Friday's Headlines: Trump denies asking Comey to back off Flynn investigation

Appointment of special counsel could complicate other probes into alleged Russian meddling; European allies fear Trump's political chaos is undermining U.S. power; Comey prepared extensively for his conversations with Trump; Trump needs private attorney to navigate complex probe, his ex-lawyer says; Trump can't stop talking about Russia probe, but continuing might hurt him;   Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Top Stories Trump denies asking Comey to back off Flynn investigation President Trump said there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia, while adding the caveat that he can only speak for himself, and denied asking then-FBI Director James B. Comey to end his agency's probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein indicated to the Senate that, contrary to the White House's initial account, he knew Comey would be fired before he wrote a memo that was used as justification for the dismissal. By Sari Horwitz, Ashley Parker and Ed O'Keefe  •  Read more » Appointment of special counsel could complicate other probes into alleged Russian meddling Some lawmakers worry their committee investigations will be pushed aside for the inquiry by the special counsel. Robert S. Mueller III will have the resources and a mandate lawmakers know they cannot match, and he is the only one who can bring criminal charges — except against the president himself. By Karoun Demirjian, Matt Zapotosky and Sean Sullivan  •  Read more »   European allies fear Trump's political chaos is undermining U.S. power As controversy overwhelms Washington, there is mounting concern that the scandals could sap the White House's ability to respond to challenges ranging from Russia to terrorism to North Korea. By Michael Birnbaum  •  Read more »   Comey prepared extensively for his conversations with Trump Associates say that the FBI director, out of concern that the president was unlikely to respect the boundaries governing their respective roles, fielded practice questions in advance of meetings and wrote highly detailed notes afterward in his car. By Devlin Barrett, Ellen Nakashima and Adam Entous  •  Read more »   Trump needs private attorney to navigate complex probe, his ex-lawyer says The president's tweets may undermine an effort to claim executive privilege, analysts say. And his need for a private attorney is viewed as a priority because he has been relying on government lawyers, who could be called to testify about private conversations with him. By Michael Kranish  •  Read more »   Perspective Trump can't stop talking about Russia probe, but continuing might hurt him The president has a seemingly unstoppable drive to fight the investigation, but he has treated it as a public-relations battle rather than a legal threat. By Abby Phillip  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Opinions   The guardrails can't contain Trump By Charles Krauthammer  •  Read more »   Trump thinks he's under attack. That's very dangerous. By Eugene Robinson  •  Read more »   On the bright side, Trump has created all this chaos himself By Catherine Rampell  •  Read more »   Considering impeachment? Slow down. By Michael J. Gerhardt  •  Read more »   Republicans should be relieved Mueller will serve as special prosecutor By Hugh Hewitt  •  Read more »   Trump has made an about-face on Saudi Arabia. He shouldn't get too cozy. By Editorial Board  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   More News   BREAKING NEWS Swedish prosecutor drops rape investigation of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange Assange had been staying at the Ecuador's embassy in London for almost seven years to avoid extradition to Sweden. He is still wanted in Britain for jumping bail, and it isn't clear if those charges will be dropped. By David Keyton | AP  •  Read more » U.S. launches rare intentional strike on pro-government forces in Syria The attack on a convoy of troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad came in response to its advancement toward a U.S.-occupied garrison along the border with Iraq. By Missy Ryan  •  Read more » Israel wants Trump to stop Palestinian payments to prisoners and families of 'martyrs' Palestinian authorities have been paying prisoners for years, but the issue is now front and center ahead of the president's trip abroad. Palestinians call the money "salaries" or "social welfare benefits." Israelis say it is used to incite violence. By William Booth  •  Read more » States get involved in lawsuit to shield Obamacare, saying Trump can’t be trusted Attorneys general from 15 states and the District of Columbia say that health insurance for millions of Americans has become "political bargaining chips" and that they can't trust the Trump administration to defend their interests. By Carolyn Y. Johnson  •  Read more » Iranians vote for president, with the nuclear deal and economy on their minds The choice basically is between two candidates with fundamentally different visions of Iran's place in the world. By Erin Cunningham  •  Read more » U.S. could get first paid family leave benefit under Trump budget proposal The program would grant mothers and fathers six weeks of paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child. Details still need to be negotiated with Congress, but the president's daughter Ivanka is expected to play a central role. By Danielle Paquette and Damian Paletta  •  Read more » Many publicly mourned Roger Ailes, but the silence was deafening, too Amid the shock over the Fox News' chief's unexpected death, the lack of response from so many whose careers Ailes made and molded are evidence of a complicated legacy. By Paul Farhi  •  Read more » Fact Checker | Analysis 365 days of Trump claims By popular demand, The Fact Checker will continue to track President Trump's false and misleading claims through his first 365 days in office. By Glenn Kessler  •  Read more » Why researchers think dinosaurs were minutes away from surviving extinction After drilling into the asteroid crater that coincides with their disappearance, an international team is making a radical argument that the demise of the fabled reptiles was not an inevitability. By Peter Holley  •  Read more »         Share Today's Headlines:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. 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