Newsletter: Today: He Volunteered for War, Got a Purple Heart and a Bill for $30,000. Why More Women Are Living on the Streets.

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

He Volunteered for War, Got a Purple Heart and a Bill for $30,000

Army Master Sgt. Bill McLain was preparing to head to war in Afghanistan three years ago when he found out the California National Guard had garnished his entire monthly paycheck. At issue: the $30,000 in enlistment bonuses that it claimed he had improperly received five years earlier. After the garnishments ended, his troubles had only started. Here’s how one disabled veteran has dealt with the clawback program that has now been suspended after a Times story came out last weekend. Plus: See how reporter David S. Cloud got the story.

The Story of a Little Boy, Hidden and Abused

For three years, Yonatan Daniel Aguilar was hidden in locked closets and sedated. When people asked his mother where he was, court records show, she told them he had been placed in an institution in Mexico. In August, the 11-year-old was found dead at his Echo Park home. The court records, obtained by The Times, help explain how school officials, police, social workers and therapists lost track of the boy despite earlier allegations of abuse. But they also raise new questions about whether more could have been done to save him.

Hear Her and Her and Her Roar

With the nation’s first female presidential nominee from a major party, it was almost certain gender was going to enter the campaign at some point. But the surprise, Cathleen Decker writes, is that it’s been less about Hillary Clinton’s historic quest and more about Donald Trump’s words and alleged actions toward women. Just within the last week, we’ve seen Trump’s “nasty woman” remark become a rallying cry and Megyn Kelly’s on-air exchange with Newt Gingrich go viral. Here’s how this year echoes the “year of the woman” campaign of 1992.

In Ohio, These Guys Love the Boss and the Donald

Bruce Springsteen has called Trump “a con man” and a “flagrant, toxic narcissist.” In Youngstown, Ohio — the namesake of a 1995 Springsteen song — many of the machinists, miners and laborers have an admiration for both. “I call it the pissed-off steel workers party. A lot of people like someone who causes trouble. That’s why Trump is so popular,” said one auto mechanic. “Why am I voting for him? He’s not Hillary Clinton.”

More Politics

-- Millions of people have voted, and both Clinton and Trump are seeing some bright spots.

-- Evan McMullin made Utah a presidential battleground. Next, he’ll try to transform conservative politics.

-- Mike Pence’s campaign plane skidded off the runway at LaGuardia, but no injuries were reported.

Why More Women Are Living on the Streets

As L.A. County’s homeless population has grown, the number of women living in RVs, tents and lean-tos has doubled in the last three years. Now, one in three homeless people in the county is female, according to government statistics. Several forces are said to be driving the increase: soaring rents, domestic violence and the aging of the homeless population. But advocates say most facilities are geared to helping men.

YOUR ELECTION GUIDE

-- Crime victims wrestle with two ballot measures that would either end executions in California or attempt to speed them up.

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

-- Endorsements by The Times’ editorial board.

CALIFORNIA

-- A state audit says the L.A. Unified School District still has problems resolving allegations of wrongdoing by teachers and holding down costs related to them.

-- Newport Beach officials sued the FAA, alleging that its plan to reroute flights across Southern California was completed without adequate environmental review. Culver City is expected to follow.

-- The city of L.A. didn’t have an accurate count of how much property it owned ... until now.

-- A review board denied parole to Charles “Tex” Watson, the self-described right-hand man of Charles Manson.

-- Police arrested the man who says he destroyed Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame before he could hold a news conference.

YOUR WEEKEND

-- “The Monster’s Cookbook” has everything you’ll need to throw a killer Halloween party.

-- Need proof of the Day of the Dead’s pop culture influence? Just look on the shelves at any major U.S. retailer.

-- Six family-friendly ways to experience downtown L.A. at the Grand Ave Arts festival.

-- A Las Vegas casino opening Dec. 3 will cater to Chinese gamblers.

-- How to make a great bowl of pho at home.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Movie review: Tom Hanks seems lost inside the scenic treasure-hunt thriller “Inferno.”

-- Jeffrey Dean Morgan thinks his character Negan is charismatic, but even he had a hard time watching “The Walking Dead.”

-- Does your mother know? ABBA will reunite for a 2018 virtual reality collaboration with Simon Fuller.

-- How slaughterhouses turned actress Jenna Dewan Tatum into a vegan.

NATION-WORLD

-- A jury has acquitted brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy, who led an armed standoff at a national wildlife refuge in rural Oregon.

-- Police in riot gear arrested more than 140 activists blocking the path of the planned Dakota Access oil pipeline.

-- A woman has accused Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of groping her at a 1999 dinner party.

-- Secret recordings by a kidnapped celebrity couple reveal much about Kim Jong Il and his North Korean regime.

-- Going home in Iraq: tearful reunions and a touch of fear.

-- A brown pebble found in England turns out to be the first known fossilized bit of dinosaur brain.

BUSINESS

-- The FCC approved rules to protect online privacy, but data brokers go largely unregulated.

-- Chip maker Qualcomm is looking beyond smartphones and is placing a bet on cars.

-- Soylent is stopping sales of its flagship liquid meal powder after a handful of customers reported stomach sickness.

SPORTS

-- There was just no stopping USC as the Trojans rolled, 45-24, over California.

-- The Clippers began their NBA season with a 114-106 road win over the Trail Blazers.

OPINION

-- Watch the best political ads of the 2016 campaign.

-- The massive U.S. Internet outage demonstrates the dumb power of smart devices.

BACK IN TIMES

Sixty-four years ago, tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were growing, McCarthyism was dividing the country, and a presidential campaign was winding down toward the finish line. As the photo below shows, Republican vice presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon made a campaign stop in Redondo Beach on Oct. 31, 1952. His running mate, Dwight D. Eisenhower, would go on to win in a landslide over Gov. Adlai Stevenson. More photos from the campaign are here.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- A look inside Trump’s digital campaign nerve center: who’s tweeting for Trump, how they’re trying to keep certain voters from turning out, and how they’ve built a marketing operation that can be used after Nov. 8. (Bloomberg)

-- Facebook’s foray into African countries appears to play into strongmen’s hands. (Foreign Policy)

-- A 15th century manuscript shows the first known witch-on-a-broomstick image, but the motif’s origins remain a mystery. (Hyperallergic)

ONLY IN L.A.

Bob Hoover fought in World War II, helped bring in the dawn of the jet age and became one of the greatest race pilots ever. But when he used to hang out at the Proud Bird restaurant near LAX, he acted like just another customer — even though the eatery had an area dedicated to him. Earlier this week, the airman died at age 94. The stories of his adventures live on.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.

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