USC gets 'F' for free speech
Tomo Chien
October 17, 2025
Good morning. It’s Friday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.
1.
A leading free speech advocacy group gave USC an “F” for speech climate, citing controversies during pro-Palestinian protests and a poll showing nearly four in ten students think it’s OK to use violence to silence speakers. The ranking by FIRE was slightly better than last year’s, which put USC nearly dead last among U.S. colleges.
2.
A USC rally originally billed as an anti-Trump compact protest will go on today despite the university rejecting the deal, organizers said. The gathering at noon near Tommy Trojan will be “a rally for keeping the energy going to defend academic freedom,” they wrote. “The struggle isn't over.”
3.
President Donald Trump credited an influential USC trustee for his pro-Israel policies while speaking before the country’s parliament. Miriam Adelson — an Israeli-American MAGA mega donor who’s a non-voting member of USC’s board — is a “wonderful woman” with “$60 billion in the bank,” Trump said. (She has closer to $40 billion.)
4.
Dozens of “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration are set to take place Saturday, following earlier demonstrations this summer that drew millions of Americans to the streets. See a map of all planned protests in Southern California, including several in downtown LA.
5.
The photographer Robin Dunitz spent years documenting LA’s street art and murals, eventually publishing those photos in a 1998 book. Forgotten Los Angeles posted a nostalgic carousel of her images, which show LA’s streets in a vibrant, quirky era starting in the 60s. Photos at the link below.