Evening Edition: Blackwater founder held secret Seychelles meeting to establish Trump-Putin back channel

Democrats secure enough votes to block Gorsuch, setting stage for 'nuclear option'; Explosive device kills at least 11 on train in St. Petersburg, Russian official says; The U.S. joined the 'Great War' 100 years ago. America and warfare were never the same.; Trump's budget would hit rural towns especially hard — but they're willing to trust him; Georgetown hires star alumnus Patrick Ewing to replace John Thompson III as men's basketball coach; White House violated protocol by announcing Jared Kushner trip to Iraq before he had landed; 'It was hand-to-hand combat': New details emerge about 2014 Russian hack of the State Department; 'The hospitals were slaughterhouses': A journey into Syria's secret torture wards; Storm chasers berated by their peers after driving into a tornado on purpose; Records show deep ties between FBI and Best Buy computer technicians looking for child porn;   Democracy Dies in Darkness     The day's most important stories   BREAKING NEWS Blackwater founder held secret Seychelles meeting to establish Trump-Putin back channel The United Arab Emirates arranged the secret meeting — nine days before Donald Trump's inauguration — between Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a Russian close to President Vladi­mir Putin as part of an apparent effort to establish a back-channel line of communication between Moscow and the president-elect, according to U.S., European and Arab officials. The White House said it was not aware of any meetings and Prince had no role in the transition. By Adam Entous, Greg Miller, Kevin Sieff and Karen DeYoung  •  Read more » Democrats secure enough votes to block Gorsuch, setting stage for 'nuclear option' Four more Senate Democrats confirmed they will support a filibuster, giving the minority party the requisite 41 votes to maintain their procedural roadblock. The rules change known as the 'nuclear option' would allow Republicans to proceed with this and potentially future Supreme Court nominations on a simple majority vote, upending a long-standing Senate tradition that forces the governing party to seek bipartisan support. By Elise Viebeck and Ed O'Keefe  •  Read more »   Explosive device kills at least 11 on train in St. Petersburg, Russian official says A large blast tore apart a train as it traveled between two central St. Petersburg metro stations, injuring dozens, officials said. The area's subway system was shut down as a precaution, and security was boosted in the city, where Russian President Vladi­mir Putin was holding talks. A second explosive device was found at another station but did not detonate. By Andrew Roth and David Filipov  •  Read more »   Retropolis | The Past, Rediscovered The U.S. joined the 'Great War' 100 years ago. America and warfare were never the same. Called to arms by the sinking of neutral ships and by German provocations, hundreds of thousands of Americans crossed the Atlantic to fight in World War I. Tens of thousands never came home. Those who did — such as a doughboy from Iowa and a nurse from Wisconsin, whose stories were recorded for posterity — would never be the same. By Michael E. Ruane  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Trump's budget would hit rural towns especially hard — but they're willing to trust him In places such as Durant, Okla. — a town of 16,000 where federal funds are vital for programs that serve the poor and working class — excitement for Trump's presidency has been dulled by confusion over an agenda that seems aimed at hurting their community more than helping it. By Jenna Johnson  •  Read more »   Georgetown hires star alumnus Patrick Ewing to replace John Thompson III as men's basketball coach Ewing will take over the program he helped lead to a national championship as a player in 1984. By Tim Bontemps  •  Read more »   White House violated protocol by announcing Jared Kushner trip to Iraq before he had landed Usually when officials travel to active combat zones, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, their destinations and travel dates are left vague to help ensure the enemy doesn't attempt to attack their aircraft or launch any large assaults. By Ashley Parker and Dan Lamothe  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   'It was hand-to-hand combat': New details emerge about 2014 Russian hack of the State Department One official described the attackers' thrust-and-parry moves inside the network while defenders were trying to kick them out. Others fear the aggressive espionage tactics could spill over into the private sector. By Ellen Nakashima  •  Read more »   'The hospitals were slaughterhouses': A journey into Syria's secret torture wards More than a dozen survivors and army defectors described the conditions inside the hospital, known as 601, where prisoners were starved and beaten. Investigators say the testimony offers some of the most concrete evidence of crimes against humanity. By Louisa Loveluck and Zakaria Zakaria  •  Read more »   Storm chasers berated by their peers after driving into a tornado on purpose The chasers set a dangerous example, critics said, after filming themselves speeding directly into a small twister in northern Louisiana. By Jason Samenow  •  Read more »   Records show deep ties between FBI and Best Buy computer technicians looking for child porn New documents reveal a longstanding relationship between Geek Squad and the FBI, but prosecutors say the FBI did not direct any searches for illegal porn. By Tom Jackman  •  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. 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