Saturday's Headlines: Sessions reshapes Justice Dept. while eyes are on Russia

Mueller probe might be what actually 'drains the swamp'; With the loss of its caliphate, the Islamic State could turn even more reckless and radical; Egypt launches airstrikes...

Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Sessions reshapes Justice Dept. while eyes are on Russia From his crackdown on illegal immigration to his reversal of Obama-era policies on policing, Attorney General Jeff Sessions is methodically changing his agency to reflect his nationalist ideology and hard-line views — and drawing less scrutiny than the ongoing probes into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with the Kremlin. By Matt Zapotosky and Sari Horwitz  •  Read more » Mueller probe might be what actually 'drains the swamp' The work of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III seems to be sending shock waves through Washington, exposing the lucrative work that lobbyists from both parties have performed on behalf of foreign interests. By Matt Zapotosky and Tom Hamburger  •   Read more »   With the loss of its caliphate, the Islamic State could turn even more reckless and radical The attack that killed hundreds of people at a mosque in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula demonstrated the ability of the Islamic State's regional affiliates to exact revenge for defeats in Iraq and Syria. By Greg Jaffe and Joby Warrick  •   Read more »   Egypt launches airstrikes after militants kill 235 No group has claimed responsibility for the deadliest extremist attack in Egypt's modern history, but the military said it had destroyed the vehicles the militants used. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi vowed that the attack would be avenged with "brute force." By Louisa Loveluck and Heba Farouk Mahfouz  •   Read more »   Consumer bureau now has two acting directors and nobody knows which one should lead it The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau named an acting director. Then the White House appointed its own harsh critic of the consumer watchdog. Legal experts are divided over which body has the power to make the appointment. By Renae Merle  •   Read more »   'Doug Jones's problem': Alabama's Senate race is failing to energize black voters Democrat Doug Jones hopes to win a once unthinkable victory as Republican Roy Moore faces allegations of sexual misconduct. But Jones needs a massive black turnout, and African American officials have doubts about his efforts to get voters to the polls. By Sean Sullivan  •   Read more »   Historic turnout of young voters in Virginia's election points to a problem for Republicans The surge of the millennial vote, at a time when analysts say President Trump is pushing them away, helped Democrat Ralph Northam, who won 69 percent of those voters as he beat Republican Ed Gillespie in the governor's race. By Gregory S. Schneider  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT Opinions   The end of shame By Ruth Marcus  •   Read more »   The White House gives a green light to sexual harassers By Dana Milbank  •   Read more »   The tragedy of Trump's latest Twitter tantrum By Colbert I. King  •   Read more »   Black Friday has lost its bang. Hallelujah. By Kathleen Parker  •   Read more »   Time to take baby boomers off the ticket By David Von Drehle  •   Read more »   The Chinese steamroller of repression crushes another activist By Editorial Board  •   Read more » ADVERTISEMENT More News   Trump claims he took himself out of the running for Time's 2017 'Person of the Year' "Time Magazine called to say that I was PROBABLY going to be named 'Man (Person) of the Year,' like last year, but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot," the president posted on Twitter. "I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!" Time later disputed Trump's claim. By Jenna Johnson  •  Read more »     'I don't feel like I'm a threat anymore.' New HIV guidelines are changing lives. Infection was once considered a death sentence, but a policy change heralds a historic moment in the history of HIV. Medical authorities are now publicly agreeing that people with undetectable viral loads cannot transmit HIV. By Lenny Bernstein  •   Read more »   Federal government sides largely with Catholic University in report of rape The Education Department's civil rights unit found insufficient evidence to sustain a female student's complaint but determined the school failed to uphold the rights of the accused male student. By Nick Anderson  •   Read more »   Pakistan launches crackdown on religious protesters, setting off violent clashes Hundreds were arrested and their belongings set afire after religious leaders, upset about a proposed change to weaken a religious requirement for candidates, ignored orders to disperse. The protests blocked traffic for days on the expressway between Islamabad and Rawalpindi. By Pamela Constable  •   Read more »   Trump tells Turkish president U.S. will stop arming Kurds in Syria The pledge is expected to remove a major source of tension between the NATO allies, but it's likely to anger the Kurds, who already feel betrayed since the United States told them to hand over hard-won territory to the Syrian government. By Carol Morello and Erin Cunningham  •   Read more »   Ivanka Trump and Chelsea Clinton come to Malia Obama's defense Members of the First Daughters' Club weighed in after conservative media outlets circulated and reported on videos that they claim show Barack Obama's oldest daughter kissing a young man and blowing smoke rings. By Jenna Johnson  •   Read more »   A couple's neighbor thought he saw a deer and fired. Now the wife is dead. A woman walking her dogs was killed Wednesday after a neighbor mistook her for a deer and shot her, officials said. By Marwa Eltagouri  •   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