Wednesday's Headlines: Massive blast in the heart of Kabul’s diplomatic quarter kills scores

In Mexico, the painful price of America's hunger for heroin; As Germany reaffirms importance of U.S. ties, Trump escalates his feud with Berlin; Trump's window for scoring early legislative victories shrinks as August recess looms; Trump's aides are starting to rival their boss when it comes to praising him;   Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Top Stories DEVELOPING Massive blast in the heart of Kabul's diplomatic quarter kills scores The explosion killed at least 80 people and injured more than 350 others, according to the Afghan Health Ministry. The Interior Ministry said the blast was triggered by a huge quantity of explosives hidden in a water tank. It took place during the peak of the morning rush hour. By Sayed Salahuddin and Pamela Constable  •  Read more » In Mexico, the painful price of America's hunger for heroin The opioid epidemic that has caused so much pain in the United States is also savaging Mexico — the source of 90 percent of America's heroin — by creating a cycle of violence between trafficking gangs and citizen militias. Along the country's heroin highway, the social breakdown is plain to see. "This is a land without law," said one man who works in the region. By Joshua Partlow; Photos by Michael Robinson Chavez  •  Read more »   As Germany reaffirms importance of U.S. ties, Trump escalates his feud with Berlin German leaders feel Trump has prioritized relations with authoritarian nations like Saudi Arabia, and his tweet blasting Berlin for not spending enough on defense rattled one of Washington's strongest postwar alliances. By Michael Birnbaum and Rick Noack  •  Read more »   Trump's window for scoring early legislative victories shrinks as August recess looms Trump is seeking momentum for his health-care and tax initiatives and is increasingly incensed that his agenda is bogging down in the Senate, White House officials say. But critics from both parties say the lack of progress is partly a reflection of Trump's inability to marshal votes or persuade lawmakers to follow his lead. By Damian Paletta and Mike DeBonis  •  Read more »   Debrief Trump's aides are starting to rival their boss when it comes to praising him The president's staffers often exaggerate on his behalf — such as when press secretary Sean Spicer insisted in January that the president's inauguration crowd was the largest ever — but Tuesday's news conference seemed to venture into new territory for even the Trump administration. By Jenna Johnson  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Opinions   Is Jared Kushner doomed? By Kathleen Parker  •  Read more »   Trump could make everyone happy by raising this tax By Hugh Hewitt  •  Read more »   The GOP hates red tape — except when it comes to giving poor people health care By Noah Zatz  •  Read more »   Another deadly consequence of climate change: The spread of dangerous diseases By Brian Deese and Ronald A. Klain  •  Read more »   Fox News: New York Times boycotted Obama surveillance story. Fox News: Oops, maybe not. By Erik Wemple  •  Read more »   Trump told Sissi he wouldn't 'lecture' him. So Sissi cracked down on civil society. By Editorial Board  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   More News   Poll: Most Americans want Senate to change or ditch House health-care bill Americans have growing concerns about how the House-passed health-care bill, if adopted by the Senate, might affect their costs. By Laurie McGinley and Scott Clement  •  Read more » Activists investigating a Chinese maker of Ivanka Trump's shoes are arrested, missing The three activists were investigating labor conditions at Huajian shoe factories for China Labor Watch, a New York-based nonprofit that aims to defend workers' rights. By Simon Denyer  •  Read more » Virginia primary in the center of fight for the Democratic Party's future Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren took the unusual step of backing a candidate in the gubernatorial primary, which has taken on greater significance as the liberal and mainstream wings debate over how to move Democrats forward. By Fenit Nirappil and Karen Tumulty  •  Read more » Portland, often seen as a progressive playground, now confronts murderous hate While the Pacific Northwest city has seen months of demonstrations that have ended in rowdy protests, the slayings of two men who were slashed after confronting a man screaming anti-Muslim slurs has shaken this liberal enclave. By Leah Sottile and Lindsey Bever  •  Read more » An artist hated the 'Fearless Girl' statue — so he put this at her feet New York artist Alex Gardega created a sculpture of a urinating dog and told The Post that "the dog invading her space is reflective of her invading the space that belongs to the [Charging Bull statue]." By Peter Holley  •  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. 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