Newsletter: Today: Net Loss or Net Gain on the Neutrality Vote?

The FCC voted to end its rules on net neutrality, but that didn’t end the fight.

TOP STORIES

Net Loss or Net Gain on the Neutrality Vote?

Consumer advocates have called it the “end of the internet as we know it.” Ajit Pai, the FCC chairman named by President Trump, says it’s aimed at “helping consumers and promoting competition.” Telecommunications companies have vowed they are still committed to the principles of net neutrality, even if the FCC has repealed the Obama-era rules governing it. But they’ve hedged on whether they’ll start charging fees for video streams or other content at a higher speed. The 3-2 party-line vote prompted calls for lawsuits, and action by Congress and even the California Legislature. But it also fit into the deregulation theme Trump celebrated Thursday by using gold-colored scissors to cut a strip of red tape in front of giant stacks of paper.

More Politics

-- Sen. Marco Rubio joined the ranks of holdouts on the Republican tax plan, while Vice President Mike Pence will postpone his trip to Israel and Egypt by a few days in case he is needed to break a tie vote.

-- Not talking about the “wall in the room”: Senior U.S. and Mexican officials say they’ll keep working together to fight crime along the border, but they studiously avoided some topics.

-- House Speaker Paul D. Ryan has shot down suggestions that he might soon be retiring.

The Art of the Disney-Fox Deal

For Disney, CEO Bob Iger’s bid to buy much of 21st Century Fox is a way to compete against the likes of Netflix, Amazon and Google as it launches entertainment and sports streaming services. For Fox, it’s a way to shed the glitzier and capital-intensive Hollywood part of the business to focus, at least initially, on news and sports. “Are we retreating? Absolutely not!” Rupert Murdoch says. The deal, which would eliminate one of the six major Hollywood studios, is sure to get a close look by regulators. The White House says Trump — not a fan of the proposed AT&T-Time Warner merger — called Murdoch and “congratulated him on the deal” after it was announced.

Dispatches From the Front Lines of a Fire

As the Thomas fire burns in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, an army of 8,000 firefighters is mourning one of its own while bracing for the return of powerful winds today. Officials say Cory Iverson, a 32-year-old San Diego fire engineer, died while battling what is now the fourth-largest wildfire in modern California history. Iverson was a firefighter by profession, but many of those on the front lines are inmates working through a state program that pays them $2 a day in the off-season and $1 an hour when they’re fighting fires.

More Women Speak Out Against an Assemblyman

Three women have raised new allegations of sexual misconduct against Democratic Assemblyman Matt Dababneh, including one who filed a police report alleging he had sex with her without consent four years ago. Last week, after two women had publicly accused him of harassment, Dababneh said he would resign. “These allegations are false and I’m confident that when all the facts are in, it will clearly show that these claims are not true,” Dababneh said.

With the Flip of a California Switch, Wall Street Lights Up

An obscure financial instrument designed to strengthen California’s electricity grid in times of high demand is generating big profits for speculators and other investors on Wall Street. The program was supposed to pay for itself; instead, it’s costing electricity customers an average of $76 million a year. “It’s not needed,” says one state energy official.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

On the evening of Dec. 17, 1976, the oil tanker Sansinena exploded in the Port of Los Angeles, breaking the 70,000-ton ship in half, sending a fireball into the sky and shaking buildings dozens of miles away. Six crewmen died and more than 50 people were injured.

MUST-WATCH VIDEO

-- 2017 in two minutes: The Times looks back at the year.

-- Michelle Pfeiffer says that her acting hiatus and comeback just sort of happened.

-- This is how Hong Chau responds to people who find her character in “Downsizing” to be stereotyped.

CALIFORNIA

-- The chief judge of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals asked for an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against Judge Alex Kozinski.

-- Animal care officials have confirmed that they are investigating the deaths of 29 horses at a Sylmar ranch during the fast-moving Creek fire last week.

-- An anesthesiologist was charged with murder after a 71-year-old patient suffered a fatal overdose under his care in Beverly Hills.

-- The Los Angeles Fire Department dispatched drones for the first time while battling the Skirball fire in Bel-Air this month.

YOUR WEEKEND

-- For the shopping procrastinator, here’s a guide to our favorite last-minute holiday gifts from $9 to $9,500.

-- Are real or artificial Christmas trees better for the environment? A look at the data.

-- Nine of our favorite cookie recipes, perfect for homemade holiday gifts.

-- Everything you need to know about natural wines, plus six to try now.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Hip-hop was once shunted to the sidelines of festivals or bottle-service clubs. Now it may finally be coming into its own as a festival phenomenon. Read the latest in our hip-hop series.

-- Going to see “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”? Here are 13 characters you need to know beforehand.

-- The New York Police Department’s special victims unit has opened an investigation of Russell Simmons after at least 11 accusations of sexual misconduct against him.

NATION-WORLD

-- What’s behind a lag in donations for victims of the Las Vegas shooting compared with those of other recent tragedies?

-- The widow of a Kentucky lawmaker who killed himself this week after he was accused of molesting a teenager has announced plans to run for her husband’s old seat.

-- “For me, it’s very bizarre”: Russian President Vladimir Putin says Trump’s opponents have invented “spymania” to block the U.S. president’s agenda.

-- A Salvadoran woman says her baby was stillborn. Officials called it a homicide and sent her to prison for 30 years.

BUSINESS

-- Consumer columnist David Lazarus says Big Pharma “really, really doesn’t want you to know that it’s ripping you off with frequent and questionable price increases for prescription meds.”

-- No easy ride: A panel says the motorcycle industry is in deep trouble and needs help fast.

SPORTS

-- Is this the year of the All-Pennsylvania Super Bowl? Columnist Sam Farmer ponders the possibilities.

-- LiAngelo Ball says he only thanked Trump after being released from China because he was instructed by someone at UCLA to do so.

OPINION

-- L.A. is reining in gang injunctions. That’s a good thing.

-- Anna Graham Hunter: “I publicly accused Dustin Hoffman of harassment. Take it from me, it’s not easy to expose sexual misconduct.”

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- A look at why many millennials are facing a difficult financial future. (Huffington Post)

-- What happens when the bank draft for your $846,000 inheritance gets lost in transit? A Canadian family found out. (CBC News)

-- In this video, Kurt Vonnegut explains his theory of “story shapes.” (Aeon)

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA

When children’s book author and illustrator Jan Brett visited the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, she came prepared for a reading — and for an encounter with an octopus. After all, the cephalopods star in her latest work, “The Mermaid.” To meet Gilligan the octopus, Brett ate fish for three weeks and avoided garlic and onions. “I want to taste good to her,” the author said.

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