Wednesday's Headlines: CIA Director Pompeo made top-secret visit to North Korean leader weeks ago

Mounting opposition to Pompeo makes positive Senate committee vote unlikely; Trump sours on talking with Mueller after FBI raid of lawyer's office; Sean Hannity's rising role in...

Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   CIA Director Pompeo made top-secret visit to North Korean leader weeks ago Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state nominee, traveled to North Korea over Easter weekend to meet with Kim Jong Un, according to two people with direct knowledge of the trip. The extraordinary meeting was part of an effort to lay the groundwork for direct talks between Trump and Kim about North Korea's nuclear weapons program. By Shane Harris, Carol D. Leonnig, Greg Jaffe and David Nakamura  •  Read more » Mounting opposition to Pompeo makes positive Senate committee vote unlikely Democrats who backed him for CIA director have publicly refused to support his move to State, but the nomination could still get a floor vote. By Karoun Demirjian  •   Read more »   Trump sours on talking with Mueller after FBI raid of lawyer's office The president had previously expressed a desire to submit to an interview with the special counsel, but last week's seizure of records from the home and office of attorney Michael Cohen angered Trump, and his legal team now sees a sit-down with Robert S. Mueller III as less likely. By Carol D. Leonnig, Ashley Parker and Josh Dawsey  •   Read more »   Sean Hannity's rising role in Trump's world: 'He basically has a desk in the place' The conservative commentator is so close to Trump that some White House aides have dubbed him the unofficial chief of staff. For a president who feels that he is under siege, Hannity offers what he prizes most: loyalty and a mass audience. By Robert Costa, Sarah Ellison and Josh Dawsey  •   Read more »   Barbara Bush | 1925–2018 Matriarch of a political dynasty who was wife to one president and mother to another dies at 92 Bush embraced her image as America's warmhearted grandmother, which belied her influence and mettle during a half-century in the public eye. A relatively unknown national figure until her husband became vice president, Bush was comfortable as a backstage force, maintaining stability during her family's more than two dozen moves before entering the vice president's official residence in 1981. By Lois Romano  •   Read more »   'One last time': Barbara Bush had already faced a death more painful than her own In 1953, Bush "held our precious girl" as her 3-year-old daughter, Robin, died of leukemia. Now the former first lady has died, too. By Steve Hendrix  •   Read more »   Starbucks arrests: Who decides whether you're a patron or a trespasser? The scene of two black men in handcuffs being led out of a Philadelphia shop by police last week delivered a reminder of pervasive bias that can affect even the most mundane activities, such as meeting someone for a coffee. By Tracy Jan and Rachel Siegel  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT Opinions   A lesson learned in Barbara Bush's bathing suit By Mary Kate Cary  •   Read more »   Barbara Bush was as authentic as her pearls were fake By Karen Tumulty  •   Read more »   What Elon Musk tells us about the president who will follow Trump By David Von Drehle  •   Read more »   Trump's merchandising empire has collapsed. Here's how to save it. By Dana Milbank  •   Read more »   Sorry, rock fans. Hip-hop is the only genre that matters right now. By Marc Weingarten  •   Read more »   The conservative renaissance has begun By Christopher Buskirk  •   Read more » ADVERTISEMENT More News   The Fix | Analysis Nikki Haley's extraordinary rebuke of the White House The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations might as well have called the White House a bunch of liars when she rebuffed White House aides' claims that she bungled an announcement of new sanctions against Russia. By Aaron Blake  •  Read more »     IRS online filing system restored; deadline extended 24 hours The Internal Revenue Service's system for accepting online tax returns is working again after being inoperational for much of Tuesday. Taxpayers can submit their returns without penalty through the end of the day Wednesday, officials said. By Jeff Stein, Damian Paletta and Mike DeBonis  •   Read more »   One person dies after Southwest jet's engine fails, forcing emergency landing Seven people were injured after an engine blew apart. One passenger said he was told that a commotion behind him was the sound of other fliers trying to help a woman who was being sucked out of a shattered window. By Faiz Siddiqui, Martine Powers and Ashley Halsey III  •   Read more »   Missouri governor, still defiant amid calls for his resignation, faces new accusations The state's attorney general said his office had evidence that Gov. Eric Greitens had used his charity's donor list for political fundraising — a probable felony. By Kurt Shillinger  •   Read more »   Fact Checker | Analysis Dissecting Paul Ryan's remarks on deficits and spending When challenged on deficits, the House speaker responded with inside-the-Beltway code. Let's explain what's going on. By Glenn Kessler  •   Read more »   Body found in ocean identified as child from Hart family whose SUV went off cliff, officials say Ciera Hart was one of three children who remained missing after Jennifer Hart drove her wife and six adopted children off a Pacific Ocean overlook last month. By Marwa Eltagouri  •   Read more »         Share Today's Headlines:    Twitter     Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Today's Headlines or because it is included in your subscription. Manage my email newsletters and alerts | Unsubscribe from Today's Headlines Privacy Policy | Help ©2018 The Washington Post  |  1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071