Los Angeles

President Trump’s border advisor told reporters Thursday that federal authorities planned to increase immigration raids in Los Angeles and other so-called “sanctuary cities,” with Chicago likely the next target.

“You’re going to see a ramp up of operations in New York; you’re going to see a ramp up of operations continue in L.A., Portland, Seattle, all these sanctuary cities that refuse to work with ICE,” Tom Homan said.

Since June, Southern California has been ground zero of thousands of immigration arrests as well as legal battles over whether the raids violate the U.S. Constitution.

There is no agreed-upon definition for sanctuary policies or sanctuary cities, but the terms generally describe limited cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Homan did not elaborate on specifics about new raids in L.A.

But talking to reporters Thursday morning, he said Immigration and Customs Enforcement is considering using a naval base north of Chicago as its hub when potential enforcement raids take place in that city.

Tom Homan said, “there’s discussions about that, yes,” when asked by reporters outside the White House.

He didn’t provide an exact timeline for the use.

“The planning is still being discussed,” he said. “So, maybe by the end of today.”

Earlier this week, Trump said Chicago would likely be the next city in which he’ll direct a crackdown on crime and, in particular, illegal immigration.

He recently sent 2,000 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. after having dispatched soldiers, ICE and border patrol agents to Los Angeles since early June. The Department of Homeland Security said that as of Aug. 8, ICE and Border Patrol agents had arrested 2,792 undocumented immigrants in the Los Angeles area.

“I think Chicago will be… next,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday.

He also called the City of Broad Shoulders a “mess” and that its residents were “screaming for us to come.” Three days after Trump railed about crime in Chicago, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson released a statement, saying overall crime in the city had dropped by 21.6%, year to date, with homicides falling by 32.3%.

Homan would not commit to how many soldiers and agents would be used in any immigration enforcement.

“We’re not going to tell you how many resources we’re going to send to the city,” he said. “We don’t want the bad guys to know what we’re sending.”

He added, “It will be a large contingent.”

Since a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting federal agents from targeting people solely based on their race, language, vocation or location, the number of arrests in Southern California declined in July.

But raids are continuing, with Home Depot stores becoming a common target in recent weeks.

On Aug. 1, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a Trump administration request to lift the restraining order prohibiting roving raids.

A JAMES Bond favourite has taken himself out of the running after believing he’s “not the right person” for the role. 

Ever since Daniel Craig said goodbye to the role in 2021 release No Time To Die, the role of super spy 007 has been up for grabs, with speculation rife over who should take over. 

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Over time, bookies have placed their bets on a string of Hollywood A-listers to take on the role, including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Idris Elba and Henry Cavill. 

With Amazon acquiring the 007 franchise from the Broccoli family, this was then extended to American stars including Patrick Schwarzenegger, Timothée Chalamet and Jacob Elordi. 

But one emerging favourite – Top Gun 2 and Anyone But You star Glen Powell – has shut down speculation he could take his martini shaken, not stirred. 

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Glenn said simply: “I’m a Texan. My family and I joke around, I can play Jimmy Bond, but I should not be playing James Bond. 

“Get an authentic Brit for that job. That’s who belongs in that tuxedo.” 

In the 63 years James Bond has been on screen, seven actors have played the character – all of whom white men from the UK and Ireland. 

Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig have portrayed the spy in the film series, with David Niven taking on the role in a non-official adaptation in 1967. 

Debate has since spread over whether the franchise should deviate from tradition when it comes to the character, with James Bond and 007 code names that can be taken on by anyone. 

At one stage, Gillian Anderson was being considered as the first female Bond, while Idris Elba has held firm as a favourite to become the first Black star to portray the spy. 

However, some actors have noted they don’t want to play such an iconic character, as doing so would mean that they could be defined as “Bond” for the rest of their career. 

The White Lotus star Theo James previously ruled himself out for that reason, telling The Guardian in 2024: “I do think there are better people for that job. 

“And, honestly, it would be terrifying: if you do that, there’s no going back. You’re opening Pandora’s box there.” 

The new favourite for the role is relative unknown actor James Nelson-Joyce, who played James ‘Yatesy’ Yates in BBC drama, Little Boy Blue, and Michael Kavanaugh in the gangster drama, This City is Ours.

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THERE can be no cooler claim to fame than to be name-checked in one of the greatest pop songs ever written.

Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks, released at the height of the Swinging Sixties, featured a couple referred to only by their first names — Terry and Julie.

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Julie was Julie Christie, the drop-dead gorgeous actress, and Terry was Terence Stamp, her real-life boyfriend.

The accomplished actor died yesterday morning, aged 87, and last night his family led the tributes to him.

They said in a statement: “He leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and as a writer, that will continue to touch and inspire people for years to come.”

Along with a handful of other leading men from humble backgrounds such as Michael Caine and Albert Finney, Stamp epitomised a new breed of screen star.

Ruggedly handsome, uncompromising and from a tough working-class background, he shot to fame with his first movie.

But as the Sixties drew to a close, it looked as though the sun was also setting on his career — and it was almost a decade before he triumphantly reappeared.

The oldest of five children, he was born Terence Henry Stamp on July 22, 1938, in Bow, East London, to mother Ethel and father Thomas, a £12-a-week tugboat stoker.

‘I was in pain. I took drugs – everything’

That made him, according to the saying, a genuine Cockney — “born within the sound of Bow bells”.

His first home had no bathroom, only a tub in the backyard which he would be dragged into on Friday evenings.

He later remembered: “The first one in would get second-degree burns — and the last one frostbite.”

In 2016, he said of his childhood: “The great blessing of my life is that I had the really hard bit at the beginning. We were really poor.

“I couldn’t tell anybody that I wanted to be an actor because it was just out of the question. I would have been laughed at.

“When we got our first TV, I started saying, ‘Oh I could do that’ and my dad wore it for a little bit.

“After I’d said, ‘Oh I’m sure I could do better than that guy’, he looked at me and he said, ‘Son, people like us don’t do things like that’.”

As an 18-year-old, he tried to evade National Service — a year and a half of compulsory duty in the military — by claiming to have nosebleeds but was saved when he failed his medical because of fallen arches.

Determined to realise his dream, Stamp left home and moved into a basement flat on London’s Harley Street with another promising young Cockney actor — Michael Caine. The pair became firm friends and ended up in repertory theatre, touring around the UK together.

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Stamp’s performances soon brought him to the attention of acclaimed writer and director Peter Ustinov, who gave him the lead role in the 1962 historical drama movie Billy Budd. He was an overnight success.

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, he also won the hearts of millions of female fans. And with his first Hollywood pay cheque, the image-conscious actor celebrated by buying himself a Savile Row suit and bleaching his hair blond.

Stamp heeded the career advice Ustinov gave him — to only accept job offers when something he really wanted came his way.

That may explain why he made only ten movies between 1962 and 1977.

His most famous role was as Sergeant Troy in Far From The Madding Crowd in 1967 — where he met and fell in love with co-star Julie Christie.

While Stamp was fast becoming a screen icon, his younger brother Chris was making waves in the music biz.

I was someone who was desperately unhappy. I was in pain. I took drugs — everything

Terence Stamp

Stamp Junior managed The Who and Jimi Hendrix, and was friends with many music legends of the time.

Talking about The Kinks’ classic Waterloo Sunset, written by frontman Ray Davies, Terence said: “My brother was quite friendly with him.

“He asked Ray Davies about that lyric and Ray Davies told my brother that, yes, he was visualising Julie and me when he wrote the lyric.”

But by the end of the decade, Stamp’s career was on the wane — and he was devastated when his “Face of the Sixties” model girlfriend Jean Shrimpton walked out on him — beginning what he called his “lost years”.

He said: “I’d lost the only thing I thought was permanent.

“The revelation came to me then — nothing is permanent, so what was the point trying to maintain a permanent state?

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“I was someone who was desperately unhappy. I was in pain. I took drugs — everything.”

He clung on to a feeling that “the call would come” — but the wait was a long one.

It finally came in 1977 when he was offered the part of General Zod in Superman.

He took it — mainly because it gave him the chance to appear alongside his acting hero Marlon Brando.

The part brought him to the attention of a new audience — and last night fans paid tribute to his portrayal of the banished alien villain.

In a nod to his role as the evil leader who demanded his enemies show him deference, one fan wrote on X: “Thank you Terry . . . we will kneel today in your honour.”

Another wrote: “Terence Stamp was much more than Zod but at the same time one of the best comic book villains ever.”

‘My present was a box of Star Wars stencils’

Making up for lost time after the 1978 release of Superman, Stamp made dozens of films from then until 2021, showing off his huge range.

He won universal praise for his portrayal of an East End villain in The Limey (1999) and transgender woman Bernadette Bassenger in The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert. Stamp also played Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum in Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace, although the director George Lucas did not give him a huge payday.

He once cornered a producer during the shoot and complained about the pay.

He recalled: “I said, ‘Listen, you’re not paying much money and it’s making hundreds of millions. What goes down? What happens?’

“She said, ‘If the actors are really good, George gives them a present’.

“I thought, ooh, that’s all right. So when I leave the studio I go into my dressing room and there’s a box. It was a box of Star Wars stencils.

“That was my present. I just couldn’t believe it. I thought, may the Force be with you, George. I didn’t keep my stencils. I left them in the dressing room.”

Around that time, he said: “I moved from England some time ago because I wasn’t getting any work.

“I’m getting work in America and my films appear in France but for some reason I’m not getting any offers in Britain.”

But he kept himself busy by launching a successful parallel career as an author, writing five bestselling memoirs and two cookbooks.

He continued to select interesting roles and made a series of memorable cameo appearances, most recently, in 2021, in Edgar Wright’s psychological thriller Last Night In Soho.

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Although he dated some of the world’s most beautiful women, including Julie Christie, Brigitte Bardot and sisters Joan and Jackie Collins, he married only once — to Elizabeth O’Rourke.

The pharmacist was 35 years his junior and the marriage lasted from 2002 to 2008.

He admitted he was upset by the split but added: “I always said I’ll try anything once, other than incest or Morris dancing.

“I’d never been married and I thought I would try it, but I couldn’t make a go of it.”

Looking back on his career, he once said: “I’d be lying if I said I was completely indifferent to the success of all my contemporaries. There are parts I would love to have had a stab at, but I see the decisions I made as invaluable.

“I’m not just chasing an Oscar. I am learning how to die — how to build something within myself that does not become dust.”

MEGHAN Markle’s heavily criticised Netflix show has been renewed for a second season as a new trailer dropped.

Footage showed the Duchess of Sussex alongside a host of famous guests ahead of the release of the second series of With Love, Meghan on August 26.

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The first season of Meghan’s eight-part Netflix show saw her bee-keeping, making homemade candles and cooking with celeb pals, including Mindy Kaling and make-up artist Daniel Martin.

Now, the show’s second series promises to be “fun and heartwarming” as a plethora of celebrity guests are due to make their appearance.

This includes stars Chrissy Teigen, Christina Tosi, Jamie Kern Lima, and Tan France.

Describing the new season, Netflix said: “Meghan returns with a fun and heartwarming new season, welcoming celebrity chefs, talented artists, and beloved friends for hands-on adventures filled with laughter and discovery.

“From playful cooking challenges to DIY projects, Meghan and her guests explore bold flavors, experiment with new techniques, and discover simple ways to add beauty to everyday life.

“It’s all about embracing playfulness over perfection and finding joy in creating together.”

Meghan can be seen laughing alongside guests at her Montecito home in the trailer, even joking at the end about Prince Harry’s lack of love for lobster.

Speaking to Chef Andrés, she says: “You know who doesn’t like lobster? My husband.”

In response, the chef light-heartedly retorts: “And you married him anyway?”

This comes after Harry and Meghan announced yesterday they had signed a new “multi-year, first look deal” with the American streaming giant to produce “film and television projects”.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have previously released a number of shows on the platform, including a 2022 documentary on their lives and lifestyle show With Love, Meghan this year.

They had secured a lucrative five-year contract – thought to be worth more than $100 million (£74 million) – with Netflix after quitting as senior working royals in 2020.

However, this new deal has been signed for “much less”, an insider told Page Six.

Meghan said in a statement: “We’re proud to extend our partnership with Netflix and expand our work together to include the As Ever brand.

“My husband and I feel inspired by our partners who work closely with us and our Archewell Productions team to create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally, and celebrates our shared vision.”

Netflix will only pay for projects they want to screen, rather than pay in a single multi-million pound agreement like the one signed in 2020, The Sun understands.

The Sun can also reveal, however, that the streaming giants will cover Archewell Productions’s overheads, including all costs for its offices and staff.

The new deal was also described as a “downgrade” by PR expert Mark Borkowski.

He told the Mail: “I think Netflix has done a very neat job of pivoting away from two very expensive people who didn’t deliver, and they’ve taken that deal off the table, and they’ve given them a modest one. 

“It’s not like they’re gradually uncoupling – it’s a downgrade. Netflix are not going to expose themselves to those budgets again. It’s Netflix saying, ‘Let’s have a look at your content, but we’ll pick and choose, mate’.”

On top of Season 2 of With Love, Meghan – which will drop later this month – the couple will also film a “Holiday Celebration” Christmas special.

“Join Meghan in Montecito for a magical holiday celebration,” the announcement read.

“Together, friends and family deck the halls, create holiday feasts, craft heartfelt gifts, and share lots of laughs – with simple how-tos to follow at home. It’s a holiday wonder with warmth, tradition, and a generous dose of joy.”

The couple will also release a short film called “Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within” which will look at Uganda’s Masaka region and the HIV/AIDS crisis there.

This has echoes of Harry’s mum Diana’s work, who pioneered social change on perceptions of HIV/AIDS.

She famously shook the hand of a man suffering with the illness without gloves, publicly challenging the idea that HIV/Aids was passed from person to person by touch.

There is also “active development” on other projects with Netflix which “span a variety of content genres”, including a feature adaptation of the bestselling romantic novel by Carley Fortune, Meet Me At The Lake.

Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, said: “Harry and Meghan are influential voices whose stories resonate with audiences everywhere.

“The response to their work speaks for itself — Harry & Meghan gave viewers an intimate look into their lives and quickly became one of our most-watched documentary series.

“More recently, fans have been inspired by With Love, Meghan, with products from the new As Ever line consistently selling out in record time.

“We’re excited to continue our partnership with Archewell Productions and to entertain our members together.”

It was previously thought that the Sussexes’ £74million deal with the streamer was not going to be renewed.

Harry’s vanity project, Polo, about the sport, was watched by just 500,000 people.

But it was also understood that bosses were mildly infuriated by Meghan making her As Ever brand a priority.

The With Love, Meghan viewing figures have reportedly been “dismal”.

Lifestyle and cookery show With Love, Meghan only ranked at number 383 in Netflix’s six-monthly engagement report this year, with just 5.3million viewers across the globe.

Described by one critic as an “exercise in narcissism”, it was beaten by reruns of the first four seasons of legal drama Suits, which also starred the Duchess in her pre-royal days.

Once judged by some as Britain’s greatest soft power asset since Princess Diana, Meghan was filmed for her show making ladybird-shaped canapes from cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls.

In truth, the show is a smash hit compared to her husband’s vanity docuseries Polo, blasted as “a dull indulgence about a rich person’s pursuit”.

In the first six months of the year the programme attracted a disastrous 500,000 views globally, ranking it at number 3,442 out of around 7,000 shows.

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PREGNANT Rihanna shows off her baby Flump — sorry, bump — in a bonkers outfit the colour of the marshmallow treat.

The singer, 37, was seen out and about in Los Angeles in a pink and orange dress.

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And the Barbadian star’s vintage 2001 Issey Miyake frock cost a lot more than the sweets — at just over £2,100.

Rihanna, expecting her third baby in weeks, is no stranger to confectionery-themed fashion, wearing a Haribo Heart Throbs-style red dress in 2016.

The pregnant star also showed off her huge bare baby bump while going out for dinner in LA at her favorite eatery.

The business mogul, who announced her pregnancy earlier this year, looked ready to pop.

Stepping out to head for dinner at her favorite Italian restaurant, Giorgio Baldi, Rihanna put her bump on display.

Giorgio Baldi is a “luxurious family-run Italian spot near the ocean” which serves seafood and pasta.

While heading out for food at the spot, Rihanna looked sensational in a navy suit, sheer mesh bra and polka dot tie.

The mother-of-two wore her navy blazer open at the front, with her bump showing.

She wore her hair slicked back, and kept her makeup natural and soft, yet glamorous.

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In 2019, Oregon bookseller Billie Bloebaum saw an author raise a question on X she had heard many times before: “Why should I support independent bookstores when independent bookstores don’t support romance?”

“For a long time, and still somewhat to this day, independent bookstores have had a reputation as being not as welcoming to romance readers and books as they could be,” Bloebaum told The Times. “There were a lot of booksellers that I knew who read romance, who championed romance, who had it on their shelves in the bookstores where they worked or that they owned.”

Determined to rewrite the narrative, Bloebaum launched Bookstore Romance Day in August — Romance Awareness Month — that same year. The inaugural event had less than 200 participating bookstores across the U.S. Now, in 2025, there are more than 600 registered locations around the world.

“It really was a way to get the word out that independent bookstores are not romance-unfriendly,” Bloebaum said, “to bring those two communities together, the romance community and the independent bookstore community.”

There are now 103 brick-and-mortar, romance-only bookstores in the U.S., according to Romancing the Data, including the Ripped Bodice in Culver City, Heartbound in Anaheim and Mystic Box in Huntington Beach. Over the past three years, Pages: A Bookstore in Manhattan Beach has doubled its space dedicated to romance titles, said general manager Jeff Resnik.

“We take romance seriously,” Resnik said.

Across Los Angeles, independent storefronts are observing Bookstore Romance Day on Saturday, Aug. 9, with author talks, book bedazzling, giveaways and more. For those who can’t attend the festivities in person, Bloebaum also offers free virtual events all weekend.

MADONNA goes hell for feather — posing in a boa and stockings days before turning 67.

The Queen of Pop also crawled on all fours in jewellery and towering heels for a racy shoot.

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She is working on her 15th studio album — a sequel to 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor — which will be her first since 2019’s Madame X.

Madonna is expected to go on hols with boyfriend Akeem Morris, 29, for her birthday next week.

Last year she celebrated in Pompeii.

Other birthdays have included trips to Lisbon and Sicily.

Meanwhile, Madonna has spent the past few years working on a movie about her life.

Actress Julia Garner was lined up to play the Hung Up hitmaker in the film before it appeared to be left on the shelf over two years ago.

Now it seems that plans have been re-imagined with Julia confirming last month she is still lined up to play the iconic popstar in a Netflix miniseries about her life.

Madonna and Julia are working with filmmaker Shawn Levy on the project, which is in the early stages of development.

Confirming that the project was still happening, despite the uncertainty, Julia told the SmartLess podcast: “Yeah, I mean, that’s supposed to still happen.”

However, she did appear to hint that the project may still be far off hitting screens as she affirmed that “anything that’s great, takes time”.

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Owners Ben Shenassafar, Kate Burr and Jared Meisler tapped Jason Lee (formerly of n/soto, Baroo) and Chad Austin (formerly of the Mulholland, Bootlegger Tiki) to steer the new venture, and they’ve injected the dimly lit space with equal parts creativity and technical prowess. They draw on L.A.’s cross-cultural landscape with ingredients like Parmesan-washed Oaxacan rum, Sichuan peppercorn-laced mezcal and miso-imbued rye. There’s taro in the clarified milk punch and everything-bagel seasoning in the Gibson, and there’s a selection of bar snacks and small plates — beef tartare, shrimp rolls, deviled eggs — to round it all out.

A 80s movie bombshell looked unrecognizable after becoming the ‘world’s richest actress’ – despite quitting Hollywood.

The star, now 59, appeared alongside a popular TV actor in a classic 80s film.

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One of her early films, 1981’s Endless Love, was Tom Cruise‘s film debut.

The actress’ most recent regular role on television ended in 2014.

Jami Gertz appeared in 1987 flick The Lost Boys, starring alongside Kiefer Sutherland, who played David.

She played the role of Star, a member of David’s vampire gang, and is a half-vampire after resisting the urge for human blood.

Almost four decades on, Jami looked unrecognisable as she enjoyed lunch in West Hollywood.

The star headed to the San Vicente Bungalows – an exclusive private members club known for its celebrity clientele.

She wore a powder blue shirt, accompanied by white trousers and an orange satchel.

According to MailOnline, Jami is reported to be the “richest actress in the world.”

In 1989, she tied the knot with businessman Tony Ressler – who became a major player in private equity.

The now-64-year-old co-founded Apollo Global Mangement and Ares Management.

Forbes’ prestigious annual list reports Tony is currently credited as being worth $14.2 billion.

Elsewhere, Jami herself is reportedly worth a staggering $12 billion, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Jami and Tony own the Atlanta Hawks basketball team, having acquired it in 2015.

They made the purchase alongside former basketball player Grant Hill.

Meanwhile, Tony was previously a contender to buy Chelsea Football Club.

On television, Jami most recently starred in sci-fi sitcom The Neighbors.

Created by This Is Us boss Dan Fogelman, she portrayed Debbie Weaver.

Her most recent film, romantic comedy I Want You Back, was released in 2022.

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HOMEWARE giant Wayfair has slashed its UK workforce by more than half in just two years, as it grapples with tumbling sales and a sharp drop in profit.

The US-based furniture retailer, which operates across Britain, cut staff numbers from 847 in 2022 to just 405 by the end of 2024, according to fresh filings with Companies House.

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The dramatic reduction follows a tough period for the business, with UK turnover plunging from £83.4million in 2022 to just £59.4million last year.

Profits also took a hit, with pre-tax earnings slipping from £2.6million to £2.2million over the same period.

Wayfair said it had made a 17 per cent cut to administrative expenses and was now focused on “driving cost efficiency” and “nailing the basics” as it tried to steady the ship.

Despite the ongoing slowdown, bosses remain upbeat about the retailer’s long-term prospects and said the group is working towards maintaining profitability and generating positive free cash flow.

The wider company reported a net revenue of $11.9billion (£8.8billion) globally last year – down $152million (£112million) on the year before.

International sales fell to $1.5billion (£1.1billion), while revenue in its core US market dropped to $10.4billion (£7.7billion).

Wayfair recorded a net loss of $492million (£363million) despite raking in $3.6billion (£2.7billion) in gross profits.

There was some relief in early 2025, as first-quarter results showed a $1billion (£740million) rise in total revenue, thanks to a modest recovery in US sales.

However, international takings continued to fall, dipping by $37million (£27million) to $301million (£223million).

Wayfair isn’t the only retailer feeling the pinch on the high street. Furniture favourite MADE.com collapsed into administration in 2022 after failing to find a buyer, leading to hundreds of job losses.

Habitat also shut down all standalone stores in 2021, moving exclusively online after years of underperformance.

Even major players have been forced to adapt.

Wilko closed its doors for good in 2023 after nearly a century in business, with more than 400 stores shutting and 12,000 staff affected.

Argos has continued to reduce its physical footprint, shutting dozens of standalone shops and moving into parent company Sainsbury’s stores to save costs.

Retail experts say changing consumer habits, rising costs and weaker demand are continuing to batter the home and furniture sector.

Many shoppers have tightened their belts amid soaring bills and higher interest rates, with big-ticket items like sofas and beds often the first to be cut from household budgets.

Wayfair bosses said the company remains “resilient” in the face of economic uncertainty and is pressing ahead with its long-term strategy to streamline operations and stay competitive.

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After a rocky start to summer, L.A.’s food scene is finding its footing.

Downtown restaurants are bouncing back after suffering significant loss of business due to temporary curfews put in place following protests against ICE raids. After announcing its permanent closure, Cole’s French Dip — L.A.’s oldest saloon and restaurant, which opened in 1908 — experienced a swell of support and extended its run until mid-September. In Little Tokyo, a cafe themed after a popular anime series is bringing renewed interest to the neighborhood.

As temperatures continue to rise, there are plenty of ways to get out and enjoy the season while staying cool. Embrace the dog days of summer with pup-friendly patios (and homemade recipes), grab a couple scoops of vegan ice cream, fuel up with over-the-top iced matcha and coffee drinks or taste the resurgent trend of chicken Caesar wraps while exploring the city’s summer offerings.

And if you’re looking for additional dining ideas this month, bookmark this list with new openings and long-standing restaurants that need support, including a destination for inventive chicken tenders from a Michelin-star chef, a Hawaiian poke shop in Echo Park and a Filipino breakfast pop-up from a Chinatown rotisserie and wine bar.

Los Angeles loves dogs. The city was ranked as the most popular across the country for dog ownership, according to data gathered by U.S. News, and with get-outside weather and an abundance of green spaces to explore, it’s easy to see why.

Pet ownership skyrocketed during pandemic shutdowns, with local shelters experiencing a rare shortage of dogs and cats. But as the world reopened, dog owners were faced with the challenge of balancing return-to-office demands and expanded social lives with the responsibilities of pet ownership, making dog-friendly spaces all the more important.

Thankfully, the local restaurant scene offers countless settings to socialize with your pup, from an Eagle Rock coffee shop with an attached dog park to an Arts District pizzeria and a Lincoln Heights cider house. Here are 12 dog-friendly patios in L.A. to visit with your pup this summer.

More than a month after President Trump made the fiercely contentious decision to send about 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles, those troops will begin withdrawing from the city, Pentagon officials said Monday.

The decision comes a week after the Pentagon announced that half of the almost 4,000 National Guard soldiers deployed to the Los Angeles area would be released from duty. The Marines and National Guard were sent to the city in early June amid widespread federal immigration raids and fiery protests against the raids, with the Trump administration vowing to crack down on “rioters, looters and thugs.”

While the president contended that he had “saved Los Angeles,” local and state officials ferociously denounced the extraordinary deployment of military troops to the streets of an American city.

Advocates and California politicians also argued that the heavy-handed spectacle would be incendiary, potentially putting both the troops and protesters at risk.

In recent days, the troops have been largely fighting tedium, without much to do.

The sometimes volatile protests, which erupted in downtown Los Angeles and other parts of the region in mid-June, have since wound down. The troops have been tasked with guarding federal buildings, and some have accompanied immigration agents on tense enforcement actions.

Speaking on behalf of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell seemed to acknowledge the quiet in a statement Monday.

“With stability returning to Los Angeles, the Secretary has directed the redeployment of the 700 Marines whose presence sent a clear message: lawlessness will not be tolerated,” Parnell said. “Their rapid response, unwavering discipline, and unmistakable presence were instrumental in restoring order and upholding the rule of law. We’re deeply grateful for their service, and for the strength and professionalism they brought to this mission.”

News of the Marines’ withdrawal, which was first reported by the New York Times, broke minutes after Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass finished a Monday morning public appearance with veterans’ groups, where she decried the “inappropriate” presence of military forces on L.A. streets.

“This is another win for Los Angeles. As we said this morning — the way to best support our troops is to have them do what they enlisted to do, not to protect two office buildings,” Bass said in response to the withdrawal.

Roughly 2,000 National Guard troops remain in the region, according to U.S. Northern Command.

Ask any vegan about the early days of plant-based ice cream, and they’ll shudder at the thought. Remember the chalky, grainy consistency? The barely-there sweetness? Before Los Angeles became a hub for vegan cuisine, sorbet was the best available option. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case — now, some of the best scoop shops in the city are dedicated to plant-based ice cream that delivers the same flavor and texture you’d expect from dairy versions.

Opened in 2010, KindKreme was L.A.’s first fully dairy-free ice cream chain, operating three locations before it closed, one at the former Sage Regenerative Kitchen and Brewery in Echo Park. It remained one of the city’s only destinations for vegan ice cream until 2014, when Van Leeuween launched artisanal pint flavors.

The trend picked up in 2015 with the opening of Yoga-urt, a plant-based frozen yogurt chain that now has four locations. Around the same time, established creameries began introducing vegan options, and oat, cashew and macadamia milks started landing in stores, indicating a growing desire for dairy milk alternatives.

Magpies Softserve opened in Silver Lake the following year, with “flavors that reflect the city, like horchata, ube, Thai tea and black sesame,” said Warren Schwartz, who co-owns the chain with his wife Rose. The couple uses a coconut cream, oat milk and nut milk base for soft serve that also makes its way into pies. “We experimented with plant-based fats, emulsifiers and natural stabilizers to get that creamy, satisfying texture that people expect,” he added.

L.A. is now awash with vegan ice cream shops serving flavors inspired by childhood nostalgia, cultural heritage and our region’s abundant year-round produce. From raw-vegan ice cream made with young Thai coconut meat to dairy-free frozen yogurt infused with healthy probiotics, here are 10 vegan ice cream shops to help you cool down this summer.

In a coffee city like Los Angeles, it’s no surprise that many coffee shops, teahouses and cafes take creativity to the next level. The sweet syrups and aesthetic latte art that marked our entry into customizable coffee culture were only the beginning — springboards for today’s caffeine scene where different flavors of fluffy cream tops and unique toppings, from sugar rims to cob-shaped corn ice cream, draw crowds to shops across the city.

Here, dramatic drinks take inspiration from a wealth of cultures and cuisines, from East Asian cafes and bubble tea shops where add-ons are the star to third-wave coffee shops highlighting flavors from around the world.

“We wanted something on the menu that was kind of a destination drink,” said Max Rand, the owner of Good Friend, a coffee shop that opened in East Hollywood last year. “That’s become a really popular thing in L.A. especially: something that people will go out of their way for, will drive across town for. It has to be interesting enough for someone to go out of their way to try it.”

Extravagant drinks aren’t always a hit — too many add-ons and the delicately bitter flavor of matcha disappears. Adding whipped cream and other flourishes can muddle the tasting notes that coffee roasters work so hard to highlight. Finding the sweet spot is difficult.

Achieving that balance — high-quality ingredients and processes complemented by unique flavors and presentation — is what makes a baroque beverage a winner. From coffee infused with yuzu to milky mango topped with matcha mousse, these are our favorite over-the-top drinks that taste just as good as they look.

Mayor Karen Bass fired back at the Department of Justice on Tuesday, calling its lawsuit against her city part of an “all-out assault on Los Angeles” by President Trump.

Bass said she and other city leaders would not be intimidated by the lawsuit, which seeks to invalidate sanctuary policies that prohibit city resources from being used in federal immigration enforcement in most cases.

The mayor, appearing before reporters at City Hall, assailed federal agents for “randomly grabbing people” off the street, “chasing Angelenos through parking lots” and arresting immigrants who showed up at court for annual check-ins. She also took a swipe at Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, a Santa Monica native widely viewed as the architect of the sweeping immigration crackdown.

“We know that U.S. citizens have been detained, so it’s basically indiscriminate,” Bass said. “It’s a wide net they have cast in order to meet Stephen Miller’s quota of 3,000 people a day being detained around the nation.”

L.A.’s mayor has been at odds with the Trump administration since early June, when federal immigration agents began a series of raids across Southern California, spurring protests in downtown Los Angeles, Paramount and other communities. Her latest remarks came one day after Trump’s Department of Justice sued the city over its sanctuary law, alleging it has hindered the federal government’s ability to combat “a crisis of illegal immigration.”

In the lawsuit, federal prosecutors accused the City Council of seeking to “thwart the will of the American people,” arguing that Trump won his election on a platform of deporting “millions of illegal immigrants.” They also alleged that L.A.’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities had triggered “lawlessness, rioting, looting, and vandalism” during the anti-ICE demonstrations.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson pushed back against Bass’ assertions, saying in an email that Bass should “thank President Trump for helping get dangerous criminals off L.A.’s streets.”

“The only ‘assault’ being committed is by Bass’s radical left-wing supporters who are assaulting ICE officers for simply doing their job and enforcing federal immigration law,” Jackson said. “Thanks to inflammatory rhetoric like Bass’s, ICE officers are facing a 500% increase in assaults.”

Elected officials in Los Angeles, Pasadena, Huntington Park and other communities have decried the raids, saying they are tearing families apart, disrupting public life and choking off economic activity. In some communities, July 4 fireworks shows have been canceled for fear of ICE raids destroying the events.

Even some who support Trump have begun to voice concerns. Last week, six Republicans in the state legislature sent Trump a letter urging him to focus on targeting violent criminals during his immigration crackdown, saying the raids are instilling widespread fear and driving workers out of critical industries.

From June 1 to June 10, 722 people were arrested by immigration agents in the Los Angeles region, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement data obtained by the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley Law. A Times analysis of the figures found that 69% of those arrested during that period had no criminal conviction, and 58% had never been charged with a crime.

In L.A., the sanctuary ordinance bars city employees from seeking out information about an individual’s citizenship or immigration status unless needed to provide a city service. They also must treat data or information that can be used to trace a person’s citizenship or immigration status as confidential.

Trump has been trying to strike down the state’s sanctuary policies almost since they were enacted — largely without success.

In 2019, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a federal challenge to Senate Bill 54, which barred local police departments from helping federal agencies take custody of immigrants being released from jails. The Supreme Court declined to take up the case the following year.

In a separate case, the 9th Circuit ruled that the Trump administration may not force the city of L.A. to help deport immigrants as a condition of receiving a federal police grant.

City Councilmember Tim McOsker, who worked for several years in the city attorney’s office, said Tuesday that he views the Trump lawsuit as a publicity stunt.

“There are over 100 years of case law that tell us this is a baseless lawsuit,” he said.

Times staff writer Rachel Uranga contributed to this report.

This Fourth of July, patriotism for many Americans feels a bit slippery.

As citizens of our near 250-year-old republic reminisce about the Independence Days of their childhoods — adorned with American flag motifs and smelling of charred hot dogs — some, particularly in 2025, are wrestling with thoughts about what it means to love one’s country.

Such dialogue has exploded as protesters over the last month have publicly condemned ongoing immigration enforcement raids. In L.A., several communities fearing the consequences of those raids are canceling their Independence Day events in an effort to protect vulnerable residents.

Organizers of the Gloria Molina Grand Park Summer Block Party in downtown L.A. posted on Instagram that they postponed the annual event “out of an abundance of caution and in light of ongoing events across L.A. county.”

At the same time, time-honored Fourth of July festivities are taking new shapes as concerns mount about their environmental costs. For the first time in nearly a century, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena will swap its crowd-favorite firework display for a drone show.

Although celebrating American independence may look different this year, L.A. still has a spirited slate of parades, concerts, boat rides and firework shows where you can show your patriotism — whatever that means to you.

Here is a list of 52 places and events in L.A. County to ring in the holiday. (Events start Wednesday and continue through Sunday, but be sure to watch for any new cancellations.)

A feeling of tension and anxiety has settled over the greater Los Angeles area since June 6, when Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents targeting immigrants for sudden deportation touched down in the region.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators joined anti-ICE protests held across Southern California, and an evening curfew was imposed on downtown L.A. The neighborhood has remained quiet since the curfew was lifted, with local restaurants and shops suffering significant loss of business as workers and customers stay home out of fear of being profiled and targeted by ICE.

Despite widespread confusion and alarm, Angelenos continue to show up for one another. One Oaxacan-Mediterranean restaurant in Boyle Heights began delivering groceries to immigrants sheltering at home. Mexican supermarket chains including Vallarta and Northgate Gonzalez have offered free or discounted delivery, and countless restaurants and pop-ups have held fundraisers to support local immigrant communities.

L.A. restaurant owners are also scrambling to protect their staff and customers, with strategies ranging from informational events to train managers on what to say in the event of an ICE raid to the launch of rapid-response networks.

Amid present circumstances, restaurateurs are still contending with the ongoing issues that make running a restaurant in this city challenging, including rising rents and the compounded financial loss from January wildfires and 2024 entertainment industry strikes.

That makes it all the more important for diners to support their local food scene in whatever ways possible, from grabbing tacos at a favorite street vendor to making a reservation for a newly opened restaurant. This month presents opportunities to dine at a stylish new destination for Caribbean cuisine, a freshly reopened Korean barbecue stalwart and an iconic California-inspired wine bar that’s scheduled to close on Aug. 1.

KANYE West has resorted to paying wife Bianca Censori to wear her head-turning outfits, a source close to the couple has told The U.S. Sun. 

Bianca, 30, is never shy and has continually shocked onlookers with her barely-there outfits.

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BUSINESS PROPOSITION

But when she stepped out in New York City at the weekend in a scarcely believable candy bra and thong set paired with silver stilettos, Bianca took her wild wardrobe to the next level.

An insider, however, has told The U.S. Sun said that the controversial rapper’s “obsession” with outfit ideas for his wife has forced him to fork out up to $400,000 to make it all happen. 

The sugary set ended up costing Kanye $100,000, per the source. 

The source claimed the idea was pitched earlier in the week and Bianca refused point-blank unless her husband paid up.

Ye, added the insider, is dressing her up in the most extravagant outfits to not only keep his “edgy persona” firmly in the public eye, but to make sure everyone thinks “she’s the sexiest woman alive.”

It’s not the first time Bianca’s body has doubled as a billboard.

Last week in Los Angeles, she strutted through the streets in a sheer nude bodysuit with no bra and furry white boots. 

The outfit left little to the imagination—and jaws on the floor.

“Bianca has figured out how to turn all this into her advantage,” the source told The U.S. Sun. “A lot of the outfits aren’t to her taste. But she tells him she will wear them – if she’s paid.”

PAY TO PLAY

Kanye was reportedly upset initially but is now happy to oblige.

He allegedly wanted to offer his wife of two years a yearly salary. 

But the Australian born beauty prefers to be paid on a “per look or event” basis.

“She’s essentially monetizing her image,” added the source who believes she has made almost $3 million since the arrangement started and was paid $120,000 to join her husband in a naked dress at the Grammys in February.

Bianca allegedly draws the line at anything political and some ideas have been turned down.

She doesn’t want to be tied to some of the distasteful social media posts which have effectively seen Kanye cancelled in most parts of the world.

There was an alleged attempt to wear something with a political message tied to his disgraced friend Sean “Diddy” Combs – but it was shut down immediately.

But the 30 year-old knows just how valuable she is to keeping him relevant and in the spotlight. 

“She knows she’s essential to his image,” the source continued. “She wants her slice of the cake. She’s being smart about it.”

The U.S. Sun revealed in April that Bianca was being approached by numerous fashion houses to work in ambassadorial roles, only for the advances to be knocked back by Kanye. 

And we also disclosed earlier this month that she officially launched her first U.S. company, Bianca Censori Inc.

The paperwork was filed in California, but Bianca registered her full name as a business entity in her hometown of Alphington, one of Melbourne’s wealthiest suburbs.

“She knows exactly what she’s doing,” a second insider says. “She’s turning every outfit into a paycheck. Kanye’s obsessed with styling her, but she’s the one calling the shots. 

“Bianca is a celebrity in her own right now. The truth is he needs her. Without her bold looks and presence, people wouldn’t pay nearly as much attention to him. 

“She is in control and making serious money doing it.”

The U.S. Sun contacted a representative for Kanye and Bianca.

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