USC wants to cool tuition growth, Kim says
Tomo Chien
January 13, 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 looking to slow its infamous tuition growth, Interim President Beong-Soo Kim said in a wide-ranging interview during a December trip to India. “One thing I’m focused on is bending the cost curve,” Kim said, adding that recent budget cuts will allow USC to “reinvest funds into the academic mission and student experience.”
2.
Immigration officers nearly killed a 21-year-old protester in Santa Ana after firing a less-lethal round, point-blank into his face, in an incident caught on video. The victim was protesting the murder of Renee Good in Minneapolis and was left permanently blinded in one eye with shrapnel just millimeters from a carotid artery.
3.
A team of USC researchers is developing an AI tool that will analyze thousands of hours of police body-camera footage during traffic stops. The goal, according to professor Benjamin Graham, is to help departments like LAPD identify best techniques to de-escalate situations — and potentially identify who deserves promotions.
4.
Ticket registration for the 2028 Olympic Games opens tomorrow at 7 a.m. The process is somewhat convoluted: Registering tomorrow puts you in the running to purchase tickets, and if you’re selected, you’ll be assigned a time slot later this year when you can actually buy the tickets. Locals get first dibs.
5.
Have $1,500 to spare? A Silver Lake pop-up by René Redzepi, a world-famous Danish chef, will charge diners a mind-boggling fee when it opens in March. Redzepi said the price tag at Noma LA is so high because he transplanted 130 staff members from Copenhagen to LA. Drinks, at least, are included.
