Newsletter: Today: Selling San Bernardino. One Thing Understated About Trump.

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

Steve Lopez on Selling San Bernardino

Jose and Ricardo Ponce have never had it easy. Growing up amid the violence of San Bernardino’s west side, the brothers ran with tagging crews. But they dug themselves out, got into real estate and hung out their own shingle five years ago. Berdoo isn't an easy sell. Steve Lopez shows how the Ponces are still going after their goals and working with clients who hope to do the same.

The Only Thing Understated About Donald Trump

A new study suggests that support for a Donald Trump presidency may be understated in some polls. The reason: Some, especially those with a college education, are less likely to admit to a human pollster that they back him. That would explain why online polls tend to show Trump with more support — nearly 40% of GOP voters — versus phone surveys.

A Death and a Mystery on the Las Vegas Strip

What would cause a woman, with a 3-year-old in the back seat, to drive her car onto a crowded sidewalk on the Las Vegas Strip? Authorities still don't have a clear idea after questioning Lakeisha N. Holloway, who faces a murder charge. One person died and dozens were injured. Eerily, it took place on the same block as a similar crash in 2005 that killed two and injured 12. Here's what we know..

Inside the World's Deadliest Terrorist Group

Boko Haram has carried out massacres the size of the San Bernardino killings once or twice a week, mostly on poor Nigerian villagers, and been called the deadliest militant group on the planet. The Times' Robyn Dixon once talked face to face with members of the Islamist group and reports it has only grown stronger, more lethal and less compromising.

Will That Gift Get Here on Time?

Online shoppers — i.e., pretty much anyone reading this — could be dreaming of a white-knuckle Christmas. Will those boxes show up on the doorstep just in the nick of time, or should you start making a list of excuses now? Here's how the shipping business is dealing with the December rush fueled by record-setting online sales. P.S.: We'll hold a good thought for you.

CALIFORNIA

-- Juan Jesus Flores was brought to the U.S. on a murder charge, acquitted and is now in immigration limbo.

-- California water regulators suggest a slight easing of conservation requirements.

-- The Central Valley needs more wild bees, a study finds.

-- Ozell Sutton, a longtime civil rights activist, has died at age 90.

NATION-WORLD

-- Six American troops were killed in a suicide bombing near the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan.

-- A Texas grand jury finds no cause for indictment in connection with the death of Sandra Bland.

-- Rep. Ted Lieu asks the SEC to investigate Olympus over its response involving medical scopes and a superbug outbreak.

-- Trail Guide: Lindsey Graham calls it quits; Hillary Clinton will welcome a second grandchild.

-- The FDA allows gay and bisexual men to donate blood, but only under certain conditions.

-- Inside the restoration of the U.S. Capitol's dome.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Watch Michael Caine, Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston and Samuel L. Jackson talk about the acting life.

-- How "Waiting to Exhale" changed the equation 20 years ago.

-- Bill Cosby files a defamation lawsuit against model Beverly Johnson.

-- "Aladdin" runs out of wishes, as the curtain drops on a 13-year run at Disney California Adventure.

-- A black actress is cast as Hermione in a new "Harry Potter" play, and J.K. Rowling enthusiastically approves.

-- Art review: An enlightening show of Jackson Pollock's work.

-- Screenwriters of some of this year's most talked-about movies share the back stories to their films.

BUSINESS

-- SpaceX launches a rocket and makes a historic landing in Florida.

-- The average U.S. gasoline price falls below $2 a gallon for the first time since 2009, but in L.A. it's still closer to $3.

SPORTS

-- Take a hardhat tour of the stadium being built in Inglewood.

-- Kobe Bryant names the top 5 players and teams he has ever faced, and Clyde Drexler made the cut.

-- Brooklyn is beginning to feel like home for the New York Islanders.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Vanity Fair looks at how the fake gangster movie within "Home Alone" was made.

-- Meet Tracey "Africa" Norman, a black transgender model who landed contracts with Avon and Clairol in the 1970s. (New York Magazine)

-- Los Angeles Magazine offers "The 10 Commandments of Writing About L.A." from 10 authors.

ONLY IN L.A.

How much have the Lakers struggled this season? Their 40-point loss temporarily stunned Magic Johnson — ever affable and onetime talk-show host — into silence. At least on Twitter. And that was after Johnson had tweeted five times in support of Steve Harvey as host of the Miss Universe pageant, where Harvey announced the wrong winner.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.