| DRIVING THE DAY: San Francisco is about to have its moment in the global spotlight — and Mayor London Breed has promised that the city is “ready to shine.” The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation — or APEC — summit opens Saturday and will draw thousands of business leaders, journalists and global dignitaries to the downtown. The six-day summit on trade and economic policy will be the backdrop for a much-hyped meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping that follows months of tensions between the countries. San Francisco’s urban problems will likely be a focal point of media coverage. The stakes are high for Breed, Gov. Gavin Newsom and other California officials whose political futures could be affected by negative headlines about the city. City officials have been busy clearing homelessness encampments, and the police department has ramped up arrests of drug dealers in recent weeks. A four-block security perimeter has been erected around the Moscone Convention Center, the main venue for the summit. THE BUZZ: DEPAPE TRIAL OPENS — It’s a case of political violence that stunned the nation, and Thursday’s opening statements in federal court were no less chilling. Defendant David DePape is charged with assault and kidnapping in the October 2022 attack, when he broke into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home and struck her husband in the head with a hammer. He has pleaded not guilty on charges of assault and attempted kidnapping. Four key moments we observed in the courtroom: 1. Paul Pelosi will take the stand: The defense revealed in its opening statement that it will call Paul Pelosi, the lawmaker’s 83-year-old husband, to testify — likely on Monday. His testimony sets the stage for a dramatic moment. He will likely be cross-examined by public defenders about the harrowing experience of being awoken at 2 a.m. by an intruder wielding a hammer. Nancy Pelosi was not home during the attack and has not been called as a witness. 2. Defense aims to question intent: DePape attorney Jodi Linker told jurors the defense doesn’t contest the “awful, horrific” assault on Paul Pelosi captured on police body camera footage. She said it will instead focus on whether DePape intended to prevent the former speaker from carrying out her official duties. The prosecution must prove that DePape sought to “impede, intimidate, interfere with and retaliate against” Pelosi in that way, as his federal indictment alleges. 3. QAnon a focus of DePape’s defense: The defense argued that DePape’s actions were solely fueled by his delusional belief in QAnon, an evolving series of allegations against celebrities and political figures that attempts to tarnish them with false allegations of pedophilia and other crimes. Linker said Pelosi was not his primary target and that he intended to use the former speaker to lure others. DePape’s online history suggests he has a fascination with QAnon and false claims about former President Donald Trump winning the 2020 election. Linker leaned into the QAnon angle, arguing that DePape sought to pursue his version of justice. She read a list of people that DePape intended to target in his plot, including Newsom, actor Tom Hanks and a queer studies professor at the University of Michigan. “Many of us do not believe any of that,” Linker said of DePape's beliefs. “He did something awful, but, as you will hear, it was not on account of Nancy Pelosi’s duties as a member of Congress.” 4. Prosecution relies on DePape’s words: Lead prosecutor Laura Vartain Horn said the evidence overwhelmingly shows that DePape intended to kidnap and harm Pelosi to punish her for her work in Congress. As she spoke, Vartain Horn held up the hammer that DePape used to repeatedly strike Paul Pelosi in the head. “You will hear, in his own words, that the defendant considered Nancy Pelosi evil, a liar and leader of the pack,” she told jurors. “He planned … to hold her hostage, to break her kneecaps, to teach her a lesson.” The prosecution played several audio recordings where DePape said he went after Pelosi due to her role as a party leader. In an interview with police, DePape talked about wanting to hit Pelosi’s “kneecaps” with a hammer so she would have to return to Congress in a wheelchair, which he said would send a warning to other Democratic members. Another recording captured DePape’s jailhouse call to a television reporter in January, when he told the reporter that he only regretted not hitting others on his list. “I have an important message for everyone in America, ‘You’re welcome,’” DePape said. “I would also like to apologize… I’m so sorry I couldn’t get more of them.” GOOD MORNING. Happy Friday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. | 
