In a statement Friday night, House Democratic leaders called for a "swift investigation" into the allegations and for Swalwell to immediately end his campaign. They called for accountability, but stopped short of urging him to resign from Congress. 

"This is unacceptable of anyone — certainly not an elected official — and must be taken seriously," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California said. "All perpetrators of sexual assault and harassment must be held accountable."

Swalwell threatened to take legal action against the woman, who detailed the alleged encounters to the San Francisco Chronicle, which published a story Friday. 

The woman, who was not named, said Swalwell started pursuing her shortly after she was hired to work in his district office in Castro Valley in 2019. She alleged he sent her inappropriate photos of himself via Snapchat, requested nude photos of her and asked her to perform oral sex on him in a parking lot. She also alleged that after going out for drinks with Swalwell in September 2019, she woke up naked in his hotel bed with little recollection of the night.  

Five years later, in 2024, when she no longer worked for Swalwell, she said she met him for drinks after a charity gala in New York. She said she became intoxicated and only remembers parts of the night, including allegedly pushing him away and telling him "no" while he forced himself on her. She said she woke up the next morning with vaginal bleeding and bruises. 

"These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor," Swalwell said in a statement. "For nearly 20 years, I have served the public — as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women."

"My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies," Swalwell said.  

The Chronicle said it reviewed texts the woman sent to a friend three days after the alleged incident, in which she wrote she was "sexually assaulted" by Swalwell. 

"This happened one other time when I was working with him, but I convinced myself I was an equal party in it even though same pattern: I blacked out and he had sex with me," she wrote, according to the Chronicle, referring to the alleged 2019 incident. 

The Chronicle also spoke with the man who was the woman's boyfriend at the time of the 2024 incident. The then-boyfriend said he encouraged the woman to report Swalwell to the police, but the woman said she did not do so because she was afraid they would not believe her because she had already showered and thought it would be unlikely that an examination would find evidence. 

Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez of California, a campaign chair for Swalwell's gubernatorial bid, also called on him to drop out of the race, calling the information "shocking" and said the story contains "the ugliest and most serious accusations imaginable." 

"The congressman should leave the race now so there can be full accountability without doubt, distraction, or delay," Gomez said, adding that he was cutting ties with Swalwell's campaign "effective immediately." 

Democratic Senators Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Adam Schiff of California also said they were withdrawing their endorsements. 

"What is described is indefensible," Gallego said. "Women who come forward with accounts like this deserve to be heard with respect, not questioned or dismissed. I regret having come to his defense on social media prior to knowing all the information. I am equally as shocked and upset about what has transpired." 

Schiff said he was "deeply distressed" by the accusations and called on Swalwell to withdraw from the race. 

Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California said, "Given the gravity of these claims, Rep. Eric Swalwell should step aside to ensure a full, transparent investigation free from undue influence." 

Swalwell also lost the support of the California Teachers Association, which called the allegations "incredibly disturbing and unacceptable." 

According to the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office, first responders were called to the Eagle Falls Trailhead around 2:30 p.m. for a reported climbing accident.

Deputies found a boy about 400 yards from the trailhead. It appears the boy had been rock climbing and fell, authorities say, leaving him with traumatic injuries.

First responders started life-saving efforts, but the sheriff's office says the boy died.

The boy's exact age and identity have not been released by authorities, but the Lake Tahoe Unified School District identified him as Noah Ortega-Pourol, a student of South Tahoe High School. The district said the family has launched an online fundraiser for support.

"Please continue to keep Noah's family, friends, and our school community in your thoughts," the district said.

Emerald Bay is an inlet of Tahoe noted for its steep trails and picturesque views of the lake.

In a six-minute livestreamed statement from the White House, the first lady for the first time following the Justice Department's release of troves of Epstein records publicly and directly addressed the Epstein matter. The first lady said "now is the time for Congress to act."

"I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors," the first lady told a group of gathered reporters at the White House. "Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony. Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public, if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the congressional record. Then and only then, we will have the truth. Thank you."

The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, called the first lady's remarks "pretty stunning," and said her call for a hearing with the testimony of Epstein survivors is something "that we have been asking for for months and have been told every time that it wasn't possible."

"We certainly welcome and agree with her call to hear directly from the survivors," he told MS NOW shortly after the first lady's remarks. He added, "I think what is important about what the first lady said is that she is being clear that there are still powerful men out there. There are still stories to be told."

President Trump told MS NOW he didn't "know anything about" the first lady's statement before she made it. The first lady's spokesperson told CBS News that the West Wing was aware she was going to be making a statement, but would not confirm whether anyone was aware of what the topic or contents of the statement would be. 

It's unclear why the first lady delivered her statement on Thursday, instead of immediately following the release of specific records. Old photos of the Trumps with Epstein and Maxwell have been publicly available, and the Justice Department emails revealed the first lady and Maxwell corresponded at least once over email. 

Asked why Melania Trump decided to make this statement now and whether she was referring to any particular report or allegations, or whether there was some forthcoming story, her spokesperson pointed CBS News to a statement that the first lady's senior adviser, Marc Beckman, gave directly to the New York Post. 

"First Lady Melania Trump spoke out now because enough is enough," Beckman said. "The lies must stop. It is time for the public and media to focus on her incredible achievements as First Lady, the lives she has positively impacted, and her commitment to our nation."

Melania Trump said Epstein did not introduce her to Donald Trump, and the brief email exchange released in the DOJ records between her and Maxwell was merely a "polite," "casual" reply. 

"I am not Epstein's victim," the first lady said. "Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband by chance at a New York City party in 1998. This initial encounter with my husband is documented in detail in my book Melania. The first time I crossed paths with Epstein was in the year 2000 at an event Donald and I attended together. At the time, I had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal undertakings. Numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been circulating on social media for years now. Be cautious about what you believe. These images and stories are completely false."

"I have never had any knowledge of Epstein's abuse of his victims," she added. "I was never involved in any capacity. I was not a participant. Was never on Epstein's plane. And never visited his private island."

More than a dozen Epstein survivors released a statement Thursday following the first lady's remarks, saying they "have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony." 

"Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice," the statement said, which also accused the first lady of "shifting the burden onto survivors under politicized conditions that protect those with power." 

Jane Chick and Sara Cook contributed to this report.

By the numbers

Economists had predicted inflation would jump nearly an entire percentage point from 2.4% in February to 3.3% in March on an annual basis, according to the average of six separate forecasts reviewed by CBS News. The last time inflation was this high was in May 2024.

The CPI, a basket of goods and services typically bought by consumers, tracks changes in prices over time.

Inflation ran hot in March due to higher energy costs tied to the Iran war, which has constrained the flow of crude through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil supply. The CPI data shows energy prices, driven by a spike in gasoline costs, rose 10.9% from the month prior.

Brent crude, which was trading at $73 a barrel before the war started on Feb. 28, traded at $95.88 as of Friday morning, while the U.S. benchmark hovered around $97.

Consumers got hit with higher prices at the pump last month, with gas prices rising 21.2% from February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The agency said the jump represents the largest monthly increase since 1967.

U.S. gas prices have soared nearly 40% since the conflict erupted, with the national average at $4.15 a gallon on Friday, according to AAA. 

A two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran announced on Tuesday could ease gas prices if it holds, but energy experts said it will likely take weeks to recede below $4 a gallon.

Core inflation, which strips out volatile energy and gas prices, rose 0.2% on a monthly basis and 2.6% from a year earlier, lower than economists expected. Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for Northlight Asset Management, said in an email that this should "give the economy some room to absorb the higher energy price shock."

The CPI reading follows the release of another key inflation gauge known as the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index on Thursday, which showed costs were elevated even before the war erupted. PCE rose 2.8% on an annual basis in February, the same as January, but stubbornly above the Federal Reserve's 2% annual target.  

What the experts say

Economists told CBS News that higher energy costs could continue to push up other prices this year, such as apparel and food, in part because a sharp spike in diesel prices is raising transportation costs.

"This is only the beginning. Food prices, travel and shipping costs are all going up in April and will exacerbate the pain," said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, in an email.

Airlines are already offsetting higher fuel costs by raising airfares and, in some cases, introducing checked bag fees. Airline fares rose 14.9% on an annual basis in March, according to the CPI data. 

Investors have assumed that geopolitical tensions will eventually fade and markets will rebound. However, Ed Yardeni of Yardeni Research warned in a note before the CPI release that inflation was heating up just before the war and could continue to rise through the end of this year.

In an email following the release of the report, Bernard Yaros, lead U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, said the April CPI reading will be "uncomfortably strong" as higher gas prices and a statistical quirk from the government shutdown, which disrupted data collection, add upward pressure to inflation.

"A key wildcard in the outlook for both inflation and monetary policy is the duration and intensity of the Iran war, which still hasn't been resolved by the tenuous ceasefire," he said.

While the jump in inflation may be worrisome, Yaros said the U.S. is in a different situation than in 2022, when economic pressures from the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine pushed inflation to a 9.1% peak in June of that year. 

Measures of global supply-chain stress "aren't flashing red," Yaros said, adding that the labor market hasn't created additional inflationary pressure, as was the case in 2022. In the wake of higher gasoline prices, households will eventually have to cut back on non-discretionary expenses, which could be a source of disinflation, he added.

What does this mean for interest rates?

Analysts believe the Federal Reserve will continue to hold rates steady in the near-term as it assesses the inflationary impact of the Iran war. They pointed to the lower-than-expected core inflation reading, which does not reflect energy or food costs, as a sign that higher energy prices have not yet trickled into other categories.

"As long as the increase in gasoline prices is not translating into an increase in the core measures of inflation, then the Fed is probably not going to react to the noise in the headline measures of inflation," Raymond James chief economist Eugenio Aleman said in an email.

The Fed is scheduled to meet from April 28 to 29.

In its last meeting in March, the central bank maintained the federal funds rate at its current range of 3.5% to 3.75%. It also pencilled in one rate cut for 2026. However, minutes released from the Fed's March meeting this week signal that some members of the central bank's 19-member interest-rate setting panel may be open to raising rates "if inflation were to remain at above-target levels," the minutes said.

At the center of the debate is a proposal to withhold $5.6 billion in constitutionally mandated education funding guaranteed under Proposition 98.

"Governor Newsom is proposing the highest level of funding for TK-12 public schools in California's history, both overall and as measured on a per-pupil basis. The Governor's continued prioritization of funding for California's schools has led to a dramatic jump in California's national per-pupil funding ranking as compared to other states, up more than 21 places since 2016-17, and California is a national leader in terms of equitable distribution of funding," Newsom's office said in a statement."

More than 20 Bay Area school board leaders, including Fremont Unified School District Board President Dianne Jones, have signed a letter urging state lawmakers to reject the plan.

Parents say the stakes are high. Fremont parent Ksenia Filippova worries the loss of funding could mean larger class sizes, fewer teachers and cuts to important school programs.

"School classes got bigger and funding gets smaller, but prices for everything, supplies and even food get higher and higher," she said.

In Fremont Unified, officials say the district is especially vulnerable. Jones said per-student funding in Fremont is already far below state and county averages, ranking in the bottom 4%.

"We're in a constant state of budget reductions, and having money withheld at this point in time is devastating, particularly for districts like Fremont that are already really underfunded," Jones said.

The California Teachers Association is also sharply criticizing the governor's proposal. CTA President David Goldberg said more than 100 school districts across the state have already issued about 2,400 preliminary layoff notices over the past month. The union says Bay Area districts alone could lose more than $586 million if the plan moves forward.

"When a governor goes around a constitutionally passed law that our voters voted for, that sends shockwaves," Goldberg said. "It really makes the instability of our education even that much more perilous."

Supporters of public education note that while Newsom's proposal would increase overall education spending by more than $10 billion next year, the state would still be withholding money schools are counting on now. Critics argue that it runs counter to the purpose of Proposition 98, which was specifically designed to protect school funding, even during economic downturns.

Jones said Fremont Unified has already faced moderate layoffs, and warned that withholding funds could make things worse in the years ahead.

"This will definitely exacerbate the problem, and for many districts that are already looking at significant layoffs, this will make it absolutely worse," she said.

She added that 17 of the 18 school districts in Alameda County, including Fremont, are already deficit spending this year. Under the governor's proposal, more than $28 million in funding could be at risk for Fremont Unified in the next fiscal year.

"Every time that there is something that holds money back from us, it impacts what we can do for our students and staff," Jones said.

Newsom's proposal is still in the early stages. State lawmakers will debate and negotiate the budget in the coming months before a final version is approved this summer.

"The Governor's commitment has been unwavering, championing increased state funding for schools, even as statewide student enrollment is declining due to lower birth rates, because he recognizes the increasing costs faced by school districts, teachers, school staff and families, the same types of economic pressures that in the aggregate are placing incredible strain on the state budget as needs in all sectors are increasing due to federal cuts to critical programs," Newsom's office said. "To suggest that the Governor has not prioritized school funding is demonstrably false."

"This is a profound reminder that these ghosts that are around us all the time, that I've been making work about. The ghosts of animals that have been displaced are all around us," she murmured.

When Escott talked about the ghosts on the dunes, she was referring to the Xerces Blue Butterfly. The Xerces butterfly is the first butterfly species in North America to be driven to extinction due to human activities. The butterfly's dune habitat was destroyed by humans for urban development.

"I was really struck by that and started making work for it," explained the artist.

Escott is an interdisciplinary artist whose work spans drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures, videos, writing, performances, and research-driven experiments. Her art addresses what she calls "climate chaos," mass extinctions, and political and social unrest.

Now Escott is tackling a new project in an unusual setting. For 12 weeks, she is embedded in the San Francisco Environment Department, thanks to a grant from the San Francisco Arts Commission. Since 2015, the SFAC has placed about 15 artists in different city departments. This is the first time that the environment department has been involved.

"Alicia is meeting with people across the entire department," said Jax Puliatti, the strategic engagement lead at the environment department.

"This is a first, we're grateful for the opportunity, "added Joseph Piasecki, who is the public affairs and policy coordinator with the department.

The San Francisco city agency, a global climate leader, was created 30 years ago by SF Voters.

"Alicia is now looking back over those 30 years and seeing you know what happened before, what's happening now and then how do we move that forward into the future," said Puliatti.

Escott will interview staff, attend meetings, take notes, and then create a new work of art for the public. 

"It could take the form of a book; it would take the form of a series of public engagements. It could take the form of a gallery," mused the artist.

The San Francisco Arts Commission runs the program, with money from the city's general fund.

"Alicia's work really stood out to us. She is someone who has been working and looking at the environment and looking at the impact of climate change for a very long time," explained Jackie Im, the acting director of Galleries and Public Programs for SFAC.

Piasecki said he was excited to see the final product.

"Alicia's work is really bringing a new lens to that focus and allowing just a very specific visual element to come through," he noted.

The artist will allow CBS New Bay Area to follow her progress. She is also enthusiastic about creating a new piece of art.

"It's about changing minds and changing hearts and not just collecting data," she said.

Thunderstorm activity picked up by Friday afternoon, with a Tornado Warning issued for the Escalon and Farmington area of San Joaquin County. The Tornado Warning expired at 2:45 p.m.

Multiple Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were issued for areas in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Solano County Friday afternoon, producing hail and lightning. 

Throughout Thursday, roughly 3,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were recorded in Northern California.

Storm hazards across the valley include gusty winds, brief heavy downpours, lightning and small hail, along with the potential for slick roads and ponding on area roadways.

Snow moved into the area late Friday afternoon, bringing chain controls to Interstate 80 over Donner Pass. 

The unsettled pattern will continue into the weekend, when a more organized system is expected to move through Northern California.

The CBS News Sacramento First Alert Weather team says multiple squall lines are expected to push onshore, with Saturday evening shaping up as the main event. That system could bring periods of heavy rain, poor drainage, flooding and embedded strong thunderstorms across the Sacramento Valley and surrounding areas.

The same system is expected to bring rain and heavy winds across the San Francisco Bay Area, with roughly three-quarters of an inch of rain possible throughout Saturday evening.

Thunderstorms are also likely in the Bay Area during this time, but early Sunday morning will bring an increased chance of that as the center of the system moves east over the region.

As the system moves into the Sierra Nevada, conditions are expected to develop quickly. Snow levels are forecast to drop quickly, leading to significant winter weather impacts.

Around 2 feet of snow is likely near Donner Pass, with up to 4 feet possible at higher elevations. Snow could also accumulate at lower elevations, with 2 to 6 inches possible down to about 4,000 feet.

Up to two inches of rain is expected across the valley floor, while as much as five inches could drench areas of the foothills like Grass Valley.

Waves of heavy rain and mountain snow are expected to continue through Sunday, before conditions begin to improve as the storm system exits the region.

The company, the developer behind the Claude AI chatbot, said in a post on its website this week that the new tool has already uncovered thousands of weak points in "every major operating system and web browser." 

Although that capability could prove to be a boon for protecting critical systems, it is also stirring concerns that hackers could exploit Mythos to attack the IT infrastructure at banks, hospitals, government systems and many other organizations. 

Preparing for the "storm"

Rather than releasing Mythos to the public, Anthropic is sharing the tech with a select group of major companies, including Amazon, Apple, Cisco, JPMorgan Chase and Nvidia, so they can test the model and strengthen their own systems against cyberattacks. Called Project Glasswing, the effort is aimed at helping key companies harden their defenses before hackers get access to Mythos or similar AI models, according to Anthropic. 

At the same time, security experts said, the concerns around Mythos attest to the dangers of AI if it is weaponized for harm. 

"What we need to do is look at this as a wake-up call to say, the storm isn't coming — the storm is here," Alissa Valentina Knight, CEO of cybersecurity AI company Assail, told CBS News. "We need to prepare ourselves, because we couldn't keep up with the bad guys when it was humans hacking into our networks. We certainly can't keep up now if they're using AI because it's so much devastatingly faster and more capable."

Mythos' capabilities are also sparking concern among federal officials. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell met with top bank CEOs in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday to discuss Mythos and other emerging cybersecurity risks stemming from AI. Anthropic also briefed senior U.S. government officials and key industry stakeholders on Mythos's capabilities, CBS News has learned.

Separately, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in an interview set to air Sunday on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that the world does not have the ability "to protect the international monetary system against massive cyber risks." 

"The risks have been growing exponentially," Georgieva said. "Yes, we are concerned. We are very keen to see more attention to the guardrails that are necessary to protect financial stability in the world of AI." 

Anthropic didn't return a request for comment. In its post, however, the company underscored the risks of misusing tools like Mythos. "The fallout — for economies, public safety, and national security — could be severe," the company said. 

The weakest link 

Such stark warnings mask another troubling reality: Hackers already have access to advanced AI models and are using them for a range of malign purposes, including to create autonomous "agents" capable of carrying out attacks without human intervention.

Such attacks range from spreading malware and executing identity theft scams to producing deepfake videos and launching ransomware attacks, according to cybersecurity experts.

"AI-enabled tooling has empowered even low-skilled threat actors to execute high-speed, high-volume operations, whilst advanced adversaries are using AI to sharpen precision, scale automation and compress attack timelines," PwC said in a recent report.

"The time between the public release of a new capability by an AI company and its weaponization by threat actors shrank dramatically [in 2025], a trend we assess will likely accelerate in 2026," the management consulting firm added, 

Other AI tools, while not yet as effective as Mythos in exposing the soft underbelly in software, are already amplifying the risks to consumers, businesses and governments. For instance, hackers are tapping AI to sharpen so-called phishing attacks aimed at prying loose confidential information, said Zach Lewis, the chief information officer at the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis. 

"It's been used to really script those dialogues, those conversations, those phishing emails, to specific people — and really customize them to make them a lot more difficult to detect and identify if these are fake or not," he told CBS News.

"Once [Mythos] drops, we're going to see a lot more vulnerabilities, probably a lot more attacks," Lewis said. "Cyberattacks are definitely going to increase until we get to a point where we're patching up all those vulnerabilities almost in real time."

AI is more effective than humans at finding software bugs because it can quickly scan thousands of lines of code and detect problems, something people are not necessarily good at, Knight explained.

"Humans are the weakest link in security," Knight noted. "Humans have the ability to make mistakes when we're writing code. It's possible for vulnerabilities in source code to have never been found by humans." 

On brand for Anthropic?

Some security experts questioned the motives behind Anthropic's incremental approach to rolling out Mythos, speculating that the limited release could be aimed at stirring intrest from other prospective customers. 

Meanwhile, both Anthropic and rival OpenAI are expected to launch initial public offerings by the end of the year, according to the Wall Street Journal — a possible incentive to drum up headlines, said Peter Garraghan, founder and Chief Science Officer at Mindgard, an AI security platform.

"I suspect Anthropic may be using this as a marketing ploy, perhaps towards IPO," he said.

Anthropic has sought to distinguish its brand from OpenAI and other rivals by publicly emphasizing AI safety, highlighting its guardrails for keeping the technology in line. Anthropic's decision to hold off on releasing Mythos and launching Project Glasswing aligns with that image, noted Columbia Business School marketing lecturer Malek Ben Sliman.

"When facing the tough decisions, Anthropic has actually been true to its values," he said. Curating the release of Mythos "does allow them to look to be the protectors of this responsible AI, but it also is a great marketing and advertising tool."

"Listen, I might. I'm thinking about it," Harris said in response to a question from Rev. Al Sharpton at the National Action Network's conference in Manhattan. "Let me also say this. I served for four years being a heartbeat away from the presidency of the United States. I spent countless hours in my West Wing office, footsteps away from the Oval Office. I spent countless hours in the Oval Office, in the Situation Room. I know what the job is. And I know what it requires."

She added: "I've been traveling in the country the last year, I've been spending a lot of time in the South and many other places. And the one thing I'm really clear about also is, the status quo is not working, and hasn't been working for a lot of people for a long time." 

Harris lost to President Trump in the 2024 election after replacing then-President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket. She unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination in 2020 before Biden selected her as his running mate.

The former vice president has kept a relatively low profile since her 2024 defeat. Last year she passed on running for governor of California, fueling speculation that she might be eyeing another bid for the White House in 2028.

A grand jury indictment unsealed on Friday revealed that Sam Machado, Kenneth Chee, Gary Chan Jr., Jack Lee and Douglar Tollefesen face seven charges of murder.

Ronald Botelho III, Craig Cutwright and the five defendants also face conspiracy charges, according to the indictment. Yolo County Deputy District Attorney Clara Nabity said the indictment alleges a decades-long conspiracy that turned Sam Machado's property "into the Northern California hub for an illegal enterprise that imports and sells illegal explosives on the black market." 

Nabity said it was more than just fireworks, saying they were explosives that were designed and packaged to be sold under private labels. The indictment alleges that Chee branded the fireworks as "Bean Day Ho" fireworks, Tollefesen labeled them as "For the Streets," Batelho labeled them as "Big Bully" and Cutright labeled them as "Double OG."  

The indictment alleges that Chee owned Devastating Pyrotechnics with Lee and Tollefesen, and help from Chan. Cutwright, a volunteer Esparto firefighter,  and Botelho were a part of Devastating Pyrotechnics, but focused on the company called Blackstar Fireworks, beginning in about 2023. 

Both companies operated from Sam Machado's property, a former Yolo County sheriff's lieutenant. Sam Machado's wife, Tammy, was also arrested on charges of mortgage fraud, willfully false return, child endangerment, and animal cruelty. She posted bail on Thursday. Tammy Machado worked as an administrative assistant at the Yolo County Sheriff's Office. 

Nabity said the indictment alleges that Sam Macahdo used his role at the sheriff's office "to shield the conspiracy as it expanded." Nabity added that the operations expanded from 13 storage containers in 2015 to more than 50 in 2025 and a 5,000-square-foot warehouse. 

Over the 10 years, more than 11 million pounds of explosives were imported to the property, the indictment alleges, with about 1 million pounds stored on the Machado property when the explosion happened. 

As for licenses, some of the suspects held licenses that were issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). But Nabity said that none of the storage containers were licensed by ATF and there are no licenses that allow for the storage of explosives near homes and public roads. 

Other charges against some or all of the seven suspects include a dangerous workplace, unlawfully causing a fire, insurance fraud, child endangerment, animal cruelty, and tax fraud.

Machado faces four counts of possession of an assault weapon after they were seized from the property following the explosion, officials said. 

Five of the defendants are scheduled for arraignment on Monday. The others were arrested out of the area, including Chee in Florida. They will be arraigned after they arrive in Yolo County. 

Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez said the Machados resigned from their roles. They were placed on administrative leave following the explosion. 

Previously, in December 2025, Botelho was arrested in Del Norte County in connection with the Esparto explosion investigation.

The arrests come weeks after a Yolo County Grand Jury report determined that numerous top local officials "knew about the fireworks businesses" and "none of them took action." The report found that various officials "were aware of illegal fireworks operations at the site for at least three years prior to the incident."

Last August, nearly two months after the explosion, CBS News Sacramento made a similar discovery through a Public Records Act request. Email exchanges between Yolo County building officials detailed that many people, including the Esparto fire chief, were aware of what was happening on the property.

Also earlier this year, Cal Fire completed its own investigation into the explosion, alleging illegal activities were uncovered.

"We are encouraged to see this case continue to proceed towards justice. We will remain engaged to support the Yolo County District Attorney's office as they bring this case to trial," State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant said in a statement on Thursday. "As we approach the 4th of July, I must reiterate our zero tolerance towards illegal fireworks.  

The Esparto explosion claimed the lives of seven people who were working at the Devastating Pyrotechnics facility at the time:

Angel Mathew Voller, 18, of Stockton, CA
Carlos Javier Rodriguez-Mora, 43, of San Andreas, CA
Neil Justin Li, 41, of San Francisco, CA
Joel Jeremias Melendez, 28, of Sacramento, CA
Christopher Goltiao Bocog, 45, of San Francisco, CA
Jesus Manaces Ramos, 18, of San Pablo, CA
Jhony Ernesto Ramos, 22, of San Pablo, CA  

In a statement, OpenAI said the person suspected of throwing the device also allegedly made threats against the company's San Francisco headquarters.

San Francisco police confirmed officers responded to a North Beach home shortly after 4 a.m. for a report of someone throwing an incendiary device, with an exterior gate catching fire.

About an hour later, police said they responded to a report of a person allegedly threatening to burn down a building along the 1400 block of 3rd Street.

No one was hurt in either incident, police said.

"We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe," OpenAI said in their statement.

Police have arrested a 20-year-old man in connection with the incidents. His name has not been released.

Use the tool below to explore price changes in dozens of items across different categories.

About the data

The categories in this tracker reflect a selection from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index and average price data. We focused on goods and services that make up a meaningful share of household budgets, could be affected by tariffs or have seen significant price changes since 2022.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office said in a statement released on Thursday that it is investigating the incident.

"This behavior does not reflect the standards, expectations, or policies of our department," the Sheriff's Office wrote. "We have initiated an internal investigation and will take appropriate action based on the findings. The Sheriff's Office remains committed to professionalism and holding our employees accountable."

The hours-long standoff happened after an armed pursuit suspect crashed into a wall near a Jurupa Valley school. Aerial footage captured by CBS LA showed the deputy scrolling through his phone while taking cover behind an armored vehicle parked a few feet from the suspect's car. 

The suspect, who was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher during the standoff, refused to surrender after deputies deployed pepper balls and robots. After several hours, deputies approached the suspect and pulled his body out of the car. The Riverside County Sheriff's Office said the suspect had "injuries consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

Riverside County Fire Department paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene. Authorities have not identified him.

The standoff happened after the suspect led deputies on a stop-and-start pursuit for a few hours. After stopping at an intersection near Jurupa Valley High School, the driver sped away as a deputy closely followed. The deputy attempted to use a pursuit-ending tool called a Grappler, but it appeared to cause the suspect to lose control of the car, which then slammed into a brick wall. 

Within seconds, temperatures across its 16.5-foot-wide heat shield will climb to some 5,000 degrees — half as hot as the visible surface of the sun — as the ship rapidly slows in an electrically charged fireball of atmospheric friction. 

The four astronauts on board — commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — are counting on the heat shield to keep them safe, in a comfortable environment, all the way through the peak heating zone to a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific off the coast of California. Splashdown is expected at 8:07 p.m. ET.

"We have high confidence in the system, in the heat shield and the parachutes and the recovery systems we put together," Amit Kshatriya, NASA's associate administrator, said Thursday. "The engineering supports it, the Artemis I flight data supports it. All of our ground tests support it, our analysis supports it, and tomorrow the crew is going to put their lives behind that confidence."

The crew and mission managers are confident, they say, despite major problems with the heat shield that was used during the unpiloted Artemis I test flight in 2022, when the Avcoat material making up the shield developed sub-surface cracks and gas pockets that blew away chunks of the protective barrier's outer "char" layer. 

Based on nearly two years of tests and analysis, engineers were surprised to discover the damage was most likely caused by the Avcoat material's lack of permeability during a specific phase of the reentry when the shield was experiencing lower external temperatures while internal layers were still extremely high, generating gas that could not escape.

Agency managers decided to order a different heat shield design for downstream Artemis missions. But the heat shield for the Artemis II flight, identical to the one used with Artemis I, was already installed. Replacing it with a new design would have delayed the mission by 18 months or more. 

Instead, NASA managers opted to launch Artemis II "as is" based on test data and an exhaustive analysis that indicated the shield would work properly if the reentry trajectory was modified to eliminate the temperature and pressure swings that contributed to the damage seen after the Artemis I flight. 

"They did a tremendous amount of research, a lot of groundbreaking research in some facilities that we had not used before, and they discovered the root cause," Wiseman said.

"They did wind tunnel testing and laser testing and hyper-velocity testing, and they determined that if we come in with this lofted profile ... that this heat shield will be safe for us to go fly.

"So I think all that points in the direction of goodness," he said. "And I think if you, as a human being who was about to board this rocket, had sat in the meetings that we sat in and listened to the experts and gone through the data with them, you would have the same comfort."

What went wrong with Artemis I?

During the Artemis I mission, the unpiloted capsule followed a planned "skip" trajectory, similar in concept to skipping a flat stone across still water. After an initial dip into the upper atmosphere, the Artemis I capsule skipped back out again before making its final descent to splashdown. The skip reentry helps reduce the spacecraft's velocity while offering NASA a wider range of splashdown options in case bad weather makes a targeted landing site problematic.

Despite the heat shield damage seen after the flight, the Artemis I reentry was successful. The capsule landed on target, and officials said that had any astronauts been aboard, they would have had no problems. But the damage triggered alarm at NASA. 

"NASA identified more than 100 locations where ablative thermal protective material from Orion's heat shield wore away differently than expected during reentry into Earth's atmosphere," NASA's Office of Inspector General wrote. 

"While the heat shield successfully protected the Crew Module and its systems during the Artemis I mission, upon inspection after Orion's recovery, engineers noted unexpected variations in the appearance of the heat shield Avcoat — the ablative material that helps protect the capsule from the heat of reentry.

"Specifically, portions of the char layer wore away differently than NASA engineers predicted, cracking and breaking off the spacecraft in fragments that created a trail of debris rather than melting away as designed," the office said. "The unexpected behavior of the Avcoat creates a risk that the heat shield may not sufficiently protect the capsule's systems and crew from the extreme heat of reentry on future missions." 

Testing revealed the damage was related to the heat shield's permeability, or rather, its lack thereof. After the initial, relatively deep dive into the atmosphere, the Avcoat material making up the shield was unable to properly dissipate the heat that remained in its lower layers during the skip back out of the atmosphere. 

Entry heating is what makes the Avcoat's outer char layer permeable enough to allow gas to escape. The Artemis I heat shield worked normally during its initial descent into the atmosphere. But when it climbed back out, reentry heating eased and the outer char layer became much less permeable. 

The underlying material was still extremely hot, undergoing a process known as pyrolysis — combustion without oxygen — and generating gas that had no way to escape. Those buildups eventually blew chunks of the heat shield's outer layers away.

"They go back up from that first entry, they're still hot, they're still off-gassing," said an engineer familiar with the investigation. "The fact that the material itself isn't permeable enough is causing that gas pressure to build up now, very rapidly, because they're still hot. But the char layer has paused."

The outer char layer is "the only part of the Artemis I and Artemis II heat shield that actually allows it to breathe, or allows it to off-gas. So once it stops, now there's no mechanism in the deeper parts of the heat shield for that gas to escape," he said.

"So the pressure built up, and as the capsule came back down and started reheating, the pressure was already there.

"All those cracks, the pockets had already formed. And now, bang, bang, bang, pop. Avcoat started sloughing off during that second entry," the engineer said. 

A modified reentry trajectory should solve the problem

Engineers verified in lab tests that a modified skip-entry trajectory — one with an initial dip into the upper atmosphere followed by a shorter-duration climb back out — would allow the Avcoat to "breathe" throughout, preventing the formation of cracks and trapped gas. An independent review team agreed with those conclusions.

Interestingly, Apollo engineers were aware of the Avcoat permeability issue and designed that program's heat shields accordingly. Apollo capsules also used skip reentry trajectories and had no problems. But the Avcoat used in the Artemis heat shields was reformulated slightly, and that ended up affecting its permeability. 

In any case, the downside to the modified reentry trajectory for Artemis II will reduce the distance the Orion capsule can fly to avoid bad weather in the planned splashdown zone. It will also result in higher sustained heating during the descent, but engineers say that is exactly what is needed to maintain permeability in the outer char layer and ensure good performance. 

Former astronaut Charles Camarda disagreed, strongly criticizing the "fly as is" decision. He argues that engineers do not fully understand the root cause of the Artemis I heat shield damage and cannot accurately predict how the Artemis II heat shield will perform or whether the revised entry trajectory might have unintended consequences. 

In a letter to the NASA administrator, Camarda wrote that "history shows accidents occur when organizations convince themselves they understand problems they do not." 

Like Wiseman, Glover says he trusts the analysis of the Artemis I problem, saying critics "haven't been in these meetings from day one and met the team and looked them in the eye and shook their hands at the ends of these meetings."

That said, he added, "I don't want to discount the things that they've said. Any time you talk about fire, any time you talk about entry and heat shields, talk about parachutes, these are high-risk things that ... don't have fault tolerance built in. They have to work."

"And so I appreciate all of that nudging and poking and prodding that they've caused," Glover said. "They have made us sharpen our pencils and put more due diligence, more vigilance into that process. But I think we've done that. And so I think the crew is comfortable because of that team."

Some Philz coffee lovers are also saying they will take their business elsewhere.

In San Francisco's Castro District, Aegean Delights is right next door to Philz Coffee. In its front display, owner Petros Fanourgiakis proudly displays the rainbow flag.

"Since the late '70s, that flag has been a symbol of the area over the years," he said.

Fanourgiakis opened his business roughly six years ago with his wife. With pride flags displayed along Castro Street, he says this is the symbol of the neighborhood.

"To me, it represents the city," he said. "It represents this area. So, for us, if makes me feel like it's Castro right. That's kind of why we have it out there and it's famous."

In his home in Glen Park, former San Francisco Supervisor Jeff Sheehy proudly displays a hand-sewn flag given to him by the creator of the rainbow flag, Gilbert Baker.

"This means liberation," he said. "This means freedom but most importantly, love."

To him, the flag lets people know that everyone is welcome.

"Around the world, the rainbow flag is an international symbol of safety and acceptance for everybody," he said. "Not just for LGBTQ people."

Philz Coffee brewed its first cup in the Mission in 2003, but was bought by a private equity firm last year. The company released a statement by Philz Coffee CEO Mahesh Sadarangani:  

"At Philz, we have always believed everyone who walks through our doors deserves to feel welcome and safe, and that belief is at the core of everything we do. Our longstanding support of the LGBTQIA+ community is unchanged. We are working toward creating a more consistent, inclusive experience across all our stores, including removing a variety of flags and other decor. This is a change in how our stores look, not in who we are. Our allyship runs deeper than what is on our walls. It shows up in who we hire, how we treat one another and in our annual Pride Month Unity celebration, which returns this June as it has every year. Unity is fundamental to how we operate."

While the company plans to remove a variety of flags and decor, some people are questioning the new policy.

"It's kind of a bummer," San Francisco resident Ash Conner said. "Like you're in the Castro. It's a historic place. There are flags everywhere."

"I understand that Philz is no longer going to have a gay flag so I'm not going to take my business there anymore," Brett Waxdeck added.

Waxdeck decided to give Aegean Delights next door a try after hearing the news, but Fanourgiakis doesn't believe another business has to fail for him to succeed.

"We always love having more customers but not at others' expense," he said. "Hopefully for us, people just come in and enjoy their time here. I love all stores being open around me. So, the more stores around me, the better."

Leo Carlsson, Alex Killorn and Frank Vatrano also scored and Beckett Sennecke had two assists for the Ducks, who jumped to a 4-0 lead and dominated their Pacific Division rivals for their first win since March 26.

Carlson scored two power-play goals in the third period, connecting with 5:57 left to secure the first hat trick of his 1,156-game career. The veteran defenseman has been exactly what the Ducks needed when they acquired him at the trade deadline, scoring 12 points in 13 games while steadying the back end for one of the NHL's worst defensive teams.

Lukas Dostal made 16 saves, but the Ducks fell 7:20 short of their first shutout in 160 games since last season's opener on Oct. 12, 2024 — also against San Jose.

Shakir Mukhamadullin scored and Yaroslav Askarov stopped 27 shots for the Sharks, who had won five of seven to surge into playoff contention.

Carlsson put the Ducks ahead less than three minutes after the opening faceoff, driving the net and finishing for his 28th goal.

Carlson scored only his second goal in a Ducks uniform later in the first, blasting it home around Sennecke's screen. San Jose didn't get its first shot on goal until 13 minutes into the period.

Killorn tapped in a pass from Sennecke off a two-on-one rush for his 14th goal in the second.

Neither team was called for a penalty until San Jose's Collin Graf was binned for hooking with 10:20 to play, and Carlson fired home his second goal on the ensuing power play.

Vatrano scored only his second goal since Dec. 7 in the waning minutes.

Up next

Sharks: Host Vancouver on Saturday.

Ducks: Host Vancouver on Sunday.

James shot 11 for 17 and made three 3-pointers. He exited briefly after appearing to jam his hand blocking a shot by Pat Spencer with 6:05 remaining in the third quarter.

After 23 years in the league and at age 41, James' future is uncertain. He is three years older than Curry, who sat out the front end of a home-road back-to-back in what is always a highly anticipated matchup — it was Golden State's final scheduled game at Chase Center, given the team is headed on the road for the play-in tournament as the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference.

Curry had played the previous two contests in his return from a 27-game absence spanning two-plus months because of a right knee injury. The Warriors weren't ready to risk him playing consecutive nights.

Brandin Podziemski and Nate Williams scored 17 points apiece as Golden State used its 41st starting lineup of the season and was down to 10 healthy players. Newly signed center Charles Bassey had 12 points and 13 rebounds for his second straight double-double, while Spencer had 12 points, six assists and four rebounds.

Coach Steve Kerr hoped to get some reinforcements Friday at Sacramento, with big men Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis expected to play.

Deandre Ayton added 21 points and five rebounds and Jake LaRavia contributed 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Lakers, who snapped a three-game losing streak with their fourth straight win on the Warriors' home floor.

Golden State's LJ Cryer limped off with 8:16 left in the game after grabbing his right ankle.

Up next

Lakers: Host Phoenix on Friday night.

Warriors: At Sacramento on Friday night.

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman again sided with the New York Times and its reporter Julian Barnes, who filed a lawsuit last year that argued the new Pentagon policy violated the First Amendment, Fifth Amendment and due process provision of the Constitution. 

Last month, Friedman struck down some of the Pentagon's strict controls on how journalists with Pentagon press passes are allowed to report — ending a policy that has caused many news outlets, including CBS News, to leave the Pentagon.

Friedman ruled that the Pentagon failed to comply with his March order and said a revised press policy, which the Pentagon instituted after his order, was also unlawful. 

The new Pentagon rules expelled all reporters from the building unless they were accompanied by government escorts and removed media outlets' office spaces from the building.

"The Department cannot simply reinstate an unlawful policy under the guise of taking 'new' action and expect the Court to look the other way," Friedman wrote. "Nor can the Department take steps to circumvent the Court's injunction and expect the Court to turn a blind eye."

Friedman's March ruling halted some of the most onerous restrictions imposed on news outlets, including one provision that said reporters who "solicit" classified or sensitive information from military personnel could be deemed a security risk and barred from the building. He also struck down a section that referred to Pentagon access as a "privilege" rather than a "right."

Some sections were left in place, including restrictions on where reporters are allowed to go in the Pentagon without an escort. 

The March ruling also ordered the Pentagon to reinstate Barnes and several other Times reporters' press passes. It's not clear what the impact will be on other news outlets.

"This ruling powerfully vindicates both the Court's authority and the First Amendment's protections of independent journalism," attorney Theodore Boutrous Jr., who represents the Times, told CBS News in a statement.   

"The Department disagrees with the Court's ruling and intends to appeal," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote in a social media post. "The Department has at all times complied with the Court's Order — it reinstated the PFACs [Pentagon Facility Alternate Credential] of every journalist identified in the Order and issued a materially revised policy that addressed every concern the Court identified in its March 20 Opinion. The Department remains committed to press access at the Pentagon while fulfilling its statutory obligation to ensure the safe and secure operation of the Pentagon Reservation."  

Friedman's order Thursday requires a Pentagon official "with personal knowledge" to sign a sworn declaration to him by April 16 "describing the steps taken to ensure compliance" with the order. 

"The Court cannot conclude this Opinion without noting once again what this case is really about: the attempt by the Secretary of Defense to dictate the information received by the American people, to control the message so that the public hears and sees only what the Secretary and the Trump Administration want them to hear and see," Friedman wrote Thursday. "The Constitution demands better. The American public demands better, too. Over the past few weeks, the Court has received dozens of letters and postcards from people across the country explaining what the First Amendment means to them."

For the first time since the shooting, Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez's fiancée, Cindy, and attorney, Patrick Kolasinski, were able to see him on Friday in person at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, where he has been hospitalized since Tuesday.

They say that since then, they have been struggling to get basic information from authorities about what happened and even Hernandez's condition.  

"I am happy that I know that he's alive and he's in stable condition. Now I can confirm myself right by talking to him and looking at him directly," Cindy said on Thursday.

Kolasinski said Hernandez has undergone three surgeries and remains in the intensive care unit, with injuries to his face and arm.   They're also disputing ICE's version of events and point to court documents that they say tell a very different story.

Dashcam video captured the moments on Tuesday morning when Hernandez tried to pull away from agents who were attempting to arrest him as ICE said he is wanted for questioning in El Salvador in connection with a murder. Kolasinski speculated that his reaction may have been driven by fear.

"I wasn't with him, I can only imagine if you see what's happening in immigration detention and find yourself about to be detained," Kolasinski said. "It's normal to try and flee."

ICE claims Hernandez is a member of the 18th Street gang and is wanted in El Salvador. But his attorney says none of that is true. 

"Carlos is a family man who was on his way to work when he was detained by ICE. He has had no criminal contacts in the United States," Kolasinski said.

Court documents from 2019 show Hernandez was charged with aggravated homicide, which was later reduced to simple homicide. The court documents also show Hernandez was found not guilty.

"He was, in fact, acquitted, so he cannot possibly have a warrant out for his arrest," Kolasinski said.

CBS News Sacramento reached out to ICE regarding the court document from El Salvador, but has yet to hear back.

Kolasinski now also claims Hernandez was acting in self-defense when he attempted to drive away, alleging he was shot at before moving the vehicle.

"I think the problem is the training," Kolasinski said. "You have a not-dangerous person and when they try to flee. First of all, the car was way too far behind. When you do a traffic stop, you pull up close behind. If you've ever gotten a ticket, you'll see CHP is on your bumper. Why? So this can't happen."

However, a separate attorney not involved in the case, Justin Ward, said video of the incident does not clearly show officers firing before the vehicle moved. He said that without audio, it is difficult to determine what happened first.

Ward added that while Hernandez may not have initially posed a threat, the situation changed once the vehicle moved toward officers.

"As soon as he started to drive towards the officers, he then gave them justification to use their firearms to stop him," Ward said.

Cindy said she didn't hear from the authorities first, but from her sister. After arriving at the hospital, she said an FBI agent took her into a room.

"He said, 'I'm going to record you because I need to have this recorded, right?' So I was expecting him to talk to me about Carlos. I literally asked how he's doing, is he's in the hospital. He said, 'I cannot share any information. I'm not authorized.'"

CBS News Sacramento reached out to the FBI and is awaiting a response. 

Kolasinski said Wednesday evening that Hernandez is detained under the U.S. attorney's office. As of Thursday, Kolasinski now says Hernandez is not under arrest or formally detained, but remains in the hospital's care as the FBI continues its investigation.

He also confirmed Hernandez does not have legal status in the United States.

The family is asking anyone who may have witnessed the shooting or has video to come forward as investigators continue to piece together what happened.

"Sheriff's office, no one, no one responded to me, being searching for answers," said Cindy, Hernandez's fiancée.

Cindy said she didn't hear from the authorities first, but from her sister. After arriving at the hospital, she said an FBI agent took her into a room.

"He said, 'I'm going to record you because I need to have this recorded, right?' So I was expecting him to talk to me about Carlos. I literally asked how he's doing, is he's in the hospital. He said, 'I cannot share any information. I'm not authorized.'"

CBS Sacramento reached out to the FBI and is awaiting a response.

As they wait for answers, she said this goes beyond just one case.

"Right now it's me and that's the reason I'm here. I'm also representing our community," Cindy said. "I don't want this situation to continue and continue blaming these people, in this case, Carlos."

Right now, his family and his attorney say they're still attempting to find out his condition.

Kolasinski said Wednesday evening that Hernandez is detained under the U.S. attorney's office. Kolasinski added that Hernandez underwent a medical procedure, but the family doesn't know his condition.

The Tulare County Sheriff's Office said deputies were in the area of Newcomb and Grand avenues around 10:20 a.m. when 60-year-old David Morales allegedly opened fire, striking one deputy.

The wounded deputy was taken to a local hospital, where he later died. The sheriff's office identified him as 35-year-old Randy Hoppert, a six-year veteran of the department. 

Morales was able to flee the area and remained outstanding for hours. Officials said shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday that shots were still being fired in the area.

Around 6 p.m., Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said Morales died when he was run over by deputies driving a SWAT vehicle.

Boudreaux urged residents in the area to shelter in place. Schools in the area were also placed on lockdown as a precaution.

This is a developing story.

Towards the end of the hour-long conversation, University President Jim Gash presented the last audience question for the burger chain heiress.

"What does the era of automation mean for employees at In-N-Out? Would you ever transition to mobile order pickup?"

Snyder-Ellingson answered, "We have for sure had that put in front of us, and the answer is no. And the main reason is because what's part of what makes the In-N-Out experience so special is the interaction and the customer service that we're able to give. The smile, the greeting … that warmth and feeling that culture."

She continued to say, "and there is also the freshness factor …"

In-N-Out Burger was founded in 1948 by Harry and Esther Snyder, the grandparents of Snyder-Ellingson. During the university event, Snyder-Ellingson said one of her passions in leading is preserving the legacy of her grandparents and her parents.

"I want to make them proud. I want to champion everything they would want, and especially in today's world," she said, acknowledging menu simplicity.  

"We won't compromise our quality, we're not going to do things the quicker, easier way, because it's easier for us, we want to do what's best for our customers."

A Southern California native, Snyder-Ellingson began working as an associate in the family's burger business in 1999.

During the Pepperdine event, Snyder-Ellingson talked about her childhood, her family, the business, her faith, and her evolution to CEO. 

Gash refers to her book, "The Ins-N-Outs of In-N-Out Burger: The Inside Story of California's First Drive-Thru and How It Became a Beloved Cultural Icon," released in 2023. He noted the book mentions the importance of considering restaurant location.

"What do you think about our location here in Malibu?" he asked. "It's a beautiful location, just not for the store," Snyder-Ellingson quipped.

He did get down to the nitty-gritty -- yes, there is a secret In-N-Out menu, and there is fried mustard on the "Animal Style" burger.

What's Snyder-Ellingson's go-to In-N-Out order? "Double meat with fried mustard, extra spread pickles and chopped chilies only," with a bun, she said.