Thursday's Headlines: Attacks expose Belgian security gaps

Terrorism strains an already battered Europe; Common thread among attackers: A criminal past; What we know about the bombings and how they connect to Paris; Worker texted that he was fine before stepping onto deadly train; GOP — and its big funders — rush to insulate Congress from Trump; Some say Trump Network promised success, but delivered disappointment;   The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Top Stories Attacks expose Belgian security gaps The latest bomb attacks revealed shortcomings in monitoring violent Islamist radicals and other failures, including anti-terrorism operations that failed to capture their targets. By Anthony Faiola, Souad Mekhennet and James McAuley  •  Read more » Terrorism strains an already battered Europe Along with an unparalleled inflow of refugees, a weak economy and a surge of political extremism, the attacks create additional stress on a union that's divided and nearing a breakup. By Griff Witte  •  Read more »   Common thread among attackers: A criminal past The troops used in the terrorist group's signature attacks are largely men already well known to local law enforcement — not as religious radicals, but as criminals. By Joby Warrick and Greg Miller  •  Read more »   What we know about the bombings and how they connect to Paris GRAPHIC | Raids have uncovered a web of links between the suspects in the Brussels attacks and those who helped carry out the violence in France in November. By Deirdra O'Regan  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Worker texted that he was fine before stepping onto deadly train And then came the deafening silence. By Daniela Deane  •  Read more »   GOP — and its big funders — rush to insulate Congress from Trump The increasing possibility of Donald Trump atop their ticket has Republican leaders and many of their big-money allies scrambling to craft a defense plan for down-ballot candidates and preserve the party's House and Senate majorities. By Matea Gold and Paul Kane  •  Read more »   Some say Trump Network promised success, but delivered disappointment Donald Trump billed The Trump Network as an antidote to the recession. Later, its people stopped getting paid. By Ana Swanson  •  Read more »   Opinions   Paul Ryan's cowardly neutrality on Trump By Dana Milbank  •  Read more »   The half-century-old law that Cuba uses to export discontent By Charles Lane  •  Read more »   Can automakers redefine mobility again? By George F. Will  •  Read more »   The Brussels attacks brought out the worst in Cruz and Trump By E.J. Dionne Jr.  •  Read more »   Stop asking Obama to drop everything in the face of terrorism By Jonathan Capehart  •  Read more »   As the GOP slides toward Trump, Mr. Ryan is a not-so-innocent bystander By Editorial Board  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   More News   North Carolina passes bill blocking LGBT protections Lawmakers said the measure protects women and children, but gay rights groups called it the most extreme anti-LGBT bill in the nation. By Sandhya Somashekhar  •  Read more » Indictment against hackers linked to Iranian government to be unsealed It's the first time the U.S. has charged nation-state actors with disrupting or attempting to disrupt critical infrastructure -- or computer systems of key industries. By Ellen Nakashima  •  Read more » Is China heading in the wrong direction? Western nations say yes. In a highly unusual show of unity and frustration, Western nations are speaking out in concert against Beijing's assertive and repressive policies. By Simon Denyer  •  Read more » Scathing independent report blames state officials for Flint water crisis The task force appointed by Michigan's governor issued its blistering findings Wednesday, laying blame for the situation squarely on state officials in what it called "a story of government failure." By Brady Dennis  •  Read more » Another man alleges he was abused by Dennis Hastert The man is mulling whether to testify when the former House speaker is sentenced in April for violating federal banking laws in his efforts to pay someone to keep decades-old misconduct a secret. By Matt Zapotosky  •  Read more » NPR offers its reporters 'Trump Training' to handle safety threats Concerns about violence at some of the Republican front-runner's rallies prompted the news organization to offer an abbreviated version of the training typically used to prepare reporters for war zones. By Paul Farhi  •  Read more » The author of 'Eat Pray Love' has written a spinoff. Did we need it? If you loved Elizabeth Gilbert's bestselling first book, you'll like this one. But if you viewed it as an insufferable memoir by a privileged woman with first-world problems — we should talk. By Roxanne Roberts  •  Read more »         Share Today's Headlines:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you are signed up for Headlines. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071