Newsletter: Today: As Trump Nears Victory, Cruz Loses Key Money Man. The Thin Blue Subject Line.

I’m Davan Maharaj, editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don’t want you to miss today.

TOP STORIES

As Trump Nears Victory, Cruz Loses Key Money Man

Indiana goes to the polls today, in what could be a key moment in whether Donald Trump takes the Republican presidential nomination. Just when Ted Cruz needs all the help he can get, one of his biggest financial supporters is holding off on spending the vast majority of his $10-million donation. As Joseph Tanfani and Noah Bierman report, Cruz is depending heavily on super PAC money from Toby Neugebauer and two other wealthy donors — except Neugebauer is fighting over campaign strategy. Meet Cruz’s money men.

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz speaks during a rally in Lafayette, Ind., on Sunday.

(AJ Mast / AP)

A Crackdown on Cartels is Creating More Child Inmates

For decades, prosecutors rarely went after children used to smuggle drugs across the border from Mexico into Arizona. If they were caught by the federal authorities, they were released. But that made children the ideal drug mule. Now, Cochise County is trying to deter the cartels by charging the juveniles as adults. And that is making for some unpleasant surprises.

The Thin Blue Subject Line

Santa Clara County jail guards. San Francisco police. An L.A. County sheriff’s official. All have recently become embroiled in controversies over derogatory emails or texts. Even as agencies look to become more diverse and institute training that looks at implicit biases, law enforcement officers are realizing that not just their actions, but also their words, are under scrutiny.

How the Coastal Commission Is Wined and Dined

Members of the California Coastal Commission have to disclose meetings with interested parties outside of their public hearings, whether it’s over dinner or on the phone. A Times review of 374 disclosure forms filed from January 2015 to March 2016 shows that more than half involved developers, property owners and their lobbyists. Here’s why some commissioners say such contact is vital — and why one lawmaker wants to ban it.

This Is Not an Endorsement

To endorse or not to endorse? That is the question. In this strange campaign season, the answer is to “vote for a candidate but not endorse.” Rudy Giuliani said he cast a ballot for but did not endorse Trump. Two senators did the same for Cruz. Ditto for at least one lawmaker who voted for Kasich. So what gives? Read on to see why some call it a new low in political waffling and others say it’s perfectly reasonable.

CALIFORNIA

-- Democrats think this might be the year Gov. Jerry Brown loosens his grip on state spending.

-- The jury in the “Grim Sleeper” trial heard closing arguments after three months of grisly testimony.

-- The Supreme Court rejected an Orange County murderer’s appeal claiming “inhumane stress” caused by his wait on death row.

-- The families of two teenage best friends who drowned in the L.A. River share stories and tears.

NATION-WORLD

-- Five things to watch for in the Indiana primary.

-- Israel’s justice minister proposes controversial West Bank settlement legislation.

-- Trapped for decades in a byzantine border dispute, these Indians are voting for the first time.

-- It’s getting more and more dangerous to criticize the Turkish government.

-- To feel better, eat less (yes, even if you’re not overweight).

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Beyond the tragedy, the documentary “Janis: Little Girl Blue” reveals Joplin as a smart, funny, vulnerable feminist conundrum.

-- This documentarian is fighting back against the “No Fats, No Femmes” mantra within gay culture.

-- Theater review: A triumphant “Endgame” for Beckett veteran Alan Mandell.

-- The Met Gala: Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and the edgiest looks on the red carpet.

BUSINESS

-- Why more widows are having trouble trying to prevent a foreclosure.

-- Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto reveals his true identity — or does he?

-- Sumner Redstone’s testimony is of “utmost significance,” a judge declares.

SPORTS

-- A horse is a horse, of course, but what do they think on Kentucky Derby day?

-- For Scott Kazmir and other National League pitchers, hitting can be a painful experience.

OPINION

-- A slap on the wrist for a deadly U.S. attack on a hospital that killed 42 civilians.

-- Is there a better way to nominate presidential candidates?

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- His father injected him with HIV when he was 10 months old. Here’s how he survived. (GQ)

-- A Russian prima ballerina says ballet companies are ruining dancers’ bodies. (The Guardian)

-- They found salvation in an adult coloring book. (Washington Post)

ONLY IN L.A.

Remo Belli, who died at 88 last week, drummed to his own beat. As a musician backing jazz singer Anita O’Day, he became frustrated with animal-skin drumheads that were sensitive to weather changes. So in the mid-1950s, he and his collaborators came up with one of the first drumheads made of a resilient polyester film — an innovation that would be credited with giving the backbeat to the rock ‘n’ roll revolution. Here’s more about the man who built Drum City in Hollywood.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.