Today's Headlines: Republican Tax Bill in Final Sprint Across Finish Line

[Alabama Loss Exposes Republican Fissures Amid a Democratic Surge]( | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. | [Unsubscribe]( [The New York Times]( [Most Popular]( | [Video]( | [Today's Headlines]( Thursday, December 14, 2017 IN THIS EMAIL [NYT] [World](#worldNews) | [U.S.](#nationalNews) | [Politics](#politicsNews) | [Business](#businessNews) | [Technology](#technologyNews) | [Sports](#sportsNews) | [Arts](#artsNews) | [N.Y./Region](#nyregionNews) | [Fashion & Style](#dailyFeatureNews) | [Today's Video](#videoNews) | [Obituaries](#obituaries) | [Editorials](#editorialsNews) | [Op-Ed](#opinionNews) | [On This Day](#onthisdayNews) | [CUSTOMIZE »]( Top News [The committee created to resolve differences between the House and Senate tax bills held its first and only public meeting on Wednesday.]( [Republican Tax Bill in Final Sprint Across Finish Line]( By JIM TANKERSLEY, THOMAS KAPLAN and ALAN RAPPEPORT House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement on a final bill, and are on track to send it to President Trump by Christmas. [Roy S. Moore's defeat in the Alabama special election is a blow to the movement to expand Trumpism beyond President Trump.]( [Alabama Loss Exposes Republican Fissures Amid a Democratic Surge]( By JONATHAN MARTIN and ALEXANDER BURNS With the Republican majority in the Senate now reduced to a single seat, the party's establishment is uneasy about what the populist wing could do in next year's primary races. [Russell Simmons in July. He is a forefather of hip-hop who went on to great success in fashion, media and more.]( [Music Mogul Russell Simmons Is Accused of Rape by 3 Women]( By JOE COSCARELLI and MELENA RYZIK Mr. Simmons, a powerful gatekeeper in the entertainment and media worlds, damaged careers and self-confidence with his pattern of sexual assault and harassment, the women say. For more top news, go to [NYTimes.com »]( [Get the Morning Briefing in Your Inbox]( What you need to know to start your day, delivered Monday through Friday. [Sign up »]( ADVERTISEMENT Editors' Picks [A telephone pole near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.]( N.Y. / REGION [Newtown Is 'Still So Raw,' Five Years After Massacre]( By RICK ROJAS and KRISTIN HUSSEY The country is often reminded of what grief looks like immediately after mass violence. But Newtown shows how mourning evolves and endures years later. [An early-morning voter on Tuesday in Birmingham, Ala.]( OPINION | Op-Ed | Kashana Cauley [Black Voters to Democrats: You're Welcome]( By KASHANA CAULEY If they want to win more elections, they need to integrate black voters into the heart and soul of the party. QUOTATION OF THE DAY "It was exhausting. It was like making a record while swimming in rough seas." [DREW DIXON]( a former executive at Def Jam Records, who said fending off advances from the label's co-founder Russell Simmons was a "full-time job." She has accused Mr. Simmons of sexual assault. [] Today's Videos [[Video] Video: Weinstein: No. Pepsi: Yes. The Year in Apologies.]( From Harvey Weinstein to Pepsi to the National Park Service, 2017 has seen a lot of public apologies and non-apologies. [Doug Jones celebrated his victory in a special Senate election in Birmingham, Ala., on Tuesday night.]( [[Video] Video: Doug Jones: From Prosecuting K.K.K. Members to the Senate]( Senator-Elect Doug Jones of Alabama made a name for himself prosecuting two Ku Klux Klan members for a church bombing that killed four black girls in 1963. Now, he will become a member of the U.S. Senate. [President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, center, answers questions at the Gostiny Dvor studio during the annual ]( [[Video] Video: Meet the Strongmen Who've Started Blaming 'Fake News' Too]( President Trump's use of the phrase "fake news" has gone global - particularly among authoritarian governments. [] World [Speaking to the Atlantic Council on Tuesday, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson said, ]( [White House Corrects Tillerson on Whether U.S. Will Talk to North Korea]( By MARK LANDLER It was only the latest example of a public rift between the president and his chief diplomat over North Korea. [Demonstrators opposed to Britain's withdrawal from the European Union gathered outside the Houses of Parliament in central London on Wednesday.]( [Parliament Demands Greater Say Over Brexit, Defying Theresa May]( By STEPHEN CASTLE Rebel Conservative lawmakers joined opposition lawmakers in a 309 to 305 vote to insist on a formal vote on Britain's plans to withdraw from the European Union. [French soldiers patrolling past Hutu troops from the Rwandan government forces in 1994.]( [Rwanda Accuses France of Complicity in 1994 Genocide]( By JINA MOORE The findings of an independent study could exacerbate a long diplomatic feud over accountability for one of Africa's worst atrocities. For more world news, go to [NYTimes.com/World »]( ADVERTISEMENT [] U.S. [About 1.4 million new customers have signed up this year, and 3.3 million people returned to HealthCare.gov to select the same plan or a different one for 2018.]( [Strong Demand for Health Insurance as Deadline Looms]( By ROBERT PEAR Nearly 4.7 million people have signed up for health insurance despite cutbacks in federal efforts to promote enrollment under the Affordable Care Act. [Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, with his daughter Meghan McCain in August. He announced in July that he had glioblastoma, a particularly aggressive type of brain cancer.]( [Joe Biden Comforts Meghan McCain in Heartfelt Exchange on 'The View']( By MAYA SALAM "One of the things that gave Beau courage, my word, was John," Mr. Biden told a tearful Ms. McCain. Her father, John McCain, has the same form of cancer that killed his son Beau. [More Victims of the California Wildfires: Avocados and Lemons]( By MIRIAM JORDAN The largest of the fires has damaged a portion of the harvest in the country's most productive region for both crops. For more U.S. news, go to [NYTimes.com/US »]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Politics [Supporters of Roy S. Moore, the Republican candidate for the Senate seat in Alabama, at a campaign rally this week in Midland City, Ala. President Trump publicly endorsed Mr. Moore in the race.]( [For Trump, a Moment of Defeat but Maybe Not Recalibration]( By PETER BAKER and MAGGIE HABERMAN President Trump, never one to accept blame, said the Democratic upset in Alabama proved he was right all along, and he gave little indication that he would shift course. [Doug Jones greeted voters outside of a polling station in Bessemer, Ala. on Tuesday. Many credit a strong get-out-the-vote campaign aimed at black residents as a key to his upset win.]( [In Alabama, Blacks Saw a Vote Against Moore as a Vote Against Turning Back the Clock.]( By RICHARD FAUSSET and CAMPBELL ROBERTSON Turned off by Roy S. Moore, Stephen K. Bannon and President Trump, African-Americans turned out at levels that ensured victory for the Democratic Senate candidate. [Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general who appointed the special counsel, made clear that he had confidence in Robert S. Mueller III and that he had seen no evidence of actions that would warrant his removal.]( [Justice Dept. Official Defends Mueller as Republicans Try to Discredit Him]( By NICHOLAS FANDOS and CHARLIE SAVAGE Republicans, including party mainstays, as well as the president's lawyers are undermining the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, as his probe gathers speed. For more political news, go to [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( [] Business [Janet L. Yellen on Wednesday at what is expected to be her last news conference as Federal Reserve chairwoman before stepping down early next year.]( [Fed Predicts Modest Economic Growth From Tax Cut]( By BINYAMIN APPELBAUM The Federal Reserve continued to slowly increase interest rates, and it said the tax bill was unlikely to increase its pace of doing so. [A Walmart fulfillment center in Bethlehem, Pa. The company is offering payday advances - not loans - through an app called Even. Some critics of the retailer's labor practices say it should raise wages instead.]( [Walmart Will Let Its 1.4 Million Workers Take Their Pay Before Payday]( By MICHAEL CORKERY The retailer is giving its employees early access to part of their paychecks, but some critics of the company say it points to a need to raise wages. [Workers on strike outside an AT&T store in New York in May. A contract deal with the company would increase pay and job protections.]( [AT&T and Union Reach Accord on Job Protection for Workers]( By NOAM SCHEIBER Under the deal, 20,000 wireless employees would get better pay and job protection. The union will push for the company's acquisition of Time Warner. For more business news, go to [NYTimes.com/Business »]( [] Technology [A screen showing Richard F. Smith, the former chief executive of Equifax, testifying to Congress about the credit agency's major data breach.]( [The Biggest Tech Failures and Successes of 2017]( By BRIAN X. CHEN Epic failures this year exposed your personal data to hackers, wasted your money on unnecessary or ethically dubious products and fed you misinformation. [Under Mr. Pai's leadership, the F.C.C. has already opened the door for more media mergers, scrapped a high-speed internet program for low-income families and allowed broadband providers to raise rates to business customers.]( [Ajit Pai Nears His Biggest Win With Net Neutrality Repeal]( By CECILIA KANG Erasing the Obama-era internet rules on Thursday would help secure Mr. Pai's reputation as one of the most efficient F.C.C. leaders in decades. State of the Art [How 2017 Became a Turning Point for Tech Giants]( By FARHAD MANJOO For the first time, big tech companies began to accept responsibility in 2017 for how their platforms affect the world. The scope of that change remains unclear. For more technology news, go to [NYTimes.com/Technology »]( [] Sports [The Team Sky cyclist Chris Froome led the field during the Vuelta a España in September. Froome tested positive for illegally high levels of an asthma drug during the race.]( Sports of The Times [Chris Froome Tests Positive, and Cycling History Repeats Itself]( By JULIET MACUR It's hard to be surprised by the news that cycling's most dominant rider has tested positive for a banned drug. [The N.F.L. commissioner, Roger Goodell, left, stands to make hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation under a new contract that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, right, tried to stymie. Jones has battled with the commissioner since August, after Goodell suspended a star player, Ezekiel Elliott, over domestic abuse allegations.]( [In the N.F.L., Stability Comes With a $200 Million Price Tag]( By KEN BELSON Desperate for continuity, and for a smooth transition when Roger Goodell retires, the league's owners shelled out a huge sum to retain their commissioner. [Derek Jeter speaking in October in his new role as the executive in charge of baseball decisions for the Miami Marlins. So far, those decisions have meant sending good players elsewhere.]( On Baseball [Derek Jeter Was Once the Captain. But Now He's the Apprentice.]( By TYLER KEPNER In his new role as the baseball chief of the Marlins, Jeter has gutted the team, and only time will tell the wisdom of his early moves. For more sports news, go to [NYTimes.com/Sports »]( [] Arts [From left: Lindsey Fitzharris, John Green and Tina Brown]( Critic's Notebook [With a Little Help From Their Friends (and Agents and Librarians and Fact-Checkers ...)]( By JENNIFER SENIOR Within the rote exercise of authors' acknowledgments, truths about family, struggle, pride and terror manage to seep out. [Sandra Dewey, left, and Kathy Connell, the SAG Awards executives who have decided on all-female presenters for the show.]( [At the Screen Actors Guild Awards, It Will Be Women First]( By CARA BUCKLEY Championing actresses and nodding at #MeToo, the industry's biggest union will have only female presenters will hand out its acting awards. [Sharon Stone and Frederick Weller in ]( [Review: 'Mosaic' is a Frustrating Soderbergh Story, Some Assembly Required]( By JAMES PONIEWOZIK "Mosaic" will be an HBO mini-series in January. But first, it's an intriguing if unsatisfying app, testing the limits of interactivity. For more arts news, go to [NYTimes.com/Arts »]( [] New York [When the L train is closed for repairs in 2019, nearly 225,000 riders who take it beneath the East River every day will have to be rerouted.]( [Rerouting Thousands: City Plans for L Train Closure]( By SARAH MASLIN NIR A new ferry route. Traffic restrictions on the Williamsburg Bridge. New bus lanes and wider sidewalks on 14th Street. These are just a few measures. [A relative prayed over the body of Mario Sanabria, a 69-year-old man who was shot and killed by the police inside his Bronx apartment earlier this month.]( [After Police Raid Kills Man, 69, Family Asks Why Trigger Was Pulled]( By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. Police said the man confronted officers with a machete when they raided his Bronx apartment. Now the raid, and the investigation that led to it, are under scrutiny. [Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday. The governor, talking to a reporter in Albany on Wednesday, said her question about sexual harassment did ]( [Cuomo Takes Ungainly Dip Into Sexual Harassment Debate]( By JESSE McKINLEY Asked about sexual harassment by state officials, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the female reporter did a "disservice to women" by asking the question. For more New York news, go to [NYTimes.com/NewYork »]( [] Media & Advertising [A screenshot of the website Rotten Apples after searching for the 1994 film ]( [Website Helps Movie and TV Fans Keep Track of Hollywood's 'Rotten Apples']( By MAYA SALAM Rotten Apples, a new searchable database, aims to help users quickly discover which films or television shows are linked to those facing sexual misconduct allegations. [Arrests of Reuters Reporters in Myanmar Add to Fears About Press Freedom]( By RICHARD C. PADDOCK The two journalists, accused of trying to obtain official documents illegally, could face up to 14 years in prison. [Protesters against the British vote to leave the European Union gathered outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Wednesday.]( [Facebook Sees Little Evidence of Russian Meddling in 'Brexit' Vote]( By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK The social media giant's statement came in response to questions from the British Parliament, but a British lawmaker questioned the findings. For more media and advertising news, go to [NYTimes.com/Media »]( [] Fashion & Style [Will Robots Take Our Children's Jobs?]( By ALEX WILLIAMS Artificial intelligence may make half of today's jobs obsolete in 20 years. What careers will be left when our children grow up? Unbuttoned [The New Supermodelmania of 2017]( By VANESSA FRIEDMAN Naomi, Christy, Gisele, Gigi, Versace: a surprising trend of the year reaches its apogee. [Sam Karvelas in the cryotherapy pre-chamber at the Fuel Stop.]( Me Time [$75 for Three Minutes at Minus 230 Degrees? Sure, We'll Try It]( By MARISA MELTZER Our columnist dons ear warmers, a surgical mask and giant wool mittens and gets into a cryotherapy chamber. For more fashion news, go to [NYTimes.com/Fashion »]( []Obituaries [Clarence Beavers, second from right, in a transport plane with other members of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion during a training exercise in 1944.]( [Clarence Beavers, Last of a Black Paratroop Unit, Dies at 96]( By SAM ROBERTS The unit, known as the Triple Nickels, was trained for combat but assigned in 1945 to fight fires ignited by Japanese balloon bombs in the Northwest. [Vera Katz, right, in 2003. She was mayor of Portland from 1993 to 2005.]( [Vera Katz, Mayor Who Oversaw Portland's Flowering, Dies at 84]( By SAM ROBERTS A feminist force and lawmaker in Oregon, she served three terms in Portland as it grew into a liberal bastion of visionary urban planning. [Anthony Scaduto in 1974. As an author, his subjects included the mobster Lucky Luciano and Mick Jagger as well as Bob Dylan and Bruno Hauptmann.]( [Anthony Scaduto, an Early Biographer of Dylan, Dies at 85]( By NEIL GENZLINGER Mr. Scaduto, a journalist with a long tenure at The New York Post, also wrote a book challenging the verdict in the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. [Mr. DiNizio performed in Rahway, N.J., in 2016.]( [Pat DiNizio, Singer and Songwriter for the Smithereens, Dies at 62]( By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK He and three others from New Jersey formed the group in 1980 and attracted a loyal following with songs like "Blood and Roses" and "A Girl Like You." For more obituaries, go to [NYTimes.com/Obituaries »]( [] Editorial Editorial [The Pentagon Is Not a Sacred Cow]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD As vital as military spending is, that doesn't justify waste or robbing from other important programs. [Joel Abelove, the Rensselaer County, N.Y., district attorney.]( Editorial [When the People's Lawyer Breaks the Law]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD An upstate New York county district attorney should resign after obstructing a state investigation of a shooting by the police. For more opinion, go to [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [] Op-Ed [[Graphic] Graphic: Harvey Weinstein Is My Monster Too]( By SALMA HAYEK He threatened to shut down "Frida" if I didn't comply with his demands. Op-Ed Contributor [The Global Economy Is Partying Like It's 2008]( By DESMOND LACHMAN The factors that caused the Great Recession are at play again today. Op-Ed | Lindy West [Donald Trump Did It]( By LINDY WEST We need investigations. But we already know the truth about what our president thinks about women. For more opinion, go to [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [] ON THIS DAY On Dec. 14, 1981, Israel annexed the Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967. [See this Front Page]( | [Buy this Front Page]( FOLLOW US: [Facebook] [Facebook]( | [Twitter] [@NYTimes]( | [Pinterest] [Pinterest]( | [Instagram] [Instagram]( [NYT]( Access The New York Times from anywhere with our suite of apps: [iPhone®]( | [iPad®]( | [Android]( | [All]( [.] Save 15% at [The NYTimes Store »]( [.] Have questions? [Help Section »]( [.] Visit our mobile website at [m.nyt.com »]( About This Email This is an automated email. Please do not reply directly to this email. You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Today's Headlines newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2017 | The New York Times Company | NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018