Newsletter: Today: Trump Does a Texas Two-Step. Is It Really Over in Aleppo?

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

Trump Does a Texas Two-Step

The latest pieces of the Trump administration puzzle involve two men from Texas: Rex Tillerson, the chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp. who is his pick for secretary of State, and former Gov. Rick Perry, who he tapped to lead the Department of Energy. Along with Tillerson’s ties to Russia, his background in making deals around the globe is fueling doubts about whether he’ll be confirmed. As for Perry, he could lead an agency that is in charge of the nation’s nuclear weapons — and one that he famously wanted to eliminate but blanked on its name in a debate five years ago.

Silicon Valley Goes to Trump Tower

Many Silicon Valley leaders made it clear during the election that they were with Hillary Clinton. Today, the captains of Apple, Facebook, Tesla, Alphabet and others have been called to Trump Tower to see the president-elect. Though that may stir a sense of foreboding, it might not be so confrontational after all. Bill Gates came away from his private session by saying that Trump’s vision for America could be like John F. Kennedy’s leading up to the moonshot.

More Politics

-- A Montana congressman is now the favorite to be Interior secretary.

-- On Trump’s short list to run the SEC: a former U.S. attorney who grew up in L.A.’s Chinatown.

-- Kanye West got some face time with Trump, then they appeared for this video.

Is It Really Over in Aleppo? No, Cease-Fire Stalls.

For more than four years, a battle between government and rebel forces has raged in Aleppo, which was once a city of 3 million people and the industrial and financial heart of Syria. The siege that has laid waste to much of Aleppo seemingly came to an end Tuesday, with the last remaining rebels agreeing to leave. But the cease-fire deal between rebels and the Syrian government stalled on Wednesday. The human toll appears to keep rising: According to the U.N., reports of government fighters killing at least 82 civilians have emerged.

Three Deadly Shootings by Police. More Than $8 Million.

The three settlements stem from when LAPD officers killed unarmed men: $4 million, $2.5 million and $1.65 million. Though there are among the highest paid by Los Angeles for a deadly police shooting in the last decade, the cost goes far beyond dollars and cents.

How the Mighty Are Felled in the Forest

There’s a new Gold Rush in California — for the brave tree cutters who are clearing the state of hazardous trees among an astonishing die-off in the forests. With estimates putting the number of dead trees at 102 million, there’s no way to rid them all. Just removing one is a perilous task: When a fir tree comes crashing down, it generates an explosion equal to four pounds of TNT. As for a poor 700-year-old Ponderosa pine: Watch out below.

Alexa, What Is Your Raison D’être?

The Amazon Echo voice-activated device has its legions of fans. Our columnist Michael Hiltzik is not one of them. He has two versions of the speakers with a built-in assistant named Alexa. “It’s not that they don’t have a fair number of functions around the home, but that they do almost nothing that can’t be done just as easily by other means — or more easily.” Alexa, what do you think of that?

CALIFORNIA

-- Alan Thicke, who played the dad on the ’80s sitcom “Growing Pains,” wrote songs and was the father of pop star Robin Thicke, has died at age 69. Thicke suffered a heart attack while playing hockey with his son Carter at an L.A.-area rink.

-- A fire station was just 500 feet from the Ghost Ship. But fire officials say they have no records on the warehouse.

-- The Los Angeles City Attorney’s office is taking action against members of a San Fernando Valley white supremacist gang.

-- Mexican authorities are reporting that the Sinaloa cartel is responsible for two tunnels whose entrances were discovered west of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Movie review: “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” has its thrills and its flaws.

-- Lee Daniels’ newest TV musical drama, “Star,” features Queen Latifah as a beauty salon owner in Atlanta who is a fairy music godmother of sorts to an up-and-coming all-girl trio. Bring on the GIFs.

-- “The Birth of a Nation” was once an Oscar favorite; now, its six NAACP Image Award nominations may be the best it can hope for.

-- E.R. Braithwaite, who wrote the bestseller “To Sir, With Love” that served as the basis for the Sidney Poitier movie of the same name, has died at 104.

NATION-WORLD

-- In a significant break with past policy, U.S.-led forces in Iraq have started arming and training hundreds of fighters belonging to Shiite militias historically known for having ties to Iran.

-- Inside the Bill Cosby pretrial hearing: Prosecutors make the case to let 13 women testify, attorneys yell, and Cosby breaks his silence in court.

-- A politician in Kabul says he was tortured and sexually abused while being held hostage by Afghanistan’s vice president.

-- A study says teens are cutting back on drugs, alcohol, smoking and even electronic cigarettes.

BUSINESS

-- Is the Chevrolet Bolt EV a game-changer? The electric cars are hitting dealerships now.

-- This father thought a credit card spending limit would keep his son in check. Instead, he got a shock.

SPORTS

-- As bowl season starts Saturday, here are the must-watch college football matchups, plus some you can probably skip.

-- Bill Shaikin: The Dodgers’ World Series drought is approaching three decades, but the team is hanging on to its elite prospects.

OPINION

-- How should we characterize Trump’s Cabinet picks? In a sense, they’re outsiders, but certainly not populists.

-- Putin’s modest investment in cyberspying is paying off, big league.

-- The Patt Morrison podcast: How catastrophes like the Ghost Ship fire are making cities like L.A. rethink their housing crises.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Ta-Nehisi Coates on the making of a black president. (The Atlantic)

-- Think a sports scholarship will pay for that college education? Think again. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

-- Mikhail Gorbachev gives his views of the USSR back then and Russia today, and sings a song too. (BBC)

ONLY IN L.A.

The Ebell of Los Angeles has a storied 122-year history as a social club. It also has an archive of clothing and accessories that dates back to the 1800s and includes about 900 pieces. Take a look at the vintage dresses, hats and handbags — some of which were discovered in a long-forgotten, mannequin-filled closet within the cavernous building at Lucerne and Wilshire — from when they used to party like it was 1899.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.

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