Newsletter: Today: Why a Chinese Parade Is Rattling Nerves

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

Chinese Chess Game

Tanks, aircraft and thousands of goose-stepping soldiers will parade through Beijing on Thursday. The occasion will mark 70 years since the end of World War II. The question on many minds is what China’s military capabilities and intentions really are. At least it might provide a distraction from the country’s economic woes.

Olympic Hopeful

1932. 1984. 2024? Los Angeles finally has its hat in the ring to stage the Summer Olympics nine years from now. It's anything but a done deal, though, with a field including Paris, Rome and Hamburg, and many potential hurdles. Columnist Bill Plaschke says Los Angeles and the 2024 Olympics would be perfect for each other. 

Head of the Mod Squad

Henry Perea drives a broken-in Ford Explorer with child-safety seats for picking up his kids from daycare. At work, he wears hipster square-frame glasses and tailored suits. As the leader of a pack of moderate Democrats in the state Legislature, he’s not always following the party line. Today's Great Read looks at what makes him tick. 

Tearing at the Fabric

L.A.'s garment district has a lot of Korean clothing makers, some of whom are considering a new location: El Paso, Texas. A key participant in the discussion is already referring to the move as "an exodus," but only a few dozen companies have expressed interest. Either way, their reasons for possibly leaving have caught the attention of civic leaders.  

Solitary No More

California prisons once led the nation in the use of solitary confinement. Now, after years of litigation, hunger strikes and debate, the state has agreed in a legal settlement to move thousands of inmates out of solitary. Here’s what the agreement means for prisoners — and the guards who watch them.

CALIFORNIA

-- Three San Bernardino County deputies were charged in the televised beating of a man who led them on a horseback pursuit.

-- Video shows a "splinter group" of San Francisco cyclists attacking a driver.

-- The death of a Justin Bieber look-alike in the San Fernando Valley reveals a sadder tale.

-- Inside a public auction of automobiles with an unusual history.   

NATION-WORLD

-- The pope's decree on abortion may signal a change in tone, not practice.

-- A look inside the WWII surrender ceremony: "My job was to make sure we did not screw up."

-- A Kentucky clerk denying same-sex marriage licenses was ordered to appear before a judge.

-- Video shows deputies shooting a San Antonio man whose hands were raised.

-- Glacier hike and fjords tour: Obama opts for optics to show the reality of climate change.

-- The four ickiest things you never want to touch on a plane.

BUSINESS

-- U.S. stocks plummet; Dow sinks below correction threshold.

-- Apple's potential move into original content would create a head-to-head competition with Netflix and Hulu. 

-- Michael Hiltzik: On birth control, a U.S. judge issues the weirdest anti-Obamacare ruling yet.

-- California's Fair Pay Act, awaiting the governor's signature, may be the nation's most aggressive on gender wage gap.

SPORTS

-- UCLA suspends defensive back Ishmael Adams after his arrest on suspicion of robbery.

-- The College Football Playoff system could suffer a sophomore slump.

-- More about L.A.'s Olympic bid.

ENTERTAINMENT

-- The Oscars are getting a new pair of producers. 

-- Miley Cyrus' new album could use a wrecking ball, reviewer Mikael Wood says.

-- Harry Potter fans are worried about Hagrid.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- O exclamation, where art thou? The Paris Review explores what happened to "O."

-- Bloomberg: How Pantone makes money with color.

-- Politico talks with Lil B, the rapper who loves Bernie Sanders.

ONLY IN L.A.

A portrait of a young man lies hidden beneath Rembrandt's "An Old Man in Military Costume" at the Getty Museum. Bit by bit, researchers are learning more about the expunged figure. Yet to be solved: why the Dutch artist painted over him 400 years ago.  

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.