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The Brief

The most important stories for you to know today
  • News
    Artemis II photos
    Images from the far side of the moon
    By NPR Staff | NPR
    Published April 7, 2026 10:30 AM
    A third of the planet earth set against a pitch black sky. In the foreground is the brown, cratered surface of the moon.
    (
    NASA
    )

    Topline:

    During the mission's loop around the moon, the crew took geological observations of places of interest on the lunar surface with their own eyes and snapping thousands of photos of the surface.


    Historic mission: The Artemis II astronauts are making their way back to Earth after the lunar flyby. The crew became the first astronauts in over 50 years to fly around the far side of the moon. They also experienced a solar eclipse. The crew will return to Earth on Friday and splash down off the coast of California. NASA says a landing on the lunar surface won't happen until 2028, at the earliest.

    Read on. . . to look at the photos they captured.

    The Artemis II astronauts are making their way back to Earth after the lunar flyby.

    The crew became the first astronauts in over 50 years to fly around the far side of the moon. They also experienced a solar eclipse.

    During the mission's loop around the moon, the crew took geological observations of places of interest on the lunar surface with their own eyes and snapping thousands of photos of the surface.

    The crew will return to Earth on Friday and splash down off the coast of California. NASA says a landing on the lunar surface won't happen until 2028, at the earliest.

    Here is what they captured.
    Copyright 2026 NPR

    The moon with a halo of light around it. The moon appears black.
    April 6: Captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby, this image shows the moon fully eclipsing the sun. From the crew's perspective, the moon appears large enough to completely block the sun, creating nearly 54 minutes of totality and extending the view far beyond what is possible from Earth. The corona forms a glowing halo around the dark lunar disk, revealing details of the sun's outer atmosphere typically hidden by its brightness. Also visible are stars, typically too faint to see when imaging the moon, but with the moon in darkness, stars are readily imaged. This unique vantage point provides both a striking visual and a valuable opportunity for astronauts to document and describe the corona during humanity's return to deep space. The faint glow of the nearside of the moon is visible in this image, having been illuminated by light reflected off the Earth.
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    NASA
    )
    Closeup of the moon. The moon''s cratered surface appears gray.
    April 6: This is a portion of the moon coming into view along the terminator — the boundary between lunar day and night — where low-angle sunlight casts long, dramatic shadows across the surface. This grazing light accentuates the moon's rugged topography, revealing craters, ridges and basin structures in striking detail. Features along the terminator, such as Jule Crater, Birkhoff Crater, Stebbins Crater and surrounding highlands, stand out.
    (
    NASA
    )
    A tiny white dot against the blackness of space approaches a round, black moon.
    April 6: A close-up view from the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II crew's lunar flyby captures a total solar eclipse, with only part of the moon visible in the frame as it fully obscures the sun. Although the full lunar disk extends beyond the image, the sun's faint corona remains visible as a soft halo of light around the moon's edge. From this deep-space vantage point, the moon appeared large enough to sustain nearly 54 minutes of totality, far longer than total solar eclipses typically seen from Earth.
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    NASA
    )
    The silhouette of about 1/3 of the moon, appearing black. A small bit of light from the sun peeks out from behind it.
    April 6: Captured from the Orion spacecraft near the end of the Artemis II lunar flyby, this image shows the sun beginning to peek out from behind the moon as the eclipse transitions out of totality. Only a portion of the moon is visible in the frame, its curved edge revealing a bright sliver of sunlight returning after nearly an hour of darkness.
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    NASA
    )
    The moon, appearing in several shades of grey, against the blackness of space
    April 6: This image shows the moon, the near side (the hemisphere we see from Earth) visible at the right side of the disk, identifiable by the dark splotches. At lower left is Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that straddles the moon's near and far sides. Everything to the left of the crater is the far side.
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    NASA via AP
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    NASA
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    The moon is pictured through the window of a spacecraft.
    April 6: The moon is seen in the window of the Orion spacecraft, in a photo taken by the Artemis II crew, at the end of Day 5 of the journey to the moon.
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    NASA via AP
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    NASA
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    A portion of a spacecraft is pictured in space, to its right is planet earth, appearing black with 2/3rds of its surface in shadow. Beyonf earth is a quarter moon.
    April 6: The Orion spacecraft, Earth and the moon are seen from a camera as the Artemis II crew and spacecraft travel farther into space.
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    NASA via AP
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    NASA
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    A man peers out a small, round window surrounded by various mechanical gadgets. The window is inside of a spacecraft. Outside the window is the white sliver of the moon.
    April 6: Artemis II pilot and NASA astronaut Victor Glover peers out one of the Orion spacecraft's windows looking back at Earth ahead of the crew's lunar flyby.
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    NASA via AP
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    NASA
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    Four astronauts wearing matching navy blue tops inside of a spacecraft. Above them hang a small Canadian and American flag.
    April 4: Artemis II astronauts (from left) Reid Wiseman, Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch and Victor Glover gather for an interview en route to the moon.
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    NASA via AP
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    NASA
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    A woman wearing eyeglasses and a blue sleeveless top inside of a spacecraft. In the distance an American flag hangs inside the spacecraft.
    April 4: Astronaut Christina Koch preps for lunar flyby activities after completing aerobic exercise on the flywheel device.
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    NASA via AP
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    NASA
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    Half of the planet earth is pictured through the window of a spacecraft.
    April 3: An image of Earth taken by astronaut Reid Wiseman inside the Orion capsule.
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    NASA via AP
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    NASA
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    The front end of a spacecraft in space with the word "NASA" painted on it in red.
    April 3: The exterior of the Orion spacecraft Integrity is seen during the Artemis II mission en route to the moon.
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    NASA via AP
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    NASA
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    Planet earth, mostly obscured in darkness save for a sliver towards the lower left.
    April 3: The Earth seen from a window on the Orion spacecraft Integrity during the Artemis II mission en route to the moon.
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    NASA via AP
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    NASA
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    A female astronaut inside of a spacecraft. She is illuminated by a green light.
    April 3: NASA astronaut Christina Koch is illuminated by a screen inside the darkened Orion spacecraft on the third day of the agency's Artemis II mission. To the right of the image's center, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen is seen in profile peering out one of Orion's windows. Lights are turned off to avoid glare on the windows.
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    NASA via AP
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    Getty Images North America
    )
    Planet earth appears with blue and white swirls. There's a brown patch on the lower left portion of the planet.
    April 2: A view of Earth taken by Wiseman from of the Orion spacecraft's window after completing the translunar injection burn.
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    NASA via AP
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    NASA
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    A woman in profile, her hair floating in front of her. She is inside a spacecraft, looking out at planet earth through a window.
    April 2: Mission specialist Christina Koch peers out one of the Orion spacecraft's main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels toward the moon.
    (
    NASA via AP
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    NASA
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  • News
    World Cup tickets
    With days left, US opening match not sold out
    By Rafael Nam | NPR
    Published June 8, 2026 4:00 PM
    (
    Patrick T. Fallon
    /
    AFP via Getty Images
    )

    Topline:

    Something unusual is happening with only a few days remaining before the U.S. men's national team opens its World Cup campaign against Paraguay: Tickets for the match are not sold out.

    More details: Although numbers fluctuate regularly, FIFA's ticketing website still shows 132 tickets left to sell for a game that's set to take place in Los Angeles on Friday. Meanwhile, resale platforms such as StubHub and SeatGeek — and FIFA's own marketplace — also show thousands of tickets on sale.

    Why now: Ticketing experts widely agree on the reason: the prices. FIFA dramatically jacked them up for the tournament — especially for high profile games. The most expensive regular seats for the U.S. opener against Paraguay are priced at $2,735 — more than the final cost for the 2022 World Cup final — while the cheapest are $1,120.

    Read on... for more on the opening matches.

    Something unusual is happening with only a few days remaining before the U.S. men's national team opens its World Cup campaign against Paraguay: Tickets for the match are not sold out.

    Although numbers fluctuate regularly, FIFA's ticketing website still shows 132 tickets left to sell for a game that's set to take place in Los Angeles on Friday. Meanwhile, resale platforms such as StubHub and SeatGeek — and FIFA's own marketplace — also show thousands of tickets on sale.

    The number is even higher for Canada's opening match against Bosnia Herzegovina in Toronto on the same day, with 226 tickets left in FIFA's website and a high number of tickets available in resale markets.

    That's unusual for high-profile events such as the opening matches of the World Cup — traditionally among the hardest to get tickets in the tournament. This year will feature three hosts in the U.S., Canada and Mexico — but so far only Mexico's opening match against South Africa on Thursday looks to be virtually sold out.

    Ticketing experts widely agree on the reason: the prices. FIFA dramatically jacked them up for the tournament — especially for high profile games. The most expensive regular seats for the U.S. opener against Paraguay are priced at $2,735 — more than the final cost for the 2022 World Cup final — while the cheapest are $1,120.


    Even President Trump said he wouldn't pay those prices.

    "I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn't pay it either, to be honest with you," Trump told the New York Post in a recent interview.

    The other two remaining games for the U.S. national have far fewer tickets available, given that prices are well below the ones for the opening match.

    Prices have also fallen sharply

    There are not only plenty of tickets left to sell — a number of them are also available below FIFA's face value. According to Ticketdata, which tracks prices across the resale platforms, the cheapest pair of tickets for the opening match for the U.S. and Canada was $951 as of Monday morning, while in FIFA's resale platform, tickets were available for as low as $690.

    Other games across the 104-match tournament also still have many tickets left to sell — despite FIFA President Gianni Infantino's claim that every match is "already sold out." That's especially the case for lesser well known teams such as the Jordan against Algeria match, which still had hundreds of unsold seats in the FIFA's web site.

    Demand for high-profile tickets such as Argentina and Portugal was far higher, however, with many of those games looking largely sold out.

    Will the opening matches sell out?

    Whether eventually the U.S. and Canada opening matches will sell out is hard to answer. Throughout the sales process, FIFA has closely guarded how many tickets it has actually sold and how many are left to sell, making it virtually impossible to gauge.

    In addition, like other teams, FIFA could also sell tickets in other platforms including third-party ones such as SeatGeek, which can further obscure how many tickets are left to sell.

    FIFA and organizers, however, are hoping for a surge in excitement that leads to a last-minute rush of sales for the opening matches as well as for those such as Jordan against Algeria that look far from being sold out.

    Ben Shields, a senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, says perceptions so far of the tournament have been shaped by how expensive tickets and travel has been for a tournament taking place across an entire continent.

    That, he says, "does not seem to sit well with many."

    But that could change.

    "The hope or bet — for FIFA is that once the matches start — and the greatest players in the world compete for the most prestigious prize of them all, the sport as business lens will fade into the background and the World Cup will be seen and experienced as the enduring global institution that it is," Shields says. "We shall see."
    Copyright 2026 NPR

  • Sponsored message
  • Civics & Democracy
    Do scheme money debate
    OC supervisors expected to discuss Tuesday
    Nick Gerda
    Nick Gerda is an accountability reporter who has covered local government in Southern California for more than a decade.
    Published June 8, 2026 3:46 PM
    A man in a chair wearing a suit jacket, tie and glasses looks forward with a microphone in front of him. A sign in front has the official seal of the County of Orange and states "Andrew Do, Vice Chairman, District 1."
    Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do at the board of supervisors meeting on Nov. 28, 2023
    (
    Nick Gerda / LAist
    )

    Topline:

    Orange County’s top elected leaders on Tuesday are set to discuss what to do with $3.7 million recovered from the Andrew Do corruption scheme.

    The backstory: Do is now serving a five-year sentence in federal prison after he admitted to accepting bribes in exchange for awarding millions in tax dollars meant to feed needy seniors and people with disabilities in his district. As part of the plea deal, Do acknowledged taking over $800,000 in bribes through his two daughters, including a down payment on the house his youngest daughter Rhiannon Do later forfeited to resolve the criminal case. The scheme was first uncovered by LAist.

    What they want: Ahead of Tuesday’s discussion, Do’s successor — Janet Nguyen — said the funds should support residents of his former district who were deprived by Do and his alleged co-conspirators. Other supervisors have advocated a broader view of how they’d want to use the money.

    Orange County’s top elected leaders on Tuesday are set to discuss what to do with $3.7 million recovered from the Andrew Do corruption scheme.

    Do is now serving a five-year sentence in federal prison after he admitted to accepting bribes in exchange for awarding millions in tax dollars meant to feed needy seniors and people with disabilities in his district.

    As part of the plea deal, Do acknowledged taking more than $800,000 in bribes through his two daughters, including a down payment on the house his youngest daughter Rhiannon Do later forfeited to resolve the criminal case. The scheme was first uncovered by LAist.

    Federal officials recovered money from seized bank accounts and two properties connected to Do’s scheme — including the Tustin house his daughter bought.

    The county Board of Supervisors is expected to publicly discuss plans for the recovered funds as they make decisions on the overall county budget at their meeting Tuesday. Public comment will also be taken.

    What to do with the money?

    Ahead of Tuesday’s discussion, Do’s successor said the funds should support residents of his former district who were deprived by Do and his alleged co-conspirators.

    “For the past five years, every other district in Orange County has benefitted from the same community funds to support their cities, nonprofits, civic projects which strengthens their communities,” Supervisor Janet Nguyen wrote in a mass email to constituents last week. “However, our district went without because Do stole what belonged to our residents.”

    “This money was stolen from the First District, and it must come back to the First District,” Nguyen added.

    Nguyen was Do’s mentor and former boss more than a decade ago, before the two had a bitter falling out by 2016.

    She encouraged residents of her district to send letters to the board and to speak during public comments.

    Several county supervisors told LAist they supported a similar approach, one in which the recovered money goes to support the original intended recipients: seniors and people with disabilities in Do’s former district. Some supervisors have since advocated a broader view of how they’d want to use the money, noting that it was meant to address disruptions caused by the pandemic. Now that years have passed since the initial COVID-19 outbreak and lockdowns, some supervisors argue community needs have changed.

    “We are so many years on, and the problems that money originally was to address (mostly Covid impacts) are now behind us, that I think we should have a discussion about how and where to spend it,” Supervisor Don Wagner told LAist via text message in March. “The budget is so tight and the needs so great across the county.”

    Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said he’d work toward a fair distribution of the funds to best serve residents, with a focus on current needs.

    “We will definitely consider what areas of the County were harmed by Do’s scheme, but we must also remember that the funds were intended for relief efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, a threat we are no longer facing,” he said in March. “We also need to consider addressing the current needs of residents with any dollars returned to the county.”

    Millions more haven’t been recovered, at least yet

    The amount of taxpayer money recovered so far is less than half of the $7.9 million Andrew Do admitted was diverted from specific meal contracts.

    In a lawsuit seeking to recover funds, the county alleges the total amount lost in the scheme was even larger: $13.25 million. The county’s suit — scheduled for trial in November 2027 — covers all of the money Do gave to two nonprofits accused in the scheme, Viet America Society and Hand to Hand Relief Organization.

    How to reach me

    If you have a tip, you can reach me on Signal. My username is ngerda.47.

    That leaves more than $4 million — and possibly much more — not yet recovered.

    A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office noted they have an ongoing criminal case against Do’s alleged co-conspirator Peter Pham.

    “Assuming we obtain a conviction in that matter, we would expect to seek restitution,” the spokesperson, Ciaran McEvoy, said.

    Pham left the country on a flight to Taiwan in late 2024 and remains a fugitive, according to McEvoy. The case against him also includes charges against another alleged co-conspirator, Thanh Huong Nguyen, who led the Hand to Hand nonprofit.
  • News
    World Cup in Irvine
    Fans watch US men’s national team's practice
    Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
    Adolfo Guzman-Lopez is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA team.
    Published June 8, 2026 3:11 PM
    A mother and daughter with medium skinned stand smiling. The daughter is wearing a stars and stripe head scarf. Behind them is a soccer field with players standing and sitting.
    The U.S. Men's National Team at their only open-to-the-public practice session in Irvine.
    (
    Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
    /
    LAist
    )

    Topline:

    More than 6,000 fans watched a U.S. Men's National Soccer Team practice Monday morning at their base camp at Great Park Sports Complex in Irvine. It's the only time the team will practice in public during the World Cup.

    Why it matters: For fans of the US Men's National Soccer Team, it's a rare chance to see them without an expensive ticket. Thousands signed up for a lottery, with many left disappointed.

    What's at stake: The U.S. men’s team is representing co-host country USA in this 2026 World Cup, a country that has millions of youth in soccer leagues nationwide but that is often bested in international play by much smaller countries.

    Why Irvine: The team will use the soccer field and stadium at the Great Park as their training facility during the team’s three group play matches at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

    The backstory: The U.S. men’s team has not made it to quarterfinals in the World Cup since 2002.

    What's next: The U.S. plays Paraguay on June 12, Australia on June 19, and Turkey on June 25 in group play at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

    Fans of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team swelled the stadium at the Great Park in Irvine on Monday to watch players practice for the first time since arriving at the training facility they’ll call home for the first round of the 2026 World Cup.

    “Seeing them play right now… it was really cool to see how they play and how they practice,” said Mila Ran, who came with her mother from nearby Mission Viejo.

    “This whole time she’s saying, 'I want to go shoot, I want to go play,'” said Mila’s mother, Farah Ran.

    They were among about 6,000 people who won free entry to the practice in a lottery that received more than 30,000 entries, according to Irvine officials.

    A light skinned teenage boy and a light skinned woman, both wearing Team USA T shirts, stand in line next to a green field.
    Fans got to the venue early.
    (
    Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
    /
    LAist
    )

    The team’s biggest stars — Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson and others — showed off their ball handling skills, honed over years of play on U.S. youth fields and overseas in professional leagues. Fans yelled, waved U.S. flags, held up homemade signs, and did the wave several times.

    Soccer players wearing a black uniform play soccer on a green pitch.
    The U.S. Men's National Team at their only open-to-the-public practice session in Irvine.
    (
    Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
    /
    LAist
    )

    After the roughly 45-minute practice, some players walked to the sidelines to take selfies with fans and sign autographs.

    The players know it’s going to take more than this, however, to live up to expectations during the World Cup.

    A light skinned man with blonde hair tied into a bun, wearing a soccer strip, kneels down to sign an autograph for a young boy with medium skin and dark hair. He's surrounded by other young boys wearing USA soccer shirts.
    US men's national team player Tim Ream signs an autograph for a fan.
    (
    Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
    /
    LAist
    )

    “To be in a position to train in front of these people today… is such a unique opportunity and one that none of us take for granted,” said backup goalie Matt Freese before the practice. “We’re working as hard as we can, as focused as we can to leave the next generation inspired."

    The U.S. men’s team and their training staff will use the Great Park facility over the next several weeks as the team plays Paraguay on Friday, Australia on June 19, and Turkey on June 25 in group play at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
  • Criminal Justice
    Trial starts for man
    Accused of starting deadly Palisades Fire
    Yusra Farzan
    Yusra Farzan covers Orange County and its 34 cities, watching those long meetings — boards, councils and more — so you don’t have to.
    Published June 8, 2026 1:00 PM
    A distraught woman holds a bag while gesturing to a car as fire and smoke billow in the background.
    A woman cries as the Palisades Fire advances in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025.
    (
    Etienne Laurent
    /
    AP
    )

    Topline:

    Jury selection began Monday for the trial of the man accused of igniting a fire that led to the deadly and destructive Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of structures.

    The charges: Jonathan Rinderknecht is charged with one count of destruction of property by means of fire, one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and one count of setting timber afire. He could face up to 45 years in federal prison.

    How we got here: Prosecutors allege Rinderknecht set brush alight near a popular hiking trail in the Santa Monica Mountains on New Year’s Day, starting the Lachman Fire. Firefighters initially thought they put out the fire, but it remained smoldering underground for several days. High winds then brought the embers to the surface, sparking the Palisades Fire, which burned more than 23,000 acres.

    Jury selection began Monday for the trial of the man accused of igniting a fire that led to the deadly and destructive Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of structures.

    Jonathan Rinderknecht is charged with one count of destruction of property by means of fire, one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and one count of setting timber afire. He could face up to 45 years in federal prison.

    How we got here

    Prosecutors allege Rinderknecht set brush alight near a popular hiking trail in the Santa Monica Mountains on New Year’s Day, starting the Lachman Fire. Firefighters initially thought they put out the fire, but it remained smouldering underground for several days. High winds then brought the embers to the surface, sparking the Palisades Fire, which burned more than 23,000 acres.

    What prosecutors say

    In a court filing in April, prosecutors allege Rinderknecht displayed “extreme anger, indignation, and frustration” because he had to spend New Year's Eve alone. After driving around for Uber, Rinderknecht hiked up a popular trail and set chaparral alight in a clearing, according to prosecutors.

    “He then started calling 911 multiple times, hiked down the hill, and fled the area in his car before firefighters arrived. Defendant returned to the area after he saw fire trucks arriving and then took videos of the firefighting efforts,” prosecutors wrote.

    The filing also states that Rinderknecht threatened to burn down his sister’s home.

    Prosecutors are expected to argue that Rinderknecht started the smaller blaze knowing it could turn into a bigger inferno.

    U.S. District Court Judge Anne Hwang has previously expressed the government’s position could confuse jurors.

    What the defense says

    Defense attorney Steve Haney previously told reporters that prosecutors were trying to blame Rinderknecht for a fire that started days before the Palisades Fire.

    "Well what about what happened between Jan. 1 and Jan. 7?" he asked. "Jonathan wasn't out there with a fire hose putting that fire out at the Lachman location, the Fire Department was. So why are they blaming him for whatever the Fire Department didn't do?"