Wednesday's Headlines: Trump, citing ‘evil massacre’ in Florida, considers ideas that could draw NRA’s ire

Sen. Rubio faces backlash from students, gun-control advocates; Behind their anger, Florida students are teens struggling with trauma; Fla. lawmaker's aide is fired after calling...

Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Trump, citing 'evil massacre' in Florida, considers ideas that could draw NRA's ire President Trump directed the Justice Department to draft a ban on "bump stocks" that can boost the firing rate of legal semiautomatic guns. In private, he has indicated that he might do more, telling advisers and friends that he is determined to push for some sort of gun-control legislation, according to people familiar with the conversations. By Jenna Johnson, Mark Berman and Josh Dawsey  •  Read more » Sen. Rubio faces backlash from students, gun-control advocates Marco Rubio drew special attention when he said the 2016 Orlando shooting was a life-altering event and then ran for reelection. His Senate record on guns has drawn scrutiny. By Sean Sullivan  •   Read more »   Behind their anger, Florida students are teens struggling with trauma Some fear loud noises. Some are sleeping in their parents' beds, some not at all. Deep down, they're kids trying to figure out how to feel about a massacre that killed their friends. By Jessica Contrera  •   Read more »   Fla. lawmaker's aide is fired after calling two Parkland students actors Benjamin Kelly, an aide to Florida legislator Shawn Harrison, was let go hours after making his claims. By Marwa Eltagouri  •   Read more »   Pence planned to meet secretly with North Korean officials before last-minute cancellation Vice President Pence was set to meet with Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Kim Yong Nam, the regime's nominal head of state. But the North Koreans pulled out less than two hours before the scheduled time, according to Pence's office. By Ashley Parker  •   Read more »   Trump's 'tougher on Russia' claim fits a pattern of striving to one-up Obama President Trump's frequent self-comparisons to his predecessor come in nearly every realm, and range from the substantive to the superficial. He often exaggerates the truth, brushes over nuance and engineers his own reality. By Philip Rucker and Ashley Parker  •   Read more »   Leader of D.C. Public Schools to resign after skirting school assignment rules Antwan Wilson will resign after just more than a year on the job amid revelations that he skirted the District's lottery system so his daughter could transfer into a high-performing school with a wait list of more than 600 students. By Perry Stein, Peter Jamison and Fenit Nirappil  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT Opinions   Putin's useful idiots By Dana Milbank  •   Read more »   For an innocent man, Trump sure does act guilty By David Von Drehle  •   Read more »   The billionaire who does Putin's dirty work By David Ignatius  •   Read more »   Stopping the next mass shooter By Kathleen Parker  •   Read more »   We've left the 'shining city upon a hill' for an era of 'American carnage' By Ruth Marcus  •   Read more »   The Trump White House's tariff 'cures' are much worse than any trade disease By Editorial Board  •   Read more » ADVERTISEMENT More News   Analysis Romney faces a complicated path as he begins his run for Senate seat What motivates him, at age 70 and with two dozen grandchildren, to decide to submit himself to the rigors and occasional tedium of a statewide campaign in Utah? By Dan Balz  •  Read more »     It's Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva, then everybody else in figure skating's short program The Russian teens, who have dominated the world stage all season, continued to do so, with two record-setting performances. The three Americans ended up ninth, 10th and 11th, suggesting it's near impossible that any of them will close the gap in the decisive free skate. By Liz Clarke  •   Read more »   Lindsey Vonn wins bronze in Olympic downhill farewell Vonn's bronze in the women's downhill race Wednesday marks the third Olympic medal of her extraordinary Alpine career By Rick Maese  •   Read more »   U.S. men's hockey team bows out with shootout loss to Czech Republic The Americans had opportunities in regulation and OT, but couldn't convert any of their five attempts in shootout. By Adam Kilgore  •   Read more »   Abbas blasts U.S. role in Mideast peace process during address to U.N. Security Council Mahmoud Abbas accused the United States of abdicating its commitment to the peace process, while U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said the Palestinian leader was shortchanging his people with a default to grievances that will get them nowhere. By Anne Gearan  •   Read more »   VA chief Shulkin's job is safe, White House says, unless 'other stuff comes out' Shulkin is the latest Trump Cabinet member to face criticism for their travel practices. President Trump's decision was communicated by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. By Emily Wax-Thibodeaux, Lisa Rein and Josh Dawsey  •   Read more »   Donald Trump Jr. says he likes India's poor people because there's still a smile on their faces The president's eldest son, who is in India this week to market luxury Trump Tower projects, made the remarks in an interview. "It is a different spirit than that which you see in other parts of the world," he added. By Annie Gowen  •   Read more »   This lawmaker wants you to know him so he can wreak havoc in Congress Less than 14 months into his first term, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is still on Step 1 of Operation: Disrupt Congress. But by amassing his own clout and cozying up to the president through nontraditional means, he is casting himself as a counterweight to people who outrank him. By Dan Zak  •   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. ©2018 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071