Wednesday's Headlines: Trump plan would raise tax deductions, lower corporate and small business rates

Slow pace of Trump nominations leaves executive branch 'stuck' in staffing limbo; White House, GOP lawmakers said to be nearing a health-care deal with the Freedom Caucus; Trump scrambles to show progress as the 100-day mark rapidly approaches; Judge blocks Trump order to withhold federal money from 'sanctuary cities';   Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Top Stories Trump plan would raise tax deductions, lower corporate and small business rates The proposed increases to standard deductions and the business proposals are among several major changes to the tax code that the White House will begin to roll out Wednesday. Officials say the changes will give Americans and companies more money to spend, expand the economy and create more jobs. But the proposals also could lead to a large loss of government revenue and, without offsets, bloat the federal deficit. By Damian Paletta and Steven Mufson  •  Read more » Slow pace of Trump nominations leaves executive branch 'stuck' in staffing limbo The Senate has confirmed 26 of President Trump's picks for his Cabinet and other top posts, but he has advanced just 37 nominees for 530 other senior-level jobs. Cabinet secretaries say the vacancies are hobbling efforts to oversee operations and promote Trump's agenda. By Lisa Rein  •  Read more »   White House, GOP lawmakers said to be nearing a health-care deal with the Freedom Caucus At least three leaders in the hard-line group have reportedly signaled they are ready to support a plan that would allow states to opt out of some regulations in the Affordable Care Act. It is unclear how much support the proposal has in the full House. By Robert Costa and Paige Winfield Cunningham  •  Read more »   Trump scrambles to show progress as the 100-day mark rapidly approaches A private reception for conservative media. A tariff on some lumber imports from Canada. A new executive order. The planned roll-out of a tax plan. While President Trump has called Saturday's 100-day marker an "artificial" construct, a whirlwind of activity from the West Wing in recent days reveals a White House eager to cross the threshold with some tangible wins. By Ashley Parker, Philip Rucker and Sean Sullivan  •  Read more »   Judge blocks Trump order to withhold federal money from 'sanctuary cities' A federal judge dealt the Trump administration yet another legal blow in a ruling that halted President Trump's threat to withhold funding from cities and towns that refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities. Judge William Orrick called the order broad and vague. By Maria Sacchetti  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Opinions   Julian Assange: The CIA director is waging war on truth-tellers like WikiLeaks By Julian Assange  •  Read more »   What the other Washington thinks of President Trump By Daniel Lee  •  Read more »   Apparently repealing Obamacare could violate international law By Dana Milbank  •  Read more »   Dealmaker in Chief? More like the Backdown President. By Kathleen Parker  •  Read more »   Mattis and Trump: The odd couple that works By David Ignatius  •  Read more »   The Trump administration's magical thinking on taxes would bust the budget By Editorial Board  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   More News   U.S. military starts installing anti-missile battery in South Korea The move triggered protests and sparked criticism that the United States was rushing to get the system in place before the likely election of a president who opposes it. By Anna Fifield  •  Read more » A European deal with Libya could leave migrants facing violence European leaders are counting on an Italian effort in Libya to block the flow of migrants to the continent, but aid groups warned that the plan could come at an overwhelming human cost. By Anthony Faiola  •  Read more » Doctor at center of USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal left warning signs at Michigan State More than 100 women have filed criminal complaints against Larry Nassar, who had been a celebrity of sports medicine. By Will Hobson  •  Read more » Workers endured long hours, low pay at Chinese factory used by Ivanka Trump's clothing-maker Inspectors with the Fair Labor Association found two dozen violations of international labor standards during a two-day tour of the factory in October. By Drew Harwell  •  Read more » Berkeley braces for protests after hearing that Ann Coulter plans to speak at public plaza on campus College Republicans had been discussing the possibility of Sproul Plaza — a sprawling space that has been the site of demonstrations for decades — for Coulter's speech since the university canceled the group's original event. By Susan Svrluga and William Wan  •  Read more » Thai man hangs his infant daughter on Facebook Live, then hangs himself Facebook called the incident, which happened amid a recent string of live-streamed tragedies, "appalling" and extended condolences to the family. By Lindsey Bever  •  Read more » In a surprise TED Talk, Pope Francis calls for a 'revolution of tenderness' Francis urged the attendees to use their influence and power to care for others. "How wonderful would it be if the growth of scientific and technological innovation would come along with more equality and social inclusion," he said. By Colby Itkowitz  •  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