Newsletter: Today: With a Friend Like Trump. Someone Planted Drugs in This PTA Mom’s Car, but Why?

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

With a Friend Like Trump ...

It’s safe to say Donald Trump won’t ever run for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District seat, and yet he could decide the race this year. The district has flipped between Democrat and Republican representatives over the last decade, is 70% Latino and full of military personnel and veterans, and runs 800 miles along the border with Mexico. It’s a case study in how Trump is affecting more local races than any other presidential candidate in recent memory.

More Politics

-- He was a billionaire who donated to the Clinton Foundation. Last year, he was denied entry into the U.S.

-- “Viva Trump!” A small but vocal group of Latinos rallies for Trump in Orange County.

-- George W. Bush’s Iraq war architect says he will probably vote for Hillary Clinton.

-- Trump came under fire for comments about the shooting death of NBA player Dwyane Wade’s cousin.

Someone Planted Drugs in This PTA Mom’s Car. But Why?

Hundreds of thousands of latimes.com readers are spending time on this page turner: Kelli Peters was the PTA president at Plaza Vista School in Irvine and the heart of its after-school program. Around campus, she was the mom everyone knew. So why would someone want to hurt her? Read the first chapter of Christopher Goffard’s six-part series this week that chronicles Peters’ saga, and hear the call to police that started it all.

So About That $400 Million to Iran …

A year after the Iran nuclear deal was struck and eight months after sanctions were lifted, the people of Iran are still waiting for the promised benefits to kick in. New jobs, greater incomes, foreign investment — all have been slow to come around, as prices for food and other necessities keep rising. As for that planeload of cash and other unfrozen assets, how those funds are being used isn’t apparent to those on the streets of Tehran.

The BLM Protesters and the Pulpit

Predominantly black churches in Los Angeles have a long history of civil rights activism. But as we’ve seen in other parts of the country, religious leaders and the Black Lives Matter movement tend to have a strained relationship. “Lacking direction” is how pastors have characterized BLM, while protesters say the churches just don’t want to rock the boat. A big flashpoint here: whether LAPD Chief Charlie Beck should stay or go.

Farewell to Mexico’s Master Showman

The romantic ballads. The flashy outfits. The marathon shows. Juan Gabriel was a legend in his native Mexico and in the U.S. His sudden death at age 66 on Sunday, after having just performed at the Forum in Inglewood on Friday night, brought an outpouring of emotion and remembrances of his rise from an orphanage in Juarez to superstardom.

Just Dive, He Said

Gravity is every diver’s nemesis, and Lenny Larsen knows its lessons well. In 2013, he broke his neck while practicing a backflip on a trampoline at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center. Now he coaches from a wheelchair, with only his words to instruct. “Stop running down the board like a bull.” “You need to see your feet … I want you to give yourself a pedicure on the way down.” Here’s how he inspires others to keep on diving.

OUR MUST-READS FROM THE WEEKEND

-- They built towering new cities in China. Now they’re trying it in downtown L.A.

-- At Sandy Hook Elementary, a new campus and a new start at the site of horror.

-- Purdue Pharma rejects a request from the New Hampshire attorney general for information on suspected diversion of OxyContin.

-- Meet the Nightcrawlers of Manila: A night on the front lines of the Philippines’ war on drugs.

-- Jewelry, wine, clothing and sports tickets: L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey collected more than $10,000 worth of gifts over the last four years.

-- Steve Lopez: After five weeks and 1,100 miles, he has a deeper love of the California coast and a greater desire to watch over it.

-- A decade after a dynasty, USC confronts a generation that asks: Reggie who?

CALIFORNIA

-- False reports of gunfire at LAX sent some passengers into a panic.

-- Federal authorities have charged dozens of Southern California postal workers and their associates with mail theft, embezzlement and other crimes.

-- After reforms, the state’s energy regulator can still have private meetings with utility companies.

-- Even rivals say Mark Leno is one of Sacramento’s most accomplished lawmakers. And now, his time is up.

-- The drought appears to be reducing beach bacteria in Southern California.

NATION-WORLD

-- 92 deaths, 2,623 bullets: Tracking every Chicago police shooting over six years.

-- After more than 50 years of conflict, Colombia’s FARC rebels are laying down arms.

-- China once struggled to feed its people. Now it’s seeing a rise in eating disorders.

-- “All our apparitions are friendly,” he said. A skeptical reporter’s Louisiana ghost story.

-- Pediatricians urge states to get tough on parents who don’t want to vaccinate their kids.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Beyoncé’s showstopper, Kanye West’ tribute to himself and more VMA moments.

-- How HBO’s “The Night Of” has portrayed American Muslim families with nuance and depth.

-- Eddie Murphy makes a new bid for serious-movie stardom with “Mr. Church.”

-- Charles Osgood is saying goodbye to “CBS Sunday Morning.”

-- The making of the film “Southside With You,” about the Obamas’ first date.

-- FYF Fest had some impressive performances but feels as if it’s on the precipice of change.

-- Doug Aitken’s “Electric Earth” will shake the MOCA landscape.

BUSINESS

-- Energy storage is taking on a greater role in the power grid. But how big can it get?

-- The feds use a Rand formula to spot discrimination in lending. The GOP calls it junk science.

SPORTS

-- After 75 years, baseball in Bakersfield has struck out.

-- The U.S. Open can keep out the rain but can’t escape the injuries.

OPINION

-- One thing is certain in the Clinton Foundation scandal: Hillary didn’t avoid the “appearance” of a conflict.

-- Innocent? Don’t talk to the police.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Inside the murky world of “investor-state dispute settlement” and how it helps corporate executives escape punishment. (Buzzfeed)

-- Welcome to the Redoubt, an area in the northwestern U.S. that is drawing doomsday preppers. (Washington Post)

-- “Verbing” has been around for centuries, but that doesn’t make it less annoying. (BBC)

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA

It’s almost Oktoberfest, which means beer, bratwurst and … wiener dog races and a contortionist named Heidi. Well, maybe not in Munich, but that’s the way Old World in Huntington Beach celebrates. Here’s how they roll out the barrel — or at least, the dachshunds.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.