Meet the men who lay their lives on the line to save Africa’s elephants.

TOP STORIES

A Fight to the Death in the Elephant Grass

The rangers in Congo’s Garamba National Park carry AK-47s and wear camouflage. Their job is to protect the park’s elephants, as well as the white rhinoceroses and giraffes. Their enemy: heavily armed poachers from various corners of Africa looking to cash in. This year, five Garamba rangers have been killed, part of a worldwide epidemic of violence against those guarding animals and the environment. Times foreign correspondent Robyn Dixon went to the front lines and found stories of terror, heartbreak and joy among the environmental warriors.


Wind generated from a helicopter blows in the direction of Ranger Mbolihumdole Uwele after being dropped just outside an outpost in Garamba National Park. (Andrew Renneisen / For The Times )

Trump Threatens, and the U.N. Isn’t Having It

On the world’s most prominent diplomatic stage, President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital got a big thumbs-down. By a vote of 128 to 9, with 35 abstentions and 21 countries not present, the U.N. General Assembly voted for a resolution meant to condemn Trump’s move. That was despite threats from the president and Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley to take names and cut aid to countries that voted for the resolution. The nations that joined with the U.S. in voting against it were Israel, Guatemala, Honduras, Togo, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru and Palau.

Congress Plays Kick-the-Can


Do you ever get that feeling of deja vu? Once again, Congress has approved a stopgap spending measure to avoid a government shutdown, this time until Jan. 19. But lawmakers left much work to be done later as they head into Christmas break. Among the unfinished business: an $81-billion disaster aid package that passed the House but was blocked in the Senate by conservatives unhappy about the cost and Democrats not satisfied it is enough, a long-term solution to the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and protection for the so-called Dreamers.

More Politics

-- Trump has often said that Obamacare is “imploding” and “dead,” but enrollments this year have surged during a shorter sign-up period.

-- E. Scott Lloyd, the antiabortion activist who heads the Trump administration’s refugee resettlement program, tried to prevent a 17-year-old rape victim in federal detention from getting an abortion because it was “not in her best interest.”


-- “We’re on red alert”: Activists are making plans to swiftly launch hundreds of street protests if Trump fires special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

A Sportscasting Legend Who Did It All

“Sportscasting is a kid’s dream come true, which is one of the reasons that I keep doing it,” Dick Enberg wrote in his autobiography, titled simply “Dick Enberg, Oh My!” It was a dream that included major league baseball, college and pro football, college basketball, boxing, tennis, the Olympics … the list goes on, as do the accolades he received along the way. Enberg, who was still making a wish list of guests for his podcast this week, has died at age 82 in La Jolla.

The Coast’s Clear — and Will Stay That Way


Fifty years ago, Jack and Laura Dangermond drove through the area around Point Conception on their honeymoon. Today, thanks to a $165-million gift from the software entrepreneurs, the nonprofit Nature Conservancy is buying 24,000 acres of the Santa Barbara County coastline. The couple had long sought to keep development out of the ranchland, which is home to oak woodlands, coastal prairies, beaches and sites sacred to the Chumash.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

Santa Claus is coming to town, but he’s always needed some help in the weeks before Christmas to take requests. That’s where the Sears School for Santa Clauses came in. Back in 1976, the Santas took a two-hour crash course in Alhambra before being dispatched to stores, where they earned about $2.50 to $3 an hour.

MUST-WATCH VIDEO


-- A team of Japanese engineers has designed robots that can perform push-ups, do crunches, stretch and even sweat while doing so.

-- Annette Bening explains why “you want to be in a place of uncertainty” when creating art.

CALIFORNIA

-- As fire crews continued to slow the spread of the massive Thomas fire, authorities lifted all evacuation orders in Santa Barbara County.


-- After the sudden death of Ed Lee, San Francisco will hold a special mayoral election in June. Here’s an early look at who’s in the running.

-- At least five people have stepped forward to claim Charles Manson’s remains. “It’s like a circus,” says a Kern County attorney.

-- The Los Angeles Zoo says it has euthanized its herd of Nubian ibex after determining the goats were infected with a highly contagious and incurable strain of herpes.

YOUR WEEKEND


-- Twenty-five great homemade gift ideas: brownies, cookies, caramel corn and more.

-- Get inspired: Six gingerbread architectural masterpieces, including a Mid-Century Modern.

-- In case you missed it: our complete gift guide for everyone on your list.

-- Totally stressed out over the holidays? Here are some tips for coping.


HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Film critic Kenneth Turan says Steven Spielberg’s “The Post” is a movie about the past that speaks to our times.

-- Before playing Prince Philip in Netflix’s “The Crown,” Matt Smith didn’t care much about the royal family. Now he does.

-- Classical music critic Mark Swed considers James Levine and the age-old debate of separating art from the artist.


NATION-WORLD

-- The FBI hasn’t been able to pinpoint a motive for the Oct. 1 mass shooting in Las Vegas, but investigators still think the gunman acted alone.

-- “It was a challenge. It became an adventure”: Clifford Irving, who gained notoriety for his scheme to publish a fake Howard Hughes autobiography, has died at age 87.

-- Pro-independence parties in Catalonia have claimed victory in regional parliamentary elections, dealing a blow to the Madrid government.


-- Eight journalists in Iraq and seven in Syria were killed this year, but outside war zones, Mexico is the most dangerous place for journalists.

BUSINESS

-- A Wells Fargo spokesman said the bank’s move to raise its minimum pay to $15 an hour was not related to the passage of the Republican tax overhaul as the company implied. Then he backtracked.

-- Former Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt announced he has stepped down as executive chairman of the search giant’s parent company, Alphabet.


SPORTS

-- Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is serving a 25-day jail sentence for a probation violation but is allowed to leave the facility for games and practices.

-- Dodgers fans will see higher prices next season, with some increases more than 30%.

OPINION


-- The Times’ Editorial Board says federal regulators need to get with the times and make it easier for marijuana businesses in California to put their money into banks.

-- Do the Trump administration hawks understand the difference between North Korea’s nuclear capability and its intent?

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- How American cities move their homeless by bus (and sometimes by plane) and where they end up. (The Guardian)


-- One of America’s biggest Chinese-language newspapers, based in Alhambra, often amplifies China’s message. (Foreign Policy)

-- “Christmas, 1970,” a poem by Sandra M. Castillo. (Poetry Foundation)

ONLY IN L.A.

“Osama Bin Forgotten.” “Nobody died when Clinton lied.” “WORST PRESIDENT EVER.” If you drive L.A.’s freeways, you’ve no doubt seen these and other signs posted on overpasses and wondered who put them there. Meet Patrick Randall, the pseudonym of the Southern California man who also calls himself the Freeway Blogger.


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