Newsletter: Today: Please Don’t Kill the Cabbie. ‘Marcomentum’?

I’m Davan Maharaj, editor of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don’t want you to miss today.

TOP STORIES

These Jail Escapees Debated Killing This Cabbie

Cab driver Long Hoang Ma’s odyssey started on a Friday night when he picked up three passengers. Little did he know they had just escaped from prison and would take him hostage for a week across California. As Ma recounted to The Times, in his car, his captors smoked constantly, laughed at TV reports of the manhunt, argued over whether to kill him — and one bought him a shirt at a Ross Dress for Less. Read on to see how he made it out alive.

This Other Inmate Got Out of Jail ... Free!

Another murder suspect has made his way out of a Southern California jail, but unlike in Orange County, no escape was necessary. A series of errors, starting with bad paperwork, gave Steve Lawrence Wright a virtual get-out-of-jail-free card from an L.A. County facility. He’s now the subject of a manhunt. This is how it happened.

Two Police Shootings, Two Rulings

One shooting by the LAPD inspired protests; the other went largely unnoticed. So the reaction went again Tuesday, when the L.A. Police Commission decided that officers were justified in opening fire on a homeless man on skid row last year. But the commission did find fault with an officer in the fatal shooting of a man involved in a car chase that ended in Burbank.

They’ll Take New Hampshire

My, how the Bern has turned. He gave Hillary Clinton quite a run in Iowa, and now Bernie Sanders is seizing the day in New Hampshire, before the primary race gets a lot more complicated later on. Meanwhile, the GOP has its own post-Iowa sensation — the “Marcomentum” of third-place finisher Marco Rubio. Will he prove his doubters wrong?

Could This Work for College Admissions?

Is the video mightier than the pen? Today is national signing day, when high school seniors can formally declare which college football program they will enter. In the old days, players signed a letter of intent and perhaps held a press conference. They still do, but now it’s all about the reveal on social media — elaborate videos and engaging with followers, a game behind the game.

CALIFORNIA

-- L.A. County has filed misdemeanor criminal charges against Southern California Gas Co. over the Porter Ranch gas leak.

-- San Bernardino police won praise for their response to the Dec. 2 terror attack, but they want to learn lessons on how to improve.

-- He called himself “Padre” and wore a white collar. Now, he’s been accused of posing as an L.A. priest and defrauding churchgoers.

-- Check your lotto ticket: Someone is about to lose $63 million in winnings if they don’t hurry.

NATION-WORLD

-- Late-night phone calls and door-knocking: how Democrats counted the results in Iowa.

-- Bill Cosby appeared in court, as his lawyers tried to get the sexual assault case against him dismissed.

-- Texas officials reported the first case of the Zika virus being sexually transmitted in the U.S.

-- The outgoing U.S. commander in Afghanistan warns of worsening security there.

-- A study finds women are more susceptible to catching the urge to yawn from others than men are.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Video: How Leonardo DiCaprio and Alejandro G. Iñárritu made “The Revenant.”

-- The film “We Are X” documents the triumphs and tragedies of the band X Japan.

-- The identical twin stars of the play “My Sister” came to L.A. with acting ambition and real empathy.

-- A Kickstarter campaign to fund a documentary about author Ursula K. Le Guin hit 70% of its goal in one day.

-- Lady Gaga will pay tribute to David Bowie at the Grammys and sing at the Super Bowl.

BUSINESS

-- Universal Studios Hollywood is the first major U.S. theme park to embrace “demand pricing.”

-- Disney is poised for an earnings lift from “Star Wars” amid Wall Street angst over ESPN.

-- In a settlement, Toyota’s financing arm will pay millions to black and Asian borrowers who paid more for auto loans than whites.

SPORTS

-- Super Retro Rams Simulator: Pit Rams teams of the past against each other, as well as Super Bowl winners, in our online game.

-- Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s manager Al Haymon is spending money to put boxing on TV, but do the numbers add up?

-- The Galaxy gets creative to land its three latest European soccer stars.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- “Those songs were fearless anthems”: Musicians remember the Ramones 40 years after the band’s debut album. (The Guardian)

-- The politics of wine at lunch between two world leaders. (The New Yorker)

-- The man behind the stamps: Howard Koslow, a prolific artist for the U.S. Postal Service, has died. (Linn’s Stamp News)

-- Wanted in Hong Kong: A fake boyfriend or girlfriend for family get-togethers at Lunar New Year. (South China Morning Post)

ONLY IN L.A.

Thinking about coffee right now? Hollywood has been for years, and the author of the book “Hollywood Cafe: Coffee With the Stars” has the photographic evidence. There’s a paparazzi shot of Anthony Quinn sipping an espresso on location. A young Lauren Bacall with a vintage beach cruiser and java in hand. A mug proudly inscribed, “Barbara Stanwyck, Actress. Tragedy Done While You Wait.” Read on for a real eye-opener on Hollywood’s coffee addiction.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.