Is Shohei Ohtani pushing himself a little bit too hard now?
That’s what California Post baseball writers Dylan Hernandez and Jack Harris are discussing on the latest episode of the Dodgers Post podcast, coming off Ohtani’s six-inning, four-run start against the Rays on Wednesday.
Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani has been playing through a knee injury and a blister. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After Ohtani pitched through a knee injury and a blister in the outing, Jack wonders whether the two-way star could use a more extended break between outings now, while Dylan counters by noting the value of his innings and his ability to manage a grueling workload.
Later, the two analyze Mookie Betts’ season, what has made him the unluckiest hitter in baseball and why they remain bullish on him turning things around.
Finally, they look ahead to the Dodgers’ upcoming series against the Orioles, which will include a pivotal start from Roki Sasaki.
As always, they wrap with predictions and trivia. Dylan also remembers the time he learned of Manny Ramirez’s PED suspension.
Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani has battled a blister in some recent starts. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
All that and more, on the latest episode of Dodgers Post.
North Hollywood residents woke up Thursday to a costly mess after a brazen thief tore through a neighborhood street overnight, smashing windows and rifling through vehicles in a crime spree that left nearly 20 parked cars damaged.
A long row of cars appeared to have been targeted, leaving frustrated residents to assess the damage.
North Hollywood residents woke up Thursday to a costly mess after a brazen thief tore through a neighborhood street overnight. NCB LAThe overnight rampage unfolded along Erwin Street near Cahuenga Boulevard, where shattered glass covered sidewalks and vehicle interiors by sunrise. NCB LA
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers received a report around 5 a.m. of someone breaking into vehicles in the area.
One victim told NBCLA that every vehicle hit appeared to have its passenger-side window shattered.
The woman said thieves rummaged through her car, stealing items from the glove compartment, seat pocket and other storage compartments before moving on.
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The spree left residents facing expensive repair bills and stolen property. As of Thursday, no arrests had been reported.
The California Post has reached out to the LAPD for comment.
For many residents, the latest smash-and-grab spree is another reminder of a persistent problem in North Hollywood, where vehicle-related property crime remains among the most frequently reported offenses.
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Historically, LAPD data has identified the North Hollywood Division as one of Los Angeles’ leading hotspots for vehicle break-ins and grand theft auto.
Auto burglaries are particularly common in heavily trafficked areas such as the NoHo Arts District, near the NoHo Metro Station and on residential streets where apartment dwellers often rely on curbside parking.
News of the overnight crime spree quickly sparked outrage on social media, where commenters voiced frustration over what they see as a lack of accountability for repeat offenders and ongoing concerns about public safety.
For many residents, the latest smash-and-grab spree is another reminder of a persistent problem in North Hollywood, where vehicle-related property crime remains among the most frequently reported offenses. Shutterstock / trekandshoot
Among the reactions were posts reading, “Had enough ‘criminal justice reform’ yet?” and “Keep voting democrat.”
The comments reflected growing anger from some residents as vehicle break-ins continue to plague parts of the neighborhood.
Authorities and safety experts advise motorists not to leave bags, sunglasses, phone chargers or even loose change visible inside their vehicles, as thieves often target cars that appear to contain valuables.
Drivers who need to store belongings in a trunk are encouraged to do so before arriving at their destination, rather than while parked.
Parking in secure garages or well-lit areas monitored by security cameras can also help reduce the risk of becoming a target.
Don’t rule out the possibility of Stefon Diggs playing for his hometown team.
Diggs, who grew up and went to school in Maryland, said playing for the Commanders in 2026 isn’t out of the question.
“100 percent,” he told FOX 5 when asked if he thought about joining the Commanders. “That’s one of the first things I thought about like, damn, if I wanted to come back and play for my hometown team. I just had that same kind of energy when I chose to go to the University of Maryland. So I was just like, damn, it would be a thing. It definitely would be a thing if that kind of worked out. So, we’ll see, we’ll see. We’re not ruling it out.”
“I never realized how many fans [there] was back home until I was a free agent and people are like ‘Are you going to come back home? Especially when they see me back [here],” Diggs said.
Stefon Diggs runs with the ball after a catch against the Jets. Charles Wenzelberg for The New York Post
Diggs was born in Gaithersburg, Maryland and attended the University of Maryland from 2012-2014. Through three years, he racked up 2,227 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns while reaching two bowl games.
He then joined the Vikings as a fifth-round pick in 2015, spending five years with the team while tallying over 4,500 receiving yards. Diggs made his mark in Minnesota during the 2018 Divisional Round with a game-winning touchdown known as the “Minneapolis Miracle.”
The 32-year-old then spent four years with Josh Allen on the Bills, and earned First Team All-Pro honors in 2020. He reeled in 37 touchdowns from 2020-23 in Buffalo.
Diggs has bounced since Buffalo, spending 2024 with the Texans and 2025 with the Patriots before legal issues surfaced in the middle of the season.
But after pleading not guilty on battery charges earlier this offseason and the NFL not giving the receiver a punishment, Diggs signing with the Commanders as a free agent could make sense.
Jayden Daniels and Dyami Brown greet each other during a practice. AP Photo/Nick Wass
Terry McLaurin remains the Commanders No. 1 receiver for third-year quarterback Jayden Daniels, but questions surrounding the rest of the group with Antonio Williams, Treylon Burks, Dyami Brown and Jaylin Lane.
A Brooklyn woman was arrested after two dozen animals — including a dead dog — were discovered in her deplorable Brooklyn apartment, according to authorities.
Jessica Styles, 45, was hit with a slew of charges after rescuers and cops discovered 27 neglected animals in an apartment on Herkimer Street in Ocean Hill on Wednesday, according to the NYPD and the ASPCA.
Jessica Styles, 45, was arrested after 21 dogs, four cats, and one pigeon were found living in her Ocean Hill apartment. Courtesy of the ASPCA
Authorities were executing a search warrant at the property after a complaint about animals living in poor conditions was filed last week regarding a strong smell and barking from the house of horrors.
Many of the animals, including 22 dogs, four cats, and one pigeon, were found housed in crates throughout the residence. One dead puppy was also discovered in the horror apartment, the ASPCA said.
The animals were all taken to the ASPCA Animal Recovery Center in Manhattan and the organization’s recovery and rehabilitation center in the Hudson Valley, for further treatment, officials said.
Many of the dogs rescued were covered in urine and feces and had severe flea infestations. Courtesy of the ASPCA
Many of the fidos rescued from the home were covered in urine and feces and had severe flea infestations. Some of the younger pups were also underweight, and the older dogs had untreated dental diseases.
The horde of adorable pets will receive more medical and behavioral care to recover, animal rescuers added.
Styles was charged with one count of aggressive cruelty to animals and 27 counts of torture, injure, and not feeding an animal, cops said.
“Keeping animals in horrid living conditions and failing to provide their needs is a crime, and my office is committed to holding accountable anyone in Brooklyn who’s heartless enough to do that,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement.
Styles was charged with one count of aggressive cruelty to animals and 27 counts of torture, injure, and not feeding an animal, cops said. Courtesy of the ASPCA
“I’m grateful for those who reported this alleged large-scale abuse and for the ASPCA for rescuing and rehabilitating these maltreated pets.”
The ASPCA will continue to assist the NYPD and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office with their criminal investigation into the alleged
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for further comment.
While everyone was still basking in the present, Knicks owner James Dolan was really the only one to look ahead to the future.
“We’re gonna keep working to bring you even better basketball,” Dolan said at City Hall during the Knicks championship parade Thursday. “Although it’s hard to imagine that we get much better than this. But we will, right fellas?”
That vision could be complicated by his own sentiment, though.
Once again, the state Board of Regents is undermining education standards, this time by creating an “path” to a high-school diploma that doesn’t rely on schooling.
It’s part of the drive to junk proficiency measures, such as the Regents exams that have been the core requirement for the last century, in favor of a falsely-named “competency-based” approach that relies on projects, portfolios, and “work-based learning” such as apprenticeships.
Just two years ago, the State Education Department scrapped the requirement of passing five Regents exams to earn a high-school diploma; now SED and the Regents who direct it are going to ax the tests altogether — likely the final nail in New York’s academic-standards coffin.
In the age of artificial intelligence, subject matter proficiency is an option, claim the Regents (who hold advanced degrees).
This, even as they mandate K-12 propaganda about climate change — classes that will be a graduation requirement.
But demanding literacy and numeracy? Fuggedaboutit!
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Good high schools will still produce competent graduates, but terrible ones will get to hand out diplomas on the basis of no real learning at all.
Serious vocational training might work as a real alternate path to a different class of diploma, but that’s not what the Regents are after.
One more time: The people now in charge of New York public education are enemies of genuine schooling.
Until that changes, parents will have to fight the system to do right by their children’s future.
His monster-sized ego is something to behold and, yes, to be criticized at times.
But this week another egomaniac unveiled his own monument. Let’s call it the “curious case of the disappearing gripe.”
The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago is an eyesore placed in a public park. REUTERS
Funny, though, how the media and the commentary class that’s so eager to declare an existential crisis over every move Trump makes suddenly find themselves out of righteous anger.
It’s simply true that, when Barack Obama enters the fray, these same whiners hit the Off switch for the outrage and the grievances they so eagerly and reflexively dish out for DJT.
Instead they offer tongue baths, back-rubs and praise. Nonstop praise, even as Obama introduced his bizarre monument to himself. On Thursday morning, the Obama Presidential Center was unveiled on the Chicago’s South Side with an A-list group of sycophants.
Barack and Michelle Obama sit in front of Hillary and Bill Clinton at the dedication ceremony for 44’s museum. REUTERS
The $850 million dollar “Obamalisk,” as it’s been dubbed, stands in Chicago’s historic Jackson Park and can be best described as U-G-L-Y. It’s an obscene, Death Star-like eyesore in the Windy City that takes up land that was previouslyset aside for regular Chicagoans.
The Obama Foundation, on Instagram, wasted no time in patting 44 on the back: “We are bringing together some of today’s most prominent voices and global icons for the Obama Presidential Center Grand Opening Ceremony.”
The global icons include Bruce “No Kings” Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, John Legend, Common, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Bono and The Edge, and the Roots.
Oprah Winfrey was one of the many celebrities who came to pay homage to Obama’s monument. Getty Images
Stevie Wonder closed out the event with a rendition of “Higher Ground.” We’ll give him a break. He can’t see just how ridiculous the building is.
It’s not exactly a presidential library, but a museum — and a monument to ego.
Also unusual: No records from the Obama Administration will be stored on site in Chicago. No government archivists will be on hand from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to help scholars research the Obama presidency. It is run privately by the nonprofit Obama Foundation instead of NARA.
“It would be good for the country, especially in these times, if a new national museum with a nonpartisan mission to inform and educate about the Obama era were opening this week,” Tim Naftali, former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, told CNN.
Christina Aguilera is just one of the singers who performed during the dedication ceremony for the Obama Center. Getty Images
But no mainstream media folks or preachy celebrities are calling this out. If Trump took a chunk of Central Park and built something like the Obamalisk, there would be riots.
When Trump said he was going to demolish the East Wing to create a ballroom for future administrations to enjoy, the left mourned it like they would a family member — even if they couldn’t locate it on a map or by sight.
“Top Chef” judge Tom Colicchio posted a photo in memoriam on X, writing, “My wife and I in the East Wing. I can’t believe it is gone.” But the photo wasn’t in the East Wing. Colicchio just happened to be living in a perpetual state of TDS.
Indeed, this is why our country is divided. All that selective outrage is wearing thin.
An iconic West Hollywood restaurant has been taken over by a massive “slime monster” as part of the promotion for the upcoming animated movie “Minions and Monsters” from Illumination.
Drivers heading down Sunset Boulevard will get more than an eyeful as they pass the 50-year-old Carney’s Train to see the whole place has been taken over by the creature named Irene.
The 80ft creation almost completely covers it and is filled with tons of little yellow Minion characters along with 14 animatronic eyeballs that move around and watch you, bringing the creature to life, according to an Instagram message from the fabricating team over at Monster City Studios.
An iconic Hollywood restaurant has been taken over by a massive “slime monster.” Pedro Colo for CA Post
There’s even a little green alien guy on top of the monster, named Goomi, who the studio said is there “directing the monster.”
And if you look long and hard, you will be able to find all 18 minions hiding inside and on top of the slime monster.
The fabrication crew who created it said they happily answered the question, “Can you make an 80 foot long, 14 feet tall slime monster on top of an 80 foot long train?”
It’s all part of the promotion for the upcoming animated movie “Minions and Monsters” from Illumination. Pedro Colo for CA Post
“Of course we can,” answered one of the creators from the studio in the behind-the-scenes clip.
The studio said it was a “pretty big build” for them and heavy one too, so they had to create a structure above the train in order to not damage the 80-year-old train.
“It took a massive truss structure that we had to build over top of the train because it couldn’t set on the train,” one fabricator explained, in the clip building it.
The giant slime monster on top of the restaurant is expected to be up for the next month. Pedro Colo for CA Post
The giant slime monster on top of the restaurant is expected to be up for the next month, so they are encouraging people to come by and see it, take pics with it and send it in to the studio
It’s all in part of a massive promotion for the highly anticipated “Minions” movie, marking the 7th film in the “Despicable Me” franchise, following the initial film’s release in 2010 featuring the Gru and his crazy little sidekicks.
The trailer for the new film came out in May generated tons of excitement with hundreds of thousands of views on X since.
The 80-foot long creation almost completely covers the restaurant and is filled with tons of little yellow Minion creatures. Pedro Colo for CA Post
Fans can expect the classic, rowdy Minions — this time, the story reveals how the Minions conquered Hollywood, became movie stars, and unleashed monsters into the world.
The movie “Minions and Monsters” is due out July 1st and should be another summer hit for the studio.
A Florida tech firm says it can help pull Los Angeles’ overloaded 911 system back from the brink by letting artificial intelligence handle routine complaints.
Public safety technology company Aurelian has developed an AI-powered call taker that answers police non-emergency phone lines, takes reports and routes complaints.
The system handles everything from barking dog complaints and parking disputes to abandoned vehicles, lost property reports and suspicious activity calls.
The pitch comes as Los Angeles continues battling chronic dispatcher shortages and slow emergency response times.
Emergency dispatch centers across the country are struggling with staffing shortages as millions of non-emergency calls compete for attention alongside true emergencies. Andrey Popov – stock.adobe.com
A March report to the City Council found LAPD answered just 57.43% of 911 calls within California’s 15-second standard in 2024, far below the state’s benchmark requiring 90% of emergency calls to be answered within that timeframe.
City officials have said about 100 operators must be on duty across a 24-hour period just to meet minimum staffing requirements.
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According to Aurelian CEO Max Keenan, roughly 70% of calls entering a typical emergency communications center are not emergencies at all.
“They’re barking dogs. Parking disputes. Noise complaints. Lost bicycles. Requests for city services. The same people answer both calls,” Keenan told The California Post.
Ava handles noise complaints, parking disputes, lost property reports and other non-emergency calls that often overwhelm dispatch centers. ÞûõúÃÂðýôÃ⬠ÃâºÃÆÃâ õýúþ – stock.adobe.com
“The analogy I use now is you basically train your team as Navy SEALs and you use them as mall cops. It is like the greatest misallocation of labor imaginable.”
That reality led the company to build Ava, software designed specifically for the 10-digit non-emergency phone numbers operated by police departments and emergency communications centers.
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Keenan said the scale of the problem became clear while visiting dispatch centers around the country.
One center told him it handled about 200,000 emergency calls a year.
“I did the math and I was like, 200,000 calls a year, for 100 people, that doesn’t seem that bad,” Keenan said. “And she said to me, ‘Oh, we take a million non-emergency calls.’”
The AI system frees operators to focus on true emergencies. Ringo Chiu
According to the company, Ava automates about 74% of non-emergency calls and gives dispatchers back roughly three hours of their workday.
Keenan stressed that the technology never answers 911 calls.
“We only take calls that are dialed into the 10-digit non-emergency line,” he said. “We are not taking any calls that touch 911.”
Still, the system continuously screens calls for emergencies and immediately transfers callers to dispatchers when necessary.
AI could help rescue overwhelmed dispatchers by automatically handling up to 80% of non-emergency calls. CA Post
In one recent case, a caller reported a woman lying on railroad tracks through a non-emergency line. The AI recognized the danger and escalated the call to a dispatcher.
“About 5% of the calls in the non-emergency line are emergencies,” Keenan said. “Being able to understand what’s happening in the situation and escalate that call to a 911 call taker is incredibly important.”
Agencies using the system typically automate between 60% and 80% of their non-emergency calls, according to Keenan.
One department that previously fielded about 80,000 non-emergency calls annually now has dispatchers personally answer only 15,000 to 20,000 calls, with Ava handling the rest.
“It’s one of the hardest jobs in the world,” Keenan said of emergency dispatchers. “It’s not paid well enough for the difficulty, for the amount of skill that it requires, and in some ways there’s some level of trauma.”
Los Angeles answered just 57.43% of 911 calls within California’s 15-second standard last year. Jonathan Alcorn for CA Post
He said staffing shortages have plagued emergency communications centers for decades.
“Staffing has been a massive issue. It’s been a crisis for decades.”
Keenan says the answer is not simply hiring more people.
“You can’t hire your way out of a retention issue and oftentimes you can’t really pay your way out of it either,” he said. “You have to be more intentional about how you make the quality of life better.”
Keenan said the company serves more than 50 public safety agencies and processes hundreds of thousands of calls every month. And unlike many government technology projects, he said agencies can deploy the system quickly.
“Oftentimes we’re going live with a customer in less than 10 weeks from a contract signed to go live,” Keenan said. “Usually day one, we’re automating 60% of their calls.”
Sunscreen misinformation is running rampant on TikTok, with many users claiming lathering the lotion on can be “toxic” to sunbathers, a new study cautioned.
Despite accounting for only 13% of the content related to it on the social media platform, videos sowing doubt in the merits sunblock have sent audience engagement into overdrive — racking up significantly more likes, comments and shares than those backing the product, the study, published in PLOS Digital Health, found.
It “examined the presence, engagement levels and characteristics of sunscreen-related misinformation on TikTok” by sampling the 971 most-viewed videos in late September 2024.
Many TikTok users believe that sunburns are unhealthy. Markomarcello – stock.adobe.com
“There are currently no scientific indications that any ingredient widely used in ‘chemical’ sunscreens (e.g. oxybenzone) is harmful to one’s health,” researchers wrote.
“Consumers may prefer a mineral or ‘natural’ sunscreen that blocks UV rays versus a ‘chemical’ sunscreen that absorbs and deactivates rays, but both options are considered safe, and in no circumstance is not using sunscreen a safer option than using a ‘chemical’ product during sun exposure.”
Some TikTokers claimed sunscreen “acts as an endocrine disruptor” affecting hormone balance, taints breastmilk, contains microplastics and other “toxic” and “unsafe” ingredients — and also damages ecosystems.
Most videos promoted sunscreen — around 86% — to protect from skin damage, acne, aging and cancer.
Only 6% of the videos contained critiques of it, with 7% of the remaining reels viewed as neutral or basic product reviews without an explicit push to avoid sunscreen.
Nearly half of all Americans scored a “C” or lower on the American Academy of Dermatology’s sun safety quiz, despite over half of respondents saying they would rate their own habits as positive, according to the organization.
TikTok users are spreading misinformation about sunscreen. Luiza – stock.adobe.com
Among Gen Zers (ages 18-29), 33% received a “D” or “F” on the quiz.
“I would say 95% of the misinformation we can attribute to social media,” Dr. Marisa Garshick, a dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology in New York and a fellow at the AAD, told NBC News.
“Whether it is directly because people are seeing people talk about problems with sunscreen or indirectly where it’s somebody’s favorite influencer who’s showing that they laid out in the sun for three hours and got tan lines.”
