Deysi Vargas’ daughter was nearly 2½ when she took her first steps.
The girl was a year delayed because she had spent most of her short life in a hospital in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, tethered to feeding tubes 24 hours a day. She has short bowel syndrome, a rare condition that prevents her body from completely absorbing the nutrients of regular food.
Vargas and her husband were desperate to get their daughter, whom The Times is identifying by her initials, S.G.V., better medical care. In 2023, they received temporary humanitarian permission to enter the U.S. legally through Tijuana.
Now in Bakersfield, the family received notice last month that their legal status had been terminated. The letter warned them: “It is in your best interest to avoid deportation and leave the United States of your own accord.”
But doing so would put S.G.V., now a bubbly 4-year-old, at immediate risk of death.
“This is a textbook example of medical need,” said the family’s attorney, Rebecca Brown, of the pro bono legal firm Public Counsel. “This child will die and there’s no sense for that to happen. It would just be a cruel sacrifice.”
A spokesperson for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services declined to comment.
S.G.V.’s medication is stored in a small refrigerator.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where the girl regularly receives treatment, declined to comment. But in a letter requested by the family, Dr. John Arsenault of CHLA wrote that he sees the girl every six weeks.
If there is an interruption in her daily nutrition system, called Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), the doctor wrote, “this could be fatal within a matter of days.”
“As such, patients on home TPN are not allowed to leave the country because the infrastructure to provide TPN or provide immediate intervention if there is a problem with IV access depends on our program’s utilization of U.S.-based healthcare resources and does not transfer across borders,” Arsenault wrote.
Vargas, 28, is from the Mexican state of Oaxaca; her husband, 34, is from Colombia. They met in Cancun, where they were working. Just before S.G.V. was born, the couple moved to nearby Playa del Carmen so her husband could work as an Uber driver.
The girl was born a month premature and quickly taken to intensive care. After doctors discovered her condition, she underwent six surgeries to fix an intestinal blockage. But Vargas said the doctors cut out too much, and the girl was left with short bowels. She experienced repeated blood infections, including one that nearly killed her.
The girl’s weight fluctuated severely. One month, she would look emaciated, her tiny limbs and bulging stomach incongruous with the family’s relative access to resources. Another month, she was as round-cheeked as any other baby.
When S.G.V. was 7 months old, a doctor suggested that the family relocate to Mexico City, where pediatric care for short bowel syndrome was the best in the country. But although her condition initially improved, the blood infections continued.
Unable to work, Vargas spent all day, every day, at the hospital with her daughter. Some days, she said, nurses would mistakenly administer the wrong medication to S.G.V. Other days, Vargas would arrive to find that her daughter had thrown up on herself overnight and no one had cleaned her up.
As part of her daily routine, Deysi Vargas runs a saline solution through her daughter’s intravenous line.
Vargas tried to keep a watchful eye over her daughter. Even so, she said a nurse once mistakenly sped up S.G.V.’s nutrition system, causing her to quickly pee it out. The girl became dehydrated and her glucose levels skyrocketed before doctors whisked her to intensive care, where her condition stabilized.
S.G.V. as a baby, taken in Mexico before treatment for short bowel syndrome.
(Deysi Vargas)
Vargas had read about children similar to her daughter going on to have normal lives in other countries. In Mexico, her daughter was being kept alive — but at 2, her condition had not improved.
So when Vargas learned that the Biden administration had begun offering migrants appointments with border agents through a phone application called CBP One, she signed up. Those let in received two-year protection from deportation and work permits.
With the appointment set for July 31, 2023, Vargas and her family set out for Tijuana two days earlier. She carefully carried her daughter out of the hospital, her nutrition bags still connected intravenously.
Her husband told agents that he had once been kidnapped by cartel members in Mexico who extorted money and threatened to kill him. They also looked at the girl, whose vulnerable condition was obvious.
“God knew she needed better treatment,” Vargas said. “When we got to the entrance, they saw her and asked us if we needed medical help.”
By that afternoon, the family had been whisked to Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego.
S.G.V. quickly improved. Although she once was hooked up 24 hours a day to the feeding system that delivered nutrients directly into the bloodstream, doctors began weaning her off as her intestines got stronger.
The Trump administration has revoked the family’s humanitarian parole that they received in 2023 to treat the 4-year-old girl’s short bowel syndrome. Doctors say she could die within days without treatment.
A year later, doctors referred her to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, which has one of the top-ranked gastroenterology programs in the country.
Both of her parents worked, holding down odd jobs, and by September 2024, the family had settled in Bakersfield and S.G.V. was discharged from the hospital.
For the first time, S.G.V. experienced the outside world. At Walmart, her eyes widened from the shopping cart and she and her mom strolled the aisles.
“It was incredible,” Vargas said. “I had waited so long for doctors to tell me, ‘Ma’am, your daughter is OK now. She can go home.’”
Now, the girl spends 14 hours each night hooked up to the intravenous feeding system. She wears a backpack to take it on the go.
Four times a day, for an hour, her mom administers a different type of nutrition that goes straight into her stomach through a gastric tube. When the girl goes to preschool, she takes a larger backpack containing the milky fluid, and the school nurse administers her noon feeding.
Before S.G.V. takes a shower, Vargas unplugs her IV tubes, flushes them with saline and tapes a plastic sheet over her chest to keep water from getting in and infecting the area.
On a recent morning, Vargas dressed the girl in pink leggings, a Hello Kitty T-shirt and black Puma sneakers. As they left hand-in-hand for preschool, S.G.V.’s curly black hair was still wet and the adult-size backpack dangled behind her knees as she walked.
S.G.V.’s care is covered through Medi-Cal. But life in the U.S. isn’t cheap.
Their modest living room contains little more than a hot plate on a folding table, a mini-fridge, a single chair and an IV bag stand. With no full kitchen, Vargas mostly makes sandwiches or soups. The fridge is filled with S.G.V.’s nutrition packs.
Vargas recently found steady work cleaning a restaurant. Finally, she thought, the family was achieving a sense of stability.
Then in April she received the notice from immigration authorities. This month, she received a notice terminating her employment authorization.
Vargas said she and her husband sometimes eat just once a day after paying rent and utilities, as well as for diapers and other necessities. Her husband is currently unemployed because of an injury, and she fears that losing her income could leave them homeless.
The thought of being forced by immigration agents to return to Mexico terrifies Vargas.
“I know the treatment they have there for her is not adequate, because we already lived it,” she said. “Those were bad times. Here she is living the most normal life possible.”
If not for her daughter’s medical condition, Vargas said, they probably would still be in Mexico. They want to stay only for as long as the girl needs treatment. Exactly how long that could be is unclear, but the couple are hopeful that their child’s condition will improve enough that she stops requiring supplemental nutrition.
Brown, their lawyer, submitted a petition for a continuation of their temporary humanitarian legal status based on S.G.V.’s medical condition. She believes the family’s legal status was prematurely terminated by mistake.
President Trump lambasted Biden over his broad expansion of programs allowing humanitarian entry, known as parole. On his first day in office, Trump issued an executive order to ensure that the discretionary authority be “exercised on only a case-by-case basis” for urgent humanitarian reasons or a significant public benefit.
Deysi Vargas and her daughter, S.G.V., walk about 15 minutes to the child’s preschool.
“This is the intended purpose — to help the most vulnerable who need attention here,” Brown said. “We can avoid having harmed the child and the family.”
Although Trump said on the campaign trail that he would target criminals for deportation, his administration quickly began revoking the legal status of immigrants who have no criminal history.
The Trump administration has stripped humanitarian protections from hundreds of thousands of immigrants who entered the U.S. under various Biden-era programs. Thousands of people who similarly entered the country using the CBP One app received notices from the federal government around the same time Vargas did, ordering them to leave voluntarily or face criminal prosecution and other legal actions.
The same phone app that Vargas used to enter the country has since been turned into CBP Home, to help immigrants such as her self-deport. If not, it says, “the federal government will find you.”
Times staff photographer Myung J. Chun in Bakersfield contributed to this report.
Israeli forces have killed more than a dozen Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip in the last 48 hours, while thousands more face the threat of imminent starvation amid a drastically deteriorating humanitarian crisis.
On Sunday, four-year-old Mohammed Yassine joined dozens of other children who have starved to death in recent days as the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that more than 70,000 children in Gaza face acute levels of malnutrition.
As well as causing starvation deaths, Israel has intensified its bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza, killing some 600 people in nearly a week.
A strike on a tent housing displaced people in central Gaza killed a mother and her children in the central city of Deir el-Balah, according to Al-Aqsa Hospital, while a child was killed when his family’s tent was struck with a drone in Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
A strike in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza killed at least five, including two women and a child, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Eleven-year-old Yaqeen Hammad, a popular social media influencer, and nine of Dr Alaa Amir al-Najjar’s 10 children were also killed in separate Israeli air raids. Al-Najjar’s remaining child, 11-year-old Adam, is in critical condition in an intensive care unit.
The attacks come amid an Israeli blockade for almost three months that has choked off access to essential food, fuel, and medical supplies. Aid agencies warn that thousands of children are now at risk of death from starvation.
Children account for 31 percent of Palestinians confirmed killed during Israel’s 19 months of war on Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. This figure excludes deaths that have been reported but for which the victims remain unidentified, suggesting the real toll is higher.
A report commissioned by the United Nations also highlighted Israel’s disproportionate violence against children through targeting densely populated areas, with repeated air raids on residential buildings contributing to the rising child death toll.
At least 22 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip since dawn on Sunday, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.
Below are some of the children killed in Israeli attacks:
Yaqeen Hammad
Known for her smile and volunteer work in Gaza, Yaqeen Hammad was killed after Israel shelled al-Baraka in Deir el-Balah, northern Gaza, on Friday night.
The 11-year-old influencer and her older brother, Mohamed Hammad, delivered food, toys and clothing to displaced families, the Palestine Chronicle reports. She also played an active role in the Ouena collective – a Gaza-based nonprofit group dedicated to aid and humanitarian relief.
Messages of grief and tributes from activists, Yaqeen’s followers and journalists poured in after news of her death spread online.
“Her body may be gone, but her impact remains a beacon of humanity,” wrote Mahmoud Bassam, a photojournalist in Gaza.
“Instead of being at school and enjoying her childhood, she was active on Instagram and participating in campaigns to help others in Gaza. No words. Absolutely no words,” another tribute read on X.
Mohammed Yassine
Activists and Palestinian platforms shared on social media painful scenes of Mohammed Yassine on a hospital bed.
Appearing in a video, holding Yassine’s body, Mahmoud Basal of Gaza’s Civil Defence said: “Mohammed Yassine died from hunger, a direct result of the occupation’s prevention of food and medical aid from entering Gaza.”
“Mohammed was not the first child, and the fear has become a certainty that he won’t be the last,” Basal added.
Dr Alaa al-Najjar’s nine children
An Israeli attack on the home of al-Najjar on Friday killed nine of her children and critically injured 11-year-old Adam.
Sidar, Luqman, Sadin, Reval, Ruslan, Jubran, Eve, Rakan and Yahya – aged between seven months and 12 years – all died in the attack, Gaza’s Government Media Office said.
Al-Najjar is a paediatrician at the southern city’s Nasser Hospital, where her husband is receiving care after being critically injured in the attack.
“It is unbelievable,” said Ahmad al-Farra, head of the hospital’s paediatrics department, of the attack’s impact.
“You can’t imagine the shock that [al-Najjar] had when she heard about that [attack]. But up until now, she is trying to be near her son and her husband to survive.”
Billie Piper’s drama Secret Diary of a Call Girl is leaving Netflix and fans only have a few days left to watch the sexy drama.
Netflix fans only a short time left to enjoy a Billie Piper drama before it’s permanently removed from the streaming giant’s vast catalogue of shows.
Secret Diary of a Call Girl first graced our screens in 2007, airing on Showtime and ITV2, with actress Billie Piper taking the lead role just a year after her departure from Doctor Who as Rose Tyler.
Piper portrayed Hannah Baxter, a woman leading a double life as a prostitute named Belle, a secret kept from her family and friends until her personal and professional worlds collide.
The drama enjoyed a successful four-season run before being cancelled, and in mid-June 2024, Secret Diary of a Call Girl was added to Netflix in its entirety.
Regrettably, its tenure on the streaming platform is coming to an abrupt end, with Piper’s risqué drama set to depart next week.
Secret Diary of a Call Girl stars Crazy Rich Asians actress Gemma Chan and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again actress Lily James.(Image: SHOWTIME/ITV)
Secret Diary of a Call Girl will be removed from Netflix on Thursday, May 29, leaving less than a week for viewers to binge-watch the series before it disappears for good.
The series boasts a star-studded cast featuring big names early in their careers, such as Baby Driver and Mamma Mia star Lily James and Crazy Rich Asians’ Gemma Chan.
Other recognisable faces include Revenge actress Ashley Madekwe, Excalibur star Cherie Lunghi, and Agent Carter actor James D’Arcy.
Fortunately, there’s an alternative for fans wishing to continue watching the popular series once it leaves Netflix.
All four seasons of Secret Diary of a Call Girl can also be streamed for free via ITV’s streaming service, ITVX.
Secret Diary of a Call Girl, consisting of four seasons, will be taken off Netflix on Thursday, May 29.(Image: SHOWTIME/ITV)
Reddit users have been expressing their fondness for the series, with one fan posting: “I watched it years ago on TV and loved it.
“It was fascinating to see inside the life of a call girl. Billie Piper was great!”
Another fan echoed the sentiment, highlighting the star’s performance: “It had Billie Piper and was my reason to watch it back in the day.”
Someone else reminisced: “This was a very educational series when I was a teenager.
“The fact we had a character break the fourth wall and talk to us while she performed was very interesting.”
Secret Diary of a Call Girl is leaving Netflix UK on Thursday, May 29.
The base rate is the rate charged by the BoE to smaller high street banks on loans, with any fall usually mirrored in savings rates.
Newcastle Building Society is reducing rates on the 37 personal savings accounts by 0.25 percentage points.
The Double Access Saver/ISA (Issue 4) will drop from 4.05% to 3.80%, for customers eligible for a bonus interest rate.
Meanwhile, the Newcastle Cash Lifetime ISA (Issue 3) will fall from 2.70% to 2.45%.
The Newcastle Junior Cash ISA will be cut from 3.75% to 3.50% and the Regular Saver Plus from 2.50% to 2.25% for anyone receiving the bonus interest rate.
Customers with fixed-rate savings accounts won’t see interest rates fall from June 5.
Interest rates on two variable rate savings accounts – the Loyalty Saver (Issue 1) and Quadruple Access Saver/ISA (Issue 1) – will also not change as they have only been available to customers since April 24.
You can view the table above to find out how the interest rate on your savings account has changed.
Or, you can visit www.newcastle.co.uk/savings/manage-your-savings-account/interest-rates and click on “Current and Closed Issue Variable Savings Interest Rates”.
What is the Bank of England base rate and how does it affect me?
The Sun asked Newcastle Building Society to comment.
MAJOR BANKS CUTTING RATES
A host of banks are reducing interest rates on savings accounts as the BoE continues to cut its base rate.
It comes after the BoE cut its base rate from 4.50% to 4.25% on May 8.
The central bank raises its base rate to discourage people from spending and encourage them to save, which in turn is designed to make inflation fall.
It lowers its base rate when inflation is under control, meaning people are encouraged to spend and pump money into the economy.
A lower base rate signals good news for those with mortgages who see the interest rates charged on them fall.
However, it’s usually bad news for those with savings accounts as banks slash interest rates.
If you’ve got a savings account with an interest rate set to drop, it might be worth shopping around for a better deal now.
Check out comparison sites like moneysavingexpert.com and moneyfactscompare.co.uk to browse the best out there.
According to Moneyfacts, Chip is offering the best rate on an easy access savings account, with a rate of 4.77%.
Meanwhile, the best easy access cash ISA is also with Chip and offering a rate of 4.99%.
Always look beyond just the headline interest rate on any savings account though.
Some offer additional perks which can make them more cost-effective and suited to you, based on your circumstances.
For example, some offer you access to free TV subscriptions or cheaper or free cinema tickets.
Different types of accounts pay out interest at different times too while others will offer a bonus interest rate which falls after a set period.
Some savings accounts penalise you for making withdrawals over a certain limit.
Meanwhile, ISAs can be effective for saving cash as any interest earned on them is tax-free.
Read more below about the different types of savings accounts and what they offer.
SAVING ACCOUNT TYPES
THERE are four types of savings accounts fixed, notice, easy access, and regular savers.
Separately, there are ISAs or individual savings accounts which allow individuals to save up to £20,000 a year tax-free.
But we’ve rounded up the main types of conventional savings accounts below.
FIXED-RATE
A fixed-rate savings account or fixed-rate bond offers some of the highest interest rates but comes at the cost of being unable to withdraw your cash within the agreed term.
This means that your money is locked in, so even if interest rates increase you are unable to move your money and switch to a better account.
Some providers give the option to withdraw, but it comes with a hefty fee.
NOTICE
Notice accounts offer slightly lower rates in exchange for more flexibility when accessing your cash.
These accounts don’t lock your cash away for as long as a typical fixed bond account.
You’ll need to give advance notice to your bank – up to 180 days in some cases – before you can make a withdrawal or you’ll lose the interest.
EASY-ACCESS
An easy-access account does what it says on the tin and usually allows unlimited cash withdrawals.
These accounts tend to offer lower returns, but they are a good option if you want the freedom to move your money without being charged a penalty fee.
REGULAR SAVER
These accounts pay some of the best returns as long as you pay in a set amount each month.
You’ll usually need to hold a current account with providers to access the best rates.
However, if you have a lot of money to save, these accounts often come with monthly deposit limits.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Thorpe Bay Beach overlooks the Thames estuary and visitors can’t wait to tell you what they think about its beauty – here’s what they love about it
Thorpe Bay beach is popular with visitors
Our county’s glorious coastline is a treasure all year round, and there’s one particular beach that absolutely shines when the sun graces us with its presence – which has been quite frequent over recent weeks. Thorpe Bay Beach, with its panoramic view of the Thames estuary, has become the talk of the town for its sheer allure.
This scenic spot, like many others along our coast, is adorned with charming huts, as well as an assortment of cafes and restaurants. Adding to its accessibility and charm is the decking that stretches out, inviting visitors onto the sands.
VisitSouthend has praised the location, stating: “With spectacular views of the Thames estuary, this beach is a great place for refreshing walks and for those looking for a relaxing break.
“Wander past the picture-postcard beach huts or grab a bite to eat at one of the cafes or restaurants nearby.”
They also highlighted the inclusive nature of the beach, saying, “There is decking leading straight onto the beach for wheelchair and pushchair access meaning it’s a great day out at the seaside for everyone.”
Thorpe Bay is a peaceful seaside escape
TripAdvisor user Vintagelady was enamoured by the beach, describing it as a “fantastic beach”, reports Essex Live. They commented: “What a beautiful beach – very clean and very pretty, love all the beach huts along there.”
Adam S also had high praise on TripAdvisor, urging others to prepare for a dip, writing: “Lovely beach, not too busy on a really hot day in August.
“Sea lovely and warm at high tide so nice for swimming if you don’t mind the seaweed (there’s lots of it! )”.
If it’s peace and quiet you’re seeking, reviewer Bernijbillericay has some encouraging news in his review, stating there’s “no crowding”.
He wrote: “On a hot day in southend with all the ‘unsafe’ hustle and bustle – it is so much nicer to travel on a bit further to thorpe bay —, past the yacht club, on the right hand side is a reasonably priced “grass” car park with public toilets, a small general shop and close access to the beach — take a pic-nic and have a cheap day out.”
Thousands of hotel, bar and restaurant staff are planning industrial action in the Balearics. The UGT union says there will be a mass walkout on June 6 followed by several days of strike action in July, the height of the busy tourist season
Rita Sobot Spain Correspondent and Milo Boyd Digital Travel Reporter
16:40, 22 May 2025Updated 16:44, 22 May 2025
Workers are set to walk out (file photo)(Image: undefined via Getty Images)
The holiday islands could face significant disruption in June and July as thousands of hospitality workers plan further strike action. Unless a last-minute agreement is reached, a mass walk-out is planned for June 6, followed by several days of strikes in July, during the height of the tourist season.
The UGT workers’ union has warned strikes are nearing as no progress is being made regarding their demands for improved pay and conditions. The union warns the industrial actions will greatly affect holidaymakers and urges hotels to do everything possible to prevent it.
“If we don’t see the possibility of an agreement in principle, we will call a strike lasting several days,” declared the general secretary of its Services federation on the islands. The union has made it clear that their goal is to exert maximum impact on tourists.
At the same time as the union protests are planned, anti-tourist campaigners are preparing for action (Image: undefined via Getty Images)
At the same time, overtourism protests are due to break out across major resort cities. They include plans to occupy beaches and super-glue apartment locks.
Protests are set to take place in Platja de Palma and Palmanova-Magaluf. The UGT, the largest union in the sector, is playing a key role in negotiating the Collective Agreement of the Balearic hotel industry.
A strike involving thousands of hotel workers, including restaurant and bar staff and cleaners, already took place on May 1. On June 6, the first of the new protests will occur outside the headquarters of the Mallorca hotel federation.
Demonstrations are scheduled for the end of June in Platja de Palma and Palmanova-Magaluf, with the peak planned for July, featuring several days of strikes over alternate weeks.
On June 6, a protest is planned for 10am at the UGT office in Palma. Following the update on negotiation progress, attendees will hold a midday rally outside the Mallorcan Hotel Federation building.
Another demonstration is set to take place at Platja de Palma at the end of next month, with a worker’s march culminating in a rally in front of the local hotel association headquarters. A similar protest will target the Palmanova-Magaluf area, highlighting the workers’ unrest in key tourist hubs around the Bay of Palma.
The unions are fighting for adequate housing and addressing issues such as tourist overpopulation without life quality improvements for workers, increased job demands, salaries not matching living costs, and pay inequality for identical work.
The union wants wages to rise by 19 per cent across the three years to 2027, while the offer from employers flags at 8.5 percent.
In other recent protest news, the CEO of Jet2 Steve Heapy expressed fears that tourist levies could rise in response to overtourism protests in Spain, which have been rumbling on for years and are due to disrupt key destinations this summer. The CEO told a roundtable event at the Spanish embassy in London that he opposed tourist taxes, but feared rises would prove “irresistible”.
LAFAYETTE, La. — In the last lingering days of the presidential campaign, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton is again presenting himself in the mold in which he began the race–the outsider fighting the Washington Establishment and, even, his own party.
The whirlwind of charges and countercharges that have enveloped Clinton’s opponents, President Bush and independent Ross Perot, have left the Democratic presidential nominee alone in the more placid eye of the storm, better able to frame his own message without interference in the campaign’s closing days than he might have imagined.
His self-styled image, the one carefully crafted throughout his political career, is of a so-called “new Democrat,” a description that Clinton on Tuesday continually contrasted with what he described as a more stagnant Republican Party.
At a sun-splattered midday gathering in Tampa, Clinton defined the distinctions sharply.
“I think there is a tired old Republican Party that’s run out of energy, ideas, direction and compassion and they ought to be run out of town,” said Clinton. “I believe there is a strong new Democratic Party that has attracted the support of Democrats, Republicans, independents, former Perot supporters from coast-to-coast because we offer a new direction for America.”
Midway through Clinton’s lines, the audience took up the chant that echoed at each of his rallies Tuesday: “One more week!”
The Democrat, appearing both energized and relieved, assented. “One more week,” he said.
In a series of rallies that took him from Georgia to Florida and on to Louisiana–three areas rich in electoral votes where a traditional Democratic message has not sold well in recent presidential races–Clinton hewed to a conservative, sober tone as he sought to redefine his candidacy and his party.
“I have tried to build a new Democratic Party that believes in growth in the private sector, that believes in not bigger government but more efficient government, that believes in a partnership between government and business and labor and education,” he said in Augusta, Ga., where a raucous crowd gathered in an amphitheater alongside the Savannah River.
The much sought-after mantle of outsider was Clinton’s property early in the presidential race, when his only opponent was a sitting President. But Perot, in both incarnations of his campaign, has continually threatened to rip it from Clinton’s grasp.
But the brouhaha between Bush and Perot over alleged “dirty tricks” has raised new questions about the Texas businessman’s temperament and freed Clinton to set off on his own course.
That relative freedom is a luxury not often afforded candidates in the last days of a hard-fought race. The advantage could vanish any moment, and as insurance Clinton has kept up his caustic characterizations of Bush.
The Democrat’s outsider approach is aimed in two directions–at the Washington Establishment, a volley meant for Bush, and at the traditional notion of Democrats, a thrust meant to curry favor with voters who might otherwise be attracted to Perot.
Clinton drew repeatedly on recent news stories that have characterized the Administration’s varied law enforcement agencies as being at each other’s throats. In particular, he cited the feud between the CIA and the Justice Department over which is to blame for failing to present accurate information in a federal court case being heard in Atlanta that deals with questionable loans to Iraq.
“This is an Administration divided against itself, with no firm convictions, in total disarray,” Clinton said in Tampa.
In pressing his case in Florida–home of 25 electoral votes–Clinton noted that Bush won the state in 1988 with more than 60% of the vote.
Since then, Clinton added, “unemployment has gone up, airline companies based in Florida have been bankrupted, the elderly people have seen no attempt to control health care costs. . . . The economy of Florida is in a shambles.”
“If we carry Florida, it is over for trickle-down economics,” he said.
Clinton’s notion that the Democratic Party has changed its stripes was buttressed Tuesday by his own words and those of a Democratic senator who joined him along the way.
In Georgia, Sen. Sam Nunn, the well-respected expert on defense, effectively sanctioned Clinton’s commitment to certain conservative principles.
“Gov. Bill Clinton believes in a strong Army, believes in a strong nuclear deterrent . . . and he believes in a strong America,” Nunn said.
Clinton himself advocated “a defense policy that leaves us with the strongest defense in the world but one adequately designed to meet the challenges of the post-Cold War era.” He offered no specifics.
He also brought up what he called “another example of the difference in the Democratic Party I want to lead and where we are now.”
“I do not want to regulate business to death,” he said. “I am a job creator, not a job destroyer.”
In Tampa, Clinton renewed another set of promises meant to underscore his differences with past Democrats: He pledged to cut the size of the White House staff by 25% and invoke strong strictures on lobbying.
While he did not shy away from scathing criticisms of Bush, Clinton took time to cast his proposals within a broadly optimistic appeal to voters. He insisted that despite his well-demonstrated ability to deliver stinging political punches, he is at heart a political pacifist.
“In the last week, I hope that at least in my campaign we can lift the sights of the American people and focus folks on the future, on what is going to happen the day after the election,” he told several thousand people at the riverfront in Augusta, a site he had traveled to by boat from downstream on the Savannah River.
“After the election, there’ll be no charges to answer, nobody to make fun of, only the American people, their problems and their promise out there, and the issue is what are we gonna do to move our country forward and lift our country up? That is what I got in this race to talk about.”
The candidate is campaigning with as much ease as he has in recent months; he joked openly at the rally in Augusta, where a man yelling “draft dodger” at him was escorted from the amphitheater by police.
“Just relax,” said Clinton, talking as much to himself as to his audience. “You only have to put up with him for six more days.”
Check below to see how much more you’ll get each monthCredit: Alamy
It’s important to note that, although the new rates are now in effect, most people won’t see an increase in their payments until later this month or in June.
This is because those on Universal Credit have to wait a bit longer to receive the uprating because of how the benefit is assessed.
It means that the date you’ll receive the pay boost will depend on when your last assessment period was.
Universal Credit is paid monthly and is based on your circumstances each month.
This is called your “assessment period”, and it starts the day you make your claim.
The new Universal Credit rates will not come into effect until after the first full one-month assessment period, which starts on or after April 7.
Those whose assessment periods started after April 7 saw their benefits rise as early as May 13.
However, those whose assessment periods started before this date could be waiting until June 12 to receive the payment boost.
Here’s how your previous assessment period affects when you’ll get the payment boost:
March 17 to April 16 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 21
March 18 to April 17 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 22
March 19 to April 18 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 23
March 20 to April 19 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 24
March 21 to April 20 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 25
March 22 to April 21 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 26
March 23 to April 22 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 27
March 24 to April 23 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 28
March 25 to April 24 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 29
March 26 to April 25 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 30
March 27 to April 26 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 31
March 28 to April 27 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 1
March 29 to April 28 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 2
March 30 to April 29 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 5
March 31 to April 30 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 6
April 1 to April 31 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 7
April 2 to May 1 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 8
April 3 to May 2 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 9
April 4 to May 3 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 10
April 5 to May 4 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 11
April 6 to May 5 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 12
How does work affect Universal Credit?
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
Here’s a full list of the new benefit rates for 2025-26 so you can check how much extra you might get.
Universal Credit
Universal Credit standard allowance (monthly)
Single, under 25: £316.98 (up from £311.68)
Single, 25 or over: £400.14 (up from £393.45)
Joint claimants both under 25: £497.55 (up from £489.23)
Joint claimants, one or both 25+: £628.10 (up from £617.60)
Extra amounts for children
First child (born before April 6, 2017): £339 (up from £333.33)
Child born after April 6, 2017 or subsequent children: £292.81 (up from £287.92)
Disabled child (lower rate): £158.76 (up from £156.11)
Disabled child (higher rate): £495.87 (up from £487.58)
Extra for limited capability for work
Limited capability: £158.76 (up from £156.11)
Work-related activity: £423.27 (up from £416.19)
Carer’s element
Caring for a severely disabled person at least 35 hours a week: £201.68 (up from £198.31)
Work allowance increases
Higher work allowance (no housing): £684 (up from £673)
Lower work allowance (with housing): £411 (up from £404)
Everything you need to know about Universal Credit
Cleverley does face competition for the job from fellow Englishman Will Still.
Still has left Ligue 1 outfit RC Lens following the end of the season in order to move back to England.
Football teams that controversially changed their badge
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Will Still is in the running for the St Mary’s roleCredit: Getty
Still’s parting message to RC Lens
Here is what Will Still told RC Lens fans about his decision to leave…
He said: “I won’t be the coach of RC Lens next season.
“It was the last season at Bollaert, for multiple reasons.
“The main reason that pushed me to make this decision is the fact that I need to go home.
“Everyone is well aware of what happened in my life. That’s why.
“I had a lot of fun, I think we achieved great things despite everything. I’ve been in France for four years, four years that I’ve experienced intense moments.
“The logical choice is that I get closer to my wife for her well-being too.”
A reality TV legend has been left heartbroken by a second death, just days after losing her best friendCredit: aisleyne1/Instagram
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Aisleyne Horgan Wallace has suffered a second loss days after losing her best friendCredit: instagram
The reality star, 46, said she was unable to “breathe” after her finding out that her good pal Chanel died in concerning circumstances in Bournemouth on Friday.
Aisleyne, 46, shared throwback photos of her and her friend during holidays together.
The former Big Brother star emotionally penned: “I can’t even breath, not you… not my precious gentle kind baby girl.
“F*** it let me come where you are, the world was beautiful with you in it, I can’t even, I love you.”
Now, she’s revealed that she’s had another heartbreaking loss, just days after losing her close friend.
The star took to social media to share a photo cradling her pet dog.
In a tragic update, Aisleyne wrote: “Now my baby is dead too, f*** this world my heart can’t take no more.
“Rip Charlie boy mummy loves you sooooooo much.”
The heartbroken star shared another photo of the dog’s paw resting in her hand.
The Cost of Beauty A Tanning Love Affair
It comes after reports that a woman in her 30s had died ‘suddenly’ at an address in Bournemouth town centre.
A spokesperson for DorsetPolice said: “Officers attended and carried out enquiries at the scene.
“The woman’s death is not being treated as suspicious and her family has been informed.
“Our thoughts are with the woman’s loved ones at this difficult time.”
Two ambulances, a critical care car and around three police vehicles attended the scene.
In June 2024, Aisleyne was left heartbroken following the death of her best friend, Femi.
Alongside a photo of the pair, she wrote: “Femi, Hyper, but my big brother for 30 years… I am so broken.”
While earlier this year Aisleyne also suffered her own health scare.
She issued a stark warning after she “nearly died” when she took fake Ozempic to lose two stone.
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The star revealed the death of her dogCredit: Instagram/aisleyne1
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She shared a photo of the dog’s paw resting in her handCredit: Instagram/aisleyne1
I’m not much of a fair guy — I never win at carnival games, I get dizzy as a passenger in a car, and fair food is as overrated as In-N-Out. But last week, I attended the Los Angeles County Fair for the first time ever because why not?
Besides, if Miguel Santana can be a Fairhead, so can I.
“Who’s there says a lot about us as Southern California,” Santana said of the L.A. County Fair’s audience as I exited the 10 Freeway toward the Fairplex. “It’s a sense of Americana and proof we can be diverse and American at the same time.”
I asked if this fair was as big as the Orange County Fair. He laughed the way all Angelenos do when presented with a comparison to Orange County.
“It’s enormous. You’re gonna get your 10,000 steps.”
Behold, then, this newbie’s L.A. County Fair tips:
Times columnist Gustavo Arellano at the 2025 L.A. County Fair.
(Gustavo Arellano / Los Angeles Times)
Have a Pomona homie drop you off
Fair parking is an ungodly $22.50, and don’t you dare try to leave your jalopy at nearby Ganesha Park unless you want to spend a couple hundred dollars fishing it out of some random tow truck yard. My Pomona parking hookup was faithful reader Fernando Iniguez — gracias, Fern Iggy! I owe you a Jerez sweatshirt.
Buy your tickets online
$21.50 on the internet. At the gate? $32. Um, yeah. But one big complaint, Fair lords: It took me three attempts to buy my tickets online. Ever heard of Zelle?
Feel the music
“There’s going to be so much music,” Santana told me, and he was right. Between live bands, Spotify playlists, DJs and radio stations, it was like walking through a wholesome Coachella. Bachata smoothly transitioned to Go Country went to KCRW became Taylor Swift switched over to a super-chirpy cover of the O’Jays’ “Love Train” at the Disco Chicken stand. And though Pharell Williams’ “Happy” played at least five times while I visited, the atmosphere was so cheerful that I didn’t have to scream to drown out his ode to optimism.
Hang out at the petting zoo for the best people watching
There’s nothing like seeing suburbanites who probably think meat comes from Erewhon fairies stand with terror in their eyes as bleating sheep and goats swarm them asking for pellets.
Lose yourself in the fair
How much did fairgoers live in the moment? I saw next to no one use their smartphone other than for photos. And I also noticed a middle-age white guy in a MAGA cap standing a few feet away from a Muslim family with nary a negative look at each other. They were too busy staring ahead like the rest of us at an octet of magnificent Clydesdale horses ready to pull a Budweiser wagon.
Head to the coolest section of the fair
I loved all the vegetables and livestock at the Farm & Gardens, enjoyed the trippy art at the Flower & Garden Pavilion and appreciated the juxtaposition of a lowrider show next to the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum near the Millard Sheets Art Center. But the best part of the fair was the area labeled “America’s Great Outdoors” — and I say this as someone who thinks camping and hiking are for the (literal) birds! Volunteers sawed logs with kids, taught them how to pan for gold, showed off desert reptiles and even hosted an environmental magic show. Throw in a replica of a Tongva hut and a U.S. Forest Service fire lookout tower and the nearby sound of the RailGiants Train Museum, and this is what Knott’s Berry Farm used to be before it became whatever the hell it is now.
Block off at least three hours to fully enjoy
I had to rush back to Orange County for a columna the day I visited, so I only spent an hour and a half at the fair. I had to skip the tablescape competition, didn’t go through the exhibit halls and was only able to eat at Hot Dog on a Stick because they make the best lemonade on Earth. But it was wonderful to leave the problems of the world mostly at bay for a few hours to enjoy the living, breathing Wikipedia that is a county fair at its finest — and the L.A. County Fair is definitely that.
Huge Snorlax plush toy: Next year, you’re mine.
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The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
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Today’s top stories
Wildlife biologist Carl Lackey, with the aid of a dog, chases off a California black bear that was captured and relocated to the Carson Range.
(John Axtell / Nevada Department of Wildlife)
A woman’s grisly death inflames debate over how California manages problem black bears
The proposed cut to UC dropped from $397 million in January to $130 million four months later, representing a 3% year-to-year budget cut.
For CSU, Newsom’s budget cut went from $375 million in January to $144 million, also a 3% budget reduction.
Riverside wants to become ‘the new Detroit’
What else is going on
Commentary and opinions
This morning’s must reads
Other must reads
For your downtime
(Peter DaSilva / For The Times)
Going out
Staying in
A question for you: What is your go-to karaoke song?
Alan says: “Your Man by Josh Turner.” C Price says: “The Circle Game by Joni Mitchell.”
Email us at [email protected], and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
And finally … your photo of the day
Kaj Betts, son of Dodgers infielder Mookie Betts, runs away with the ceremonial first pitch ball as they celebrate Mookie Betts’ Bobble Head night at Dodger Stadium.
The Mexico City native came to Los Angeles as a 13-year-old and enrolled at St. Turibius School near the Fashion District, working at Magee’s Kitchen in the Farmers Market to pay his tuition, room and board. “I had this dream to come to the United States for education,” Toscano told The Times in May 1953. “Not for the dollars, not to work in the camps for 65 cents an hour.”
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You’re reading the Essential California newsletter
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
Why was The Times profiling a 16-year-old Mexican immigrant? Because he was about to get deported. Politicians, the press and private citizens had been railing against “illegal immigration” and pushing President Eisenhower for mass deportations. Officers received a tip that Toscano was in the country illegally.
This young migrant’s story struck a chord in Southern California in a way that’s unimaginable today
Newspaper accounts noted that immigration authorities — struck by Toscano’s pluck and drive — made sure that his deportation didn’t go on his record so he could legally return one day. A Van Nuys News and Valley Green Sheet columnist wrote, “We must have immigration laws — but they’re not designed for folks like Joe.”
Meanwhile, The Times’ editorial board — not exactly known back then for its kind attitude toward Mexican Americans — argued that Toscano shouldn’t be deported, making the case that laws “should perhaps be tempered a trifle in the face of principles and actions which are of such sterling worth as to be beyond the object of the law itself.”
Toscano legally returned to Los Angeles three months later, living with a white family in Whittier that sponsored him and enrolling at Cathedral High. “As I continue to study the history of your country in school,” he wrote to The Times that September, “I shall remember that what you did for me is one of the things that makes this country of yours so great.”
His story was such a feel-good tale that it appeared in Reader’s Digest and the local press checked in on Toscano for years. The Mirror, The Times’ afternoon sister paper, reported on his 1954 wedding, the same year that immigration officials deported over a million Mexican nationals under Operation Wetback, a program that President Trump and his supporters say they want to emulate today.
Two years later, The Times covered Toscano’s graduation from Fairfax High, where he told the crowd as the commencement speaker that he wanted to become an American citizen “so that I, too, can help build a greater America.”
After a three-year stint in the Marines, Toscano did just that in 1959, changing his legal name from Jose to Joseph because he felt “it’s more American that way,” he told the Mirror. He told the paper he had dreams of attending UCLA Law School, but life didn’t work out that way.
Lessons for today
The last clipping I found of Toscano in The Times is a 1980 Farmers Market ad, which noted that he was a widower with two daughters still working at Magee’s but had advanced from washing dishes to chief carver.
“He’s a happy man who likes his work,” the ad said, “and it shows.”
Rereading the clips about Toscano, I’m reminded of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran national who established a life for himself in this country before he was deported in March despite a judge’s order that he be allowed to remain in the United States.
This time around, immigration officials and the Trump White House have insisted Abrego Garcia deserved his fate, sliming him as a terrorist and MS-13 member despite no evidence to back up their assertions.
Toscano’s story shows that the story can have a different ending — if only immigration officials have a heart.
Today’s top stories
People enjoy pleasant spring weather while sailing in Newport Harbor. Orange County is one of three SoCal counties where single earners with six-figure salaries could soon be considered “low income.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
‘Low income’ but making $100,000 per year
Newsom walks back free healthcare for eligible undocumented immigrants
The governor’s office said his spending plan, which will be released later this morning, calls for requiring all undocumented adults to pay $100 monthly premiums to receive Medi-Cal coverage and for blocking all new adult applications to the program as of Jan. 1.
The cost of coverage for immigrants has exceeded state estimates by billions of dollars.
California joins another lawsuit against Trump
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta filed two lawsuits Tuesday challenging a Trump administration policy that would deny the state billions of dollars in transportation grants unless it follows the administration’s lead on immigration enforcement.
Good morning. I’m Gustavo Arellano, columnista, writing from Orange County and watching my tomato seedlings grow. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
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The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
Montebello’s ex-mayor turns to Orange County
Frank Gomez was born to be an L.A. County politician.
That’s why people were surprised in 2013 when Gomez — by then a Montebello council member who had served a year as mayor — announced he was leaving L.A. County altogether to marry his current wife.
“I had the choice between politics and love,” said the 61-year-old during a recent breakfast in Santa Ana. “It was an easy choice.”
Gomez couldn’t stay away from politics for long
Today, Gomez leads STEM initiatives for the Cal State system and is also the chair of the Central Orange County Democratic Club, which covers Orange, Tustin, parts of unincorporated Orange County “and a few voters in Villa Park,” Gomez told me with a chuckle.
He’s headed the Central O.C. Dems since last year, and has grown them from about 60 members to over 300. Soft-spoken but forceful, Gomez likes to apply his background as a chemistry professor — “We need to be strategic and analytical” — in helping to build a Democratic bench of elected officials in a region that was a long a GOP stronghold before becoming as purple as Barney the Dinosaur.
I knew Gomez’s name but didn’t realize his L.A. political background until we met last month. That makes him a rare one: someone who has dabbled in both L.A. and Orange county politics, two worlds that rarely collide because each considers the other a wasteland.
As someone who has covered O.C. politics for a quarter century but has only paid attention to L.A. politics in earnest since I started with The Times in 2019, I have my thoughts about each scene’s differences and similarities. But what about Gomez?
From one cutthroat political scene to another
“In L.A., it’s Democrats against Democrats,” he replied. “It’s not like I didn’t know” what to expect when moving to O.C., he said. “But it’s the difference between Fashion Island and the Citadel.”
He thought his days in politics were over until 2022, when his stepson — who had interned with longtime Irvine politico Larry Agran — urged him to run for a seat on the Tustin City Council.
Opponents sent out mailers with photos of garbage cans and graffiti and the message, “Do not bring L.A. to Tustin,” a political insult introduced to Orange County politics that year by Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer.
“Those gated communities still try to keep their unsaid redlining,” Gomez said. “It wasn’t like that in L.A. politics because there was no place for it.”
Racist L.A. City Hall audio leak notwithstanding, of course.
Trying to topple O.C.’s last remaining GOP congressmember
Gomez unsuccessfully ran last year for a seat on the Municipal Water District of Orange County. He now plans to focus his political energies on growing the Central O.C. Dems and figuring out how to topple Rep. Young Kim, O.C.’s last remaining GOP congressmember. In the meanwhile, he will continue his political salons at the Central O.C. Dems’ monthly meetings at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Tustin — I was on the hot seat in April, and upcoming guests include coastal O.C. Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, O.C. supervisorial candidate Connor Traut and former congressmember and current California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter.
“It’s like being in the classroom,” Gomez said as he packed up his leftovers. “All I do is ask the questions and keep it flowing.”
He smiled. “Johnny Carson on intellectual steroids.”
Today’s top stories
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrives for a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security oversight hearing on Thursday on Capitol Hill in Washington.
(Julia Demaree Nikhinson / Associated Press)
The Trump administration will investigate L.A. County
The administration announced Monday that it has launched an investigation into California’s Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants.
The state program provides monthly cash benefits to elderly, blind and disabled noncitizens who are ineligible for Social Security benefits because of their immigration status.
Newsom urges cities to ban homeless camps
The governor’s plan asks localities to prohibit persistent camping and encampments that block sidewalks.
This is an escalation from last year, when Newsom ordered California agencies to clear homeless camps from state lands.
How to understand the recent trade deals
Inside the investigation into faulty evacuation alerts during the wildfires in January
On Jan. 9, residents across the region received a wireless emergency alert urging them to prepare to evacuate.
Meanwhile, western Altadena, where 17 people died, got its evacuation order many hours after the Eaton fire exploded.
What else is going on
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This morning’s must reads
Black nationalist leader Malcolm X, left, and Louis Farrakhan, chief minister of the Nation of Islam’s Boston mosque, right, attend a rally at Lennox Avenue and 115th Street in the Harlem section of New York in 1963.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected].
For your downtime
The Pasadena Playhouse
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Going out
Staying in
A question for you: What’s your favorite karaoke song?
Peg says: “David Bowie’s Life on Mars!” Paul says “My Way.” (We’re assuming he means by Frank Sinatra)
Keep the suggestions coming. Email us at [email protected], and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
And finally … your photo of the day
Wet Magazine Issue 3 from October/November 1976
(Photography and design by Leonard Koren)
Today’s great photo is from the archives: Leonard Koren began documenting L.A. bathing culture back in 1976 with Wet magazine, which featured contributions from David Lynch, Debbie Harry and Ed Ruscha.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Gustavo Arellano, California columnist Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
