Newsletter: Today: Trump Faces the Spymasters. The Pineapple Express Is Back.

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, including our weekend recommendations and weekly look back into the archives.

TOP STORIES

Trump Faces the Spymasters

Donald Trump will meet today with the leaders of the CIA, FBI and other intelligence agencies, who will present their evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race. Will Trump change his tune? After Senate Republicans sided with U.S. spymasters during a hearing Thursday, the president-elect kept tweeting his doubts. Congress will get a copy of the agencies’ classified report Monday, and sometime after that, a version will be made public.

More Politics

-- A new poll shows most Americans don’t want to scrap Obamacare without something to replace it.

-- Democrats led by Sen. Charles Schumer want an ethics inquiry into Trump’s choice for Health secretary. Trump tweeted back that Schumer is the “head clown.”

Saved at Sea, Clinging to Hope

The migrants came from 13 countries. A student from Bangladesh, a Syrian doctor, a Moroccan barista. Most were from Eritrea and Somalia. And they were stranded on a blue wooden boat, trying to cross from Libya to Italy on the Mediterranean Sea. L.A. Times reporter Molly Hennessy-Fiske and photographer Carolyn Cole spent nine days on the ship Vos Hestia as the crew and staff of Save the Children searched for and rescued 412 migrants on this boat.

Three teams, including Save the Children, work to transport 412 migrants from a smuggler’s boat to rescue ships off the coast of northern Libya. In the background is the rescue ship Minden.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times )

The Pineapple Express Is Back

When it rains, it pours. Especially in Northern California, where massive amounts of rain and snow should start Saturday and bring fears of flooding, avalanches and blizzards. “It’s a once-in-10-year event,” said Zach Tolby, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Down south, we should see fewer effects from the “atmospheric river.” Need a quick reminder of how to drive in the rain? We’re sure you don’t, but others clearly do.

A Convicted Man Gets a Surprise Ally: the D.A.

From his cell, Raymond Lee Jennings begged a court for freedom: He had been in a Palmdale parking lot as a security guard but swore he had nothing to do with the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old college student for which he had been convicted. Now, more than a decade later, the district attorney’s office that prosecuted Jennings says his conviction should be tossed out. The victim’s mother hasn’t changed her mind.

Police Patrol a Thin Line Between Hate and Free Speech

How should police deal with hateful and threatening speech that doesn’t rise to the level of a crime? More and more, officials are trying to take a preventive approach by looking into “hate incidents.” But they also need to be careful not to infringe on the free-speech rights of those they investigate.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

“If it weren’t for Mel, I’d still be doing temporary typing for a living, and selling toys at FAO Schwarz for $1.40 an hour.” That quote was from Gene Wilder, talking about Mel Brooks. Their meeting in the ’60s would lead to the films “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein” in 1974. Wilder is just one of the many entertainment legends we lost in 2016. Take a look back at 32 of them via their memorable quotes.

CALIFORNIA

-- Voters just approved more taxes, and yet the new state budget could still be hurting for cash.

-- L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti has pledged to end veteran homelessness, but officials say more than 1,200 veterans are living on the city’s streets.

-- Robin Abcarian tells the story of two Sacramento-area medical cannabis growers who ended up at the business end of assault rifles wielded by officers from an anti-drug task force.

YOUR WEEKEND

-- Your California Bucket List: Our growing guide to essential Golden State adventures.

-- République’s new wine director is now one of the most influential Latina sommeliers in the country.

-- Try this oatmeal pancake recipe for breakfast or dinner. We don’t judge.

-- “Loving,” “Silence” and more picks from our movie critics.

We Want to Hear From You: Send us an email about life on the West Coast, and we’ll share it with other readers of this newsletter. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- The Golden Globes are Sunday night. Here’s everything you need to know for the show.

-- TV review: “Emerald City” takes a dark but ponderous journey down the yellow brick road.

-- August Wilson’s play “Fences” took a long time to become a movie. Why has so much of his work not been adapted?

-- Arts columnist Carolina Miranda explains how the late art critic John Berger taught her to look at an image.

NATION-WORLD

-- What does the reaction to a viral Facebook video of a hate crime tell us about postelection America?

-- As an angry China watches, Taiwan’s president will take a risky trip to the Americas.

-- Beavers imported from Canada are threatening the primeval forests of Patagonia.

BUSINESS

-- This company will help with a down payment, but it wants a stake in your new home.

-- Why tariffs on Chinese imports could backfire in California.

SPORTS

-- Bill Plaschke says Los Angeles still feels like home to the Raiders, so the NFL should make it official.

-- Prep sports columnist Eric Sondheimer: For too many high school programs, teaching has taken a backseat to winning.

OPINION

-- Do Americans hate each other too much to find common ground? See the David Horsey cartoon.

-- The futility of gender-neutral parenting.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- What happens if a president becomes unfit to lead? The Eisenhower years offered a glimpse. (The New Yorker)

-- A bluefin tuna sold for $632,000 at a Tokyo auction, but conservationists say the real story should be about a plummet in the Pacific bluefin’s population. (The Guardian)

-- For the “Hamilton” obsessive: an interactive visualization of every line in the hip-hop musical. (Polygraph)

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA

“The Twilight Zone” Tower of Terror attraction is about to enter another dimension. A dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. Next stop, the Guardians of the Galaxy? That’s what is happening at Disney California Adventure, which shut down the ride to refurbish it with a new superhero theme. The Tower had a cult following, though, and earlier this week, many gathered for one last terrifying drop.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.

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