Here are the stories you shouldn't miss today:
TOP STORIES
Court records outline critical moments leading up to shooting on 'Rust' set
Authorities determined the projectile that fatally wounded cinematographer Halyna Hutchins
was a lead bullet, one of roughly 500 rounds of ammunition recovered from the set of the film "Rust." Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the projectile was recovered from director Joel Souza's shoulder at an area hospital.
First assistant director Dave Halls told investigators
he did not check all the rounds in the gun before it was handed to actor and producer Alec Baldwin — a major breach of safety protocol.
Europe is the destination, but Asia is on Biden's mind
President Biden is preparing for two international conferences in Europe this week. But he spent two days at a
virtual summit of Southeast Asian nations, a sign that the president remains keenly focused on foreign policy challenges posed by a rising China.
Six years ago, an unprecedented level of cooperation between the U.S. and China laid the groundwork for the Paris climate accord, a milestone in the fight against global warming. But as final preparations are made for the back-to-back international summits this week,
that partnership has frayed.
More politics
— President Biden will make a last-second pitch to House Democrats on Thursday to
support agenda-fulfilling legislation, even though lawmakers and White House aides are still hashing out details about several major policies.
— House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told colleagues Democrats
were in "pretty good shape" on President Biden's sweeping domestic plan, but fresh problems emerged as Sen. Joe Manchin panned a new billionaires' tax to help pay for the $1.75-trillion package.
— An ambitious proposal to mandate 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for workers nationwide
will probably be struck from the Democrats' Build Back Better plan, a setback for the party's hopes of strengthening the nation's social programs.
It may be harder to justify COVID-19 vaccination for kids if pandemic's end is near
If this were December 2020, or August 2021 — and coronavirus cases were surging and hospitals nearing capacity — the case for vaccinating young children against COVID-19 would be easy to make. The risk that inoculation could cause heart inflammation in young kids appears to be minuscule. But it's late October 2021, and the virus appears to be in retreat.
These are the
calculations safety experts are trying to make as they decide whether Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11 should be made available, and especially whether it should be recommended for all 28 million of them.
More top coronavirus headlines
— Although the chances of serious illness and death from COVID-19 are exceedingly slim for children, experts say there's a very good reason for parents to get their kids vaccinated. COVID-19 has become
one of the leading causes of death in children nationwide.
— California health officials said they were prepared to pull out all the stops to vaccinate children ages 5 to 11 as the country drew closer to authorizing eligibility for that age group, with doses offered
as soon as the end of next week, as the critical holiday season approaches.
— Pharmaceutical company Merck has agreed to allow other drugmakers worldwide to
produce its COVID-19 pill in a move aimed at helping millions of people in poorer countries get access to the potentially lifesaving drug.
—
An inexpensive antidepressant, fluvoxamine, reduced the need for hospitalization among high-risk adults with COVID-19, according to a new study.
For more, sign up for Coronavirus Today, a special edition of The Times' Health and Science newsletter. Long Beach school safety officer charged with murder
Murder charges have been filed against a former Long Beach school safety officer who
shot an unarmed 18-year-old, prosecutors announced. The officer fired into a fleeing vehicle after a fight between Manuela "Mona" Rodriguez and an unidentified 15-year-old a block away from Millikan High School in late September.
County to consider $2.5-million settlement with families in Kobe Bryant crash photo lawsuits
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will consider approving a $2.5-million settlement for two families suing over the unauthorized sharing of
photos of the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash, in which their loved ones also were killed.
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Today's photo pick comes from Oct. 1, when the Pacific Airshow drew fans to Huntington Beach. Uri Anival, 7, was among those watching the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds streak across the sky. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
CALIFORNIA
— Did Beverly Hills police target black shoppers on Rodeo Drive? Documents offer a complicated picture of the operation, shedding light on how it started and
raising new questions.
— A Los Angeles police officer broke department policy
by firing at a suspect who was allegedly stunning him with his own Taser in a South L.A. housing unit last year, the civilian Police Commission has ruled.
— The Haunt in Atascadero
keeps extra pants on hand for visitors so frightened that they pee their pants. A list of "confessed pee-ers" (two of whom have asked for pants) is kept by managers: "They like to sign it as sort of a badge of honor."
— San Francisco is poised to
give sick pay to house cleaners, nannies and caregivers.
— A federal jury awarded $17 million in damages to the family of a mentally disabled man who was
fatally shot inside a Costco in Corona by an off-duty Los Angeles police officer.
— The United States has issued its first passport with an "X" gender designation — a milestone in the recognition of the rights of people who don't identify as male or female — and expects to be able to offer the option more broadly next year, the State Department said.NATION-WORLD
— More and more Italian towns and villages eager to attract new residents are putting up homes for sale
for as little as 1 euro, a trend that has spread since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
— TV critic Robert Lloyd explains why
"Star Trek" is the greatest sci-fi franchise of all. Taken as a whole over time, it has remained remarkably true to a vision: Peace is better than war; violence is dramatically less interesting than discussion; difference is not merely respected but portrayed as a positive good.
— Will the real Buzz Lightyear please stand up? Chris Evans stars in Pixar's
new teaser for "Lightyear," a prequel to the popular "Toy Story" films.
— "Squid Game" creator Hwang Dong-hyuk formed a slam dunk of a response to LeBron James after the Lakers superstar said he didn't like the season finale of the Netflix series. It begins: "
Have you seen 'Space Jam 2'?"
BUSINESS
— Silicon Valley has a powerful new adversary: its own workforce. Recent episodes at Facebook and Netflix have seen tech workers taking problems with their employers
outside the building — to the media, to the streets and to Capitol Hill — in ways that were rare just a few years ago.
— Massive oil company Exxon Mobil is targeting Serge Dedina, mayor of Imperial Beach in San Diego County, and other California municipal officials who have sued oil companies over the consequences of global warming. Exxon Mobil is demanding depositions and documents, part of a long campaign by the fossil fuel industry to
harass and intimidate its critics, writes columnist Michael Hiltzik.
SPORTS
— The
Chargers signed Andre Roberts last week to be their kickoff and punt returner. Entering Week 8, the Chargers rank last in the NFL with a 16.5-yard average on kickoff returns and 26th with a 6.8-yard average on punt returns. Roberts, released last week by Houston, was a Pro Bowl pick each of the last three years and also an All-Pro in 2018.
— With 100 days left until the start of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Norway is favored to finish atop the medals table with the
U.S. trailing in fourth place.
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OPINION
— Will Congress expose Big Oil like it did Big Tobacco in the '90s? The outcome of a congressional investigation will be one indication of whether the fossil fuel industry's lobbying-fueled stranglehold can be loosened
in time to meaningfully confront the climate crisis.
— In the face of supply chain disruptions, California business groups are offering their, um, solution: Roll back state labor protections and slash environmental protections.
Bad idea.
ONLY IN L.A.
Malibu has long been a weekend destination for auto and motorcycle enthusiasts. But a
beachfront brouhaha over car enthusiast gatherings has emerged, pitting owners of expensive automobiles against landlords of expensive property in a collision of upper-class ego and entitlement. The fight involves some of the biggest names in the California car scene, including Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
The Times on Oct. 28, 1964, ran this photo of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. chatting with a little girl at Nickerson Gardens housing project while visiting L.A. Two weeks earlier, he'd been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent struggle for civil rights. (Los Angeles Times)
Today's newsletter was curated by Amy Hubbard and Laura Blasey. Comments or ideas? Email us at headlines@latimes.com. 
"A mistake with the gun." Sure. They always say that. As if the gun went off by itself. Sure it did.
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