Monday's Headlines: Intelligence community investigating covert Russian influence operations in U.S.

Can Democrats ride an anti-Trump wave to take control of the House and Senate?; Obama and Putin agree to continue trying for a Syria cease-fire deal; A Dallas police sergeant recalls a night of anguish, rage and sorrow; Hong Kong’s election results show that Beijing’s hard-line stance may have backfired;   The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Top Stories Maxim Zmeyev / Reuters Intelligence community investigating covert Russian influence operations in U.S. Agencies are probing whether the Kremlin intends to sow public distrust in the November elections through a cyber- and disinformation campaign. The agencies see a broad covert Russian operation at play in the United States, which incorporates cyber-tools to hack systems, enhancing Russia's ability to spread disinformation. By Dana Priest, Ellen Nakashima and Tom Hamburger  •  Read more » Can Democrats ride an anti-Trump wave to take control of the House and Senate? Bolstered by Republican nominee Donald Trump's unpopularity with nonwhite, female and suburban voters, Democrats have recruited candidates in enough Senate and House races to potentially flip control of both chambers. By Mike DeBonis and David Weigel  •  Read more »   Obama and Putin agree to continue trying for a Syria cease-fire deal The collapse of an immediate deal happened as the two leaders met at the G-20 summit and as a major new Syrian-Russian offensive in the besieged city of Aleppo appeared to undermine key components of the proposed agreement. By William Wan and Karen DeYoung  •  Read more »   A Dallas police sergeant recalls a night of anguish, rage and sorrow Ivan Gunter led a specially trained team of nine officers called the Foxtrots. In the July twilight, beneath the city's skyscrapers, a gunman took aim as they policed a protest rally. After helping drag his wounded men into patrol cars, Gunter followed the gunman's trail of broken glass and blood. By the end of the siege, he had lost a third of his team. By Jamie Thompson  •  Read more »   Hong Kong’s election results show that Beijing’s hard-line stance may have backfired The rise of pro-independence and pro-democracy candidates means that those critical of Beijing's influence will maintain the ability to veto policies proposed by the pro-China camp. By Emily Rauhala  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Opinions   Donald Trump's bet: We are all chumps By Editorial Board  •  Read more »   GOP senior statesmen hold their fire on Trump By Josh Rogin  •  Read more »   Help wanted: Phony populism doesn't feed the family By E.J. Dionne Jr.  •  Read more »   A new era of labor scarcity? By Robert J. Samuelson  •  Read more »   There's still time for Obama to carve out a Middle East legacy By Jackson Diehl  •  Read more »   The presidential candidates are giving labor short shrift By Editorial Board  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   More News   North Korea fires missiles as world leaders meet in China for G-20 summit The three missiles were fired off of its east coast after the Chinese and South Korean leaders discussed an anti-North missile defense system. By Anna Fifield  •  Read more » Hermine weakens, but significant flooding still expected at Mid-Atlantic beaches Although the storm has lost its hurricane force, rising tides and surges could still create dangerous flooding in areas from southern Virginia to Connecticut. By Brian McNoldy  •  Read more » Trump's feud with a swing state GOP senator just heated up a few more degrees Jeff Flake, one of the Hill's most high-profile Republican critics of Donald Trump, launched another salvo this weekend. And Trump fired back. By Amber Phillips  •  Read more » Mike Pence emerges as Donald Trump's evangelist, emissary and explainer In private meetings, vice-presidential nominee tries to assuage worries about Trump. By Philip Rucker  •  Read more » Trump campaign struggles with specifics of deportation The candidate's immigration priorities point to a dramatic escalation of removals over current levels. By Jose A. DelReal  •  Read more » A government campaign urged Italians to have more babies. It didn't go well. "Beauty has no age limit. Fertility does," read a poster the campaign, which has been recalled. Another ad claimed that fertility was "a common good." By Rick Noack  •  Read more » Everyone seems to hate online reader comments. Here's why I treasure them. Many news organizations are getting rid of them. They should just fix them instead. By Margaret Sullivan  •  Read more » Kolkata, the city Mother Teresa made famous, has mixed reaction to her canonization The Missionaries of Charity shined a light on the Indian city, but some of its residents expressed ambivalence about the life and work of the nun. By Annie Gowen  •  Read more » Rafael Nadal is upset by 24th-seeded Lucas Pouille of France at U.S. Open The No. 4-seeded Spaniard and two-time U.S. Open champion lost in a five-set thriller that lasted more than four hours. By Tim Bontemps  •  Read more » The arts community embraced Obama — but he never truly embraced the arts A master of pop culture, the president hasn't boosted high-culture artists in the way of Kennedy or Trudeau. By Philip Kennicott  •  Read more » Gold-medal gymnasts throw out acrobatic first pitches Hours apart, in New York and Texas, Olympians Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian wowed the crowds. By Des Bieler  •  Read more »         Share Today's Headlines:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you are signed up for Headlines. 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. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071