USC to keep selling bodies for IDF training
Tomo Chien
January 27, 2026
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.
1.
USC will continue to supply cadavers for a military program that trains medical teams in the Israel Defense Forces, government contracts show. The revelation brings new relevance to an October investigation by Annenberg Media that first publicized the practice.
2.
Black and Hispanic enrollment at USC has remained largely stable since the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action, according to a new analysis. Asian and Black students saw identical, small percentage-point declines, while white enrollment fell the most — a shift driven in part by an increase in international students, who are counted separately.
3.
California’s skies are literally growing clearer as residents continue to adopt electric vehicles, a team of USC researchers found. The study, which used high-resolution satellite data, found a link between increases in EV registrations by ZIP code and decreases in pollutants.
4.
Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol chief who has served as the public face of Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, was removed from his role and will return to his old post in El Centro, California, where he is expected to retire soon. The sudden demotion came after agents under his command killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.
5.
The actress Sydney Sweeney could face legal blowback after stringing the Hollywood sign with exotic lingerie in an (admittedly entertaining) publicity stunt. Sweeney, who was promoting her new underwear line, did not obtain the proper permits, though it’s unclear if authorities will file a police report.
