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By Tomoki Chien
NEWSLETTER EDITOR

Good morning, I hope you've had a good start to your week. Power through those midterms — the break is near. And now, onto the five USC, Los Angeles and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

USC oncologist Dr. David Agus came under fire after the Los Angeles Times discovered 95 instances of plagiarism in his new book. Sentences — even several consecutive paragraphs, at times — heavily resembled or copied other publications and internet sources word-for-word without credit. Simon & Schuster, the book’s publisher, agreed to halt distribution at Agus’ behest.

Corinne Purtill / Los Angeles Times

2.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said California is “done” doing business with Walgreens after the pharmacy chain said it’ll no longer dispense abortion pills in 20 states where attorneys general threatened legal action against pharmacies who distribute such pills by mail. It wasn’t immediately clear what the practical effect of Newsom’s proclamation might be.

John Woolfolk / The Mercury News

3.

LA Metro unveiled a new unarmed approach to taming rising violent crime and drug use on the transit system, deploying 300 green-polo-clad “transit ambassadors” charged with reporting crime to authorities and helping riders navigate the system. The move, inspired by a similar program started by Bay Area Rapid Transit, is a shift from past heavy-handed law enforcement approaches.

Steve Scauzillio / Los Angeles Daily News

4.

Oakland was left reeling after a ransomware attack exposed the Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, birth dates and addresses of thousands of current and former employees on the dark web — Mayor Sheng Thao and former Mayor Libby Schaaf included. It’s currently unclear how the attackers gained access to the city’s files.

Susie Neilson and Sarah Ravani / San Francisco Chronicle

5.

A fifth of California’s conifer forests are “zombie forests,” meaning a warming climate has left their trees stranded in a habitat that no longer suits them. Many trees in those forests are old enough that they’re surviving just fine, but should wildfire or disease afflict those regions, it’s unlikely that the trees would be able to grow back; they’d be replaced by shrublike vegetation better suited for warmer temperatures.

Elena Shao / The New York Times

You’re all caught up. Thanks for reading Morning, Trojan, and have a good day. Anna Hsu copy edited this newsletter.

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