Newsletter: Today: Europe’s nightmare. The Times’ Pulitzers.

Hello. I'm Davan Maharaj, the editor of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines you shouldn't miss today.

TOP STORIES

Europe's Immigration Nightmare

Proponents of walls to secure borders might do well to consider the Mediterranean Sea. It has done little to slow migrants from Africa, who risk their lives for a shot at life in Europe; 700 may have died in the latest boat to capsize. More boats soon were sending distress calls. How to stop them? Improve their conditions at home, perhaps. But for now, it's just a huge rescue operation.

Straitjacket of Hormuz

Saudi Arabia's airstrikes in Yemen had three goals: stop Shiite Muslim rebels, restore the president and protect the Saudi border. But the rebels fight on, the president's in exile and bombs are killing civilians. Unable to rein in its Saudi ally, the U.S. does about all it can do: send a carrier to guard the vital Strait of Hormuz and block Iranian arms shipments to the rebels.

Water Pricing vs. State Law

It's a simple water conservation tactic that's central to Gov. Jerry Brown's drought plan: Make people who use more pay a higher rate. Now, a court says it's not so simple. State law says fees must be based on the actual cost of providing water. That doesn't mean the end of "tiered pricing," but cities and water districts will have to be much more careful about how they do it.

The Times' Pulitzers

Pulitzer Prizes honor two Times writers: Diana Marcum, for feature writing; and Mary McNamara, for criticism. Marcum was praised for "dispatches from California’s Central Valley offering nuanced portraits of lives affected by the state’s drought." McNamara was cited for "savvy criticism that uses shrewdness, humor and an insider's view to show how both subtle and seismic shifts in the cultural landscape affect television." The Times was a finalist for breaking news for coverage of the Isla Vista shooting rampage and for international reporting for exposing inhumane working conditions on farms in Mexico. Here's the full list of winners.

CALIFORNIA

-- An L.A. police officer is charged with felony assault for what officials said was use of unlawful force during an arrest caught on video in South L.A.

-- Sandy Banks: Here's why L.A. schools should be growing, not cutting, preschool programs.

-- L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti releases his $8.57-billion budget plan; a rise in tax revenue would boost public safety and infrastructure.

-- The late televangelist Robert Schuller is memorialized at the glittering Crystal Cathedral he built.

NATION-WORLD

-- Six Somali American men arrested in Minneapolis and San Diego are charged with conspiring to support Islamic State.

-- In Baltimore, six police officers are suspended after a man they arrested dies of a spine injury. 

-- This time, Clinton isn't shy about playing up her gender and key issues for women.

-- A Utah woman gets life in prison for killing six of her newborns over a decade.

-- Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu struggles to form a governing coalition after his election victory.

-- U.S. paratroopers start training national guard units in Ukraine.

-- In Spain, police say a 13-year-old armed with a crossbow killed a teacher.

BUSINESS

-- The maker of a medical scope suspected in deadly infections in L.A. sounded warnings about them two years ago in Europe.

-- David Lazarus: A proposed law on data security seems to provide anything but.

-- Bird flu in Iowa: As many as 5.3 million chickens must be destroyed.

SPORTS

-- Anaheim beats Winnipeg 5-4 in OT to take a 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoffs series.

-- Bill Dwyre on Kareem Abdul Jabbar: Time to pay more attention to a legend.

-- Joy ride: Hitting the track in Long Beach with Mario Andretti.

-- Carson's City Council seems set to approve an NFL stadium without knowing much about it.

-- The latest scores and stats.

ENTERTAINMENT

-- Charlie Brown moves to the big screen in a film that, in a newfangled era, will try to capture the aesthetic of "Peanuts."

-- Theater review: "The Great War," a small wonder that re-creates the horror of the trenches of World War I.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Nice downtowns, from Fresno to Shanghai. How did they get that way?

-- Jon Stewart explains why he quit "The Daily Show."

-- Music: The astonishing comeback, and undeniable insignificance, of vinyl.

-- Death in Saigon: What killed Jason Rabedeaux, once one of college basketball's brightest coaches?

ONLY IN L.A.

Compassion's Front Line: Their gear is mundane: bottled water, granola bars, folding chairs, teddy bears. But they also carry huge reservoirs of compassion. They are 250 volunteers who respond, in pairs, with police and firefighters to almost every violent death in L.A. They're there, when nobody else is, for the survivors. Who are these humble saviors? See today's Great Read. 

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.