Newsletter: Today: Obama Says Hurry Up (and Wait) on Waiving Soldiers’ Debts. Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best L.A. Restaurants.

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

TOP STORIES

Obama Says Hurry Up (and Wait) on Waiving Soldiers’ Debts

After a Times story revealed that thousands of California National Guard soldiers are being forced to repay enlistment bonuses improperly given to them a decade ago, members of Congress want the Pentagon to stop. The White House’s response: It’s not that easy. A spokesman said President Obama has ordered a speedy review of soldiers’ appeals and the U.S. would not “nickel-and-dime” its soldiers, but he was not yet backing bipartisan calls to fully forgive what could add up to $70 million in overpayments.

VW’s $15-Billion Question

It’s the largest auto-scandal settlement in U.S. history: A federal judge in San Francisco has approved a deal that will result in Volkswagen spending up to $14.7 billion to let customers sell back their cars or have them modified, and to support environmental programs. Is that enough in the public’s mind to forgive VW and go back to buying its cars?

Vote Early, Vote Often?

Donald Trump continued to warn about a “rigged” election and suggested that President Obama had once acknowledged voter fraud on video. (Watch for yourself here.) And one of Trump’s favorite themes has been the claim that the results will be tainted by the votes of millions of people in the U.S. illegally. Yet the evidence of that on any significant scale hasn’t come to light. Take a closer look at what we know.

More Politics

-- Trump had a chance to talk about bad news for Obamacare. But he got distracted.

-- Gold Star father Khizr Khan will campaign for Hillary Clinton in Virginia.

-- Enough already? Republicans and Democrats agree they’re tired of seeing political posts on social media.

Jonathan Gold: L.A.’s 101 Best Restaurants

Lightly salted cucumbers stuffed with shiso leaf, served in a restaurant tucked in the corner of a downtown L.A. parking garage. Persian sandwiches at a modest shop in Westwood. Boiled fish with a green pepper sauce that will leave your tongue numb in the San Gabriel Valley. Once again, Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold has traveled far and wide to bring you this year’s list of the 101 best restaurants in L.A., available for subscribers now online and in print on Sunday. Dig in.

Here’s an Idea: Make Better Movies

Hollywood is looking on with concern as the once rapidly growing sales of movie tickets in China have dropped dramatically over the last six months. What’s behind the decline? There are a lot of factors, but one common theme is that the movies coming to Chinese theaters just haven’t been all that good. Here’s what that could mean for both L.A. and Beijing.

YOUR ELECTION GUIDE

-- What to make of all of California’s 17 propositions on the ballot.

-- Endorsements by The Times’ editorial board.

CALIFORNIA

-- A Hawaiian Gardens hospital has agreed to pay $450,000 to settle a lawsuit by the city of L.A. after it dumped a homeless woman on skid row in paper pajamas.

-- Two corrupt cops in Bakersfield once joined forces with drug dealers. Now, dozens of criminal cases could be in jeopardy.

-- The ACLU is suing the LAPD, alleging the department has violated the due process rights of thousands by serving them with gang injunctions without first allowing them to challenge those orders in court.

-- For victims of the tour bus crash this weekend, $20 bought them a ride, friends, laughs and the excitement of a casino.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Comedy legend Carl Reiner on writing books, tweeting and that time he offered to light Hedy Lamarr’s lozenge.

-- What video game could turn a virtual-reality skeptic into an almost-believer?

-- At 85, Carmen de Lavallade is the rare L.A. dance and theater legend much of L.A. doesn’t know.

-- Actress Rebecca Hall discusses portraying Christine Chubbuck, the Florida newscaster who committed suicide on the air in 1974, in a new film.

NATION-WORLD

-- A new class of lawyers has come of age, poised to battle police shootings and billing themselves as both civil rights fighters and attorneys who can win millions of dollars.

-- Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been charged with criminal contempt of court for ignoring a judge’s order in a racial profiling case.

-- Iran has sentenced another American, a 46-year-old from San Diego, to prison for “collaborating” with the U.S.

-- Here’s why Islamic State wants to destroy the treasures of the ancient world.

-- The “world’s saddest” polar bear is trapped in a tiny cage at a shopping mall.

-- Too many mothers in the U.S. stop breastfeeding too soon. A task force says doctors should try to change that.

BUSINESS

-- Is the NFL ratings downturn this season a temporary blip or a game-changer in the TV business?

-- Billionaire Sumner Redstone is suing two former companions for what he says was elder abuse.

-- Disney may try to get even bigger to compete with a merged AT&T and Time Warner.

SPORTS

-- The Cleveland Indians took Game 1 of the World Series behind excellent pitching.

-- The Lakers are keeping the focus on progress and teaching as their season opens tonight.

OPINION

-- Don’t give up on Obamacare. Make it work better.

-- The deaths of Stanley Sheinbaum and Tom Hayden mark the end of a leftist era in L.A.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- A social media master of the alt-right is alive and well in Southern California. (The New Yorker)

-- V is for victory: The tricks of the British propaganda trade during World War II. (BBC)

-- Next time you want to swear at Siri, you’d better think twice. (Harvard Business Review)

ONLY IN L.A.

If you’ve been to LAX lately, you know how driving through the airport can be a nightmare. But if you make it to Terminal 6, you’ll find … Sunset Boulevard? Well, that’s the idea behind the terminal’s recently unveiled remodel. As you head from the TSA security checkpoint, the design details shift from industrial grays to blue-sky brights to mimic a trip from downtown L.A., through West Hollywood and to the beach. But if it mostly looks like a mall, there’s a good reason: The Westfield shopping center company renovated it.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.

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