Good morning. It’s Wednesday, and I’m reading about a California cheese competition that’s in turmoil. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles and California stories you need to know for today.

Vote for the inaugural “USC Moron of the Year.”

1.

A USC transportation bus collided with a Metro train on Exposition Boulevard just south of campus, injuring 55 people yesterday afternoon. At least 18 passengers were taken to the hospital, two of whom were in critical condition. A Metro spokesperson said the USC bus drove into the path of the train, and USC’s transportation department said the bus was carrying just one rider at the time.

Andrew J. Campa / Los Angeles Times

2.

UCLA was left stunned by violence just a few hours ago, when a band of counter-protesters mounted an assault on the school’s pro-Palestinian encampment. The counter-protesters threw fireworks and lumber into the encampment and both sides reportedly exchanged pepper spray. Police and campus security allowed the violence to continue for hours without intervening. The move came a day after Congress said it’ll haul the school’s chancellor to Washington to testify about antisemitism on his campus.

Diana Ramirez-Simon / The Guardian

3.

A swastika drawing was discovered on a pillar outside of USC’s campus, leading President Carol Folt to swiftly condemn the graffiti. In another statement, Folt skewered leaders of the school’s pro-Palestinian encampment, writing that “they seemed more interested in having me issue a political statement in support of their viewpoint as opposed to coming up with practical solutions to resolve the situation.” Protesters aren’t pleased. And in yet another statement, Folt touted USC’s new and rather unfortunately named “designated Free Speech Area.” 

Katie Simons / Annenberg Media

4.

Want to stick it to Biden in November? Great news: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — political scion and longshot presidential candidate — will be on the ballot in California. It’s the latest in a limited series of hard-fought wins for Kennedy, who’s waging an uphill battle to get his name on state ballots while fending off legal attacks from President Biden. In California, Kennedy wiggled his way onto the ballot by securing the nomination of a little-known party whose first nominee in 1968 was an Alabama segregationist. 

Rebecca Davis O’Brien / The New York Times

5.

If you walk past the Superior Court building in downtown LA, you’ll see a somewhat menacing sign labeled “FALLOUT SHELTER.” Turns out it was installed in the 1960s as part of a federal plan to designate mass shelters in the event of a nuclear war. The irony, of course, is that the court is in the heart of downtown — which is the most likely place in LA to get nuked. And FYI: In the event of a nuclear conflict, officials now recommend sheltering in place.

Tom Carroll / 404