Newsletter: Today: Trump Takes on the GOP, CIA and PRC. A Costly, Flawed Missile Defense System.

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

Trump Takes on the GOP, CIA and PRC

Donald Trump campaigned on a vow of “America First,” but international affairs have taken the spotlight as Inauguration Day is just over five weeks away. He is expected to name Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson as his pick for secretary of State this morning — despite the unease of some senators, Republicans included, over Tillerson’s close relationship with Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, concerns over Russia’s influence on the election continued to drive Trump and some GOP leaders apart, as he dug in against the CIA analysis of Russia’s role and more politicians announced support for a congressional investigation. And Trump’s hints that he might do away with the “one China” policy have drawn harsh words from Beijing.

More Politics

-- Stay tuned: Trump tweeted that his sons will do “no new deals” once they take over his business, but he has postponed a “major news conference” to disclose how he would avoid conflicts of interest.

-- Lockheed Martin became the latest company to earn the Twitter wrath of Trump.

-- The Wisconsin recount? It increased Trump’s margin of victory there by 131 votes.

It Might Not Stop a Nuclear Attack, but …

The Ground-based Midcourse Defense system is designed to protect the United States from a nuclear missile attack from a non-superpower like North Korea. One problem: It has performed poorly in tests, leading many experts to conclude it can’t be relied on. Yet Congress continues to spend money on the system, and three communities around the country are vying to be the home for an expansion of it. What keeps the money flowing? Read on.

The Golden Globes Get It

In terms of industry recognition, the Golden Globes don’t come anywhere close to the Oscars, but the 85 voting members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. do play a part in the image-building business that is awards season. This year, the Globe nominations have made one thing clear, according to our awards guru Glenn Whipp: There can be no excuses for an #OscarsSoWhite three-peat. Here’s his look at why there is a more diverse slate of nominees. Plus: a complete list of film and TV nominations.

The Rams’ Hardest Sack of the Season

The Rams have sacked opposing quarterbacks two dozen times in their first season back in L.A., but the biggest one involved their coach, Jeff Fisher. It came after a loss to Atlanta, yet the trouble had been brewing long before then. Though fans in the stands have voiced their displeasure, Fisher “was very well liked, very giving,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “He treated us the right way.” Still, columnist Bill Plaschke sees this as a start to winning back the fans.

A Note to Our Readers

Some readers took issue with two letters in this week’s Travel section that criticized an article about National Park sites that address issues of race and ethnicity in America’s history. Those letters did not meet The Times’ standards for civil, fact-based discourse and should not have been published. Here is more on the issue from our readers’ representative.

CALIFORNIA

-- Cracking down on dangerous warehouses will take detective work, money and commitment from city leaders.

-- Simi Valley police say the man who stabbed a worshiper near a mosque is still on the loose.

-- A former JetBlue Airways flight attendant accused of smuggling nearly 60 pounds of cocaine into LAX has pleaded guilty.

-- The state Supreme Court decided that online travel companies such as Expedia Inc. are exempt from paying hotel occupancy taxes, a blow to local governments.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Dig deeper on our Golden Globes coverage, including nominee interviews, videos, reviews of nominated films and shows and more.

-- Hollywood studios have won a preliminary injunction against VidAngel, the streaming service for cleaned-up movies.

-- Don Henley, Jackson Browne and friends saluted Linda Ronstadt at a benefit for research on Parkinson’s disease.

-- Elton John and Bernie Taupin have launched a contest to crowd-source videos for “Rocket Man,” “Tiny Dancer” and “Bennie and the Jets.”

NATION-WORLD

-- Khizr Khan rose to fame by holding up the Constitution and speaking out against Trump. Now he’s targeting the “politics of fear.”

-- The Syrian military said it had gained control of 99% of a former opposition enclave in eastern Aleppo.

-- Refugees in Greece are receiving help but encountering attacks, and tension in the island camps is growing.

-- Beijing was once a city crammed with bicycles. Now, two bike-sharing start-ups are trying to make two-wheelers trendy.

-- The world could wipe out malaria. A new report shows why that isn’t happening.

BUSINESS

-- California will investigate the sale of Prudential insurance policies through Wells Fargo.

-- After flirting with the prospect of bringing Viacom and CBS together as one company, the Redstone family abruptly pulled the plug on the proposed consolidation.

SPORTS

-- Dylan Hernandez: Re-signing Kenley Jansen and Justin Turner means the Dodgers can remain contenders.

-- A reinvigorated USC begins to prepare for Penn State in the Rose Bowl.

OPINION

-- Trump, Russia and the CIA: a poisonous situation all around.

-- California has long wait lists for liver transplants, but not for the reasons you might think.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- How Michelle Obama took on the role of first lady, part of a deep dive on President Obama’s legacy. (Washington Post)

-- Foreign Policy offers its list of 100 global thinkers, including an Egyptian artist essentially living in exile in L.A.

-- Polar bear fat and frogsicles: Here’s a look at how animals have different ways of coping with the cold. (National Geographic)

ONLY IN L.A.

It was quite the spending spree: luxury cars, a golf club membership, season seats for the San Francisco 49ers and more. A Northern California man bought all of it with $4.8 million in money stolen from his employers, according to federal prosecutors. But the one purchase that stood out the most was $1 million spent on the addictive smartphone game “Game of War.”

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.

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