Newsletter: Today: GOP Free-for-All. We’ve Seen This Blimp Before.

I'm Davan Maharaj, editor of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don't want you to miss today.

TOP STORIES

GOP Free-for-All

They blasted big government. They attacked the media. And they argued over who's the best candidate to beat Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton in the general election. But did Wednesday night's debate bring us closer to knowing who will be the GOP's chosen one? Analyst Cathleen Decker says the race is still wide-open, and the only one harmed was Jeb Bush. Read our full coverage, compare the candidates and get more insight from our free Essential Politics newsletter.

1-Up: Nintendo Jumps to Smartphones

Nintendo is one of the world's biggest video game companies, but it hasn't been a player in the lucrative field of mobile gaming — until now. The company that made its mark with the Super Mario and Zelda franchises unveiled its first title for smartphones. No coincidence that global revenue from mobile gaming is expected to pass console gaming's haul for the first time this year. 

Nobody Likes a Quiet Stadium

Silence is for libraries, not for football stadiums. So when USC rolls out its plans today to renovate the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, pumping up the volume is one of the considerations. Trojan fan Elizabeth Valmont has been so, well, vocal about the matter, she and a colleague at their engineering and design firm took it upon themselves to figure out why the Coliseum doesn’t rock out. Read how they made their ideas heard. 

Getting the House in Order

If all goes according to plan for the GOP (this time), Rep. Paul D. Ryan is set to become the youngest speaker of the House since 1869. A final floor vote today is likely to put the 45-year-old in place, before John A. Boehner resigns from Congress at week's end. At least Ryan won't have to deal with that two-year budget accord; the House approved it, with every Democrat and only 79 Republicans in favor.

We've Seen This Blimp Before

Two F-16 fighter jets scrambled. Civilians were told to stay away. It wasn't a bird; it wasn't a plane; it was a blimp called the JLENS, or Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System. The rogue 7,000-pound airship eventually crash-landed in rural Pennsylvania. Why does it sound so familiar? We wrote about how the $2.7-billion air defense system became a "zombie" program.

CALIFORNIA

-- These water districts are far short of their conservation targets, and winter won't help them.

-- Animal-welfare advocates push to help the poor keep their pets. 

-- Chinook salmon spawning season looks like a disaster again.

-- L.A.'s mayor will hire an artist to help reduce traffic deaths on city streets.

NATION-WORLD

-- China's ruling Communist Party plans to abolish the country's one-child policy and for the first time in decades allow all couples to have two children.

-- Satirical Mexican news show on YouTube goes where TV won't. 

-- A deputy who threw a South Carolina student is fired, even though "she started this," sheriff says. 

-- Sean Hannity unplugged: The Donald Trump he knows is "deeper" and has great taste in ties.

-- Surprise: Oxygen is found in the atmosphere of Rosetta's comet.

BUSINESS 

-- UC Irvine leads an effort to turn Orange County into the next Silicon Beach.

-- How the U.S.-China skirmish in the South China Sea could affect trade.

-- Could an interest rate hike come in December?

SPORTS

-- The Kansas City Royals beat the New York Mets to take a 2-0 lead in the World Series. 

-- Vin Scully says he's "chafing at the bit" to return to Dodgers broadcasts next year.

-- Galaxy suffers knockout punch in Seattle, loses 3-2.

ENTERTAINMENT 

-- Madonna, no longer the center of the pop universe, continues to provoke.

-- Gamergate advocate Milo Yiannopoulos: Cultural iconoclast or glorified Internet troll?

-- In a Halloween mood? Here's our guide. 

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Why Fox held the story of Royals pitcher Edinson Volquez's father's death, even when most viewers already knew. (Washington Post)

-- From Haitian slavery to "The Walking Dead": the forgotten history of the zombie. (The Atlantic)

-- The dead letter office: where U.S. mail went to die. (Atlas Obscura)

ONLY IN L.A.

If you've taken in a Kings or Lakers home game, you know Dieter Ruehle's work. He's the organist stirring the Staples Center faithful. Columnist Chris Erskine spent an evening with Ruehle in his perch, where the veteran of two decades with the Kings and 15 years with the Lakers showed him a few moves. Ruehle plays "Go Kings Go" live, every time, because he wouldn't have it any other way.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.