Thursday's Headlines: Senate shutdown votes expected to fail, potentially opening path to compromise

Trump says he'll delay State of the Union speech until shutdown ends; 'Master negotiator' or 'nonentity'? Kushner thrusts himself into middle of shutdown talks.; Giuliani's...

Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   The Debrief Senate shutdown votes expected to fail, potentially opening path to compromise The Senate plans to hold votes Thursday to end the longest government shutdown in history. Both proposals are expected to fail, but their defeat would demonstrate that what both sides are pushing for is not possible in the Senate and that some new compromise must be forged. By Sean Sullivan  •  Read more » Trump says he'll delay State of the Union speech until shutdown ends President Trump announced his decision in a tweet, hours after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rescinded her invitation and asked for a "mutually agreeable" date once the government has reopened. He said it was her "prerogative" to suggest a later date. By Seung Min Kim and Felicia Sonmez  •   Read more »   'Master negotiator' or 'nonentity'? Kushner thrusts himself into middle of shutdown talks. The self-confident presidential adviser and son-in-law has prompted deep skepticism among many who doubt his political abilities and influence. By Josh Dawsey and Robert Costa  •   Read more »   Giuliani's missteps frustrate Trump but underscore unique role he plays for president President Trump's lawyer made a dizzying array of statements and clarifications in recent days, leaving White House aides, his fellow lawyers and people involved in the special counsel's Russia investigation puzzled over what, exactly, he was trying to say in defense of the president — and why he was saying any of it at all. By Josh Dawsey  •   Read more »   U.S. to defy Venezuelan order for American diplomats to leave the country in 72 hours In a statement, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Trump administration does not recognize the authority of "former president" Nicolás Maduro. The administration earlier recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the nation's interim president. By Mariana Zuñiga, Anthony Faiola and Carol Morello  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT Opinions   The president is the paralyzer-in-chief. He must be stopped. By E.J. Dionne  •   Read more »   Why do people such as Lindsey Graham come to Congress? By George Will  •   Read more »   Another victory is looming for Mitch McConnell By Hugh Hewitt  •   Read more »   I decided to take a year off from social media. Here's what I've learned so far. By John Green  •   Read more »   Where the fight for abortion rights will take place next By Andrea Miller  •   Read more »   The Trump administration finds yet another way to harm federal employees By Editorial Board  •   Read more » ADVERTISEMENT More News   Ex-Trump fixer Michael Cohen will not testify before Congress next month, lawyer says Cohen's attorney cited unspecified "threats against his family from President Trump" for the delay. A person familiar with the case said these threats have not been reported to law enforcement. By Matt Zapotosky and Karoun Demirjian  •  Read more »     China confirms Australian writer Yang Hengjun under investigation for endangering national security The detention comes amid rising tensions between China and other allies of the United States. By Gerry Shih  •   Read more »   Iranian journalist Marzieh Hashemi released from U.S. custody, completes testimony to grand jury The arrest of the English-language PressTV news presenter on a 'material witness' warrant had sparked protest from Iran's foreign minister. By Spencer Hsu and Tom Jackman  •   Read more »   There's a new Gandhi in town: India's most famous dynasty produces another politician With elections looming, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's new post in the Indian National Congress may complicate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reelection bid. By Niha Masih and Joanna Slater  •   Read more »   BuzzFeed, HuffPost owner are the latest to feel the pinch in a faltering digital news economy BuzzFeed announced it would lay off about 15 percent of its staff, while Verizon Media Group — the owner of HuffPost, AOL and Yahoo — announced its own round of layoffs of about 7 percent of its staff. By Paul Farhi  •   Read more »   Perspective The Covington students and the calculated art of making people uncomfortable It's hard to think of another recent incident that has metastasized so quickly and been interpreted so disparately. By Monica Hesse  •   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 ©2019 The Washington Post  |  1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071