Newsletter: Today: Smear and Loathing in Las Vegas. In This Drought, Who’s Thinking About Floods?

I’m Davan Maharaj, editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don’t want you to miss today.

TOP STORIES

Smear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Vicious allegations. Vehement denials. Eye-popping guest lists. The buildup to the final presidential debate tonight between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in Las Vegas is as dramatic (and/or mentally fatiguing) as ever. What must each side do to make a mark at the last big event before the election? Cathleen Decker breaks it down.

More Politics

-- Et tu, Trump supporter? More of them no longer think he can win, our poll has found.

-- President Obama tells Trump: “Stop whining” and try to win votes instead.

-- When truth is stranger than fiction: TV writers weigh in on the presidential campaign.

-- A cinematic October surprise: Michael Moore is releasing a film on Trump and Clinton, filmed over the past 11 days.

-- Join us at the Debate Watch Spectacular in downtown L.A. for an evening of music, laughs and political analysis.

In This Drought, Who’s Thinking About Floods?

Answer: the Army Corps of Engineers. A new study says more than 3,000 homes and businesses along the L.A. River could be submerged by an average of 5 to 10 feet of water when a so-called 100-year flood hits. The number of properties that could be affected is much larger than previous estimates and includes areas such as Atwater Village, Elysian Valley, Griffith Park, Glendale and Burbank. What’s a homeowner to do?

Why L.A.’s Teacher Housing Has No Teachers

Nearly a decade ago, the LAUSD was looking to retain new teachers who were leaving because of skyrocketing housing costs. The solution: Build affordable apartments on unused district land. The hitch: The teachers earn too much to qualify for the units under federal rules. So who lives there instead? Read on.

In Nigeria: An Infant’s Cry and a Father’s Risky Mission

Boko Haram wants to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria, and part of its strategy involves killing anyone who dares to harvest or hunt food. The result in northeastern Nigeria, once a breadbasket, is a famine in which 1 out of 5 children suffering from malnutrition is expected to die without help. If you’re a father, what do you do to feed your 1-year-old son and family of six?

The Los Angeles Times and San Bernardino

It was a tragic and heartbreaking event that left 14 people dead — the biggest terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11. But the story of San Bernardino didn’t start and doesn’t end there. That’s why we’re trying to help a new generation engage with the city. On Thursday, an L.A. Times delegation will be in San Bernardino to host a community event and donate to student journalists the entire prize money from The Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the attack. The ceremony starts at noon at the Cal State San Bernardino student union and is open to the public.

YOUR ELECTION GUIDE

-- What to make of California’s 17 propositions on the ballot.

-- Reminder to Californians: You have until Monday to register to vote.

-- Endorsements by The Times’ editorial board.

CALIFORNIA

-- Thousands mourned two Palm Springs police officers killed in what has been called a planned attack.

-- Steve Lopez writes about a “miracle baby” who grew up to devote her life to helping abused and neglected children.

-- WikiLeaks emails show that L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti was a possible VP pick.

-- After a five-year drought, chocolate and strawberry milk are making their way back into public school lunchrooms in Los Angeles.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Here’s how Rock Hall nominee Tupac Shakur popularized a sound and became a myth.

-- Seth Rogen, Jordan Peele and other celebrities will perform short plays written by fifth-graders in downtown L.A.

-- A big band in a small-ish room: When Green Day rolled out its new album “Revolution Radio” to the Palladium.

-- What Nobel Prize? Bob Dylan has been silent on his historic honor.

NATION-WORLD

-- Two Iranian Americans, a father and son, reportedly have been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran on charges of spying for the United States.

-- A federal judge who ruled on some of Mexico’s highest-profile criminal cases was gunned down in broad daylight.

-- Yazidi women and girls are held as slaves by Islamic State in Mosul. Will they survive the battle to free the city?

-- An after-school Satan Club could be coming to your kid’s grade school.

-- There’s an easy way to prevent cavities in kids’ teeth. So why are most children in the U.S. not using it?

BUSINESS

-- A federal task force has made 44 recommendations to prevent another Aliso Canyon-style gas leak.

-- Pasadena’s Dog Haus will become a national chain with nearly 500 locations.

-- Want a Tesla 3? Be prepared to wait a couple of years.

SPORTS

-- The Dodgers are two victories away from their first World Series berth since 1988 after a 6-0 win over the Cubs.

-- The Dodgers’ Adrián González chose not to stay in a Trump hotel in May, but he didn’t want it to be news.

OPINION

-- The new rules of obstruction: No new Supreme Court justices until the next Republican president?

-- Patt Morrison: Under the threat of police violence, some African Americans are writing their own obituaries in protest.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Who is Bill Mitchell, a.k.a. @mitchellvii on Twitter, who has become a prime social media surrogate for Trump? (BuzzFeed)

-- A Silicon Valley man is trying to make cellphones less addictive. (The Atlantic)

-- Would you like a chamber orchestra sent directly to your living room? (Wired)

ONLY IN L.A.

Vin Scully is off the air, but with the Dodgers in the postseason, the one and only voice of the team is still in the air. To wit: the Vin Scully Snapchat filter at Dodger Stadium. Get a look at it here.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.