Newsletter: Today: Police in the Classroom. Magic in Macau.

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

Police in the Classroom  

It began, witnesses said, when a teacher tried to discipline a student for looking at her phone. Video shows a white sheriff's deputy yanking an African American student from her desk and throwing her across the floor. The incident in Columbia, S.C., has sparked a federal civil rights investigation -- and made some wonder why an officer was needed in the first place. Read on to see how discipline problems are being handed off to armed police officers in today's schools. 

In Syria, the Advantage Goes to Assad

Syria's civil war has raged since 2011, and ever since the White House has urged President Bashar Assad to step down as a way to solve the conflict. That is even more unlikely now that the United States' top military officer has said Russian air attacks and Iranian-backed forces have turned the tide in Assad's favor. Take a closer look at how the battle is unfolding.  

Macau's Magic Trick: Make Visitors Appear

Never heard of Franz Harary? Don't feel too bad. "In Vegas, I'd be magic show No. 15," he says. In Macau, though, a Hollywood-themed casino-resort has just opened Franz Harary's House of Magic: a $40-million venue with a rotating cast of magicians. It's all part of how the "Las Vegas of Asia" hopes to branch out from gambling and bring in more family-friendly entertainment. See how Harary became a headliner in today's Great Read.

Breaking Down the Budget Deal

It's been said that a good compromise makes everyone at least a little unhappy. That's one way to describe the two-year budget deal aimed at keeping the federal government running. But it also taps into enough priorities on both sides of the political aisle to seemingly ensure passage by the House, likely today, and later the Senate. Here's how it breaks down for Medicare, the Social Security Disability system, military spending, medical research and more. 

Cal State's Dilemma

Many students in the California State University system say tuition is already too high. A new task force report suggests it should be higher. And that's not the only change being recommended by the 12-member committee. The concern: State funding won't be enough to expand enrollment, speed the time it takes to get a degree and upgrade technology.

CALIFORNIA

-- The LAUSD again fires an attorney who argued in court that a student was partly to blame when a teacher induced her to have sex.

-- An L.A. rapper accused of flashing a handgun while filming an LAPD officer is facing a felony gun charge.

-- To combat homelessness, L.A. County supervisors vote to build a $100-million fund for affordable housing.

-- A Koreatown college-prep charter school deals with a homeless encampment. 

NATION-WORLD

-- Five things to watch for in tonight's GOP debate.  Plus: All our live coverage.

-- Pakistan and Afghanistan continue to deal with the aftermath of a huge earthquake. 

-- Northrop Grumman wins a $60-billion Air Force contract to build a new stealth bomber.

-- What's at stake in the South China Sea dispute.

-- Ambushes of police are rising again at a difficult time for law enforcement.

BUSINESS 

-- Walgreens agrees to buy rival Rite Aid for $9.4 billion.

-- On Wall Street: Twitter's stock takes a hit after hours. Apple nearly doubles its revenue in China.

-- Cord-cutting: It's easier (and cheaper) than you think.

SPORTS

-- Game 1 of the World Series lasts a record-tying 14 innings, with the Royals defeating the Mets.

-- Former Dodgers manager Don Mattingly opens up (a tad) on the Marlins and Yasiel Puig.

-- Kobe Bryant starts his 20th season surrounded by new-era Lakers players.

ENTERTAINMENT 

-- Step into the Rain Room, a large-scale installation making its West Coast debut at LACMA (with video). 

-- The SXSW festival cancels two panels after receiving threats and loses points with "gamergate" foes.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Living in the future has its downsides: Why self-driving cars must be programmed to kill. (MIT Technology Review)

-- Why the term "diversity" is "how we talk about race when we can't talk about race." (Salon)

-- How Ken Burns' "The Civil War" reinvented the TV history documentary 25 years ago. (Humanities)

ONLY IN L.A.

It wasn't enough for Australian artists Dabs and Myla to hold their latest exhibition in a 4,000-square-foot Spanish Revival building in Vernon. The husband-and-wife team painted the building inside and out, working for eight straight weeks to create a space that's "like walking in to one of our paintings," says Myla. That includes a blacklight room vibrating with music, detailed maps painted on stairway posts and bright orange meditation "triangles." See the photos here.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.