Good morning, I’m pleased to welcome Anna Hsu, a reporter who’s going to write the new “Nation / World” section. Anna has a meticulous attention to detail matched by few journalists I’ve worked with, and is an excellent addition to this team.

She’s a freshman (like myself) majoring in computer engineering and computer science (unlike myself).

Yes, mom, I see now that I could’ve done both journalism and CS. Anyways… here are the USC, L.A. and California stories you need to know for today.

A group of constituents filed initial paperwork to recall Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León, who has thus far resisted calls to resign after his role in a racist conversation with two other council members and a labor leader. Under state law, it’s fairly easy to launch an initial recall attempt, but triggering an actual election is more difficult — recall backers would likely have to collect some 25,000 signatures in District 14 for that to happen.

Julia Wick and Dakota Smith / Los Angeles Times

If you looked to the sky last night, chances are you saw it. SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base at around 6:15 p.m., transporting 53 Starlink satellites into orbit. This particular rocket — which is reusable — has completed eight liftoffs and landings so far.

Vivian Chow / KTLA

Monkeypox cases in L.A. County continue to decline, likely evidence that vaccines and treatments are protecting against further spread of the virus. The county has reported 2,314 cases since the start of the outbreak.

Rong-Gong Lin II and Luke Money / Los Angeles Times

A mountain lion wandering near a Brentwood country club prompted a school lockdown and brought traffic to a halt. First spotted in the morning, wildlife officials didn't tranquilize and capture the lion until 4:30 p.m. in the backyard of a home. It wasn’t immediately clear where the lion would be taken.

Paige Austin / Patch

Environmentalists and trucking groups clashed with clean air regulators in the first public hearing for a law that would ban manufacturers from selling new gas-powered medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks by 2040. The environmentalists called for tougher rules, and trucking companies said the proposal ignores concerns about electric vehicle costs, lack of infrastructure and job losses.

Nadia Lopez / CalMatters

Election officials in California’s Shasta County are apprehensive as the midterms loom near. The county, which sits in the state’s rural far north, has been a hot spot for election denial ever since former President Donald Trump spread the lie that voter fraud cost him the White House. Shasta County officials have largely been spared the death threats of places like Maricopa County, Arizona, but they still say a small group of locals are showing bullying and aggressive behavior.

Shawn Hubler / The New York Times

A South Los Angeles man whose cache of illegal fireworks blew up a neighborhood in a botched bomb squad detonation was sentenced to five months in prison on Wednesday. In June 2021, police found 16 tons of illegal commercial and homemade fireworks in the man’s home — but the L.A. Police Department bungled a controlled detonation by loading more explosives into an armored containment vessel than it was rated for. The ensuing explosion injured 17 and inflicted mass property damage in the neighborhood.

Associated Press

Nation / world

Democratic leaders are urging midterm candidates to confront economic anxieties head-on in the home stretch of the election run-up, an about-face from previous messaging to stick primarily to the abortion debate. (The Wall Street Journal)
Elon Musk now officially owns Twitter, firing top executives in his first day. (The Washington Post)
Experts caution that slowing growth rates could indicate a recession ahead, despite mixed messaging from a U.S. gross domestic product that rose in the third quarter. (The New York Times)
Russian President Vladimir Putin attempted to appeal to Western conservatives and sow political divisions abroad in a keynote speech. (The New York Times)
Many fear that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro could seek to subvert election results if he loses this Sunday, after his son made claims of election fraud. (The Guardian)

Other things we’re reading

Tomo’s picks:

“Ambition keeps him loyal to Donald Trump. But what does Kevin McCarthy stand for?” (Los Angeles Times)
“Are Texas Republicans Serious About Secession?” (Texas Monthly)
“Newsom vs. DeSantis Is Our Inevitable Culture War” (The New York Times)
“How Elon Musk Could Actually Kill Twitter” (The Atlantic)

Anna’s picks:

“My identity theft nightmare could be your nightmare too” (Los Angeles Times)
“What It Means When Taylor Swift Calls Herself ‘Fat’” (Slate)

In case you missed it

USC professor Howard Rodman has a bit of an odd hobby. He tracks a $100 million super yacht as it sails port to port — specifically, Rick Caruso’s $100 million super yacht. The screenwriting professor tweets daily updates on the mayoral candidate’s yacht with information parsed from public maritime tracking websites.

Lyla Bhalla-Ladd, Jack Hallinan, Ben Cohen and Salome Nebiyu / Annenberg Media

An attorney for Harvey Weinstein grilled a witness to tears for a lack of evidence that the former movie mogul raped her nearly a decade ago. In the early stages of Weinstein’s L.A. trial, the defense has tried to poke holes in witness testimony and highlight positive Instagram posts that the aforementioned witness made in the days after the alleged rape.

Staff / The Guardian

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Morning, Trojan is an Annenberg Media product. Tomoki Chien is the founding editor, Anna Hsu curates weekday reporting and Chris Bibona writes the Monday sports section. Questions, concerns or feedback? Just reply to this email.

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