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The Supreme Court hears arguments Monday in an important gun case that has united an array of strange bedfellows, from conservative gun rights groups to liberal civil liberties groups.At issue is a federal law making it a crime for drug users to possess a firearm.
It's the same law that was used to prosecute then-President Joe Biden's son for illegal gun possession — only this case involves marijuana use and gun ownership.The Supreme Court hears arguments Monday in an important gun case that has united an array of strange bedfellows, from conservative gun rights groups to liberal civil liberties groups. At issue is a federal law making it a crime for drug users to possess a firearm. It's the same law that was used to prosecute then-President Joe Biden's son for illegal gun possession — only this case involves marijuana use and gun ownership. The briefs in the case present diametrically different versions of the facts. On one side, the Trump administration portrays Ali Danial Hemani as a drug dealer and someone with terrorist ties and a marijuana habit. Importantly, he is not being prosecuted for any of those offenses, however. Rather, the government has charged Hemani with violating a federal gun law that bars people with drug addiction from possession of firearms, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the indictment, declaring that the federal law violates Hemani's Second Amendment right to own a gun. The Justice Department appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that because Hemani admitted to FBI agents that he used marijuana several times a week, he is a"persistent" drug user, thus rendering illegal the possession of the gun he bought legally and keeps securely in his home. Hemani's lawyer, law professor Naz Ahmad of the City University of New York, paints a very different picture of her client. Hemani, she notes, was born and raised in Texas, "attended high school there, played on the high school football team, attended the University of Texas at Arlington, was an honor student there" and is "a really valued member of his local religious community." "The Second Amendment doesn't support disarming and prosecuting somebody for mere possession of a firearm if they happen to have used marijuana occasionally," she says. "That's a mismatch," she adds, especially at a time when 40 states, to one degree or another, have legalized marijuana use. she says,"the statute could apply to anybody. It could apply to somebody who uses like a marijuana sleep gummy.", the government has a heavy burden to show that modern-day gun laws are analogous to laws in place at the nation's founding. But he contends that the statute used to prosecute Hemani is both justified and analogous to founding-era laws and practices. Specifically, in his Supreme Court brief, Sauer points to the harsh punishments imposed during the founding era on"habitual drunkards." And he contends that both Congress and the states have restricted firearm possession by illegal drug users"for as long as that social evil has plagued America." That said, for the most part, the case seems to have united groups from left to right, from civil liberties groups to gun rights advocates. "It's outrageous that they tried to get him on a marijuana gun charge," says Aidan Johnston, director of federal affairs for Gun Owners of America. He contends that the government is seeking to criminalize conduct that was widely tolerated at the founding.At the opposite end of the ideological spectrum are a variety of gun-safety groups that fear that if Hemani wins his case, it could gouge a hole in the existing system of national background checks. Under the current system, dealers are required to first clear the sale by submitting the buyer's name to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The hitch is that there is a very small window in which to complete the check — just three days. And gun-safety groups say that anything that makes the rules more complicated and unclear could really screw up the system. "We're saying" to the court, "whatever you do, it's essential that you keep the rules clear so that in that short window, federal agencies can give a quick answer to the dealers," says Douglas Letter of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. An adverse ruling, he says, would mess up the criminal background check process. That, in turn, would result in"so many, particularly women and children, who will die if that kind of a system is not in place."A March 2020 LAUSD Facebook post recognized Chait's tenure with the district which includes teaching elementary school, serving as an assistant principal and principal before moving into district administration.Longtime administrator Andres Chait addressed the public as acting superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District for the first time Monday. His comments came ahead of a closed board meeting to discuss his employment and ongoing labor negotiations with district unions.Chait said his priority as acting superintendent is to keep the district focused. “ We remain committed to academic excellence and student wellbeing,” he said Monday. “Our core values remain unchanged. I know transitions can create uncertainty, but our district is strong.”searched Carvalho’s home in San Pedro and district office Wednesday . A justice department spokesperson said the agency had a court-authorized warrant but declined to provide additional details. The reason for the searches is unknown., most recently as chief of school operations. His responsibilities included overseeing school safety, athletics and the district’s office of emergency management. Longtime administrator Andres Chait addressed the public as acting superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District for the first time Monday. “ We remain committed to academic excellence and student wellbeing,” he said ahead of a closed board meeting to discuss his employment and ongoing labor negotiations with district unions. “Our core values remain unchanged. I know transitions can create uncertainty, but our district is strong.”, most recently as chief of school operations. His responsibilities included overseeing school safety, athletics and the district’s office of emergency management.A justice department spokesperson said the agency had a court-authorized warrant but declined to provide additional details. The reason for the searches is unknown.Lab Assistant Abraham Jimenez loads blood samples for automated serology testing for measles immunity status at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health laboratory in Downey on Feb. 26, 2026.California is battling measles outbreaks across seven counties as federal funding cuts gut local health departments and vaccine skepticism fuels spread among unvaccinated children.Measles is the most contagious vaccine-preventable viral infection in the world, and California is fighting multiple outbreaks. In a room where one person is infected,When a possible measles case is identified in California, a phone rings at the local health department and the clock starts ticking. Laboratory workers need to process samples as soon as possible to confirm the case. And a public health nurse must call the patient to find out where they’ve been and who they’ve been in contact with recently. If test results are positive, the communicable disease team has 72 hours or less to identify anyone who has been exposed and may be at high risk of infection or serious illness. Those people must quarantine or take a dose of a post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent spread. For the next 21 days nurses will monitor the group for symptoms. Measles is the most contagious vaccine-preventable viral infection in the world, and California is fighting multiple outbreaks. In a room where one person is infected,“That’s ridiculously infectious,” said Dr. Sharon Balter, director of acute communicable disease control with Los Angeles County public health. “It balloons very quickly, and because measles spreads very fast we have to get on it right away. We can’t say we’ll wait until tomorrow.”counties are working to contain localized outbreaks. These are the first measles outbreaks in the state since 2020 and are happening at a time when health departments have less money and fewer staff than in recent years. In total, seven“The United States is experiencing the highest numbers of measles cases, outbreaks, hospitalizations and deaths in more than 30 years, driven by populations with low vaccination rates,” said California Public Health Officer Dr. Erica Pan in a statement earlier this month. “We all need to work together to share the medical evidence, benefits, and safety of vaccines to provide families the information they need to protect children and our communities."Investigating any communicable disease is time-intensive and expensive. The first three measles cases reported in L.A. County this year cost an estimated $231,000, according to a health department analysis. Why does it cost so much? Because a disease investigation often requires a legion of public health nurses, physicians, epidemiologists and laboratory scientists to follow-up with hundreds of contacts, Balter said. A computer shows an analysis of measles sequencing results at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health laboratory in Downey on Feb. 26, 2026.That includes sometimes visiting homes or exposure sites. For example, a recent exposure at a daycare required nurses to wring urine out of used diapers to test babies for measles. County health workers monitored 246 people who had been exposed to those first three measles cases — and the work is ongoing.. All of them were related to international travel. Other cases in California also have primarily been related to travel either internationally or to states where there are outbreaks. Anrecently, and Shasta County health officials suspect their first case could be related to travel in Southern California but are waiting for DNA testing for confirmation.Health departments have fewer resources, more cases Local health departments rely heavily on federal funding to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, but last year, the Trump administration slashed nearly $1 billion of public health funding from California. This year it attempted to claw back another $600 million from California and three other Democratic states. Pending lawsuits froze the cuts, but local health departments are treating the money as a lost cause because they cannot bear the financial risk if a judge eventually rules in favor of the Trump administration.and effectiveness by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has complicated public health’s struggle to contain the spread of preventable infections., which stripped universal recommendation from seven childhood vaccines. They blame Kennedy and the Trump administration for “dismantling” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and stoking fears over The state also released its own vaccine guidelines and formed an alliance among four western states to share public health information and recommendations. “Everything including the outbreaks, the financial cuts, the questions from the federal government that are arising are making our work very difficult,” said Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, Orange County public health officer. Lab Assistant Abraham Jimenez loads blood samples for automated serology testing for measles immunity status at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health laboratory in Downey on Feb. 26, 2026.Lab Assistant Abraham Jimenez loads blood samples for automated serology testing for measles immunity status at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health laboratory in Downey on Feb. 26, 2026.The outbreak, which lasted four months, spurred state lawmakers to pass some of the strictest childhood vaccine requirements in the country. But even a single measles case requires “vast amounts of infrastructure” to contain, Chinsio-Kwong said. On average, the department identifies and monitors 100 exposed people per case. Since the start of last year, Orange County has lost $22 million in federal cuts to public health. The department is trying to protect their communicable disease surveillance work, but it gets harder with every cut. “We're trying to prioritize our communicable disease control division,” health officer Chinsio-Kwong said. “There are a lot of different federal cuts, but we're putting that as front and center: That has to be saved no matter what.”Six hundred miles north, Shasta County is grappling with its first measles cases since 2019 and the state’s largest outbreak of the year. In late January, a sick child visited a health clinic in Redding with measles symptoms that laboratory testing later confirmed. Health officials interviewed 278 people and identifiedThey also identified seven other cases among family members or neighbors who were in close contact with the child. It can take 21 days from the time of exposure for measles symptoms to develop. On Feb. 19, just before the end of that period, That person didn’t recognize the symptoms and visited several places while contagious, including a school, a church service, a basketball game and a clinic, said Daniel Walker, a Shasta County supervising epidemiologist. Now, the contract tracing process has started over. The communicable disease team expects to interview even more people this time.“It’s a great time to get immunized, because you can’t know when you’re next going to be exposed…especially because we’re in an outbreak situation,” Walker said. Supported by the California Health Care Foundation , which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.The U.S. attacks on Iran over the weekend, in conjunction with the Israeli military, marked a stunning new phase in relations between the two countries. But it is hardly the first time Washington and Tehran have clashed politically and militarily.A key moment in U.S.-Iran relations goes back to 1953. A CIA-led campaign topples the elected government of Iran. The coup allows Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran, to consolidate power around himself. Pahlavi goes on to lead Iran for the next two and a half decades, becoming a strong U.S. ally.In early 1979, following months of protests, Pahlavi fled Iran. The revolution had been led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a Shia cleric who was living in exile. Khomeini returns to Iran and oversees the country's transition to an Islamic republic, becoming Iran's supreme leader. In November of that year, a group of Iranian students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran and captured 66 Americans.The U.S. reached a deal with Iran and five other world powers to curb Iran's nuclear capabilities in exchange for the removal of some punishing United Nations sanctions. In 2018, President Trump during his first term pulls the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal and reimposes sanctions on Iran.But it is hardly the first time Washington and Tehran have clashed politically and militarily.That move prompted Great Britain to appeal to the U.S. for help, and what resulted was a CIA-led campaign to topple Mosaddegh's government. The coup allowed Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran, to consolidate power around himself. (The CIA, long suspected of having a hand in the revolt,Iranian opposition leader in exile Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini gives a speech as journalists surround him at Roissy airport near Paris on Jan. 31, 1979, before boarding a plane bound for Tehran. Khomeini establishes an Islamic republic in Iran.after being expelled by Pahlavi in 1964. Khomeini returned to Iran and oversaw the country's transition to an Islamic republic, becoming Iran's supreme leader. Khomeini established a hard-line theocracy and labeled, which was approved by President Jimmy Carter, was hampered by mechanical problems, a severe dust storm and a crash that killed eight service members. It failed to secure the release of the hostages.Reagan's tenure was also marked by a now-infamous transaction with Iran.in the hope that it would help secure the release of American hostages held in Lebanon by Hezbollah, a militant group allied with Iran. The Reagan administration used the proceeds of the arms sales to fund the paramilitary Contra rebel group fighting against the socialist Sandinista government in Nicaragua.Thousands of people mourn in July 1988 in Tehran, during the funeral service for those who died when an Iranian passenger jet was shot down over the Gulf by the U.S. military.Iran and Iraq were engaged in a war since 1980, and toward the end of that decade, Iran began to attack oil tankers belonging to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, Iraq's financial supporters.Still, that incident touched off another military operation called Operation Praying Mantis, in which U.S. forces retaliated for the explosion by attacking several Iranian oil platforms.and five other world powers to curb Iran's nuclear capabilities in exchange for the removal of some punishing United Nations sanctions. The deal allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium for civilian energy purposes, but President Barack Obama argued that it would curb the country's ability to create a nuclear bomb. Iran also agreed to increased inspections of its nuclear facilities.U.S. forces launched a drone strike Soleimani, who led an elite branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps known as the Quds Force, was seen as one of the country's most influential officials.launched a dramatic assault on several Iranian nuclear sites. For the U.S., the military escalation followed what had largely been a diplomatic effort to deter Tehran from pursuing a nuclear weapon. Trump said in a speech from the White House that the goal of the operation was to scuttle Iran's nuclear enrichment capabilities. "Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated," Trump said, though there arethat U.S. intelligence believes Iran"is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003."The war over Iran engulfed more of the Middle East and beyond on Monday as strikes intensified, Iran-backed groups stepped up attacks and a fourth U.S. service member was killed in action.died after being wounded during Iran's initial attacks in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes across Iran Saturday. A U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly told NPR that the troops who were killed were ground-based forces stationed in Kuwait.The Iranian Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian organization, said at least 555 Iranians have been killed since the beginning of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Saturday. They include Iran's supreme leader,, and members of his family. Iranian officials also said more than 168 schoolgirls were killed in a direct hit on a school.The war over Iran engulfed more of the Middle East and beyond on Monday as strikes intensified, Iran-backed groups stepped up attacks and a fourth U.S. service member was killed in action.died after being wounded during Iran's initial attacks in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes across Iran Saturday. A U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly told NPR that the troops who were killed were ground-based forces stationed in Kuwait. "We expect to take additional losses, and as always, we will work to minimize losses," Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the In a separate incident, CENTCOM said three U.S. F-15E fighter jets crashed in Kuwait"due to an apparent friendly fire incident" Sunday night. "During active combat—that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses," itIt added that Kuwait acknowledged the incident and said that"the cause of the incident is under investigation." Meanwhile, the Iranian Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian organization, said at least 555 Iranians have been killed since the beginning of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Saturday., and members of his family. Iranian officials also said more than 168 schoolgirls were killed in a direct hit on a school.killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Israel said it intercepted one of the missiles while others fell into open areas, and responded to the attacks with airstrikes. Lebanon's Health Ministry said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 31 people and wounded at least 149 — most of them in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese government, facing being drawn into another devastating war, said it planned to arrest those responsible for the rocket attack on Israel. In the capital Beirut, residents leaving southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs streamed into shelters set up in schools, which have been closed by the government. At the Renee Mouawad public school in central Beirut, many of those arriving had been displaced two years ago during fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Families arrived in cars piled high with mattresses and other belongings. Abu Ali, a taxi driver who did not want to give his full name out of fear of being ostracized in his pro-Hezbollah neighborhood, said he left Dahiya, a Beirut suburb that is a Hezbollah stronghold, with his family at three in the morning after hearing air strikes. "I spent the morning looking for a school and then I found this," he said. He and his family were last displaced during the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2024. "Last time I stayed in the streets," he said."The schools were all full, and I couldn't pay rent for a house."Casualties rise in Israel Nine of those killed were at a public shelter that was hit by a missile in a city outside Jerusalem on Sunday.Shay Shor, an Israeli in Tel Aviv, said he wants Iranians to be free but is concerned Israel's killing of Supreme Leader Khamenei might not achieve that. "We killed their leader, but the leadership in Iran is not completely destroyed and within a few months they're just going to come back," Shor says."Next year is going to be the same thing, same story, same kind of war."Iran-backed militias in Iraq have also entered the fighting. They fired at a U.S. base in Irbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and claimed responsibility for a drone attack targeting U.S. forces at Baghdad airport. A drone strike hit a British air force base on the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus, according to Britain's Defence Ministry. There were no casualties reported. Iran's military said it shot down a U.S. F-15 fighter jet. It also said it fired 15 cruise missiles at the huge Ali al-Salem U.S. air base in Kuwait and what it called enemy vessels in the Indian Ocean. It did not mention fighter aircraft. Gulf countries have so far largely left the fighting to U.S. forces stationed on their territory but increasing Iranian attacks are raising the specter of direct involvement by those states.that it shot down two drones targeting one of its major refineries. It said the debris started what it called a limited fire at the Ras Tanura refinery but no civilian injuries.on social media that the U.S. had sunk nine Iranian warships and"largely destroyed" Iran's naval headquarters. The U.S. military's Central Command said it could not confirm those claims.and stocks fell as the war with Iran entered its third day. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had hit three U.S. and U.K. oil tankers in the Gulf. On Saturday Iran said it was closing the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway vital to the global oil trade. After Israel, Gulf countries that have long been considered as prosperous havens for Western expatriates have received the brunt of Iranian attacks. After airport attacks and widespread flight cancellations, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Sky News Monday that the government was considering arranging evacuation if needed for hundreds of thousands of citizens in the region.
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