USC inconveniences everybody
Tomo Chien
April 04, 2025
Good morning. It’s Friday, and I’m stoked for SpringFest. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.
1.
USC, which is apparently determined to turn minor protests into major inconveniences for everybody, shut down several campus entrances yesterday in response to a short-lived pro-Palestinian demonstration. Confusingly, even outbound traffic was barred in the effort to stop people from getting in.
2.
Southern California could face unique economic pain in Donald Trump’s trade war, thanks to the fact that the LA-Long Beach port complex is one of the country’s biggest conduits of trade — and a cornerstone of the regional economy. “Fewer containers coming to the Port of Los Angeles means fewer jobs,” said the port’s director.
3.
An Asian American college student sued five University of California schools that he claims rejected him because of his race. The 19-year-old sore loser software engineer in part argued that because Google hired him out of UT Austin as a freshman, Berkeley could only have rejected him because he’s Asian. He and his dad used ChatGPT to write the lawsuits.
4.
A new California bill could ban teenagers as old as 16 from sitting in the front seat of a car unless they’re taller than 4 foot 9 inches. Advocates say the proposed legislation, which could also require some kids as old as 13 to use booster seats, will improve automotive safety.
5.
Career fairs are a waste of time that are highly unlikely to generate useful job leads, argued Daily Trojan staffer Aani Nagaiah. In an age of digital hiring and AI resume screeners, the fairs “allow universities to claim they provide career development opportunities without addressing how obsolete these events have become,” Nagaiah wrote.