Monday's Headlines: Clashes erupt as Iraqi forces move to seize Kurdish-held oil fields, military base

Did one of Trump's tweets make it safer for NFL players to kneel during the anthem?; Showdown over Affordable Care Act raises specter of government shutdown; Interior readies a...

Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Clashes erupt as Iraqi forces move to seize Kurdish-held oil fields, military base The confrontation near Kirkuk puts U.S.-trained allies on both sides with Iraqi counterterrorism forces advancing on Kurdish troops, who have controlled the area since 2014. Kurdistan's vote for independence last month has sharpened long-standing disputes between Baghdad and the semiautonomous Kurdish government in the north over land and oil. By Loveday Morris and Mustafa Salim  •  Read more » Did one of Trump's tweets make it safer for NFL players to kneel during the anthem? The president's threat to take government action against the league may give players a stronger legal basis for a free-speech challenge, if the NFL decides this week to force players to stand for the national anthem. By Tracy Jan  •   Read more »   Showdown over Affordable Care Act raises specter of government shutdown Democrats vowed to use negotiations on federal budgets as leverage to reinstate payments to insurers halted by President Trump, who on Monday will meet with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to discuss health care. By Paul Kane  •   Read more »   Interior readies a behind-the-scenes land swap to build a road through an Alaska wildlife refuge The deal to benefit a remote town would violate the decades-old founding principle of federal wilderness: that areas are to remain off-limits to vehicles. Opponents warn the development could disrupt the habitat for a variety of animals and set a precedent that could endanger other refuges. By Juliet Eilperin  •   Read more »   People love to live in places that are at risk for disasters, and then destruction strikes Many communities in the United States face floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires. Experts say the natural disasters are inevitable, but are we concerned, and are we ready? By Joel Achenbach and Mark Berman  •   Read more »   How the drug industry derailed the DEA's war on painkillers Amid a targeted lobbying effort, Congress last year weakened the DEA's ability to go after drug distributors, even as the opioid epidemic raged and thousands of Americans were dying of overdoses, an investigation by The Washington Post and "60 Minutes" found. By Scott Higham and Lenny Bernstein  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT Opinions   If Russia can create fake 'Black Lives Matter' accounts, who will next? By Anne Applebaum  •   Read more »   The president leaves Congress to fix the mess he's made on Iran By Josh Rogin  •   Read more »   Want to deepen our democracy? Get ready. By E.J. Dionne Jr.  •   Read more »   Why Ben Bernanke is worried By Robert J. Samuelson  •   Read more »   NFL owners need to play defense to protect free speech By Suzanne Nossel  •   Read more »   It's not too late for the Senate to avoid fiscal disaster By Editorial Board  •   Read more » ADVERTISEMENT More News   Unraveling 'the worst deal ever' could hurt U.S., experts say The collapse of NAFTA could hurt U.S. businesses more than those in Canada and Mexico. By Steven Mufson  •  Read more »     Trump campaign legal bills topped $1 million last quarter As the Russia probes have mounted, the president's reelection committee and the National Republican Committee have spent $2.4 million this year on lawyers. By Tom Hamburger and Anu Narayanswamy  •   Read more »   An independent Catalonia? Leader still refusing to reveal intentions Despite a deadline today to make his position clear, Catalonia's president declined to state explicitly whether he intended for the autonomous northeastern region to formally secede from Spain. By Pamela Rolfe and James McAuley  •   Read more »   Austria turns sharply to the right in an election shaped by immigration Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, 31, who campaigned on a platform of tougher immigration policies and increased border control, is in line to become the nation's next chancellor. By Griff Witte and Luisa Beck  •   Read more »   American gambling companies are lining up to open casinos in Japan Executives from Las Vegas Sands and MGM Resorts have each offered to invest as much as $10 billion in Japan, but residents have concerns over addiction and crime. By Anna Fifield  •   Read more »   Las Vegas shooting victim, struck in the head, wakes from coma and walks Two weeks after the shooting, Tina Frost has continued to defy the odds. By Amy B Wang  •   Read more »         Share Today's Headlines:    Twitter     Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. 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