Newsletter: Today: Boots Staying on the Ground. Wanted: Accurate Crime Stats.

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

Executive Order

President Obama has decided to leave a large troop presence in Afghanistan past the end of his administration, abandoning his often-stated pledge to end America’s longest war before he leaves office. Obama plans to announce today a plan to keep 9,800 service members in Afghanistan through most of 2016, with a reduction beginning in 2017 depending on the wishes of the next commander-in-chief.

Is Joe Biden's Window Closing?

Even Donald Trump had to admit that Hillary Rodham Clinton "did what she had to do" in the first Democratic presidential debate. Clinton's strong performance is making some wonder if the moment for Joe Biden to enter the race is evaporating. The vice president has held off on a decision after his oldest son, Beau, died in May. Will he run?

Wanted: Accurate Crime Stats

In 2009, April L. Taylor stabbed her boyfriend in the stomach with a 6-inch kitchen knife, records show. She was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. In the LAPD's database, though, the attack was labeled a "simple assault." It's just one of an estimated 14,000 serious assaults misclassified as minor offenses from 2005 to fall 2012, a Times analysis found. The LAPD says it is trying to make its records more accurate. Here's how we reported the story.

The Travails and Tragedy of Lamar Odom 

Lamar Odom acquired NBA championship rings, wealth and cable-TV fame. But his seemingly charmed life has always been surrounded by tragedy. Reporter Steven Zeitchik offers a portrait of "a man blessed with gifts but haunted by vulnerabilities -- a Shakespearean tale, updated and reimagined for the TMZ era."

India's Not So Green Revolution

India is doubling down on coal, as it seeks to bring power to an estimated 300 million without electricity. It is coming at a great cost, though, especially to rural people who are uprooted by projects and must live with the pollution. See how one project, backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. government funding, is creating hardship for villagers and the environment.

Telenovelas Via Taiwan

Infidelity. Revenge. A dream sequence. "La Esposa Valiente" (a.k.a. "The Fierce Wife") has all the elements of a telenovela. Except it was made in Taiwan, then translated from Mandarin into Spanish for airing in Central and South America -- and now, in L.A. It's part of a bigger push by Taiwan to make a cultural mark around the world. 

CALIFORNIA

-- A UC Berkeley astronomer accused of sexually harassing students resigns.

-- Laurel Canyon residents and wildlife advocates are raising money to buy a stretch of the Hollywood Hills.

-- George Skelton: Accept the contradictions of Gov. Jerry Brown.

--  The Comedy Store closes for a night after a shooting leaves one dead.

NATION-WORLD

-- Why a case involving a Milwaukee-area gun store sets "a huge precedent." 

-- Mexico detains a leader of a cartel linked to violent attacks in Jalisco state.

-- Legal brothels in Nevada are on the wane.

-- Pearl Harbor welcomes the Swamp Ghost, a WWII bomber that was lost for decades.

-- Homo sapiens arrived in China before Europe, according to a study of 47 teeth.

BUSINESS  

--  Cities and private equity firms fight over the ownership of water systems.

-- AT&T's CEO admits his firm "blew it" by turning over a loyal customer's suggestions to a lawyer.

-- Netflix spooked Wall Street with a rare stumble in U.S. subscribers.

SPORTS

-- Bill Plaschke's Wakeup Call video: Clayton Kershaw's curse is broken. The Dodgers play Game 5 tonight. 

--  UCLA, facing Stanford, can erase the sting of their last seven meetings.

ENTERTAINMENT

-- A Q&A with R.L. Stine as "Goosebumps" comes to the big screen. Plus: our review. 

-- Beyond "Dumb Starbucks": We spend time with Nathan Fielder of "Nathan for You."

-- How a Satanism accusation and Internet troll culture disrupted a music festival.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Inside corporate America's campaign to opt out of workers' comp laws. (ProPublica)

-- Bill Gates: "We need an energy miracle." (The Atlantic)

-- A brief history of women's ice hockey, as the first paid pro league for women gets underway. (Bustle)

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA

The photos in a Fresno junk store were three for $2. Five years later, one of them could go for $5 million. That's because Randy Guijarro stumbled onto a 4-by-5-inch tintype of Billy the Kid and his gang playing croquet in 1878, according to experts. "I liked it because it was old-looking, but it was a bit more beat up than I like," Guijarro told The Times. "I hesitated."

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.