Newsletter: Today: Signed, Sealed, Delivered. Make Russia Hack Again?

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

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Tonight’s the night for Hillary Clinton to become the first woman to accept a major party’s nomination for president of the United States. But yesterday, she got by with a lot of help from her friends. “There has never been a man or a woman” more qualified to be president, President Obama said. Tim Kaine weaved Spanish into his speech to say she is lista, or ready. And then there was the dump-on-Trump factor. “Together,” Michael Bloomberg said, “let’s elect a sane, competent person.”

Brought to You by …

Comcast. Anheuser-Busch. Facebook. For all the talk of a progressive insurgency at the Democratic convention, there sure are a lot of corporate-sponsored events. Just like at the Republican gathering in Cleveland last week, those who write the checks are unabashedly rubbing shoulders with those who run for office. “Same zoo, different animals,” said actor Tim Daly, president of an advocacy group for the arts. “We learn a lot at both places.”

Make Russia Hack Again?

The day after Clinton broke a glass ceiling, Trump broke a political taboo again. “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’ll be able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” he said, referring to the Clinton email scandal. He didn’t stop there, also suggesting the Geneva Convention rules on POWs are outdated and calling Obama “the most ignorant president in our history.” But the email reference was enough to make some people wonder if there’s something going on. Trump supporters like Newt Gingrich insisted it was a joke.

More Politics

— America is “already great”: Obama extols Clinton and excoriates Trump.

— “I didn’t dream that this would happen”: California congresswomen prepare to watch Clinton break through glass ceiling.

— How an L.A. designer helped set the stage for Democratic unity.

— Get the latest news, reactions and more.

Big Pharma’s Big Break for Itself

Democrats and Republicans say they are committed to fighting the opioid addiction crisis in America. But a new law, passed by Congress and signed by President Obama earlier this year, makes it harder for the government to act against the pharmaceutical industry when it is accused of failing to report suspicious drug orders. You probably won’t be surprised it was backed by manufacturers, wholesalers and pharmacy chains. Read on to see why a top DEA official quit amid a dispute over the legislation.

‘We Shall Overcome’ vs. ‘Black Lives Matter’

In Atlanta, the city where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was born, there’s a generation gap between the old champions of social justice and the new. The elders are shaking their heads at millennials, questioning their attitudes, tactics and lack of concrete demands. The younger set says the old ways don’t apply and their message is simple: “Stop killing black people.”

CALIFORNIA

— The parents of a 19-year-old who died at a rave have filed a lawsuit against organizer Live Nation and the venue operator, the L.A. County Fair Assn.

— An astronomer says that mysterious streak of light in the sky last night was the re-entry of a Chinese rocket.

— The Sand fire destroyed a movie and TV ranch that was backdrop for “The A-Team,” “24” and other shows.

— An L.A. judge has awarded $70 million to the families of Latin music star Jenni Rivera’s entourage who died in a plane crash.

— This L.A. restaurant will charge different prices for the same meal, based on the neighborhood.

NATION-WORLD

— John Hinckley Jr., the man who tried to assassinate President Reagan, will be released from a mental hospital to live with his mother.

— Islamic State says it’s behind an attack that killed 44 in northern Syria.

— The migrant crisis, as seen through the eyes of a people smuggler in Turkey.

— A reporter who added some swagger to the D.B. Cooper legacy comes clean. To begin with, the name was never D.B. Cooper, he says.

— Scientists have found only one true wolf species in North America.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

— From NFL hero to father to ALS soldier: the heart-wrenching and uplifting tale of the film “Gleason.”

— Watch TV critic Mary McNamara’s interview with Tatiana Maslany, who plays a dozen characters on the show “Orphan Black.”

— Sid and Marty Krofft are rebooting “Sigmund and the Sea Monsters,” “Electra Woman & Dyna Girl” and more for a new generation.

— How did a band from Austin, Texas, come to make the music for the Netflix series “Stranger Things”? It’s a mystery, even to the musicians.

BUSINESS

— Want to buy a luxury property through an LLC? Buyers in L.A. and other California counties will be required to reveal their true identities.

— Why the traditional FICO score still rules amid a new breed of online lenders.

SPORTS

— The Rams have released onetime starting quarterback Nick Foles.

— Should Landon Donovan be the next coach for the U.S. national men’s soccer team?

OPINION

— Let’s celebrate the historic moment when a woman became the presidential nominee for a major party in the U.S.

— Los Angeles has a mansion problem.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

— The man behind the U.S.A. Freedom Kids act wants to sue Trump. (Washington Post)

— Less is not more: When minimalism becomes oppressive. (New York Times)

— Does positive thinking help or hurt you in achieving your goals? (Aeon)

ONLY IN L.A.

Melanie Nissen and Steve Samiof were flying by the seats of their punk rock pants when they put out the newsprint magazine Slash from 1977 to 1980. Unflinching photos, anarchic typography, gritty interviews with bands, rants against disco — it had it all. But they didn’t know they were creating the bible of L.A.’s early punk scene. Here’s how they did it while partying with the Germs and drinking with X.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.