View this email in your browser

By Tomoki Chien
NEWSLETTER EDITOR

Good morning. Tomorrow’s the big night: Trojan football takes on UCLA in what will be a season-defining matchup. Here’s everything you need to know if you’re planning on heading to the Rose Bowl.

And now, here are the seven USC, LA and California stories you need to know for today — plus five from the nation and world.

1.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will step down from Democratic leadership in the next Congress, ending a historic tenure as the caucus’s leader. Pelosi, who will remain a rank-and-file representative, said the attack on her husband in the couple’s San Francisco home played a major role in her decision to step down.

Marianna Sotomayor and Paul Kane / The Washington Post

2.

A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after he swerved into the wrong lane and crashed into 25 Los Angeles County sheriff’s recruits on a morning training run. He was released late Thursday night because of insufficient evidence — though investigators plan to arrest him again once they’ve built a case.

Alexandra E. Petri, Richard Winton and Brittny Mejia / Los Angeles Times

3.

UC Berkeley’s law school won’t participate in the U.S. News rankings, mirroring announcements from Harvard and Yale a day earlier. The school’s dean said the rankings disincentivize universities from doing things “we think are critical to our profession and role in society.”

Michael Cabanatuan / San Francisco Chronicle

4.

A Los Angeles International Airport worker died after being exposed to carbon dioxide fumes, weeks after he was hospitalized and put in a medically induced coma. Cris Abraham, 36, was repairing a leaky pipe in an airport electrical vault when a fire suppression malfunctioned and flooded the room with carbon dioxide.

Cindy Von Quednow / KTLA

5.

Powerful Santa Ana winds wreaked havoc in parts of LA and Ventura counties this week, toppling semi-trucks, damaging electrical infrastructure and spreading fires. The gusts, which hit 102 mph in Santa Clarita, are expected to die down Friday then return Saturday — albeit not as strongly.

Kat Schuster / Patch

6.

Shipments to the ports of LA and Long Beach plummeted 26% compared to the same month last year, the lowest volume since May 2020. The port’s executive director said protracted labor negotiations are forcing importers to move their goods to the East and Gulf coasts.

Paul Berger / The Wall Street Journal

7.

The University of California Board of Regents punted a decision to block UCLA’s Pac-12 defection to Dec. 14. Critics of the school’s move to the Big Ten Conference have cited increased travel time and cost, along with millions in lost revenue for UC Berkeley — which would suffer from a less lucrative TV contract if its LA counterpart flees the conference.

Teresa Watanabe and Ben Bolch / Los Angeles Times

Nation / world

By Anna Hsu
CONTRIBUTOR

• Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) are expected to rise to leadership roles in the Democratic caucus as the top three octogenarian leaders look to step down. (The New York Times)

• Ticketmaster canceled the public sale of Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour while legislators urged the Department of Justice to investigate the company over antitrust concerns. (Los Angeles Times)

• Yale defended its mental health withdrawal and reinstatement policies after students and alumni expressed frustration with the status quo. (The Washington Post)

• FTX’s newly-appointed CEO blamed its bankruptcy on a “complete failure of corporate controls” while the Securities and Exchange Commission and Justice Department began investigating the cryptocurrency exchange. (The Wall Street Journal)

• An intercontinental ballistic missile fired by North Korea landed west of Hokkaido, Japan, in a test that demonstrated a potential capability to reach the continental United States with a nuclear warhead. (Associated Press)

Other reads

Tomo’s picks:

• “Portrait of a Speaker: Nancy Pelosi’s Most Enduring Moments” (The New York Times)

• “Texas Democrats Are the Charlie Brown of Political Parties” (Texas Monthly)

• “J. Edgar Hoover, Public Enemy No. 1” (The New Yorker)

• “Benghazi Times Infinity” (The Atlantic)

Anna’s picks:

• “Opinion | Nancy Pelosi, Badass” (The New York Times)

• The Best and Worst Airports of 2022” (The Wall Street Journal)

• “Virginia coach Tony Elliott is uniquely, and tragically, prepared to handle this moment” (The Athletic)

• “Can Taping Your Lips Closed Help You Sleep?” (The New York Times)

In case you missed it

Rep. Karen Bass defeated businessman Rick Caruso in the Los Angeles mayoral race. She’s the first woman and only second Black Angeleno ever elected to lead the city. Caruso outspent Bass by more than 11 to 1 in his bid for the mayorship.

Julia Wick / Los Angeles Times

California is facing a projected $25 billion deficit next fiscal year as tax revenues fall short and the broader economy seems headed for a slowdown. Climate projects have historically been the first to go during economic downturns.

Blake Jones and Lara Korte / Politico

Were you forwarded this email by a friend? Click here to subscribe, or here to view past editions.

Morning, Trojan is an Annenberg Media newsletter. Tomoki Chien is the founding editor. Anna Hsu and Chris Bibona contribute reporting. Questions, concerns or feedback? Just reply to this email.

USC students can click the following links to access free newspaper subscriptions: Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal.