Good morning. It’s Thursday, and the Charlie Kirk shitposting is getting out of hand. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Millions of Americans are in for a nasty awakening as the Biden-era pause on federal student loan payments comes to an end. One California woman only realized the moratorium was lifted when her credit score dropped by 100 points. Estimates show some 9 million people could be in the same boat.

Staff / The Wall Street Journal

2.

In case you missed it: References to DEI programs are quietly disappearing from USC websites. Pages that once promised to “promote institutional support for advocacy/activism at all levels” are gone. References to cultural student news outlets were scrubbed. And “DEI” was replaced with terms like “community and culture.”

Tomo Chien / Morning, Trojan

3.

Cops raided Huntington Park City Hall and the homes of several local politicians as part of a corruption investigation. The probe centers around a still-unbuilt aquatic center that the city has somehow spent $14 million on, leading prosecutors to investigate allegations of bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy.

Ruben Vives / Los Angeles Times

4.

A downtown barber has become something of a matchmaker after posting viral singles ads for his clients. Julian Saluta of TheGallery said some videos have landed his customers serious dates. Others, flings. Mostly, though, there’s a lot of internet drooling. “Does Brandon like older women?” one recent commenter asked.

Gina Cherelus / The New York Times

5.

Bad news for nature lovers: This year’s dry winter will likely kill the chances of a decent wildflower bloom in Southern California. “We’re already hitting 82 in February,” said a state park manager. “It doesn't make the prospects very good for a decent bloom year.” In the meantime, you can reminisce the spectacular 2023 superbloom with these photos.

Makenna Sievertson / LAist