Monday's Headlines: DEA falters in major effort to hold drug company accountable in opioid epidemic

Home stretch for Gorsuch's Supreme Court nomination could forever alter the Senate; Trump's budget would hit rural towns especially hard — but they're willing to trust him; 'The hospitals were slaughterhouses': A journey into Syria's secret torture wards;   Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Top Stories SPECIAL REPORT DEA falters in major effort to hold drug company accountable in opioid epidemic After six years and four investigations that spanned five states, the government has taken no legal action against Mallinckrodt, one of the nation's largest manufacturers of the highly addictive painkiller oxycodone. Instead, the company has reached a tentative settlement with prosecutors in a case that shows how difficult it is to hold a drug maker responsible for the damage done by its product. By Lenny Bernstein and Scott Higham  •  Read more » Home stretch for Gorsuch's Supreme Court nomination could forever alter the Senate Lawmakers will embark on a final, and perhaps bitter, round of debate this week, and the GOP-controlled Senate will likely confirm Judge Neil Gorsuch — but only if it changes the chamber's rules to end filibusters for high court selections. By Ed O'Keefe  •  Read more »   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 »   '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, beaten and shackled to beds crammed with other men as corpses piled up. Investigators say that the testimony offers some of the most concrete evidence of crimes against humanity that could one day see senior Syrian government figures tried in court. By Louisa Loveluck and Zakaria Zakaria  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Opinions   Inside the Kushner channel to China By Josh Rogin  •  Read more »   Is the American Dream killing us? By Robert J. Samuelson  •  Read more »   It's time to take a hard look at U.S. support for Egypt By Robert Kagan and Michele Dunne  •  Read more »   What Trump should ask this dictator as he welcomes him By Jackson Diehl  •  Read more »   Mr. Hogan's flexibility By Editorial Board  •  Read more »   The right's jarring drift toward Russia By E.J. Dionne Jr.  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   More News   Growing array of pro-Trump groups could train cross-hairs on GOP lawmakers Their immediate goal is to pressure Democratic senators on Neil Gorsuch's Supreme Court nomination. But down the road, some of the groups could end up turning their focus on lawmakers who cross Trump, including members of his own party. By Matea Gold and Robert Barnes  •  Read more » Ecuador tense as both presidential candidates claim victory in tight vote With more than 96 percent of the ballots counted, candidate Lenín Moreno appeared headed to a narrow victory, and his conservative opponent Guillermo Lasso denounced the results as fraudulent. Clashes were reported in several cities. By Nick Miroff  •  Read more » No, there is no spike in missing girls in D.C.: How tweets created a crisis A police initiative to tap the power of social media morphed into a perceived epidemic of missing girls in the nation's capital. Now the mayor and police are in crisis mode as they try to separate fact from fiction. By Aaron C. Davis and Peter Hermann  •  Read more » Nikki Haley emerges as fierce but unnuanced voice on foreign policy With her statements on Russia, Israel and Syria, the ambassador to the United Nations is a tough-talking bellwether for the administration and has adopted a higher profile than most Cabinet officials including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. By Anne Gearan  •  Read more » Want Medicaid coverage? A drug test should come first, Wisconsin governor says. Scott Walker's proposal is one of several changes that Republican state leaders hope to impose in their programs in the wake of the failure to pass an Affordable Care Act replacement last month. By Paige Winfield Cunningham  •  Read more » Analysis The Backstreet Boys stole the show at the ACM Awards. Here's why that's good and bad news. The audience for the Academy of Country Music Awards show appeared to come alive as the band transitioned from their single with Florida Georgia Line to one of their their '90s pop hits. By Emily Yahr  •  Read more » NCAA Tournament South Carolina tops Mississippi State, claims first NCAA championship The Gamecocks beat their Southeastern Conference rival Bulldogs for the third time this season, and Sunday's 67-55 championship-clinching victory was by far the sweetest. By Gene Wang  •  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