Evening Edition: U.S. takes action against Russia for election hacking

Kremlin spokesman vows retaliation against U.S. sanctions; Syrian army announces cease-fire to begin at midnight; How one reporter uncovered parts of Trump's life that he wanted to keep secret; 'Singin' in the Rain' star dies one day after daughter Carrie Fisher's death; Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democrats' new leader, may be a wild card in 2017; An obscure E.U. regulation may have saved lives in the Berlin Christmas market attack; Russia says malfunction, not bomb, probably caused deadly crash of military jet; Rare coast-to-coast cold snap to engulf Lower 48 states next week; The world today looks ominously like it did before World War I; The Asian American ‘advantage’ that is actually an illusion; The calendar the CIA gift shop refuses to sell — and the strange story behind it; A woman ordered canaries to brighten her home. The USPS delivered a box of ‘bird carnage.’;   The day's most important stories   U.S. takes action against Russia for election hacking The measures include the sanctioning of agencies and individuals tied to the hacks and the removal of 35 Russian government officials from the United States. The administration's announcement culminates months of vigorous internal debate over whether and how to respond to Russia's unprecedented election-year provocations, ranging from the hacks of the Democratic National Committee to the targeting of state electoral systems. By Missy Ryan and Ellen Nakashima  •  Read more » Kremlin spokesman vows retaliation against U.S. sanctions "I cannot say now what the response will be, although, as we know, there is no alternative here to the principle of reciprocity," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitri Peskov said in a statement. By Andrew Roth  •  Read more »   Syrian army announces cease-fire to begin at midnight The military said the deal excluded "terrorist organizations," suggesting that the fighting could continue in key swaths of the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the truce was reached with the Syrian government, certain Syrian rebel groups, Iran and Turkey. Notably absent from the peace process was the United States. By Louisa Loveluck and Andrew Roth  •  Read more »   How one reporter uncovered parts of Trump's life that he wanted to keep secret This Post journalist asked what he thought was a simple question: What happened to the $6 million Donald Trump raised for veterans during his campaign? That began the reporter's strange journey to track down an "orange" portrait, receive a hot tip about a vulgar conversation and write a story that he thought would never be published. By David A. Fahrenthold  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Debbie Reynolds | 1932-2016 'Singin' in the Rain' star dies one day after daughter Carrie Fisher's death Reynolds, who was 84, starred opposite Gene Kelly in the 1952 classic "Singin' in the Rain" and was nominated for an Oscar for her role in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown." She was the mother of "Star Wars" actress Fisher, who died Tuesday. Los Angeles Times  •  Read more »   Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democrats' new leader, may be a wild card in 2017 The senator from New York is something of a political contradiction, and the choices he makes will have big implications for his party, Trump's presidency and the country. By Aaron Blake  •  Read more »   An obscure E.U. regulation may have saved lives in the Berlin Christmas market attack The truck that killed 12 people after plowing into the market may have been stopped by an advanced braking system mandated by the European Union. By Adam Taylor  •  Read more »   Russia says malfunction, not bomb, probably caused deadly crash of military jet Russian officials are leaning toward accidental causes, like mechanical problems or pilot error, rather than an act of sabotage for the flight that was headed to Syria on Sunday. By Andrew Roth  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Rare coast-to-coast cold snap to engulf Lower 48 states next week Frigid air is predicted to consume most of the nation, from the Pacific Northwest to the Southeast, sparing only Florida. By Jason Samenow  •  Read more »   The world today looks ominously like it did before World War I Some economists are having deja vu as a backlash to globalization appears to be gaining strength around the world. By Ana Swanson  •  Read more »   The Asian American ‘advantage’ that is actually an illusion Why do typical Asian American households outearn typical white households? A common explanation is that Asian Americans are better educated. While that's true, there's another factor that can completely account for the income gap between Asians and whites. By Jeff Guo  •  Read more »   The calendar the CIA gift shop refuses to sell — and the strange story behind it The "Secret Ops of the CIA" calendar was created by the nephew of an agency contractor killed in the line of duty. But it's not available at the agency's Northern Virginia headquarters. By Ian Shapira  •  Read more »   A woman ordered canaries to brighten her home. The USPS delivered a box of ‘bird carnage.’ Most cute animals aren't mailable, under federal rules. Songbirds are — well, if everything goes right. By Avi Selk  •  Read more »           Share Evening Edition:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Headlines. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. 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