Folks — I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed reading this newsletter, because I’ve certainly had a blast writing it.

Our epic, four-year run comes to a close today, and this is the last email we’ll ever send. Since starting the newsletter in 2022, it has grown from a little-known email list to the leading news source on campus read by nearly 12,000 subscribers.

I’m proud of our reporting that provided crucial information about layoffs, campus crime, and lawsuits. But more importantly, we did a lot of dumb stuff. Like when we…

• Orchestrated a school-wide “Moron of the Year” vote and mailed the trophy to Carol Folt.

• Discovered a cybersecurity flaw that let you spoof emails from any USC address — then sent ourselves a thank-you note for the trophy from Folt.

• Briefly feuded with a USG candidate who wanted to turn USC’s water fountains into beer fountains, before breaking the news that he was disqualified from the election for dropping too many F-bombs.

• Broke the news that two pranksters were behind an email to the student body that claimed Rick Caruso would be USC’s next president. KTLA fell for the prank, then had to cite us in an on-air correction.

• Built a database of USC Rate My Professors reviews, to the outrage of many faculty.

• Calculated the definitive USC frat rankings using AI tools. The California Post dubbed me the “campus AI nerd” for this.

• Bought beongsookim.com and attempted to ransom the domain for exemption from WRIT 340.

• Got Cannabis House to sponsor our annual tuition-guessing competition with a $500 gift card, causing much pearl-clutching among readers.

Every newsletter we’ve ever published is archived on a revamped morningtrojan.com — misplaced snark, failed jokes, and all. I hope the archive can continue to serve as an important record of the last four years at USC. The site includes a page of very kind testimonials by readers. You can submit a comment at this link if you’d like to add to it.

We owe many thanks to Anna Hsu, my longtime proofreader who also graduates in a few weeks. After commencement, she’ll move to the Bay Area to work for Apple as a software engineer.

I’m staying in Los Angeles, where I’m reporting investigations for L.A. Material, a new news outlet founded by a loaded roster of L.A. Times veterans. On Monday, you’ll start receiving L.A. Material’s excellent newsletter, but if you don’t want to receive free reporting from some of the city’s most brilliant journalists, you can unsubscribe at the bottom of this email.

I’d love to keep in touch. I’m on LinkedIn and Twitter, and my best email address is tomo.chien@lamaterial.com. If you’re reading this in the far future, you can find my most up-to-date contact information on my personal website.

Thanks for sticking with us all these years. Farewell, and take care!

— Tomo

Good morning. It’s Friday, and this is the very last edition of Morning, Trojan. And so, for the final time: Here are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

Stay tuned for a farewell email later today.

1.

The closely watched union election has set off a desperate information war between USC and union organizers. The university is hectoring faculty with a deeply ironic campaign branded “Don’t Let a Few Decide For All.” Union organizers are distributing their own flyers, while some professors have proven adept at haranguing student journalists who’ve highlighted union-critical viewpoints.

2.

USC has sought to discourage faculty from voting in favor of the union by arguing that it’d be too large to properly represent everybody. In a new op-ed, union organizers argued that a union “can smartly accommodate our different needs” while giving faculty “the power to make the improvements that we can’t make alone.”

3.

Students at Viterbi and Dornsife said they struggled to schedule classes for next semester thanks to layoffs that decimated the ranks of academic advisors, the Daily Trojan reported. Several students said they weren’t able to schedule mandatory advisement appointments until after their registration dates.

4.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art unveiled a preview of its inaugural exhibits that’ll open to the public on Sept. 22. The LA Times reported that the museum next to USC will host George Lucas’ vast collection of narrative art, which traces “the evolution of human culture.” There will only be one Star Wars exhibit.

5.

Campus has never felt more dangerous with electric scooters zipping through walkways — at least according to some people interviewed by Annenberg Media. “In the 1950s through the 1980s, it was a pleasure to walk on this beautiful campus … just meditating on an idea or a dilemma,” Professor Joe Saltzman said. “But no more.”

 

Good morning. It’s Thursday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

A group of faculty at Rossier joined colleagues in Gould and Marshall in opposing an ongoing union drive, saying “we do not believe our interests will be adequately represented by such a large, complex bargaining unit.” Ballots in the vote-by-mail election are due May 15.

2.

Volunteers broke ground on a long-anticipated new Peace Garden, the Daily Trojan reported. The popular community garden was founded in 2022 as a way to help people connect with nature, but USC briefly caused a kerfuffle when it sold the original plot on Shrine Place last year. The new location is outside Kerckhoff Hall on Adams.

3.

Marshall and Annenberg have, as per usual, landed some of the highest-profile speakers for this year’s commencement ceremonies: Mythic football coach Pete Carroll will speak at the business school while Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn will address comms grads. Annenberg Media compiled a list of this year’s speakers.

4.

Cops will soon be able to ticket driverless cars on California streets, thanks to sweeping new regulations adopted by the DMV. The San Francisco Standard reported that the rules were inspired in part by several high-profile incidents of Waymos driving into active emergency scenes, and in one case, making an illegal U-turn.

5.

The hot new place to land an LA hookup is Erewhon, according to the California Post. “Everyone is checking each other out,” one shopper said. “There are just vibes everywhere.” Another observed that the store’s absurd prices make for great conversation starters, and all agreed that the Beverly Grove location is the horniest.

 

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

A Westwood man has amassed a huge social media following by filming and taunting frat guys at schools like UCLA and USC. Joseph Freeman, a.k.a. @sigmachicritic is a microcelebrity among college students. But my investigation at L.A. Material found a hidden and disturbing pattern of intimidation in police records across the country.

2.

USC’s central communications department laid off six staffers yesterday, Morning, Trojan has learned. Megan Jordan, the school’s comms chief, said the move was part of a “deliberate effort to align” with USC’s “long-term strategic priorities,” and that the unit will hire for more than a dozen new positions. Translation: the layoffs aren’t because of the budget crisis.

3.

A small group of Marshall faculty penned an open letter opposing USC’s brewing union effort, saying the bargaining unit would be too big to properly represent their interests. Professors at Gould made a similar argument earlier this month, but union leaders say organizing is the only way to “secure the protections we deserve.”

4.

Huntington Park was roiled in political scandal last month when a USC graduate student alleged in court that Arturo Flores, a city councilmember, sexually assaulted her in the Village parking lot. Fátima Rodriguez-Ortiz spoke out for the first time to L.A. TACO, saying she refiled for a restraining order because Flores is “a danger to other students.”

5.

A palatial Bel-Air estate with sweeping downtown views just hit the market for $400 million. It’s the most expensive home listed in the U.S. right now and features a Turkish bath, pilates studio, and an X-ray machine — along with the standard-issue tennis court and three swimming pools. The Wall Street Journal published a photo-heavy story on the wild manse.

 

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Public discontent is growing at the Marshall School of Business after we reported last week that faculty say the school is on a “downward trajectory.” One MBA student told Poets & Quants in a scathing interview that program offerings have noticeably thinned while graduates struggle to land jobs. “There’s a lot of frustration,” the student said.

2.

Allyson Felix, the legendary sprinter whose name adorns USC’s track, announced that she’s coming out of retirement and gunning for the 2028 Olympics in LA. Felix, 40, is the most decorated track athlete alive and is one of those rare runners to ascend to the level of cultural icon. “Why not?” the USC alum told TIME.

3.

Pomona College is in turmoil over a recent spate of anti-Black incidents: students shouting racial slurs in dorms, a party where attendees dressed as Black stereotypes, and the vandalism of a lounge used by Black community members. One student told the LA Times that it’s simply “in-your-face racism.”

4.

Looking for a walkable weekend excursion to escape the USC bubble? Consider trekking a few miles to any number of hip restaurants in West Adams, the nearby neighborhood that’s criminally undervisited by USC students. Micro food influencer Anna Hsu posted a video guide to a West Adams outing.

5.

If you’re sad the newsletter is shutting down on Friday, join me on May 20 for a virtual event hosted by the USC Alumni Association where we’ll discuss how I built Morning, Trojan and the legacy it’ll leave behind. You can register here. (Separately, the Daily Trojan published a nice feature on us yesterday.)

 

Good morning. It’s Monday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

A USC adjunct is racking up serious views on Instagram for his “day in the life of a USC professor” videos. Clinton Suh’s reels mostly feature shirtless gym footage and clips of his Corvette, although the brofessor’s thirst traps are occasionally set in the classroom. Suh teaches — where else — at Marshall.

2.

Have you ever eaten a meal at EVK and wondered, “Couldn’t USC do better than this?” Well, yes. Just not for you. Sports Dissected published a behind-the-scenes video at Little Galen, the athlete-only dining hall where rarefied Trojans are served exceptional-looking meals, including tomahawk steaks stamped with the USC logo.

3.

UCLA’s student government came under fire last week when it published a statement condemning an on-campus event that featured a freed Israeli hostage, saying it could “obscure the broader reality of ongoing state violence.” In a rare rebuke, a UC regent blasted the student government, the LA Times reported.

4.

The man accused of opening fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this weekend is a graduate of Caltech who lives in Torrance. Former classmates said they were shocked to see 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen in the news. “Even for Caltech, he was a little autistic,” one told The Wall Street Journal.

5.

Graduating seniors are being bombarded with negative messages about AI and the job market. In a breath of fresh air, Jodi Kantor, a legendary New York Times investigative journalist, wrote some actually good advice on finding fulfilling work. She’ll visit USC on May 18 to discuss her book with Jason Sudeikis.

 

Folks — the time is nearly here. Next Friday will be the last-ever edition of Morning, Trojan before I graduate and shut down the newsletter.

I’m writing today to let you know that when this newsletter ends, I’m bringing the e-list with me to my new project, L.A. Material. We’re a small, nimble news outlet founded by longtime L.A. Times journalists chasing explosive scoops and investigations across this city.

Already, in our first month of operation, we’ve published the most deeply sourced account of the mayoral race you can find, a mischievous piece on Bob Iger’s secret Instagram account, and even a USC scoop. Our reporting and free daily newsletter, which goes out to the list your email will be added to, have an eye for the weird and absurd not all that different from Morning, Trojan.

L.A. Material is, full stop, one of the most talented teams in local journalism right now. Take a peek inside our loaded roster:

MATT HAMILTON, senior reporter: Changed the course of USC history with a series of bombshell investigations in the late 2010s, most notably a story that found that university gynecologist George Tyndall sexually abused hundreds of patients. Won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting and is a graduate of USC Annenberg. Spent 11 years at the L.A. Times.

JULIA WICK, editorial director: Uncovered the biggest Los Angeles political scandal in recent memory when she obtained a secret recording of city council members making profane and racist remarks about Black people and Oaxacans. Won a Pulitzer for that reporting, is a USC Price alum, worked six years at the L.A. Times after a stint as editor-in-chief of LAist.

JESSICA GARRISON, editor: Was an investigations editor at BuzzFeed back when its legendary newsroom still existed and was at its absolute peak. Won a prestigious National Magazine Award for a series that uncovered horrific abuse of H-2 visa workers, and spent a combined 15 years at the L.A. Times, where she contributed to a Pulitzer-winning package. Was once upon a time a USC adjunct professor.

JULIA TURNER, editor-in-chief: Completed an illustrious run at Slate as editor-in-chief before joining the L.A. Times, where she eventually became newsroom’s second-in-command. Shepherded the publication’s transition to new digital strategies and oversaw Pulitzer-winning work. One of the best executives in the media business, is regrettably not a USC alum but is an Annenberg fellow.

And that’s just half our team! I’ll include a reminder about the e-list transition when we send our final newsletter next Friday.

If you don't have an interest in LA news, or are uninterested in receiving free reporting from some of the city’s most brilliant journalists, you can always unsubscribe. But if you’re a fan of this newsletter, I think you’ll enjoy what we’re up to. I can’t wait to share more of what we’ve been working on.

— Tomo

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

The newsletter will be off until next Monday while I tend to a family emergency. I’m sorry to miss so many days ahead of our May 1 shutdown, but promise an incredible final week.

1.

Non-tenure-track faculty at USC’s law school are opposing a planned university-wide union ahead of a vote set to begin Friday. The Daily Trojan reported that they argued the union could undermine existing protections and limit their ability to negotiate independently with the law school.

2.

Yesterday, we linked to a USC study that suggested that eating fruits and vegetables could increase your risk of lung cancer. Turns out it’s controversial. Critical researchers told Ars Technica that they thought the findings were a “stretch,” pointing to the small sample size, lack of control group, and speculative link to pesticides.

3.

Bill Essayli, the swaggering, Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney in LA has styled himself as a MAGA bulwark against California fraud. Ironically, one of the greatest victories of his legal career was a case in which he teamed up with the ACLU to defend his relatives against federal fraud charges. L.A. Material went deep on Trump’s man in LA.

4.

Many of LA’s most iconic museums — LACMA, the Getty, and the La Brea Tar Pits — have either recently undergone massive renovations or will soon close to complete them ahead of the 2028 Olympics. Torched LA pointed out that the Games actually tend to depress museum attendance; the foot traffic increases later, after the crowds leave.

5.

Arcadia is home to scores of roaming peacocks, which residents have historically embraced and treated as a charming facet of the city. But they are also a shitting, screeching nightmare that can at times sound like “a thousand dying cats.” A new short film detailed Arcadia’s peacock wars.

 

Good morning. It’s Monday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

The School of Dramatic Arts launched an “Institute For Actor-Driven Innovation,” aiming to help students experiment with AI. “Right now we have a lot of fear-based responses to AI, and for good reason,” Dean Emily Roxworthy told the Hollywood Reporter. “We’re not here to proselytize and say it’s something students should adopt. But they should understand it.”

2.

A Canadian politician landed in hot water last week when The Trillium, a local newspaper, reported that he falsely claimed to hold a doctorate from USC. Ontario Associate Attorney General Michael Tibollo actually attended California Southern University, a discrepancy which he claimed was an “inadvertent error.”

3.

A USC study confusingly found that eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains may increase your risk of lung cancer. The researchers acknowledged that their findings are “counter-intuitive,” but speculated that pesticides are responsible for the phenomenon.

4.

Yannis Yortsos, who has led USC’s engineering school longer than most students have been alive, announced earlier this year that he’s stepping down from his deanship and returning to faculty. The Daily Trojan recapped his 21-year tenure, quoting colleagues who called him “discerning,” “humble,” and “such a nerd.”

5.

Three men from LA County were sentenced to jail last week after they were found guilty of staging fake bear attacks on luxury cars to collect insurance payouts, the New York Times reported. The Glendale dudes donned a bear costume and used kitchen utensils to tear up the cars in a series of wholly unconvincing videos.

 

Good morning. It’s Thursday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

The newsletter will be off tomorrow. I have a WRIT essay to complete.

1.

USC is experiencing a boom in religious participation by students, according to a new feature commissioned by the university. Catholic Mass participation rose 17% over the last year. Muslim iftar meals and Shabbat dinners are anecdotally more popular than ever. Varun Soni, dean of religious life, called it a “golden age” of religion on campus.

2.

A USC freshman who lost an eye after a DHS agent shot him with a projectile plans to sue the federal government for $100 million, the LA Daily News reported. Tucker Collins, an 18-year-old studying astronautical engineering, said he was photographing a protest before he was shot. “I was in no way an agitator,” he said.

3.

If you’ve been aggressively solicited by more petitioners on campus than usual, you’re probably not alone. This ballot initiative season is flush with cash, allowing well-funded campaigns to dispatch swarms of petitioners across the state. The New York Times reported on the unscrupulous tactics of some signature-gatherers.

4.

A collection of the country’s founding documents will be on display at USC’s Fisher Museum of Art starting tomorrow. The exhibit, which ends May 3, is part of a national “Freedom Tour” that’s parading an original engraving of the Declaration of Independence, among other documents, across the country. Entry is free, but you’ll need a reservation.

5.

USC is looking for a new student to be the Tommy Trojan mascot. You can apply for the gig here. Fun fact: The cartoonish costume that’s so recognizable today only debuted in 2013, and it was originally paired with a (slightly unsettling) bipedal Traveler who was quickly put to pasture, the Daily Trojan reported.

 

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Theta Xi, the recently reinstated fraternity that has to make up for its relatively low social status by having a personality, launched an all-out marketing blitz for a party this Friday. Its Instagram has been rebranded “USC Touse” (top + house), and a massive “TOUSE” sign now adorns its house. They distributed merch, filmed a hilarious promo video, and even launched a website.

2.

The Department of Public Safety deleted two Instagram posts showing men being arrested on campus after students criticized the photos — and the mocking songs that accompanied them — in an ATVN segment. Assistant Chief David Carlisle told Morning, Trojan that “feedback from the campus community” spurred the takedowns.

3.

A new projection shows that nearly a quarter of the nation’s private, four-year colleges are at risk of closing in the next decade. Many are small and rural, but they collectively serve some 670,000 students. The Hechinger Report blamed the “long decline in the number of Americans who are going to college.”

4.

The California Science Center completed a sleek new building to house the space shuttle Endeavour, bringing the long-awaited upright display one step closer to opening. The museum next to USC said it plans to announce an opening date this summer, the LA Times reported.

5.

In other museum news: Erewhon will open a storefront at LACMA this weekend for members previewing the buzzy new David Geffen Galleries. The cafe will open to the general public on May 4, meaning you can soon spend more on a smoothie than a museum ticket without ever leaving the LACMA grounds. Peak LA?

 

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

USC’s Department of Public Safety has been beefing up its social media presence with PSAs and occasionally painful skits. But several posts have recently attracted controversy: Photos of men being arrested on suspicion of petty crimes on campus, set to songs with mocking lyrics. “Posting that is degrading,” one student told ATVN.

2.

The majority of LA’s City Council members penned a letter to USC last month urging the school to “refrain from any further legal challenges” to an ongoing union drive by its non-tenure-track faculty. The prospective union is widely expected to win a vote-by-mail election that will begin April 24 and end May 15.

3.

The LA Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting historic buildings in LA, will honor USC with a “preservation award” for converting a former campus church into what is now the Dick Wolf Drama Center. The conservancy called the building “a striking example of adaptive reuse done right.”

4.

Eric Swalwell, who just last week was a leading candidate for California governor, resigned from Congress amid allegations that he sexually assaulted four women, the LA Times reported. Swalwell, who previously suspended his campaign, called the allegations “false” but said he must take “ownership of the mistakes I did make.”

5.

A USC MBA student who happens to be a Navy master diver helped lead the team that recovered the Artemis II astronauts off the San Diego coast. Master Chief Ryan Crider graciously shared a few never-before-seen photos with Morning, Trojan — including one of him holding an SC flag during the recovery. “It’s an incredible honor,” he said.

 

Good morning. It’s Monday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

USC sold its outpost in Sacramento for $2.82 million to a local dentist, the Sacramento Business Journal reported. The 12,800-square-foot building previously hosted a Price degree program, but USC said the space is now “too large for our current use.” It’s unclear if the school plans to buy or lease a new space in the state capital.

2.

Carolyn Meltzer, the dean of USC’s medical school, had her gorgeous Eagle Rock home featured in a native plant tour of LA organized by a local nonprofit. “Friendly-faced monkeyflower will greet you, and Indian mallow blooms may ask for a dance as you travel up the colorfully tiled front walk,” reads the listing for Meltzer’s home.

3.

The Daily Trojan pulled an article it published last Wednesday which reported that a USC Bookstore manager discriminated against Indian employees. The paper wrote in a statement on Thursday that “claims made in the article require further investigation” after current and former employees questioned the reporting’s accuracy on Instagram.

4.

Eric Swalwell, a leading candidate for California governor, dropped out of the race yesterday after four women accused him of sexual assault in bombshell stories by CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle. The Bay Area congressman says he’s innocent, but had quickly lost donors, endorsements, and staffers in the wake of the allegations.

5.

The Getty Center will close for a year of renovations starting next March in an effort to modernize the campus ahead of the 2028 Olympics, the New York Times reported. Getty officials said renovations will focus on the museum’s famous tram system, and that they’ll move select paintings to the Getty Villa during the closure.

 

Good morning. It’s Friday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

I’m sorry for missing yesterday’s newsletter. Today’s subject line may help explain the lack of early morning production.

1.

So you’ve been to Rock’s and the Nine O. Maybe La Barca and Bacari, too. Probably, though, you’re tired of the few going-out options near USC. Consider a trip to the University Club, a campus bar-restaurant many students don’t know about. I recruited two enablers friends and ordered every drink on the happy hour menu to write a guide to the under-appreciated bar.

2.

USC touted the opening of its first infant childcare center in South LA this week, City News Service reported. The center, funded by a federal grant, opens in May and will provide free childcare for local families. It’s the latest highly publicized do-good effort on the part of USC, which similarly celebrated the opening of a community pharmacy last month.

3.

The California Post sent the online masses into a frenzy when it claimed that USC banned men from parts of the Lyon Center under a new gender inclusion initiative. The story — which is inaccurate; men aren’t “banned” — mostly ripped earlier reporting from the Daily Trojan, and was written by a former editor of Annenberg Media.

4.

At a time when fast food chains are struggling to stay open in LA, one has bucked the trend: Raising Cane’s, a favorite among students, which is on an expansion tear across the city. It may be a partially personal effort for the chain’s Louisiana-born CEO, who just bought a mansion in Hollywood Hills and befriended Leo DiCaprio, L.A. Material reported.

5.

An 81-year-old Dodgers fan is irate that the team is no longer printing season tickets, he told NBCLA. “Fifty years — five generations — I’ve had these tickets,” said Errol Segal, who has a flip phone and said he doesn’t know how to use a computer. “They threw me under the bus.”

 

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

A USC freshman had to have one of his eyes removed after federal agent shot him with a projectile at a “No Kings” protest last month. Tucker Collins, 18, was photographing the downtown demonstration and plans to file a federal civil rights lawsuit, his attorney told the LA Times.

2.

A gender empowerment group worked with the Lyon Center to establish a designated “comfortable, supportive environment for women and non-binary” students, the Daily Trojan reported. The special gym room, open Monday and Wednesday mornings, is technically “open to all eligible individuals.”

3.

SDA Dean Emily Roxworthy agreed to meet with a group of students who’ve staged multiple protests against budget cuts that they say have hobbled dramatic arts programming, the Daily Trojan reported. “We cannot continue to be exploited,” said one sign at the students’ five-hour sit-in at the Wolf Drama Center yesterday.

4.

Earlier this year, Olympic organizers promised a locals-only ticket drop that’d give Angelenos a fair shot at seeing the 2028 games in their city. But when the presale opened last week, residents reported seeing few tickets, many at astronomical prices. An LA Times columnist likened it to being “locked out of a party … in your own backyard.”

5.

Before Bryan Cranston was a TV icon known for his starring role in “Breaking Bad,” he nearly joined the LAPD, he told the Wall Street Journal in a fascinating interview. The San Fernando Valley native and his co-stars are on a press blitz for a reboot of “Malcolm in the Middle,” which premieres Friday on Hulu.

Morning, Trojan was featured in Poynter, a major journalism trade publication. Check out the profile.

 

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

USC settled a lawsuit by a former student who accused David Kang, an international relations professor who left USC in March, of sexually harassing her, according to records reviewed by Morning, Trojan. The last-minute settlement allowed the university to dodge a potentially embarrassing trial that was set to begin yesterday.

2.

As college sports grow increasingly professionalized under NCAA rule changes, critics are pointing out the questionable nonprofit status of university athletics departments. Sports programs, a University of Denver professor argued, are “only loosely tied” to their schools, and should be separate entities that pay taxes.

3.

CNN sent an intern to Yale to report on how chatbots are affecting academics. “My work ethic has completely diminished from high school,” one student said. “Everyone now kind of sounds the same,” said another, who described classmates reading off of ChatGPT-written scripts in class.

4.

A growing number of Americans are injecting themselves with unregulated peptides — microproteins touted by RFK Jr. that promise dubious benefits like increased strength. Fun fact: Pinchas Cohen, dean of USC’s gerontology school, made the scientific discovery that underpins the craze. But he isn’t too stoked about it, he told The New Yorker.

5.

Southern California is the “theme park capital of the world,” the LA Times declared this morning. To celebrate mainstays such as Knott’s Berry Farm, Disneyland, and Universal Studios — institutions “integral to SoCal life” — the Times launched a newsletter that’ll dispense practical park-going tips and geek out on their history.