Newsletter: Today: Out-Trumping Trump.

I'm Davan Maharaj, editor of the Los Angeles Times.  Why some Republican candidates are trying to out-Trump Donald Trump; and Turkey's decision to join the fight in Syria could change the game for the U.S.  Here are some story lines I don't want you to miss today.

TOP STORIES

Out-Trumping Trump

Ted Cruz accuses the Senate leader of "flat-out" lying. Mike Huckabee accuses President Obama of leading Israelis "to the oven door." Rand Paul takes a chain saw to the tax code. Lindsey Graham takes a baseball bat to his cellphone. Have some Republican presidential candidates gone nuts? No. They need good enough poll numbers to qualify for next week's first debate.

Turkey Joins the Fight

Turkey has been wary of engaging in the war next door in Syria, while the U.S. has gotten into it with air attacks on Islamic State zealots. Now the zealots threaten Turkey. Suddenly, Turks are launching airstrikes and letting U.S. planes use their bases. Plans are in the works to enforce a buffer zone in Syria free of Islamic State militants -- risky business, but a potential game changer.

L.A. Strong?

Boston Strong? Apparently not, when it comes to the Olympics. It withdrew as the U.S. candidate for the 2024 Summer Games rather than risk public anger and leave tax coffers exposed. Suddenly, attention is back on L.A., which had brooded about losing the chance to compete with several European cities as the final choice. Mayor Eric Garcetti says he's ready to carry the torch. 

High Altitude Anxiety

Elite ski resorts stand to lose plenty to climate change. Some figure they've got 20 more years of "highly likely" good winters. Then it gets iffy. Their salvation may be cool summers -- cooler, at least, than Houston, Phoenix and L.A. Places like Aspen already are bulking up water services to handle more summer visitors and second-home owners, but there are a few problems.

Obamacare Surprise

An average 4% rate rise for people who buy health insurance on California's Obamacare exchange might not be good news -- but it's certainly not bad. Nationwide predictions of 20% to 40% increases just aren't happening here. It appears insurance industry giants are eager to compete for customers in the nation's biggest, and perhaps most enthusiastic, Obamacare market.

CALIFORNIA

--#100days100nights: After a violent weekend in South L.A., gang threats of violence on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are fanning fears.

-- One of the wettest months of July in state history is expected to get wetter this week with the arrival of a "monsoonal flow."

-- Malibu vintners fight a temporary ban on new vineyards in the northern Santa Monica Mountains. It was imposed to save water. 

-- A fire disrupts proceedings at the Pasadena Courthouse.

NATION-WORLD

-- The Boy Scouts lift a ban on gay scout leaders but will give leeway to religious-based units.

-- No more "third world" airport: New York's LaGuardia will undergo a rebuild.

-- China is aghast as a woman is crushed by an escalator in a shopping mall.

BUSINESS

-- With a record fine for Fiat Chrysler, federal safety regulators signal more aggressive enforcement.

-- Allergan will sell its generic drug unit to Teva Pharmaceutical Industries of Israel for $40.5 billion. 

-- David Lazarus: Why big mergers almost never benefit consumers. 

SPORTS

-- The Angels acquire outfielder Shane Victorino from the Red Sox.

-- The Dodgers' Yasiel Puig braces for a possible trade. He says he'd rather stay. 

-- The Arizona Cardinals' Jen Welter is believed to be the NFL's first female coach.

-- The latest scores, stats and schedules.

ENTERTAINMENT

-- Michaelangelo probably used the so-called golden ratio, a mathematical technique, when composing his Sistine Chapel frescoes, a study finds.

-- Bobbi Kristina Brown: A protector who never got to stand on her own.

Passings: Ann Rule, 83, bestselling crime writer whose works included a book on serial killer Ted Bundy.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- The Wall Street Journal profiles two of the most effective weapons of the Cold War: radio broadcaster Willis Conover and American jazz.

-- Late to the Uber party? CityLab offers a guide to the etiquette of navigating ride-sharing services.

-- The making of Dr. Seuss and the reinvention of children's literature (Washington Post)

ONLY IN L.A.

Paparazzi and celebrities who try to elude them make for an enduring Hollywood tradition. Some Hollywood stars are better at it than others, and some are just plain desperate. Here's a look back at one of the most famous disappearing acts: It involves Marlon Brando, traffic tickets, a courthouse window and a "striking young woman" in a sports car. 

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.