Evening Edition: Arrests along Mexico border fall to lowest level in decades under Trump

Justices seem divided in case of baker who refused to create a wedding cake for a gay couple; Zinke backs shrinking more national monuments and changing the way others are managed

Democracy Dies in Darkness     The day's most important stories   Arrests along Mexico border fall to lowest level in decades under Trump The number of people caught trying to sneak into the United States illegally hit a historic low after President Trump took office but has steadily increased since May, according to a report by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Agents made 310,531 arrests during the fiscal year that ended in October, a decline of 24 percent from the previous year and the fewest since 1971. By Nick Miroff  •  Read more » Justices seem divided in case of baker who refused to create a wedding cake for a gay couple Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who seems likely to cast the deciding vote, gave both sides reason for hope and concern in a case that grapples with the ideas of free speech and civil rights. By Robert Barnes and Ann E. Marimow  •   Read more »   Zinke backs shrinking more national monuments and changing the way others are managed Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's report comes a day after President Trump signed two proclamations in Utah that downsized two national monuments there — Bears Ears by 85 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante by 46 percent. By Juliet Eilperin  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT Analysis Can Democrats win back the House in 2018? It'll be tough. The party currently holds 194 seats, 24 short of what it needs to take back control of the chamber from Republicans. Three possible paths to the majority include winning in districts Hillary Clinton won in 2016, capitalizing on GOP retirements and targeting the districts where House races were closest in the last election cycle. By Kevin Schaul and Kevin Uhrmacher  •   Read more »   Trump tells Palestinians, Jordanians and Egyptians he intends to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem The president called the leaders as speculation grows about a U.S. policy shift on the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned Trump the move would imperil the peace process. By Loveday Morris and Ruth Eglash  •   Read more »   Russia banned from 2018 Olympics for widespread doping program Russia's flag and anthem will be absent from February's Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, the International Olympic Committee announced, as punishment for widespread doping Olympic officials believe was supported by the Russian government. Invited Russian athletes will compete under the name "Olympic Athlete from Russia" and under the Olympic flag. By Will Hobson  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT The Fix | Analysis In awkward White House photo op, Trump turns Jeff Flake into a prop "There's a great spirit in the Republican Party like I've never seen before," President Trump said while seated next to the senator who warned in late October about "unquestioning loyalty to a president who belongs to my party." By Aaron Blake  •   Read more »   'Out of control' fire in Southern California forces thousands to flee An explosive brush fire spread from about 50 acres to an estimated 45,000 acres in a matter of hours. The Ventura County Fire Department issued a dire warning, saying conditions were expected to worsen. By Mark Berman, Travis M. Andrews and J. Freedom du Lac  •   Read more »   John Oliver grills Dustin Hoffman about sexual harassment allegations A panel discussion featuring the HBO host and Hoffman devolved into a heated argument after Oliver asked the actor about an allegation of harassment on the set of the 1986 TV movie "Death Of A Salesman." By Steven Zeitchik  •   Read more »   Conyers steps down amid sexual harassment claims Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), who had been under pressure to resign after former female aides accused him of making inappropriate advances, endorsed his son to replace him in Congress. Conyers, who has denied wrongdoing, represented the Detroit area for 52 years. By Elise Viebeck and David Weigel  •   Read more »   Divisions in both parties over spending raise risks of a shutdown on Friday Some Republicans want to push the next spending deadline back further, while some Democrats want to force a fight over immigration as soon as this week. By Ed O'Keefe and Mike DeBonis  •   Read more »   Her child died, and now she heads a club that no parent ever wishes to join It was an expected outcome from a prolonged illness, but nothing prepared Joyal Mulheron for what came after her infant daughter died. "I couldn't tell you for weeks if I had showered or if I had eaten that day." By Ellen McCarthy  •   Read more »           Share Evening Edition:    Twitter     Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Evening Edition 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