Saturday's Headlines: Republicans reconsider proposal to shrink corporate tax cut

Rep. Franks offered $5 million to aide to bear his child, resigns amid inquiry; Resignation raises questions of 'pro-life approach' to IVF, surrogacy; Six women say appeals court...

Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Republicans reconsider proposal to shrink corporate tax cut Separate GOP bills that passed the House and Senate would lower the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent, but lawmakers negotiating the final bill have considered raising it to 22 percent. An advocacy group backed by the Koch brothers joined a chorus of conservative groups and senators urging the GOP to "stick to their vision" and hold firm at 20 percent. By Jeff Stein  •  Read more » Rep. Franks offered $5 million to aide to bear his child, resigns amid inquiry Republican Trent Franks of Arizona indicated that he had drawn up a written contract for the woman to sign, according to the executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition, who encouraged the aide to bring the story to the attention of House leadership. By Mike DeBonis  •   Read more »   Resignation raises questions of 'pro-life approach' to IVF, surrogacy Having struggled with infertility, Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) said in a statement, he and his wife used a surrogate to successfully have twins. He described the process used as a "pro-life approach" that did not result in throwing away any embryos. But many in the antiabortion activist community have decried the use of in vitro fertilization and surrogacy, even when embryos are not discarded. By Sarah Pulliam Bailey and Ariana Eunjung Cha  •   Read more »   Six women say appeals court judge Alex Kozinski asked them to watch porn or subjected them to inappropriate comments Two women said the judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, where he served as chief from 2007 to 2014, had them watch pornography in his chambers. Four others said they were subjected to inappropriate comments or other actions. By Matt Zapotosky  •   Read more »   Trump calls Romney 'a great man,' but works to undermine him and block Senate run The tense history between the two men includes President Trump's request earlier this year that Mitt Romney's niece, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, stop using the Romney name. Then this week, Trump made a trip to Utah with a single political goal: to convince Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) to run for reelection and thwart Romney — who has remained a frequent critic of the president — from mounting his own bid for the seat, according to a White House official. By Michael Scherer and Josh Dawsey  •   Read more »   Inside the day that set in motion Flynn's guilty plea: What did Trump know? On Dec. 29, 2016, a crucial chain of events unspooled, involving Michael Flynn, his top deputy and a discussion with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kisylak urging Moscow not to retaliate after President Obama imposed new sanctions on Russia. Whether Trump knew of the back channel and whether he urged Flynn to discuss the sanctions are questions that now loom large in the special counsel investigation. By Michael Kranish  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT Opinions   The one best idea for ending sexual harassment By Post Opinions Staff  •   Read more »   Al Franken, martyr By Kathleen Parker  •   Read more »   For black women, #MeToo came centuries too late By Colbert I. King  •   Read more »   Real change is taking root on sexual harassment. Unless it's not. By Christine Emba  •   Read more »   No, Trump didn't end the peace process by recognizing Jerusalem By Jerome M. Segal  •   Read more »   Trump is set to release his health records. Why not his taxes? By Editorial Board  •   Read more » ADVERTISEMENT More News   First fire-related death reported as nightmarish flames, towering smoke engulf Southern Calif. More than a half-dozen blazes across nearly 250 square miles destroyed hundreds of buildings, put thousands more at risk, and spewed dense smoke that has sent air quality readings "off the charts." By Scott Wilson, Mark Berman and Eli Rosenberg  •  Read more »     Israeli jets hit Gaza following rocket fire in a sharp escalation of violence over Trump's Jerusalem decision Two Palestinians were killed after the Israeli military said it had "fired selectively" toward "instigators" of what it described as violent riots at six places along the Gaza border, which it said drew 4,500 participants. By Loveday Morris and Ruth Eglash  •   Read more »   In Fla. campaign-style speech, Trump banks on economy outweighing his many woes Whether President Trump can make the case that he is the reason for any economic success remains unclear, but the master salesman is trying. He also mocked Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Apprentice" ratings and relived his election defeat of Hillary Clinton more than a year ago. By Josh Dawsey and John Wagner  •   Read more »   Roy Moore accuser changes part of her account about inscription in yearbook Beverly Nelson's attorney said that the accuser had written a "D.A.," a date and "Olde Hickory House" next to the inscription but that the rest of the message was written by the Alabama candidate for Senate. By Michael Scherer  •   Read more »   Denied asylum and facing deportation, Mexican journalist says he'll be killed if sent home Emilio Gutierrez fled Mexico after exposing abuses by Mexico's military and sought asylum in the United States in 2008. He was arrested by immigration agents this week and told he'd be deported, but an appeals board temporarily halted his removal — sparing his life for now, he said. By Nick Miroff  •   Read more »   Wonkblog | Analysis Cattle have gotten so big that restaurants and grocery stores need new ways to cut steaks As U.S. beef cattle have ballooned in size, experts say, restaurants, grocers and meat processors have had to get creative in how they slice and dice them up. Increasingly, that means thinner steaks — as well as more scrap meat and "alternative" cuts. By Caitlin Dewey  •   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