Today’s Headlines: U.N. climate summit stops short of bold

Here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

Leaders vow to cut methane, protect forests at U.N. summit. Bolder climate action must wait

With global leaders unable to reach consensus on how to quickly curb rising temperatures, President Biden sought other avenues of progress on his last day at the U.N. climate summit, forging agreements to cut methane emissions and save forests. The announcements spurred positive headlines despite environmental advocates’ doubts the convention would provide the momentum needed to halt climate change’s deadly effects on parts of the globe.

Related

— ‘Heartbreaking’ Madagascar is ‘wake-up call’ in climate crisis, U.N. official says

More politics

— GOP candidate Youngkin wins Virginia governor’s race, jolting Democrats

— Biden announces sharp cuts to methane emissions as Congress delays his climate agenda

— Supreme Court looks to medieval England in gun rights case

— Elections across U.S. test new voting restrictions, showcase security measures

— Could Los Angeles lose a Black congressional seat?

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U.S. gives final clearance to COVID-19 shots for kids 5 to 11

U.S. health officials gave the final sign-off to Pfizer’s kid-size COVID-19 shot, a major expansion of the nation’s vaccination campaign. The FDA had already authorized the shots for 5- to 11-year-olds — doses at a third of the amount given to teens and adults. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends who should receive FDA-cleared vaccines.

Millions of shots made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech have already been shipped to states, doctors’ offices and pharmacies in anticipation of the CDC’s decision. Shots into youngsters’ arms could begin this week.

More top coronavirus headlines

— The number of people who are unvaccinated but still open to the idea appears to be shrinking, survey shows

— When will L.A. County lift its mask mandate? Here’s what needs to happen

— Sheriff Villanueva blasts vaccine mandate; LAPD Chief Moore braces for impacts

Stay up-to-date on pandemic developments, coronavirus case counts and vaccine news with Coronavirus Today.

Two O.C. families get $2.5-million settlement over leaked Kobe Bryant crash photos

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors approved 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. A Times investigation had revealed that L.A. County sheriff’s deputies and firefighters took and shared crash scene photos for purposes outside law enforcement. The lawsuits mirror one filed by Vanessa Bryant.

No more Facebook faceprints

Facebook said it would shut down its facial recognition system and delete the faceprints of more than 1 billion people amid growing concerns about the technology and its misuse by governments, police and others.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Rain. We miss it already. Today’s photo pick is from Oct. 25 after a day of rain left a puddle on the Manhattan Beach Pier. California’s winter is expected to be drier than normal amid La Niña conditions.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

CALIFORNIA

— While under investigation, a top administrative commander of the Los Angeles Fire Department was still able to access the LAFD’s confidential complaint system that contained sensitive information about the allegations against him. The LAFD confirmed that he had logged into the system.

— A California appeals court considered whether a harassment lawsuit against the Church of Scientology should be decided by a jury or an arbitration board of Scientologists. The case was brought by women who said they were stalked and harassed after they complained to police that they had been raped by actor Danny Masterson, a Scientologist who has been criminally charged.

— Should California make solar more expensive? State officials have been laying the groundwork to slash a key solar incentive program, pitting utility giants, ratepayer watchdogs and some environmental justice activists against solar companies and many climate activists.

— A former Orange County sheriff’s deputy pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of filing a false police report in connection with a years-long investigation into the systemic mishandling of evidence, officials said.

— A smell that has sickened residents in Carson and nearby areas for the last month was declared a local emergency by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, allowing expedited cleanup of the Dominguez Channel, where hydrogen sulfide gas has been emanating from decaying vegetation.

NATION-WORLD

— Voters in Minneapolis decided against replacing the city’s Police Department with a new Department of Public Safety, more than a year after George Floyd’s murder by a white police officer.

— Two U.S. congresswomen renewed demands for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to provide a formal apology and release records in connection with the January 2020 detainment of 200 Iranian Americans at the U.S.-Canada border in the days following a U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian general.

— Jurors heard starkly different portrayals of Kyle Rittenhouse, instigator or victim, in opening statements at his trial on charges of shooting three people on the streets of Kenosha during a turbulent protest against racial injustice.

— Ethiopia’s government declared a national state of emergency as rival Tigray forces threatened to move on the capital and the country’s yearlong war escalated quickly. The United States said security has “deteriorated significantly,” and it strongly warned its citizens to consider leaving.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

— Alec Baldwin doubled down on his defense of working conditions on the movie “Rust” by sharing what appeared to be social media posts of a crew member who said complaints on set had been overblown.

— “Chavez Ravine: In 9 Innings,” a project Culture Clash worked on during the pandemic, is a cinematic reimagining of the troupe’s play about a painful chapter in L.A. history. Charles McNulty writes that the offering, available on Center Theatre Group’s Digital Stage, has the feeling of a multimedia mixtape documenting a battle royale in the city’s haunted past.

— We talk with Dami Olonisakin, better known as Oloni, who has spent the last decade dispensing sex and relationship advice on her website Simply Oloni, a BBC Three show, her Twitter and Instagram accounts, and her podcast “Laid Bare.”

— Carole Baskin’s request for a restraining order over Netflix’s “Tiger King 2” has been denied. The court did not make a decision, however, regarding Netflix’s use of the Baskins’ likeness in its highly anticipated follow-up to the wild series.

BUSINESS

— NBCUniversal will build eight new stages as part of a major development to boost production at its famed Universal Studios lot.

— U.S. regulators are suing to block a $2.2-billion book publishing deal, saying consolidation would hurt authors and readers. German media giant Bertelsmann’s Penguin Random House, already the largest American publisher, wants to buy New York-based Simon & Schuster.

— Wall Street added to its recent run of milestones as the major stock indexes hit new highs again, with the Dow Jones industrial average closing above 36,000 points for the first time.

— Stop worrying about the cost of the Biden plan, writes business columnist Michael Hiltzik: In budgetary terms, it’s pennies.

SPORTS

— Atlanta captured its first World Series title since 1995 on Tuesday night, defeating the Astros 7-0 in Game 6 at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

— The Lakers buckled down, escaping with a 119-117 win over the Houston Rockets.

— Less than two months after his tumultuous tenure as USC’s head coach came to a close, Clay Helton has already landed a job at Georgia Southern, where he’ll replace a coach who was fired just a couple of weeks after him this season.

OPINION

— Op-Ed: The Supreme Court is considering whether the 2nd Amendment bars states from limiting the carrying of guns in public. The case’s resolution will have major repercussions on 1st Amendment rights: People would have to worry that the response to their free speech might be deadly force.

— L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva appears to see himself as the law in his town. Among other things, he’s flouted lawful subpoenas of an oversight commission; organized an investigative unit to look into his political rivals; and spurned a mandate that city employees, including his deputies, be vaccinated. His style of service is no service to the public.

— “Good Trouble: Lessons From the Civil Rights Playbook,” a history of the civil rights movement, is devoid of both sex and profanity. So why, asks author Christopher Noxon, is it part of a proposed book ban in Virginia Beach schools?

— Latinos have been a key part of the Democratic base, writes columnist Mark Z. Barabak. For how much longer?

ONLY IN L.A.

Has the FBI solved the mysterious case of the “jet pack man”? Multiple sightings of what some said looked like a man flying in a jet pack in the skies of Los Angeles prompted a federal investigation.

This week authorities offered some details about the probe: “The FBI has worked closely with the FAA to investigate reported jet pack sightings in the Los Angeles area, none of which have been verified,” read an FBI statement. “One working theory is that pilots might have seen balloons.”

Some experts speculate “jet pack man” is actually a dummy or balloon attached to a drone to resemble a person with a jet pack.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

John L. Uhlik, a jailer at the Hollywood police station, milks a cow that wandered onto Hollywood Boulevard on Nov. 2, 1935.

(Los Angeles Times)

A Los Angeles Times article 86 years ago today recounted a pair of police officers patrolling Hollywood in the early-morning dark when “their spotlight picked out two bovines placidly gazing into the window of a shop in the Hotel Roosevelt.”

“‘Well, I’ll be something or other,’ gulped Officer Welton. ‘It is a cow, it’s two cows, in fact.’”

After herding the cows along Hollywood Boulevard to the local police station, jailer John Uhlik, having grown up on a farm, realized they needed milking. The owner of a North Hollywood dairy later came to retrieve his property.

Today’s newsletter was curated by Amy Hubbard and Laura Blasey. Comments or ideas? Email us at headlines@latimes.com.