Newsletter: Today: Trump and Governing (Versus Campaigning). The Perils of Being a ‘Parachute Kid.’

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, along with a special message to our readers.

TOP STORIES

Trump and Governing (Versus Campaigning)

President-elect Donald Trump hasn’t given a post-election news conference about his agenda. Instead, we have a 2-minute, 37-second video that outlines the priorities for his first day in the White House: a withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, an end to restrictions on energy production, a new cybersecurity plan, a crackdown on visa fraud and a limit on government regulation and lobbying. Though Trump said there would be more to come, the video is as notable for what it didn’t mention: the border wall, NAFTA and a Muslim ban.

Can the GOP ‘Do No Harm’ in Repealing Obamacare?

Three years ago, rolling out Obamacare caused chaos for millions of Americans as the insurance market struggled to adjust. Repealing and replacing it, as Trump has vowed to do, might be a prescription for even more disruption. That’s why Republicans in Congress have been discussing a multi-step, multi-year process for changing the law. But that isn’t lowering the anxiety for hospitals, doctors and insurance companies. As one consultant puts it: “If they don’t get this right, a lot of people will suffer.”

More Politics

-- A newly released video shows a crowd doing the Hitler salute and yelling “Hail Trump!” after listening to a speech about white nationalism that invokes Nazi terminology.

-- Kris Kobach, who’s been tapped to join Trump’s immigration policy transition team, gave the world a glimpse of his strategic plan. But did he intend to?

An Answer, at Last, in a Young Mother’s Killing

On July 23, 1992, someone shot Morrad Ghonim’s wife, Vicki, through the window of their Honda at a park in La Mirada. She died as their 6-month-old son watched from the back seat. Morrad was just 19 at the time; Vicki, only 17. For years, the case proved baffling. Then detectives got a break…

The Perils of Being a ‘Parachute Kid’

Imagine being sent to another country to go to high school — staying with an acquaintance, a friend or a stranger found on the Internet who’s paid to feed, house and look after you. That’s what tens of thousands of Chinese students are doing in the U.S. right now, many of them in California. Studying in America can give them a chance to succeed, one that they might not otherwise have. But with little support from family or friends, they can also go astray.

What’s Rattling Your Local Realtor

When you sign up with a real estate agent, you expect he or she will represent you. Now, the California Supreme Court has ruled that if two agents work for the same brokerage — one representing the buyer, the other the seller — each must safeguard not only the interests of his or her own client but also that of the other side too. As you might expect, that decision isn’t sitting well with the real estate industry.

A Message to Our Readers

We have just completed a historic presidential election, with major implications for the nation and our state. But for all of us — citizens and journalists alike — the next chapter of our history is now unfolding. Throughout the campaign, the Los Angeles Times remained committed to fair and accurate coverage, while keeping our sights on the issues most important to our readers. It is heartening that so many people, a record 9 million visits, turned to us on election day. We added 2,000 new digital subscribers that week. And thousands more signed up for a trial subscription on latimes.com. Now that the election is history, we are redoubling our efforts to report on the Trump administration and California’s unique role in our nation. We are committed to covering the administration with rigor, accuracy and fairness. We have been able to do this critical work with the support from our readers. Please consider subscribing now by clicking here.

CALIFORNIA

-- California, here they come! Supporters of a plan for California to secede from the United States have taken their first formal step by submitting a proposed ballot measure.

-- L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti says Trump would be making a mistake if federal funding to L.A. were cut over the city’s immigration stance.

-- The rain early this week led to a 570% surge in freeway crashes in L.A. County.

-- Talk about early intervention: An Orange County network of hospitals and clinics is sending doctors to help people make more healthful choices in grocery stores.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Sources say Kanye West agreed to seek medical treatment after the LAPD responded to a disturbance call.

-- After facing some big challenges, host Marc Summers is back for the 30th anniversary of the kids show “Double Dare.”

-- “Renaissance and Reformation: German Art in the Age of Dürer and Cranach” is a museum show about a deep moral crisis. It couldn’t be timelier, art critic Christopher Knight says.

-- The Berlin Philharmonic showed why it is the world’s best orchestra at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

NATION-WORLD

-- A powerful earthquake off Japan’s northeastern shore prompted worries about the Fukushima nuclear power plant that was destroyed by a tsunami five years ago.

-- Activists said a Dakota Access pipeline protester could have her arm amputated after suffering an injury from a small explosion. Protesters and law enforcement accused each other of being responsible.

-- Federal judges in Wisconsin ruled the state’s Republican leaders had unconstitutionally drawn electoral districts to “entrench” their control over the state Assembly.

-- Even after Islamic State is driven from Mosul, will the militants be back? History suggests so.

BUSINESS

-- Can automakers capitalize on all the data that can be mined from today’s cars?

-- A family drama is playing out at the L.A.-based movie theater chain Reading International.

-- David Lazarus: Say a prayer for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the watchdog agency that Republican lawmakers want to weaken.

SPORTS

-- Jürgen Klinsmann got the boot as coach of the U.S. men’s national soccer team.

-- Despite a losing record, UCLA football could qualify for a bowl game with a win over Cal this weekend.

OPINION

-- James Reston Jr. offers an address book belonging to Lee Harvey Oswald as additional evidence indicating that President Kennedy wasn’t the target in Dallas.

-- The intellectual and the talk-show host: William F. Buckley’s regular presence on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show” was a perfect fit for its time.

-- Consider the turkey on Thanksgiving. Specifically, consider not eating it.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Behind the scenes with President Obama, before and after election day. (The New Yorker)

-- A 30-day, $2,200-a-day program in Malibu provides rehab for rich teens gone wrong. (Bloomberg)

-- How a long-lost Paul Newman film was rediscovered. (Forward)

ONLY IN L.A.

The house on a large corner lot on San Remo Drive in Pacific Palisades was listed this summer for just under $15 million and marketed as a tear-down. Nothing was said of its history as the place where German novelist-in-exile Thomas Mann wrote “Doctor Faustus” and “The Holy Sinner” or of its being designed by architect J.R. Davidson — until an international outcry. Now, the German government has bought the property, with plans to renovate it and turn it into an artist residency.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.

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