southern

An Israeli air strike has hit the Al-Baqbouq area north of Tyre in southern Lebanon, sending massive clouds of smoke into the air. The attack left several Syrian workers injured.

People in southern Lebanon are living under “psychological terror” from Israeli air attacks and displacement orders.

Israeli forces launched a new wave of air attacks in Lebanon on Saturday after earlier raids killed 10 people, targeting an area near the Syrian border and several villages in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s National News Agency said there were five Israeli air attacks shortly before midnight in the mountainous Nabi Sreij area on the outskirts of Brital, which had been spared from attacks since April 17. On Saturday,  the agency reported large explosions in the towns of Yohmor al-Shaqif in Nabatieh and Taybeh in the Marjayoun district, both in southern Lebanon.

On Thursday, an Israeli attack near the Tebnine Hospital in southern Lebanon damaged all three floors of the building, including ‌the ‌emergency room, intensive care unit, surgical ward, and ambulances parked outside, according to the Ministry of Public Health.

Israel’s military had issued two forced displacement warnings since Friday night via its Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee, for the southern Lebanese village of Burj Rahal and the areas of Tyre and Zqouq al-Mufdi.

Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto, reporting from Tyre, southern Lebanon, at the edge of the 500-metre (550-yard) perimeter that Israel has designated as the danger zone, said: “There are ambulances here. There are also rescue teams and people who have fled their homes this evening following this forced [displacement] order.”

Many left in fear and panic, he said, seeing these orders as threats while being unsure of when they could return home.

“People are here with their families and their children,” Hitto said. “This is the kind of psychological terror that Israel is forcing people to live in, here in southern Lebanon.”

More than 3,100 people have been killed in Lebanon ⁠since Israeli forces escalated attacks on the country on March 2, and attacks have continued despite a ceasefire announced by United States President Donald Trump on April 16. The dead include 123 medics, more than 210 children and nearly 300 women, according to statistics shared by Lebanon’s Health Ministry on Friday.

SOUTHERN SECTION SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS
(Games at 3:15 p.m. unless noted)
SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE
Semifinals

DIVISION 1
La Habra at Etiwanda
JSerra at Norco

DIVISION 2
Whittier Christian at St. Paul
San Clemente at Mater Dei

DIVISION 3
North Torrance at Great Oak
Riverside Prep at Dos Pueblos

DIVISION 4
Oxnard at Monrovia
Burbank Burroughs at Mission Viejo

DIVISION 5
Patriot at Grace
Covina at Northwood

DIVISION 6
Granite Hills at Irvine
Hesperia Christian at Arroyo

DIVISION 7
Ramona Convent at Faith Baptist
Cathedral City at Edgewood

DIVISION 8
San Bernardino at Workman
Capistrano Valley Christian at Arroyo Valley

Note: Finals May 28-30 at Bill Barber Memorial Park, Irvine.

SOUTHERN SECTION SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
Quarterfinals

DIVISION 1
La Habra 11, Orange Lutheran 8
Etiwanda at La Mirada, Thursday
JSerra 1, Garden Grove Pacifica 0
Norco 8, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 0

DIVISION 2
Whittier Christian 13, Bonita 1
St. Paul 8, Lakewood St. Joseph 7
San Clemente 9, Huntington Beach 7
Mater Dei 11, Vista Murrieta 8

DIVISION 3
Great Oak 10, Edison 5
North Torrance 4, San Juan Hills 3
Riverside Prep 7, La Serna 2
Dos Pueblos 7, Villa Park 6

DIVISION 4
Oxnard 5, St. Bonaventure 4
Monrovia 4, Mira Costa 0
Mission Viejo 14, Oak Hills 6
Burbank Burroughs 7, Ramona 2

DIVISION 5
Patriot 10, Santa Clara 3
Grace 6, Shadow Hills 5
Covina 8, Irvine University 1
Northwood 5, Santa Monica 4

DIVISION 6
Irvine 18, Heritage 7
Granite Hills 15, St. Genevieve 4
Sierra Vista at Hesperia Christian, Thursday
Arroyo 8, San Jacinto 3

DIVISION 7
Ramona Convent 10, Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 7
Faith Baptist 10, Riverside Notre Dame 8
Cathedral City 2, Victor Valley 0
Edgewood 8, Culver City 6

DIVISION 8
San Bernardino 13, Avalon 0
Workman 19, Cobalt 6
Capistrano Valley Christian 13, Bell Gardens 6
Arroyo Valley vs. Banning, Thursday

Note: Semifinals May 23; Finals May 28-30 at Bill Barber Memorial Park, Irvine.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon continue despite the ‘ceasefire’ that was recently extended until the beginning of July.

At least eight people have been killed in Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, in the latest violation of an ongoing “ceasefire” agreement, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Israeli fighter jets struck in the village of Doueir on Wednesday, killing five people and injuring two others, NNA reported. Several homes were flattened in the attack, the agency said.

Another Israeli attack killed two people near a hospital in the village of Tibnin, while one person riding a motorcycle was killed in a drone attack on the village of Burj Shemali in the Tyre district, NNA said.

The Red Cross said it recovered the body of one person on the outskirts of the town of Shebaa in the Nabatieh governorate.

Israeli attacks across Lebanon continue despite the United States-mediated “ceasefire” that was recently extended until the beginning of July.

The fresh wave of Israeli attacks came hours after at least 16 people were killed in Israeli air attacks across southern Lebanon on Tuesday. The Health Ministry said three women and three children were among the victims.

Moreover, the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah said its forces clashed with Israeli troops trying to advance to the centre of the village of Haddatha late last night.

The group also reported clashes with Israeli forces in the town of Biyyada and the municipality of Rashaf.

Attacks on eastern Lebanon ongoing

Israeli forces continue to expand their military campaign beyond the country’s south into the western Bekaa Valley.

“For weeks, the Israeli army has been targeting Muslim Shia majority villages in the western Bekaa Valley where Hezbollah has support,” Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reported. “They lie on the road that links the southern front-line villages to the east of the country.”

Yousef Hasan, displaced from the town of Yuhmor, called Israel “an expansionist state that kills women and children”.

“They don’t believe in borders. For them, the border is as far as Israeli soldiers can reach. It is a state that occupies others’ lands,” Hasan told Al Jazeera.

Since March 2, Israel has killed 3,073 people in Lebanon and injured 9,362 others, and displaced more than 1.6 million, about one-fifth of the country’s population, according to Lebanese authorities.

Israeli forces have also destroyed entire villages in southern Lebanon, prompting comparisons with the devastation caused by Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinians in Gaza.

SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
TUESDAY’S RESULTS
THIRD ROUND

DIVISION 1

Pool A

Norco 9, Ayala 2

Pool D

Corona 6, Corona Santiago 1

Pool C

Cypress 8, Sierra Canyon 0

Pool B

La Mirada 11, Huntington Beach 1

SECOND ROUND

DIVISION 2

Elsinore 6, Santa Margarita 4

Ganesha 5, South Hills 2

Newport Harbor 4, Great Oak 1

Aquinas 5, Gahr 3

Santa Ana Foothill 3, Servite 0

Yucaipa 17, Royal 2

Loyola 7, Chaminade 6

Alemany 9, Westlake 6

DIVISION 3

Mira Costa 6, Redondo Union 3

Dos Pueblos 10, Edison 7

Warren 10, Palos Verdes 1

St. Francis 5, Cajon 2

Agoura 3, Garden Grove Pacifica 0

Fullerton 7, Corona del Mar 6

Millikan 3, Beckman 1

Summit 5, Arcadia 4

DIVISION 4

Saugus 11, San Marino 10

Rio Mesa 4, Claremont 2

Glendora at Katella, Wednesday

Anaheim Canyon 4, Upland 1

Marina 11, La Quinta 4

Grand Terrace 4, Palm Desert 0

Laguna Beach 7, Woodbridge 2

Moorpark 8, Monrovia 6

DIVISION 5

Irvine 3, Citrus Valley 2

Cathedral 2, Long Beach Poly 1

Kaiser 5, Quartz Hill 4

Santa Barbara 12, Paramount 5

Long Beach Wilson 2, Jurupa Hills 1

Temescal Canyon 7, Riverside Prep 6

Culver City 6, St. Bonaventure 2

St. Bernard 4, Bishop Montgomery 0

DIVISION 6

Brentwood 9, Ontario 7

Foothill Tech 4, Canyon Springs 0

Trinity Classical Academy 5, Troy 3

El Rancho 8, Northwood 0

Western Christian 5, Savanna 3

Covina 15, Alhambra 5

Muir at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel, late

Lakewood 6, Crossroads 2

DIVISION 7

Carpinteria 7, New Roads 2

North Torrance 7, Grace 0

Santa Paula 11, Fontana 1

Patriot 3, Victor Valley 2

South El Monte 3, Hemet 2

Golden Valley 6, Jurupa Valley 3

Arroyo 4, Carter 3

Norwalk 4, Garden Grove 1

DIVISION 8

Rancho Alamitos 13, Edgewood 10

Chadwick 26, Pasadena Marshall 23

Wildomar Cornerstone Christian 7, Rio Hondo Prep 3

Oxford Academy 4, Rosemead 3

Duarte 4, Santa Clarita Christian 2

Nuview Bridge 3, Nordhoff 2

Artesia 10, Magnolia 5

Anaheim vs. Schurr at Rio Hondo College

DIVISION 9

Lennox Academy 6, Dunn 4

Crossroads Christian 9, St. Monica Academy 8

Ojai Valley 2, San Bernardino 0

Webb 5, Yucca Valley 3

Rolling Hills Prep 11, Ambassador Christian 3

Riverside Bethel Christian 6, Westminster 4

Temecula Prep 22, Cobalt 1

Garden Grove Santiago 7, St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 6

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 3:15 p.m. unless noted)
QUARTERFINALS

DIVISION 1

Corona at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame

Norco at Orange Lutheran

St. John Bosco at La Mirada, Saturday at 11 a.m.

Cypress at Harvard-Westlake

DIVISION 2

Ganesha at Elsinore

Aquinas at Newport Harbor

Foothill at Yucaipa

Loyola at Alemany

DIVISION 3

Mira Costa at Dos Pueblos

St. Francis at Warren

Fullerton at Agoura

Summit at Millikan

DIVISION 4

Saugus at Rio Mesa

Glendora / Katella vs. Anaheim Canyon

Marina at Grand Terrace

Laguna Beach at Moorpark

DIVISION 5

Irvine at Cathedral

Santa Barbara at Kaiser

Temescal Canyon at Long Beach Wilson

Culver City at St. Bernard

DIVISION 6

Foothill Tech at Brentwood

El Rancho at Trinity Classical Academy

Covina at Western Christian

Lakewood vs. Muir /Santa Ana Calvary Chapel

DIVISION 7

Carpinteria at North Torrance

Santa Paula at Patriot

South El Monte at Golden Valley

Norwalk at Arroyo

DIVISION 8

Chadwick at Rancho Alamitos

Oxford Academy at Wildomar Cornerstone Christian

Duarte at Nuview Bridge

Schurr at Artesia

DIVISION 9

Crossroads Christian at Lennox Academy

HajI Valley at Webb

Riverside Bethel Christian at Rolling Hills Prep

Temecula Prep at Garden Grove Santiago

Note: Semifinals in all divisions May 26; Finals in all divisions May 29-30.

WASHINGTON — The NAACP is calling on Black athletes and fans to boycott the athletic programs of public universities in states that are taking steps that the nation’s oldest civil rights group says are restricting Black voting rights.

Launched on Tuesday, the “Out of Bounds” campaign urges prospective Black athletes, their families, alumni and fans to “withhold athletic and financial support” from major public universities in states that “have moved to limit, weaken or erase Black voting representation.”

If Black athletes participate in the boycott, it could deplete rosters for powerhouse football and basketball programs across the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference.

The NAACP is among groups responding to a wave of gerrymandering in the aftermath of a Supreme Court ruling that winnowed a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The boycott comes as civil rights activists have mobilized across the South to protest redistricting plans by Republican state legislatures that eliminate majority-Black congressional districts after the high court’s ruling. Activists have looked for pressure points to dissuade GOP-led states from redistricting maps, including calls for mass protests and economic boycotts.

“Across the South, Black athletes have helped build some of the most profitable college athletic programs in America,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. Johnson noted that the programs “generate hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue, national television value, alumni donations, merchandising sales, ticket sales, and brand equity — much of it powered by Black football and basketball talent.”

The NAACP’s campaign calls out Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and South Carolina as states to boycott, arguing that the athletic programs of those states’ flagship universities are especially reliant on Black athletic talent and should protect Black political interests.

“Black athletes should not be asked to generate wealth, prestige, and power for state institutions while those same states strip political power from Black communities,” said Johnson.

Black lawmakers themselves are also putting pressure on athletic leagues to take action against Republican-led states that may redistrict longtime Black members of Congress.

The Congressional Black Caucus on Monday sent a letter to the commissioners of the SEC and ACC athletic conferences, as well as NCAA President Charlie Baker, that its members will oppose the SCORE Act, a bill to standardize athletes’ contracting rights across the country, unless conference leaders oppose GOP-led redistricting efforts in states that include major conference members.

“The Congressional Black Caucus believes institutions that profit from Black talent and Black communities have a responsibility to stand with those communities when their fundamental rights are under attack,” the CBC said in a Monday statement. “Silence in the face of injustice is not neutrality — it is complicity.”

Brown writes for the Associated Press.

SEOUL, May 18 (UPI) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un convened a meeting with commanding officers from across the country’s armed forces and called for strengthening frontline defenses along the border with South Korea to create an “impregnable fortress,” state-run media reported Monday.

Kim held the meeting at the headquarters of the ruling Workers’ Party Central Committee on Sunday, the official Korean Central News Agency said. It was the first known gathering of all division and brigade commanders since Kim took power in 2011.

Kim called for the “rapid modernization of the military and technical equipment of our army” and stressed the need to adapt military training to the changing nature of modern warfare, KCNA said.

He emphasized the country’s “territorial defense” policy, including “strengthening the first-line units in the southern border and turning the border line into an impregnable fortress,” according to the report.

KCNA said Kim outlined plans to reorganize the military structure and bolster frontline and other major units with upgraded weapons and technology as part of efforts to strengthen deterrence.

Earlier this month, North Korea announced plans to deploy new 155 mm self-propelled howitzers to three battalions assigned to long-range artillery units along the southern border this year.

The meeting comes as Pyongyang hardens its military posture toward Seoul and formally abandons decades-old reunification language.

North Korea recently revised its constitution to remove all references to reunification with South Korea, cementing Kim’s push to redefine inter-Korean ties as relations between two separate states.

The two Koreas remain technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry assessed Monday that the meeting appeared aimed at encouraging the military while reinforcing ideological discipline and modernization efforts.

“North Korea has adopted a two-state stance, and there appear to be trends in that regard,” ministry spokesman Yoon Min-ho said at a regular press briefing. “We will continue to closely monitor related trends in the future.”

Asked whether the North’s latest moves could escalate the situation along the border, Yoon said Seoul would continue efforts to reduce military tensions and build trust on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has sought to reduce tensions since taking office in June, including by dismantling border propaganda loudspeakers and calling for renewed dialogue, but Pyongyang has largely ignored the overtures while continuing to expand its military capabilities.

On Monday, the Unification Ministry released its annual white paper, which defined Seoul’s new “Korean Peninsula peaceful coexistence policy.”

The policy is based on principles President Lee outlined in August, including respecting North Korea’s system, rejecting unification by absorption and avoiding hostile acts.

Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto reports from Tyre in southern Lebanon on the latest Israeli strikes in the region. At least five people were killed, and another 15 injured in Sunday’s strikes despite Israel agreeing to a ceasefire extension with Lebanon.

Harvard-Westlake’s boys’ tennis team accomplished something on Friday few have done: topple Irvine University.

The Wolverines ended University’s four-year run as tennis champions with a 10-8 win at the Southern Section Division 1 championships. University is a 16-time champion.

Aiden Zadeh had an important win in singles. Chase Klugo and Aaron Chung swept their doubles competition. And Gideon Ames won the clinching set.

At a school that excels in many different sports, the Wolverines rose to the top. The season continues with regional and state competition.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

There’s no denying that Loyola’s lacrosse program is best in Southern California and could be that way for years to come with the number of elite young players participating.

On Saturday night, the Cubs (16-3) won their latest Southern Section Division 1 championship with a 14-6 win over Santa Margarita. The Cubs have won three title since the sport was adopted as a championship event in the Southern Section. Defense has been Loyola’s strength all season.

Senior defenders Chase Hellie and Everett Rolph and junior goalkeeper William Russo led one of the best defenses in program history under coach Jimmy Borell.

Senior Cash Ginsberg finished with five goals and junior North Carolina commit Tripp King finished with two goals.

Orange Lutheran won Division 2 boys over Edison and Windward won Division 3.

In girls Division 1, Mira Costa upset top-seeded Santa Margarita 12-6.

SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL PLAYOFFS

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

SECOND ROUND

DIVISION 1

Pool A

#8 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 4, #1 Norco 0

#9 Ayala 7, #16 Maranatha 6

Pool D

#4 Orange Lutheran 9, #5 Corona 6

#13 Corona Santiago 8, #12 Etiwanda 4

Pool C

#6 St. John Bosco 4, #3 Sierra Canyon 3

#11 Cypress 8, #14 Oaks Christian 2

Pool B

#2 Harvard-Westlake 6, #10 Huntington Beach 5

#15 La Mirada 9, #7 Temecula Valley 2

FIRST ROUND

DIVISION 3

Mira Costa 8, Arlington 6

Redondo Union 8, Ridgecrest Burroughs 7

Dos Pueblos 14, Burbank Burroughs 8

Edison 5, Damien 1

Palos Verdes 7, Orange County Pacifica Christian 1

Warren 8, West Ranch 3

Cajon 4, San Dimas 0

St. Francis 4, Crescenta Valley 1

Agoura 4, Oakwood 0

Garden Grove Pacifica 7, Chino Hills 0

Corona del Mar 2, Bishop Amat 1

Fullerton 8, San Juan Hills 3

Beckman 2, Charter Oak 1

Millikan 2, South Torrance 1

Summit 7, La Canada 6

Arcadia 3, Simi Valley 2

DIVISION 5

Citrus Valley 2, Paloma Valley 1

Irvine 4, Moreno Valley 2

Cathedral 4, Calvary Baptist 2

Long Beach Poly 3, Sunny Hills 2

Quartz Hill 12, Tahquitz 0

Kaiser 6, Oak Hills 5

Paramount 15, Heritage Christian 1

Santa Barbara 5, Loara 4

Long Beach Wilson 3, Montebello 0

Jurupa Hills 3, Santa Fe 0

Temescal Canyon 8, Arrowhead Christian 5

Riverside Prep 7, Capistrano Valley Christian 3

Culver City 8, Cerritos Valley Christian 6

St. Bonaventure 1, Mayfair 0

Bishop Montgomery 5, Cerritos 0

St. Bernard 4, Rancho Verde 3

DIVISION 7

New Roads 5, Palmdale 4

Carpinteria 2, Flintridge Prep 1

North Torrance 5, Baldwin Park 1

Grace 6, Beverly Hills 0

Santa Paula 5, Pasadena Poly 4

Fontana 13, Milken 12

Patriot 11, Viewpoint 10

Victor Valley 9, Placentia Valencia 3

Hemet 2, Riverside Notre Dame 0

South El Monte 3, Buena Park 2

Golden Valley 5, University Prep 1

Jurupa Valley 3, Campbell Hall 0

Arroyo 2, Miller 1

Carter 10, Adelanto 1

Garden Grove 1, Nogales 0

Norwalk 8, San Jacinto Valley 1

DIVISION 9

Dunn 16, Redlands Adventist Academy 4

Lennox Academy 18, Santa Monica Pacifica Christian 8

Crossroads Christian 16, Downey Calvary Chapel 7

St. Monica Academy 4, Coastal Christian 3

San Bernardino 17, Mesa Grande 5

Ojai Valley 16, San Luis Obispo Classical 0

Webb 10, Loma Linda Academy 5

Yucca Valley 8, Santa Maria Valley Christian 7

Rolling Hills Prep 18, Lucerne Valley 5

Ambassador Christian 5, United Christian Academy 4

Riverside Bethel Christian 11, Desert Hot Springs 10

Westminster 11, Anza Hamilton 1

Temecula Prep 25, Pomona 1

Cobalt 9, Environmental Charter 5

Garden Grove Santiago 17, Gorman Charter 1

St. Pius X-St, Matthias Academy 20, Animo Leadership 1

TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE

(Games at 3:15 p.m. unless noted)

THIRD ROUND

DIVISION 1

Pool A

Norco at Ayala

Pool D

Corona at Corona Santiago

Pool C

Sierra Canyon at Cypress

Pool D

Huntington Beach at La Mirada

SECOND ROUND

DIVISION 2

Elsinore at Santa Margarita, 2:30 p.m.

South Hills at Ganesha

Newport Harbor at Great Oak

Gahr at Aquinas

Servite at Foothill

Royal at Yucaipa

Chaminade at Loyola

Westlake at Aemany

DIVISION 3

Mira Costa at Redondo Union

Dos Pueblos at Edison

Palos Verdes at Warren

Cajon at St. Francis

Agoura at Garden Grove Pacifica

Corona del Mar at Fullerton

Millikan at Beckman

Arcadia at Summit

DIVISION 4

Saugus at San Marino, 3:30 p.m.

Rio Mesa at Claremont

Glendora at Katella, Wednesday

Upland at Anaheim Canyon

La Quinta at Marina

Palm Desert at Grand Terrace, 4 p.m.

Woodbridge at Laguna Beach

Moorpark at Monrovia

DIVISION 5

Citrus Valley at Irvine

Long Beach Poly at Cathedral

Quartz Hill at Kaiser

Paramount at Santa Barbara

Long Beach Wilson at Jurupa Hills

Riverside Prep at Temescal Canyon

St. Bonaventure at Culver City

St. Bernard at Bishop Montgomery

DIVISION 6

Brentwood at Ontario

Canyon Springs at Foothill Tech

Troy at Trinity Classical Academy

El Rancho at Northwood

Savanna at Western Christian

Covina at Alhambra

Muir at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel

Crossroads at Lakewood, 4 p.m.

DIVISION 7

New Roads at Carpinteria

Grace at North Torrance

Fontana at Santa Paula, 3:30 p.m.

Patriot at Victor Valley

Hemet at South El Monte

Golden Valley at Jurupa Valley

Carter at Arroyo

Norwalk at Garden Grove

DIVISION 8

Edgewood at Rancho Alamitos

Chadwick at Pasadena Marshall

Rio Hondo Prep at Wildomar Cornerstone Christian

Rosemead at Oxford Academy, Monday

Duarte vs. Santa Clarita Christian at Hart Baseball Complex, 7 p.m.

Nordhoff vs. Nuview Bridge at Mystic Field, Nuevo

Artesia at Magnolia

Anaheim vs. Schurr at Rio Hondo College

DIVISION 9

Dunn at Lennox Academy

St. Monica Academy at Crossroads Christian

San Bernardino at Ojai Valley

Webb at Yucca Valley

Rolling Hills Prep at Ambassador Christian

Westminster at Riverside Bethel Christian

Temecula Prep at Cobalt

St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy at Garden Grove Santiago

Note: Quarterfinals in all divisions May 22; Semifinals in all divisions May 26; Finals in all divisions May 29-30.

SOUTHERN SECTION SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

FIRST ROUND

DIVISION 1

Murrieta Mesa 10, Valley View 0

Orange Lutheran 10, Millikan 0

Chino Hills 2, El Modena 1

Etiwanda 14, Agoura 13

Palos Verdes 3, Riverside King 2

Cypress 4, Fullerton 2

Ayala 11, Charter Oak 1

Riverside Poly 7, California 3

Norco 2, Marina 1

DIVISION 3

Rancho Cucamonga 9, Paloma Valley 1

Great Oak 5, West Torrance 2

Edison 8, El Segundo 5

El Toro 9, Colton 0

Murrieta Valley 9, Redondo Union 8

North Torrance 5, Beaumont 0

West Ranch 7, Trabuco Hills 6

San Juan Hills 8, Riverside North 7

Oak Park 10, Cerritos Valley Christian 4

Highland 7, Northview 2

La Serna 4, Carter 0

Dos Pueblos 5, Crescenta Valley 0

Liberty 10, Arcadia 3

DIVISION 5

Anaheim 11, Flintridge Sacred Heart 0

Patriot 11, Arrowhead Christian 9

Temple City 9, Rancho Christian 6

Grace 11, Buena Park 0

Crean Lutheran 3, Alemany 2

Shadow Hills 8, Cerritos 3

San Marcos 10, Leuzinger 0

South El Monte 7, Long Beach Wilson 5

Covina 11, Garden Grove Santiago 1

Muir 8, Rio Hondo Prep 7

Santa Monica 6, Katella 5

Ontario 6, Norwalk 2

Northwood 18, Duarte 11

DIVISION 7

Bloomington 9, Fillmore 8

Miller 11, Savanna 3

Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 11, Riverside Springs Magnolia 4

Faith Baptist 18, St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 4

Twentynine Palms 16, Rancho Alamitos 15

Riverside Notre Dame 12, Costa Mesa 2

Firebaugh 9, Pioneer 8

Chadwick 6, Desert Christian Academy 1

Cathedral City 2, Artesia 1

Orange 9, Bellflower 3

Santa Ana 10, Hawthorne 0

Culver City 9, Temecula Prep 8

DIVISION 8

Banning 20, Redlands Adventist 3

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

(Games at 3:15 p.m. unless noted)

SECOND ROUND

DIVISION 1

La Habra at Murrieta Mesa, noon

Chino Hills at Orange Lutheran

Etiwanda at Westlake

La Mirada at Palos Verdes, noon

Garden Grove Pacifica at Cypress, noon

Ayala at JSerra

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Oaks Christian, 1 p.m.

Norco at Riverside Poly

DIVISION 2

Bonita at Ganesha, 11 a.m.

Whittier Christian at Warren

Simi Valley at St. Paul

Moorpark at Lakewood St. Joseph, 11 a.m.

Temescal Canyon at San Clemente, 12:30 p.m.

Huntington Beach at Camarillo, Monday

Saugus at Vista Murrieta, 12:30 p.m.

Mater Dei at Gahr, noon

DIVISION 3

Great Oak at Rancho Cucamonga

Edison at El Toro, Monday

Murrieta Valley at North Torrance

West Ranch at San Juan Hills

Riverside Prep at Oak Park, 12:30 p.m.

La Serna at Highland

Dos Pueblos at La Salle, Monday

Villa Park at Liberty, 1 p.m.

DIVISION 4

St. Bonaventure at Harvard-Westlake, 11 a.m.

Apple Valley at Oxnard

Don Lugo at Monrovia, 1:30 p.m.

La Quinta at Mira Costa

Rio Mesa at Mission Viejo, 10 a.m.

Oak Hills at Sunny Hills

Ramona at Paramount

Burbank Burroughs at Rosary, Monday

DIVISION 5

Anaheim vs. Santa Clara at Beck Park

Temple City at Patriot

Crean Lutheran at Grace

Viewpoint at Shadow Hills

San Marcos at Irvine University, noon

South El Monte at Covina

Santa Monica at Muir, 10:30 a.m.

Northwood at Ontario, 1 p.m.

DIVISION 6

Irvine at Lakeside

Alhambra at Heritage

Eastside at Granite Hills, noon

El Monte at St. Genevieve

Sierra Vista vs. Southlands Christian at Brea Canyon Cutoff Rd

Hesperia Christian vs. St. Monica Prep at Memorial Park, 2 p.m.

Arroyo at Lancaster

San Jacinto at Jurupa Valley

DIVISION 7

Bloomington at Ramona Convent

Miller at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel

Faith Baptist at Twentynine Palms, Monday

Firebaugh vs. Riverside Notre Dame at Ramona

Chadwick at Cathedral City

Orange at Victor Valley, 11 a.m.

Santa Ana at Culver City, Monday

Windward at Edgewood, Monday at 3:30 p.m.

DIVISION 8

ACE at Avalon

Bolsa Grande vs. San Bernardino, Monday at San Bernardino College

Workman at Glendale

Cobalt at Santa Rosa Academy

Bell Gardens vs. Brentwood at John Anson Ford Park

Pomona Catholic vs. Capistrano Valley Christian at Laguna Hills, 2 p.m.

Fontana at Banning

Hawthorne MSA at Arroyo Valley, 1 p.m.

Note: Quarterfinals May 20; Semifinals May 23; Finals May 28-30 at Bill Barber Memorial Park, Irvine.

Whether Mira Costa has the best high school volleyball team in America is open to debate, but the Mustangs left little doubt they are No. 1 in the Southern Section on Friday night, sweeping Loyola 25-21, 25-22, 25-22 at Cerritos College to repeat as Division 1 champions.

UCLA-bound Mateo Fuerbringer was ready from the start, ending Loyola’s first three rallies with thunderous kills and the fourth with an emphatic stuff block. Ten points into the match, the 6-foot-4 junior hitter already had five kills and he ended the first set with his 12th as Mira Costa was ahead from start to finish.

“He’s always had the IQ, now you add the power on top of that?” Mira Costa coach Greg Snyder said of his star. “There are no answers. It’s a deadly combination. Mateo has no weaknesses.”

The teams traded leads throughout the second set until the Mustangs created separation late on the serving of Fuerbringer and Enzo Barker before Loyola’s Pax Stetson served into the twine to put Mira Costa up two sets to none.

The third-seeded Cubs took a 17-11 lead in the third set, but Mira Costa got in front 20-19 on Barker’s ace and Fuerbringer sent the green-and-white clad fans into delirium with his right-side smash on match point. He finished with 27 kills while Barker and UC Santa Barbara commit Wyatt Davis each added six. Mater Dei transfer Jake Newman had 38 assists and Dane Del Riego had 15 digs.

Loyola’s Brendan Maffel flings the ball past Mira Costa blocker Miles Crotty during the Southern Section Division 1 boys’ volleyball championship on Friday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“I always try to set the tone and Jake gave me great sets,” Fuerbringer said. “They were bombing serves in that third set and got up on us, but we stuck with it and closed it strong. We didn’t want to give them any momentum.”

Mira Costa won its 10th section title and improved to 10-8 in finals. It also won back-to-back titles for the second time in school history, the first coming in Division 2 in 2001 and 2002. Mira Costa is 2-3 in finals against Loyola, having fallen to the Cubs in four sets in 2005 and 2010, prevailing in five sets in 2012 and getting swept in 2024.

Mira Costa has won 10 straight matches (dropping only three sets) since its five-set defeat at Bay League rival Redondo Union on March 26. It avenged that loss in four sets April 20 to earn the top seed.

The teams were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the country when they faced off in a nonleague match March 21 in Manhattan Beach, where the Mustangs rallied from a two-set deficit to win 15-11 in the fifth in a two-and-a-half-hour marathon. That time, Fuerbringer had 37 kills.

“The first time we didn’t come out as strong,” he said. “This time we were ready to play and came out hot.”

In the semifinals six days earlier, Loyola upset No. 2 Redondo Union in five sets, avenging a close loss in the Redondo Varsity Classic final on April 18. Mira Costa swept No. 4 Huntington Beach — its third victory over the Oilers this season.

Mira Costa won the inaugural Division I state championship last spring and will begin its quest for a repeat Tuesday night (regional seedings will be released Sunday afternoon). If it runs the table, Mira Costa would equal its 37-2 record in 2025.

Pepperdine commit JP Wardy had 13 kills and Rafa Milchan added 12 for the Cubs (23-4), but senior captain Blake Fahlbusch, who is headed to USC, was held to nine. Libero Matt Kelly, a Loyola Chicago commit, had 12 digs.

“We know where everyone wants to swing and we know Blake’s their catalyst,” Snyder said. “When they need a kill they usually go to him.”

The teams did not meet in the postseason last year. Mira Costa defeated Huntington Beach to win the section and regional crowns while Loyola fell to the Oilers in the section semifinals and did not play in regionals.

Snyder has guided the Mustangs into the finals in each of his three seasons, winning the last two. He was with the program for 12 years prior, seven as a varsity assistant under Avery Drost.

Loyola’s JP Wardy gets blocked by Mira Costa’s Miles Crotty and Colby Graham during the Mustangs’ win Friday night.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Loyola, making its 19th appearance in a section final, dropped to 13-6 all-time and 7-6 in 28 seasons under 1984 Cubs alum Michael Boehle.

In the preceding Division 4 final, Sunny Hills beat Royal, 24-26, 25-22, 27-25, 25-23 for its second title since coach Albert Soliguen started the program in 2020.

Owen Filadelfia had 18 kills and eight digs, Christian Lee added 17 kills and 11 digs, Jacob Sueki had 16 digs and Parker Mesnik dished out 47 assists for the Lancers (21-14), who swept Carpinteria in the Division 5 final in 2022 at Long Beach City College.

Grant Herzer had 19 kills, Donald Fleming had 18 and each added nine digs for the Highlanders (16-11), who were seeking their sixth section title in their 11th trip to the finals, having won Division 2-A in 1989 and 1990, 3-A in 1992, Division II in 1994 and Division 3 in 2022.

SOUTHERN SECTION SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

FIRST ROUND

DIVISION 1

La Habra 3, Los Altos 2

Westlake 10, Paraclete 9

La Mirada 4, Los Alamitos 2

Garden Grove Pacifica 15, Glendora 4

JSerra 3, Yucaipa 2

Oaks Christian 8, Chaminade 1

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 6, Anaheim Canyon 3

DIVISION 2

Bonita 9, Sierra Canyon 1

Ganesha 7, Torrance 0

Warren 8, Thousand Oaks 1

Whittier Christian 10, Western Christian 2

Simi Valley 3, Alta Loma 1

St. Paul 20, Eastvale Roosevelt 1

Lakewood St. Joseph 4, Aliso Niguel 0

Moorpark 6, Long Beach Poly 1

Temescal Canyon 3, Aquinas 2

San Clemente 5, Corona 3

Huntington Beach 5, Santa Fe 4

Camarillo 4, South Hills 3

Saugus 2, Brea Olinda 1

Vista Murrieta 9, Schurr 4

Gahr 4, Yorba Linda 2

Mater Dei 11, Santa Ana Foothill 3

DIVISION 3

Great Oak 5, West Torrance 2

Riverside Prep 2, Quartz Hill 1

La Salle 21, Grand Terrace 5

Villa Park 5, Elsinore 3

DIVISION 4

St. Bonaventure 11, Valencia 4

Harvard-Westlake 11, Lakewood 8

Apple Valley 4, Hillcrest 0

Oxnard 14, Pasadena Poly 0

Monrovia 4, Indio 2

Don Lugo 6, La Palma Kennedy 2

La Quinta 5, Hemet 4

Mira Costa 9, Redlands East Valley 7

Rio Mesa 9, Segerstrom 6

Mission Viejo 5, La Canada 1

Oak Hills 15, Linfield Christian 11

Sunny Hills 17, Chino 7

Paramount 5, Newbury Park 4

Ramona 3, Maranatha 2

Burbank Burroughs 6, Hart 1

Rosary Academy 11, Orange Vista 6

DIVISION 5

Santa Clara 6, Jurupa Hills 3

Viewpoint 9, Burbank Providence 4

Irvine University 2, University Prep 1

DIVISION 6

Irvine 6, Vasquez 4

Lakeside 9, Flintridge Prep 4

Heritage 13, Palm Desert 0

Alhambra 9, Silverado 6

Granite Hills 32, Big Bear 12

Eastside 7, Anza Hamilton 4

El Monte 11, Santa Paula 10

St. Genevieve 6, Coastal Christian 4

Sierra Vista 7, Rialto 6

Southlands Christian 14, Rancho Mirage 10

St. Monica Prep 4, Academy of Academic Excellence 3

Hesperia Christian 8, Los Amigos 7

Arroyo 11, Serrano 1

Lancaster 8, Cantwell-Sacred Heart 2

Jurupa Valley 14, Sacred Heart LA 2

San Jacinto 10, Garey 9

DIVISION 7

Ramona Convent 13, Riverside Bethel Christian 3

Victor Valley 7, Tustin 3

DIVISION 8

ACE 26, Public Safety Academy 1

Avalon 11, Santa Clarita Christian 3

Bolsa Grande 16, Loma Linda Academy 1

San Bernardino 17, Channel Islands 9

Glendale 9, Indian Springs 3

Workman 18, Santa Maria Valley Christian 3

Santa Rosa Academy 15, Environmental Charter 5

Cobalt 16, Wildomar Cornerstone Christian 3

Bell Gardens 11, Magnolia 4

Brentwood 10, Lennox Academy 9

Pomona Catholic 19, Gabrielino 6

Capistrano Valley Christian 18, California Military 1

Fontana 14, CSDR 3

Hawthorne MSA 28, Downey Calvary Chapel 27

Arroyo Valley 20, Westminster La Quinta 3

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

FIRST ROUND

DIVISION 1

Valley View at Murrieta Mesa

Millikan at Orange Lutheran

El Modena at Chino Hils

Agoura at Etiwanda

Palos Verdes at Riverside King, 4:15 p.m.

Cypress at Fullerton

Charter Oak at Ayala

Riverside Poly at California

Marina at Norco

DIVISION 3

Rancho Cucamonga at Paloma Valley

Great Oak at West Torrance

El Segundo at Edison

Colton at El Toro

Redondo Union at Murrieta Valley

Beaumont at North Torrance

Trabuco Hills at West Ranch

Riverside North at San Juan Hills

Oak Park at Cerritos Valley Christian

Highland at Northview

Carter at La Serna

Crescenta Valley at Dos Pueblos

Arcadia at Liberty

DIVISION 5

Flintridge Sacred Heart at Anaheim

Patriot at Arrowhead Christian

Rancho Christian at Temple City

Buena Park at Grace

Alemany at Crean Lutheran

Shadow Hills at Cerritos

Leuzinger at San Marcos

Long Beach Wilson at South El Monte

Garden Grove Santiago at Covina

Rio Hondo Prep at Muir

Katella at Santa Monica

Ontario at Norwalk

Duarte at Northwood, 3:30 p.m.

DIVISION 7

Fillmore at Bloomington

Miller at Savanna

Santa Ana Calvary Chapel at Riverside Springs Magnolia

St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy at Faith Baptist

Rancho Alamitos at Twentynine Palms

Costa Mesa at Riverside Notre Dame

Pioneer at Firebaugh

Desert Christian Academy at Chadwick

Cathedral City at Artesia, 3:45 p.m.

Bellflower at Orange

Hawthorne at Santa Ana

Temecula Prep at Culver City

United Christian Academy at Windward

Calvary Baptist at Edgewood

DIVISION 8

Redlands Adventist at Banning, 4 p.m.

Note: Second Round May 16; Quarterfinals May 20; Semifinals May 23; Finals May 28-30 at Bill Barber Memorial Park, Irvine.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes targeted the Ezzedine residential project in Srifa on Thursday morning.

Israel has ramped up its attacks on southern Lebanon, killing two people and issuing several forced displacement orders as the two sides prepare for United States-brokered talks on extending a ceasefire.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported on Thursday morning that Israeli warplanes targeted the Ezzedine residential project in the town of Srifa, killing two people.

The Israeli army announced in a post on Telegram that it had begun targeting alleged Hezbollah infrastructure sites in several areas in southern Lebanon.

Earlier, the Israeli army’s Arabic language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, announced on X the forced evacuation orders for the towns and villages of Libbaya, Sahmar, Taffahata, Kafr Malek, Yohmor (Bekaa), Ain Tineh, Houmin al-Fawqa and Mazraat Sina.

NNA reported that one person was injured following a raid by an Israeli drone near the vocational school between the towns of Breqa and Zrarieh.

An air strike was also reported on the town of Ain al-Tineh in the Western Bekaa.

Reporting from Beirut, Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands said in the past few days Israel has launched one of its “most intense periods of aerial bombardment in weeks”.

“There have been many individual strikes – usually by drones – on cars and motorbikes. Several of these have happened on the main coastal highway that leads south from Beirut,” he said.

According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday, at least 2,896 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the conflict resumed in early March.

At the same time, the Israeli army announced on Telegram that a drone launched by Hezbollah had fallen in Israeli territory near the shared border, injuring several people who were evacuated to hospital for treatment.

Israel-Lebanon talks

Representatives from both sides are expected to meet in Washington, DC, on Thursday for a new round of talks aimed at extending the ceasefire, which is scheduled to expire on Sunday.

“The discussions are controversial here in Lebanon. One of the reasons is that Hezbollah is not at the table. Hezbollah doesn’t want these talks to go ahead at all,” Challands explained.

“It says any direct discussions between Lebanon and Israel are basically capitulation. It wants first a full-on ceasefire, for Israel to have withdrawn from the country, for hundreds of thousands of displaced people to return to their homes, and for reconstruction to have started,” he said, adding that the Lebanese government, however, believes these points can be discussed during the talks with Israel.

SEOUL, May 12 (UPI) — Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, or KHNP, said Tuesday it partnered with Southern Nuclear Operating Co. of the United States to enhance nuclear engineering.

The state-backed enterprise signed a memorandum of understanding at its head office in Gyeongju, around 180 miles southeast of Seoul, with the U.S. nuclear company.

Under the agreement, KHNP said, the two would expand technical exchange programs and share best practices in operating nuclear facilities.

The South Korean company noted the partnership aligns with the efforts over the past few years to shift its operations toward an engineering-based system.

“This agreement is expected to help our engineers broaden their global perspective and provide an opportunity for our engineering system to advance further,” KHNP senior executive Kim Young-seung said in a statement.

“Down the road, we will do our utmost to perfect the Korean-style engineering system through close cooperation with overseas operators and international organizations,” he added.

Last June, KHNP signed a deal worth at least $18 billion to build two nuclear reactors in the Czech Republic. To support the project, the company plans to collaborate with various partners both at home and abroad.

As of the end of last year, KHNP ran a total of 26 nuclear reactors in South Korea. It is also constructing four new reactors in the country. KHNP is not publicly traded.

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS VOLLEYBALL

SOUTHERN SECTION FINALS

THURSDAY

DIVISION 9

Vasquez at Tarbut V’Torah, 6 p.m.

FRIDAY

At Cerritos College

DIVISION 1

Loyola vs. Mira Costa, 7:30 p.m.

DIVISION 2

Orange Lutheran vs. Edison, 6 p.m.

DIVISION 3

Windward d. St. John Bosco, 3 p.m.

DIVISION 4

Royal vs. Sunny Hills, 5 p.m.

DIVISION 6

Culver City vs. Garden Grove, 12 p.m.

At Home Sites

DIVISION 5

St. Anthony at Bishop Diego, 6 p.m.

DIVISION 8

Temescal Canyon at West Valley, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY

DIVISION 7

Foothill Tech at Oakwood, 6 p.m.

Strikes come after forced displacement warnings by Israel for nine towns in southern and eastern Lebanon.

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon have killed at least four people and wounded eight others, according to Lebanese media.

The state National News Agency (NNA) reported injuries to two medics as they rushed to offer aid to victims of the latest attacks by the Israeli military in violation of the official ceasefire.

The medics were wounded when an air strike hit a civil defence team affiliated with the Islamic Health Society in Toul in Nabatieh, as they responded to an earlier attack, NNA said.

Two men were killed and five others injured in an air raid on the town of Ebba in Nabatieh.

NNA added that a drone strike on a car in the town of Haris in Bint Jbeil district killed one man and injured his brother.

Israeli warplanes targeted the home of a former municipal chief in Sajd, while other strikes were reported in Kfar Rumman and Safad al-Battikh. No casualty information was immediately available.

Forced displacement threat

Ahead of the attacks, the Israeli army issued a forced displacement threat for nine towns in southern and eastern Lebanon.

They are: Rihan, Jarjou, Kfar Rumman, Nmairiyeh, Arabsalim and Harouf in Nabatieh, and Jmayjmeh, Mashghara and Qlayaa in eastern Lebanon.

Posting on X, army spokesman Avichay Adraee urged residents there to evacuate due to what he called Hezbollah infrastructure in the towns.

The Israeli military said a soldier was killed by a drone launched by Hezbollah near the border. Also in southern Lebanon, three Israeli soldiers were injured by a booby-trap drone explosion.

Israeli forces continue to exchange fire with Hezbollah and carry out attacks, despite the ceasefire which began on April 17 and later extended to mid-May.

Since March 2, Israeli attacks have killed at least 2,840 people in Lebanon, injured almost 8,700 and displaced more than a million, according to Lebanese figures.

The United States is preparing to host more peace talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington on Thursday and Friday. Hezbollah has criticised the Lebanese government for taking part.

Grant Leary of Crespi is ready to defend his 2025 championship as Southern Section individual golf champion.

Qualifying begins Wednesday for the Northern Regional at Los Robles Golf Course. The top 20 players from the three regionals advance to the individual finals May 21 at River Ridge Country Club.

Leary shot 66 last year to win. He’s been playing well. He won a playoff at a U.S. Open qualifying tournament in Brentwood to advance to the final stage, a tournament June 8 in Sacramento. The U.S. Open will be in New York this season.

He’s committed to San José State.

One top player who won’t be participating this year is sophomore Jaden Soong, the defending CIF state champion from St. Francis. His father, Chris, said Jaden has too many conflict dates this month on his schedule while trying to earn a spot to play in the Junior Presidents Cup in September at Medinah Country Club.

Soong is No. 10 in the standings. Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie, is No. 7.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

It’s a showdown that — regardless of the outcome in the June 2 primary election — probably won’t have Republicans in a celebratory mood.

The battle for the 40th Congressional District representing a swath of inland Orange County and portions of San Bernardino and Riverside counties is happening in one of Southern California’s only remaining solidly red districts. But that doesn’t provide much solace, experts say.

The shuffling of districts following the passage of Proposition 50, which gave Democrats in Sacramento the authority to redraw the state’s congressional districts in favor of Democratic candidates, is pitting two current members of Congress — Young Kim (R-Anaheim Hills) and Ken Calvert (R-Corona) — against each other in a bid to keep their seat.

The two are also fending off challenges from a host of Democrats and an independent candidate who says she hopes to win votes from those disenchanted by deeply partisan politics felt across the country.

But even if a Republican keeps the seat, California’s Republican congressional delegation is still down by another member.

“It was all part of the Prop. 50 effort,” said Jon Fleischman, a conservative strategist. “Not only did they reduce the number of seats that Republicans have, they got to shove a couple of incumbents into one seat and eat popcorn and watch the food fight.”

And the gloves are already off.

Kim launched a $3.7-million ad blitz last month with a video boasting her support of President Trump, saying that she’s a “trusted Trump conservative.”

Calvert’s campaign responded in an attack ad that referred to Kim as a RINO, or Republican in name only, a pejorative term frequently used by Trump and others in the GOP to describe conservatives perceived as being disloyal to the party and a “Trump traitor.”

The television advertisement, which began airing last month, called attention to Kim co-sponsoring legislation with other Republicans to censure Trump in 2022 after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Democrats widely criticized the move as a slap on the wrist.

“I believe censuring the president after his actions helps hold him accountable and could garner wide bipartisan support, allowing the House to remain united during some of our nation’s darkest days,” Kim said at the time.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report lists the 40th District, which extends from Villa Park south to Mission Viejo in Orange County and into Corona, Murrieta and Menifee in the Inland Empire, as being solidly Republican.

It’s the only House seat that was competitive under the old congressional district map that is now fairly safe for the GOP. Trump would have won the district by 12 points in 2024.

As the two incumbents trade jabs, Democrats Esther Kim Varet, an art gallery owner; Lisa Ramirez, an immigration attorney; Joe Kerr, a retired fire captain; and Claude Keissieh, an electrical engineer; are hoping to garner enough support among the progressives in the district to advance to the November election.

Nina Linh, who entered the race early on as a Democrat but has since identified as an independent, is hoping to make inroads with voters disenchanted by both parties.

“When I look at our political climate, I have never in my adult life witnessed or experienced anything so polarized,” she said in a recent interview. “And people, including myself, are just exhausted from this back-and-forth rhetoric for over a decade that has gotten us into a culture of just hyper-divisiveness and extreme partisanship that is prioritized over what everyday people are concerned about.”

Dan Schnur, who teaches political communications at USC, UC Berkeley and Pepperdine, called the race in the 40th District a “classic matchup between the two Republican parties — the pro-Trump party and the pre-Trump party.”

Kim, who in 2020 was one of the first Korean American women elected to Congress, does vote to advance Trump policies, but her biography is more consistent with an earlier era of conservatism. Calvert, the longest-serving Republican in California’s congressional delegation, has much more aggressively positioned himself in line with Trump, Schnur said.

The district is representative in a lot of ways of the two types of Republicans that make up much of the party’s base — MAGA supporters and traditional Republicans who have either come to accept Trump or quietly resent him.

“Not only is this district reflective of the challenge that the party is facing around the country this year, it could be an early precursor of what Republicans will face in the 2028 presidential primary,” Schnur said.

SOUTHERN SECTION LACROSSE PLAYOFFS

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

SEMIFINALS

BOYS

DIVISION 1

Loyola 19, Mater Dei 5

Santa Margarita 14, St, Margaret’s 8

DIVISION 2

Mira Costa 10, Los Alamitos 4

St. Francis 17, Village Christian 4

DIVISION 3

Oaks Christian 11, El Dorado 6

Dana Hills 16, Riverside King 15

GIRLS

DIVISION 1

Santa Margarita 11, Marlborough 10

Mira Costa 17, Mater Dei 11

DIVISION 2

Huntington Beach 8, Corona del Mar 7

El Segundo 14, Eastvale Roosevelt 3

DIVISION 3

Westridge at Glendale, Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Great Oak at Northwood, Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Note: Boys finals in all divisions Friday, May 15 at Fred Kelly Stadium (times TBA); Girls finals in all divisions Saturday, May 16 (times TBA) at Fred Kelly Stadium.