Wednesday's Headlines: Hundreds of IRS employees skip work, could hamper tax refund processing

'Knock them in the teeth': How Trump turns crises into leverage; Trump spins asylum restrictions as humanitarian relief; 'Unacceptable that Coast Guard men and women have to rely...

Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Hundreds of IRS employees skip work, could hamper tax refund processing Thousands were ordered back to work to process refunds without pay during the shutdown, but hundreds have permission not to work because of financial hardship, and union leaders expect absences to surge as part of a coordinated protest. By Danielle Paquette, Lisa Rein, Jeff Stein and Kimberly Kindy  •  Read more » 'Knock them in the teeth': How Trump turns crises into leverage The 800,000 federal workers expecting to miss a second paycheck are an extreme example of a tactic the president has used repeatedly: He threatens a calamity and insists he'll address it only if his adversary capitulates to a separate demand. By Damian Paletta and Josh Dawsey  •   Read more »   Fact Checker | Analysis Trump spins asylum restrictions as humanitarian relief The president says he's acting to protect children. But the fine print of his proposal would make it harder for them to escape violence and poverty in their home countries. By Salvador Rizzo  •   Read more »   'Unacceptable that Coast Guard men and women have to rely on food pantries': Officer slams lack of pay The commandant of the Coast Guard criticized the situation in a video posted on Twitter. By Dan Lamothe  •   Read more »   Around the globe, Trump's style speaks to strongmen and inspires imitators After two years in office, the president's affection for autocrats and disregard for democratic values abroad has affected how others govern, experts say, and a generation of leaders who resemble him is consolidating power and growing bolder in its willingness to flout democratic principles and norms. By Griff Witte, Carol Morello, Shibani Mahtani and Anthony Faiola  •   Read more »   Death threats, protests, lives 'permanently altered': Kentucky town reels after face-off in D.C. After a viral video and a presidential tweet put a group of Covington students in the national spotlight, their Catholic school was shut down Tuesday because of security concerns, and demonstrators gathered outside the diocese. By Frances Sellers and Kevin Williams  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT Opinions   The 2020 election will be decided in my hair salon. Here's why. By Donna Edwards  •   Read more »   The Covington students failed to act like grownups. So did the adults. By Megan McArdle  •   Read more »   Trump finds a cure for his small-hands problem By Dana Milbank  •   Read more »   Trump is being the adult in the room on the shutdown By Marc Thiessen  •   Read more »   I joined the GOP because it stood for religious freedom. It still does. By Shahid Shafi  •   Read more »   Trump's lies on his business dealings in Russia were a profound betrayal of voters By Editorial Board  •   Read more » ADVERTISEMENT More News   'He doesn't take any of this seriously': John Kerry says Trump should resign At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, the former senator and secretary of state was asked what he would say to the president if he were seated next to him. After hesitating, Kerry said he'd tell Trump: "Resign." By Heather Long  •  Read more »     Trump administration asks Supreme Court to decide quickly on citizenship question for 2020 Census The request comes after a federal judge said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross broke a "veritable smorgasbord" of federal rules by ordering the citizenship question to be added to the 2020 Census. By Robert Barnes  •   Read more »   Russell Baker | 1925–2019 Droll columnist and memoirist who twice won the Pulitzer Prize dies at 93 Baker wrote the Observer column for 36 years in the New York Times. He won Pulitzers for the columns and for his Depression-era memoir, "Growing Up." By Jon Thurber  •   Read more »   Sen. Joni Ernst declined to be Trump's running mate, reports say In court records from her divorce proceedings, the Iowa Republican said that she turned down the president "knowing it wasn't the right thing for me or my family." By Lindsey Bever  •   Read more »   Rep. Peter Welch apologizes after saying it's never been legal to make people work for free in the U.S. The Vermont Democrat was rebuked by critics who pointed out that his tweet neglected America's long history of slavery. By Felicia Sonmez  •   Read more »   'There are cows locked in my school and a hundred people outside. What should I do?' Farmers in India are incensed as growing numbers of stray cows — considered sacred in Hinduism — threaten crops. So to force government action, they've been locking the animals in schools. By Joanna Slater  •   Read more »   Taiwan's 'bikini hiker' dies after falling into ravine on solo trek Gigi Wu gained social media fame for scaling more than 100 peaks and changing into a bikini to document each climb. By Amy Wang  •   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