Monday's Headlines: Cruz, Kasich agree to collaborate in effort to stop Trump in 3 states

Billionaire GOP donor Charles Koch says Clinton might be better than Trump or Cruz; Transgender rights turn into an unlikely flashpoint in the GOP race ; Obama outlines plans to expand U.S. Special Operations forces in Syria; The unexpected downfall of Dennis Hastert ; D.C.'s Metro at 40: A mess of its own making;   The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Top Stories Cruz, Kasich agree to collaborate in effort to stop Trump in 3 states GOP presidential hopefuls Ted Cruz and John Kasich released statements calling for Kasich to stop competing in the Indiana primary while Cruz backs off in New Mexico and Oregon. They called on allied third-party groups to do the same. By Sean Sullivan and David Weigel  •  Read more » Billionaire GOP donor Charles Koch says Clinton might be better than Trump or Cruz He stopped short of saying that he would support the former secretary of state if she becomes the Democratic nominee for the presidential election. By Vanessa Williams  •  Read more »   Transgender rights turn into an unlikely flashpoint in the GOP race In his bid to catch up to Donald Trump, Ted Cruz has seized on controversy over a North Carolina law that, among other things, mandates that people use the bathroom that corresponds to the gender on their birth certificate. By Katie Zezima  •  Read more »   Obama outlines plans to expand U.S. Special Operations forces in Syria The addition of 250 personnel, placed in areas that are removed from conflict, will bring the number of U.S. military advisers in Syria to about 300. By Greg Jaffe, Missy Ryan and Karen DeYoung  •  Read more »   The unexpected downfall of Dennis Hastert The ex-House speaker could be sentenced to prison Wednesday. In the Illinois town where Hastert coached and in the corridors of the U.S. Capitol where he once wrangled fellow legislators, the revelations about the purported sexual misdeeds have been met with shock, outrage and soul searching. By Matt Zapotosky  •  Read more »   D.C.'s Metro at 40: A mess of its own making The decline of Metro is a story about head-in-the-sand leadership, political inertia, fateful misjudgments in strategic planning, and about cautions ignored or underestimated while the subway grew older and rot set in. By Robert McCartney and Paul Duggan  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Opinions   2016's scrambled coalitions By E.J. Dionne Jr.  •  Read more »   What's the real gender pay gap? By Robert J. Samuelson  •  Read more »   We can celebrate Harriet Tubman without disparaging Andrew Jackson By Jim Webb  •  Read more »   A publisher's daughter grapples with her father's abduction by China By Fred Hiatt  •  Read more »   'Game of Thrones' leaves its biggest question unanswered By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   Another misleading argument against the TPP By Editorial Board  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   More News   How Barack Obama and Angela Merkel forged a special bond More than most American presidents, Obama disdains what he regards as needy, showboating allies. The German chancellor is most definitely neither. By Greg Jaffe  •  Read more » A Syrian rebel's slaying in Turkey points to the long, lethal reach of ISIS Zaher al-Shurqat was the fourth prominent Syrian critic of the Islamic State to be assassinated in the past six months in southern Turkey, far beyond the militants' stronghold in Syria. "We're not safe here in Turkey. ISIS is watching us," a former rebel said. By Hugh Naylor  •  Read more » For Brazil's ruling Workers' Party, losing support of the poor is 'worst nightmare' Millions of struggling Brazilians got only a brief taste of the good life before a deep recession that was one of the forces influencing the move to impeach the country's president. By Alex Cuadros  •  Read more » 30 years after Chernobyl disaster, containment is nearing completion But some wonder whether Ukraine can manage on its own when international support ends next year. By Andrew Roth  •  Read more » Marijuana-growing operations found at crime scenes in Ohio killings Autopsies for eight bodies were performed throughout the weekend, said authorities who have been tight-lipped about why this one family was targeted. By Katie Mettler  •  Read more » Zika battle steals states’ public health emergency money State and local governments were counting on the funds to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, disease outbreaks and terrorist attacks. By Lena H. Sun  •  Read more » 'Game of Thrones' recap: 10 months of waiting and very few answers There's still no closure on what might become of Jon Snow, but Melisandre's true self is exposed. By David Malitz  •  Read more »         Share Today's Headlines:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you are signed up for Headlines. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071