Saturday's Headlines: Conservative website first paid research firm that later produced explosive Trump dossier

Catalonia finally declared independence — but Spain vows it won't last long; A century of communism in power; This is one of the few places where a communist can still dream

Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Conservative website first paid research firm that later produced explosive Trump dossier The Washington Free Beacon said it paid Fusion GPS for research on Republican candidates in the 2016 presidential race — setting in motion a chain of events leading to the dossier alleging ties between Trump associates and Russia. Two people familiar with billionaire GOP donor Paul Singer said he gives financial support to the publication. By Devlin Barrett, Sari Horwitz and Adam Entous  •  Read more » Catalonia finally declared independence — but Spain vows it won't last long Within hours of Catalonia's vote, Spain's prime minister said he would dismantle the Catalan government, dissolve its upstart parliament, take over the regional police and recall Catalan diplomats abroad. But how the central government will enforce its orders is the question everyone is asking. By William Booth and Pamela Rolfe  •   Read more »   A century of communism in power In the 100 years after Russia's "October Revolution," an ideology that promised to overturn the power of capital, and the distortions that the accumulation of capital wrought on society, attracted followers around the world. Then it all began to unravel, with North Korea being the one ferocious holdout among the remaining communist nations. By Will Englund  •   Read more »   This is one of the few places where a communist can still dream Instead of being associated with repression or failure, in Kerala state in southern India, the party of Marx is associated with investments in education that have produced the highest literacy rate in the country, and a health-care system where citizens earning only a few dollars a day still qualify for free heart surgery. By Greg Jaffe and Vidhi Doshi  •   Read more »   Trump, Republicans steer Russia probes in new directions The president and GOP lawmakers are demanding new scrutiny of Hillary Clinton's actions as secretary of state, potentially jeopardizing investigations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election as the probes close in on Trump's inner circle. By Karoun Demirjian and John Wagner  •   Read more »   State Department releases new list for potential Russia sanctions The tally included 39 Russian companies and government organizations tied to the defense and intelligence sectors and came with a warning that anyone doing significant business with them could be hit with sanctions starting next year. By Matt Zapotosky, Karoun Demirjian and David Filipov  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT Opinions   I'm one of Mark Halperin's accusers. He's part of a bigger problem we need to fix. By Lara Setrakian  •   Read more »   Tax cuts are worse than unwarranted. They're dangerous. By Ruth Marcus  •   Read more »   A stern Senate speech won't stop Trump. It didn't stop McCarthy. By Kevin M. Kruse  •   Read more »   I worked in a hostile environment. How was I so stupid? By Dana Milbank  •   Read more »   Professors like me can't stay silent about this extremist moment on campuses By Lucía Martínez Valdivia  •   Read more »   Is this who we are? By Editorial Board  •   Read more » ADVERTISEMENT More News   On taxes, Trump is an eager salesman but the policy action is on Capitol Hill Lawmakers are relying on the president to build public pressure for tax reform. But when it comes to the details, legislators have focused inward as they try to write a bill that can pass the Senate. By Damian Paletta, Robert Costa and Philip Rucker  •  Read more »     As Mattis promises 'massive military response' to North Korea strike, threat of artillery hangs over Seoul During Defense Secretary Mattis' visit to the Demilitarized Zone — 30 miles from Seoul — South Korea's defense minister pointed to North Korea's long-range artillery in the distance and suggested it would be "unfeasible" to defend against them in a conflict. By Adam Taylor  •   Read more »   Citizen Obama, welcome to jury duty The former president, who has often spoken of the need for civic engagement, plans to serve on a jury next month in Cook County, Ill. By Rachel Siegel  •   Read more »   'White Lives Matter' rally organizers adjust strategy to avoid becoming 'another Charlottesville' Two Saturday rallies called by white supremacist groups have prompted a wave of worry in Shelbyville and Murfreesboro, Tenn. And it's not just the locals. Rally organizers are worried, too. By Wesley Lowery and Abigail Hauslohner  •   Read more »   Fact Checker • Analysis Trump says sex harassment claims are 'fake news,' but there are corroborators Here are three women who claim Trump sexually harassed them, as well as the people who say they heard about the incidents at the time. By Glenn Kessler  •   Read more »   The Fix • Analysis Trump tells reporters' children they 'have no weight problems' as he passes out Halloween candy He passed out a few tricks to their parents, too, in the form of jabs coated in humor. "I cannot believe the media produced such beautiful children," he said. "How the media did this, I don't know." By Callum Borchers  •   Read more »   Astros' Yuli Gurriel may face disciplinary action for racially insensitive gesture The first baseman appeared to mock Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish — who is of Japanese and Iranian descent — during Friday's World Series game. A camera caught him pulling back the skin next to his eyes to make them appear slanted. By Dave Sheinin  •   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