Monday's Headlines: Putin orders 755 personnel cut at U.S. missions in Russia in response to sanctions

U.S. flexes military muscle after North Korea's latest missile test ; Venezuela turnout in dispute as president holds condemned vote; Trump and Sessions: A warm friendship turns into an icy standoff; At EPA museum, climate-change displays are out and coal may be on the way in;   Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Top Stories Putin orders 755 personnel cut at U.S. missions in Russia in response to sanctions Russian President Vladimir Putin's action is the single-largest forced reduction in embassy staff since 1917 and a dramatic escalation in the Kremlin's retaliation to sanctions over its meddling in the 2016 U.S. election. It also indicates that Russia has apparently abandoned its hopes for better relations with the United States under the Trump administration. By Andrew Roth  •  Read more » U.S. flexes military muscle after North Korea's latest missile test In a sign that tensions are spiraling upward rapidly, the United States flew two supersonic bombers over the Korean Peninsula and conducted a successful missile defense test over the Pacific Ocean. On Friday, North Korea launched a missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. By Carol Morello  •  Read more »   Venezuela turnout in dispute as president holds condemned vote Turnout was uncharacteristically low for the vote, a critical stage in the crisis that could mint the Western Hemisphere's newest dictatorship. The election will create what critics call a puppet congress with vast powers to rewrite the country's constitution. By Anthony Faiola  •  Read more »   Trump and Sessions: A warm friendship turns into an icy standoff They were an unlikely pair that connected as like-minded populists, until the bond between President Trump and Jeff Sessions shattered when the attorney general recused himself from the Russia investigation. For four months, they have barely spoken, but Sessions is determined to soldier on. By Sari Horwitz and Robert Costa  •  Read more »   At EPA museum, climate-change displays are out and coal may be on the way in Most people aren't even aware of the one-room museum, which features the agency's work through more than four decades featuring topics like regulating carbon emissions and the Paris climate accord. Now it is being reworked to reflect the priorities of the Trump administration. By Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Opinions   Behold the Trump boomerang effect By Fred Hiatt  •  Read more »   Janet Yellen is caught between Trump and a hard place By Robert J. Samuelson  •  Read more »   Trump administration quietly pressing China to free Liu Xiaobo's widow By Josh Rogin  •  Read more »   The 7,150 nuns who fought against Trumpcare By E.J. Dionne Jr.  •  Read more »   The man who may disenfranchise millions By Editorial Board  •  Read more »   The ouster in Pakistan is actually a glimmer of hope By Editorial Board  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   More News   Migrants who fled violence in Central America are faring worse in immigration court than other groups Seventy percent of the cases involving nearly 100,000 parents and children who have sought refuge through the courts since 2014 have ended with deportation orders. By Julia Preston | The Marshall Project  •  Read more » Google’s new program to track shoppers sparks a federal privacy complaint The legal complaint to be filed with the FTC alleges Google is gaining access to a trove of highly sensitive personal information without revealing how they got it or giving consumers a meaningful way to opt-out. By Elizabeth Dwoskin and Craig Timberg  •  Read more » Review ‘Game of Thrones’ recap: ‘The Queen’s Justice’ is brutal, while Daenerys and Jon try to find common ground Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen finally come face to face, while death comes for yet another character in Westeros. By David Malitz  •  Read more » Perspective D.C. gun ruling raises issue Supreme Court has been reluctant to review It's entirely possible the justices simply have little appetite for tackling the controversial matter of guns in the absence of a lower court disagreement that would force their hands. By Robert Barnes  •  Read more » The battle over Essure: A contraceptive breakthrough or a dangerous device? In 2002, the FDA approved the much-heralded permanent contraceptive device. Why are so many women speaking out against it? By Jennifer Block  •  Read more » Perspective That R. Kelly 'cult' story almost never ran. Thank Hulk Hogan for that. Self-censorship has permeated the media after Gawker went bankrupt in the wake of an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit filed by the pro wrestler and bankrolled by President Trump confidant Peter Thiel. By Margaret Sullivan  •  Read more » Florida woman blames Trump selfies for her divorce She's a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader and a Republican who named her dog after Ivanka Trump. He's the top prosecutor in Palm Beach County and may run for for Congress as a Democrat. It didn't work out. By Avi Selk  •  Read more »         Share Today's Headlines:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. 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