Newsletter: Today: More Name-Calling. Putin Reconsiders.

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

More Name-Calling

Baby. Weak. Loser. Not very bright. With the Republican race tightening in Ohio, Donald Trump has dispensed with “Little Marco” Rubio and “Lyin’ Ted” Cruz and is now turning on rival John Kasich. “You people have a lot of problems,” Trump told an audience in a Cincinnati suburb. Kasich is reciprocating through a PAC accusing Trump of “bald-faced unhinged lies.”

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks alongside a member of the Secret Service during a campaign stop on March 13 in West Chester, Ohio.

(John Minchillo / Associated Press)

Retreat From Syria

Less than six months after Russian war planes began bombarding forces arrayed against the Syrian government, Vladimir Putin has ordered the withdrawal of troops from the country. Russian troops and warplanes began leaving Tuesday. U.S. intelligence officials are trying to interpret the announcement. Will it force President Bashar Assad to step down?

Movable Feasts

The mauling of an endangered koala at the Los Angeles Zoo, presumably by the mountain lion P22, is just one in series of attacks by the marauding cats. Sheep, an alpaca and possibly even a young child are recent victims, raising concerns about public safety especially in the Santa Monica Mountains. “We don’t go hiking in the moonlight anymore,” said one resident.

Future Shock

It is easy to understand how the world’s island nations — the Maldives, Vanuatu — will be threatened by rising sea levels, but California? A new study reports that nearly a million residents in the state and as many as 13.1 million in the United States could face flooding by the end of the century if protective measures are not taken. “We’ve been underestimating what those potential impacts could be,” said one researcher.

CALIFORNIA

— Judge Paul J. Watford, who was born and raised in Orange County, makes the shortlist of candidates that President Obama is considering for the Supreme Court.

— Claims of sexual harassment continue to roil the University of California system. An assistant basketball coach is the third faculty member at UC Berkeley to be relieved of responsibilities.

— The 2018 California governor’s race may seem too far in the future to warrant notice. But consultants and pundits have already begun handicapping the favorites. Your guide: From Eric Garcetti to Ashley Swearengin.

— If the March Miracle continues, both Lake Shasta and Lake Orville — poster children for the state’s punishing drought — could fill to the brim by mid-April.

NATION-WORLD

— As if the conclusion isn’t bad enough — corrupt border agents “pose a national security threat,” according a report commissioned by the homeland security advisory council — procedures for rooting out that corruption are worse.

— After losing the first three matches to a computer, Lee Sedol saw a weakness in the computer program and defeated Alpha Go at the game of Go. The fifth and final match is scheduled for today.

— The purchase by a Chinese insurance company of the Hotel del Coronado near San Diego and the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel for $6.5 billion is part of the recent surge of Chinese companies seeking to exploit a surge of Chinese tourism in the U.S.

— “Too many of our citizens are simply in jail because they don’t have the money to get out,” said Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch. The Justice Department has set aside $2.5 million to help fight this trend.

— Could Donald Trump face charges for inciting a riot after one of his supporters hit a protester at a rally last week? Investigators in North Carolina are looking into it.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

— The choice of Michelle Obama as the keynote speaker at this year’s South by Southwest leaves some critics wondering if the once brilliant, sometimes unruly music festival is having an identity crisis.

— “Madame Butterfly” has once again alit at the Music Center. Of all the sad and exquisite Lepidoptera, this one is decent if not innovative. Still, Mark Swed wonders, isn’t it time to call the exterminator and end this Puccini-fest?

— “Brainfeeder” will take over the Hollywood Bowl this summer when Flying Lotus and George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic take to the iconic stage.

— A poet, a philosopher, a hayseed and a stoner convene in Richard Linklater’s latest film, a portrait of college baseball life in southeast Texas. Debuted at SXSW, it is his most personal work yet.

BUSINESS

— Michael Hiltzik: Hillary Clinton stumbled in her recent explanation of the Affordable Care Act. She should have been more blunt: “Under any of the GOP plans, you’d be lucky to have any insurance at all.”

— Programming fees are at the heart of a contract dispute between Dish Network and NBC that may leave subscribers in the dark, starting this weekend, over the fate of a number of popular shows.

SPORTS

— As fans count down the days to Kobe Bryant’s final game, Kyrie Irving with the Cleveland Cavaliers recounts his friendship with the Laker great, including a game of one-on-one played during a Team USA camp.

— Can Major League Baseball conduct a timely domestic violence investigation during the season? It’s taken the league more than 100 days to look into a possible bar fight involving Yasiel Puig and his sister.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

— What would happen if all the heroin addicts in New Jersey lived in one place? A harrowing report on the scourge of heroin. (NJ.com)

— Millions of gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam, and little is known about the effect of the toxic herbicide on GIs. (ProPublica and The Virginian-Pilot)

— Archaeologists announced the discovery of ancient church dating back to the 5^th century A.D. with murals of Christ and the Last Judgment. (Hurriyet Daily News)

ONLY IN L.A.

Blame it on black magic. When the irrepressible Richard Simmons disappeared from the public, a former assistant accused his housekeeper of tormenting the fitness guru with black candles, witchcraft and offerings to evil spirits. Simmons denies the claims. He sees his relationship with the housekeeper differently. “It’s almost like we’re a married couple,” he said.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.