This is an LA Times Studios podcast.

Hi, I'm Angelica Cornado at LA Times Studios.

Here are some of today's headlines from the Los Angeles Times.

A new contagious COVID-subvariant has popped up in California, sparking worries about a possible

summer surge. Ron Lynn reports this comes as the Trump administration moves to potentially

make vaccine shots harder to get and more expensive. Health officials warn pregnant women,

infants, and young kids face higher hospitalization risks and say vaccines remain

critical. But this week, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the U.S. is dropping

its recommendation that pregnant women and healthy children get COVID shots. FDA chief Dr. Marty

McCarrie also said the agency will stop routinely approving annual shots for healthy people under 65.

Still, the new sub-variant called NB.1.8.1 is spreading worldwide. And experts say that even though

the emergency phase is over, COVID remains a public health threat. The California avocado is under threat and one farmer is fighting to save it.

Daniel Miller reports Norman Kachuk, a former neurologist, is fighting to defend his family's

372 acre avocado farm in San Diego County.

In the process, he's taking on cheap Mexican imports, climate challenges, and farm industry

politics.

Mexican imports now supply 90% of U.S. avocados, squeezing California growers like Kachuk. He's called out the California

Avocado Commission for failing to protect local farmers and has even filed a federal lawsuit against

big produce companies over misleading sustainable labels. Despite maxed out credit lines, Kachuk is determined to keep California's avocado legacy alive.

He dreams of someday breeding more durable varieties, like the rich and creamy reed avocado,

not yet commercially grown in Mexico.

U.S. inflation cooled last month, despite President Trump's tariffs having yet to push up prices.

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