Wednesday's Headlines: Rice denies leaking names of Trump officials from intelligence reports

As GOP presses for new health bill, lawmakers weigh letting states skip certain mandates; Russia blames Syrian rebels for devastating chemical attack in northern town ; Advertisers flee Bill O'Reilly's Fox News show amid sexual-harassment claims; Senate plunges toward historic, bitter showdown over Supreme Court nominee;   Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Top Stories Rice denies leaking names of Trump officials from intelligence reports Some Republican lawmakers want former Obama national security adviser Susan E. Rice to testify about claims that she sought to uncover the identities of President Trump campaign or transition officials concealed in intercepts. The allegations — which Rice called "completely false" — quickly overtook the steady drumbeat of revelations about connections to Moscow that have dogged Trump for months. By Karen DeYoung and Karoun Demirjian  •  Read more » As GOP presses for new health bill, lawmakers weigh letting states skip certain mandates While Republicans met into the night to try to build consensus on a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, no clear path has emerged toward House passage of a bill. By Mike DeBonis and John Wagner  •  Read more »   Russia blames Syrian rebels for devastating chemical attack in northern town The attack that killed at least 72 people, according to human rights observers, has been widely attributed to the Syrian government. It drew international censure as images circulated of limp children and elderly men foaming at the mouth. By Louisa Loveluck  •  Read more »   Advertisers flee Bill O'Reilly's Fox News show amid sexual-harassment claims At least 11 companies, including leading car, financial and pharmaceutical advertisers, have suspended or removed ads from "The O'Reilly Factor" after news that the host has been the subject of a succession of sexual-harassment allegations over the past 15 years. The retreat represented the most significant threat to O'Reilly seen during his long, successful and occasionally controversy-riven career at Fox. By Paul Farhi  •  Read more »   Senate plunges toward historic, bitter showdown over Supreme Court nominee There was no sign of compromise as senators formally opened debate on Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Trump's pick for the high court. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed that Gorsuch would be confirmed by Friday. By Ed O'Keefe and Sean Sullivan  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Opinions   Who is that masked man in the White House? By Kathleen Parker  •  Read more »   Trump says he has the 'best words.' Merriam-Webster disagrees. By Dana Milbank  •  Read more »   No, Republicans didn't just strip away your Internet privacy rights By Ajit Pai and Maureen Ohlhausen  •  Read more »   Trump's shell game on Russia makes everything look suspicious By David Ignatius  •  Read more »   The beauty of adversity By Garrison Keillor  •  Read more »   In Trump's world, is it okay to use chemical weapons? Now we will find out. By Editorial Board  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   More News   North Korea fires a ballistic missile as Trump prepares to host China's president President Trump has warned that he will take unilateral action to eliminate the nuclear threat from North Korea unless China increases pressure on Kim Jong Un's regime. By Anna Fifield  •  Read more » Former Trump adviser admits to 2013 communication with Russian spy "You can draw your own conclusions," Carter Page said in a statement that confirmed his role in the 2015 Justice Department espionage case. By Tom Hamburger and Alice Crites  •  Read more » Court rules LGBT employees protected by Civil Rights Act The finding by the full 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago echoes those of a number of lower courts, but it is at odds with a ruling last week by an 11th Circuit three-judge panel in Atlanta. By Sandhya Somashekhar  •  Read more » Fact Checker | Analysis Please, can someone brief the president on the unemployment rate? Trump's remarks to the CEO town hall on Tuesday underscored that he clearly has no idea how the unemployment rate is calculated. By Glenn Kessler  •  Read more » DHS: Immigration agents may arrest crime victims, witnesses at courthouses The Homeland Security statement highlights a growing dispute between the Trump administration and some state court officials who fear the practice would make law enforcement more difficult in their jurisdictions. By Devlin Barrett  •  Read more » Omidyar network gives $100 million to boost journalism and fight hate speech The philanthropy built by eBay's founder said it is responding to "urgent need" around the world to prevent dangerous trends from becoming the norm. By Margaret Sullivan  •  Read more » Perspective A second-by-second breakdown of Kendall Jenner’s unspeakably tone-deaf Pepsi ad Is Kendall proclaiming #BlackLivesMatter? Usurping it? Is this the Resistance? Unclear! But drink Pepsi! By Elahe Izadi  •  Read more »         Share Today's Headlines:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. 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