Thursday's Headlines: Multiple people killed after after a gunman opens fire in a Calif. bar, police say

Sessions forced out, raising questions about Russia probe; Sessions's law enforcement legacy overshadowed by Trump's fury; In Matthew Whitaker, Trump has a loyalist at the helm of...

Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Multiple people killed after a gunman opens fire in a California bar, police say A spokesman for the sheriff's department said more than 11 people were shot, including a deputy. Multiple eyewitnesses described seeing smoke, possibly from smoke bombs, and said people used chairs to break windows to flee the scene. By Isaac Stanley-Becker and Fred Barbash  •  Read more » Sessions forced out, raising questions about Russia probe The attorney general's chief of staff, Matthew G. Whitaker, was named to replace Jeff Sessions on an acting basis. A Justice Department official said Whitaker would assume authority over the special counsel probe, which sparked fears that the president might be trying to exert control over the investigation. By Devlin Barrett, Matt Zapotosky and Josh Dawsey  •   Read more »   Sessions's law enforcement legacy overshadowed by Trump's fury Sessions has said publicly and privately that he does not regret recusing himself from the Russia investigation, believing it was the right course of action. By Sari Horwitz, Devlin Barrett and Matt Zapotosky  •   Read more »   In Matthew Whitaker, Trump has a loyalist at the helm of the Justice Department Before joining the Justice Department in 2017, Whitaker served as U.S. attorney in Iowa, made an unsuccessful U.S. Senate bid and ran a conservative watchdog group. As a legal commentator, he was critical of the special counsel's reach. By Carol Leonnig, Tom Hamburger, Sari Horwitz and Robert Costa  •   Read more »   Acting attorney general could curtail Mueller's authority, cut his budget or order him to cease lines of inquiry Within hours of his appointment, there were mounting calls by congressional Democrats and government watchdog groups for Whitaker to recuse himself. By Rosalind Helderman, Matt Zapotosky and Carol Leonnig  •   Read more »   Washington girds for battle as Trump vows to resist Democratic probes President Trump will for the first time face a divided government as Democrats who won the House pledged to serve as a check on his power. Trump, meanwhile, threatened to retaliate if they launch investigations into his conduct and possible corruption in his administration. The shift to war footing portends unremitting political combat as 2020 approaches. By Philip Rucker, Robert Costa and Josh Dawsey  •   Read more »   Fact Checker | Analysis Analyzing Trump's post-election news conference Here's a look at ten claims made by President Trump at his post-election news conference. By Glenn Kessler and Salvador Rizzo  •   Read more »   After losing House, Republicans effectively surrender fight to repeal Affordable Care Act The day after crushing midterm election losses, GOP leaders signaled they had no appetite to make another go at shredding the signature accomplishment of Barack Obama's presidency any time soon. By Sean Sullivan  •   Read more »   Democrats gain hundreds of legislative seats, secure majority of state attorneys general The Democratic gains mark a significant turnaround for a party that had been losing clout in state legislatures for nearly a decade, allowing Republicans to loosen restrictions on firearms, push through new voter-ID laws and weaken environmental regulations. By Tim Craig  •   Read more »   Va. results highlight division as once-reliable GOP suburbs turned blue Democrats tapped into outrage from suburbanites, particularly college-educated women but also immigrants and some white men who had voted for Trump in 2016, to help them win control of the House. By Gregory S. Schneider and Laura Vozzella  •   Read more »   Kemp's lead over Abrams narrows amid voting complaints in Georgia governor's race Republican Brian Kemp declared victory over Democrat Stacey Abrams even as election officials counted thousands of absentee and provisional ballots. Voting rights advocates accused Kemp — Georgia's top election officer — and other officials of disenfranchising thousands of voters. By Amy Gardner, Beth Reinhard and Aaron Davis  •   Read more »   Results in Florida and Georgia prompt soul-searching for African Americans After two rising black political stars and would-be governors appeared to fall short of victory, their supporters wonder what might have been. By Robert Samuels and Vanessa Williams  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT Opinions   Trump's rambling, angry news conference shows he ignored the message voters sent him By Editorial Board  •   Read more »   We are former attorneys general. We salute Jeff Sessions. By William P. Barr, Edwin Meese III and Michael B. Mukasey  •   Read more »   Trump to midterm voters: Get lost By Dana Milbank  •   Read more »   White House goes authoritarian on CNN's Jim Acosta By Erik Wemple  •   Read more »   Mueller missed his market — and doomed the investigation By Philip Allen Lacovara  •   Read more »   Nancy Pelosi's party needs her. Are Democrats smart enough to recognize that? By Karen Tumulty  •   Read more » ADVERTISEMENT More News   White House suspends press pass of CNN's Jim Acosta after his testy exchange with Trump The president took issue with questions asked by Acosta at a press conference the day after the midterm elections. By Amy Wang and Paul Farhi  •  Read more »     Trump administration issues final rules letting some employers deny contraceptive coverage The exemptions for religious or moral objections to birth control were first proposed a year ago and are already the subject of lawsuits brought by attorneys general in California and Pennsylvania. By Amy Goldstein  •   Read more »   Boeing issues warning on potential instrument malfunction after Indonesia crash Boeing's bulletin to airlines was the first indication that the 737 Max 8 jetliner's systems may have caused problems for the Lion Air flight that crashed soon after takeoff Oct. 29, killing all 189 people on board.  By Timothy McLaughlin, Ashley Halsey and Stanley Widianto  •   Read more »   Has Americans' love affair with driving gotten stuck in traffic? Baby boomers' enthusiasm for the open road is giving way to millenials' disillusionment with stop-and-go commutes that require they spend more time in their cars than they receive in vacation time. By Ashley Halsey  •   Read more »   Apologizing for Canada's rejection of Jews in 1939, Trudeau vows to fight anti-Semitism "Anti-Semitism is still far too present," the prime minister said in his apology for Canada's decision 79 years ago to turn away an ocean liner carrying more than 900 German Jews fleeing Europe. By Emily Rauhala  •   Read more »   Chinese-owned pork producer to get cash from bailout program spurred by tariffs imposed by Beijing Chinese-owned Smithfield Foods will sell at least $240,000 worth of products to the federal government under a program meant to help U.S. farmers offset the damages from retaliatory tariffs imposed by China this summer. By Jeff Stein  •   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