The LA Phil announces The Ford 2025 season

• May 14, 2025

The LA Phil has announced its 2025 season at The Ford, running July 18 through October 31.

Now in its sixth season with the LA Phil at the helm, the historic amphitheater continues to build on its legacy, offering an eclectic mix of performances in one of the region’s most peaceful and picturesque outdoor settings. From orchestral evenings to global music nights, the season reflects the venue’s growing role as a cultural haven tucked into the Santa Monica Mountains.

This year’s schedule offers a mix of music, dance, film, theater, comedy, and spoken word. The season opens with a celebration of hip-hop classic Labcabincalifornia, as The Pharcyde & Friends perform the album live on July 18, followed by the comedic trio Perritos World on July 19, and If I Awaken in Los Angeles, a multidisciplinary love letter to the city on Aug. 1.

The Ford also spotlights Latin artistry with Bajo la Luna on Aug. 31, Noche de Cumbia on Sept. 13, and Tributo A Los Grandes on Sept. 28, honoring icons like José José, Juan Gabriel, and Vicente Fernández. Longtime favorites like Boleros De Noche on Aug. 2, Serenatas y Bodas de México on Aug. 16, and Leyendas del Mariachi on Aug. 7 return, offering a range of traditional sounds with contemporary interpretations.

More highlights include Grammy-nominated Pino Palladino & Blake Mills on Sept. 26, pop artist Andy Grammer on Aug. 10, and a collaborative set from Joe Bataan and Quetzal on Oct. 25, alongside the LA Soundscapes family programming series. Other anticipated performances feature JP Saxe, Aly & AJ, Betty Who with the LA Phil, Lula Washington Dance Theatre, and genre-defying pianist Sofiane Pamart.

Beyond performances, the FordLab program continues to support emerging creatives, and Cornerstone Theater Company’s Direct Address on Oct. 24 tackles the political through public performance.

Ticket packages are available now at theford.com, with single-show tickets going on sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 20. The LA Soundscapes series also offers up to two free children’s tickets, ages 12 and under, with each full-price purchase. Programs and pricing are subject to change.

To make getting there easier, shuttles run from both Ovation Hollywood and the Universal City/Studio City Metro station. Additional parking and transportation details are available at theford.com.

​ Orange County Register 

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross announce first Future Ruins film-TV festival

• May 14, 2025

Award-winning composers, musicians, and longtime collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are putting together a lineup of some of the world’s most influential film and television composers for a one-day concert full of homages for film score lovers.

The Future Ruins Festival, happening on Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, will allow composers including Danny Elfman, John Carpenter, Questlove and more to reimagine their work for a live audience. The event will feature electronic sets, live bands and orchestral performances, allowing fans of musical compositions to experience the live debuts of composers who rarely appear onstage.

“It’s about giving people who are, literally, the best in the world at taking audiences on an emotional ride via music the opportunity to tell new stories in an interesting live setting,” said Reznor in a press statement.

Tickets for the festival go on sale at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21, via futureruins.com.

Here is the full composer lineup for the inaugural Future Ruins Festival.

• Cristóbal Tapia de Veer (“Babygirl,” “Smile,” “The White Lotus,” “Black Mirror,” “Utopia” (UK), Philip K. Dick’s “Electric Dreams,” “Ponyboi,” “The Third Day,” “National Treasure” (UK), “The Girl With All The Gifts, Humans”)
• Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow (“Ex Machina,” “Civil War,” “Men,” “Drokk,” “Annihilation,” “Luce,” “Free Fire,” “Black Mirror,” “Devs”)
• Danny Elfman (“Batman,” “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Beetlejuice,” “Men in Black,” “Good Will Hunting,” “Charlie & The Chocolate Factory,” “Big Fish,” “Alice In Wonderland,” “Spider-Man,” “Milk”)
• Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin (“Suspiria,” “Profondo Rosso/Deep Red,” “Dawn of the Dead,” “Demons,” “Tenebrae,” “Phenomena,” “Opera”)
• Hildur Guðnadóttir (“Joker,” “Chernobyl,” “A Haunting in Venice,” “Sicario: Day of the Soldado,” “Mary Magdalene,” “Tár,” “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” “Women Talking,” “Hedda”)
• A performance of Howard Shore’s score of David Cronenberg’s “Crash”
• Isobel Waller-Bridge (“Munich: The Edge of War,” “Emma.,” “Black Mirror,” “I Came By,” “Wicked Little Letters,” “Fleabag,” “The Lesson,” “The Boy,” “the Mole,” “the Fox and the Horse,” “Magpie,” “Sweetpea”)
• John Carpenter (“Halloween,” “They Live,” “The Thing,” “Christine,” “Escape From New York”)
• Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein (“Stranger Things,” “Lost in the Night,” “The Hole in the Fence,” “Spheres,” “Native Son,” “Butterfly,” “Retaliators,” “Valley of the Boom”)
• Mark Mothersbaugh (“The Life Aquatic,” “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Rushmore,” “Bottle Rocket,” “Rugrats,” “The Lego Movie,” “A Minecraft Movie,” “Cocaine Bear,” “Thor: Ragnarok”)
• Questlove (presents the score works of Curtis Mayfield)
• Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (“Candyman,” “Master,” “Telemarketers,” “The Color of Care,” “Grasshopper Republic,” “Power,”” Unvion,” “Seeds,” “Life After”)
• Tamar-kali (“Mudbound,” “Shirley,” “The Assistant,” “The Fire Inside,” “The Last Thing He Wanted,” “Come Sunday,” “Palmer,” “The Lie,” “Little Richard: I am Everything”)
• Terence Blanchard (“BlacKkKlansman,” “Malcolm X,” “Inside Man,” “Da 5 Bloods,” “When the Levees Broke,” “One Night in Miami,” “The Woman King,” “Perry Mason”)
• Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (“The Social Network,” “Watchmen,” “Gone Girl,” “Soul,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “Challengers,” “Empire of Light,” “Waves,” “The Vietnam War,” “Mank,” “The Killer”)
• Volker Bertelmann AKA Hauschka (“All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Conclave,” “Lion,” “The Amateur,” “Dune: Prophecy,” “The Day of the Jackal,” “Hollywoodgate,” “Adrift,” “War Sailor,” “The Old Guard,” “Stowaway,” “Patrick Melrose”)

​ Orange County Register 

Prosecutor in Trump classified files case takes 5th Amendment in private interview with Congress

• May 14, 2025

By ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key prosecutor on the classified documents case against President Donald Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a congressional interview Wednesday, declining to answer questions because of concern about the Trump administration’s willingness to “weaponize the machinery of government” against perceived adversaries, a spokesman said.

Jay Bratt had been subpoenaed to appear before the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee for a closed-door interview but did not answer substantive questions because of his Fifth Amendment constitutional right to remain silent.

Bratt spent more than three decades at the Justice Department before retiring in January, just weeks before President Donald Trump took office. He was a key national security prosecutor on special counsel Jack Smith’s team, which in 2023 charged Trump with illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and with obstructing the government’s efforts to recover them.

“He did not choose to investigate Mar-a-Lago; rather, the facts and evidence of a serious breach of law and national security led him there,” said Peter Carr, a spokesman for Justice Connection, a network of Justice Department alumni.

“This administration and its proxies have made no effort to hide their willingness to weaponize the machinery of government against those they perceive as political enemies,” Carr added. “That should alarm every American who believes in the rule of law. In light of these undeniable and deeply troubling circumstances, Mr. Bratt had no choice but to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights.”

The statement describes Bratt as someone who spent his career in public service “protecting our nation from some of the gravest national security threats—including spies, murderers, and other criminal actors—always without fear or favor.”

A federal judge in Florida dismissed the prosecution last year after concluding that Smith had been illegally appointed to the special counsel role. The Justice Department’s appeal of that decision was pending at the time of Trump’s presidential win in November, at which point Smith’s team abandoned that case and a separate prosecution charging Trump with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Since taking office, Trump has engaged in a far-reaching retribution campaign against officials he regards as adversaries.

His administration has issued executive orders aimed at punishing major law firms, including some with current or past associations with prosecutors who previously investigated him. The Justice Department, meanwhile, has fired lawyers who served on Smith’s team and also established a “weaponization working group” aimed at reviewing actions taken during the Biden administration. That group is led by Ed Martin, whose nomination to be the top federal prosecutor in Washington was pulled by the White House last week.

​ Orange County Register 

What the EPA’s partial rollback of the ‘forever chemical’ drinking water rule means

• May 14, 2025

By MICHAEL PHILLIS, Associated Press

On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to weaken limits on some harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water roughly a year after the Biden administration finalized the first-ever national standards.

The Biden administration said last year the rules could reduce PFAS exposure for millions of people. It was part of a broader push by officials then to address drinking water quality by writing rules to require the removal of toxic lead pipes and, after years of activist concern, address the threat of forever chemicals.

President Donald Trump has sought fewer environmental rules and more oil and gas development. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has carried out that agenda by announcing massive regulatory rollbacks.

Now, we know the EPA plans to rescind limits for certain PFAS and lengthen deadlines for two of the most common types. Here are some of the essential things to know about PFAS chemicals and what the EPA decided to do:

Please explain what PFAS are to me

PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of chemicals that have been around for decades and have now spread into the nation’s air, water and soil.

They were manufactured by companies such as 3M, Chemours and others because they were incredibly useful. They helped eggs slide across nonstick frying pans, ensured that firefighting foam suffocates flames and helped clothes withstand the rain and keep people dry.

The chemicals resist breaking down, however, which means they stay around in the environment.

And why are they bad for humans?

Environmental activists say that PFAS manufacturers knew about the health harms of PFAS long before they were made public. The same attributes that make the chemicals so valuable – resistance to breakdown – make them hazardous to people.

PFAS accumulates in the body, which is why the Biden administration set limits for two common types, often called PFOA and PFOS, at 4 parts per trillion that are phased out of manufacturing but still present in the environment.

There is a wide range of health harms now associated with exposure to certain PFAS. Cases of kidney disease, low-birth weight and high cholesterol in addition to certain cancers can be prevented by removing PFAS from water, according to the EPA.

The guidance on PFOA and PFOS has changed dramatically in recent years as scientific understanding has advanced. The EPA in 2016, for example, said the combined amount of the two substances should not exceed 70 parts per trillion. The Biden administration later said no amount is safe.

There is nuance in what the EPA did

The EPA plans to scrap limits on three types of PFAS, some of which are less well known. They include GenX substances commonly found in North Carolina as well as substances called PFHxS and PFNA. There is also a limit on a mixture of PFAS, which the agency is also planning to rescind.

It appears few utilities will be impacted by the withdrawal of limits for these types of PFAS. So far, sampling has found nearly 12% of U.S. water utilities are above the Biden administration’s limits. But most utilities face problems with PFOA or PFOS.

For the two commonly found types, PFOA and PFOS, the EPA will keep the current limits in place but give utilities two more years — until 2031 — to meet them.

Announcement is met with mixed reaction

Some environmental groups argue that the EPA can’t legally weaken the regulations. The Safe Water Drinking Act gives the EPA authority to limit water contaminants, and it includes a provision meant to prevent new rules from being looser than previous ones.

“The law is very clear that the EPA can’t repeal or weaken the drinking water standard,” said Erik Olson, a senior strategist at the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council.

Environmental activists have generally slammed the EPA for not keeping the Biden-era rules in place, saying it will worsen public health.

Industry had mixed reactions. The American Chemistry Council questioned the Biden administration’s underlying science that supported the tight rules and said the Trump administration had considered the concerns about cost and the underlying science.

“However, EPA’s actions only partially address this issue, and more is needed to prevent significant impacts on local communities and other unintended consequences,” the industry group said.

Leaders of two major utility industry groups, the American Water Works Association and Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, said they supported the EPA’s decision to rescind a novel approach to limit a mix of chemicals. But they also said the changes do not substantially reduce the cost of the PFAS rule.

Some utilities wanted a higher limit on PFOA and PFOS, according to Mark White, drinking water leader at the engineering firm CDM Smith.

They did, however, get an extension.

“This gives water pros more time to deal with the ones we know are bad, and we are going to need more time. Some utilities are just finding out now where they stand,” said Mike McGill, president of WaterPIO, a water industry communications firm.

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

​ Orange County Register 

Divisions emerge among House Republicans over how much to cut taxes and Medicaid in Trump’s bill

• May 14, 2025

By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cheers broke out early Wednesday as Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee signed off on the GOP tax breaks bill after a grueling round-the-clock session that pushed President Donald Trump’s package past overwhelming Democratic opposition.

But there’s still more work to do.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also worked past midnight trying to resolve issues with Trump’s plan. Opposition is mounting from various corners of the GOP majority as he tries to muscle the party’s signature package to passage without any votes from Democrats.

On the one hand, the conservative leader of the Freedom Caucus derides the new Medicaid work requirements as a “joke” that do not go far enough at cost-cutting. Meanwhile, a handful of GOP lawmakers from New York and other high-tax states are refusing to support the measure unless changes are made to give deeper state and local tax deductions, called SALT, for their constituents back home.

“To say we have a gulf is an understatement,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a leader of the conservative wing.

Roy said there is “a significant number of us who could not bless this product” in its current form.

Nevertheless, momentum is building toward an end-of-the-week inflection point to stitch together the sprawling package. That means combining hundreds of pages of bill text covering $5 trillion in tax breaks and at least $1.5 trillion in spending reductions on Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs to deliver Trump’s second-term legislative priority.

Democrats decry the package as a give away to the wealthy at the expense of safety net programs that millions of Americans rely on. But Johnson insists the Republican majority is on track to pass the package by Memorial Day, May 26, sending it to the Senate where Republicans are crafting their own version. With his slim majority, he can only afford a few defections from his ranks.

“We’re still on target,” Johnson said at the Capitol. “The American people are counting on us.”

Democrats also stayed up all night forcing marathon public hearings. One at the House Energy and Commerce Committee was still going more than 26 hours later before finishing Wednesday afternoon. All told, Democrats proposed hundreds of amendments trying to change the package, with dozens of votes that largely failed.

“It is a cruel, mean, rotten bill,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., as the House Agriculture Committee debated changes to the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program, known as SNAP.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said at least 7.6 million fewer people would have health insurance with the changes to Medicaid, and possibly more with additional changes to the Affordable Care Act.

The CBO also gave lawmakers a preliminary analysis showing that 3 million fewer people each month would participate in the SNAP food program under the changes proposed.

More than 70 million Americans rely on Medicaid for health care, and about 40 million use SNAP.

The Republicans are targeting Medicaid and SNAP for a combined $1 trillion in cuts as a way to offset the costs of the tax package, but also to achieve GOP goals of reining in the social safety net programs.

Most of the cost-savings would come from imposing stiffer work requirements for those receiving the health care and food assistance, meaning fewer people would qualify for the aid. The legislation would raise from 54 to 64 the age of able-bodied adults without dependents who would have to work to qualify for SNAP. It also would also require some parents of children older than 7 — it’s now 18 — to work to qualify for the benefits. Under current law, those recipients must work or participate in a work program for 80 hours a month.

The chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., insists the changes would “strengthen and sustain” Medicaid for the future, and are the kind of “common sense” policies Trump promised voters.

But Democrats told repeated stories of their constituents struggling to access health care. Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., revealed his own diagnosis with Type 2 diabetes at the House Ways and Means Committee hearing and the sticker shock of health costs.

Democrats had proposals to revive subsidies to help people buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Most of the amendments were failing.

One of the most difficult issues for Johnson, has been the more localized debate over state and local taxes as he works to come up with a compromise for New York, California and New Jersey lawmakers. They have rejected an offer to triple the deduction cap, now at $10,000, to $30,000 for married couples.

The speaker met for more than an hour with lawmakers in his office and later into the night.

Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., said the talks were cordial, but there was no deal. “More sizzle than steak in that meeting,” he said late Tuesday.

“The reality is you need 218 votes to pass a bill and the way this bill is currently constructed, it will not have that because it does not adequately the issue of SALT,” said Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y.

The lawmakers believe they have leverage in the talks because without a deal, the $10,000 limit established under the 2017 tax bill expires at the end of the year and reverts to no cap at all.

“These things are in negotiation,” LaLota said, adding that his constituents “shouldn’t be asked to pay for the large amount of the bill like the were asked to pay for it eight years ago.”

But as Johnson and the lawmakers edge closer to a SALT deal, the conservatives are balking that their priorities must also be met.

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., said he’s a no for now, but would be working to improve the bill so that he could support it.

The conservatives argue that the tax breaks without deeper spending cuts will pile onto the deficit, and they worry that the Medicaid reductions do not go far enough in rolling back federal funds to expand the Affordable Care Act. They also want the work requirements, which don’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2029, to start sooner.

“Basically Republicans are enforcing Obamacare, which is a surreal situation to me,” Burlison said.

Republicans are racing to extend Trump’s tax breaks, which are set to expire later this year, while adding the new ones he campaigned on in 2024, including no taxes on tips, Social Security benefits and others.

A new analysis from the Joint Committee on Taxation shows that most tax filers would see a lower tax rates under the proposal, except those at the lowest rates, who earn less than $15,000 a year. Their average tax rate would go up.

Associated Press writers Matt Brown, Mary Clare Jalonick and Leah Askarinam contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

Missouri lawmakers approve referendum to repeal abortion-rights amendment

• May 14, 2025

By DAVID A. LIEB, Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Six months after Missouri voters approved an abortion-rights amendment, Republican state lawmakers on Wednesday approved a new referendum that would seek the amendment’s repeal and instead ban most abortions with exceptions for rape an incest.

The newly proposed constitutional amendment would go back to voters in November 2026, or sooner, if Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe calls a special election before then.

Republican senators used a series of rare procedural moves to cut off discussion by opposing Democrats before passing the proposed abortion-rights revision by a 21-11 vote. The measure passed the Republican-led House last month.

Immediately after vote, protestors erupted with chants of “Stop the ban!” and were ushered out of the Senate chamber.

Missouri’s abortion policies have swung dramatically in recent years.

When the U.S. Supreme Court ended a nationwide right to abortion by overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, it triggered a Missouri law to take effect banning most abortions. But abortion-rights activists gathered initiative petition signatures in an attempt to reverse that.

Last November, Missouri voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing a right to abortion until fetal viability, generally considered sometime past 21 weeks of pregnancy. The amendment also allows later abortions to protect the life or health of pregnant women.

The new measure would seek the repeal the abortion-rights amendment and instead allow abortions only for a medical emergency or fetal anomaly, or in cases of rape or incest up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. It also would prohibit gender transition surgeries, hormone treatments and puberty blockers for minors, which already are barred under state law.

​ Orange County Register 

What happens next for the Menendez brothers?

• May 14, 2025

By JAIMIE DING and CHRISTOPHER WEBER

A judge’s ruling made Lyle and Erik Menendez eligible for parole, but they still face multiple hurdles in their fight to be released from prison nearly three decades after they were convicted of murdering their parents in 1989.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic reduced the brothers’ sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life on Tuesday, making them eligible for parole under California’s youthful offender law. The law gives people convicted of crimes committed under the age of 26 the opportunity to be considered for release if they have shown they have matured and been rehabilitated.

The brothers could present their case before a parole board as soon as next month. That’s because they already had a hearing before the board scheduled for June 13 in a clemency petition they had submitted to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

It’s likely that June appearance will also serve as their formal parole hearing, according to David Ring, a Los Angeles trial attorney who’s not involved with the Menendez case.

If parole is granted, it would be up to the governor to approve or deny it.

“And that’s why it kind of merges with the clemency request, because that’s also Newsom’s decision,” Ring said.

The governor hasn’t indicated how he might decide if parole is granted. He said Wednesday that he needs to see what the board recommends but noted that he’s rejected parole in the past. He also said it’s still to be determined whether everything will be combined on June 13.

The shotgun killings of the entertainment executive, Jose Menendez, and his wife, Kitty, in their wealthy Beverly Hills neighborhood were brutal. Their older son, Lyle Menendez, was the one who called 911, with the brothers initially claiming the killing was Mafia-related or connected to their father’s business dealings.

The brothers have argued that they committed the crimes in self-defense after years of abuse by their father.

Here’s a look at what comes next:

What happened at the resentencing?

The brothers’ lawyers turned to family members and those who knew the brothers since their conviction to speak to their character and rehabilitation in prison in front of Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic.

The family called for their release and the judge said he was especially moved by a letter from a prison official who supported resentencing, which the official hadn’t done for any other incarcerated person during his 25-year career.

“I’m not saying they should be released; it’s not for me to decide,” Jesic said. “I do believe they’ve done enough in the past 35 years that they should get that chance.”

Prosecutors, who opposed the brothers’ resentencing, did not call any witnesses. They argued that the brothers haven’t taken full responsibility for their crimes.

Who might testify at the parole hearing?

Ring said it will likely be a “one-side parole hearing in their favor,” because all surviving family members want them to be released.

Typically, it’s relatives of the crime victims, or even the victims themselves, who argue that an inmate should remain behind bars. But there’s nobody related to Jose and Kitty Menendez who want to keep the brothers locked up.

“In this case, it might just be the D.A. who’s saying they should not be released. And the D.A. may not even take that position. They may just sit on the sidelines,” he said.

Anne Bremner, a trial lawyer in Seattle, said the brothers will still have some pressure on them to impress upon the board that they should be freed.

“My guess is the parole board has been watching this and of course they’ve done these risk assessments already,” she said. They know “who these two are, what their alleged crimes were and what they’ve done since the time that they were incarcerated until today.”

What happens if parole is denied or granted?

If they are denied at their first parole hearing, they will continue to receive subsequent hearings until they are granted release.

If the board grants parole, Newsom could still override the board as he did in 2022. when a two-person panel of parole commissioners granted parole to Sirhan Sirhan, who assassinated presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. At the time, Newsom said the killer remains a threat to the public and hadn’t taken responsibility for a crime that altered American history.

Newsom earlier this year ordered the state parole board to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment for him to determine the danger to the public if the brothers are released.

If he lets the parole decision stand, the brothers could be released from prison within weeks or months.

The brothers would be subject to the conditions of their release, including regular meetings with their parole officers.

It’s unlikely that they would be sent to a halfway house or required to take part in some other type of reentry program, Ring said. They would be free to live their lives, as long as they follow parole protocols.

Could one brother remain in prison while the other is released?

If one brother was “a troublemaker” in prison and the other wasn’t, it’s conceivable that one could stay locked up while the other is freed, Ring said. But that’s unlikely.

“I think everyone just assumes that they’re a matched pair and it’s either both of them or neither of them,” Ring said. “Because they both have similar records in prison. They appear to have been pretty model citizens. I think they’re both going to be rated as low risk to society.”

What other avenues do they have for release?

In May 2023, the brothers’ attorneys also filed a petition for habeas corpus to the court, asking for a new trial in light of new evidence of their sexual abuse. LA prosecutors have filed a motion opposing that petition, but its status is unclear.

Associated Press writer Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

Angels reliever Ben Joyce to miss season after undergoing shoulder surgery

• May 14, 2025

SAN DIEGO — Hard-throwing Angels right-hander Ben Joyce will be out for the remainder of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery, the team announced on Wednesday.

The team did not release the nature of the surgery.

Joyce, 24, has dealt with injuries throughout his brief professional career, a natural consequence of throwing a fastball that has reached 105 mph.

Joyce was on the injured list because of elbow neuritis in 2023 and right shoulder inflammation in 2024. He also had Tommy John surgery while in college at the University of Tennessee.

Joyce appeared in five games this season, with his velocity dipping during an outing on April 8 in Tampa. Joyce said at the time he didn’t believe he was injured, but a subsequent MRI exam showed inflammation in his shoulder.

Joyce tried to throw twice since then, and each time felt he hadn’t improved, so the Angels sent him to see a specialist this week.

There was no other announcement about what type of surgery was performed. The Angels have made a practice of limiting information on injuries, citing player privacy.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register