Good morning. It’s Tuesday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

USC settled a lawsuit by a former student who accused David Kang, an international relations professor who left USC in March, of sexually harassing her, according to records reviewed by Morning, Trojan. The last-minute settlement allowed the university to dodge a potentially embarrassing trial that was set to begin yesterday.

2.

As college sports grow increasingly professionalized under NCAA rule changes, critics are pointing out the questionable nonprofit status of university athletics departments. Sports programs, a University of Denver professor argued, are “only loosely tied” to their schools, and should be separate entities that pay taxes.

3.

CNN sent an intern to Yale to report on how chatbots are affecting academics. “My work ethic has completely diminished from high school,” one student said. “Everyone now kind of sounds the same,” said another, who described classmates reading off of ChatGPT-written scripts in class.

4.

A growing number of Americans are injecting themselves with unregulated peptides — microproteins touted by RFK Jr. that promise dubious benefits like increased strength. Fun fact: Pinchas Cohen, dean of USC’s gerontology school, made the scientific discovery that underpins the craze. But he isn’t too stoked about it, he told The New Yorker.

5.

Southern California is the “theme park capital of the world,” the LA Times declared this morning. To celebrate mainstays such as Knott’s Berry Farm, Disneyland, and Universal Studios — institutions “integral to SoCal life” — the Times launched a newsletter that’ll dispense practical park-going tips and geek out on their history.