Today: For Trump, Now Comes the Hard Part. L.A. Football Goes for Two. Is the Drought Ending?

Jan. 12, 2017 5 AM PT

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

For Trump, Now Comes the Hard Part

Donald Trump was in his element at Trump Tower: berating intelligence agencies and the media, insulting a Republican senator and repeating his promises to build a wall along the border and repeal Obamacare. But he also is getting a reality check on his boldest policy proposals, such as how to get Mexico to pay for that wall and what will replace the Affordable Care Act. Here is a quick look at what he made clear and what he left murky at his first news conference in nearly half a year.

President-elect Donald Trump at his news conference.

Yes, Trump Went There With the Spy Agencies

Trump’s public relationship with the U.S. intelligence community was already going badly. His comments about an ugly and unsubstantiated report about him aren’t going to make things any easier. “It was disgraceful — disgraceful that the intelligence agencies allowed any information that turned out to be so false and fake out,” Trump said. “That’s something that Nazi Germany would have done and did do.” Today, Trump’s pick for CIA chief will probably have to explain how he intends to run a spy service that the president-elect has openly mocked for months.

More Politics

-- The Senate early Thursday passed a measure to take the first step toward dismantling President Obama’s healthcare law.

-- Trump says he’ll turn over his company to his sons, but ethics questions persist.

-- Rex Tillerson, Trump’s pick for secretary of State, sought to allay fears about his long-running ties to Russia. Meanwhile, James Mattis, Trump’s choice to lead the Pentagon, will face questions on civilian control of the military.

-- Analysis: a president-elect at war with all sides.

L.A. Football Goes for Two

Last year, it was the Rams. This year, it looks as if the Chargers will be heading to L.A. Team owner Dean Spanos told NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and several owners that he intends to move the Chargers out of San Diego to Los Angeles, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation. Columnist Bill Plaschke isn’t a fan of the idea: He says the Chargers belong in San Diego. As for the Rams, they could hire a new head coach today.

The End of the Drought as We Know It?

Is California’s drought finally ending? We don’t want to jinx it, but the signs are increasingly pointing to yes. On the glass-half-full side: If the storm systems keep coming, water managers say it’s a real possibility. “In terms of surface water, most of California is no longer in drought,” says one expert. On the glass-half-empty side: The weather we’ve had is highly unpredictable, and parts of the state are still feeling the drought’s effects.

Who Gave $600,000 to L.A. Politicians?

A repairman in West Carson. A Panorama City homemaker. A Long Beach hotel worker. An L.A. Times investigation in October found they were among more than 100 campaign contributors with a direct or indirect connection to developer Samuel Leung. Now, the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission has launched an investigation into the matter after receiving a letter from a Times reader. And in case you missed it: This graphic shows the web of connections.

How George Lucas’ Museum Fits Into L.A.’s Picture

Plans to modernize the Coliseum. A new building to house the space shuttle. A new soccer stadium. And now, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Much is changing in Exposition Park. But as Times architecture Christopher Hawthorne writes, much is still the same, in that it shows L.A. as a place “more interested in choosing the City of the Future label than the City Beautiful one.”

CALIFORNIA

-- Storms are being investigated as the likely cause of at least four deaths. They’ve left destruction in Northern California too.

-- Two LAPD officers who shot and killed a 16-year-old in Boyle Heights last year hadn’t turned on their body cameras.

-- The Los Angeles Community College District paid a $28,000 ransom in bitcoin to hackers who took control of a campus email and computer network.

-- A pair of bills introduced by California lawmakers aim to combat so-called fake news.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- “This Is Us” is TV’s biggest new hit. So why did Fox give it to NBC?

-- A critic’s memo to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ahead of this year’s Oscar nominations: Here’s what should be nominated.

-- Good news, “Game of Thrones” fans: George R.R. Martin said that his long-awaited novel “The Winds of Winter” might be coming out this year. Of course, he said that last year.

-- “Doctor Strange’s” costume designer says a good cloak is all in the draping.

NATION-WORLD

-- Can Trump really force Mexico to pay for the wall?

-- Most police officers in the U.S. think their job has gotten harder of late, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center.

-- A criminal investigation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be serious enough to threaten his hold on power.

-- Thousands of business owners have been ordered to give up property after Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula in March 2014.

-- Vowel sounds made by baboons show that the roots of human speech may go back 25 million years.

BUSINESS

-- L.A. banker and film financier Steven Mnuchin said, if he is confirmed as U.S. Treasury secretary, he will sell his stakes in numerous hedge funds, investment vehicles and companies.

SPORTS

-- The U.S. Olympic Committee has put its full weight behind the L.A. 2024 bid, ruling out 2028 as a consolation prize.

-- Ice Cube and Allen Iverson are putting their star power behind a new 3-on-3 professional basketball league.

OPINION

-- Law professor Erwin Chemerinsky says Trump may violate the Constitution on Day One.

-- Ben Carson should approach HUD the way he did medicine: First, do no harm.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- You’ve heard of “Hillbilly Elegy”? How about a coastal elite elegy? (Los Angeles Review of Books)

-- The plight of a bumble bee. (Washington Post)

-- Should the term “tomboy” be retired? (The Atlantic)

ONLY IN L.A.

One of Raymond McNeill’s first projects at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in L.A. was designing a suit for Barry White at the 1988 Soul Train Awards. It wouldn’t be the last time he whipped up something for the red carpet — except he waited in vain for someone to mention his name. “I felt like Destiny’s Child’s song ‘Say My Name.’ I would be sitting in my apartment boo-hooing,” McNeill said. “I’m like, ‘Lord, what is this?’” In this video, see how a childhood friend is finally giving him name recognition this awards season.

WE HEARD YOU

Last week we asked readers to tell us something they love about the West Coast. Edward J. Valeau in Northern California writes:

“I came to California from Louisiana as a young African American man educated through a segregated system and a graduate of a historically black college and university. I later enrolled in a California State university to further my education while serving as an English teacher in a predominately Hispanic school district populated with eager young learners. I love the West Coast because it offered me a fair chance to succeed; I love the diversity of the people and the attitude of caring displayed in the communities, the churches and the workplace. I love the West Coast because it is progressive, bold, exciting, challenging and offers rewards to all who dare to exercise their talents, skills and creativity. The West Coast is freedom.”

Please send more comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.

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