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Good morning. Before we start, I’d like to welcome all the new subscribers who’ve joined us over the last couple of days. Granted, I think most of you work for Annenberg Media, so this is sort of like when your mom says you did a really good job as one of 30 background monkeys in your kindergarten class’s rendition of “The Jungle Book” — but it’s exciting nonetheless. And now, here are the USC, L.A. and California stories you need to know for today. |
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1. Student test scores plummeted across California during the pandemic, undoing nearly a decade of academic progress. The state education department’s report coincided with a federal report showing similar declines nationwide. |
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2. Rick Caruso has closed the gap on Rep. Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral race, gaining ground on what was previously a double-digit deficit in the polls. The likely culprit? Ad money — and lots of it. |
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3. Harvey Weinstein’s second sex crimes trial is underway in L.A. The former movie mogul is already serving a 23-year sentence after a New York conviction, but he’s appealing that trial; if he’s successful there, a guilty verdict in L.A. could be the only reason he stays behind bars. |
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4. Millions of Californians are struggling to pay their water bills. Drought restrictions are a partial culprit: When water use drops, urban water utilities — which mostly have fixed costs — earn less revenue, so they raise costs for customers. But in the long term, factors like the replacement of aging infrastructure and new treatment standards are driving up prices too. |
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5. The suspected Stockton serial killer used an untraceable ghost gun in his killing spree. Ghost guns, which are sold in disassembled kits, don’t have serial numbers and can be bought in parts online without a background check. Wesley Brownlee, 43, has been connected to six slayings in the Central California city. |
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6. Thousands of new apartments could soon come to Santa Monica despite objections from city officials. That’s because of a provision in state law that kicks in when cities fail to produce a housing plan to accommodate projected population growth. According to experts, developers are most likely to use the tactic in wealthy areas with high potential profits. |
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7. Southern California hospitals are seeing a surge in RSV cases earlier than usual. RSV — short for respiratory syncytial virus — tends to more severely affect young children and older adults. |
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Other things I’m reading |
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If you only read one thing today: “The Way Los Angeles Is Trying to Solve Homelessness Is ‘Absolutely Insane’” (The New York Times). On politics: “Herschel Walker and the Plight of the True Conservative Voter” (The Atlantic). On the rest of world: “Rishi Sunak’s net worth makes him one of the richest U.K. prime ministers” (The Washington Post). “Worried About Nuclear War? Consider the Micromorts” (WIRED). Other: “Want Power? Stop Saying ‘Sorry’ So Much” (The Wall Street Journal). “We’ve Been Thinking About Holograms All Wrong” (New York).
I thought the story on L.A. homelessness — a column from Ezra Klein — did a particularly good job of explaining all the things that make it so difficult to build affordable housing in this city. |
Editor’s note |
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Just wanted to mention that I’ve compiled every Rylan Report that I’ve ever published in the Morning, Trojan weekend editions here. The comedy bit seems to be fairly popular, so I figured I’d give it its own archive. |
In case you missed it |
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Police reported a spate of antisemitism in L.A. over the weekend, with Beverly Hills authorities investigating a handful of flyers blaming gun control on Jewish people a day after a group draped antisemitic signs over a highway overpass. The latter group directly referred to recent antisemitic remarks from Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West. |
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Gov. Gavin Newsom and Republican challenger Sen. Brian Dahle sparred in the only scheduled gubernatorial debate over homelessness, abortion, gas prices and climate change. Notably, Dahle attacked Newsom for what many have seen as jockeying for a potential 2024 run at the White House; when asked, Newsom committed to serving all four years of his term as governor if reelected. |
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Were you forwarded this email by a friend? Click here to subscribe, or here to view past editions. Morning, Trojan is an Annenberg Media product, curated and edited by Tomoki Chien. Chris Bibona writes The Sports Corner on Mondays. Questions, concerns or feedback? Just reply to this email. USC students can click the following links to access free newspaper subscriptions: Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal. |
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