Newsletter: Today: The Inevitable Nominees? How to Get Thrown Off a Plane.

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

The Top of the Heap Spreads the News

As the dust was settling on the New York primaries, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton had a similar message (gasp!): Both portrayed themselves as the inevitable nominees for their parties. We’ll see. Of the three remaining GOP candidates, Trump is the only one with a realistic chance of winning the nomination on the first ballot. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders said he needed to “take a day off” to recharge, but isn’t quitting the race. County-by-county results are here.

Obama and the Glass House of Saud

The Iran nuclear deal. Wars in Syria and Yemen. The battle against Islamic State. Relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have been strained, and that’s not even including continued fallout from 9/11. That’s why President Obama’s trip to Riyadh today has at least two goals: to reinforce his Middle East strategy and to ease tension with a longtime ally. Here’s a look at why neither will be easy.

Was This LAPD Shooting Justified?

Walter William DeLeon had his hand wrapped in a towel when he was shot and wounded in the head by an LAPD officer last year. A police report says the officer and witnesses thought DeLeon had a gun, and on Tuesday, the Police Commission determined that the officer was justified. Not so, says DeLeon’s lawyer: “There was absolutely no justification for the use of deadly force. None.” Read on to see what the next legal steps are.

Santa Monica’s Ticket to Ride

The Expo Line is set to open one month from now, and officials in Santa Monica want you to use it — a tall order considering that transit ridership has declined across Southern California for a decade. That’s why they’ve been reorienting the city to the train’s arrival, with altered bus routes, ride- and bike-sharing options, and a promenade to the pier. Will it get you out of your car?

How to Get Thrown Off a Plane

It doesn’t happen all that often: Last year, airlines reported unruly passengers on only 82 flights out of about 9.6 million, according to the FAA. But when a passenger gets kicked off a plane, you’re probably going to see it on social media these days. So how do flight attendants make the call of who gets the boot? A lot of it comes down to attitude, they say.

CALIFORNIA

-- The L.A. City Council backs a proposed law for Los Angeles workers to be able to earn at least six paid sick days annually.

-- Steve Lopez: Art students thrive under the Wizard’s watchful eye.

-- L.A.’s City Controller says too many LAPD cops are cubicle police.

-- A religious group is suing over San Francisco’s open-air urinal in a park.

NATION-WORLD

-- Does a boycott over bathrooms or immigration dent a state’s economy?

-- Former NYPD officer Peter Liang avoids jail time, and gets probation and community service, in a fatal shooting.

-- Ecuador vows to rebuild as the toll from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake rises.

-- Here’s why a “frozen” conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has heated up.

-- Feeling lonely? Research shows loneliness increases risk for coronary heart disease and stroke by 50%.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- After “Game of Thrones” ends its epic run, how will HBO fill the void?

-- How old punk upstart Goldenvoice snared the rock icons it once rebelled against.

-- Irish filmmaker John Carney gives the modern movie musical a lift in “Sing Street.”

-- After #OscarsSoWhite, the film academy clears the air about its new membership rules.

-- Classical music with a hip-hop beat? When Kanye West and Beethoven meet.

-- The documentary “Streit’s: Matzo and the American Dream” shows the brittle nature of tradition.

-- A guide to which performers are protesting North Carolina’s anti-gay law.

BUSINESS

-- While UnitedHealth pulls the plug on Obamacare, data shows where and why it failed.

-- Intel will slash 12,000 jobs as it moves away from PCs.

-- China’s LeEco unveils its first electric vehicle.

SPORTS

-- Intentionally fouling the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan isn’t working out for the Trail Blazers.

-- NFL draft preview? Here’s what happened during our mock draft with beat writers from every team.

-- How we mapped Kobe Bryant’s 30,699 shots.

OPINION

-- Downtown L.A. isn’t “vibrant,” it’s a gritty melting pot. And that makes it even more compelling.

-- Sex, love and murder: 400 years after his death, Shakespeare still delivers the goods.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- The secrecy covering police oversight in California. (LA Weekly)

-- Cancer patients in Uganda must wait as the country’s only radiotherapy machine breaks down. (Reuters)

-- The sculpture garden of Niki de Saint Phalle: “dazzling or deranged, transcendent or tawdry, depending on whom you ask.” (The New Yorker)

ONLY IN L.A.

Chris Barnicle is a runner known as “The World’s Fastest Stoner.” And with measures to legalize recreational marijuana use trying to make their way onto California’s November ballot, he’s become a poster boy for pro-pot advocates hoping to break stereotypes. So what if he drives around in a van with his dog? Read on to see how he did at a recent 420 Games competition.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.