Newsletter: Today: The Dems Go Pointed but Mostly Polite.

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

Dems Go Pointed but Mostly Polite

They came. They saw. They debated. After two hours in Las Vegas, we learned a bit more about Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders and the three other Democratic presidential hopefuls on stage. Without a firebrand like Donald Trump (who live-tweeted) to stir the pot, it was to some like a spirited family night discussion ... about the Glass-Steagall Act. See our complete coverage of the debate here, including David Lauter's analysis. Plus: Subscribe to our Essential Politics newsletter. 

The Great Oral History Project

In the last two years, China has cracked down on freedom of speech. That should be making things difficult for independent filmmaker Wu Wenguang and his team of volunteers. They're going out to villages to document the Great Leap Forward, one of the darkest and most sensitive periods of the Communist Party's rule. See how they’re doing it in today's Great Read. 

Oil Rules That Aren't Enforced

A 1966 city planning document could have come in handy when residents complained nearly 50 years later about South L.A. oil wells making them ill. The document, which The Times found in an archive, listed operating requirements that officials apparently did not follow through on. It points to broader weaknesses in city oversight of roughly 1,000 active wells, some near homes and schools.

More Car Trouble

L.A. County Assistant Sheriff Michael Rothans abruptly announced his retirement amid an internal investigation into his purchase of automobile. The high-ranking official had bought a stolen 2012 Audi A4 from the owner of a tow yard that contracts with the Sheriff’s Department. A spokesman said the investigation, which began after The Times inquired about the car, will continue.

Trying to Bottle Up Nestle

Environmentalists want the U.S. Forest Service to turn off Nestle's spigot from a creek in the San Bernardino Mountains. They have sued the agency, alleging it has allowed the owner of the Arrowhead brand to draw water under a permit that expired more than 25 years ago. A Nestle spokeswoman said it is operating under a valid permit and cooperating with the forest service.

CALIFORNIA

-- The LAPD continued to misclassify serious attacks last year, an audit finds.

-- The Port of Los Angeles has failed to carry out vital pollution-reduction measures.

-- A passenger jet had to abort takeoff when a car made a wrong turn onto an LAX runway.

-- Jean Sharley Taylor, who for years was the only woman on the Los Angeles Times' masthead, has died at 91. 

NATION-WORLD

-- A sharp escalation of violence in Israel, but is it a new intifada? 

-- The U.S. Navy readies for patrols near man-made Chinese islands.

-- Planned Parenthood stops accepting payment for fetal tissue used for research.

-- Globe cartographer LeRoy M. Tolman dies at 84; he introduced the world to millions.

-- Oh, those mega-dachas: A place rich in Russian heritage becomes a billionaires' playground.

BUSINESS  

-- Beer giants Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller are one step closer to becoming a brewing behemoth.

-- Will axing employees make Twitter "faster" and "nimbler"? CEO Jack Dorsey thinks so.

SPORTS

-- The Dodgers evened their series with the Mets.

-- USC's Pat Haden vows to do better in wake of Steve Sarkisian's firing. 

-- Manny Pacquiao's next fight will probably be his last, the boxer's promoter said.

ENTERTAINMENT

-- James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson are back on Broadway. 

-- A "missile for social change"? Artist Dustin Yellin adds his mark in L.A. 

-- Marlon James' powerful mix of influences and cultures lands him the Man Booker Prize.

-- The "Prison Ramen" cookbook has stories from former celebrity inmates such as Shia LaBeouf. 

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- First person: "I'm a teenage Syrian refugee. Here's why I left my family to reach Germany." (Vox)

-- The short life of Maids' Honor Day. (Jezebel) 

-- Why do "mom" and "dad" sound so similar in so many languages? (The Atlantic) 

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA

The bride wore white. The groom, a tux. And President Obama, a golf shirt and cap. As Stephanie and Brian Tobe prepared to wed in front of the 18th hole at the Lodge at Torrey Pines Golf Course, they never imagined Obama would be crashing the ceremony. But they took it in good humor — and Brian got some advice from POTUS. We’re guessing it was not about golf.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.