Good morning. It’s Wednesday, and I’m reading about Sabrina Carpenter’s WeHo popup cafe this weekend. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Experts are worried Donald Trump will force universities to roll back transgender protections, axe diversity efforts, and privatize student loans as outlined in Project 2025. Trump, who has decried “wokeness” and “jihadism” on college campuses, could conceivably withhold funding or levy taxes to achieve those goals.

Vimal Patel and Sharon Otterman / The New York Times

2.

NCAA officials put USC football on probation after finding it violated a limit on the number of coaches a team can employ. The finding will amount to little more than a $50,000 slap on the wrist for USC, which the NCAA lauded for its “collaborative” tone during the investigation.

Ryan Kartje / Los Angeles Times

3.

LA County voters approved a historic measure that’ll nearly double the number of supervisors on its governing board. Advocates say the expansion will lead to better governance and temper the immense power that individual supervisors wield; each of today’s five represents a staggering 2 million people.

Helen Jeong / NBC Los Angeles

4.

Americans have consumed copious amounts of alcohol ever since the pandemic, a USC study found. Adults in their 40s and women saw the biggest uptick in reported binge drinking, though the trend was consistent across demographic groups. “The pandemic was a really stressful event,” a researcher said.

Roni Caryn Rabin / The New York Times

5.

Anybody can now order a Waymo robotaxi in LA. The service area spans from Santa Monica to downtown and includes USC, but you won’t be able to take one to LAX and they aren’t allowed on highways. If you want to try the driverless service for yourself, download the iPhone app here and Android here.

Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge

Bulletin

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