Newsletter: Today: Putin: In Your Face. Lights, Drone, Action!

I'm Davan Maharaj, editor of the Los Angeles Times. Vladimir Putin is on the power play; oil trains are derailing; and Hollywood ponders equal pay -- and drones. Here are some story lines I don't want you to miss today.

TOP STORIES

Putin: In Your Face

In the war of words over Syria, President Obama has a problem. Critics at home and abroad are painting the White House as weak, while Russia's show of force generates headlines. As Paul Richter and Brian Bennett write in a Times analysis, "The outcome of Vladimir Putin's bold military gamble in Syria is far from clear, but in the short term, one loser seems certain: President Obama."

Off the Rails

Across North America, more and more trains are hauling oil -- and crashing. The most frequent cause, according to a Times review: track failure. Though railroad safety in general is better, the rise in oil train accidents is not fully understood. Plus: Our graphic details the circumstances of 31 crashes since 2013.

Equal Pay in the Picture?

When California's Fair Pay Act kicks in Jan. 1, actresses will finally be paid the same as actors, right? Like everything about Hollywood accounting, it's complicated. Top talent including performers, writers, directors and executives will have "another tool in the toolbox" to negotiate, as one lawyer says. On the other hand: the complex way business gets done and the difficulty of putting a price on a performance. 

The VW Fix Isn't in Yet

How do you solve a problem like VW's diesel cars? "Fixing" them -- likely a software update and/or extra equipment -- could hurt their fuel economy. On top of that, there's the question of how to compensate owners. Some want nothing less than Volkswagen to buy the cars back. Meanwhile, the company won't be selling its 2016 diesel vehicles in the U.S. for now.

Lights, Drone, Action!

Love them or hate them, drones are changing Hollywood. Earlier this week, Gov. Brown approved new limits on paparazzi using them to harass celebrities. Drones have also become a filmmaker's best friend, opening up a whole new way of shooting movies and TV shows. "All of a sudden we can do shots that we couldn’t do before," one insider says. 

CALIFORNIA

-- Thousands of LAUSD teachers' jobs could be at risk with a charter school expansion plan. 

-- Gov. Brown signed a climate change bill to spur renewable energy and make buildings more energy-efficient.

-- California Community Foundation pledges $1 billion to L.A. County nonprofits.

-- For $115 million, you can live in this enclave for the super-rich.

NATION-WORLD

-- Belarusian journalist Svetlana Alexievich is the 2015 Nobel Prize winner in literature.

-- A Saudi execution set for a juvenile offender sparks a human rights uproar.

-- President Obama apologizes to Doctors Without Borders for the Afghan hospital bombing.

-- A China-U.S. ban on ivory sales offers hope of saving elephants.

-- A first for the marijuana industry: A product liability lawsuit.

BUSINESS 

-- Coffee has gone corporate: A look at who owns what in the coffee world.

-- Vietnam is growing more attractive to foreign investment, including technology.

-- Imax Corp. is the first Hollywood company to list shares of a subsidiary in Hong Kong.

-- Nightclub mogul Sam Nazarian is pulling out of his Las Vegas hotel-casino venture.

SPORTS

-- For the U.S. and Mexico, there's a lot more than a soccer game on the line this weekend. 

-- The Clippers will get a taste of basketball-crazed China.

ENTERTAINMENT

-- Let the debate begin: N.W.A, Los Lobos and Janet Jackson are among this year's 15 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees.

-- Roll with it: The new opera "Hopscotch" takes place in 24 cars on the roads of Los Angeles.

-- Seven reasons why Disneyland raised its annual pass prices.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- A nonprofit is trying to save the world's great trees by cloning them. (Smithsonian)

-- The Wall Street Journal looks at the complications of adults getting braces.

-- Forget Common Core: Why kindergarten in Finland is all about playtime. (Atlantic)

ONLY IN L.A.

"It isn't easy being a cop in L.A.," Chief Charlie Beck told a crowd at LAPD headquarters. The occasion: a tribute to the late Martin Milner, who portrayed Officer Pete Malloy on the old "Adam-12" TV show. In attendance: dozens of real police, Milner's family and Kent McCord, who played Malloy's partner. Nita Lelyveld captures a scene that was part nostalgia, part pep talk and a merging of worlds both on screen and off. 

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.