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Anthropic has been on a cloud partnership spree in recent months, and its latest move is reportedly a $10 billion deal with AI cloud startup Volta.

President Donald Trump has ordered contractors to redo weeks of work on a new helipad for the White House, after already demanding workers speed up construction.

For more than a month, contractors have worked around the clock to complete Trump’s helipad, which he directed to be built without any official notice. Now the contractors have been forced to take apart their work, according to photographs obtained by The Washington Post. It’s unclear how much money the additional alterations will cost, or if the helipad will be completed on schedule.

In early July, Clark Construction received a last-minute demand to complete the helipad by September 17, adding an estimated $875,000 to the price tag in the process. The government’s request, which indicated that Trump hoped to have the helipad ready for an “upcoming state visit,” was made just days after the president invited his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to come on September 24.

That’s not the only reason it’s an awkward time to be ordering redos. The Department of Justice recently admitted in court that the lining peeling off the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was the result of “flawed” application by Trump’s hand-picked contractors.

Clark Construction similarly received a no-bid contract to construct the new helipad. Now, it seems the former slumlord may be finding it increasingly difficult to manifest his visions of grandeur.

The helipad is part of a $13 million renovation project that also included work on the South Portico and driveway. Previously, Trump announced that Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin that builds Marine One helicopters, would cover the cost of a $5 million or $6 million helipad, complete with a White House seal carved out of granite. It seems likely that American taxpayers will pay for the rest.

This is the latest renovation project Trump has demanded at the White House, which the president treats like one of his gaudy resorts and not federal land. Last month, the front of the White House was covered in a massive tarp as the front doors underwent security improvements and repairs were made to the iconic columns on the North Portico. And lest we forget: There’s also the demolition of the East Wing, the paving of the Rose Garden, and the president’s outrageous $600 million ballroom.

Wrinkles, available on both iOS and Android, essentially acts as an AI-powered audio tour guide that reveals hidden history and local stories.

In a New York Times op-ed published Tuesday, Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison is defending his company’s attempt to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, which would create one of the biggest media conglomerates in American history. The proposed merger is opposed by a coalition of Democratic attorneys general representing 12 states. They argue that the combined media company would substantially…

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The week-old Open Secure AI Alliance, spearheaded by Nvidia and grown to over 120 companies, already has proposals out for defending against AI agents.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for its newsletters.

California’s once exponentially growing population of invasive mute swans has fallen by half, less than a year after a new law took effect allowing hunters and landowners to kill them. 

Over the objections of animal welfare groups, Gov. Gavin Newsom last year signed legislation allowing property owners and those with hunting licenses to shoot the nonnative, destructive swans. The mute swan population had ballooned to about 15,000, most around the Suisun Marsh on the outskirts of the Bay Area.

The law, which took effect Jan. 1, appears to be working as intended.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife last week released its annual waterfowl breeding population survey, a snapshot of duck and goose numbers across the state.

This year, biologists estimated California has around 7,400 mute swans, a 53% decrease from the previous year.

It’s a remarkable decline considering how quickly California’s mute swan population skyrocketed in just a few years. In 2022, state waterfowl biologists estimated there were just 1,500 of them.

“Let’s hope that things trend in our favor,” said Melanie Weaver, the department’s waterfowl coordinator.

The regal white birds with orange and black bills might be lovely, but they’re native to Europe and Asia. In 2008, California banned anyone without a special permit from keeping mute swans as pets or from importing them into the state. Nonetheless, some were brought here and escaped or were released from captivity.

Wetland ecologists and waterfowl biologists say they represent a profound threat to the struggling wetlands of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.  

Weighing up to 30 pounds and fiercely territorial, the swans don’t migrate. As their numbers grow, they can quickly eat through a marsh’s submerged native vegetation on which other species rely. Mute swans also harass or kill native waterbirds including ducks and geese during the breeding season. 

Even so, mute swans have devoted fans who believe there are other ways to control their numbers without killing the beautiful animals. Despite the opposition, no lawmaker voted against last year’s bill, according to the CalMatters Digital Democracy database. 

The law remains in effect until Jan. 1, 2031.

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The post Controversial swan hunt appears to work: California’s mute swan population drops appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Maria Eugenia Laurencio—who was 12 years old when her family left Cuba and settled in Beaumont, Texas— was a lifelong Republican. When her parents became US citizens, they registered as Republicans. “We hated Kennedy,” she told me, referring to the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961 that led many exiles to permanently abandon the Democratic Party. 

Laurencio, a retired anesthesiologist who now lives in Miami, followed in her parents’ footsteps, happily supporting the Republican ticket, from Ronald Reagan to both George Bushes. In 2015, excited at the prospect of having the first Cuban-American president, she volunteered for Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign, phone banking and canvassing for him in Miami. “He was not radical at the time,” she told me. She liked his pro-immigrant and anti-communist views, and his public dislike—back then—of Donald Trump. “I never liked him, not even when he was a TV star,” she told me about Trump. “I really couldn’t conceive that he would be president.”

But when Rubio lost the primary, Laurencio knew she had only one option if she wanted to stop Trump from winning: Vote for Hillary Clinton. When Trump won, Laurencio says she cried. Surely, she thought, the GOP would not support Trump after his first term in office, punctuated by a flurry of scandals like the impeachment hearings, the separation of thousands of families at the US-Mexico border, and his administration’s haphazard response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But when the Republican Party backed Trump once again, Laurencio had enough. She registered as a Democrat and voted for Joe Biden. Then came Trump’s denial of the results of the election, the January 6 insurrection, Biden’s presidency, and Trump’s shocking return. In 2024, she voted for Kamala Harris.

Over the years, her decision to switch parties withered ties with friends and family members. She noticed fewer invitations to dinners or other social gatherings. “We continue to be friends, but I notice the coldness,” she told me. “I felt very distraught and alone because I had lost my community.” Then a supportive neighbor showed her a letter to the editor that had appeared in the Miami Herald, written by a group called Cuban American Women Supporting Democracy. Reach out to them, the neighbor suggested.

“I didn’t leave the Republican party. The Republican party left me. It’s not the party of Reagan or George Bush.”

When she attended her first meeting in 2019, Laurencio was relieved to find a group of like-minded women. “I could express myself and not be looked at as some kind of weirdo or communist, like they all say,” she told me. “I didn’t leave the Republican party. The Republican party left me. It’s not the party of Reagan or George Bush.”

Now, she is part of Cuban American Women Supporting Democracy, a nonpartisan organization that since its official founding in 2023 has championed immigration reform, opposed the book ban in the Miami-Dade County school district, supported abortion rights, voting access, and various local and state political candidates. Their members attend protests, including at the notorious Alligator Alcatraz immigrant detention facility, as well as school board meetings. In 2024, they mailed thousands of cards to eligible voters, urging them to support Amendment 4, the failed ballot initiative to preserve the right to an abortion in Florida, which now has a six-week ban.

What started as a WhatsApp group chat among a few acquaintances during Trump’s first term has now grown into a network of about 250 members, many of them, as their name suggests, Cuban women. Miami-Dade County residents are heavily represented, but some members reside elsewhere in Florida. While many of them are lifelong Democrats, others like Laurencio are former Republicans who broke with their party over support of Trump. They are largely retired professionals—ranging in age from the mid-60s to the mid-80s—and include company executives, business owners, engineers, doctors, and published authors. One trait they all share is that they are a minority within the Cuban exile community, which for decades has generously supported the Republican Party, including President Donald Trump. 

“In a sea of red, the blue dots congregate,” said Carolina Camps, president of the group, known by its acronym, CAWSD (pronounced CAUSED). Camps described how effectively, when so many people felt disconnected from others who agreed with them politically, the word-of-mouth process worked. “It was friends of friends of friends, and then beyond that. Now we’ve got people who just hear about it and want to join because they feel at home.”

“We have to let the community know,” Camps added, “not all Cubans are MAGA.”

From left to right: Carolina Camps, Annie Betancourt, Esther De Varona, Maria Eugenia Laurencio, and Delia de Varona Garcia. Laura C. Morel

I first heard about CAWSD when I was covering the end of humanitarian parole protections for Cubans, Venezuelans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans. At a press conference in Miami, one of their members called on Republicans “who believed Trump’s promise to deport immigrants did not include their loved ones, to raise their voices in protest and total disregard for human life.” As the daughter of a Cuban exile and a Miamian myself, I was struck by her words. I’m all too familiar with the deep ties between Cubans and the Republican Party. Seeing a Cuban speaking out against the GOP so publicly got my attention.

“There was an assumption that because I’m Cuban, automatically my vote was going to be Republican. So there was a great sense of isolation for me after that first term.”

I spoke to several members of the group in a Zoom call in April. During our first meeting, they shared stories about what drew them together. Like Laurencio, many felt shunned by their families and social circles. Rosemary Ravinal, a speaker coach living in Miami, recounted how, shortly after Trump won the 2016 election, a cousin asked, “Aren’t you happy we won?” She hasn’t spoken to that cousin since. “There was an assumption that because I’m Cuban, automatically my vote was going to be Republican,” she said. “So there was a great sense of isolation for me after that first term.”

A few years ago, she heard Carolina Camps being interviewed on a local radio station, and Ravinal decided to reach out. “There was a sense of really being so cornered, not being able to talk among my brethren, my people,” Ravinal recalled, “that I felt that finally, there was a little bit of sunlight and a possibility that I could make a difference in terms of shaping issues and moving the community forward.”

Even as the women of CAWSD have rallied against the policies of the Trump administration, among the Cuban exile community support for Republicans has grown—especially over the last decade, according to the Cuba Poll, which Florida International University conducts, regularly surveying Cuban Americans living in Miami-Dade County. 

In the 2016 poll, for instance, conducted before the presidential election, 35 percent of Cuban Americans said they would vote for Trump. In 2024, the most recent poll conducted, that percentage nearly doubled to 68 percent. Meanwhile, support for Democratic candidates dwindled: In 2016, 31 percent of Cuban-American voters polled said they would support Hillary Clinton. In 2024, only 23 percent said they would vote for Kamala Harris. 

I asked historians and political analysts what dynamics had turned the Cuban- exile community into such a GOP monolith. History points to a few key events, they said. Many Cubans of a previous generation lost faith in the Democratic Party following President Kennedy’s decision in the midst of the failed Bay of Pigs operation to pull back support to overthrow Fidel Castro’s regime. The Republican Party took advantage of this sentiment when Cubans began to pursue US citizenship following the passage of the Cuban Adjustment Act in 1966, which created a pathway to legalization for them. Spanish-speaking GOP officials attended naturalization ceremonies, passing out pamphlets congratulating newly minted citizens and inviting them to register as Republicans. 

The GOP recruited sons and daughters of the original emigrés into their political ranks, which led to the rise of prominent political figures such as Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the first Cuban American elected to Congress. “Certainly, the Republican Party earned the Cuba vote,” said Guillermo Grenier, sociology professor at Florida International University and the lead author of the Cuba Poll. The Democratic Party’s focus on social justice wasn’t appealing to many Cubans, Grenier added, while the GOP spoke openly about ending communism. “They put boots on the ground.”

But over the years, allegiance to the Republican Party has not been completely consistent. Many Cuban Americans supported Bill Clinton and later Barack Obama, for example, though that support waned, in large part, after his efforts to normalize relations with Cuba failed to create significant political changes on the island. “When the Cuban government refused to engage in serious reforms, both economic and political, there was a huge disappointment in the Cuban American community,” said Sebastián Arcos, interim director of the Cuban Research Institute at FIU. “The pendulum swung back and swung hard in the opposite direction.” Cuban Americans were once more in the Republican fold.

I asked Grenier if he thinks Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda—which has touched many Cuban families in the last year—may pull more votes for Democratic candidates in future elections. ICE arrests of Cubans have increased to about 1,000 a month, according to the Cato Institute. Grenier thinks it’s unlikely. “I don’t think that will happen. Now, they might stay home,” he said. “They might not vote, and that might give an opportunity for some kind of leverage for the Democrats.”

On a recent afternoon, I visited Laurencio at the Mediterranean-style home in Coral Gables, a historic and affluent city on the edge of Miami, where she lives with her husband, a retired ophthalmologist. Palm trees lined the pathway to the entrance, where Laurencio’s orange tabby cat, Lotus, greeted me before Laurencio opened the front doors. We walked toward the kitchen, bathed in sunlight from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Bougainvillea bushes of orange and fuchsia could be seen on the pool patio. Laurencio’s refrigerator, decorated with photos of family and cards, included a magnet that said in bold letters, “Is it 2028 yet?” 

As we sat at her kitchen counter, nibbling on cookies and drinking Cuban coffee, more CAWSD members arrived until about five of them were there. They included two retired school counselors, Camps, who worked in sales for a pharmaceutical company, Laurencio, the retired anesthesiologist, and Annie Betancourt, a retired state representative who served in the Florida Legislature between 1994 and 2002. 

“It’s good to have, in a time of darkness and not a lot of positivity, that we have each other.”

Seated on sofas and easy chairs around the family room, the women told me about the issues they have focused on in the last year. They’ve attended the weekend vigils outside Alligator Alcatraz, which shut down in June, as well as joining other demonstrators outside the local ICE office. They’ve helped secure donations for families of people who have been deported. The group has also mailed more than 50,000 postcards to voters with instructions on how to sign up for vote-by-mail. Betancourt, the former state representative, points out that one of the advantages of the group is that their members simply have time to engage with the issues. Most are retired, many with grown children. “It’s the civic engagement component,” she said. “You can stand in line, you can go, you can mobilize.”

I asked what the Democratic Party is missing from their strategy to attract more Cuban voters. Betancourt, who had a front-row seat to internal political discussions for decades, called the Republican Party “extremely focused and methodical.” She saw how carefully they selected candidates who they believed had a strong chance of winning. Democrats have also failed to shake off the socialist label, which, in a city like Miami, is almost insulting, Laurencio said, adding that Democratic candidates need to be very direct and say on the record that they are not communist or socialist. “You cannot allow them to label you,” she said.

Have they heard of any changes of heart among their Republican friends and family? Has anyone become disenchanted with MAGA? Was there anything during this second term that might have unsettled supporters of the president?

Betancourt told the story of a call she had received just that morning from a Republican friend, a former CEO of a Miami company. He wanted to know her opinion of David Jolly, a Democratic candidate for Florida Governor. In a recent call, Laurencio’s 50-year-old nephew told her he regretted having supported Trump. Laurencio, who listens to conservative Spanish radio shows in Miami, hears the dissent growing among callers who complain about inflation, high gas prices, and the current political state of Venezuela and Cuba.

During our first interview, Camps told me about a Republican friend who had recently told her he was unhappy with the current state of the country. “They realize that it’s their neighbors that are being deported, their gardeners are being deported,” she said. “I think that there’s a softening.” Then she added a cautionary note: “Now, whether or not they will vote Democrat—that’s a whole different animal.”

No matter what the future elections bring, the women of CAWSD have built a foundation of solidarity, and even friendship. During our meeting, Esther De Varona, one of the retired counselors, jokingly said, “Gracias, Trump,” evoking chuckles from the other women. She was alluding to the adage in communist Cuba, “Gracias, Fidel.” Because of their mutual opposition to the current president, “we now have this fabulous network,” she told me. “It’s good to have, in a time of darkness and not a lot of positivity, that we have each other.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was always going to do and say whatever it takes to get confirmed. After getting permission from President Donald Trump—his real and only boss—to rescind the insurrectionist slush fund, Blanche secured the votes to make it out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, and he now heads to the Senate. While most of the ink has been spilled on…

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The allegations against Representative Max Miller have become so loud that the Ohio Republican has decided to launch a House ethics investigation into himself in a flagrant attempt to salvage his spiralling midterm campaign.

“In light of all the renewed interest in my family affairs I am going to file my own paperwork for an ethics investigation into myself to clear my name from these horrific attacks on myself and family,” Miller wrote on X Tuesday. “I have absolutely nothing to hide.”

“We will be providing the committee all necessary documents needed for a detail examination,” he continued. “The accusations continue to change, but my facts stay the same. I am looking forward to my colleagues reading everything for themselves.”

Shortly after his post, the House Ethics Committee announced they were opening an investigation into Miller. The investigation will effectively give Miller exactly what he wants: a chance to stay in a midterm race that he is almost certainly going to lose. Miller has repeatedly rejected calls for his exit, despite mounting public pressure to do so. Wednesday, August 5, marks the last day for Miller to withdraw.

Emily Moreno, Miller’s ex-wife, has accused the congressman of physically hurting her and their two-year-old daughter. In court filings and police reports, Moreno has charged Miller with throwing her against a wall, leaving an “obvious grab mark on her upper arm;” throwing scalding water on her (an incident that Miller refuted as “horseplay”), and having “held a gun to her head.” Moreno also recounted an instance in which their daughter told her, “Daddy kill you.”

Medical records submitted during the couple’s custody dispute cited several injuries to their young daughter, as well, including a broken collarbone that Moreno claimed occurred during Miller’s care.

Moreno’s father, Senator Bernie Moreno, accused Miller Tuesday of holding his toddler’s favorite stuffed animal “hostage,” even as she struggled to sleep without it.

“This is truly the seventh level of hell,” Senator Moreno told CBS News Tuesday. “My daughter lives in constant fear of this man, not like something that’s existential, but deeply in her heart, she fears what this guy is capable of.”

Miller has categorically denied the allegations and sued his ex-wife for defamation in May. He was never charged with a crime, and the Department of Children and Family Services did not find evidence to substantiate allegations of child abuse, according to court filings.

Miller published audio recordings of some of their private disagreements in an attempt to prove his innocence, but in doing so incidentally publicized more accusations against him by his wife related to suspected drug abuse. In one clip, Moreno can be heard accusing her ex-husband of keeping needles by his bedside and abusing THC and weed products.

While publishing the audio recordings, Miller also accidentally shared a folder that contained images of his daughter, including one that appears to show her genitals. His ex-wife’s lawyers warned the image “could be considered Child Sexual Abuse Material.”

It took the Ohio senator weeks to get publicly involved in the dangerous affair affecting his daughter and granddaughter, but Moreno finally denounced Miller on Sunday, writing in a post on X that the Donald Trump-backed Republican should “not serve in the House of Representatives.”

“I believe Max Miller needs to seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake,” the senator said.

Trump has repeatedly backed Miller despite the loaded allegations. On Monday, Trump insisted to reporters that Miller is a “good person.”

“I mean I always thought he was a very good person. And I’m going to let the families figure that out,” Trump said. “It’s accusations. And I’m going to let them figure that out.”

But by that evening, even the president could see the writing on the wall for Miller’s November prospects. The president reportedly phoned Miller to explain that “things aren’t looking good” and that the road ahead to re-election would be tough, multiple sources familiar with the call told Axios.

The scandals have only continued to mount for Miller: by Tuesday afternoon, the Daily Mail had obtained and circulated images of Miller holding weed gummies as well as of the needles that were purportedly kept by Miller’s bedside.

This story has been updated.

Businesses operating in Santa Cruz County must register with the county clerk. Lookout Santa Cruz reviews the public filings from local businesses to report on new businesses starting in the area.

Here is what’s new in local business recently.

New businesses

• MOUNTAIN HIGH CRAFTERS was registered at 81 Vick Dr., Santa Cruz, by Brent Clarence Jacobs as an individual business on July 20.
• ELIZABETH ANN STUDIOS was registered at 1567 Pesce Way, Santa Cruz, by Elizabeth Ann Plummer as an individual business on July 20.
• MB BOOKKEEPING was registered at 618 McKenzie Ave., Watsonville, by Silva Anthony as an individual business on July 20.
• FUEGO JALISCIENSE was registered at 738 Martinelli St., Watsonville, by Aldo Perez-Lara as an individual business on July 20.
• ALWAYS RIDING NEVER HIDING CLOTHING was registered at 1045 Water St. A, Santa Cruz, by Conquistadores Fernandez LLC as a limited liability company on July 20.
• NAUTICAL CUSTOMS SANTA CRUZ was registered at 1045 Water St. A, Santa Cruz, by Conquistadores Fernandez LLC as a limited liability company on July 20.
• CROSSOVER CREATORS FUND was registered at 2a Madrone Ave., Mount Hermon, by Crossover Sound Waves Incorporated as a corporation on July 21.
• BROTHERS KEEPER BASKETBALL was registered at 1840 Wharf Rd., Capitola, by Brothers Keeper Basketball LLC as a limited liability company on July 21.
• BMS AUTOMATIC GATES was registered at 325 Soquel Ave. #200, Santa Cruz, by Bms Garage Doors And Gates, Inc. as a corporation on July 21.
• WALTZ BEHAVIOR GROUP was registered at 231 Oregon St., Santa Cruz, by Access Educational Solutions LLC as a limited liability company on July 21.
• COASTAL HOME CONCIERGE was registered at 3357 Chardonnay Rd., Soquel, by Anne M.F. Harrison as a general partnership on July 22.
• PACIFIC COAST ELECTRICAL SOLUTIONS was registered at 836 Seacliff Dr., Aptos, by Pacific Coast Trades Group, Inc. as a corporation on July 22.
• THE APPLE BIN FRUITSTAND was registered at 1907 East Lake Ave., Watsonville, by George Basich as a business operated by a married couple on July 22.
• ALEGEND, EOSGROVE, LEGEND TEXT was registered at 160 Pine Flat Rd., Santa Cruz, by Joseph David Hencke as an individual business on July 22.
• SIGNAL INSTITUTE was registered at 2125 Pleasant Valley Rd., Aptos, by Braveheart Inc. as a corporation on July 22.
• THE QUEEN PUPUSAS was registered at 163 West Lake Ave., Watsonville, by Nelia Rivas as a co-partnership on July 23.
• CRUZ’N SHUTTLES AND TOURS was registered at 200 12th Ave., Santa Cruz, by Cruz’n Transportation LLC as a limited liability company on July 23.
• NURTURED BEGINNINGS was registered at 525 Airport Blvd. #52, Watsonville, by Mayra Paulina Fernandez-Zamora as an individual business on July 23.
• DAY VALLEY DAHLIAS, DAY VALLEY GARDENS was registered at 1805 Leslie Lane, Aptos, by George J. Lucchesi as a business operated by a married couple on July 23.
• SHOCKWAVE SANTA CRUZ was registered at 9509 Soquel Dr., Aptos, by Hastings Chiropractic Inc. as a corporation on July 23.
• RESTORATIVE INK LLC was registered at 7495 Soquel Dr., Suite D, Aptos, by Restorative Ink LLC as a limited liability company on July 24.
• PACIFIC COFFEE ROASTING COMPANY S.C. was registered at 815 Ocean St., Santa Cruz, by Hassan Ayyad as an individual business on July 24.
• MITCHELL MAINTENANCE was registered at 45 Boling Rd., Royal Oaks, by Richard Mitchell as an individual business on July 24.
• TACOS DON VERGAS was registered at 55 Gardner Ave., Watsonville, by Rene Hernandez Resendiz as an individual business on July 24.
• OLIVIA’S HERITAGE SPA was registered at 2908 Freedom Blvd., Watsonville, by Ngm Group LLC as a limited liability company on July 27.
• SOLINE JEWELRY was registered at 4200 Diamond Street #1, Capitola, by Align Creative LLC as a limited liability company on July 27.
• IMPERIO PAINTING AND GENERAL MAINTNANCE was registered at 789 Green Valley Rd. Spc 64, Watsonville, by Jose De Jesus Rocha Rocha as an individual business on July 27.
• FINANCIAL FREEDOM was registered at 13801 Hutchings Court, Watsonville, by Cuauhtemoc Medina as an individual business on July 27.
• UNCORPRATING was registered at 107 Washburn Ave., Capitola, by John Borgman as an individual business on July 27.
• NP CURA was registered at 6265 Highway 9, Felton, by Melco Nursing, Inc. as a corporation on July 28.
• CENTER OF ATTENTION was registered at 777 Chestnut St., Santa Cruz, by Center Of Attention Family Therapy Incorporated as a corporation on July 29.
• SEA UNIT FISHERIES was registered at 3744 Valera Dr., Soquel, by Brett Maas as an individual business on July 29.
• SUNFLOWER CHILD DEVELOPMENT was registered at 16 Vallecitos Lane, Watsonville, by Sunflower Child Development LLC as a limited liability company on July 29.
• EVERGREEN PATHS was registered at 124 School Lane, Santa Cruz, by Mas Serenity Bookkeeping LLC as a limited liability company on July 29.
• STYLEDXBEE was registered at 130 Roache Rd., Freedom, by Bianca Madrigal-Sandoval as an individual business on July 29.
• THE PIX STUDIO was registered at 1145 Chanticleer Ave., Apt. 8, Santa Cruz, by Miguel Angel Rodriguez Mendez as an individual business on July 30.
• DE COLORES CLAY was registered at 204 Calabasas Rd., Watsonville, by Daniel Casella as a general partnership on July 30.
• SALT & SUMMIT RETREATS was registered at 833 Valencia Rd., Aptos, by Valencia House LLC as a limited liability company on July 31.
• MUTTEER was registered at 621 Paradise Park, Santa Cruz, by Hussein Mohamed as an individual business on July 31.

Have news that should be in Lookout Briefs? Send your news releases, including contact information, to news@lookoutlocal.com.

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The post Santa Cruz County business filings: Week of Aug. 4 appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

Facing allegations of domestic violence against ex-wife Emily Moreno, Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) said via livestream on Sunday that he has no intention of withdrawing his name from the November ballot.

“I’m not getting out of this race, and I’m winning in November,” Miller said.

His comments come a couple of weeks after Mother Jones published an article, based on thousands of pages of court filings and police records, detailing allegations of assault, misogyny, and verbal threats by the two-term congressman. In the records, Moreno accuses Miller of scalding her with hot water, shoving her against a wall, and holding a gun to her head. We also reported that, according to police records and legal documents, Miller has been accused of getting violent with other women, including a woman he allegedly pushed down the stairs in high school and an unnamed woman who he is accused of assaulting in college. (Miller has strenuously denied Moreno’s claims, as well as allegations of assaulting other women.)

Many of the allegations are contained in court documents Moreno filed weeks ago amid her messy custody fight with Miller, but only recently have Republican lawmakers called for Miller to withdraw from his race. This includes Miller’s ex-father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno, who issued a sharp rebuke of his fellow Ohio Republican on Sunday.

“As he has admitted privately, Max Miller needs serious psychological help. He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter,” Sen. Moreno wrote in a social media post. “If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them. He should not serve in the House of Representatives.”

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican, told Politico she agreed. “I don’t know [Miller],” she said. “I haven’t read a whole lot about him, but if [Moreno] thinks he ought to resign, I’m supportive of that.”

Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas also condemned Miller. “He should resign. He should quit,” Marshall said, according to Politico.

The Democratic Women’s Caucus called for an official House Ethics investigation last week. Today, Miller personally requested an ethics investigation into himself to help clear his name.

“In light of all the renewed interest in my family affairs, I am going to file my own paperwork for an ethics investigation into myself. I have absolutely nothing to hide.”

“In light of all the renewed interest in my family affairs, I am going to file my own paperwork for an ethics investigation into myself,” he said on X. “I have absolutely nothing to hide.”

But as the calls for Miller to step aside get louder, Republicans are running out of time to replace him on November ballots. Ohio statute dictates that if a primary winner is to be replaced on the ballot by another Republican, Miller would have to withdraw and a new candidate would need to be named “not later than four p.m. of the eighty-sixth day before the day of the general election.”

That’s next Monday afternoon.

If Miller were to withdraw by tomorrow, there would be a special election to name a new Republican candidate. If he withdraws after that but before Aug. 10, local party officials would instead get to pick Miller’s GOP replacement.

The seat is of particular importance to Republicans, who possess a slender majority in the House and counted on Miller’s district as safe GOP territory.

Former Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost hinted at the impending math equation in a recent social media post. “I am concerned about the allegations against US Rep Max Miller. Given the narrowness of control of the US House, it is much bigger than one race for one House seat,” he wrote on X Monday.

Axios also reported this week that President Trump called Miller on Monday and expressed concerns about him staying in the race. On the call, Trump reportedly told Miller that “things aren’t looking good.” 

In Tuesday’s Democratic congressional primary, voters in Missouri’s first district will decide whether to re-elect moderate incumbent Congressman Wesley Bell or replace him with Cori Bush, the Democratic Socialist who was the district’s Congressional representative until Bell ousted her two years ago. 

Alongside Michigan’s Democratic congressional primary, Missouri’s first district race has become a referendum on pro-Israel money in American politics. In 2024, in what was then one of the most expensive primary races in history, the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its affiliated groups spent more than 8 million dollars backing Bell. Over half of all outside money spent on the race came from the United Democracy Project (UDP), AIPAC’s electoral arm. 

Both Bush and Bell came to prominence during the Ferguson uprising, after the fatal shooting of Black teenager Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer in 2014. Bush rose to prominence as an activist, while Bell became the St. Louis County Prosecutor in 2019, running on a police-reform agenda. Bush was elected to Congress in 2022. But in 2024, Bell announced a late-in-the-game run against her. Though he’d initially floated a Missouri Senate run, Bell saw an opening after Bush introduced a resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. He pivoted to challenge her from the center, and won by roughly 6 points. 

But in the last two years, Democratic public opinion on Israel has shifted dramatically: about 58 pecent of Democrats now say the U.S. is “too supportive” of Israel, up from 45 percent in an AP-NORC poll from January 2024. And multiple polls indicate that the majority of Democrats now believe what Cori Bush was saying back in early 2024: that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza. A growing number of Congressional Democrats are casting votes against unconditional aid to Israel. AIPAC funding has become politically toxic, so much so that the group now generally channels its funding through shell groups rather than funding candidates directly. But AIPAC is still one of the biggest spenders in elections nationwide: a report from Sludge shows that the super PAC has spent upwards of $100 million so far this election cycle.

“AIPAC, I am coming to tear your kingdom down,” Bush said in a fiery concession speech when she lost to Bell two years ago. In the years since then, she’s attacked Bell for what she calls an “abandonment” of St. Louis after a devastating tornado hit the district last year and for his support of a resolution “expressing gratitude” to ICE. Bell has brought up Bush’s criticism of Kamala Harris, and her payments to her husband to serve as her security detail. 

Bell also comes into this race with more establishment support than he had last cycle, carrying endorsements from figures like Hakeem Jeffries and Nancy Pelosi. And he says the AIPAC money shouldn’t matter, pointing instead to his local track record: “Voters in our district are worried about the cost of living. They’re worried about health care costs. If you don’t have anything to run on, well, you got to create something. And that’s what other folks in the race are doing,” Bell said.

Bush is banking on the idea that AIPAC money does make a difference, as she hopes to take back the MO-01 seat and join a nationwide wave of Democratic Socialist primary victories. Darializa Chevalier and Claire Valdez unseated more moderate incumbents in New York City last month; Melat Kiros, a young, outspokenly pro-Palestinian socialist in Denver, defeated one of the longest-serving members of Congress, Diana DeGette. Each of these candidates defeated an opponent with AIPAC support—in part by directly attacking AIPAC. 

AIPAC’s open support “is becoming a kiss of death to candidates they support in deep-blue districts,” Usamah Andrabi of Justice Democrats, a group which has endorsed Bush, told me last month. 

On AIPAC’s involvement in her election, Bush told St. Louis Public Radio in February, “The tide has already turned, and people are saying no. They want to be the ones to pick their representatives. And so, whether that money filters into the community or not, I think the community is also going to call out any candidate who is accepting that money.”

This primary will test whether that is true. 

⚡ Quick Take

• The Vampire Lestat will introduce Lestat’s vampiric mother, Gabriella. But will they keep their bizarre mother/son dynamic from the novels?
• We break down Gabrielle from Anne Rice’s books, her current appearance in AMC’s The Vampire Lestat series, and her future part in Queen of the Damned.
• Gabriella actress Jennifer Ehle offers her thoughts about Gabriella and Lestat’s relationship.

AMC’s The Vampire Lestat adapts Anne Rice’s second novel in her Vampire Chronicles series, with Sam Reid returning as the titular vamp, now a rock star. Joining him is actress Jennifer Ehle as his mother, Gabriella, a vampire herself. In Rice’s 1985 novel, she goes by Gabrielle, but the show’s producers decided to go with the Italian pronunciation, as the character was born in Italy. The character is a fan-favorite, although, right away, some racy scenes between Mama Gabriella and her son Lestat in The Vampire Lestat trailers raised some eyebrows… Scenes that became one twisted plotline in The Vampire Lestat. But this problematic relationship actually has its origins in Rice’s books, even if the Interview with the Vampire TV series may be taking things a step further. Join us as we explore the complex bond between Gabriella and Lestat in the book and the series, whether it’s incestual, and all the other complicated nuances of turning your mother into a vampire.

AMC Table of contents

• Do Lestat and His Mother Gabrielle Have an Incestuous Relationship in Anne Rice’s Books?
• Anne Rice’s Tragic Inspirations for the Vampire Gabrielle, Lestat’s Mother
• Is the Vampire Gabrielle/Gabriella a Trans Character?
• Gabrielle Becomes Gabriella in AMC’s The Vampire Lestat Series
• Sam Reid and Jennifer Ehle Talks Lestat and Gabriella’s Relationship
• Lestat and Gabriella in Season 4: The Queen of the Damned

Do Lestat and His Mother Gabrielle Have an Incestuous Relationship in Anne Rice’s Books?

In Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles novels, Lestat’s relationship with his mother is complex. And that’s putting it mildly. While many have read an incestuous vibe between the undead pair, that is not literally the truth of Gabrielle and Lestat’s relationship in the books. And that’s for the simple reason that in Rice’s vampire mythology, her undead don’t have sexual intercourse. In Rice’s world, the blood exchange replaces food as sustenance, replaces drugs as hallucinogens, and replaces sex as pleasure (and procreation). So when Lestat and Gabrielle exchange blood in Interview with the Vampire‘s world, there’s an erotic charge in the text, but it’s not sex in the literal sense.

Alfred A. Knopf/Innovation Comics

Having said that, AMC’s Anne Rice Immortal Universe does not adhere to Rice’s rules in this way. The vampires in the series do have sex in human fashion, and are particularly horny in fact. In several scenes throughout The Vampire Lestat, Gabriella touches her son in areas where a mother should never touch their adult child. In large part, this is after she’s become a vampire. So does human morality even apply to them anymore? After all, is it any worse than, say, murdering people every night? It’s a difficult question that we’ll address more when we turn to The Vampire Lestat series’ depiction of Gabriella.

But, to recap, Lestat and Gabrielle are not officially incestuous in the world of The Vampire Chronicles books, although their relationship is blurry. But the series changes all of that dramatically. Despite the lack of incest, though, Lestat and his mother plainly have always had a very complicated bond, going back to their human days. And that The Vampire Lestat keeps just as it is.

The Mortal (and Miserable) Life of Gabrielle de Lioncourt

In Anne Rice’s books, we are introduced to Gabrielle via the perspective of her son, Lestat. The Vampire Lestat book explains how he was born Lestat de Lioncourt, the son of a country lord in the Auvergne in France. Although his father had a large and ancient estate, he’d run out of money years prior. A boorish man, he married a young girl named Gabrielle from Italy, hoping the dowry would help replenish his wealth. In The Vampire Lestat, we learn that Gabrielle was miserable in her life in the castle and hated her cruel husband. She bore him several children, only three of whom lived to adulthood. She had nothing but disdain for her eldest sons, who took after their awful father. But despite her lack of interest in being a mother, Gabrielle had a special place in her heart for her youngest, Lestat, who was sensitive and smart, and loved the arts.

AMC

When Lestat was 21, around the year 1780, his mother became ill with consumption. Knowing she was dying, she gave him her precious jewels and told him to sell them. She then told him to use the money to run away from home with his lover, Nicolas, and pursue his dream of acting in Paris. Although he was reluctant to leave his dying mother, it was her final wish that he escape and be happy. What Gabrielle didn’t count on was Lestat becoming a vampire while living in Paris.

How Lestat’s Mother Became a Vampire in The Vampire Lestat Book AMC

When Gabrielle knew the end was near, she decided to make one last trip before she died. She went to Paris, hoping to say farewell to her son in person. Lestat was a vampire now and revealed his true nature to his mother. He had never made another vampire before, but asked her on her deathbed if she was willing to become his fledgling. Knowing she would die otherwise, Gabrielle eagerly said yes, and Lestat became the vampiric father to his human mother. Who, in a way, was now his daughter. Vampire family trees are complicated things, folks!

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Gabrielle’s personality shifted almost instantly. Where Lestat only hunted evil doers (most of the time), Gabrielle killed anyone she wanted, with little moral compunction. As she saw it, as a vampire,  she was higher on the food chain. She also began dressing as a man and wearing her long hair in a braid. She always felt powerless as a woman while mortal, uncomfortable in her own body, especially as the laws of the time required her to be subservient to men. And in particular, her cruel husband. Gabrielle, who insisted Lestat call her that name from now on, as “Mother” seemed inappropriate, also had little interest in the human world.

It is worth noting that in The Vampire Lestat book, Gabrielle and Lestat do not murder the rest of Lestat’s family, and Gabrielle never kills her husband, as Gabriella is allowed to.

Gabrielle Becomes a Cold and Deadly Immortal

In The Vampire Lestat book, Gabrielle constantly talked about hunting bears and other animals in the forest, and simply disconnecting from human life and returning to nature. Lestat, in contrast, remained very connected to humanity. He loved human art and music, and very much loved performing on stage for humans. He had no interest in living in a forest or jungle. When the ancient Vampire Armand blew up their lives in Paris, Lestat and Gabrielle left and wandered Europe and parts of Egypt for a decade. But even from the start of their journey, Gabrielle would vanish for weeks and months at a time. Although Gabrielle still loved Lestat, their bond was breaking. Things came to a head when Lestat learned she kept the news of their mortal family’s deaths from him, again a change from The Vampire Lestat series, and he told her to leave him for good.

In The Vampire Lestat series, Gabriella instead leaves Lestat unexpectedly, refusing to commit to being tied down to life with him at that moment in time. We’re told Gabriella loves immersing herself in nature and the wilds, though we don’t yet fully see it on our screens. Still, that restless part of her clearly drives Gabriella to leave Lestat in The Vampire Lestat show… That combined with the fact she doesn’t specifically need anything from him at that moment.

How Lestat and His Mother Gabrielle Reunite after 200 Years AMC

In Anne Rice’s books, Lestat would lose all contact with his mother, Gabrielle, for almost two centuries. When he became a rock star in the 1980s, Gabrielle learned her sire/son was alive and well. When Lestat threw his big Halloween Night concert in 1985, the vampire community attacked the show, and Lestat and Louis had to escape. Gabrielle then pulled up in a sports car and rescued her son/father and his lover from the undead mob. Gabrielle tells Lestat that she imagined their reunion a hundred different ways over the centuries. And she never thought it would involve her saving him from a vampire gang at a rock concert.

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After the events of book three, The Queen of the Damned, the surviving vampires form a coven on the luxurious Night Island, belonging to Armand, off the coast of Florida. But as she was known to do, Gabrielle quickly grew restless and wandered off into the world again. Gabrielle would pop in and out of Lestat’s life, making cameos in Rice’s subsequent novels. But she never had a book of her own, and Anne Rice said she never wanted to write one. She said Gabrielle was too cold for her to ever write from her perspective. But as of Rice’s final novel, Blood Communion, Gabrielle and Lestat were on good terms, promising never to go no-contact again.

Anne Rice’s Tragic Inspirations for the Vampire Gabrielle, Lestat’s Mother

Anne Rice went on record several times saying that her characters helped her work through her own personal tragedies. Her daughter Michelle’s death from leukemia at age 6 inspired her to create the child vampire Claudia in Interview with the Vampire. And Rice was at least partially working through the death of her mother with the creation of Lestat’s mother, Gabrielle. Rice’s mother, Katherine O’Brien, was ahead of her time, and named Anne “Howard” when she was born, not believing in gender specific naming conventions. But her mother also suffered from alcoholism and died from its complications at age 42, when Anne was only 15. Lestat saving his Gabrielle’s life and giving her a new one was Rice using writing to fictionalize saving her own unconventional mother via supernatural means.

Is the Vampire Gabrielle/Gabriella a Trans Character? AMC

Fans have often cited Gabrielle as being extremely trans-coded. In The Vampire Lestat, she often lamented being forced to endure the trappings of being a woman, especially as an 18th-century woman. When she becomes a vampire, she dresses in masculine clothing and often passes as a man in a crowd. However, she never changes her pronouns, and Lestat always refers to her as “she.” But were she created today, it’s very possible Anne Rice would have written Gabrielle as a trans man. Although we didn’t yet see this take place in The Vampire Lestat, perhaps the series will pick up these threads to weave a beautiful, representative story in its fourth season, The Queen of the Damned.

Executive Producer of The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned, Rolin Jones shared the following with Nerdist on the topic of Gabriella’s future, “I just say this, it’s her first season. There’s a lot more to come.” And the new showrunner of Queen of the Damned, Hannah Moscovitch, noted of Lestat’s mother, “I think we’re still going to push with Gabriella, so there is a way to go.”

Meanwhile, The Vampire Lestat Gabriella actress, Jennifer Ehle, offered:

I did not know anything about that until about a third of the way through shooting. And we were doing a scene where I got very frustrated wearing a dress. This was in the past, in the 19th century, and it felt so wrong, and that was when I first heard… I think that there is a plan in the future with this, with where we’re going, and so I have to trust them with that because I would have loved to play some of her scenes. I think the idea of her first kill of being a man, and she puts on those clothes as … I think that is incredible. And I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to do parts of it, but I do trust them that there will be a time when we get to show that side of her.

Gabrielle Becomes Gabriella in AMC’s The Vampire Lestat Series The Vampire Lestat Goes Full Mother/Son Incest (But That’s Not the Most Twisted Part)

Jennifer Ehle as Gabrielle, now using the Italian pronunciation of her name, Gabriella, arrived on the scene in a major way in The Vampire Lestat. In her first episode, we do get the idea that her relationship with Lestat is not really one of warmth and compassion. As Anne Rice would say, a distinct coldness emanates from the way she only appears when Lestat has literally hit rock bottom. And then the pair… make out, which is twisted in a number of ways… most of all that it is not what Lestat needs and very much what Gabriella wants.

AMC

The Vampire Lestat has definitely taken the novels’ incestuous subtext to another level, and now it is just plain text between mother/child Gabriella and child/father Lestat. And while incest is shocking, to be sure, the more important consequences come as a part of the emotional toll the relationship and its dynamics take on Lestat.

Gabriella’s Backstory is Revealed AMC

In episode two of The Vampire Lestat, we get to see more of Gabriella, including her miserable existence in 18th-century France and her much freer life in the modern day. We get a distinct impression of how repressed and terrible her life was, trapped with her awful husband and children (“the cabbages”), with only a slight solace in Lestat as a kindred soul. As mentioned, unlike in Anne Rice’s books, The Vampire Lestat‘s Gabriella gets to dispose of her hateful husband herself in Auvergne, happily embracing her vampiric ferocity after Lestat turns her into a vampire. Sadly, she does not instinctively kill a man and don his clothing as her first kill, but there’s still time in the series to see that kind of a scene.

In the present timeline of The Vampire Lestat, Lestat and Gabriella hide Gabriella’s identity as Lestat’s mother, calling her Sofia. But the pair agree to no longer… dally together. Although it’s clear Gabriella is teasing Lestat throughout the episode, pushing him to see where his limits are. It’s also evident that Gabriella is quite jealous of Lestat’s relationship with Louis and doesn’t like that he has someone else in his life. In The Vampire Lestat, the relationship between Lestat and Gabriella quickly loses its easy veneer and reveals notes of something ugly beneath.

Additionally, we see Gabriella take cruel revenge on Lestat for not cleaving only to her, sleeping ostentatiously with his body double, Jarda, and then walking purposefully out of his concert midway through. Yikes!

Gabriella Wants Lestat to Lead the Great Conversion AMC

Gabriella has been the character to most prominently bring up the Great Conversion in The Vampire Lestat, and now, we can see it’s more than just a passing fancy for her. It’s something that Lestat’s mother really wants to see realized.

In the past, Gabriella and Lestat dream about a vision of life where, they, the vampires are in charge. Gabriella says, “You put Armand’s Ghouls on stage, and that was something I guess.” But what she wants is, “Dante’s Hell, but not in the mouths of priests, out in the world. Thieving in the streets. An evil that answers goodness.” And Lestat asks, “Shall we scorch the mortal world?” To which Gabriella responds, “Decimate it. Brothers impaling brothers, mothers throttling their babes, all writhing on the ground. Till no light remains, no hope of light, and, then, we, the devils, rule.”

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And it’s a sentiment she has clearly not forgotten, because when she finally returns to Lestat, she brings with her visions of his leading the Great Conversion. She says she has been “with the voices” of other vampires, all of whom call to Lestat, revealing that they all care about his mission, work, and idea of vampiric freedom. “You’ve been hearing them,” Gabriella tells Lestat, “You’ve been reaching them. They are lost and angry and tired of enduring. Your music speaks to them. They long for communion.”

And so, though he calls her “a conspiring mother” in his voiceover, Lestat allows himself to be swayed back to the work of sharing his vampire insights through his music… and continuing to feed the Great Conversion. In episode five, we see that Lestat is recording an album at Gabriella’s behest, presumably to help inspire the vampiric movement.

However, Lestat begins to seem wary of Gabriella and her motives as his Great Conversion album unfolds. He all but accuses her of only needing him for the role he can play in the Great Conversion. And, while he’s right about her selfish motivations, he doesn’t break away from her yet.

Gabriella’s Power Over Lestat Breaks in The Vampire Lestat‘s Final Episodes AMC

Despite agreeing to go through with the big vampire concert in honor of the Great Conversion, Gabriella’s hold over Lestat weakens in The Vampire Lestat‘s final episodes. Gabriella tries to assert her control over Lestat in episode six of The Vampire Lestat, but he clearly brushes her off. He no longer seems to want to kiss her, and her sweet talking falls on largely deaf ears. Gabriella seems to realize this when Lestat sings “Brutal Love” to Louis, and the pair of them clearly have eyes only for one another. But we know Gabriella is cunning and ruthless, so we really don’t know what she’ll do to try to get her claws back into Lestat.

In the finale episode of The Vampire Lestat, Lestat undergoes a reckoning with his soul and finally appears to grasp that, as his mother, Gabriella has been abusing him his entire life and that this abuse has left its marks. From forcing him to watch his friends burn as witches when he was nine to grooming him with her icy withholding and love bombing to leaving him at a whim to forcing him to become a symbol for the Great Conversion, Lestat finally sees Gabriella for what she really is… But… We know Lestat ends up playing the concert she wants him to play… So who knows what will happen between the pair?

Sam Reid and Jennifer Ehle Talks Lestat and Gabriella’s Relationship AMC

Following on some of what we see in The Vampire Lestat‘s early episodes, in an interview with Nerdist, Jennifer Ehle, who plays Gabriella, mused on her relationship with Lestat, and how Lestat’s love for Louis fits into it. Ehle notes of Louis and Lestat’s love, “I think she’s threatened by it. She’s threatened by it as somebody who loves him and who wants to be the primary relationship in his life, wants to be the most important person to him in any room, and suddenly, there is somebody else. And Louis having Lestat’s ear just really saps her power.”

Meanwhile, Sam Reid reveals the following about Lestat and Gabriella after The Vampire Lestat‘s finale: “Lestat learns from the long table that she has manipulated him for a very long time, and that she should no longer have that level of control over his life. And that actually she is a monster, and then all the things that he feels himself about being a monster might be a reflection of her own monstrosity. Look, he acknowledges that he has to accept guilt and failure because you can’t just be a victim. You have your own agency, which he has in spades. But yeah, I think actually the long table allows him to finally see things from a better perspective and step away.”

Akasha Asks About Gabriella in The Vampire Lestat

Of additional interest, in The Vampire Lestat‘s Akasha flashbacks, we learn that, unlike in the books, Marius saves Lestat’s life because Akasha specifically requested it. However, the Queen of the Damned also requested that Marius bring her Lestat’s mother as well, something that absolutely did not happen in the books. Marius tells Akasha, “Wanted to take of her [Gabriella], as you said. Well, he was there; she was not.” Of course, “take care of her” has several meanings; it remains to be said if Akasha wants to kill Gabriella or comfort her.

AMC

We don’t yet know how Akasha will wake up in Queen of the Damned, but we bet it has something to do with the massive gathering of 50,000 vampires that Gabriella has orchestrated in service of the Great Conversion. Will Gabriella, Lestat, and Akasha finally come together in season four? And to what end? Only time will tell.

Lestat and Gabriella in Season 4: The Queen of the Damned

Jennifer Ehle’s Gabriella will almost certainly be back in season four of the AMC series The Queen of the Damned. As mentioned in the books, Gabrielle actually saves Lestat’s life after his ill-fated concert. But in the series, Lestat’s mother is very much responsible for it and the disaster it wreaks upon the world. Still, we feel like Gabriella won’t be too sorry to see most of the men in the world die. Although we’d very much like for her to leave Lestat alone, we are interested to see the future of Gabriella’s story. Hopefully Queen of the Damned will arrive sooner rather than later.

Interview with the Vampire seasons one and two and The Vampire Lestat are now streaming on AMC and AMC+. You can read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice to get even more insight into the story and its characters.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

Originally published March 4, 2026.

The post TVL: Lestat’s Complex (Icky?) Bond with Mother Gabriella, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro hauled a crate of evidence to the White House Monday evening in a bid to convince President Donald Trump that vandals weren’t responsible for damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Trump is reportedly considering firing Pirro over the Department of Justice’s admission in court that the pool’s peeling lining was the result of “flawed” renovation work, not vandals.

Pirro brought a large carton of evidence collected by the Department of the Interior to a private meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, sources familiar told CBS News Tuesday. The evidence was reportedly used to exonerate former U.S. Olympian David Hearn. Later, Pirro was spotted leaving the White House dragging her enormous box of proof behind her.

BREAKING: Jeanine Pirro was just spotted leaving the WH with a briefcase and white box.

Looks like she may have just been fired for not lying enough. pic.twitter.com/QoA7Rc7ImJ

— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) August 4, 2026

The occasionally heated meeting took place shortly after the president lashed out at her during a press conference. Since then, Trump has made no indication that he was the least bit convinced, but federal prosecutors have moved to drop the charges against the remaining two alleged vandals.

In a filing last week, federal prosecutors admitted that the DOJ hadn’t fully investigated the matter because the pool hadn’t actually been drained, and the lining was “mostly obscured” by water. Federal prosecutors blamed the Department of the Interior for initially claiming that the damage was “entirely caused by vandals.”

Pirro has been criticized for mounting prosecutions against a group of alleged vandals before fully investigating.

The Trump administration is making Haitians in the U.S. report to immigration offices to either get ankle monitors or immediately be deported after stripping their Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, last month.

In Springfield, Ohio, dozens of Haitians with TPS were called to ICE offices, fitted with the ankle monitors, and given instructions not to travel more than 75 miles from their homes. The Haitian community in the city is about 15,000 strong, and a Supreme Court decision in June allowed the Trump administration to take away their TPS protections despite the ongoing poor security situation in Haiti.

Many Haitians have asylum applications that have been pending for years. One Haitian resident was told to either wear an ankle monitor or be deported with $2,600, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. ICE has sent letters to Haitians with TPS to come to immigration offices with “any and all immigration documents.”

“It is important that you keep this appointment and bring this letter with you,” the letter states. “If you are unable to do so, state your reason, sign below, and return this letter to this office at once.”

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told The Independent that “Temporary Protected Status is exactly that—temporary.”

“What we would say now is it’s closing time which means you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here,” the spokesperson said. “The good news is it’s not too late to get a $2,600 check and a free flight home.”

President Trump infamously accused Haitians in Springfield of eating cats and dogs on the campaign trail in 2024, and the Haitian community has been bracing for heavy-handed ICE raids ever since the Supreme Court’s decision in June. Ohio’s Republican Governor Mike DeWine has spoken up in support of Haitians in his state but has not promised any support beyond that.

“These are people who have helped Springfield really come back,” DeWine said in a CBS interview last month, explaining that Haitians have filled jobs and opened businesses where the economy once struggled. “The Haitians who are living there and employed there, they came there to work, and they came there because there were jobs that were not being filled by other people.

“Haiti is hell today. So you’d be sending people … back to hell.”

Waymo has dropped the waitlist for its robotaxi service in Dallas, the latest step in the company's bid to scale its self-driving technology across the United States, U.K., and Europe.

President Donald Trump’s attempt to blame supposed vandals for the damage that his contractors did to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool suffered another blow on Monday. Federal prosecutors dropped charges against three more defendants who had been accused of vandalizing the pool. That decision echoes Friday’s move by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to drop charges against former Olympian David…

Source

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for its newsletters.

It’s a tumultuous time for healthcare. Federal and state budget cuts are changing the rules for public benefits. Most people with Medi-Cal won’t be affected, but it may be confusing to figure out whether your benefits will change. 

The two most important things to do: Update your contact information with your county benefits office, and keep an eye out for any letters mailed from the county or state.

You can update your information by calling your local county office or online with a BenefitsCal account. 

Here are the key changes, what they mean, and where to get help.

Changes for immigrants

Non-citizens — undocumented immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and people with pending immigration cases — are the group most affected, even those with a green card. The state has an immigration status chart to help you check whether these changes apply to you. If they do, you’ll get a letter.

Undocumented immigrants

• As of Jan. 1, immigrants over age 19 without legal status can no longer apply for Medi-Cal (children remain eligible). 
• Those already enrolled keep benefits if they renew on time. If they miss the renewal deadline and coverage ends, they have three months to reapply. After that window, they cannot sign up again. 
• Anyone who loses Medi-Cal may apply for emergency services. Those are limited to pregnancy, emergency visits and nursing home care.
• Starting Jan. 1, 2027, this group moves to “fee-for-service” Medi-Cal that limits some coverage. Doctors visits, prescriptions, and mental health treatment won’t be affected. Confirm your doctor accepts this Medi-Cal type, or find a new doctor by calling 800-541-5555.
• Adults ages 19-64 must also prove they are working or volunteering at least 80 hours a month. Students, people with disabilities and parents with young children are exempt from the work requirement. Starting July 1, 2027, adults lose dental coverage. Those 19 to 59 will also pay a $30 monthly fee.
• Children and pregnant individuals will remain eligible for Medi-Cal.

Refugees, asylum seekers, some green card holders

• Starting Jan. 1, 2027, refugees, asylum seekers, humanitarian parolees, and survivors of domestic violence or trafficking move to “fee-for-service” Medi-Cal. They will still be able to see the doctor, pick up prescriptions and see the dentist, but they will no longer have a health insurance plan. Call 800-541-5555 to find a new doctor if your current one does not accept it.
• Six months later, this group will lose full-scope Medi-Cal and dental benefits, keeping only pregnancy and emergency care.

Promotoras, community health workers and legal aid groups can help answer questions about this.

Adults without children

About 5 million Californians gained Medi-Cal coverage when the Obama administration expanded eligibility to childless adults and those earning slightly above the federal poverty level. Now this group faces  stricter requirements in order to keep their health coverage.

Work requirements

• Beginning Jan. 1, adults 19 to 64 and many immigrants must prove at least 80 hours each month of working or volunteering, or half-time schooling. 
• Who’s exempt: children, seniors, pregnant people, those who are disabled or have serious health conditions or addictions, people on Medicare, those recently released from prison, American Indians and Alaska Natives populations and some former foster youth.
• The state will mail a letter if this applies to you. Most renewal packets come in a bright yellow envelope, but notices may look different. Respond quickly.

More frequent renewals

Beginning next March, the state will check Medi-Cal eligibility every six months for adults ages 19 to 64 and many immigrants, verifying income, work status, and other requirements. Renewal may happen automatically; if it doesn’t you will receive a letter asking for more information.

Seniors (65 and older) and people with disabilities

Starting July 1, 2027, older adults (65 and up) and people with disabilities cannot own more than $21,000 in assets, including savings accounts, cash and property other than a home and a car. For couples it’s $31,000 total. This limit also applies to non-citizens. Your county benefits office or a local legal aid group can clarify what counts; the state also has an FAQ about the new limits.

If you’re afraid of losing coverage, do these things right now

Not everyone will be affected, and some people won’t need to do anything.  If you’re required to report work hours or other information, you’ll receive a notice in the mail or through the BenefitsCal online portal if you have an online account: Check both regularly.

The state doesn’t yet have a timeline for initial notices, but advocates say the best move now is simply keeping your information current. This is especially important because the rules keep changing.

“It’s so vital they watch the mail, look out for communications from the county, and are responsive to requests for information,” said Jack Dailey, director of health policy at the Legal Aid Society of San Diego.

Bukola Olusanya, regional medical director for St. John’s Community Health, talks to a patient in a mobile clinic van in Los Angeles. Credit: Jules Hotz for CalMatters

If you get a notice:  You should have plenty of warning before benefits are terminated – respond promptly to any notice of action.

If you get a notice that your benefits will be cancelled and you disagree with that decision, you can appeal and request a state hearing, which “allows you to temporarily freeze an adverse action and keep your benefits while your appeal is being reviewed,” says Alicia Emanuel, a staff attorney with the National Health Law Program. 

If you’ve already lost coverage: You have 90 days to restore benefits without filing a new application. Submit the requested information in that window and, if you still qualify, you shouldn’t see a coverage gap. After 90 days, you’ll need to reapply from scratch.

Where to get free help

Promotoras — community health workers trained through groups like Vision y Compromiso — can meet you in your neighborhood, explain benefits in plain language, and help with Medi-Cal applications. Rosa Lopez, a promotora in Long Beach, said many immigrants worry about losing coverage: “I tell them you don’t have status, don’t worry. The first thing is your health.” 

Community clinics often have benefits counselors on staff, and legal aid groups offer free advice for confusing letters — call the Health Consumer Alliance at 888-804-3536, or check its website. The state also runs a helpline at 800-541-5555 and keeps its website up to date.

One more thing worth knowing: Medi-Cal eligibility isn’t just one door — there are several ways to qualify, based on conditions such as income, age, disability, or pregnancy. Before the state can terminate your benefits under one category, it must check whether you still qualify through any of the others.  “It’s a really critical protection because sometimes an individual is in fact eligible through a different pathway,” Emanuel said. And by law, Medi-Cal must provide free language assistance for people with limited English proficiency.

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.

The post Medi-Cal is changing. Here’s what to do if you’re worried about coverage appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

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If you want to bypass AI guardrails designed to stop models from assisting with cyberattacks, you often just have to ask the right way, according to researchers from Cisco Talos. Simply claiming you own the servers you're targeting or that you're taking part in a capture-the-flag or bug bounty exercise was often enough to persuade models to cooperate. Talos researchers have been poring over prompt logs and artifacts recovered from threat-actor endpoints running tools such as Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and Gemini to learn how suspected threat actors are abusing LLMs. The big takeaway from that "significant corpus," the researchers said in their report, is that existing guardrails offer little resistance to operators willing to reframe their requests. “We did not encounter any sophisticated encoding or techniques designed to trick the models,” Talos explained. “Most of the time it was a simple ‘I'm allowed to do this,’ and the model complied.” When guardrails did manage to get between criminals and their prizes, the researchers added, “they accomplished little.” The bulk of the report consists of examples of threat actors trying, and often succeeding, to coax AI models into assisting with malicious activity. On the "guardrails doing little" side, Talos documented numerous examples, few of which relied on particularly sophisticated techniques. Most common in the list of easy-to-accomplish guardrail hops was simply claiming ownership of equipment or infrastructure that an attacker wanted to exploit. In many cases, simply telling the AI that a target belonged to the attacker was enough, with no need to provide actual evidence of the claim. Telling an AI model that what it was being asked to do was part of a capture-the-flag or bug bounty exercise also seemed to be a common tactic. That, the researchers explained, commonly freed chatbots from their ethical constraints, allowing them to hunt for vulnerabilities and then exploit them in target systems, again without any need to validate the user’s claim that they were undertaking an exercise instead of actually trying to commit a crime. AI-assisted cybercriminals were also frequently spotted decomposing tasks across multiple sessions and files in order to evade model protections that would only engage when a broader malicious activity was detected. Others, Talos explained, succeeded at bypassing AI guardrails by adding memories, markdown files, and other system-level prompts to a chatbot in a bid to condition the AI’s persona. The researchers said that, of all the methods they examined, the most interesting to them was malicious use of a red teaming toolset known as Hephaestus, as reported by Oasis Security threat researchers in May. According to Talos, the Hephaestus framework can do everything needed to compromise a victim, through to establishing persistence, without human interaction. “In that case, actors built their platform to avoid refusals altogether by using neutral verbs instead of overtly malicious ones,” Talos said. “As a result, they were able to have considerable success with agents conducting innocuous requests without realizing the full operational context.” In other words, break an attack into decontextualized chunks, phrase each request in neutral terms, and the model may never see enough context to realize it's helping build an attack. One bright spot in all of this is that Talos’ review of AI chat artifacts suggests AI might be a force multiplier for skilled hackers, but your average script kiddie with a Claude Code account isn’t going to get very far. “Unsophisticated actors can use AI to cobble together malicious projects that technically work, but lacking the expertise to push the tools further, they end up with substandard results,” the researchers said. “By contrast, sophisticated actors have pushed the bounds of what we thought possible.” So, what does all this mean for security professionals kept up at night with fears of an AI attack on their infrastructure? You probably need to deploy AI in the same way threat actors are. “Agents are going to become a bigger part of the SOC as these volumes rise, and identifying actionable alerts will be paramount,” the Talos researchers said of the big takeaway for enterprises. “Organizations that aren't already exploring agentic capabilities to let human analysts focus on the most important alerts will soon find themselves chasing that capability.” It’s not like this is an emerging threat, either: AI is already an increasingly important part of threat actor arsenals. According to CrowdStrike, attacks by AI-enabled adversaries increased 89 percent in the past year, and the speed at which attackers are weaponizing vulnerabilities with AI has reduced practical patch windows to as little as 24 to 48 hours. You might wanna act now before your infrastructure becomes a statistic. ®