Today's Headlines: Cutting Taxes Is Hard. Trump Is Making It Harder.

[End of Apartheid in South Africa? Not in Economic Terms]( | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. | [Unsubscribe]( [The New York Times]( [Most Popular]( | [Video]( | [Today's Headlines]( Tuesday, October 24, 2017 IN THIS EMAIL [NYT] [World](#worldNews) | [U.S.](#nationalNews) | [Politics](#politicsNews) | [Business](#businessNews) | [Technology](#technologyNews) | [Sports](#sportsNews) | [Arts](#artsNews) | [N.Y./Region](#nyregionNews) | [Science](#dailyFeatureNews) | [Today's Video](#videoNews) | [Obituaries](#obituaries) | [Editorials](#editorialsNews) | [Op-Ed](#opinionNews) | [On This Day](#onthisdayNews) | [CUSTOMIZE »]( Top News [President Trump issued a directive via Twitter saying that he would not abide any plan to cap what American workers save pretax in their 401(k) accounts.]( [Cutting Taxes Is Hard. Trump Is Making It Harder.]( By JIM TANKERSLEY Republicans are worried that President Trump's musings could doom their best chance for a sweeping tax rewrite. [End of Apartheid in South Africa? Not in Economic Terms]( By PETER S. GOODMAN Political liberation has yet to translate into material gains for blacks. As one woman said, "I've gone from a shack to a shack." [Souvenir plates in Beijing depicting President Xi Jinping of China, left, and the revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.]( [What It Could Mean if China's Leader Won't Name an Heir]( By CHRIS BUCKLEY If no successors-in-waiting appear, that would raise speculation that Xi Jinping may try to keep power in some form after his second five-year term as president ends. For more top news, go to [NYTimes.com »]( [Get California Today in Your Inbox]( The news and stories that matter to Californians (and anyone else interested in the state). Delivered Monday through Friday. ADVERTISEMENT Editors' Picks [Sherry Warner Seefeld, right, meeting last month in a restaurant in Eagan, Minn., with other mothers of students who had been accused of campus sexual assault.]( U.S. ['Willing to Do Everything,' Mothers Defend Sons Accused of Sexual Assault]( By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS and CHRISTINA CAPECCHI Some of the mothers met with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos before she changed the rules on how colleges should handle accusations. [Justin Turner, right, is the engine of the Dodgers' offense. Justin Verlander is the star of the Astros' pitching staff.]( SPORTS [World Series Preview: A Matchup With No Underdog]( By TYLER KEPNER The Dodgers went 104-58. The Astros were 101-61. This Series, which begins Tuesday in Los Angeles, is the first between 100-victory teams since 1970. QUOTATION OF THE DAY "I heard him stumbling on trying to remember my husband's name. And that's what hurt me the most because if my husband is out here fighting for our country, and he risked his life for our country, why can't you remember his name?" [MYESHIA JOHNSON]( describing the condolence call she received from President Trump after her husband, Sgt. La David T. Johnson, was killed in Niger. [] World [Members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front preparing to battle Islamic State-inspired militants in the southern Philippines last month.]( [ISIS Threat in Philippines Spreads in Remote Battles]( By FELIPE VILLAMOR Even after the defeat of jihadist forces in the city of Marawi, people on Mindanao tell of fierce battles with other Islamist cells. [D.E.A. Says Hondurans Opened Fire During a Drug Raid. A Video Suggests Otherwise.]( By MATTATHIAS SCHWARTZ Now made public, the government's surveillance video strongly suggests the agency's account of a raid in Honduras, where four civilians died, was not accurate. [Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson listens as Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of Iraq, center, speaks during their meeting in Baghdad on Monday.]( [Tillerson Visits Iraq to Chilly Reception Over His Remarks on Iran-Backed Militias]( By GARDINER HARRIS After a quick visit to Afghanistan the secretary of state arrives in Baghdad, seeking to ease tensions with the Kurds and to isolate Iran. For more world news, go to [NYTimes.com/World »]( ADVERTISEMENT [] U.S. [Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl arrived at the Fort Bragg courthouse for a hearing on Monday.]( [Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's Odd Journey From Victim to Criminal]( By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr. A soldier was held captive for five years by the Taliban, and Army investigators recommended against jailing him. Now he faces life in prison. [The film producer Harvey Weinstein last year in Zurich.]( [Weinstein Company Faces Civil Rights Inquiry by New York Attorney General]( By MEGAN TWOHEY The inquiry by Eric T. Schneiderman is examining whether allegations of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein reflect broader civil rights violations. [Members of the Wyoming Hot Shots firefighting crew battling the Lizard Fire near Willcox, Ariz., in June.]( [Congressional Auditor Urges Action to Address Climate Change]( By LISA FRIEDMAN The Government Accountability Office says costs to the federal Treasury from climate change will continue to rise. For more U.S. news, go to [NYTimes.com/US »]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Politics [Myeshia Johnson, the widow of Sgt. La David T. Johnson, on Saturday at his burial in Hollywood, Fla.]( [Soldier's Widow Says Trump Struggled to Remember Sgt. La David Johnson's Name]( By YAMICHE ALCINDOR and JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS "That's what hurt me the most," Myeshia Johnson said of a condolence call President Trump made after her husband was killed in an ambush in Niger. [Voters at a polling station in Dublin, Ohio, in 2012. After skipping a single federal election cycle, Ohio voters are sent a notice. If they fail to respond and do not vote in the next four years, their names are purged from the rolls.]( Sidebar [He Didn't Vote in a Few Elections. In the Next One, Ohio Said He Couldn't.]( By ADAM LIPTAK "They're trying to get rid of voters," says Larry Harmon, whose challenge to Ohio's aggressive purges of its voting rolls is before the Supreme Court. [Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. spoke to reporters on Monday about the deadly ambush in Niger this month that killed four American soldiers and four Nigeriens.]( [Troops Ambushed in Niger Waited an Hour to Call for Help, Pentagon Official Says]( By THOMAS GIBBONS-NEFF and HELENE COOPER The Pentagon has not determined why the soldiers waited to seek backup. A top official said they might have thought they could withstand the deadly attack. For more political news, go to [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( [] Business [Robert Kyncl, left, a YouTube executive, helped RT celebrate reaching one billion views on the video service in 2013.]( [Russia's Favored Outlet Is an Online News Giant. YouTube Helped.]( By DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI and NICHOLAS CONFESSORE RT was early to embrace the video site. Now that relationship is drawing scrutiny as investigators look into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. DealBook [In the Saudi Desert, World's Business Leaders Follow the Money]( By ANDREW ROSS SORKIN The kingdom is embarking on a big experiment as it diversifies its oil-based economy, and executives looking for investment are making their pitches. [Pedestrians on Hotel Street at Fort Street Mall in Honolulu. Honolulu enacted a law, set to take effect Wednesday, that allows the police to fine pedestrians up to $35 for viewing their electronic devices while crossing streets in the city and surrounding county.]( [Reading This While Walking? In Honolulu, It Could Cost You]( By TANYA MOHN The city has passed a law designed to protect pedestrians staring at their smartphones from themselves. But critics say engineering and redesigning streets would be more effective. For more business news, go to [NYTimes.com/Business »]( [] Technology [Facebook has introduced measures to fight the spread of fake news articles on its platform, but it's not clear how they are working.]( The Upshot [Why the Fact-Checking at Facebook Needs to Be Checked]( By BRENDAN NYHAN Some of the measures Facebook has taken to fight the influence of fake news may not work all that well, research suggests. [Mayor Ras J. Baraka of Newark, center, with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, left, and Senator Cory Booker. The city and state are offering up to $7 billion in tax breaks for Amazon's new headquarters.]( [Amazon Counts Its Suitors: 238 Want to Be Home for 2nd Headquarters]( By NICK WINGFIELD The bidders came from 43 U.S. states, as well as Canada and Mexico. Amazon says the project will create 50,000 jobs, and that the winner will be announced next year. For more technology news, go to [NYTimes.com/Technology »]( [] Sports [Alex Mather, left, and Adam Hansmann, co-founders of The Athletic, at the company's headquarters in San Francisco.]( [Why The Athletic Wants to Pillage Newspapers]( By KEVIN DRAPER "We will suck them dry of their best talent at every moment. We will make business extremely difficult for them." [Ticketless fans of the Brooklyn Dodgers tried to sneak a peek during a World Series game at Ebbets Field in 1953.]( Sports of The Times [My Field of Memories: I See the New Dodgers and Summon the Old]( By GEORGE VECSEY There is Curtis Granderson, wearing Carl Furillo's No. 6. There is Clayton Kershaw wearing No. 22, the number Johnny Podres wore. In this Series, the old Bums live on, at least in some minds. [Several 49ers players knelt during the national anthem before their game against the Cowboys on Sunday.]( I [Two Teams, One Anthem: An N.F.L. Showdown]( By JOE DRAPE Several players on the 49ers continue to kneel for the anthem. None of the Cowboys do, illustrating the divide in the league and the country. For more sports news, go to [NYTimes.com/Sports »]( [] Arts [The artist Amy Sherald at her Baltimore, Md., studio. She was recently commissioned to paint an official portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama but has yet to start. ]( [After a Late Start, an Artist's Big Break: Michelle Obama's Official Portrait]( By ROBIN POGREBIN Amy Sherald has yet to start the Obama portrait, due by year's end. If she seems calm, it's likely because she has faced tougher challenges. [Left, Sean Carvajal, and right, Edi Gathegi, as prisoners overseen by Ricardo Chavira, as a sadistic guard, in ]( [Review: It's Law vs. Order in 'Jesus Hopped the "A" Train']( By JESSE GREEN A riveting revival of Stephen Adly Guirgis's prison drama may be more timely today than at its premiere in 2000. Books of The Times ['Sticky Fingers' Captures Rolling Stone's Jann Wenner and the Culture He Helped Create]( By DWIGHT GARNER The biographer Joe Hagan understands why a rock magazine editor matters to the history of the 20th century. For more arts news, go to [NYTimes.com/Arts »]( [] New York [A new system for passengers to pay fares will replace the MetroCard, 30 years after it replaced tokens for subways and buses.]( [New York to Replace MetroCard With Modern Way to Pay Transit Fares]( By JAMES BARRON New York's transit system is replacing the MetroCard with a technology that can accommodate cellphones and certain kinds of credit or debit cards. [Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers making repairs at the Wall Street station on Friday. ]( [Scrambling to Fix the Subway: Slow Progress, but Much Work Remains]( By MARC SANTORA Officials say they are aggressively addressing the problems that plague the subway system, but the sense of frustration among riders is still palpable. [By late November, e-cigarettes will be prohibited anywhere traditional cigarettes are already banned in New York State, including workplaces, restaurants and bars.]( [New York State Bans Vaping Anywhere Cigarettes Are Prohibited]( By SARAH MASLIN NIR Starting late next month, electronic cigarettes will be banned from indoor public spaces like bars, restaurants and offices in New York State. For more New York news, go to [NYTimes.com/NewYork »]( [] Media & Advertising [Bill O'Reilly on the set of his show, ]( [Bill O'Reilly Goes on the Counterattack Against Megyn Kelly]( By JOHN KOBLIN With Glenn Beck at his side, the former Fox News personality says, 'I never had any problem with Megyn Kelly.' [Tatyana Felgenhauer]( [Russian Radio Journalist Is Stabbed, Renewing Fears of Attacks on News Media]( By ANDREW E. KRAMER The deputy editor of the prominent station, Echo of Moscow, was assaulted by a knife-wielding man. The station said her injuries were not life threatening. [Megyn Kelly on the set of her NBC show. During the broadcast on Monday, she sharply denounced her former Fox News colleague Bill O'Reilly.]( [Latest Bill O'Reilly Case Is 'Jaw-Dropping,' Megyn Kelly Says]( By JOHN KOBLIN Needing a ratings boost, the host of "Megyn Kelly Today" targets what she calls a culture of sexual harassment at her former employer. For more media and advertising news, go to [NYTimes.com/Media »]( [] Science [A team of surgeons performs experimental surgery on a fetus with spina bifida at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. A miniature telescope and camera are inserted into the mother's uterus, above, after it is lifted from her body.]( The Healing Edge [To Mend a Birth Defect, Surgeons Operate on the Patient Within the Patient]( By DENISE GRADY In a startling experimental procedure, doctors lift the uterus from a pregnant woman and operate on a fetus with miniature instruments. [Bruce Lee, the lethargic fish in the hotel room, was even closer to the rocks than this betta.]( Trilobites [Fish Depression Is Not a Joke]( By HEATHER MURPHY Fish can get depressed, just like you, and that could make them a good model organism for studying depression in people. Mind [How Fiction Becomes Fact on Social Media]( By BENEDICT CAREY Platforms like Facebook and Twitter offer up memes designed to feel real, if only for an instant - long enough for our minds to make a false connection. For more science news, go to [NYTimes.com/Science »]( []Obituaries [Jon Lester in Civil Court in Queens in June 1988 for his part in attacks against three black men in Howard Beach in 1986.]( [Jon Lester, Convicted in Howard Beach Race Attack, Dies at 48]( By SAM ROBERTS At 17, he was called a ringleader in the 1986 assault by whites in Queens that left a black man dead and another badly beaten. The family said he committed suicide. For more obituaries, go to [NYTimes.com/Obituaries »]( [] Editorial [John Kelly speaking to the press on Thursday.]( Editorial [Honor the Truth, John Kelly]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Of all people, he should have known how to handle a controversy with a Gold Star family, without making matters worse. Editorial [The Little Guys Win One on Payday Loans]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD A new federal rule limits how much customers can borrow and makes lenders determine whether the borrower can afford to pay off the loan. For more opinion, go to [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [] Op-Ed [A Trump supporter at campaign rally in Fort Wayne, Ind., in 2016.]( Op-Ed Contributor [Ralph Nader: Trump's Anti-Consumer Agenda Hurts His Voters]( By RALPH NADER His rush to dismantle regulations and the agencies that enforce them will damage the economy - and the regular people he promised to protect. Op-Ed Contributor [When It Comes to Surveillance, Watch the Watchmen]( By MATTHEW FEENEY The American people should demand to know whether the police are spying on them. [Protesters outside the White House in May.]( Op-Ed Columnist [Democrats Should Embrace Impeachment]( By MICHELLE GOLDBERG A progressive megadonor wants more politicians to try to remove President Trump from office. For more opinion, go to [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [] ON THIS DAY On Oct. 24, 1945, the United Nations charter took effect. [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