Saturday's Headlines: Ryan, McConnell try to coax Trump away from shutdown, using props and flattery

Trump falsely inflates progress on his border wall; Leahy says Kavanaugh was 'not truthful' about Democratic documents; Who wrote the 'resistance' op-ed? Despite denials, most...

Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Ryan, McConnell try to coax Trump away from shutdown, using props and flattery Armed with photos of the border wall and a flattering newspaper story, the GOP leaders sought to persuade President Trump to put off a fight for more border wall money until after the midterms, according to two people briefed on the meeting. By Damian Paletta, Erica Werner and Josh Dawsey  •  Read more » Trump falsely inflates progress on his border wall The president has begun asserting that twice as much money has already been spent on the wall than Congress has authorized. By David Nakamura  •   Read more »   Leahy says Kavanaugh was 'not truthful' about Democratic documents The Vermont senator said the Supreme Court nominee should have realized the material was "stolen." By Michael Kranish  •   Read more »   The Fix | Analysis Who wrote the 'resistance' op-ed? Despite denials, most people are still in the running. A series of lists sorts officials into loose groups based on their likelihood of authorship and theories offered in public spaces. By Natalie Jennings, Aaron Blake and Kevin Uhrmacher  •   Read more »   Syrian rebels in Idlib target those who might surrender as government assault looms Al-Qaeda-linked fighters erected a gallows to keep people in line and stepped up arrests and torture, witnesses said. A doctor was recently pulled from his home at night, and a pistachio peddler was arrested as masked men patrolled the street. "You just keep walking and hope you'll be okay," said a witness to the peddler's detention. By Louisa Loveluck and Ghalia Al Alwani  •   Read more »   U.S. forces conduct live-fire exercise in southern Syria in a warning to Russia The Marine exercise followed a notification from Russia, and a U.S. rejection, of a plan to enter a zone to pursue "terrorists." By Karen DeYoung  •   Read more »   Stormy Daniels says she fears for her safety as she pursues lawsuits against Trump The adult-film star spoke candidly in a television interview broadcast in the Netherlands about how sudden political celebrity changed her life. By Elise Viebeck  •   Read more »   Michael Cohen firm seeks to void nondisclosure agreement with Stormy Daniels Michael Avenatti, Daniels's lawyer, said the filing will have no effect without buy-in from President Trump. By Elise Viebeck  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT Opinions   When I challenge the president, I do it directly. My anonymous colleague should have, too. By Nikki Haley  •   Read more »   Paul Ryan's shameful end By Dana Milbank  •   Read more »   Nike bet that politics would sell. Looks like it was wrong. By Megan McArdle  •   Read more »   Kavanaugh's refusal to recuse disqualifies him By Ruth Marcus  •   Read more »   Sorry, judges, we umpires do more than call balls and strikes By Jim Evans  •   Read more »   First they separated families. Now they're incarcerating children. By Editorial  •   Read more » ADVERTISEMENT More News   Alibaba's Jack Ma, China's richest man, to retire and focus on educational philanthropy Under Ma's guidance, the Alibaba Group has become one of China's largest technology conglomerates. By Hayley Tsukayama  •  Read more »     A Florida veteran pulled over to help a stuck truck. Police say its driver was a hit man hired to kill him. Carlos Cruz-Echevarria was an Army veteran who shot to death on Veterans Day 2017. But a year-long investigation suggests that it was anything but random. By Taylor Telford  •   Read more »   To catch a wave, the world's best surfers head more than 100 miles away from the ocean Dozens are competing in a vast concrete pool that is intended to introduce the sport to a new audience ahead of its Olympic debut in 2020. Will the artificial waves help spread or sabotage the sport of surfing? By Noah Smith  •   Read more »   Thinking she was walking into her home, police officer finds a man and kills him, police say. It was his home. A Dallas officer has been placed on administrative leave after the incident, which began when she mistakenly entered the wrong apartment, authorities said. By Lindsey Bever and Taylor Telford  •   Read more »   Jewelers made a 'take a knee' pun on a billboard. Now they're getting death threats. Initial reactions to the billboard in Central Massachusetts were overwhelmingly positive, the owner said. But the mood quickly changed after a driver snapped a photo and posted it to Facebook, accusing the ad of "being racist." By Deanna Paul  •   Read more »   Chart-topping rapper Mac Miller dies at 26 The Pittsburgh native's first studio album, "Blue Side Park," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2011. By Elahe Izadi, Sonia Rao and Bethonie Butler  •   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