The Brief

Two high school students have been recognized for their innovative research at this year's Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation's oldest science and math competition. The awards ceremony took place Tuesday night in Washington, D.C.

Matteo Paz, 18, of Pasadena took first place for his research on detecting objects in the night sky. Using algorithms he designed, Paz sorted through a decade's worth of astronomical data, 200 terabytes in total, leading to a catalog of 2 million celestial objects, 1.5 million of which are new candidate discoveries.

"There genuinely are a lot of use cases for what I found here, and that's really why I'm excited about this," Paz said. "For example, a prototype of this catalog is already in use by a separate research group at Caltech trying to analyze these things called M-dwarfs, which can help us understand which exoplanets, alien worlds orbiting other stars, can actually be habitable for humans like us."

Second-place winner Ava Cummings, 18, of Smithfield, N.C., created a model using fruit flies to study STAC-3 disorder, a rare muscle disease first identified in members of the Lumbee tribe in North Carolina.

"It has a lot of connections to my cultural background, so I was very interested in doing more research into this disease and also introducing some novel treatments that might help improve the quality of life for individuals within my tribe," Cummings said.

Her research found that a combination of the experimental drug Tirasemtiv and an herbal treatment made from nettles produced the best results in her fruit fly subjects.

"It led me to value how the bridge between modern medicine and traditional Indigenous medicinal practices can be very applicable in the scientific community and in medicine," she said.

Both students intend to pursue their passions in college, paving the way for the future of scientific discovery.

Edited for radio by Reena Advani. Produced and edited for the web by Majd Al-Waheidi.
Copyright 2025 NPR

Until this year, UCLA senior Syed Tamim Ahmad considered staying in the U.S. after graduation to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor. But when the Trump administration revoked thousands of student visas last spring, he spent many sleepless nights supporting his peers as his school’s international student representative. The experience left him exhausted.

Ultimately, most student visas were reinstated following pressure from courts and judges nationwide. But the speed and intensity of the revocations — coupled with a lack of institutional support — caused distrust and anxiety for international students like Ahmad.

“After all that fiasco, I decided no, not anymore,” said Ahmad, who was born in India and raised in the United Arab Emirates.

Ahmad, an integrated biology and physiological sciences major, is now planning to go to medical school in Australia, where he said he can do research “in peace” without fearing changes to his visa status or funding.

A recent report by the Institute of International Education shows that the number of international college students in the U.S. is mostly stable for now, with just a 1% decrease in enrollment this fall. However, the report also found a 17% decline in new international students enrolling in American colleges and universities.

And from what students like Ahmad are saying, fewer are also likely to stay in the U.S. after graduation.

Tightening federal policies about who can live and work in the U.S. from abroad threaten further decreases in enrollment and losses of talent. International students bring diverse viewpoints and perspectives that enrich the classroom environment and lead to scientific and economic advancements, researchers and faculty alike told CalMatters.

The National Science Board found in a 2022 report that more temporary visa holders earn STEM doctorates than citizens and permanent residents combined, while international students earn a disproportionate amount of doctoral degrees in critical and emerging technologies. Foreign students in particular drive scientific research and advancement in the U.S.

Over 1.1 million international students studied in the U.S. during the last academic year. Of those students, 12.5% — over 140,000 — studied in California, making it the state with the largest international student population.

Last fall, international students made up 12% of the total student enrollment in the University of California system, with over 35,000 students from foreign countries. The California State University system enrolls nearly 14,000 international students, or about 3% of total enrollment.

This fall, the Cal State number has dropped to 12,122 students, according to the Cal State data dashboard. An official with the University of California Office of the President said the UC will not release enrollment data until later in December or January.

The Institute of International Education collected responses from 828 U.S. higher education institutions for its report. While it is unclear how many of these were California institutions, the report states that 22% of responses were from western states.

The UC system has faced pressure from the California Legislature in recent years to increase the number of students from California. In response, the UC’s 2030 Capacity Plan proposed decreasing the amount of nonresident students. UC Regents also increased tuition for incoming nonresident students by over $3,400 starting this fall.

Scenario modeling from the Association of International Educators showed California facing a projected 15% decline in overall international student enrollment this academic year. This would mean over 7,000 fewer international students for California’s two public university systems. The education nonprofit projects this drop could result in California losing more than $1 billion in revenue — based on the tuition and living expenses foreign students must pay — with similar enrollment trends across the country driving losses of nearly $7 billion nationwide.

Current realities for international students in California 

Dorothy, an undergraduate student from China and opinion columnist for The Daily Cal at UC Berkeley, said anxiety has increased among her peers under Trump’s presidency. She asked that her full name not be published due to fear of retaliation from the federal government.

Recently, her reporting on the international student experience in California has been bleak.

“A lot of students are just debating whether they should focus their future on their home country or continue to seek employment here” after graduating, she said.

She also said no amount of support from her university would be enough to make her feel fully secure from federal policy.

“If I get my visa revoked, I [won’t] be able to just come back and continue my education here, because [the decision] can be overruled by a larger government,” she said.

The total number of foreign students pursuing higher education in the U.S. under the F-1 visa, which classifies holders as nonimmigrant full-time students, had steadily increased since 2020, surpassing pre-COVID numbers in 2024.

At the same time, the number of foreign students on temporary work authorizations, called Optional Practical Training, also increased. In the last academic year, nearly 300,000 foreign students were working with the authorization, a 21% increase from the prior year. Part of this accounted for graduate students entering the workforce.

But graduate student numbers are also declining. This fall, graduate enrollment decreased by 12%, according to the Institute of International Education report, which may also be a response to Trump’s research funding cuts.

Namrata on the Sacramento State campus on Nov. 14, 2025. Namrata is an international student from India studying political science at Sacramento State. She uses the singular name Namrata as her legal name.

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Aliza Imran

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CalMatters

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Sacramento State student Namrata, an international student from India who uses the singular name as her legal name, said her academic experience as a political science major has suffered due to her international student status.

She said faculty and peers have advised her to avoid writing about certain topics in her academic papers. Namrata referenced a recent English paper she wrote on freedom of speech, explaining that her professor cautioned her against making the piece overly political and discouraged her from addressing issues such as genocides or human rights violations. She said she feels restricted within her major and that her “degree doesn't have value.”

“I don’t even have an equal chance to succeed as other students,” she said. “I wish I was them.”

Namrata is thinking about pursuing her master’s degree in another country or her home country.

Roma Singh, a freshman cinematic arts major from South Africa at Cal State Long Beach, said that while the immigration crackdown did “throw a wrench” in her plans, she ultimately decided that coming to California was the best decision for her aspirations. Singh hopes to pursue a career in Hollywood, and that being near Los Angeles will allow her to enter the industry.

Singh said that attaining her F-1 student visa was a difficult process. Embassy appointments were scarce, and she and her family scanned the embassy website for hours, several days in a row, to find an opening.

“I know some students who were hoping to attend Long Beach and they weren't able to because they weren't able to get an appointment,” Singh said.

International students are anxious about their futures 

Many international students come to the U.S. with the goal of staying permanently. But with the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants, several told CalMatters the U.S. is becoming a less desirable destination for education and residency.

The path for international students to stay in the U.S. after graduation isn’t easy. Through the temporary work authorization, F-1 visa holders can work in the U.S. for up to 12 months. The institute report shows that 92% of higher education institutions believe that without that work authorization, international students would likely choose other countries for their education.

Syed Tamim Ahmad on the UCLA campus in April 2023. Ahmad is an international student from United Arab Emirates who will be leaving the U.S. for medical school in Australia.

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Kush Agarwal

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Students may also pursue a work visa like the H-1B, which permits residency for an initial three-year period.

But a recent additional $100,000 fee for the H-1B visa — a common next step for international students wishing to stay in the U.S. after graduation — adds a roadblock for international students hoping to remain in the U.S.

One major challenge for thousands of students, both current and prospective, has been navigating Trump’s June travel ban to and from 12 countries, mostly in the Middle East and Africa. For seven more countries spread across the globe, he enacted a partial travel ban, including forbidding new student visas.

Students who already had visas were not subject to the ban, but many were advised by their universities to not leave the U.S., as re-entry was not guaranteed due to rapidly changing federal policy.

What international students bring to California

International students are a key source of revenue for tuition-driven universities, as they are not eligible for federal financial aid and often pay full tuition.

With 50% of students at the UC and Cal State paying zero tuition due to financial aid, the higher tuition paid by international and out-of-state students is advantageous, said Valerie Lundy-Wagner, associate director of the Public Policy Institute of California’s higher education center.

For the 2026-27 academic year, full-time nonresident students at the UCs will pay over $36,000 more in tuition than resident students. Assuming a normal credit load, nonresident students at Cal State will pay $14,000 more in tuition.

But while international students provide more tuition revenue than domestic ones, Lundy-Wagner said potential declines in enrollment are not dire, as institutions will have time to assess the intensity of enrollment declines and “what risk to tuition revenue they can expect,” allowing them to redistribute resources accordingly.

“No one expects that next year there are going to be no international students,” she said.

For institutions in California, particularly graduate programs, Lundy-Wagner said the presidential administration’s recent slashing of federal research funding is “more of an immediate issue” than declines in international enrollment.

And if enrollment declines are significant enough, the UC and Cal State systems can always supplement losses in tuition revenue with out-of-state students, as “there are still plenty of other states they could be recruiting from” where students would pay the same nonresident tuition.

But international students bring much more to California than simply additional tuition revenue, Lundy-Wagner said.

“The state has a diverse economy. Diverse economies require people who have diverse perspectives, and some of that will come in through folks who are coming from different countries,” she said. “It benefits California students and faculty to be interacting with folks who are from these different places and spaces.”

Sujatha Moni, a women’s and gender studies professor from India who teaches at Sacramento State, agrees.

She said that international students bring a unique perspective from their cultural backgrounds and interact with class content differently, providing domestic students with new viewpoints that they otherwise wouldn’t have been exposed to.

“International students enhance the value of education on our campus,” she said. “They bring that critical diversity that is much needed, that is so enriching, for any campus.”

Applying to study in California now

Despite the challenges, Dorothy said she has never regretted her decision to come to California for her university education, citing interesting classes, high-caliber professors and a vibrant, international community as draw factors.

She said if international families can afford to send their students to the U.S., and if they “value the experience and the education itself, it’s still worth it” to study here. She is encouraging her brother to also study in the U.S.

At UCLA, Ahmad said he is wary about recommending international students study in the U.S., citing how draining it has been for him to constantly worry about his visa status and potential cuts to research funding on top of being a student. He told his brother to “absolutely not” apply to the U.S. for law school.

“Given the current situation, I would say no,” he said. “But if it was like, a year back, … I would say yes.”

Ahmad looks forward to finally being in Australia, away from “the political drama” in the U.S. and the pressure to constantly advocate for himself and his international peers.

“I can also take a step back and, you know, be a student.”

Aliza Imran and Kahani Malhotra are contributors with the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters higher education coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is promising big changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which currently helps almost 42 million Americans buy groceries.

In recent media appearances, she said attention on SNAP during the government shutdown "has given us a platform to completely deconstruct the program" and said details about structural changes to the program would be released this week.

Rollins has made a case for sweeping changes to SNAP by asserting her agency uncovered "massive fraud" in state data the agency demanded, and has emphasized statistics suggesting wrongdoing without providing the underlying data or details.

The Trump administration's latest campaign for SNAP changes comes as millions of recipients are already poised to lose benefits in the coming years as states begin to implement new work requirements and eligibility rules that Republicans in Congress passed over the summer that are the deepest cuts in history to the program.

In a Fox Business interview last month, Rollins said the further changes she is proposing will "make sure those vulnerable Americans who really need that benefit are going to get it. And for all the rest of the fraudsters and the people who are corrupt and taking advantage of it — we're going to protect the taxpayer, too."

Food policy experts say they are concerned that Rollins' talking points suggest a distorted view of the prevalence of SNAP recipients committing fraud, and seem to conflate fraud with payment errors of any kind.

"My worry is that she's risking setting a public narrative that this is a program that has more fraud than it actually does, or that the people who need it and use it to meet their very basic food needs are somehow committing a crime by seeking food assistance," said Stacy Dean, executive director of George Washington University's Global Food Institute and a former U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) official during the Biden administration.

"And that's just it's not it's not good for the program. It's absolutely terrible for the people who need it," Dean said.

Comments Rollins made in recent weeks that everyone on SNAP would have to reapply sparked confusion among SNAP recipients, state officials and food policy experts. SNAP recipients already have to go through a recertification process — in most cases every six or 12 months, and it is unclear what legal authority USDA would have to add additional steps.

A group of Democratic U.S. senators sent a letter last month asking Rollins to clarify what she meant and pointed out that SNAP is facing "unprecedented cuts" and there is additional uncertainty after the Trump administration halted SNAP payments during the shutdown.

"We are therefore troubled that the Administration could choose, at this moment, to add additional red tape that creates duplicative and unnecessary barriers to accessing nutrition assistance for families," the letter reads.

USDA officials are seemingly walking back the suggestion that there will be a new reapplication process for SNAP recipients. A statement from the agency indicates that it plans to use existing recertification protocols.

"Secretary Rollins wants to ensure the fraud, waste, and incessant abuse of SNAP ends. Rates of fraud were only previously assumed, and President Trump is doing something about it," reads a statement from a USDA spokesperson. "Using standard recertification processes for households is a part of that work. As well as ongoing analysis of state data, further regulatory work, and improved collaboration with states."

Unpacking Rollins' claims

Earlier this year, the USDA made an unprecedented demand to states to turn over personal data of SNAP recipients. Most Democratic-led states refused, and a federal judge in San Francisco blocked USDA from withholding funding from states that did not comply and found the federal agency's data demand was likely unlawful.

But 28 states and Guam did turn over data, according to a USDA spokesperson, and Rollins has been citing statistics from that data in several media appearances in recent weeks as evidence that the food assistance program needs to be overhauled.

In a recent News Nation interview, Rollins said the state data showed that "186,000 dead people receiving benefits, 500,000 Americans receiving benefits two times, so double what they should be receiving. We've arrested more than 120 people with SNAP fraud," Rollins said.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins points to a chart on SNAP benefits during a news conference on Capitol Hill on Oct. 31 in Washington, D.C.

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Anna Moneymaker

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"And that doesn't include most of the blue states where we believe there's even more fraud and abuse. And under the last administration, the SNAP benefits increased 40%. So clearly, there's a right-sizing that needs to happen."

The USDA has not presented data that backs up these statistics, which makes it hard to evaluate their significance.

For example, some deceased individuals will inevitably be enrolled in the program because state officials have to verify the death and provide time for the household to respond before SNAP benefits are reduced or terminated. Households that erroneously receive payments when someone is deceased must pay that money back.

As for people receiving two benefit payments, the specifics of the cases Rollins cited are still unknown, but in court filings a California state official listed a number of legitimate explanations for why that can occur — including when a SNAP household is owed a supplemental payment to correct an error.

It is also unclear what Rollins means when she says SNAP benefits increased 40% under the Biden administration. USDA did not respond to a question seeking clarification.

The department announced that SNAP payments would expand 40% due to the pandemic in April 2020 — during President Trump's first term.

Lauren Bauer, a fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution and the associate director of The Hamilton Project, analyzed USDA data but was unable to find evidence of a 40% increase under Biden. Instead, she found that during Trump's presidency benefit costs increased by more than 30%, while during Biden's term they decreased by almost 17%.

"The dynamics of benefit increases and decreases is not really about presidencies. It's about the business cycle and where we are in terms of a recession and in terms of the climb out of it," Bauer said.

More SNAP changes to come

A draft of a regulation that the USDA submitted to the Office of Management and Budget last month could provide a clue for one of the changes to SNAP the Trump administration could unveil soon.

The draft calls for narrowing what is known as "broad-based categorical eligibility" for SNAP, which is currently used by more than 40 states to ensure welfare recipients can receive SNAP.

Researchers at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute have argued this eligibility rule should be ended because states are using it to allow people with incomes above the limit set by the SNAP statute to receive the benefit. Though they also cautioned that eliminating broad-based categorical eligibility must be done in a way that addresses "benefit cliffs" that would disincentivize people from earning slightly more because they would lose benefits and become worse off.

Katie Bergh, a senior policy analyst at the liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities who has criticized the potential change, estimates a policy change like this could lead to nearly 6 million people losing SNAP benefits.

"At every opportunity, the administration is seeking additional ways to attack anti-hunger programs," Bergh said.

Copyright 2025 NPR

I think we all breathed a sigh of relief when we saw the recent headline that fire season in L.A. is all but over. Forget Dodgers season tickets — I can’t think of a better holiday gift for this city.

Music-wise, ease into December with Lady Blackbird at the Blue Note on Monday. Our friends at Licorice Pizza also recommend RuPaul’s Drag Race all-star Alaska 5000’s A Very Alaska Christmas Show at the Regent on Tuesday and superstar rapper Blxst’s first of four nights at the Roxy (he’ll also be there Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday). On Wednesday, Twin Shadow is at the Regent, and on Thursday, our personal faves, Public Service Broadcasting, are also at the Regent.

Explore more on LAist, where you can find the best local food and drink gifts to give this holiday season, read up on FilmWeek’s latest film picks, and we talk to Wicked: For Good costume designer Paul Tazewell. And don’t forget to support LAist on Giving Tuesday!

Events

Frank Meyer in concert

Wednesday, December 3, 11 p.m. 
Old Towne Pub 
66 N. Fair Oaks, Pasadena
COST: $10; MORE INFO 

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Mario Luis

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Frank Meyer has been playing the L.A. punk scene for decades. Founder of West Coast punk legends Streetwalkin' Cheetahs, Meyer (he might look familiar also because his brother is actor Breckin Meyer), has collaborated with folks like James Williamson (Iggy & the Stooges), Wayne Kramer (MC5), FEAR and Eddie Spaghetti (Supersuckers). He’ll play from his debut solo album at Old Towne Pub in Pasadena — get all that post-Thanksgiving rage out with some punk jams!

Writers Bloc presents NY AG Letitia James with Brian Tyler Cohen

Thursday, December 4, 7:30 p.m.
The Ebell Lounge
743 S. Lucerne Ave., Mid-Wilshire 
COST: $35; MORE INFO

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Writers Bloc Presents

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Few people have been in the news the past few weeks more than New York Attorney General Letitia James. Fresh off the dismissal of the cases against her and former FBI director James Comey, James is coming to Writers Bloc for a conversation with No Lie podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen. No doubt this will be a topical and exciting evening at the Ebell.

World AIDS Day: Artists and Activism, co-presented by Artillery

Wednesday, December 3, 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. 
Oculus Hall at The Broad
221 S Grand Ave., Downtown L.A.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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Courtesy The Broad

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Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day, and a group of incredible artists — including Rubén Esparza, Ken Gonzales-Day, Joey Terrill and photographer-documentarian Judy Ornelas Sisneros — will join journalist Carolina A. Miranda for a conversation about artists, social justice and the history of arts amid the AIDS crisis at the Broad. Across their long careers, the speakers featured have worked to shape how we view the AIDS crisis, LGBTQ+ equality and other issues.

Grand Illuminations

Wednesday, December 3, 12 p.m. 
The Yard at Cal Plaza
350 S. Grand Ave., Downtown L.A. 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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Courtesy DTLA Alliance

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Downtown lights up for the annual Grand Illuminations opening celebration. It’s free, and there are events from 12 p.m. all through the evening, with a holiday marketplace curated by The Goddess Mercado, live entertainment from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the community tree lighting at 5 p.m.

Last DTLA Art Night of the Year

Thursday, December 4, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Various locations (see map), Downtown L.A. 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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Courtesy DTLA Artnight

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It’s the last Downtown L.A. art night until 2026, so grab a jacket and stroll through the various galleries around downtown, many of which have new exhibits open for the holiday season. We recommend checking out the opening of Airbrush to AI: Fifty Years of Reinvention: A Retrospective by Patti Heid at the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art.

Fiber Night

Thursday, December 4, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
StichStop L.A.
13270 Moorpark Street, Sherman Oaks
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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Sharon Waldron

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Unsplash

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Whether you’re an avid knitter, embroiderer, weaver or just a dabbler, head to StitchStop LA for their free Fiber Night event in Sherman Oaks. Adults and kids can swing by to learn more about fiber arts and participate in hands-on demonstrations of all kinds of crafts, including crochet, pompom-making, needle-felting and even a special tufting gun demo from Tuft House LA (whose awesome rug classes we’ve featured here before!). Just in time for homemade holiday gifting.

Holiday Undie Run

Thursday, December 4, 6:30 p.m.
The Penmar 
1233 Rose Ave., Venice 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

MeUndies (who else?) is sponsoring a holiday-themed Undie Run at Rose Ave. hotspot The Penmar. Snag free holiday undies (and sport them on the fun run around the public golf course), as well as other gifts, tacos and a “Naughty Santa” photo op.

Brazil: Director's Cut

Monday, December 1, 9:30 p.m.
Alamo Drafthouse 
700 W. 7th Street, Ste. U240, Downtown L.A.
COST: $22.68; MORE INFO 

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Twentieth Century Fox

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OK, so it’s probably the least “holiday” movie I could find, but you don’t want to miss a chance to see Terry Gilliam’s most chilling work, Brazil, on the big screen at Alamo Drafthouse downtown. Take a trip into a pretty dark timeline of future social and political upheaval in this Orwellian masterpiece about bureaucracy gone wrong.

Castanea x Washington Square Pizza

Wednesday, December 3, 6 p.m.
31 Washington Blvd., Venice 
COST: $20; MORE INFO 

Grab a “Memento Box” of pastries, snacks and surprise goodies from Castanea Sicilian Cafe and Washington Square Pizza at Washington Square Pizza for one night only. The event is free, but the box is $20 of yum.

National Cookie Day

Thursday, December 4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
McCormick x Milk Bar 
7150 Melrose Ave., Melrose
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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Courtesy McCormick

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Join McCormick, Milk Bar and Christina Tosi are celebrating National Cookie Day with free giveaways of the limited-edition McCormick x Milk Bar Eggnog English Toffee Cookie. The first 50 customers at the Los Angeles flagship location will receive a free limited-edition cookie. If you’re late, don’t fret: The cookies will be on sale for $4 through Dec. 31.