Hello! Don’t worry about your deferral from Yale and not getting the merit at USC; the EA Pool is one of the most competitive nationwide for these 2 universities. You have the scores and the ECs for all of these universities. If you have the essays as well, all you’ll need is the patience for the acceptances!
You have a shot at all the UCs and USC. Also, looking at the pool of accepted students at Yale, Penn and Columbia through EA, I’d say you have a really good shot as well through RD.
I’m a little worried about Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford. All 3 are becoming increasingly demanding. I think when it comes to these 3, you need perfect or near-perfect essays, so hope for the best and be patient. You have a solid chance at all your choices, just hope they like your essays!