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.