Keeping Faith in Humanity Thanks to a True Hero; a Meeting in Palm Desert to Discuss Rolling Back Recognition of Pride Month–Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: Dec. 15, 2025

Indy Digest: Dec. 15, 2025

There was an abundance of terrible news over the weekend. The awful side of humankind was in horrific full force around the world.

But in this space, I’d like to put a spotlight on the better side of humanity—and a story of selflessness, empathy and heroism.

From BBC News:

The father of a “hero” bystander who wrested a gun from one of the Bondi Beach (Australia) attackers has told the BBC his son “saw the victims, the blood, women and children lying on the street, and then acted.”

Video verified by the BBC showed Ahmed al-Ahmed, 43, running at the gunman and seizing his weapon, before turning the gun round on him and forcing his retreat. He was shot multiple times and has since undergone surgery for his wounds.

His father told BBC Arabic: “Ahmed was driven by his sentiment, conscience and humanity.”

The fruit shop owner and father of two has been hailed as a hero for intervening in the shooting, which killed 15 people and left dozens injured at an event to celebrate Hanukkah on Sunday.

Police have declared it a terrorist incident targeting the Jewish community.

Mr. Ahmed was meeting a friend for coffee in the area when the attack unfolded, his father said.

His son did not hesitate to intervene and “rushed forward, stopped the gunman, and snatched his weapon.”

The family said they felt immense pride in Mr. Ahmed, who was now in a stable condition and awaiting further treatment for wounds to his shoulder and hand.

Speaking from Syria, where Mr. Ahmed was born and raised, his uncle remarked: “He made us proud—our village, Syria, all Muslims and the entire world.”

As I write this, I am on the verge of tears.

There are so many forces in this world trying to divide humans, and pit us against one another. One of the most malevolent and divisive forces right now is the president of the United States, who committed an impeachable offense by claiming Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner brought their murder upon themselves “due to the anger (Reiner) caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.”

Disgusting. I truly do not understand how anyone could possibly still support Donald J. Trump after that display.

It would be very easy to dwell on Trump, and the mass shooting at Brown University, and the foiled plans to bomb various businesses in Southern California on New Year’s Eve, and lose all faith in humanity.

But instead, I am going to think about the stunning bravery of a native Syrian, a Muslim, who risked his life to save people at a Hanukkah event in Australia.

Thank you, Ahmed al-Ahmed, for representing the very best of humankind—and offering us hope at a time when we badly needed it.

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• The city of Palm Desert is holding a special meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) to discuss whether the city will stop recognizing Pride Month. The Palm Desert Post reports: “The Palm Desert City Council will hold a special meeting Tuesday afternoon to consider a request from Mayor Pro Tem Joe Pradetto that would roll back the city’s formal recognition of LGBTQ Pride Month and revisit its broader diversity policy, following widespread public backlash to the proposal. The meeting is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at City Hall and will include a single action item: whether to rescind Resolution 2024-038, which established the city’s Pride Month commemorations, and whether to discuss potential amendments to Resolution 2018-09, the city’s long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion. City officials said the special meeting was called in response to heightened public interest after Pradetto raised the request during the council’s regular meeting on Dec. 11. … As previously reported, Pradetto asked city staff to bring forward the two related items after arguing that the city should maintain what he described as ‘government neutrality,’ relying on its existing diversity policy rather than symbolic recognition tied to specific groups.” Sigh. The good news is that Pradetto’s anti-DEI effort has been condemned by numerous local political leaders, including Republican state Assemblyman Greg Wallis. We’ll see if Pradetto has the three votes he needs.

• The late Rob Reiner—who had been slated to speak tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Plaza Theatre as the Palm Springs Speaks season opener—was one of the key figures in getting same-sex marriage legalized in California. Our partners at Calmatters report: “The rest of the country may remember Hollywood legend Rob Reiner for his work in front of and behind the camera, but in California, he leaves behind a political legacy that endures beyond his films and movie and television roles. Reiner, a longtime Democratic activist, donor and fundraiser, played a critical role in the legalization of same-sex marriage in California, and he was a driving force behind California’s signature early-childhood development program, First 5. Reiner, 78, was found stabbed to death along with his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, inside their Brentwood home Sunday. … Later, Reiner would help found the American Foundation for Equal Rights. The group paid for the legal fight against Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in California. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Prop. 8 in 2013. Kris Perry, the former executive director of First 5 and a lead plaintiff in the case that got Prop. 8 overturned, said Rob and Michele Reiner also stood by her and her wife, Sandy Stier, as they and the other plaintiffs defended their right to marry in the landmark case. ‘They continued over a five-year period to champion the cause by speaking out themselves, bringing more support to the case, doing media interviews, and, more importantly, being kind and generous … year after year after year,’ Perry said. ‘They cared about us as people throughout that entire process. They left this indelible impression on all of us of what it means to be a real leader, to not only make something possible, but to stand beside people during the fight.’”

• The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert is proceeding with a merger with The L-Fund. Read our coverage of discussions regarding the merger here. According to a news release: “Effective July 1, 2026, this partnership means that The L-Fund’s vital programs, which support cis, trans, and queer-identifying lesbians in the Coachella Valley area, will continue to grow—now with even greater resources and reach. The L-Fund’s dedicated leadership team is making the move, too. Co-chairs Mei Ling Tom and Robbin Burr will join The Center’s board in January, and Dr. Karyl E. Ketchum—a longtime California State University Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies and L-Fund board member—will lead The L-Fund as its new director. ‘We are entering a new era,’ said Mei Ling Tom, co-chair of The L-Fund’s Board of Directors. ‘For years, The L-Fund has been driven by passion to uplift cis, trans, and queer-identifying lesbians in need. Now, by merging with The Center, we are amplifying that mission with greater capacity, stability, and a renewed vision.’”

• The president is suing the Pulitzer Prize Board over awards involving coverage of the investigations into his ties to Russia. In response, the Pulitzer Prize Board is asking for some VERY interesting things as part of the discovery process. Law & Crime reports: “The board defendants are demanding documentation on subjects ranging from Trump’s demands to rescind the awards, to his threats to sue, to proof that the board statement at issue ‘had a significant impact on the 2020 presidential election,’ and to Trump’s various lawsuits—whether counterclaims and defenses against E. Jean Carroll, a failed defamation case against CNN, a settled suit against ABC, a settled suit against CBS, and an ongoing lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over Jeffrey Epstein birthday letter reporting. The defendants further demanded ‘all’ of Trump’s tax returns—‘from all jurisdictions, including all attachments, schedules, and worksheets’—from 2015 to the present day, documents ‘sufficient to show all sources of Your income’ over the same time period, documents ‘sufficient to show all of your financial holdings’ and his liabilities, and finally his health records and prescription medication history.“

• ProPublica looks at the devastation caused by the federal government’s dismantling of USAID. Here is the lede of the piece headlined “Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera,” which is the first story in a three-part series: “On the one-month anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration earlier this year, a group of his appointed aides gathered to celebrate. For four weeks, they had been working overtime to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, freezing thousands of programs, including ones that provided food, water and medicine around the world. They’d culled USAID’s staff and abandoned its former headquarters in the stately Ronald Reagan Building, shunting the remnants of the agency to what was once an overflow space in a glass-walled commercial office above Nordstrom Rack and a bank. … Despite the steps to insulate themselves, dire warnings poured in from diplomats and government experts around the world. The cuts would cost countless lives, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the other Trump officials were told repeatedly. The team of aides pressed on, galvanized by two men who did little to hide their disdain for the agency: first Peter Marocco, a blunt-spoken Marine veteran, and then 28-year-old Jeremy Lewin, who, despite having no government or aid experience, often personally decided which programs should be axed. By the third week in February, they were on track to wipe out 90% of USAID’s work. Created in 1961 to foster global stability and help advance American interests, USAID was the largest humanitarian donor in the world. In just a month’s time, the small band of appointees had set in motion its destruction. In a corner conference room, it was time to party. They traded congratulatory speeches and cut into a sheet cake.”

• And finally … today’s recall news involves an update proving that dangerous recalled items are not always actually, well, recalled from store shelves. The Associated Press says: “Four of the nation’s top retail stores failed to promptly pull contaminated infant formula tied to a dangerous botulism outbreak from their shelves, federal health officials said in warning letters posted Monday. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent letters to leaders at Walmart, Target, Kroger and Albertsons, saying the companies continued to sell ByHeart infant formula for days or weeks, despite a Nov. 11 recall of all products in the outbreak that has sickened more than 50 babies in 19 states. ‘As a participant in the supply chain, your firm should take prompt and effective action when notified of a product recall,’ FDA officials said in warning letters sent to the companies on Dec. 12 and posted online Monday. The formula was found at Target stores in 20 states ‘well after the recall was initiated,’ one letter said. In addition, it was sold at a Target store in New Hampshire on Nov. 16, despite an electronic block on the product’s sales code, the FDA noted. And at a Target store in Arkansas, single-serve packs of ByHeart formula were promoted with a ‘Sale!’ sign and a $2 discount from Nov. 16 to Nov. 22.”

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