Newsletter: Today: Who Will Protect the Soldiers’ Children? Debbie Reynolds — America’s Sweetheart to the End.

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

Who Will Protect the Soldiers’ Children?

The Pentagon has long claimed that child abuse is less severe in military families than among civilians, but a Los Angeles Times investigation has found the armed forces have struggled to deal with a disturbing increase in child abuse and neglect cases since the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. In many instances, reports show officials knew or suspected something was wrong but failed to intervene. Watch this heartbreaking video about Rylan Ott, a 2-year-old who died near Ft. Bragg.

Corey Ott displays a book of photographs of his son, Rylan Ott, who apparently drowned in a North Carolina pond while under the care of his mother, Samantha Bryant.

(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times )

Debbie Reynolds: America’s Sweetheart to the End

She was the unsinkable Debbie Reynolds, her life the stuff of Hollywood legend in all its triumphs and tragedies. “Life is not easy,” she once said, “but the challenges that are given to you are not insurmountable.” In the end, the death of her daughter, Carrie Fisher, was too much. Just a day after losing her, Reynolds suffered a stroke and died at age 84. We remember the woman who was known as America’s Sweetheart.

A War of Words Over Israel

John Kerry spoke. Benjamin Netanyahu fired back. Donald Trump tweeted. But the real question is, what will move the Mideast closer to peace? The outgoing secretary of State laid out his vision, one that includes a halt to Israel’s Jewish settlement building in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. That differs markedly from Netanyahu’s and presumably Trump’s plans.

More Politics

-- The president-elect is considering vineyard owner and former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado to lead the Agriculture department.

--Trump touted plans by Sprint and OneWeb to hire 8,000 workers in the U.S. He appeared to be highlighting previously made job announcements.

Alexa, Did You Witness a Homicide?

Welcome to detective work in the wired age. It was a grim scene in Arkansas: A body floating face up in a hot tub. Inside the Bentonville home: an Echo, Amazon’s always-listening virtual butler that responds to the name Alexa. When police suspected foul play, they seized it and served a warrant asking for Amazon’s files. The company has refused and says the Echo doesn’t record anything unless it detects a “wake word.” But as it turns out, another smart-home device is providing a clue.

Free Parking? Vegas Isn’t Rolling That Way Now

Life, liberty and free parking on the Vegas Strip? Well, two out of three isn’t bad. Given the reaction from some Las Vegas locals to the advent of parking fees at casinos, though, you might think that pulling into a lot without using a credit card was an unalienable right. Here’s why free parking is imploding like the Sands.

Year in Review: Legal Marijuana Stirs the Pot

In November, California voters passed Proposition 64 to legalize adult recreational use of marijuana. Will it be the beginning of the end of the federal war on weed? Robin Abcarian looks at the reality and the law in her year-end column, part of our ongoing look back at 2016.

MORE FROM OUR YEAR IN REVIEW

-- Tom Curwen: It was a year when the world got loud.

-- How did your neighbors in California vote? This graphic breaks it down precinct by precinct.

-- Trump, Hillary Clinton and beyond: the year’s top political stories.

-- Because we all could use a laugh: 10 of the funniest memes of 2016.

CALIFORNIA

-- Police will barricade key crossings along the 5.5-mile Tournament of Roses parade route in response to recent terrorist attacks that have used trucks as weapons.

-- A series of moderate earthquakes rocked the California-Nevada border. No major damage or injury was reported.

-- Manson family member and convicted murderer Patricia Krenwinkel is now the longest-serving female inmate in the state’s correctional system. Will she get parole?

-- California botanists have named a small succulent plant after Jimi Hendrix. It’s called Dudleya hendrixii, or “Hendrix’s liveforever.”

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Artist Alberto Lescay didn’t just create Cuba’s largest sculpture, he’s also teaching a new generation.

-- Many of the top entertainment TV channels saw declines of 10% or more in audience this year. Where did all those viewers go? Looks like cable news.

-- The L.A. punk quartet X will mark its 40th anniversary with shows at the Roxy.

-- Dance away 2016 with these New Year’s Eve concerts in the L.A. area.

NATION-WORLD

-- President Obama has designated two new national monuments in rugged areas of Utah and Nevada that are of significance to Native Americans. Incidentally, one is near the ranch of Cliven Bundy.

-- In Salt Lake City, the brother of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs has avoided incarceration by pleading guilty in a multimillion-dollar food stamp fraud case.

-- South Sudan just avoided a U.N. arms embargo. But can it dodge famine and genocide?

-- Scientists say cheetahs should be listed as endangered as the worldwide population drops to only 7,100.

BUSINESS

-- We took the much touted Snapchat Spectacles for a spin, and here’s what we saw.

-- An Indian billionaire says his new tech company is growing faster than Facebook and Whatsapp.

SPORTS

-- Yes, USC quarterback Sam Darnold has been compared to his grandfather, an original Marlboro Man. But his family says there’s a lot more to the story than that.

-- Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer will return to the Coliseum for the first time since clinching the Heisman Trophy there, as the Cardinals and the L.A. Rams close out their NFL seasons on Sunday.

OPINION

-- Trump must prove he supports “our LGBTQ citizens,” as he said at the Republican National Convention.

-- Middle East Forum director Gregg Roman says John Kerry is dead wrong about Israeli settlements.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- How high is inflation in Venezuela? Difficult to say. But one way to track it is the price of a cup of café con leche. (Bloomberg)

-- There are only about 80 food and drink emojis. Why is it so hard to broaden the menu? (NPR)

-- Here is why it’s OK to love “Love Actually.” (The Atlantic)

ONLY IN L.A.

It’s a Hollywood ritual that has become much too familiar this year: the makeshift shrine around a Walk of Fame star. But for fans of Carrie Fisher, there was no pink terrazzo marker to gather around, until they made one by themselves out of a blank star on the sidewalk. Among its adornments was a cinnamon bun that would have given Princess Leia’s hairstylist a wistful smile.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.

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