Newsletter: Today: $2.7 Billion for Blimps. Beethoven on a Bus.

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 

'Zombie' in the Sky

The concept: a system of radar-equipped blimps, each weighing 7,000 pounds, to warn of attacks from low-flying weapons. The cost: $2.7 billion. The outcome: After 17 years, a "zombie" program that is ineffectual and seemingly impossible to kill. A Times investigation reveals the troubles with an expensive Pentagon project and shows how it manages to live on. 

The Pope Finds an Audience

Washington, D.C., is usually blasé when world leaders visit, but Pope Francis has created quite the stir. He declared Junipero Serra a saint and addressed the church's sex abuse scandal, each drawing backlash. But he also is getting both sides of the political aisle to listen. After having spoken about global warming at the White House, he will take that message and more to Capitol Hill today, then move on to New York. Full coverage continues here.

Next Up: Xi's the One 

Just as the pope leaves, Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive for his first state visit to the nation's capital. After hobnobbing with billionaires such as Amazon's Jeffrey Bezos and investor Warren Buffett in Washington state on Wednesday, Xi is heading to meet with President Obama. It comes as profound changes in China are straining economic ties with the U.S. One observer predicts: "This is going to be a very blunt meeting." 

Homeless With Nowhere to Go

It's a scene often repeated across Los Angeles: Officials clean up areas where the homeless live, but the homeless never really leave. As the city readies a $100-million initiative to combat homelessness that we told you about yesterday, it also raises the question of how far society should go in removing them from the street. Especially when they have nowhere to go. Plus: See our interactive map on the homeless population.

ICE Visits Jail

Immigration officials are once again being allowed inside L.A. County jails to look for serious or violent criminals who could be deported upon their release. The sheriff's move comes after the county supervisors limited the practice in May. Contrast that with San Francisco, where the sheriff has banned all collaboration unless federal agents have a court order or warrant. Some are hailing the L.A. policy as a useful middle ground, while immigrant advocates plan to protest today. 

CALIFORNIA

-- Steve Lopez: A call for compassion as the End of Life Option Act heads to Gov. Jerry Brown.

-- A shopping center in South Gate reflects changes in the area's Latino population.

-- George Skelton: Bicyclists shouldn't get a free ride when it comes to repairing roads.

-- Sunday's supermoon lunar eclipse will be set to music at Griffith Observatory. 

NATION-WORLD

— More than 450 pilgrims are killed in a crowd crush outside the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

-- European Union leaders agree on measures to alleviate the migrant crisis.

-- Donald Trump boycotts Fox News Channel after the network canceled his appearance on "The O'Reilly Factor."

-- The FBI says it's recovered some of Hillary Clinton's deleted emails.

-- Indian fisherman's death points up perils of straying into disputed waters.

-- Why were some ancient galaxies so bright? A supercomputer probes the mystery.

BUSINESS

-- Volkswagen chief's swift resignation highlights a growing global scandal.

-- Competitive video gaming is set to return to TV in 2016.

-- Anheuser-Busch buys L.A. craft beer favorite Golden Road Brewing.

SPORTS

-- American Pharoah vs. Secretariat: The Breeders' Cup Classic is a legacy race.

-- Yogi Berra remembered: Farewell to a man of the people.

-- Chris Erskine: He's a fall guy, and it has a lot to do with football.

ENTERTAINMENT

-- Emily Blunt interrogated female FBI agents to prepare for the film "Sicario." 

-- How "Scream Queens" may have tarnished Fox's diversity glow.

-- TV reviews: "Heroes Reborn" and "The Player," premiering Thursday.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- A close friend of Ernest Hemingway details the writer's life-changing love affair. (Smithsonian) 

-- Inside the "doomsday" seed vault, opened in response to the Syria crisis. (National Geographic)

-- The value of using older opera performers versus young artists. (OperaSleuth)

-- A look in photos at the rainbow beauty of Lithuania's Soviet-era "garage towns." (Quartz)

ONLY IN L.A.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic is taking the 5th -- Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, that is -- on the road. Outfitted with virtual-reality goggles and headsets, a bus is touring the streets of L.A. County. The goal is to give people a four-minute taste of the Phil playing in Walt Disney Concert Hall. The name of the bus? Van Beethoven, of course. 

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.