Skip to Content
News

Headlines: ICE Maintains Surveillance Network Capable Of Spying on Most Americans; FBI Returning Cannabis Cash Seized From Armored Cars

photo: Pawel Czerwinski/Unsplash

Welcome to L.A. TACO’s daily news briefs, where we bring our loyal members, readers, and supporters the latest headlines about Los Angeles politics and culture. Stay informed and look closely.

—Renowned Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot in the head and killed this morning while apparently covering the Israeli forces' raid of a refugee camp in the West Bank city of Jenin. [Newsweek]

—Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reportedly created a "surveillance dragnet designed to spy on most people living in the United States," circumventing warrants and state privacy laws. [LAT]

—The New York Times calls our jacaranda trees "The Purple Tree Gods of Los Angeles." How many readers will pronounce the "J" though? [NYT]

—The president of Cal State received a vote of "No Confidence" following the forced removal of professor Dr. Melina Abdullah from a mayoral debate earlier this month. [LAT/Twitter]

—Two journalists in Veracruz were shot and killed this week, bringing the toll of reporters slain in Mexico up to 11 this year. [AP]

—An L.A. judge refused to lower the $30,000 bail of the man arrested in the assault on Dave Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl. [NBC]

—The FBI has given up its attempt to jack confiscate $1,100,000 in California cannabis dispensary cash seized from traveling armored cars. [LAT]

—Gun charges have been dropped for Jackie Lacey's husband, who pulled out a pistol on protestors at his Granada Hills home in 2020. [KTTV]

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

This Is How Crazy and Expensive L.A. World Cup Tickets Are Right Now

FIFA dropped another batch of tickets for the tournament this week as part of a “Last Minute Sale.” Who’s got $6k for the quarterfinal at SoFi in a few months?!

April 25, 2026

A Freshman At USC Got a New Camera For Christmas, Then Lost His Eye To a ‘Less-Lethal’ At a Protest

It’s small things, like noticing his nose in his vision, or misjudging the distance of objects, that serve as reminders that he’s not getting his vision back. 

Weekend Eats: A New Chinatown Cocktail Bar From A Member of Mumford & Sons

Elsewhere, we've got new banh mi, hot pots with a 10% discount this week, Korean barbecue, and a massive night market of local BIPOC vendors.

April 24, 2026

Daily Memo: At Least 15 Latinos Have Been Deported to the Congo As ICE Escalates In Southern California

We have received several reports of agents targeting parents early in the morning as they drop off their children at school. We also have some incidents involving ICE and local police.

The L.A. Locations Behind 10 Infamous Movie Death Scenes

Take us back to simpler times. From "Rebel Without a Cause" to "There Will Be Blood," here's 10 L.A. landmarks where key characters met their maker. Warning: Spoilers ahead.

April 23, 2026

Update: ICE Re-Detains Plaintiff Out On Bond in Landmark Case Challenging L.A. ICE Raids, Sends Him Back To Adelanto

After the Supreme Court refused his challenge to ICE, Isaac Antonio Villegas Molina, a construction worker filing a lawsuit against ICE with the help of the ACLU, was detained once again during his ISAP check-in.

April 22, 2026
See all posts