The USC megadonor steering millions to the right
Tomo Chien
October 20, 2025
Good morning. It’s Monday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.
1.
Over 90% of political donations made by USC’s trustees have gone toward right-leaning causes in the last 40 years, a new analysis found. That’s almost entirely thanks to one non-voting board member: Miriam Adelson, a MAGA megadonor and the world’s 53rd-richest person, whose contributions have dwarfed those of other trustees.
2.
Today’s the deadline for colleges to respond to the Trump administration’s offer of preferential funding in exchange for policy reforms. Six of nine schools that received the original offer, including USC, have rejected it. Dartmouth and the University of Virginia turned down the agreement after a Friday meeting with the White House.
3.
USC football’s playoff hopes are hanging on a thread after a bungled trick play led to a 34-24 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday. “The Trojans have opportunities ahead, but they’ve seldom looked like a team capable of taking advantage of them,” The Athletic wrote.
4.
The Marine Corps insisted that a live-fire exercise over the Interstate 5 to celebrate its anniversary would pose no danger to the public. State officials closed the highway anyway, citing safety concerns. It turns out their fears were justified: An artillery shell exploded prematurely, sending shrapnel onto a California Highway Patrol cruiser.
5.
A rapper who’s recently gone viral for swinging his arms and gyrating his hips in public — he calls it “the grind” — is visiting LA colleges today. It’s unclear if Adamn Killa’s tour will include USC, but if you hear a large crowd shouting “ooh, arrest me daddy,” you heard it here first.