Trump team sends mixed signals to Europe  —  National security adviser John Bolton on Sunday carefully doubled down on President Donald Trump's threat that European countries could be sanctioned by the United States if they continue to be involved with Iran.

Liberals, You're Not as Smart as You Think  —  I know many liberals, and two of them really are my best friends.  Liberals make good movies and television shows.  Their idealism has been an inspiration for me and many others.  Many liberals are very smart.  But they are not as smart, or as persuasive, as they think.

This Is How a Newspaper Dies  —  It's with a spasm of profits.  —  For a preview of the newspaper industry's coming death, turn your gaze to Colorado, where the withering and emaciated Denver Post finds itself rolling in profits.  —  The Post's controlling owner, “vulture capitalist” …

Education Department Unwinds Unit Investigating Fraud at For-Profits  —  WASHINGTON — Members of a special team at the Education Department that had been investigating widespread abuses by for-profit colleges have been marginalized, reassigned or instructed to focus on other matters, according to current and former employees.

Family of Suicide Bombers Attacks Churches in Indonesia  —  Attackers came from a single family; first time children involved in carrying terrorism in country  —  JAKARTA, Indonesia—A family of suicide bombers, including children, killed at least seven people and injured dozens in attacks …    SL 

Joe Biden: the liberal everyman spoiling for a fight with Trump as 2020 looms  —  The Democratic field is likely to be swollen but the 75-year-old could represent a likable consensus candidate for both wings of the party  —  Among recent pilgrims to the Arizona ranch of Senator John McCain was Joe Biden.

The White House's John McCain death joke controversy, explained  —  “He's dying anyway,” White House communications aide Kelly Sadler joked in a meeting.  The comment leaked, and the Trump administration still hasn't apologized.  —  A White House aide's joke that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) …

Donald Trump's Mommy Issues  —  He may not have bonded successfully with his mother and that made him the adult—and the politician—that he is.  —  Donald Trump is easily the most psychoanalyzed president of modern times.  His decision-making style and behavior have been hotly debated by journalists …

Parents, friend of Chechnya-born Paris attacker questioned  —  PARIS (AP) — Investigators working to understand why a 20-year-old French citizen born in the Russian republic of Chechnya went on a stabbing rampage in central Paris detained the dead suspect's parents and a friend Sunday, French officials said.

Trump picks bigot pastor who claims Jews are going to Hell to lead prayer at new Jerusalem embassy  —  Pastor Robert Jeffress, a Fox News contributor, megachurch Baptist preacher from Dallas, and close Trump ally and surrogate, has been chosen by the Trump administration to lead a prayer …

Police find large weapons cache in Waikiki raid prompted by disturbing online posts  —  The FBI and Honolulu police are investigating after finding a large cache of loaded weapons during a raid of a Waikiki hotel room that sources say was prompted by disturbing posts on social media.

How to be the next Trump  —  Most coverage of President Trump focuses on the negative aspects of his style: the making-it-up-as-he-goes, the lying, the management-by-chaos.  —  Yes, but: The Trump Way does offer future candidates and presidents some valuable lessons in navigating contemporary politics.

Schools' culture of tolerance lets students like Nikolas Cruz slide  —  Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie, center, appears at a news conference with Sheriff Scott Israel, left, and Gov. Rick Scott on Feb. 14, the day Nikolas Cruz killed 17 staff and students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

How California Could Bust Up the Two-Party System  —  The editorial board represents the opinions of the board, its editor and the publisher.  It is separate from the newsroom and the Op-Ed section.  —  California's Republican Party is in crisis.  Voters are leaving it in droves …

Are My Friends Really My Friends?  —  The quantity of human interactions has increased, but the quality is arguably diminished.  —  “You've got enough friends, a new one is bad for you,” says a petulant character named Max in “Kicking and Screaming,” Noah Baumbach's 1995 cult movie …

For six decades, ‘the man with the golden arm’ donated blood — and saved 2.4 million babies … In 1951, a 14-year-old Australian boy named James Harrison awoke from a major chest operation.  Doctors had removed one of his lungs in a procedure that had taken several hours — and would keep him hospitalized for three months.

Donald Trump's Scottish resort paid by US taxpayers for ‘VIP visit’  —  Sorry, we're having problems with our video player at the moment, but are working to fix it as soon as we can  —  Waiting for Video...  Donald Trump's flagship Scottish resort received thousands of pounds in US taxpayers' money …

These 95 Apartments Promised Affordable Rent in San Francisco.  Then 6,580 People Applied.  —  The nation's housing policy for the poor can feel like a giant lottery.  Sometimes it actually is a lottery.  —  Text by Emily BadgerPhotographs by Jim Wilson  —  SAN FRANCISCO — For $1,200 a month …

Paul Ryan says Trump will be an asset for Republicans  —  MILWAUKEE (AP) — House Speaker Paul Ryan said Saturday he thinks President Donald Trump will be an asset to GOP candidates this fall in states like Wisconsin that he narrowly won, even as he warned fellow Republicans that a “blue wave” …

A Surge of Women Candidates, but Crowded Primaries and Tough Races Await  —  These are the 476 female House candidates this year.  —  ARDMORE, Pa. — Just as the women's marches and #MeToo helped define 2017, the surging numbers of female candidates have defined the midterm races now underway.