The best things we ate at Southern California restaurants in February

• February 28, 2025

Maybe it’s the fact that February is the shortest month of the year, but the past few weeks have definitely flown by. But that didn’t stop our features team from wining and dining across Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire.

• Also see: The best things we ate at Southern California restaurants in January

This month’s round-up features classic meals from staples in the Southern California community as well as new spots worth checking out. A hidden theme on the list? Sandwiches. Most of our reporters seemed to include a dish of a tasty filling between two slices of bread, including a Bánh Mì, a patty melt and a classic grilled cheese.

Here’s a look at the best things we ate throughout Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire in January.

Related: See the best things we ate in Southern California in 2024.

Thit Nuong/Grilled Pork Bánh Mì – Pickle Banh Mi, Long Beach

I have yet to taste bánh mì that I didn’t like, but the Thit Nuong/Grilled Pork at Pickle Banh Mi in Long Beach has taken my heart and taste buds. The Vietnamese dish has all the staples of bánh mì, including cilantro, cucumbers, jalapenos, pickled carrots and onions between a crispy baguette with a mayo and pâté spread. As for the grilled pork, it was a perfect balance of flavor without overpowering the sandwich while keeping a soft but firm texture that felt like it was melting with every bite.

— Charlie Vargas, Features Reporter

Patty melt with tallow fries – Le Hut Dinette, Santa Ana

The founders of Heritage Barbecue opened their newest spot, Le Hut Dinette, in February. Its inaugural lunch menu, conceived by the executive chef Ryan Garlitos, featured such fare as chicken and rice soup, chili cheese fries, tacos (brisket barbacoa, chicken mole, work chile verde), chocolate bibingka and, praise be, a patty melt with tallow fries. Much to my relief, the patty melt was neither a strained nor newfangled take on the classic patty melt, which, after nearly 80 years on diner menus, doesn’t benefit from reformulation. Le Hut Dinette’s sublime version comes with ground brisket, caramelized onions, requisite American cheese, pickles and special sauce sandwiched between toasted milk bread from its neighbor, 61 Hundred Bread. The dish came with a side of fries fried in tallow (beef fat), rendering them richer and tastier than their vegetable oil-fried counterparts.

— Brock Keeling, Restaurant Reporter

• Also see: Le Hut Dinette in Santa Ana announces menu and opening date

Mile High Omelet – Broken Yolk Café, Temecula

Breakfast is the best meal of the day, and for my money, the best thing for breakfast is a Denver omelet – or, if you go to Broken Yolk Café: the Mile High Omelet. One of eight omelets on the menu, this beauty was filled with diced ham, green bell pepper and onion, plus American cheese. … I later noticed I could have added diced tomato. Next time. When I visited in early February, Broken Yolk had no surcharge for egg dishes to help cover the commodity’s higher cost due to the bird flu’s effects on egg availability. Other restaurants, including Denny’s, have started tacking on an extra fee.

• Also see: Some OC restaurants are tacking on surcharges. Here’s what diners did about it

My order was served with home-style fries and a blueberry muffin; other options include hash browns, fresh fruit, Mexican rice, refried or black beans, a biscuit, English muffin, tortillas or toast. Broken Yolk Café has 30 Southern California locations, including Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Corona and Temecula.

— Jerry Rice, Audience Engagement Producer

Oxtail pho – Phởholic, Costa Mesa

While meals are frequent occasions for togetherness or celebration, there’s a certain freedom in escaping the incessant chatter of others by enjoying a meal in one’s own company. Phởholic, a small Vietnamese eatery in South Coast Plaza, understands such ethos by offering a series of private solo dining booths. During a recent visit after window shopping at stores beyond my tax bracket, I popped in for a bowl of oxtail pho, which was expectedly savory, rich and complex. Wonderful. But the highlight was the aforementioned private dining experience. Once seated in your cubicle-ish pod, a set of horizontal blinds rise revealing a window into the kitchen, a server on the other side takes your order, and a few minutes later, a pair of hands place your dish in front of you. The shutters are then lowered for immediate and maximum privacy. Turns out the best way to recover from delusional window shopping was a little window – and pho – of my own.

— Brock Keeling, Restaurant Reporter

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup – Laurel Tavern, Studio City

When it rains, all I want is a grilled cheese and tomato soup. Given the fact that Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe in Disneyland is closed for refurbishment, I wasn’t able to get the iconic combo there while at the Anaheim theme park. Because of this, I was on a quest to fill my craving. I decided to check out Laurel Tavern in Studio City which has a variety of food menu items in addition to their drink selection. The grilled cheese combo worked out beautifully. I loved the addition of roasted tomatoes inside the grilled cheese. Of course, the quality check comes from dipping the grilled cheese into the tomato soup, and it easily passed the test. I also paired my meal with their Lavender Fields mocktail, which was a refreshing beverage.

— Carolyn Burt, Audience Engagement Producer

Bacon Wrapped Bratwurst – Nava Sausage Company, Redlands

The Nava Sausage company has a great selection of various sausages to choose from. Whether you want it in a grilled cheese or straight up on a bun, there are options for you. I opted for the bacon-wrapped bratwurst with grilled onions and sauerkraut. I also got a side of garlic fries, and I highly recommend both!

— Mercedes Cannon-Tran, Local Reporter

New England and Manhattan Clam Chowder – Bluewater Grill, Temecula

Bluewater Grill marked its 10th anniversary in Temecula last week. It estimates that it has sold about 300,000 pints of clam chowder during those years. I found out why. At $11, a cup of two-in-a-bowl makes a good starter or a satisfying meal in itself. 26700 Ynez Court, Temecula. bluewatergrill.com

— Fielding Buck, Restaurant Reporter

Neapolitan meatballs – Ospi, Costa Mesa

Opening to much fanfare in December, Ospi, founded by chef Jackson Kalb, who appeared on season 19 of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” and his business partner/wife, Melissa, has turned into quite the scene for Costa Mesa. Located inside the Paseo 17 complex (where Rye Goods will open this spring), I checked out the new Italian eatery during a busy weeknight. Among the (many) menu items, which lean heavily toward pastas and pizzas, the Neapolitan meatballs proved my stand-out favorite. The exceedingly tender beef and pork spheres are mixed with ricotta and pine nuts and come topped with tomato passata and grana padano cheese. Thick slices of toasted, olive oil-infused fettunta (Italian for “soaked slices”) join the party for an overall hearty dish that, while technically an antipasti, could double as a main entree.

— Brock Keeling, Restaurant Reporter

• Also see: ‘Top Chef’ alum to open Southern Italian space in Costa Mesa

NOLA BBQ Gulf Shrimp & Grits – Jazz Kitchen Coastal Grill & Patio, Anaheim

I’ve only had shrimp and grits a few times, and each has been a different flavor combo from the last, but the Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney’s take on the meal has easily been one of my favorites. The New Orleans “BBQ Sauce” is what makes this dish. It is packed with flavor. Typically the dish comes with Andouille Sausage, but as a pescatarian, I opted without it.

— Carolyn Burt, Audience Engagement Producer

Calamansi creamsicle scoop – Stella Jean’s, Costa Mesa

I made a pit stop at Stella Jean’s Costa Mesa location to curb an ice cream fix I had one night. While the noted San Diego-based creamery offers a slew of creative ice cream flavors (salted maple, banana pudding, tiramisu crunch s’mores and ube + pandesal toffee, to name a few), the calamansi creamsicle caught my eye. Next to peanut butter and chocolate, citrus and cream is my top-tier flavor pairing when it comes to desserts. Calamansi, a small citrus fruit popular in Filipino cuisine, proved the perfect partner for Stella Jean’s vanilla. The fruit, which, if you will, sits somewhere between a lemon and a tangerine, was bright and punchy next to the smooth and rich vanilla. Another bonus: It’s vegan.

— Brock Keeling, Restaurant Reporter

Regular Fries – Blue Dog Beer Tavern, Sherman Oaks

I am on a quest to find the best place to get “girl dinner” aka a Caesar salad and french fries combo. Given the fact that this is a beer tavern, I went in with low expectations for the food, but was pleasantly surprised by just how good the fries were. Also, if you aren’t familiar with Blue Dog Beer Tavern, it’s a dog-friendly restaurant that is decorated with pictures of canines who have visited.

The staff let me know that they had actually just swapped the recipe from frozen fries to fresh cut, and had actually been met with negative reviews from those who had been huge fans of the frozen fries. Listen, to each their own, but these fresh cut fries are where it’s at. They also offer garlic fries, sweet potato fries, shore fries (tossed in a house spice mix of Italian herbs and Old Bay seasoning), garlic parmesan fries and chili cheese fries.

— Carolyn Burt, Audience Engagement Producer

Lemon Chicken and Couscous – Moun of Tunis, Los Angeles

A delicious Moroccan experience. We opted for the Moroccan feast, which consisted of about 5 courses. From the fresh pita bread and hummus to the delectable Chicken cooked to perfection, our meal was memorable! Did we also mention you sit on cushions and there are belly dancers?

— Mercedes Cannon-Tran, Local Reporter

Peanut butter saltwater taffy – Candy Baron, Laguna Beach

Whenever I find myself in downtown Laguna Beach – in the wintertime to avoid the crush of tourists who have rendered the coastal enclave impenetrable during the summer months – I make a beeline to Candy Baron to grab a fistful of saltwater taffy. My go-to pick at the 30-year-old shop is its peanut butter taffy. Reminiscent of the taffy wrapped in black and orange paper, typically found during the Halloween hauls of my youth, these taffys come with a center filled with peanut butter joy. Fret not, allergy sufferers and peanut butter deniers: Candy Baron has literal barrels filled to the brim with saltwater taffy in a variety of flavors and hues, as well as hard-to-find Kit Kat bars, candies from afar and other treats for kids ages 1 to 100.

— Brock Keeling, Restaurant Reporter

Doritos Nacho Cheese Texas Style Loaded Nachos – Doritos After Dark, Crypto.com Arena Downtown Los Angeles

Did I come to the Crypto.com Arena expecting to have my mind blown by nachos? Absolutely not. Was it? It easily became my entire personality for the night. All I could think about between acts was getting my hands on more Doritos Nachos.

@by.carolyn

Transparently I will be thinking about these Nachos until the next time I see a concert @Crypto.com Arena and can go to Doritos After Dark to be reunited with said nachos but also try the other menu items. #cryptoarena #doritos #doritosafterdark #nachos #food #foodie #doritosnachos @Doritos

♬ original sound – JP

Doritos After Dark is an exclusive restaurant inside the Crypto.com Arena where guests can try out their favorite foods with Doritos chips incorporated into the recipe. I was given an inside tip from their chef: part of what makes the nachos so good is that they’re able to use Frito Lays seasoning in the cheese sauce. The nachos use Doritos Nacho Cheese chips as the base and are topped with brisket (I opted without, but heard people raving about it), nacho cheese sauce, sliced dill pickles and sweet onions.

— Carolyn Burt, Audience Engagement Producer

• Also see: Here are the new dining offerings at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles

See more of our monthly round-ups of the best things we ate in Southern California

The best things we ate at Southern California restaurants in January

The best things we ate at Southern California restaurants in 2024

The best things we ate at Southern California restaurants in November

The best things we ate at Southern California restaurants this October

The best thing we ate at Southern California restaurants in September

The best thing we ate at Southern California restaurants in August

​ Orange County Register 

USC women’s basketball looks for repeat in UCLA rematch

• February 28, 2025

LOS ANGELES — The first game was more of an event than a game. The stands were packed, from newcomers to women’s basketball to those who have followed for years as well as family members.

Even a handful of celebrities were on hand to watch the then-No. 6 USC women’s basketball team knock off UCLA, then ranked No. 1 in the country, by 11 points. The noise inside USC’s Galen Center that night was deafening, but not loud enough to drown out the sound of the stakes in this crosstown rivalry being raised to the rafters.

The second matchup will be more game than event.

The final regular-season showdown at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion on Saturday night is expected to again bring out the fans and celebrities, having been sold out since Feb. 12. But there is so much more on the line this time than just another victory for either team, making this the biggest college basketball game in Los Angeles this season.

For starters, the second-ranked Bruins (28-1 overall, 16-1 Big Ten) want revenge. The No. 4 Trojans (26-2, 16-1) handed them their lone loss of the season, a 71-60 defeat that knocked them from the top spot in the rankings, and they want to finish the regular season on top.

The Big Ten Conference regular-season title will be decided by the outcome, with UCLA and USC holding down the top two spots and the winner getting the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Indianapolis.

Then, not to be overlooked, are the city bragging rights in this longstanding rivalry.

“We have a plan and sticking to that is our primary thing to do here,” USC senior center Rayah Marshall said after Thursday’s practice.

“Obviously, UCLA is good. They haven’t lost a game at home and it’s for all the marbles here. So, we are looking to come into Pauley Pavilion and cause an upset.”

In the first meeting, Trojans star JuJu Watkins carried her team with 38 points and eight blocked shots, each swat sending the sold-out crowd into a frenzy and sparking a joy in her game that had diminished.

Looking back to the Feb. 13 game, the sophomore sensation said she needed to shrug off the heavy expectations she carries into each game to be able to lead her team.

“I think (now) just don’t take it that seriously, honestly. I mean, at the end of the day it’s a game,” Watkins said. “To me, it’s much more than that, but just realizing that it’s a game at the end of the day, just go out there, have fun.”

USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said nothing Watkins does comes as a surprise anymore, especially the way she handles the fame that has come with her burgeoning success. Watkins is averaging 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in her second college season and has been featured in TV commercials and on billboards.

“Not only does she handle it with a lot of humility and grace, but then she also finds ways to raise her own bar on her own ceiling,” Gottlieb said. “She’s so committed to getting better. I don’t know that I’ve had a player ever just look inward (asking) what can I do to help make myself better and the team better.

“But she’s pretty remarkable in how she handles the craziness around her.”

The craziness will start again Saturday as the Trojans attempt to contain 6-foot-7 UCLA center Lauren Betts, who posted her 13th double-double of the season against USC, and junior guard Kiki Rice, who added 15 points and six assists in the loss.

“It’s an incredible spot to be in, to be in a championship game on the last day of the regular season and to be able to control our own destiny,” Gottlieb said. “We don’t have to wait and hope somebody else loses. It’s at our fingertips. And yet it’s a very hard task because UCLA is really good too. But it’s an incredible thing that I definitely don’t take for granted.”

No. 4 USC at No. 2 UCLA

When: Saturday, 6 p.m.

Where: Pauley Pavilion

TV: FOX (Ch. 11)

​ Orange County Register 

Volunteers use bullhorns and sirens to warn immigrants when ICE is in their area

• February 28, 2025

By DORANY PINEDA and ELLIOT SPAGAT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Just before dawn, 10 people met at a parking lot shared by a laundromat and coffee shop in South Central Los Angeles on what has become a daily mission: Look for immigration officers and warn people of their presence to try to prevent arrests. Bullhorns and sirens are ready for use.

“There’s raza that’s been detained,” Ron Gochez, founder of Union del Barrio’s Los Angeles chapter, said before they split up in five cars. “It seems like there’s more activity now. Let’s keep a close eye out.”

Working with other similar-size groups and using walkie-talkies, the Community Self-Defense Coalition, made up of more than 60 organizations, found nothing Thursday but appeared to have disrupted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations earlier in the week. In Los Angeles and across the country, these tactics have been a thorn in ICE’s side as it tries to carry out President Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations.

“Positive spotting right now of ICE agents at the Target in Alhambra,” Lupe Carrasco Cardona said in a live Instagram report Sunday from the Los Angeles suburb over a blaring siren to draw attention. She said at least six government vehicles were identified in the ICE operation.

Counter-ICE operations have had “a huge impact,” said John Fabbricatore, a former head of ICE’s enforcement and removal division in Denver.

“It’s dangerous for the officers because they are trying to get into a situation, maybe undercover, trying to make an arrest without alarming the neighborhood, and then these guys come out here with these bullhorns and they start yelling and screaming,” Fabbricatore said.

Advocates “go right to the edge” of a law against impeding federal law enforcement to avoid criminal prosecution, he said.

Advocates say they are exercising free speech and reminding people of their rights. ICE officers cannot forcibly enter a home without a judicial warrant, which they rarely have. Sophisticated “know-your- rights” campaigns urge people to stay inside and not open the door.

For years, including during Trump’s first administration, ICE has contended with advocates who rely on blast text messages, social media and bullhorns to spread the word.

Trump’s border czar Tom Homan was visibly angry after joining ICE officers who were met at apartments in the Denver area by activists who insulted them and used bullhorns to alert residents. He insisted word of the operation was leaked.

“The less people know about these operations, the better,” Homan said outside the White House after the Denver operation resulted in fewer arrests than expected.

ICE referred questions to the Homeland Security Department, which did not respond to questions about the advocates’ tactics and any activities in Los Angeles this week. The agency stopped releasing daily arrest figures, but Homan said last week that it made about 21,000 arrests. That’s an average of more than 600 a day, roughly double what President Joe Biden’s administration did in a 12-month period ending Sept. 30.

In the Los Angeles area, about 150 volunteers fanned out Sunday in response to rumors of ICE operations. Organizers said they spotted ICE in Alhambra and San Fernando, preventing arrests.

Volunteers meet before dawn, as many workers are heading to their jobs and when advocates believe ICE is most likely to move in. They zigzag through quiet residential streets and sleepy intersections, looking for double-parked vehicles, tinted windows and newer cars parked in red zones.

If they spot ICE officers, they hit record on their phones. They blare sirens. And through a megaphone, they announce that ICE is in the neighborhood. “They’re here.”

“We don’t use violence. We don’t break any laws. But we will do anything legally possible to defend our community,” Gochez said.

Back at the parking lot about two hours after Thursday’s mission started, the city was waking up. On the corner, a street vendor had set up her tamales stand.

“We just got a report right now that all of our patrols happening in San Diego, Escondido, California; Los Angeles, California; South Gate and Alhambra, everything is all clear right now,” said Gochez, before heading to his day job as a high school history teacher.

Spagat reported from San Diego.

​ Orange County Register 

How Disneyland Paris uses airline-style dynamic pricing

• February 28, 2025

Disneyland Paris recently adopted a demand pricing model that rewards visitors who book early and punishes those who wait too long to buy tickets for the European theme park that often serves as a testing ground for other Disney resorts around the world.

Disneyland Paris moved to an airline-style dynamic pricing model for individual dates based on seasonality and demand in November.

“Under the new system, that price can change tomorrow, next week, next month or three days before you visit,” according to Blog Mickey. “If the date that you want to visit becomes more popular between today and the date you want to visit, the price can change at any point between now and when you ultimately purchase the ticket.”

The new Disneyland Paris pricing model goes by various names in the travel industry — demand, dynamic, surge, flexible and variable.

The new model mimics pricing strategies used by airlines, hotels and rideshare operators that raises prices when demand spikes and lowers them when demand decreases.

ALSO SEE: Disneyland closes 3 attractions during busy festival season

A review of the Disneyland Paris ticket calendar stretching over the next 12 months showed prices ranging from $57 to $152 for a one-day, one-park ticket.

The most expensive dates were Bastille Day ($107), Easter weekend ($120), Halloween ($147) and New Year’s Eve ($152).

The least expensive dates were in January ($57), November ($63), September ($71) and April ($72).

The new Disneyland Paris pricing model breaks tickets into six tiers:

• Tier 1: $57 to $63
• Tier 2: $64 to $72
• Tier 3: $73 to $82
• Tier 4: $83 to $95
• Tier 5: $96 to $101
• Tier 6: $102 to $152

The highest-priced tier had three times as many dates as the lowest-priced tier over the next 12 months.

Although Tier 6 had the widest price range, most tickets in the tier stayed between $102 and $120.

The new demand-pricing model at Disneyland Paris only gives ticket buyers an hour to make their purchase before prices may fluctuate — either increasing, decreasing or remaining unchanged.

ALSO SEE: Look inside Disneyland’s new Incredibles suite with spy gadgets and secret entrances

Disneyland Paris is currently the only Disney theme park resort in the world using the airline-style dynamic ticket pricing model.

“Previously we have seen other services introduced first at Disneyland Paris and then rolled out at Disneyland and Walt Disney World,” according to Mickey Visit. “That resort has served as a sort of testing ground for new products.”

A new financial analyst report says Disneyland and Walt Disney World are expected to move to airline-style dynamic ticket pricing strategy similar to the variable pricing model rolled out last year at Disneyland Paris.

New York City-based Lightshed Partners expects Disney theme parks in the United States to shift to a dynamic ticket pricing model in the next few weeks, according to an investment note published on Feb. 21

“Given the early success of Disneyland Paris’ pricing strategy shift, we expect Disney to announce it is moving to a similar airline-style, dynamic pricing plan in the U.S. later in Q1 2025,” according to the Lightshed report.

Disneyland and Walt Disney World have no immediate plans to move to a dynamic pricing model similar to Disneyland Paris.

ALSO SEE: Disneyland Grad Nite 2025 ticket prices increase up to 17%

The shift to dynamic ticket pricing could help increase attendance and visitor spending in the parks and encourage theme park visitors to buy their tickets further in advance, according to the Lightshed report.

“If a consumer is worried that prices will go up, they are likely to purchase their tickets sooner than they probably would have done in the past,” according to the Lightshed report.

Disneyland and Disney World moved from a flat-rate ticket model to tiered pricing in 2016.

The current ticket model requires Disney’s U.S. parks to announce upcoming price increases — typically on an annual basis.

ALSO SEE: Disneyland Magic Key reservations sold out for 70th anniversary celebration kickoff

A move to a dynamic-pricing model would mean Disneyland and Disney World would never have to publicly announce ticket price increases again — or endure the headlines that come with the annual price hikes.

“In the new fully dynamic, airline-style pricing plan, there is no ‘set’ price for a ticket on any given day,” according to the Lightshed report. “The only way to find out what a ticket costs is to try and buy one at that moment in time. In turn, you never have to publicly raise ticket pricing.”

​ Orange County Register 

Federal workers will get a new email demanding their accomplishments, with a key change

• February 28, 2025

By CHRIS MEGERIAN and ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal employees should expect another email on Saturday requiring them to explain their recent accomplishments, a renewed attempt by President Donald Trump and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk to demand answers from the government workforce.

The plan was disclosed by a person with knowledge of the situation who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

The first email, which was distributed a week ago, asked employees “what did you do last week?” and prompted them to list five tasks that they completed. Musk, who empowered by Trump is aiming to downsize agencies and eliminate thousands of federal jobs, said anyone who didn’t respond would be fired. Many agencies, meanwhile, told their workforces not to respond or issued conflicting guidance.

The second email will be delivered in a different way, according to the person with knowledge of the situation, potentially making it easier to discipline employees for noncompliance.

Instead of being sent by the Office of Personnel Management, which functions as a human resources agency for the federal government but doesn’t have the power to hire or fire, the email will come from individual agencies that have direct oversight of career officials.

The plan was first reported by The Washington Post.

It’s unclear how national security agencies will handle the second email. After the first one, they directed employees not to write back because much of the agencies’ work is sensitive or classified. Less than half of federal workers responded, according to the White House.

The Office of Personnel Management ultimately told agency leaders shortly before the Monday deadline for responses that the request was optional, although it left the door open for similar demands going forward.

On Wednesday, at Trump’s first Cabinet meeting of his second term, Musk argued that his request was a “pulse check” to ensure that those working for the government have “a pulse and two neurons.”

Both Musk and Trump have claimed that some workers are either dead or fictional, and the president has publicly backed Musk’s approach.

Addressing people who didn’t respond to the first email, Trump said “they are on the bubble,” and he added that he wasn’t “thrilled” about them not responding.

“Now, maybe they don’t exist,” he said without providing evidence. “Maybe we’re paying people that don’t exist.”

In addition to recent firings of probationary employees, a memo distributed this week set the stage for large-scale layoffs and consolidation of programs.

Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

​ Orange County Register 

US consumers cut spending in January more drastically than at any point in the last four years

• February 28, 2025

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, Associated Press Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers cut back sharply on spending last month, the most since February 2021, even as inflation declined, though stiff tariffs threatened by the White House could disrupt that progress.

Americans cut their spending by 0.2% in January from the previous month, the Commerce Department said Friday, likely in part because of unseasonably cold weather. Yet the retreat may be hinting at more caution by consumers amid rising economic uncertainty.

Inflation declined to 2.5% in January compared with a year earlier, down from 2.6% in December, the government said. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices dropped to 2.6%, the lowest since June, from 2.9%.

One other bright spot in the report was that incomes jumped 0.9% in January from December, fueled in part by a large annual cost of living adjustment for Social Security beneficiaries.

Inflation spiked in 2022 to its highest level in four decades, propelling President Donald Trump to the White House and causing the Federal Reserve to rapidly raise interest rates to tame prices. It has since fallen from a peak of 7.2%.

Last month’s decline could reassure Fed officials that inflation is still slowly cooling. The Fed prefers Friday’s measure to the more widely-known consumer price index, which rose for the fourth straight month in January to 3%. Friday’s gauge calculates inflation slightly differently: For example, it puts less weight on the costs of housing and used cars.

Even so, the key question preoccupying many American consumers, investors, and business executives is whether Trump’s extensive tariff proposals will push prices higher in the coming months. Trump said Thursday he will double his recently-announced tariffs on Chinese imports to 20%, and will impose 25% import taxes on Canada and Mexico next Tuesday. The three countries are the United States’ top trading partners.

Trump is also calling for widespread layoffs of federal workers, which could cause hundreds of thousands of job losses and potentially lift the unemployment rate.

“Increased uncertainty surrounding trade, fiscal and regulatory policy is casting a shadow over the outlook,” said Lydia Boussour, a senior economist at accounting and consulting firm EY.

Americans also likely cut back on their spending after a healthy winter holiday season that saw a surge in credit card debt in December, economists noted.

On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.3% in January from the previous month, matching December’s 0.3% increase. Core prices rose 0.3%, up from 0.2% in December. If sustained, January’s increases would keep inflation running above the Fed’s target. The Fed pays more attention to core prices because they provide a better read of future inflation.

A big concern right now is whether tariffs will push up inflation, or slow the economy, or — in a particularly toxic combination — both.

A report from the Federal Reserve’s Boston branch this month concluded that 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, along with Trump’s initial 10% import taxes on China, could lift core inflation by as much as 0.8 percentage points.

The last time Trump imposed tariffs in 2018-19, inflation was largely unaffected — but those tariffs were on a much narrower range of goods. And the economy still slowed, prompting the Fed to cut interest rates.

Worries about tariffs pushing prices higher have sent consumer confidence plunging, unwinding the modest gains that had occurred after the election. Americans are also expecting inflation to move higher in the coming months. That’s a risky trend because if consumers and businesses expect higher prices, they may act in ways to lift inflation, such as accelerating their purchases and boosting demand.

​ Orange County Register 

Russia offers to restore direct air links with the US, during Istanbul talks

• February 28, 2025

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has offered the United States to restore direct air links between the two countries during the latest round of consultations with Washington, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Russian and U.S. diplomats met in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss normalizing the operation of their respective embassies that has been crippled by multiple round of diplomats’ expulsions during previous years.

The Russian Foreign Ministry hailed the talks as “substantive and businesslike” and noted in a statement that “joint steps were agreed upon to ensure unimpeded financing of the activities of diplomatic missions of Russia and the United States on a reciprocal basis and to create appropriate conditions for diplomats to perform their official duties.”

The ministry said that it also offered the U.S. “to consider the possibility of restoring direct air traffic.” It didn’t add any details or possible time frame, and there was no immediate comment from Washington on the issue.

U.S. and other Western nations cut air links with Russia as part of a slew of sanctions imposed on Moscow after it sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

The U.S.-Russia talks in Istanbul followed an understanding reached during U.S. President Donald Trump’s call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and negotiations between senior Russian and U.S. diplomats and other officials in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.

In Riyadh, Moscow and Washington agreed to start working toward ending the fighting in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties. That includes restoring staffing at embassies, which in recent years were hit hard by mutual expulsions of large numbers of diplomats, closures of offices and other restrictions.

The U.S. State Department said that during Thursday’s talks in Istanbul, the U.S. delegation “raised concerns regarding access to banking and contracted services as well as the need to ensure stable and sustainable staffing levels at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.”

“Through constructive discussions, both sides identified concrete initial steps to stabilize bilateral mission operations in these areas,” it said in a statement.

Sonata Coulter, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Russia and Central Europe who led the U.S. delegation, and Alexander Darchiyev, the head of the North America department of the Russian Foreign Ministry who headed Moscow’s team of negotiators, “agreed to hold a follow-up meeting on these issues in the near term,” the U.S. State Department said.

Putin on Thursday hailed the Trump administration’s “pragmatism and realistic view” compared with what he described as the “stereotypes and messianic ideological cliches” of its predecessors.

“The first contacts with the new U.S. administration encourage certain hopes,” Putin said. “There is a mutual readiness to work to restore relations and gradually solve a colossal amount of systemic strategic problems in the global architecture.”

​ Orange County Register 

Social Security Administration could cut up to 50% of its workforce

• February 28, 2025

By FATIMA HUSSEIN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Social Security Administration is preparing to lay off at least 7,000 people from its workforce of 60,000, according to a person familiar with the agency’s plans who is not authorized to speak publicly. The workforce reduction, according to a second person who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, could be as high as 50%.

It’s unclear how the layoffs will directly impact the benefits of the 72.5 million Social Security beneficiaries, which include retirees and children who receive retirement and disability benefits. However, advocates and Democratic lawmakers warn that layoffs will reduce the agency’s ability to serve recipients in a timely manner.

Some say cuts to the workforce are, in effect, a cut in benefits.

Later Friday, the agency sent out a news release outlining plans for “significant workforce reductions,” employee reassignments from “non-mission critical positions to mission critical direct service positions,” and an offer of voluntary separation agreements. The agency said in its letter to workers that reassignments “may be involuntary and may require retraining for new workloads.”

The layoffs are part of the Trump administration’s intensified efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce through the Department of Government Efficiency, run by President Donald Trump’s advisor Elon Musk.

A representative from the Social Security Administration did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment.

The people familiar with the agency’s plans say that SSA’s new acting commissioner Leland Dudek held a meeting this week with management and told them they had to produce a plan that eliminated half of the workforce at SSA headquarters in Washington and at least half of the workers in regional offices.

In addition, the termination of office leases for Social Security sites across the country are detailed on the DOGE website, which maintains a “Wall of Receipts,” which is a self-described “transparent account of DOGE’s findings and actions.” The site states that leases for dozens of Social Security sites across Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, and other states have been or will be ended.

“The Social Security Administration is already chronically understaffed. Now, the Trump Administration wants to demolish it,” said Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, an advocacy group for the popular public benefit program.

Altman said the reductions in force “will deny many Americans access to their hard-earned Social Security benefits. Field offices around the country will close. Wait times for the 1-800 number will soar.”

Social Security is one of the nation’s largest and most popular social programs. A January poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that two-thirds of U.S. adults think the country is spending too little on Social Security.

The program faces a looming bankruptcy date if it is not addressed by Congress. The May 2024 Social Security and Medicare trustees’ report states that Social Security’s trust funds — which cover old age and disability recipients — will be unable to pay full benefits beginning in 2035. Then, Social Security would only be able to pay 83% of benefits.

Like other agencies, DOGE has embedded into the Social Security Administration as part of Trump’s January executive order, which has drawn concerns from career officials.

This month, the Social Security Administration ’s former acting commissioner Michelle King stepped down from her role at the agency after DOGE requested access to Social Security recipient information, according to two people familiar with the official’s departure who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said in a statement that “a plan like this will result in field office closures that will hit seniors in rural communities the hardest.”

Other news organizations, including The American Prospect and The Washington Post, have reported that half of the Social Security Administration’s workforce could be on the chopping block.

​ Orange County Register