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By Tomoki Chien
NEWSLETTER EDITOR

Good morning. If you’re staying in Los Angeles over the break, check out Annenberg Media’s guide to some things you might consider doing. This will be the last newsletter until a 10-article weekly roundup next Friday.

And now, onto the five USC, LA and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Gov. Gavin Newsom asked President Biden to issue an emergency declaration in more than 20 California counties — LA and San Bernardino included — as the state braces for another weekend of rain while still recovering from the last blizzard. Federal aid could provide generators, road-clearing equipment and medical supplies that many Southern California towns are in need of.

Hanna Lykke / Los Angeles Daily News

2.

Former LA Mayor Eric Garcetti may finally get the ambassadorship to India he’s long pined for. The U.S. Senate could vote on his nomination as soon as next week, potentially closing a process that’s taken almost two years after it was stalled by questions over whether Garcetti should have known a city hall aide was allegedly sexually harassing colleagues during his time as mayor.

Jennifer Haberkorn / Los Angeles Times

3.

USC will launch a $10 million initiative to fund generative artificial intelligence research. The Center for Generative AI and Society will pull faculty from Annenberg, Rossier, Iovine and Young, SCA and Viterbi in a multi-disciplinary effort to prepare students for professional landscapes where generative AI is — or soon will be — at play. “Our students are going to use this technology, and we need to teach them how to use it responsibly,” one USC official said.

Sarah Ju / Daily Trojan

4.

Walgreens pushed back against its $54 million California contract cancelation, arguing that Gov. Newsom is unfairly targeting the pharmacy chain for planning not to dispense abortion pills in states where Republican attorneys general threatened legal action. CVS and Rite Aid both said they plan to dispense the pills where legally permissible, but didn’t say whether they’d cease distribution in the same states as Walgreens.

John Woolfolk / The Mercury News

5.

No prominent Republican has announced plans to run for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat in 2024, perhaps another reminder of the waning Republican power at the California state level — despite recent successes in the House. A GOP candidate hasn’t won a statewide office since 2006, and the state hasn’t elected a Republican senator since 1988.

Seema Mehta / Los Angeles Times

You’re all caught up. Thanks for reading Morning, Trojan, and have a good break. Anna Hsu didn’t copy edit this newsletter today because she’s still sleeping after taking a redeye back home.

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