Two USC programs called Arts in Action and the Art and Climate Collective aim to help students create art that showcases and focuses on social and societal issues. The students’ work spans across multiple mediums, including podcasts, poetry, video and architecture. Grace Harmon spoke with leaders in each program to hear about their goals and motivations.

31 years ago, there was a devastating oil spill in Southern California, but despite the preventative measures put in place since then, there was another spill reported near Huntington Beach recently. Sophia Soo has more on the story.

As millions of users from across the world opened their phones for the occasional scroll this morning, they were met with that startling, dreaded message: “Could not refresh feed.” Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp shut down their services due to an unknown outage. How will this affect USC students, businesses, and users from around the globe relying on these outlets for communication? Shreya Ranganath has more on this story.

2025: a year that seems way in the future, but somehow it’s a benchmark that’s already breaking barriers for USC. The class of 2025 -- also known as the current freshman class-- is the most diverse group of students this campus has ever seen. Here’s Kennedy Zak with more on the story.

Following the Title Nine investigation regarding the USC Song Girls, there have been conversations on campus amongst students and faculty on how USC addresses diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI. Caitlin Calfo has more.

Did you know that male sperm density has declined by more than 55 percent over the last 50 years? This is making fertility, typically defined by child birth rates, plummet throughout the global west. Nico Khazzam reports.

A whistleblower exposed that Facebook had covered up research on Instagram’s negative impact on teen mental health. One study revealed that thirty-two percent of teen girls who felt bad about their bodies said that the app made them feel even worse. Staci Ramsey has more on how USC students and social media experts feel about Instagram’s impact on mental health.

Unvaccinated celebrities have been a hot topic in the news this year. In professional basketball, multiple big stars have refused to get the shot. The NBA announced a new policy on this. Aedan Henry has the story.

IATSE, the largest entertainment union in the country, voted over the weekend to authorize a strike for thousands of crew members. Months of negotiations with major producers ended unsuccessfully for both sides. Now, entertainment industry workers across Hollywood are sharing horror stories online about their work conditions to rally the troops. Alexandra Applegate reports.

Our love of fashion is weighing heavily on the planet. Americans each throw away an average of 70 pounds of clothing a year. But it doesn’t have to be this way. There’s a global movement to change this. To embrace reuse and repair our clothes. Can a person, store, or event make a dent in this global issue? Sofia Fernandez spoke with practitioners of the movement to find out.