an oath long ago to protect against all enemies foreign and domestic, and I don't think either Sonya or I ever imagined that we would have to kick in on the domestic piece of our oath, but we have, we are, and we will," said Boland, who said she served in the Army and Air Force.
They are especially concerned with the future of Social Security and veterans' benefits. While the White House has insisted that the Trump administration will not make cuts to Social Security benefits, there are plans for major changes, including the closure of dozens of Social Security offices; the elimination of thousands of jobs; and a new policy that will require more stringent identity checks.
"I was going to rely on this money. Is it going to be there?" said Lundy, who said she served in the Army.
Al and Bev Mirmelstein were among the passengers in a three bus caravan that traveled to the D.C. rally from Charlottesville, Va., organized by the group Indivisible Charlottesville. At the protest, the Mirmelsteins held up signs that read: "Hands off our Constitution, rule of law, Social Security, free speech, health care," and "Save our democracy."
The couple said they joined multiple protests back home too, including one against the opening of a Tesla showroom. Both 77 years old now, they said they were too young to join demonstrations during the Vietnam War, but now they are committed to their activism.
"I didn't participate in that, and I feel like I'm making up for it now," Al said.
Copyright 2025 NPR
Topline:
Cal Fire’s $32 million lawsuit against Orange County over recovery efforts for the Airport Fire is set to face a judge on June 11. The county’s legal counsel claims that the state agency’s lawsuit is legally flawed.
Why now? Cal Fire filed the suit in September. The state agency is looking to recover fire suppression, investigation and administrative costs related to the fire, as well as legal fees.
The background: The Airport Fire burned for 26 days, destroying more than 23,000 acres across Orange and Riverside counties in 2024. As a result, 22 people were injured and 160 structures were damaged. The fire was accidentally sparked by OC Public Works employees, who are also named in Cal Fire’s lawsuit. County attorneys argue that the county is not "vicariously liable for the alleged actions of its employees.”
What else have we learned? Messages between public officials obtained by LAist show that all three work crew supervisors and a manager at OC Public Works were alerted to high fire danger Sept. 9, 2024, hours before their crew accidentally started the fire.
The county’s argument: The county’s lawyers argue the state agency’s complaint is “fatally defective” because the county is not a “person” subject to liability under the health and safety codes that Cal Fire pointed to in its lawsuit. In a statement, the county said it does not comment on pending litigation. Cal Fire did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.
Go deeper… into LAist’s full investigation into the Airport Fire.
Topline:
Take accountability and move forward. Those were the two points that the Los Angeles Fire Chief Jaime Moore hit repeatedly when speaking with LAist’s Larry Mantle this week.
Accountability: Moore said hazardous conditions and decisions made before the Palisades Fire erupted a year ago meant “our firefighters never had a chance” to arrest the fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of structures.
Moving forward: Moore emphasized that reform is already in the works. “Things have changed since the Palisades Fire, and we're going to continue making big changes in the Los Angeles Fire Department,” said Moore, who was selected for the LAFD top job in November.
Read on ... for a three detailed takeaways from the interview with the chief.
Take accountability and move forward.
Those were the two points Los Angeles Fire Chief Jaime Moore hit repeatedly when speaking with LAist’s Larry Mantle this week.
On taking accountability, Moore said hazardous conditions and decisions made before the Palisades Fire erupted a year ago meant “our firefighters never had a chance” to arrest the fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of structures.
On moving forward, he emphasized that reform is already in the works.
“Things have changed since the Palisades Fire, and we're going to continue making big changes in the Los Angeles Fire Department,” said Moore, who was selected for the LAFD top job by Mayor Karen Bass in November.
Here are three takeaways from the interview, which aired on AirTalk on Tuesday.
“We were behind the eight ball. We were trying to play catch up without the resources we needed. We didn't have them pre-deployed there. That's what really caused us to lose the number of homes that we lost.”
The LAFD uses a so-called pre-deployment matrix to set firefighter staffing levels ahead of high-risk weather.
According to the department’s after-action report, however, staffing levels on the day the Palisades Fire began fell short of the LAFD standard for extreme weather conditions. The National Weather Service had warned of low humidity, high winds and dry vegetation, what it calls a “particularly dangerous situation.” It’s the highest level of alert the agency can give.
Despite the high risk, the LAFD report said the decision not to deploy more firefighters in advance was in part made to save money.
Moore said Monday that the department has updated its policies to increase staffing for especially hazardous conditions, but he said he doesn’t believe additional resources would have stopped a fire of the magnitude that leveled the Palisades.
To suppress that kind of fire, he said, the department would need to pre-deploy resources across the city’s vast geography — to places like Baldwin Hills, Franklin Canyon, the Hollywood Hills, the Palisades, Porter Ranch and Sunland-Tujunga.
Moore said the department has already made new policies to call for more resources when the Weather Service issues a “particularly dangerous situation” alert.
“It's important to note that we are mostly an urban fire department. We needed to do better training as to how to work in this type of an environment.”
Moore referenced a key finding of the after-action report regarding a lack of training in wildland firefighting, which contributed to confusion and struggles to effectively utilize resources during the fire.
Wildland fires pose a number of challenges that are different from what firefighters face in urban environments. Those include the need to coordinate a large number of resources over vast areas, all while dealing with fast-moving flames that can rapidly tear through dry plants and structures.
The department found in its report that fewer firefighters were trained in fighting these wildland fires in recent years and that “leaders struggled to comprehend their roles.”
Some leaders in the department had “limited or no experience in managing an incident of such complexity,” the report said. And some reverted to doing the work of lower positions, leaving high-level decision-making positions unfilled.
“What we're doing now is really furthering that training and reinforcing that education with our firefighters so that they could be better prepared,” Moore said on AirTalk.
“I can tell you this, the core facts and the outcomes did not change. The narrative did not change."
Early versions of the after-action report differed from the version released to the public in October, a fact that was first reported by the Los Angeles Times. The Times also reported that Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook, who wrote the report, wouldn’t endorse the final version because of the changes.
Moore acknowledged to the L.A. Board of Fire Commissioners at a Jan. 6 meeting that the report had been watered down.
“It is now clear that multiple drafts were edited to soften language and reduce explicit criticism of department leadership in that final report,” Moore told the commissioners. “This editing occurred prior to my appointment as fire chief, and I can assure you that nothing of this sort will ever again happen while I am fire chief."
Some changes were small but telling. A section titled “Failures” later became “Primary Challenges.”
Moore told LAist that changes between versions “ made it easier for the public to understand,” but an LAist review found the edits weren’t all surface-level.
In the first version of the report, the department said the decision not to fully pre-deploy all available resources for the particularly dangerous wind event “did not align” with their guidelines for such extreme weather cases. The final version said that the initial response “lacked the appropriate resources,” removing the reference to department standards.
The department also removed some findings that had to do with communications.
One sentence from the initial version of the report said: “Most companies lacked a basic briefing, leader’s intent, communications plan, or updated fire information for more than 36 hours.” That language was removed from the final report.
LAist has asked the Fire Department for clarification about why these assertions were removed but did not receive a response before time of publication.
Topline:
Olympic organizers announced Tuesday that registration to buy tickets will run through March 18, with sales beginning in April. LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said that locals will get the first bite at the apple.
How much could tickets cost: Olympic organizers also provided more details on ticket prices for the first time. One million tickets will sell for $28 a pop and around a third of tickets will be under $100, according to LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman.
Read on... for more about how to enter for a chance to purchase tickets.
Olympic organizers announced Tuesday that registration to buy tickets will run through March 18, with sales beginning in April. LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said that locals will get the first bite at the apple.
The registration period opens 7 a.m. Wednesday.
" Our host city communities here in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City will have the opportunity to be a part of a local presale," Hoover said outside the Coliseum while surrounded by Olympic athletes from Games past. "With our thanks and as part of our commitment to making sure that those who live and work around the games, where the games will take place, can be in the stands and cheer in 2028."
Olympic organizers also provided more details on ticket prices for the first time. One million tickets will sell for $28 a pop and around a third of tickets will be under $100, according to LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman.
That means the majority of tickets to the Olympic Games will run into triple digits. If the World Cup is any indication, some tickets could get astronomically pricey.
Interested fans can go to LA28.org to register. Those who are selected will get an email with a time slot to purchase tickets.
Topline:
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors today passed a motion to draft an ordinance banning ICE from operating on county-owned property without a warrant.
What officials say: Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said the county will not allow its property to be used as “a staging ground for violence caused by the Trump administration."
The county is not the first: The city of Los Angeles passed a similar order last July, which strengthened protocols that prohibit ICE from operating on city-owned property. The agenda staff report points to an “ICE Free Zone” ordinance passed by the city of Chicago in October.
Read on … for what other policies could be drafted.
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors took a step toward banning ICE from unlawfully operating on county-owned property and to post signage designating those spaces as “ICE Free Zones.”
The board unanimously approved the motion at Tuesday’s meeting, directing staff to draft the policy.
The draft could include requirements for county employees to report to their supervisor if they see unauthorized immigration activity on county property.
The city of Los Angeles passed a similar order last July, which strengthened protocols that prohibit ICE from operating on city-owned property. The agenda staff report points to an “ICE Free Zone” ordinance passed by the city of Chicago in October.
Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis co-authored the motion.
Horvath said the county will not allow its property to be used as “a staging ground for violence caused by the Trump administration."
Solis added that their action as a board could have a ripple effect on other city councils and local governments.
“Even though it's taken us this long to get here …I think it's really important for our communities to understand what we're saying is you don't have the right to come in and harass people without a federal warrant,” Solis said. “And if you use our property to stage, then you need to show us documentation as to why.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in an X post that the county cannot exclude federal agents from public spaces.
"Anyone who attempts to impede our agents will be arrested and charged, including county employees," Essayli said in the post. "We have already charged more than 100 individuals for similar conduct."
Stop misleading the public. Local jurisdictions cannot target and exclude federal agents from public spaces. Your county counsel should have explained that to you. We will use any public spaces necessary to enforce federal law.
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) January 13, 2026
Anyone who attempts to impede our agents will be… https://t.co/mjoWSGq2cE
Since June, ICE raids have ramped up across the nation, heavily targeting certain immigrant communities like those in Los Angeles.
The motion directs the draft to include language that prohibits all types of ICE operations on county land, including staging and mobilizing without a warrant.
The motion cites an incident on Oct. 8, when county officials say federal agents raided the Deane Dana Friendship Park and Nature Center in San Pedro, arresting three people and threatening to arrest staff.
The motion also requires that the county post 'Ice Free Zone' signage on all of its properties.
Sergio Perez, executive director of the Center of Human Rights and Constitutional Law, told LAist the policy is enforceable under Fourth Amendment case law.
“You have to make sure that when you post that signage … that means that you routinely, or semi-routinely, assess who's coming in to the property, so that you can control access,” Perez said. “But if ICE shows up with a warrant, with a subpoena, then all bets are off, and they can enter into the property and do what they need to do.”
Perez said the county has moved “incredibly” slow on this issue.
“It's embarrassing that the county is moving six months later, given how we've been facing violent, aggressive, invasive and illegal raids now for so long here in Southern California,” Perez said, adding that local governments have not been fast or creative enough in protecting immigrant and refugee communities.
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, one of the region’s largest immigrant advocacy groups, supports the motion.
"We do not want our county resources being used for federal immigration enforcement activities, which disrupt, uproot, and terrorize our communities,” Jeannette Zanipatin, policy director for CHIRLA, said in a statement. “It is important for all public spaces to be really safe for all residents.”
County staff have 30 days to draft a plan to implement the new policy.
