Thursday's Headlines: Trump suddenly aligns with Democrats on fiscal issues, confounding GOP leaders

Hill Democrats score a seat at the table, but they're still looking for a legislative win; Massive Hurricane Irma slams into Caribbean and takes aim at Florida; Hope, worry and...

Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Top Stories Trump suddenly aligns with Democrats on fiscal issues, confounding GOP leaders The president cut a deal with Democratic congressional leaders on a short-term plan to fund the government and raise its borrowing limit this month. His surprise stance upended sensitive negotiations over the debt ceiling and other issues and further imperiled his relationships with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.). By Mike DeBonis, Kelsey Snell, Philip Rucker and Elise Viebeck  •  Read more » PowerPost • Analysis Hill Democrats score a seat at the table, but they're still looking for a legislative win For the first time this year, Democrats can envision playing offense, possibly securing victories on immigration and health issues that eluded them in the last years of President Barack Obama's tenure. By Paul Kane  •   Read more »   Massive Hurricane Irma slams into Caribbean and takes aim at Florida The most powerful hurricane to threaten the Atlantic coast in more than a decade, Irma ripped through the Caribbean on Wednesday, battering the northern Lesser Antilles and Virgin Islands, in some cases leaving behind massive destruction, such as on the small island of Barbuda. In South Florida, where the storm is expected to hit this weekend, the mood was described by one resident as "frantic." By Joel Achenbach, Francisco Alvarado, Sandhya Somashekhar and Mark Berman  •   Read more »   Hope, worry and boredom mingle in a Houston shelter Dozens staying at Calvary Community Church try to figure out what to do before their safe haven closes. By Monica Hesse  •   Read more »   The tiny islands ravaged by Irma are in trouble — and begging for help As night fell on the damaged islands, there was fear another hurricane, Jose, which has already formed in the Atlantic, appears headed for them, too. By Andrew deGrandpre  •   Read more »   Graphic: What's in Irma's path The storm is powerful, fast and bearing down on Florida. It should make landfall over the weekend. By Bonnie Berkowitz, Laris Karklis, Reuben Fischer-Baum and Chiqui Esteban  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT Opinions   Nobody knows what Trump is doing. Not even Trump. By Dana Milbank  •   Read more »   Trump offers us a glimpse behind the curtain. There's nothing there. By E.J. Dionne Jr.  •   Read more »   Will Trump lower the nuclear bar? By George F. Will  •   Read more »   Virginia needs a Truth and Reconciliation Commission on race By Tom Perriello  •   Read more »   Prosecutors summoned this Turkish journalist when she tweeted ... about Zsa Zsa Gabor By Asli Aydintasbas  •   Read more »   Trump's messy and muddled reasoning on DACA By Editorial Board  •   Read more » ADVERTISEMENT More News   In interview with Trump Jr., will Grassley be the dogged investigator or the loyal Republican? As the Senate Judiciary Committee prepares to interview Donald Trump Jr. on Thursday, one uncertainty is which Sen. Charles E. Grassley will serve as its chairman: a fearless investigator ready to take on his own party, or a partisan protector of the president? By Karoun Demirjian  •  Read more »     Fact Checker • Analysis Did Obama allow a 'back door' to citizenship through DACA? Some news reports suggested 40,000 "dreamers" got green cards through a loophole, but that number is very inflated. By Glenn Kessler  •   Read more »   China will back fresh U.N. measures on North Korea over nuclear tests The announcement by China's foreign minister came less than a week after North Korea tested its most powerful nuclear device yet and a day after President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone about how to handle the issue. By Emily Rauhala  •   Read more »   In North Dakota, embattled Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp wins president's praise The White House trumpeted Heitkamp's participation in Wednesday's trip as evidence of bipartisan support for Trump's plan to overhaul the tax code, though the senator has not explicitly endorsed his agenda. By Philip Rucker and Jenna Johnson  •   Read more »   A Venezuelan woman had grown used to shortages. Then her HIV drugs ran out.  Already living with the world's highest inflation rate and an increasingly repressive government, Venezuelans are now facing an HIV/AIDS crisis. By Anthony Faiola and Rachelle Krygier  •   Read more »   Challenging Merkel from the left, her top rival finds little appetite for a German shake-up Martin Schulz is lagging in the polls, and struggling to convince voters of the need for change with less than three weeks to go before the election. By Griff Witte  •   Read more »   Fashion is finally figuring out diversity — in ways that actually matter Yes, the industry still has its flaws, but in the past decade, it has opened its doors to more people of color, plus-size women, transgender women and those who simply don't fit the industry's classic definition of beauty. By Robin Givhan  •   Read more »         Share Today's Headlines:    Twitter     Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Today's Headlines or because it is included in your subscription. 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