Newsletter: Today: The FBI, End-of-October Surprise and Russia. Soldiers Lost in the Fog of Wartime Bonuses.

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

The FBI, End-of-October Surprise and Russia

The pressure keeps mounting on the FBI after the surprise announcement that it is looking into emails potentially linked to Hillary Clinton. Investigators are speeding up their plans to examine the trove of emails, but it’s still unclear whether that review will be complete before election day, now only one week away. Meanwhile, NBC reported that Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, is the subject of a preliminary FBI inquiry into possible connections to Russia.

More Politics

-- Trump used a “legally dubious” accounting maneuver to avoid reporting hundreds of millions of dollars in income, according to a New York Times report.

-- A white nationalist leader who has funded several ads supporting Trump has a new robocall in Utah targeting Evan McMullin.

-- This graphic shows how, after decades of Republican victories, California became a blue state again.

Soldiers Lost in the Fog of Wartime Bonuses

The commander of the California National Guard said it can’t find more than 4,000 of the 9,700 soldiers caught up in a military enlistment bonus scandal reported on by The Times last week. The IRS can. Long ago, the Treasury Department tracked down some of them through tax returns and forced them to repay their bonuses. Meet Brett Sholtis, who was one of the supposedly missing.

Will D.A. Jackie Lacey Take Action?

A Times investigation has prompted the L.A. district attorney’s office to review a series of campaign contributions made to L.A. politicians by more than 100 donors with ties to the developer of a $72-million apartment complex in Harbor Gateway. More scrutiny could follow. Columnist Steve Lopez has a suggestion too: “City Hall should be checked for cracks in the foundation and then fumigated.”

How to Get L.A.’s Traffic Out of a Jam

L.A. County voters are weighing whether to increase the sales tax to pay for more than two dozen highway and transit projects. But as we’ve seen with Metro’s ridership woes, getting people onto buses and trains doesn’t come naturally in car culture. That’s why experts are saying we need to move past a one-track mind on transportation and think about a range of changes, including ridesharing services and even rethinking how apartments and office buildings are developed along major streets.

He Lost His Right to Vote … for the Little Gold Man

Robert Bassing has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1958. A few days ago, the 91-year-old screenwriter got a letter saying that he would no longer be able to vote for the Oscars because it had been too long since his most recent credit. And though he’s the only one to come forward so far, he isn’t alone, as the academy enacts reforms aimed at diversification. But for Bassing, “I just don’t understand why they thought it was necessary.”

YOUR ELECTION GUIDE

-- This man is bankrolling a ballot measure to force voter approval on big bonds. Would that kill projects like high-speed rail?

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

-- Endorsements by The Times’ editorial board.

CALIFORNIA

-- A study says Southern California’s deadliest quake, back in 1933, may have been caused by oil drilling.

-- Police in Torrance say they fatally shot a woman who was suspected of driving under the influence and smashing her car into a police cruiser.

-- Former L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca failed in his attempts to have his criminal trial moved out of Los Angeles and the lead prosecutor disqualified.

-- Photos: The crazy scene as West Hollywood celebrated Halloween.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- A spirited ending: Youth Orchestra L.A. wound up its first tour with an Oakland concert led by Gustavo Dudamel.

-- Here’s why Kenny Chesney refers to Los Angeles a lot on his new album.

-- A look at the work that goes into a musical number on the CW musical comedy “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.”

-- Movie review: “Rigged 2016” isn’t the election documentary you think it is.

NATION-WORLD

-- Chicago had its deadliest weekend of the year: 17 killed and 42 wounded.

-- The saga of the Chinese spies and the stolen corn seeds: Will it discourage economic espionage?

-- What’s up with your Facebook friends “checking in” at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota?

-- Fierce clashes were reported east of Mosul Tuesday as Iraqi government forces approached the outskirts of the city.

-- In Syria’s capital, the civil war suddenly seems far away.

-- New Delhi is said to have the world’s worst air pollution, and the Hindu festival of lights made it even worse.

BUSINESS

-- This couple spent $1,000 at CVS for a pair of Nordstrom gift cards. Now nobody knows where that money went.

-- The owner of New York’s Rockefeller Center is betting that offices are the next big thing for L.A.’s Arts District.

SPORTS

-- With their backs against the wall, the Cubs feel confident as the World Series shifts to Cleveland.

-- The Los Angeles Kings are trying to stay afloat as they host the Anaheim Ducks for first time this season.

OPINION

-- A case study in why Angelenos think City Hall is corrupted by developers.

-- High hopes, and caution, for a sheriff’s oversight panel.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Trump’s companies have a history of destroying and hiding documents in lawsuits. (Newsweek)

-- Top authors are writing new fiction for a project in Norway, but no one is allowed to read it until the year 2114. (Wired)

-- Adele opens up about family life, stardom, cellphones and more, with a fair amount of salty language to boot. (Vanity Fair)

ONLY IN L.A.

The scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge have been boldly going forward for 80 years now. It all began on Oct. 31, 1936, when five young researchers tested a rocket engine in the foothills. Read on for more about its high-flying history.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.

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