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Newsletter: Today: Syria Strategy Revisited. L.A.’s ‘Edsel of Architecture.’

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I'm Davan Maharaj, editor of the Los Angeles Times. The pope has wrapped up his U.S. visit, but President Obama and Vladimir Putin are just getting started. Here are some story lines I don't want you to miss today.

TOP STORIES

The Syria Shuffle

Vast areas under militant control. Tens of thousands of deaths. A refugee crisis overwhelming Europe. Now, the Obama administration and its allies are considering what was once unthinkable in Syria: a peace plan that would allow President Bashar Assad to remain in office, at least temporarily. It's expected to be at the forefront of talks today at the United Nations. President Obama and Russia’s Vladimir Putin will have to address it.

Papal Legacy

Pope Francis boarded a plane back to Rome on Sunday night, after a six-day U.S. tour in which he called for gentler immigration policies, quick action on global warming and more even distribution of wealth. Though he spoke with power-brokers in Washington and at the U.N., he also projected the image of an everyman's pope. Could it revitalize the church? Plus: Full coverage of the pope's visit.

Life in Juvenile Hall

Jesse Opela has spent most of his adolescence in L.A. County's probation-run foster care system, where kids wind up because they've been both neglected or abused and committed a crime. When Jesse was 12, he said, he tried to kill his adoptive mother. "I had so many chances and I messed all of them up," the 17-year-old said. The Times received unusual court permission to interview Jesse and track his often rocky trajectory through the system. His story is today's Great Read.

The Long and Short of Boehner's Decision

What to make of John Boehner’s surprise decision to quit as speaker of the House next month? In the short term, it should avert another government shutdown this week. It also gives Boehner the freedom to “clean up the barn,” as he put it, for his successor. That would probably be Rep. Kevin McCarthy, whose roots run deep in his native Bakersfield. Down the road, though, the Republicans who pushed Boehner to resign are in no mood to compromise

In the Chips 

That familiar swipe of your credit card in the U.S. is on the way out, thanks to credit card chips being phased in. Starting Thursday, liability for covering counterfeits will shift to merchants or credit card issuers that have not adopted the technology. While most major retailers are set, a survey in July indicated that small-business owner wouldn't be ready. Here's why the microchip makes cards so much more secure than those with the magnetic stripe.  

OUR MUST-READS FROM THE WEEKEND

-- Fleeing Syria: a mother's wrenching choice. Part 2 in our series on the Syrian migration. 

-- Scandals involving Arab royalty roil Beverly Hills.

-- His 83-year-old wife jumped to her death from a Kaiser clinic — why?

-- How two L.A. start-ups are racing to develop the so-called Hyperloop

-- Steve Lopez: Why hundreds of students dropped everything to pay tribute to a Hamilton High teacher.

-- Meet Trevor Noah, who takes over as host of "The Daily Show" tonight.

CALIFORNIA

-- Wildfires expose state’s difficulties in getting the elderly and disabled to safety

-- Why 18 Orange County kindergartners are learning Vietnamese and English

-- "You idiots! What did you do?": Grand jury testimony in insurance fraud case is released. 

-- George Skelton: The aid-in-dying bill aligns with religious liberty

-- For all the hype, the supermoon eclipse was no showstopper in Southern California.

NATION-WORLD

-- Hillary Rodham Clinton raises campaign money in Hollywood.

-- In Turkey's restive southeast, the slayings of two Kurdish teens raise questions.

-- Asians to surpass Latinos as largest immigrant group in U.S., study finds. 

-- What has Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio been up to in the last two years? 

-- Planning to retire? Seniors who keep working are healthier, a study says.

BUSINESS 

-- Mark Zuckerberg interviews Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and stirs emotions.

-- State solar users would lose electricity savings if a new proposal is approved. 

SPORTS

-- The Dodgers head to San Francisco after getting swept by the Rockies.

-- What to expect from the Lakers this season.

ENTERTAINMENT

-- Kanye West brought a snowstorm and more to resurrect "808s & Heartbreak" at the Hollywood Bowl.

-- "It's total bull": Jon Krakauer hates "Everest." He also just made a documentary on polygamy.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- How publishing a 35,000-word manifesto led to the Unabomber. (Washington Post)

-- No whammies: The tale of an ice cream truck driver who cracked the code of "Press Your Luck." (Priceonomics)

-- Why a hipster cereal cafe in London was attacked by a masked mob. (Telegraph)

ONLY IN L.A.

"The Guy Fieri of buildings." "Fruit Stripe gum." "A pile of string cheese." "The Edsel of architecture." Those are just a few descriptions of the new Petersen Automotive Museum in Mid-Wilshire. The idea was to wrap a box structure in steel ribbons to evoke a sense of speed. See why it's brought out the haters and why columnist Carolina Miranda calls it "so Southern California."

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.

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