Saturday's Headlines: First sign of better U.S.-Russia relations under Trump: An invite to Syria talks

Senators promise investigation of Trump-Russia ties; Trump's business ties prompt a dispute between Republicans and a tiny ethics office ; GOP faces steeper challenge after taking first step to repeal health law; The Chiefs drafted an abuser who became a star. How should fans feel?; After a slow and bloody fight against ISIS, Iraqi forces pick up the pace in Mosul ;   The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Top Stories First sign of better U.S.-Russia relations under Trump: An invite to Syria talks The Kremlin outreach, already extended to Donald Trump's designated national security adviser, is a marked shift after the Obama administration's exclusion from the process. By Karen DeYoung and Greg Miller  •  Read more » Senators promise investigation of Trump-Russia ties Leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee announced that a probe would look into Russia's political ties to campaigns. Meanwhile, House Democratic leaders publicly questioned the FBI director's integrity and more rank-and-file members called on him to step down. By Karoun Demirjian  •  Read more »   Trump's business ties prompt a dispute between Republicans and a tiny ethics office The dispute erupted after a top House Republican demanded to question Walter Shaub Jr., the director of the Office of Government Ethics, who took the unusual step of denouncing Donald Trump for retaining ownership of his businesses. By Lisa Rein  •  Read more »   GOP faces steeper challenge after taking first step to repeal health law The House voted along party lines to pass a key precursor to unraveling the Affordable Care Act. But Republicans have yet to create a viable replacement for a law that expanded insurance coverage to millions of people and eliminated unpopular insurance industry practices. By Mike DeBonis  •  Read more »   The Chiefs drafted an abuser who became a star. How should fans feel? Tyreek Hill had pleaded guilty to putting his girlfriend in a headlock, slamming her head against a wall and punching her in the abdomen while she was eight weeks pregnant. But once-emboldened critics have found themselves torn between what the young man had done and what he is doing now. By Kent Babb  •  Read more »   After a slow and bloody fight against ISIS, Iraqi forces pick up the pace in Mosul  Iraq's military has made adjustments to jump-start its fight to retake Mosul, aided by an increased number of advisers from the U.S.-led coalition and intensified airstrikes. But the Islamic State has also made changes. By Loveday Morris and Mustafa Salim  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Opinions   Can Trump's Cabinet save him from himself? By Ruth Marcus  •  Read more »   Martin Luther King III: Trump agrees the voting system is broken. Here's how he can fix it. By Martin Luther King III  •  Read more »   Stop obsessing over 'secrets' about Trump and Russia. What we know is bad enough. By Anne Applebaum  •  Read more »   The crucial election question is the one that can't be answered By Kathleen Parker  •  Read more »   Dear God, are we being punished? By Colbert I. King  •  Read more »   Trump's nominees are right: The United States can't go backward on torture By Editorial Board  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   More News   Trump meets with physicist who says global warming is good for us Princeton's William Happer has said the "benefits that more [carbon dioxide] brings from increased agricultural yields and modest warming far outweigh any harm." By Chris Mooney  •  Read more » Rep. John Lewis says Trump is not a legitimate president The comments from the congressman and civil rights leader, citing Russia's alleged hacking, mark the first time a leading Democrat has publicly called Donald Trump's legitimacy into question. By Aaron Blake  •  Read more » 'Europe's last dictatorship' wants tourists With its trade almost entirely dependent on Russia's stalled economy, Belarus hopes to lure more foreign tourists by establishing visa-free travel for citizens of 80 countries, including the United States and the entire European Union. By Adam Taylor  •  Read more » Chickens ‘changed the world.’ So why do we ignore them? Researchers say chickens are smarter — and more interesting — than they've been given credit for. By Karin Brulliard  •  Read more » Eric Garner case won't be resolved before Loretta Lynch leaves office People familiar with the matter said the attorney general authorized the Justice Department to proceed with the case involving New York City officers, but made the decision too late to get an indictment before she steps aside. By Sari Horwitz and Matt Zapotosky  •  Read more » Hundreds of Tibetans defy China to see Buddhism's birthplace in India Tibet's government-in-exile said China kept 7,000 Buddhists away from an event that included the Dalai Lama. A Chinese official said pilgrims weren't barred from going, "although the government does not encourage them to attend the ritual." By Annie Gowen  •  Read more » The National Portrait Gallery unveiled a 'witty' portrait of Trump. Here's how viewers responded. In a matter of days, Donald Trump's photograph will be displayed in federal buildings all over the country, as is customary. This portrait was an early chance for Washington to grow accustomed to seeing a new, literal face of power. By Monica Hesse  •  Read more » Head of D.C. National Guard to be removed from post in middle of inauguration Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz's departure is effective Jan. 20, 12:01 p.m., as thousands of his troops are deployed on the streets of the capital. He said his orders came from the Pentagon and that he doesn't know who made the decision. By Peter Hermann and Aaron C. Davis  •  Read more » Some upset over National Cathedral's decision to participate in Trump's inauguration The cathedral's choir will sing and it will host a prayer service. By Sarah Pulliam Bailey  •  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. ©2017 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071