LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lyle and Erik Menendez are scheduled to face separate parole hearings beginning Thursday in California and — depending on the outcomes — could eventually be released from prison nearly 30 years after being convicted of killing their parents.

A panel of parole officers will evaluate each of the brothers via videoconference. They’ll appear from prison in San Diego.

In 1995, a jury convicted both brothers of first-degree murder in the 1989 murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez inside their Los Angeles-area home. The brothers were sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996.

They became eligible for parole after a Los Angeles judge in May reduced their sentences from life in prison without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole under California law because they were under the ages of 26 when they committed their crimes.

Who are the Menendez brothers and what did they do?

Lyle and Erik Menendez are the sons of Jose and Kitty Menendez. Jose Menendez, a Cuban-American business executive who at one time was an executive at RCA Records, moved his family from Princeton, New Jersey, to California when his sons were teenagers.

On Aug. 20, 1989, Lyle Menendez dialed 911 to report the shotgun-killings of their parents inside their home. Both brothers told investigators that the murders were related to the Mafia or had something to do with their father’s business dealings. At the time, Erik was 18 and Lyle was 21. With access to the family’s wealth, the brothers spent small fortunes on Rolex watches, cars and houses. But two months after the killings, Erik Menendez confessed to his psychologist that he and his brother killed their parents.

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What were the brothers charged with?

They were arrested early the following year and each charged with first-degree murder. The brothers claimed their father had emotionally and sexually abused them since childhood. Prosecutors contended that getting hold of their father’s money was the motive behind the couple’s killings.

The brothers’ first trial started in 1993. Their attorneys never disputed the pair killed their parents, but argued that they acted out of self-defense. Their trials resulted in hung juries. In 1995, a jury convicted both brothers of three counts, including first-degree murder, plus lying in-wait and special circumstance allegations. They were sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996.

How did they spend their years in prison?

For years after their conviction, the brothers filed petitions for appeals of their cases while in prison. State and federal judges denied the petitions.

The brothers have gotten an education, participated in self-help classes and started various support groups for fellow prisoners.

They also launched a prison beautification project inspired by the Norwegian approach to incarceration that believes rehabilitation in humane prisons surrounded by nature leads to successful reintegration into society, even for those who have committed terrible crimes.

Over the years, the Menendez case continued to fascinate the public and the young, handsome brothers became celebrities of sorts. They became the subjects of true crime shows, including last year’s nine-episode crime drama “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” on Netflix.

A few weeks after that was aired, then-LA County District Attorney George Gascón announced he was reviewing new evidence in the case. On Oct. 24, 2024, prosecutors said they will petition the court to resentence the brothers. In May 2025, an LA County Superior Court judge granted them a new sentence of 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole.

What will the parole board consider?

Erik and Lyle Menendez will be evaluated, individually, by a panel of two or three parole hearing officers. Erik’s hearing is scheduled Thursday morning. Lyle’s will be held Friday.

The board will assess whether the brothers pose an “unreasonable risk of danger to society” if released, considering factors like criminal history, motivation for the crime, signs of remorse, behavior while in prison and plans for the future, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Nearly all of the Menendez family support the brothers’ release from prison. Milton Andersen, the brothers’ uncle who opposed their release, died from cancer in March.

Could one receive parole and not the other?

The brothers have separate hearings and will be evaluated independently of each other. Los Angeles trial attorney David Ring has said if one brother was “a troublemaker” in prison and the other wasn’t, it’s conceivable that one could stay locked up while the other is freed. But Ring, who’s not involved with the Menendez case, said that’s unlikely.

How soon could they get out?

If granted parole, it could be months before the brothers are released from prison. The chief legal counsel has 120 days to review the case. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom then has 30 days to affirm or deny the parole. If he approves it, they could then leave prison. Newsom has not made any statements indicating his position on the case, but said during a May press conference that he has both approved and rejected decisions by the parole board before.

Where will they go if released?

That’s not clear. The brothers’ family members, who have spoken out in favor of their release, haven’t shared details about where the brothers might live.

By MEG KINNARD, Associated Press

Former President Barack Obama has waded into states’ efforts at rare mid-decade redistricting efforts, saying he agrees with California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s response to alter his state’s congressional maps, in the way of Texas redistricting efforts promoted by President Donald Trump aimed at shoring up Republicans’ position in next year’s elections.

“I believe that Gov. Newsom’s approach is a responsible approach. He said this is going to be responsible. We’re not going to try to completely maximize it,” Obama said at a Tuesday fundraiser on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, according to excerpts obtained by The Associated Press. “We’re only going to do it if and when Texas and/or other Republican states begin to pull these maneuvers. Otherwise, this doesn’t go into effect.”

While noting that “political gerrymandering” is not his “preference,” Obama said that, if Democrats “don’t respond effectively, then this White House and Republican-controlled state governments all across the country, they will not stop, because they do not appear to believe in this idea of an inclusive, expansive democracy.”

According to organizers, the event raised $2 million for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee and its affiliates, one of which has filed and supported litigation in several states over GOP-drawn districts. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Eric Holder, who served as Obama’s attorney general and heads up the group, also appeared.

The former president’s comments come as Texas lawmakers return to Austin this week, renewing a heated debate over a new congressional map creating five new potential GOP seats. The plan is the result of prodding by President Donald Trump, eager to stave off a midterm defeat that would deprive his party of control of the House of Representatives. Texas Democratic lawmakers delayed a vote for 15 days by leaving the state in protest, depriving the House of enough members to do business.

Gov. Gavin Newsom holds a press conference at the Google office in San Francisco on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, to announce new AI partnerships. (Anna Connors/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Spurred on by the Texas situation, Democratic governors including Newsom have pondered ways to possibly strengthen their party’s position by way of redrawing U.S. House district lines, five years out from the Census count that typically leads into such procedures.

In California — where voters in 2010 gave the power to draw congressional maps to an independent commission, with the goal of making the process less partisan — Democrats have unveiled a proposal that could give that state’s dominant political party an additional five U.S. House seats in a bid to win the fight to control of Congress next year. If approved by voters in November, the blueprint could nearly erase Republican House members in the nation’s most populous state, with Democrats intending to win the party 48 of its 52 U.S. House seats, up from 43.

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A hearing over that measure devolved into a shouting match Tuesday as a Republican lawmaker clashed with Democrats, and a committee voted along party lines to advance the new congressional map. California Democrats do not need any Republican votes to move ahead, and legislators are expected to approve a proposed congressional map and declare a Nov. 4 special election by Thursday to get required voter approval.

Newsom and Democratic leaders say they’ll ask voters to approve their new maps only for the next few elections, returning map-drawing power to the commission following the 2030 census — and only if a Republican state moves forward with new maps. Obama applauded that temporary timeline.

“And we’re going to do it in a temporary basis because we’re keeping our eye on where we want to be long term,” Obama said, referencing Newsom’s take on the California plan. “I think that approach is a smart, measured approach, designed to address a very particular problem in a very particular moment in time.”

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER and DAMIAN DOVARGANES, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A dangerous, multiday heat wave descended on much of California and the U.S. Southwest, with near-record temperatures expected along with a higher risk of wildfires.

Officials opened cooling centers this week in Los Angeles, where residents are warned to avoid strenuous outdoor activities. California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered state firefighting resources deployed in areas where blazes could ignite.

Here’s what you need to know:

Sizzling hot

The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for Southern California starting Wednesday into the weekend. If outdoor activities can’t be avoided, forecasters say, they should be moved to early morning hours. And everyone should hydrate.

Downtown Los Angeles was forecast to reach 97 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday, while valleys to the north braced for temperatures as high as 108 F. It will be several degrees hotter in desert areas including Palm Springs.

A visitor takes pictures of the TCL Chinese Theatre as a street vendor works nearby in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Candice Catlett, who uses a wheelchair, rolled herself toward some shade as temperatures started spiking Tuesday in downtown LA.

“It’s sizzling hot out here,” Catlett said. “I have sunblock. Hopefully, I can find some cold water. I’m trying to stay out of the direct sun.”

Further north, nearly-always-hot Death Valley could see a severe 120 F, the weather service said, 14 degrees shy of its record high of 134 F set more than a century ago when in 1913 it hit the highest-ever recorded temperature on Earth.

In Arizona, the peak of the heat wave will hit Thursday and Friday, with the mercury possibly reaching 110 F in the southern and western parts of the state. Similar temperatures were likely in Las Vegas.

A woman rests on a picnic table at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Fire risk

Red flag warnings, signaling elevated wildfire danger, have been issued across Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties until Saturday.

“If you live in a high fire danger area in the mountains or foothills, review your evacuation plans and route and stay tuned to your local emergency officials,” the weather service said in a statement.

A person walks through the shade along a wall patterned by sunlight in Norwalk, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The state has sent 10 fire engines and multiple firefighting teams to LA County to assist local agencies if blazes break out.

“By prepositioning firefighting crews, equipment, and other resources in high-risk areas, we can respond faster and more effectively when needed,” said Nancy Ward, director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

California’s largest blaze this year, the Gifford Fire, was at 95% containment Wednesday after charring nearly 206 square miles of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties since erupting on Aug. 1. The cause is under investigation.

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Thunderstorms, too

Adding to the chance for wildfires, especially in mountain areas, is lightning that could accompany thunderstorms, said Sam Zuber, a meteorologist with the weather service’s San Diego office.

“We have monsoonal moisture coming in, we have an unstable environment because of the heat, and that creates perfect condition for thunderstorms,” Zuber said Wednesday. She added that lightning can strike in dry areas up to 15 miles away from where downpours occur.

Heavy rain could also cause localized flooding and mudslides, forecasters warned.

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Federal Reserve officials said last month that the threat of higher inflation was a greater concern than the potential for job losses, leading the central bank to keep its key rate unchanged.

According to the minutes of the July 29-30 meeting, released Wednesday, members of the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee “assessed that the effects of higher tariffs had become more apparent in the prices of some goods but that their overall effects on economic activity and inflation remained to be seen.”

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The minutes underscored the reluctance among the majority of the Fed’s 19 policymakers to reduce the central bank’s short-term interest rate until they get a clearer sense of the impact of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on inflation. So far inflation has crept up in the past couple of months but hasn’t risen as much as many economists feared when Trump unveiled some of his duties.

The Fed left its key interest rate unchanged last month at about 4.3%, though two members of its governing board dissented in favor of a rate cut. Both dissenters — Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman — were appointed to the board during Trump’s first term.

At a news conference after the meeting, Chair Jerome Powell signaled that it might take significant additional time for the Fed to determine whether Trump’s sweeping tariffs are boosting inflation.

When the Fed changes its rate, it often — though not always — affects borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards.

The Fed typically keeps its rate high, or raises it, to cool borrowing and spending and combat inflation. It often cuts its rate to bolster the economy and hiring when growth is cooling.