USC too woke for Hegseth
Tomo Chien
February 17, 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 is one of three dozen schools that the federal government may disqualify from a tuition assistance program for military officers. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed the schools are biased against the military. But it’s unclear how he’s squaring that with USC’s massive Department of Defense contracts.
2.
Nurses at USC’s Keck Hospital and Norris Cancer Center will strike for one week starting Thursday, protesting changes to employee health care plans. USC said it is “disappointed by their decision” but that hospitals will remain “open and fully staffed.”
3.
Voting opens at 10 a.m. today for the Undergraduate Student Government elections. If you’re not sure who to vote for, consider reading the Daily Trojan’s fact check of campaign promises or its presidential endorsement. The link to vote should be posted on USG’s Instagram page.
4.
USC’s health care system is increasingly deploying AI technology in hospitals and labs. But one of its most visible tools has been in place for years: Nabla AI generates notes during patient visits and proposes treatment plans. “This was very heavily vetted,” one official said. “It’s giving your provider that little boost that they need.”
5.
USC student government elections didn’t use to be so tame. For much of the last century, they were marred by incredible scandal — and are famously where key Watergate conspirators had years earlier learned their “ratfucking” tricks: stuffing ballot boxes, bribing opposing candidates, and spreading manure at polling stations.
