Newsletter: Today: FBI vs. Apple. ABC Makes History.

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

Apple vs. the FBI

The tensions between Silicon Valley and counter-terrorism officials have been growing for some time, and now they’ve reached a flashpoint: the battle between the FBI and Apple over an iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino gunman Syed Rizwan Farook. Is it Apple’s duty to make the phone accessible to FBI investigators, or will that open a Pandora’s box? It’s a defining moment not just for technology law but also for Apple CEO Tim Cook.

The Pope Picks His Spot

On the final leg of Pope Francis’ visit to Mexico, he symbolically traced the steps of migrants headed to the United States. But at the border, he stopped — and said Mass to a crowd gathered on both sides of the Rio Grande. It was quite the spot, given this year’s focus on immigration issues in the U.S. presidential election. This is what the pope and those in the crowd had to say.

A Plan to Clean the Exide Mess

The Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon closed nearly a year ago, but the cleanup of potentially thousands of lead-contaminated homes surrounding it is only beginning. Gov. Jerry Brown is now asking for a dramatic escalation of that cleanup, calling on the state to spend $176.6 million on its efforts. The state would then seek to recover those funds from Exide.

ABC’s Historic Shake-Up

ABC changed its executive org chart Wednesday amid falling ratings, tension at the top and lots of discussion about diversity in Hollywood. Out: Paul Lee, credited with promoting more prime-time shows with people of color in front of and behind the camera. In: Channing Dungey, a woman who becomes the first African American to lead a major broadcast network. The context: A UCLA report last year found that 96% of TV network and studio heads were white, and 71% were men.

They Take Selfies, and They Vote

The key to unlocking the Latino vote for either Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton in the Democratic campaign? It could be millennials aged 18 to 34, who now make up nearly half of all eligible Latino voters. Just as in the wider electorate, all indications are that there’s a generational divide, with young Latinos embracing Sanders and their parents backing Clinton. Here’s how it could affect the Nevada caucus later this week.

CALIFORNIA

-- Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center paid a $17,000 ransom in bitcoins to a hacker who seized control of hospital’s computer systems, its CEO says.

-- Inside the futile fight to save Autumn, a 1-year-old victim of gang violence in Compton.

-- Two LAPD officers have been charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting four women, usually while on duty.

-- Three high school students from China were sentenced in the kidnapping and assault of a fellow “parachute kid.”

NATION-WORLD

-- Scenes from two GOP town halls.

-- Under a new Oregon law, all eligible voters are registered unless they opt out.

-- Cliven Bundy’s “bizarre” ranching practices include neglecting cattle, the Justice Department says.

-- Haiti’s troubled succession of leaders: “They don’t really want to work for the Haitian people.”

-- The South China Sea: A look into the rising tensions.

-- How scientists solved the strange case of the missing asteroids.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- TV review: A comedy centered on addiction? “Mom” on CBS keeps making it work.

-- How the viral marketing efforts for the film “Deadpool” paid off.

-- China’s Perfect World will invest up to $450 million in Universal Pictures’ movies.

-- Art review: Keiko Fukazawa’s “Made in China” show employs ceramics to make the personal political at the Craft and Folk Art Museum.

-- Music review: “The Reef” concert had a chance to catch a new wave of fans by pairing surf sounds and scenes at Disney Hall.

BUSINESS

-- New car sales in California jump 11% in 2015, the best in a decade.

-- Michael Hiltzik: The Warren Buffett and George Soros edition of “smart billionaires buy when everyone else is selling.”

SPORTS

-- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak doesn’t have much to say about Coach Byron Scott.

-- The L.A. 2024 Olympic pitch pledges “New Games for a New Era.”

-- Analysis: Manny Pacquiao’s political talk dirties his boxing goodwill.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- He created “NYPD Blue” and “Deadwood.” A lawsuit indicates he lost millions in gambling. (The Hollywood Reporter)

-- A liberal lawyer recounts clerking for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. (Washington Post)

-- The joys of fresh soy milk and why store-bought in America doesn’t cut it. (Eater)

ONLY IN L.A.

Bob Yeager was the quintessential Hollywood publicist: puffing a cigar on set, quick with a quip and always coming up with a scheme to make the papers. When he saw that the script for 1957’s “Pal Joey” called for a dog that loved to eat bagels, Yeager held a contest to find the bagel-eating pooch, judged by star Frank Sinatra. It worked like a charm. But 40 years ago, he was slain. Read on to see how his son carries on his legacy.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.