Halperin interview of Ted Cruz was painful  —  SAN DIEGO — Imagine the following pep talk that a young Ted Cruz might have gotten from his father, Rafael, about 35 years ago.  —  “My son, I was tortured in a jail cell in Cuba, but I managed to come to the United States and build a life so that you could live your dreams.

Waiting for Jeb to jump  —  Bush is in no hurry to formally declare his candidacy, and it might be hurting his chances.  —  Getty  —  By the end of last week, almost everyone had jumped into the pool.  Almost everyone except John Ellis Bush, who still sits at the water's edge …

The Killing of Osama bin Laden  —  It's been four years since a group of US Navy Seals assassinated Osama bin Laden in a night raid on a high-walled compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.  The killing was the high point of Obama's first term, and a major factor in his re-election.

Anti-government resistance now the beating heart of GOP  —  Some folks thought it was “inflammatory.”  Some said it was “irresponsible,” others, “absurd,” still others, “disappointing.”  —  Those are some of the words affronted conservatives used in emails last month to describe my column …

Saudi Arabia Says King Won't Attend Meetings in U.S.  —  WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday that its new monarch, King Salman, would not be attending meetings at the White House with President Obama or a summit gathering at Camp David this week, in an apparent signal …

Handgun Found In Prisoner's ‘Butt Cheeks’ During Search  —  2.3 K  —  A prisoner in New Jersey was caught with a handgun hidden in his “butt cheeks.”  —  According to reports, 21-year-old Darquan Lee was brought to a Bridgeton, New Jersey, police station on Friday after being arrested on a contempt of court warrant.

“Stay Quiet and You'll Be Okay”  —  As we mentioned a week ago, I'm none too well at the moment, and it so happens my preferred position in which to write causes me severe pain - which is presumably some kind of not so subtle literary criticism from the Almighty.  But I'm back, more or less, with lots to catch up on.

A new world order?  Putin and Xi put friendship on display  —  Echoes of the past as Moscow's Victory Day parade stirs memories of a previous anti-American alliance  —  At first sight, things look very different now.  When President Xi Jinping of China took pride of place next to Vladimir Putin …

Election may set U.K. on path to a split, isolation  —  LONDON — After unexpected political charisma and cunning propelled him to another term as Britain's prime minister, David Cameron will now need every ounce of those skills to avoid going down in history with an altogether different title: founding father of Little England.