The Los Angeles Times reported on a new federal lawsuit filed by several California drivers accusing major gas chains of using AI software to collude and keep pump prices artificially high. The case tests California’s updated antitrust law, which now treats algorithm-driven common pricing as potential price-fixing, even if the companies are not directly in communication. “I wouldn’t be surprised if [this kind of individualized pricing] exists in all different kinds” of industries, said Robert Zeithammer, a professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. “If you’re a car dealer, you could be doing it.” Read more about UCLA in today’s PBS NewsHour, USA Today and others.

More highlights from UCLA in the News: July 1, 2026

Three presidents died on July fourth. Was it the ‘work of God’? | Los Angeles Times

“People interpreted their deaths in a religious manner,” said Michael Meranze, a U.S. history professor at UCLA. “It was clearly taken symbolically as both the birth and growth of the early republic.” 

Democratic socialist wins Colorado House primary | CNN

“I think that a couple of things we should keep in mind: The first is that, when you see things like this happen, you’re right to say, this is an interesting moment and we should think about why. But, I think the other thing is, we want to remember these are very particular places with very particular kinds of voters, the kind that Ron just described, and we want to be careful not to extrapolate that to a nationwide movement that is changing the shape and tenor of the Democratic party,” said UCLA’s Lynn Vavreck (approx. 2:30 mark). 

SCOTUS transforms campaign finance rules, lifting limits on spending | PBS NewsHour

“Well, this is more of the same. We have had the Supreme Court since the 2010 Citizens United case rule that campaign finance law after campaign finance law is unconstitutional. Now, some of their earlier rulings, like the ones in Citizens United, helped to create super PACs which empowered outside groups. But the limits on political parties, they had — the Supreme Court in its deregulatory phase hadn’t really tackled,” said UCLA’s Rick Hasen. 

Supreme Court issues major decisions | Spectrum News 1

“I’m surprised it’s as close as it turned out to be, 6 to 3. I would have thought it would be closer to — I wouldn’t expect unanimity, but I thought it would be closer,” said UCLA’s Hiroshi Motomura. 

Opinion: Anti-communist rhetoric returns as a midterm strategy | USA Today

Daniel Treisman, a political science professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, told me Trump “wants to capitalize” on those recent wins, to take advantage of any discomfort felt by independent or Democratic Party voters. “When Trump thinks a rhetorical trope works for him, he uses it everywhere,” Treisman said. “With Republicans widely predicted to underperform in the midterms, exploiting the discomfort of mainstream voters with big-city socialists offers a possible path to victory against the odds.” 

Racial diversity in 2025 streaming films | The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education

The University of California, Los Angeles, has released a new report examining diversity in 2025 streaming films. The study includes information on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) representation among actors, directors and writers for the 89 English-language streaming original films released in 2025. 

Chaotic pigeons help redefine what we know about learning | Scientific American

University of California, Los Angeles, psychology professor Aaron Blaisdell, who was not involved in the new study, is not that surprised by the results. “But this paper leaves open many questions about the [neurological] mechanisms” for future scientists to explore, he adds. 

Fire crews working to clear smoldering in warehouse in Boyle Heights | KNX-AM

But Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne, an assistant professor of Environmental Sciences at UCLA, said there’s also some concern that while firefighters were dumping all of that water on the flames, some of it may have picked up contaminants as the water flowed into storm drains and then into the LA River. 

Heart failure gets a new definition, experts say it will transform care | Heathline

Dr. Gregg Fonarow, interim chief of the Division of Cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, director of the Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center, and co-director of UCLA’s Preventative Cardiology Program, explained why a consistent definition is important. “The updated universal definition of heart failure matters because it finally brings global consistency to how we diagnose and describe heart failure,” Fonarow told Healthline. 

What older adults should know about GLP-1s as coverage expands | New York Times

When people go off these drugs, they typically regain weight. When that happens, they don’t automatically regain the same amount of muscle they had before. “Some of that is actually replaced by fat,” said Dr. Tannaz Moin, an endocrinologist at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

How extreme heat affects the body after 50 | AARP

Many communities set up centers during heat waves to provide a safe space for people to cool down. Identify the closest one, and plan how to get there if you need to use it. If you have pets, check to see whether they’re welcome, says Diane Garcia-Gonzales, a research scientist with the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, who was part of a team that created community heat maps so state residents can stay informed about heat events in their areas. 

New study reveals why your dominant hand excels at everyday tasks | Scienmag

This research, spearheaded by neurologist Dr. Ahmet Arac at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, challenges the entrenched hypothesis that the dominant hemisphere is prewired for enhanced motor control. Instead, the study elucidates that the experience and practice executing complex, tool-related trajectories is what sculpts arm dominance over a lifetime.