This is an L.A. Times Studios podcast.

Hi, I'm Angelica Cornado at L.A. Times Studios. Here are some of today's headlines from the Los Angeles Times.

California's budget crisis just got worse.

Terran Luna reports Governor Gavin Newsom is now projecting an additional $12 billion shortfall for 2025 through 26, pushing the total gap to $39 billion.

He blames years of overspending and says Trump's new tariffs could cost the state $16 billion in lost revenue.

Newsom's revised budget proposes major cuts,

including freezing Medi-Cal enrollment for undocumented adults, eliminating long-term care benefits,

removing coverage for weight loss drugs like OZempic, and capping caregiver overtime. He's also

proposing to redirect $1.3 billion from Prop 35, which is a health care tax meant to raise Medi-Cal provider

rates. It's drawing major criticism from medical groups who say it undermines what voters intended.

Unions and advocacy groups warn these cuts would hurt the state's most vulnerable. But he says

California must act now or risk even deeper financial pain in the coming years.

For the first time in 35 years, the Menendez brothers now have a path to freedom.

James Quilly reports a Los Angeles judge has resentenced the brothers, making them eligible for parole.

Their life sentences were modified to 50 years to life, and under California law,

that means they qualify for parole since the

murders happened before they turned 26. The brothers have also requested clemency from

Governor Gavin Newsome. And in a separate move, they're asking for a new trial, citing new

evidence of abuse. In court this week, both of them expressed deep remorse and apologized

to family members. But not everyone supports their release.

L.A. District Attorney Nathan Hockman disagrees with the ruling and could still file an appeal.

In the end, their fate could rest with a parole board, a judge, or even the governor himself.

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