San Diego, CA
Supreme Court strikes down Trump-era ban on rapid-fire rifle bump stocks, reopening political fight
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday struck down a Trump-era ban on bump stocks, the rapid-fire gun accessories used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, in a ruling that threw firearms back into the nation’s political spotlight.
The high court’s conservative majority found that the Trump administration overstepped when it changed course from predecessors and banned bump stocks, which allow a rate of fire comparable to machine guns. The decision came after a gunman in Las Vegas attacked a country music festival with assault rifles equipped with the accessories.
The gunman fired more than 1,000 rounds into the crowd in 11 minutes, sending thousands of people fleeing in terror as hundreds were wounded and dozens were killed in 2017.
The 6-3 majority opinion written by Justice Clarence Thomas found the Justice Department was wrong to declare that bump stocks transformed semiautomatic rifles into illegal machine guns because, he said, they don’t “alter the basic mechanics of firing.”
Justice Samuel Alito agreed but wrote a short separate opinion to stress that Congress can change the law. Justice Sonia Sotomayor said in a dissent joined by the court’s liberals and read out loud in the courtroom that she hoped Congress would act.
The ruling wasn’t directly about the Second Amendment, but nevertheless threw guns back into the center of a role-reversal political conversation that had Democrats criticizing the ruling that upended the actions of a GOP administration.
President Joe Biden called on Congress to act and Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada referenced the massacre in her state as she encouraged Congress to permanently prohibit “these devastating devices.” Still, prospects for gun control legislation in the current divided Congress are dim.
Imposing a ban through regulation rather than legislation during Donald Trump’s presidency took pressure off Republicans to act following the massacre and another mass shooting in Parkland, Florida.
As Trump courts gun owners while running to retake the presidency, he has appeared to play down his own administration’s actions on bump stocks, telling National Rifle Association members in February that “nothing happened” on guns during his presidency despite “great pressure.”
He told the group that that if he is elected again, “no one will lay a finger on your firearms.”
After the court’s decision was announced on Friday, his campaign team expressed respect for the ruling before quickly pivoting to his endorsement by the NRA.
The Biden campaign decried the ruling and backed new restrictions on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
It was the latest gun case for the Supreme Court, whose conservative supermajority previously handed down a landmark decision expanding gun rights in 2022 and is weighing another gun case challenging a federal law intended to keep guns away from people under domestic violence restraining orders.
The arguments in the bump stock case, though, were more about whether the ATF had overstepped its authority, not the Second Amendment covering firearms.
Justices from the court’s liberal wing suggested it was “common sense” that anything capable of unleashing a “torrent of bullets” was a machine gun under federal law. Conservative justices, though, raised questions about the effects of the ATF changing its mind a decade after declaring the accessories legal.
The high court took up the case after a split among lower courts over bump stocks, which were invented in the early 2000s. Under Republican President George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama, the ATF decided that bump stocks didn’t transform semiautomatic weapons into machine guns. The agency reversed those decisions at Trump’s urging. That was after the shooting in Las Vegas and another mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school that left 17 dead.
Bump stocks are accessories that replace a rifle’s stock, the part that rests against the shoulder. They harness the gun’s recoil energy so that the trigger bumps against the shooter’s stationary finger, allowing the gun to fire at a similar speed as an automatic weapon. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have their own bans on bump stocks, though some could be affected by the high court’s ruling.
The plaintiff, Texas gun shop owner and military veteran Michael Cargill, was represented by the New Civil Liberties Alliance, a group funded by conservative donors like the Koch network. His attorneys acknowledged that bump stocks allow for rapid fire but argued that they are different because the shooter has to put in more effort to keep the gun firing.
Cargill celebrated the ruling in a video posted online, saying the case would have ripple effects by hampering other federal gun restrictions by the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “I’m glad I stood up and fought,” he said.
The Biden administration had argued the ATF changed its mind on bump stocks after doing a more in-depth examination spurred by the Las Vegas shooting and came to the right conclusion.
There were about 520,000 bump stocks in circulation when the ban went into effect in 2019, requiring people to either surrender or destroy them, at a combined estimated loss of $100 million, the plaintiffs said in court documents.
___
Associated Press writers Mark Sherman and Farnoush Amiri in Washington, Jill Colvin in New York and Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.
San Diego, CA
San Diego Unified leaders propose policy to limit technology in classrooms
SAN DIEGO (CNS) – San Diego Unified School District leaders Tuesday announced an effort to better integrate technology in classrooms and reduce excessive media consumption, to be voted upon by the school board Tuesday evening.
If the Board of Education approves the proposed resolution at Tuesday evening’s meeting, the first changes would go into effect on Aug. 10, the first day of the 2026-27 school year.
The proposed changes include:
— Prohibiting video-streaming platform use such as YouTube on individual devices;
— Prohibiting non-instructional gaming platform use on individual devices; and
— Removing computer carts from Transitional Kindergarten classrooms, while still allowing for access to devices for students with needed accommodations.
“Technology has expanded educational opportunities for students in ways we could not have imagined a generation ago,” Board President Richard Barrera said. “But our responsibility is to ensure technology serves students – – not the other way around. This resolution takes thoughtful, research-based steps to reduce passive screen time and create more opportunities for students to engage with their teachers, collaborate with their peers, and develop the communication, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills that will serve them throughout their lives.”
Other facets of the proposal, which would be phased in over the course of the next year, include:
— Developing age-appropriate device usage guidance;
— Limiting screen time outside established time frames;
— Expanding family resources and parent controls;
— Strengthening digital citizenship instruction;
— Reviewing instructional software annually; and
— Continuing evaluations of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
District leaders said that while technology remains an important learning tool, excessive screen time and passive digital media consumption can “negatively impact attention, academic performance, sleep, social-emotional development, and overall student well-being.”
The impetus of the resolution is not to remove technology from classrooms, its proponents say, but to instead support diverse learning needs while “creating more opportunities for meaningful human interaction, student engagement, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking.”
“One of the strengths of this resolution is that it recognizes these decisions should not be made in isolation,” Board Trustee Shana Hazan said. “Families, educators and community partners have helped elevate this conversation, and their voices will continue to guide this work. Technology remains an important educational tool, but it should never replace the relationships, creativity, collaboration, and human connection that are at the heart of a great education.
“This resolution creates a framework for bringing diverse perspectives together to determine what is best for students at every stage of their development,” Hazan added.
District leaders say if the resolution passes, staff will work with advisory groups such as the Community Advisory Committee, District Advisory Council and District English Learner Advisory Committee to further refine ideas.
San Diego, CA
Who’s playing in the World Cup today? TV schedule for June 23
Here’s who is playing in the 2026 men’s World Cup on Tuesday, June 23.
MORE: 2026 men’s World Cup standings, scores, brackets
World Cup TV Schedule June 23
Group Stage
Group K: Portugal vs. Uzbekistan, 1 p.m. ET, 10 a.m. PT, Houston Stadium (FOX, Telemundo, Peacock)
Group L: England vs. Ghana, 4 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. PT, Boston Stadium (FOX, Telemundo, Peacock)
Group L: Panama vs. Croatia, 7 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. PT, Toronto Stadium (FOX, Telemundo, Peacock)
Group K: Colombia vs. Congo DR, 10 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. PT, Estadio Guadalajara (FS1, Telemundo, Peacock)
Note: Matches on Telemundo and Peacock are in Spanish.
San Diego, CA
Los Angeles schools superintendent resigns after FBI search and months on paid leave
By CHRISTOPHER WEBER and BIANCA VÁZQUEZ TONESS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The superintendent of Los Angeles public schools has resigned four months after he was put on paid leave during a federal investigation, saying he wants students to learn “without distraction.”
Alberto Carvalho ‘s resignation letter dated Sunday made no direct mention of the FBI’s Feb. 25 search of his home and the LA Unified School District’s headquarters. Two days after the FBI served the search warrants, the district’s Board of Education voted unanimously to place Carvalho on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Authorities have not provided details of the nature of the investigation involving the district, which serves more than 500,000 students. The investigation appears to relate to a contract the school district had with an education technology company whose leader was later indicted for fraud. The company, AllHere, had a contract with the district to create an AI chatbot.
Before becoming the Los Angeles superintendent in 2022, Carvalho had spent his entire education career in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where he drew national praise for improving graduation rates and academic achievement among Black and Hispanic students. While advocating for Miami’s immigrant students, he spoke openly about his own struggles as a young recent arrival from Portugal working in restaurants and construction while homeless at times.
Under Carvalho, the Los Angeles district had been making strides. Students’ academic growth has outpaced the state average in recent years and students have bounced back from pandemic learning loss. Voters overwhelmingly passed a $9 billion construction and modernization bond, the school system’s largest ever.
Carvalho has denied wrongdoing
Authorities have not accused Carvalho of any crimes. He denied any wrongdoing earlier this year and had asked to be reinstated as head of the nation’s second-largest district. On Sunday he resigned via a letter addressed to “students, families, teachers, staff, and community.”
“Placing students first has always guided my work,” Carvalho wrote. “Because I believe our schools must remain focused on students and learning without distraction, I am resigning as Superintendent of LAUSD effective today, June 21, 2026.”
In its statement released early Monday, the Board acknowledged it received the letter of resignation.
“The Board remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring stability, continuity, and continued progress through strong leadership. Our focus remains unchanged: providing every student with a high-quality education, supporting our dedicated workforce, and maintaining the trust of the communities we serve,” it said. in the statement.
It said that Andrés Chait, who has been acting superintendent, will remain in that position until a permanent decision is made.
The FBI investigation has been linked to the maker of a school chatbot
In February, the FBI also searched a third location near Miami. The Miami Herald reported the Florida property belonged to Debra Kerr, who previously worked with AllHere.
In 2024, Carvalho heavily touted a deal with AllHere for an AI chatbot named “Ed” designed to help students. But about three months after unveiling the technology and paying the company $3 million, the district dropped its dealings with AllHere, which collapsed into bankruptcy. Months later, founder Joanna Smith-Griffin was charged with securities and wire fraud, along with identity theft.
At the time, Carvalho denied personal involvement in the selection of AllHere, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Mr. Carvalho respects the rule of law and the investigative process and has always acted in the best interests of students and within the bounds of the law,” Holland & Knight, the law firm representing him, previously said in a statement. “While the government’s investigation remains ongoing, no evidence has been presented by prosecutors supporting any allegation that Mr. Carvalho violated federal law.”
Following the search of school headquarters, LA Unified said it was cooperating with investigators and had no further information.
Carvalho became superintendent of LA schools in 2022 on a four-year contract with an annual salary of $440,000. He began a new four-year contract in February, just weeks before the raid, for the same salary, according to school board meeting documents.
In Miami, Carvalho began his education career as a high school physics teacher in the 1980s and climbed the administrative ranks. He led the district for nearly 14 years.
In 2020, a nonprofit he founded to support Miami schools drew scrutiny after it solicited a $1.57 million donation from an online education company doing business with the district. The district’s inspector general later determined the donation didn’t violate state or district ethics policies but did create the “appearance of impropriety” and should be returned, according to The Miami Herald. Instead of returning the funds, the foundation distributed the money to Miami-Dade teachers in the form of $100 gift cards.
Toness reported from Boston.
-
Georgia26 seconds ago
Georgia Lottery Mega Millions, Cash 3 results for June 23, 2026
-
Hawaii3 minutes agoLogan Kalawaia to perform in next Hawaiian Music Series, June 25 | Maui Now
-
Idaho9 minutes agoBoise’s North End finds new way to mark Pride after Idaho law halts flag display
-
Illinois15 minutes agoClippers pick Illinois All-American Keaton Wagler at No. 5 overall
-
Indiana18 minutes agoWhat Teams Could Be Good NBA Draft Trade Partners For Indiana Pacers?
-
Iowa23 minutes agoIowa State’s Joshua Jefferson selected 28th in 2026 NBA Draft
-
Kansas31 minutes agoJac Caglianone make puny ball go very far in Royals win
-
Kentucky33 minutes agoTop knee doctor confident Jayden Quaintance’s injury not a long-term concern, but clean-up procedure possible