Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown has been extradited from Dubai to the United States to face a charge of second degree attempted murder relating to a shooting incident in May.
The Miami Police department said the former Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers player was “located in Dubai and was apprehended” before being “extradited to Essex County, NJ (New Jersey), by US Marshals”.
The added Brown was being held there prior to being moved to the Miami-Dade County Jail.
Following an investigation into the incident in May, police issued an arrest warrant in June which alleged Brown took a gun from a security guard and fired two shots at a man he had brawled with earlier on.
No arrests were made at the time and no injuries were reported.
Brown had been detained by police at the time of the incident before being released.
“I was jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewellery and cause physical harm to me,” claimed Brown in a social media post. “Contrary to some video circulating.
“Police temporarily detained me until they received my side of the story and then released me. I went home that night and was not arrested.”
Brown played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and scored a touchdown as they beat the Kansas City Chiefs to win the Super Bowl at the end of the 2020-2021 season.
Everton explore Kalvin Phillips move from Manchester City, Liverpool interest in Adam Wharton, Crystal Palace preparing for Marc Guehi exit and Manchester United ready to spend big for Kenan Yildiz.
Liverpool are among the Premier League clubs interested in 21-year-old Crystal Palace and England midfielder Adam Wharton. (Mail – subscription required), external
Brentfordare not expected to offer Jamaica international Michail Antonio, 35, a contract despite the former West Ham forward training with the Bees. (Mail, external)
Manchester United remain in talks with Harry Maguire, 32, over a new deal and face-to-face meetings have already taken place between the club and the representatives of the England defender, whose contract expires next summer. (Fabrizio Romano, external)
Manchester United are prepared to offer £78m for Juventus and Turkey forward Kenan Yildiz, 20, who is also being targeted by Chelsea. (Caught Offside, external)
With signing a new midfielder a key target next summer, Manchester United are considering Brighton and Cameroon star Carlos Baleba, 21, and England international Elliot Anderson, 22, of Nottingham Forest. (Sky Sports, external)
Crystal Palace are preparing for Marc Guehi’s exit, either during the January transfer window or next summer, with Liverpool, Barcelona and Real Madrid among clubs who maintain an interest in the 25-year-old England defender. (Express, external)
Napoli are keen on signing Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo on loan in January despite deciding against a move for the 20-year-old England international in the summer. (La Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian, external)
Nottingham Forest and Brazil centre-back Murillo, 23, is one of the names at the top of Chelsea’s list of targets as they look to strengthen defensively. (Football Insider, external)
Chelsea and Spain Under-19 striker Marc Guiu is eyeing a dramatic return to Sunderland during the January transfer window despite the 19-year-old only being recalled from his loan spell at the Black Cats in August. (GiveMeSport, external)
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass plans to endorse Antonio Villaraigosa, a longtime compatriot and the city’s former mayor, in the 2026 governor’s race on Tuesday.
“Antonio and I have known and worked together our entire adult life,” Bass said in a statement. “I have seen up close the impact he has made not just for our city but for our entire state. Our country is at a crossroads and it’s vital that our state have a leader who will lead California into the future.”
Villaraigosa said he was honored to have Bass’ support, describing the mayor as “a fierce advocate for working families, children, seniors, and underserved communities and a tireless champion for social and economic justice and for the people of Los Angeles.”
The race to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom has drawn a crowded field of contenders with notable credentials.
In addition to Villaraigosa, who served as Los Angeles’ mayor for eight years, other prominent candidates include former Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former state legislative leader Toni Atkins, current state Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former state Controller Betty Yee, wealthy businessman Stephen Cloobeck, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and conservative commentator Steve Hilton.
Despite being the Democratic leader of the nation’s second-largest city in an overwhelmingly blue state and a veteran congresswoman, it’s unclear how much weight Bass’ endorsement will have in the governor’s race.
Her favorability ratings have dropped since she was elected mayor in 2022. Shortly before Bass won the mayoral contest, 50% of Los Angeles voters had a favorable opinion of her, according to a UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll. In April, after wildfires ravaged the area, 50% had an unfavorable view of her. However, Bass’ reputation may have rebounded as she vigorously defended the city during federal immigration raids this summer.
Bass has known Villaraigosa, a former two-term Los Angeles mayor and legislative leader, for more than half a century. They met as community activists in the 1970s, focused on issues such as the drug epidemic, police accountability and poverty.
They have long supported each other’s political pursuits. Villaraigosa was an early backer of Bass’ 2022 mayoral campaign and served on her mayoral transition team.
Bass is scheduled to publicly endorse Villaraigosa on Tuesday morning outside of the Los Angeles Sentinel, a Black-owned weekly newspaper. Los Angeles City Council President Marqueece Harris Dawson, Councilwoman Heather Hutt, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, Inglewood City Councilwoman Dionne Faulk and South Los Angeles religious leaders are also expected to attend.
“I understood from an early age that much of the success that I have had is on the backs of the civil rights movement,” Villaraigosa told the Sentinel in 2022. He added that he “wouldn’t have been elected mayor if not for African Americans, Latinos, Asians, Jews and progressive whites all coming together.”
The UN chief says he values China’s support, where he is attending the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
Published On 30 Aug 202530 Aug 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping has told United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that China supports the global organisation playing a central role in international affairs and that it upholds “true multilateralism”, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
As the rotating chair, Xi will preside over the summit, which marks the fifth annual SCO summit hosted by China.
Leaders from more than 20 countries and heads of 10 international organisations will attend the summit.
Among the participants will be Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iranian President Masood Pezeshkian and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Xi will also meet Erdogan on the sidelines of the crucial summit.
The summit’s agenda includes promoting the “Shanghai Spirit”, improving internal mechanisms, and fostering multilateral cooperation in areas such as security, economics and culture.
A joint signing of the new Tianjin Declaration and the approval of a strategy for the next decade are other expected outcomes.
The summit will issue statements marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II against Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, and the 80th founding anniversary of the UN, aside from adopting a string of outcome documents on strengthening security, economic, people-to-people and cultural cooperation.
Founded in 2001, the SCO is a political and security alliance comprising 10 members: China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.
The Chinese leader will also host Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a large-scale military parade on September 3 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia.
Antonio Campos carries the blood of his legendary father, former Galaxy and Mexican national team goalkeeper Jorge Campos. Perhaps more important, he carries his family’s resilience after they worked to recover from the loss of their home in the Palisades fire.
During Antonio Campos’ first season with the Cal State Fullerton soccer team, he seeks to write his own story and help his team win.
“Just being in college is a success. I feel blessed,” said Antonio, who is studying business while fighting for minutes as a Division I goalkeeper.
He was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the Pacific Palisades area, the second son of Jorge Campos and Canadian Marcy Raston. His sisters chose to focus on volleyball: Andrea, the eldest, recently signed with a professional club in France after a successful college career. Antonio, on the other hand, was torn between basketball and soccer. At Loyola High, he played point guard, although his height, at 6 feet, limited his minutes.
Antonio Campos stands besides his parents, Marcy Raston and Jorge Campos, while wearing Cal State Fullerton gear.
(Courtesy of Campos family)
“Michael Jordan inspired me to play several sports,” said Antonio, who also played baseball and volleyball.
Training sessions with his father during the COVID-19 pandemic led Antonio to eventually focus on soccer and the goalkeeper position.
“With my dad, everything is intense. Lots of training on the beach, reflexes, technique, cutting crosses. Things he did better than anyone else,” said Antonio, who does not shy away from his surname but does not want it to define him.
“I don’t feel pressure. I prefer to teach the values my father instilled in me,” Antonio said.
Galaxy goalkeeper Jorge Campos celebrates during a 1996 game against the San Jose Clash at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
(Getty Images)
He is part of the first generation in his family to attend college in the U.S. and he knows that his path extends beyond soccer.
In Mexico, Antonio also didn’t feel he had much of a future, as his own father, Jorge, criticized goalkeeper trainers in that country last year.
“It’s incredible that after 30 years, 40 years, we don’t have a modern goalkeeper, of that style, like Manuel Neuer, Ter Stegen,” Jorge said in a recent interview with ESPN.
Antonio was drawn to Cal State Fullerton as more than just a place to improve his soccer skills. The team’s philosophy, focused on service, ambition and personal development, resonated with him and his family.
“We emphasize being good people. If you go far, you’ll be better socially and culturally,” explained George Kuntz, the Titans’ veteran coach.
Antonio had had doubts about playing college soccer.
“I didn’t want to play at the university level because first-year goalkeepers hardly ever play,” he said.
However, he was assured that everyone would have real opportunities if they earned them through training.
Between the posts, he will have to fight for minutes against quality teammates Eoin Kennedy, Asger Hemmer and Emanuel Padilla. Fullerton opens the regular season on Thursday at Oral Roberts in Tulsa, Okla.
“I want to play, yes, but I also want my teammates to improve. It’s not just about me,” Antonio said.
In 2024, the Titans stood out for their offensive prowess, but they also ranked among the worst teams in the country in goals conceded. That’s why Fullerton reinforced its defense with four goalkeepers on the roster. Antonio is emerging as one of the promising players, with an athletic profile and an ambitious personality that has impressed the coaching staff.
“He’s brave, has good technique and is improving tactically,” Kuntz said.
Earlier this year, Antonio’s focus was pulled away from soccer by a family emergency.
In January, the Campos family home was one of more than 6,800 destroyed by the Palisades fire.
“We lost everything. I couldn’t get anything out,” said Antonio, who still gets emotional while talking about his family’s loss.
That day, he thought about going home, but he decided to go to soccer training after receiving a message from a friend. The change of plans kept him safe.
Antonio was accustomed to evacuations and didn’t worry about the nearby fires. But after learning that his home had burned down, the loss was both material and emotional.
“My mom was devastated. It was her first home in this country,” said Antonio, who highlighted his father’s strength.
“What surprised me was seeing my dad laughing and joking the next day. I never saw him cry. He set an example for us.”
Among the lost items, Antonio regrets he could not save a necklace that his uncle gave him before he died.
“He supported me when I quit basketball. He told me I was going to be a professional. It hurt me to lose that,” Antonio said.
However, the fire also brought the family closer together.
“The most important thing for me was that my family was safe,” Antonio said.
Now, the Campos family lives a few miles from Antonio’s new university while Antonio works to create his own story on the pitch — one that he hopes, like his father’s, can inspire others.
“But the news is incredibly positive. If it had gone the other way, there would have been a whole other line of questions.
“Lucas is happy and committed. He is an important person in dressing room and at the club and we love him. We just want to help him enjoy his football.
“You can imagine on a personal level for him, having to fight those allegations was an incredible challenge for him. It has been a really tough period in his life and career.
“It is a credit to him and his family and everyone who has supported him that he has come through.”
As the written reasons are yet to be published, it is still not known whether Paqueta will take legal action against the FA.
Meanwhile, Antonio looks to be surplus to Potter’s plans.
Asked whether the 35-year-old would be part of his squad for the forthcoming campaign following the signing of another veteran frontman – and Antonio’s former podcast partner – Callum Wilson on a free transfer, Potter said simply: “No.”
Last month, the club said no formal decision had been made on the player whose contract expired at the end of the month.
“As a long-serving, highly-respected player, and a much-loved member of the West Ham family, the club’s absolute priority at this time is to support Michail personally in his journey to resume playing at the highest level,” said a statement.
There had been no update on that prior to Potter’s answer.
Having recovered from his horrific car crash in December, Antonio made a playing return for Jamaica during this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup.
He joined West Ham from Nottingham Forest for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £7m, in 2015 and is the club’s record Premier League goalscorer, scoring 68 goals in 268 top-flight appearances.
CANTON, Ohio — Sterling Sharpe stood at the podium a few feet from his bronze bust, took off his new gold jacket and gave it to his fellow Pro Football Hall of Fame brother.
Shannon Sharpe had given Sterling his first Super Bowl ring and now big brother was returning the favor on stage after the crowning moment of his football career.
“This is why I played football,” Sterling said, referring to his younger brother, who wrapped his arm around him and had tears streaming down his face. “This is why I got out of bed; it wasn’t work. It was because of this right here. Before I leave you, I want to do two things. The most precious gift I’ve ever received is the Super Bowl ring. … I wear this ring because of love. You gave me this not knowing you were going to get another one. And I prayed to God: ‘Please, God, let him get another.’ God blessed him with two.
“The second thing is, the last time I was here, you said that you were the only pro football player in the Hall of Fame that could say that you were the second-best player in your own family. I agree with that statement, but it would be an extreme privilege. … for you to be the only player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with two gold jackets. You see, you have to learn to follow before you can lead.”
Chargers great Antonio Gates, right, and Chargers owner Dean Spanos post next to Gates’ Hall of Fame bust on Saturday.
(David Dermer / Associated Press)
Eric Allen, Jared Allen and Antonio Gates joined Sterling Sharpe as the Class of 2025 was inducted into football immortality during a ceremony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, where the Chargers beat the Detroit Lions 34-7 on Thursday night to kick off the NFL preseason.
Sterling Sharpe averaged 85 catches and 1,162 yards, finishing with 65 touchdowns in seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers. The wide receiver was named to five Pro Bowls and earned first-team All-Pro honors three times. A neck injury cut his career short and he waited a long time to get the call from the Hall.
Shannon Sharpe, who played tight end for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens, was inducted in 2011. They are the first brothers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Jared Allen was the first player among the new class to take the stage after Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to former Bills coach Marv Levy, who turns 100 on Sunday.
Wearing his trademark cowboy hat, Allen talked about his motivation for success.
“Why is what makes you different; it’s your long game,” he said. “It’s the motivation that drives you to do all necessary action steps to achieve your goal. My why can be summed up in three things: fear, respect and the pursuit of greatness. … I apply my why to everything in my life, to my walk with Christ, my marriage and being a father.”
Jared Allen made five Pro Bowls, was a four-time All-Pro and had 136 sacks in 12 seasons with the Chiefs, Vikings, Bears and Panthers. His final game was Super Bowl 50, a loss by Carolina against Peyton Manning and the Broncos.
Eric Allen, a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback who played for the Eagles, Saints and Raiders, was presented by one of his four sons. Allen, who had 54 career interceptions, including eight returned for touchdowns, gave the obligatory “Fly! Eagles! Fly!” to support the Super Bowl champions who drafted him in 1988.
“I grew up in Philadelphia. I became a man there. I have a special gratitude for the organization,” Allen said.
Allen also thanked current Raiders owner Mark Davis, who was in attendance.
“Al Davis had a statement: ’Commitment to excellence,” Allen said. “It’s all over our building in Las Vegas. We are trying to make sure we fulfill that destiny, we fulfill what Al Davis was about.”
Gates closed out the day with a 23-minute speech that began with him saying he wouldn’t cry but included several emotional moments. Gates, who was presented by Chargers owner Dean Spanos, never played a single down of college football yet ended up becoming the 23rd of 382 Hall of Famers who were undrafted by NFL teams.
He thanked former Chargers tight ends coach Tim Brewster for discovering him after he led Kent State’s basketball team to the Elite Eight.
“Tim Brewster saw something special in me. He was pretty sure that I could make the team. He was adamant that I’d be All-Pro in three years,” Gates said. “You see, the thing is when switching sports or careers for that matter, it can be life-changing. The unexpected are often the most powerful ones because it can completely redirect your life if you’re ready to take advantage and you’re ready for the opportunity. Thank you to Coach Tim Brewster and Coach Marty Schottenheimer. They gave me an opportunity to play tight end in the NFL. Because of you, Coach Tim Brewster, NFL teams and NFL scouts will never look at college basketball players the same again.”
Gates played all 16 of his NFL seasons with the Chargers, finishing with 955 catches for 11,841 yards and 116 TDs. He made the Pro Bowl eight times and was All-Pro three times, the first in just his second season.
Governing body Fifa’s three-step process for racist incidents is stopping a match, suspending it and abandoning it if the problem continues.
Speaking after the game Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso said Rudiger had complained of a racist incident.
“In football there is no tolerance for this, and if it happened, then measures should be taken,” he said. “This is what Antonio has told us and we believe him. It’s being investigated now”.
Cabral said: “It was a fight. We collided. He said that I hit him with my hand, and then there was an argument and the referee made the racism sign, but I was telling him the same thing the whole time.”
In 2021 Rudiger, then at Chelsea, said “nothing ever really changes” after anti-discrimination campaigns in football, but that he will “continue to fight” against racist abuse.
Last week, campaigners criticised Fifa after it appeared to drop anti-racism messaging at the Club World Cup.
Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger says he was racially abused at the end of his side’s Club World Cup win against Mexican side Pachuca.
Rudiger clashed with Pachuca captain Gustavo Cabral in injury time when the Germany defender went down claiming he had been fouled by the Argentine.
Rudiger then spoke to referee Ramon Abatti Abel, who crossed his arms in front of his chest, which signals the anti-racism protocol has been activated.
It is unclear whether the alleged racial abuse was from someone in the crowd or a player.
Fifa’s three-step process for racism is stopping a match, suspending it and finally abandoning it if the problem continues.
The match ended soon after the incident – with Real winning 3-1 – and the players again arguing after the final whistle.
Real manager Xabi Alonso said: “That’s what Rudiger said, and we believe him.
“It is important to have zero tolerance in these kinds of situations. Fifa now is investigating. That’s all I can say.”
In 2021, Rudiger, then at Chelsea, says “nothing ever really changes” after anti-discrimination campaigns in football, but he will “continue to fight” against racist abuse.
Last week campaigners criticised Fifa after it appeared to drop anti-racism messaging at the Club World Cup.
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of former NFL superstar Antonio Brown stemming from an altercation outside a celebrity kickboxing event last month in Miami.
Brown is charged with the first-degree felony of attempted second-degree murder with a firearm. A judge from the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County signed the warrant Wednesday.
The warrant, which has been viewed by The Times, states that once Brown is arrested, he will be held on a $10,000 bond before being released and under house arrest before a trial.
Just before midnight on May 16, the warrant states, Miami police were dispatched to a location on NE 67th St. in the Little Haiti neighborhood in response to a report of gunshots being fired in the area.
Brown had already been detained by off-duty Florida Highway Patrol officers serving as security for the amateur boxing event held in the area. One of those officers stated that “several patrons from the event identified Mr. Brown as the shooter and informed him that Mr. Brown was armed,” the warrant states.
After being patted down and deemed to be unarmed at that point, Brown was released “due to the absence of identified victims at the time.”
A Miami police review of surveillance camera footage revealed that an altercation between Brown and another man took place before the shooting. The footage showed Brown striking the man with a closed fist, and a fight that involved additional individuals ensued, the warrant states.
Security broke up the fight, according to the warrant, but Brown “appears to retrieve a black firearm from the right hip area” of one of the security staff members and ran with the gun out of the parking area in the direction that the man he was fighting with had gone.
The warrant states that “cell phone video obtained from social media” shows Brown advancing toward the other man with the gun in hand and captures “two shots which occur as Mr. Brown is within several feet” of the other man, who can be seen “ducking after the first shot is heard.”
In a May 21 interview with a police detective, the alleged victim identified Brown in the surveillance video and said they had known each other since 2022, the warrant states. He also indicated he possibly had been grazed in the neck by one of the bullets, was in fear for his life during the incident and went to a hospital afterward to treat his injuries.
Brown appeared to address the alleged incident in a May 17 post on X.
“I was jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me,” Brown wrote. “Contrary to some video circulating, Police temporarily detained me until they received my side of the story and then released me. I WENT HOME THAT NIGHT AND WAS NOT ARRESTED. I will be talking to my legal council and attorneys on pressing charges on the individuals that jumped me.”
Brown posted on X several times on Friday, with none of those posts mentioning the arrest warrant. One seemed to indicate he’s not in the U.S. at the moment — it features a video of a grinning Brown riding a bike with the hashtag #lovefromthemiddleeast.
A seven-time Pro Bowl receiver, Brown played nine of his 12 NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following the 2020 season. He made a bizarre, shirtless exit from the field during a regular-season game Jan. 2, 2022, and has not played since.
He has a history of legal troubles. In 2019, Brown was sued by a former trainer who said he sexually assaulted her multiple times. Brown denied the allegations. The lawsuit was settled out of court in 2021.
In 2020, Brown pleaded no contest to burglary and battery charges connected to an altercation with a moving company. He was ordered to serve two years of probation and 100 hours of community service, attend an anger management program and undergo psychological and psychiatric evaluation.
Brown was suspended for eight games in 2020 for multiple violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Also, in October 2023, the former star wide receiver was arrested for failing to pay child support.
On June 1, 2025, Jonathan Joss, 59, from San Antonio, Texas, was fatally shot by neighbour Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez.
Joss, a beloved voice actor and musician, who was best known for his roles in King of the Hill, as John Redcorn and as Chief Ken Hotate in Parks and Recreation, died from a gunshot wound outside his house as his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, held him.
“I just kept telling him: ‘It’s OK. You need to cross over. You don’t need to keep struggling. You need to go ahead and cross over easy.’” Kern de Gonzales said.
Alvarez is alleged to have said a homophobic slur, “Jotos”, at the newlyweds, who were married in March this year. According to Kern de Gonzales, a trans man, this attack came after years of homophobic abuse and not being listened to by the Arizona PD.
“I’ve been called that word while I was sitting on a bench with Jonathan, eating lunch. And I got called that holding Jonathan while he died.” Said Kern de Gonzales, who on Joss’ Facebook account, claimed that the pair had been experiencing homophobic hate from Alvarez for some time.
Joss’ murder has been described by some on social media as a ‘lynching of a native man for being gay’, while Native advocacy organisations and influencers are also pointing to Joss’ heritage as an Apache and Comanche descendant.
In 2021, a report by the Sovereign Bodies Institute and the California Rural Indian Health Board was published in The Guardian. Of the 18 respondents to the study who identified as ‘Native LGBTQ2’, almost 90% reported multiple forms of violence.
As reported by Them, a 2025 report from the Human Rights Campaign further states that LGBTQ+ and Two-Spirit Indigenous people face disproportionately high rates of police violence.
One respondent, Monique “Muffie” Mousseau, 56, Oglala Lakota, said, “A police officer saw me hugging and kissing my wife. He jumped me, saying, ‘we don’t tolerate f**s in South Dakota’.”
Another one, from an anonymous contributor, said, “Give me help. Don’t give me harassment. And that’s all we get around here. They harass you first. Give you help last.”
Originally, the San Antonio Police Department denied that Joss’ murder was motivated by homophobia in a statement posted to the social media platform X on June 2, despite taking these claims “very seriously”, allegedly.
However, two days later, on June 4, the San Antonio PD released another statement on the social media platform. This time, in partnership with Pride San Antonio.
The statement, which sets out to reassure the LGBTQIA+ community that the San Antonia PD stand with them and hears their concerns, has not been received well by commenters.
One commenter wrote, “So it’s a hate crime now that we pointed it out to you???? Yesterday “we don’t have any evidence” you corrupt fuckers (also police don’t belong at pride fuck you)”
Another accused the Police Department of being so “brainwashed by radical right wing extremism” that it could no longer recognise hate crimes.
On June 4, NBC News reported that, according to obtained call logs, Police were called to respond to incidents at their home more than four dozen times, with most of the calls labelled as “disturbances.”
NBC were able to confirm with a police spokesperson that the police department’s “SAFFE” unit, which works to prevent crimes, had been mediating a dispute between neighbours Alvarez and Joss for over a year. Other aspects of the dispute, which involved a crossbow, a claim of arson against Alvarez and questions surrounding the display of Joss and Kern de Gonzales’ former dog’s skull, who is thought to have perished in the house fire.
The news channel expressed that this evidence combined painted a “complicated picture of what led up to Joss’ death.”
In February 2025, the Williams Institute published its report detailing the targeted, systematic attack on LGBTQIA+ rights, following the two weeks of Trump’s election. However, the reversal and systematic stripping of rights predate Trump and are traceable over the past decade, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU.
“In 2023, the ACLU tracked 510 anti-LGBT[QIA+] bills, and in 2024, it tracked 533 anti-LGBT bills that were introduced in state legislatures across the United States”, states the report.
Comparatively, the ACLU has already tracked 339 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills across the U.S as of February 10, 2025, alone. So it’s perhaps no wonder that these systematic attacks have resulted in LGBTQIA+ people being five times more likely than non-LGBTQIA+ people to be victims of violent crimes.
This is exacerbated by low trust in police forces, who, according to a 2024 Police Insight analysis, state that; “When we asked survey respondents if they would call the police for help if they became victims of a crime, we found that LGBTQ[IA+] people were less likely to say yes than non-LGBTQ[IA+] people: 71% compared with 87%.”
With growing anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment in the US, alongside the litany of failures to protect Native American communities, it is perhaps easy to understand the sense of discouragement and distrust currently being felt in relation to Joss’ murder.
If Kamala Harris runs for California governor, the job is essentially hers for the taking.
So goes the common wisdom.
After all, she’s a household name, which is no small consideration in a state as vast and politically inattentive as California. She has a coast-to-coast fundraising base and a record of winning statewide contests going back to 2010, when she was first elected attorney general.
Unlike others in the crowded race for governor, who are likely to drop out if Harris jumps in, L.A.’s former mayor said he’s not budging.
In fact, Villaraigosa insists he wants Harris to run — just so he can beat her and, he says, send an anti-elitist message to those Democrats who have their noses in the air rather than eyes fixed on hard-pressed voters and their myriad frustrations.
“I think she’s been OK that we’ve been a party of just people that drive a Tesla and not a Toyota pickup, or ride a bus like my mother did,” Villaraigosa said. “I think she has no idea what it means to buy a carton of eggs and spend $12 at Ralph’s.”
Harris is “the face of that party,” he went on, warming to the heat of his smoldering rhetoric. “The party that thinks that people that don’t have a college education are stupid. The party that believes that … people voted for Trump just because he’s a great used-car salesman and not because what he was selling resonated with people that work every day. The people who shower after work. Not before.”
As Harris uses the summer to decide her future — retiring from politics or running again for president being other options — no Democrat has been as brash and bold as Villaraigosa when it comes to assailing the putative front-runner and erstwhile leader of the national party.
“She could say she didn’t know,” Villaraigosa said, elaborating on that initial volley during a lengthy conversation. “They can’t prove that she did. But last time I looked, she had lunch with him pretty regularly … She had to have seen what the world [saw] over time and particularly in that debate. The notion that she didn’t? Come on. Who’s going to buy that?”
That sort of talk is more typical of, say, Fox News than a candidate bidding for the support of fellow Democrats. Villaraigosa, a former labor leader who’s gotten crossways with teacher unions among other party mainstays, professed not to care. If anything, he said, he’s been encouraged by the response.
“For every one of those people” — upset by Villaraigosa’s remarks — “there are three of them, maybe not as high up among Democrats, who are saying the same damn thing. That’s why this got so much traction … Since Vietnam, people don’t believe in government anymore. They don’t believe in their leaders. And every time we lie or misrepresent … [or] hide the truth from them, their support and their belief in our institutions” diminishes.
Harris would have plenty of time to push back on Villaraigosa’s depiction, should she choose to run. In the meantime, what’s notable is his eagerness to take on the former vice president, positioning himself as the most vocal and assertive of her potential gubernatorial rivals.
Others have taken a few pokes.
“No one should be waiting to lead,” former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter told The Times’ Seema Mehta after entering the contest in March.
Becerra echoed that sentiment when he announced his candidacy in April. “Watching what’s unfolding before our eyes made it clear this is not a time to sit on the sidelines,” Becerra said.
But that’s comparatively weak tea.
“If she wants to come in the race, she should come in now,” Villaraigosa taunted. “Let’s debate. What are the challenges facing our state? Where are the opportunities? Where do we meld them together? How do we make this a better state for our kids?”
During the 40-minute phone conversation, starting in his car and finishing after Villaraigosa arrived home in Los Angeles, he toggled between criticisms of Harris and statements of good will toward a one-time political ally.
The two have known each other, he said, since the mid-1990s, when Villaraigosa was a freshman assemblyman in Sacramento and Harris was dating then-Speaker Willie Brown. He supported her run for attorney general — “I did three press conferences” as L.A. mayor — and was quick to back her as soon as Biden stepped aside last summer and Harris became the Democratic nominee.
“I supported her,” he said. “I got behind her. Her husband” — former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff — “has thanked me a number of times when he’s seen me in person.”
The disagreement now, Villaraigosa said, is over the direction of a party he sees unmoored from its history as a champion of the middle and working classes and too beholden to interest groups that make up its patchwork coalition. Harris, he suggested, is the personification of that disconnect from Democratic tradition.
“At the end of the day, what I’m arguing for is, let’s get to the place where we’re focused on getting things done and focused on common sense,” Villaraigosa said, citing, among issues, his support for Proposition 36, the anti-crime measure that voters overwhelming approved last November. The vice president, he noted, refused to take a position.
But don’t, he said before hanging up, take his attacks on Harris the wrong way.
UN chief Antonio Guterres says Gazans are enduring “the cruelest phase” of the war. He denounced Israel’s blockade, calling the 400 trucks cleared to enter Gaza so far “a teaspoon of aid” when “a flood of assistance is required.”
