Newsletter: Today: Deadly Silence on Medical Scopes

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

Deadly Silence on Medical Scopes

In 2012, an investigator hired by Olympus Corp. concluded that the design of a state-of-the art medical scope could allow bacteria to spread from one patient to another. Over the next three years, 21 people died and at least two dozen more became ill from infections related to scopes in Pittsburgh, Seattle and L.A. An L.A. Times investigation looks at how Olympus kept U.S. hospitals in the dark about the deadly infections.

Just Say Rehab

We’ve come a long way from President Nixon's "war on drugs," Nancy Reagan's "Just say no" and President Clinton's "I didn't inhale." Today's presidential hopefuls are talking about how to address the problems of drug abuse by largely emphasizing rehabilitation over punishment. A sharp increase in heroin overdoses in the Northeast has brought the issue to the fore as candidates campaign in New Hampshire.

But in China, Just Say Bu

Meanwhile, Beijing's war on drugs is heating up, and celebrities are being used as the foot soldiers. One actor busted on drug charges was cut out of an animated film that would become the highest-grossing movie in China. Director Zhang Yimou was lambasted for not naming names after saying he saw some actors smoking pot. Is this China’s version of the Hollywood blacklist?

Can the FBI Be Held Liable for Spying on Muslims?

The Islamic Center of Irvine embraced Craig Monteilh — until he began talking of violent jihad. Congregants reported him to authorities and obtained a restraining order. Then they found out: Monteilh was recording his interactions with them for the FBI. Now a court is considering whether the FBI can be held liable in the allegations of indiscriminately targeting Muslims for surveillance.

No. 1, With a Blaster Bolt

The Jedi masters have spoken: "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" had the largest opening weekend in any film in movie history, taking in an estimated $238 million in the U.S. and Canada. Perhaps even more groundbreaking: new characters who reflect our diverse, modern world. 

Women Take the Ball and Run With It

The playing field still isn’t level, but 2015 was a landmark year for women in sports. Ronda Rousey. The U.S. women’s soccer team. Sarah Thomas, the NFL's first female referee. The list goes on. "The thing that makes sports interesting are story lines and stakes," ESPN’s Kate Fagan says. "And that’s not inherent to gender." 

Trouble in L.A.’s Slice of Elysium

Eucalyptus trees. Deodar cedars. Mexican palms. They were planted in L.A.’s Elysian Park as long as a century ago, and many of them are dying. A plan from 2006 envisions replacing them with native vegetation. Yet that plan isn't anywhere close to being enacted. See how "the city's best known and least known park" is struggling to survive.

OUR MUST-READS FROM THE WEEKEND

-- In at least one huge deal in L.A., Donald Trump got schooled.

-- The Pentagon is considering increasing cyberattacks against Islamic State.

-- Female attackers are still relatively rare among Islamic extremist groups.

-- A Syrian Christian, seeking asylum, wonders why he's in custody in Texas.

-- The day President Obama went off-script and switched gears on gun control policy. 

-- Don Newcombe, a link to the Dodgers' greatness, wants to see more of it.

-- Cuba baseball tour organizers see it as good start to addressing defection issues.

-- Hollywood is "in the Sidney Poitier phase" of transgender representation in TV and film. 

CALIFORNIA

-- A freeway terror attack is the "nightmare we worry about," law enforcers say.

-- Michelle King will head L.A. schools as the search for a superintendent continues.

-- George Skelton: There's plenty at home for Gov. Jerry Brown's to-do list.

-- Critics decry contributions to L.A. Councilman Mitch Englander from Taser execs seeking an LAPD camera contract.

NATION-WORLD

-- A car hit a large group of pedestrians on the Las Vegas Strip. 

-- Female Myanmar rappers rewrite women's roles in their lyrics. 

-- Chinese toy factory workers seek missing pension funds from their employer and Disney.

-- As a Brazil mine spill reaches the ocean, its catastrophic extent becomes clear.

-- Analysis: As the Democratic presidential contest winds down, the GOP brawl escalates.

-- A Baltimore officer's mistrial might not hurt prosecutors in the Freddie Gray case.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- The Vatican's newspaper says the villains in the new "Star Wars" film aren't evil enough.

-- Art review: "Woven Gold: Tapestries of Louis XIV" is a study in splendid pomp and circumstance at the Getty.

-- Rating 2015's holiday music: the merry and the "meh."

-- Here's how Miley Cyrus regained her mojo at the Wiltern. 

-- L.A. Philharmonic's notable lead clarinetist scales down her career after 54 years. 

BUSINESS 

-- Virtual reality, connected cars, e-sports: a few of the areas where Southern California's economy will grow in 2016.

-- Some lenders are judging you on much more than just your finances.

SPORTS

-- FIFA ethics court banned FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini for eight years.

-- If the Chargers bolt, fans will have bittersweet memories of perhaps the last game in San Diego.

-- The Lakers' lottery-draft position has some variables.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- How "I Love Lucy" became the prism through which a generation of Americans viewed Cuba. (Yahoo)

-- An expert posits the reasons that lead young people to become jihadists. (Washington Post)

-- A look inside the convoluted process of creating fonts for Chinese characters. (Quartz)

ONLY IN L.A.

Beverly Hills' shaggy-dog story starts like this: Some residents wanted a place for their pups to run off leash. That was a decade ago. Since then, the city spent five years studying sites, and heard vigorous debate that some said even became anti-Semitic. Now, the City Council has finally approved the dog park. It could be open next summer -- with a ranger to enforce a list of rules meant to keep multiple tails wagging.  

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.