Monday's Headlines: Van strikes crowd near London mosques in apparent terror attack

Afghan war faces flurry of setbacks as U.S. military debates new policy; U.S. aircraft shoots down Syrian government jet over northern Syria, Pentagon says; Trump lawyer insists there is no obstruction probe but then hedges; Two years ago, Trump supporters couldn't look away. Now some are tuning out.; Muslim teen, 17, assaulted and killed after leaving Virginia mosque, officials say;   Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Top Stories Van strikes crowd near London mosques in apparent terror attack Witnesses said the van's driver was heard shouting he wanted to kill Muslims after speeding off the road and swerving into a crowd of people who had just finished night time prayers for the holy month of Ramadan. Ten people were injured, and investigators were trying to determine whether a death at the scene was related to the attack. By Griff Witte and Karla Adam  •  Read more » Afghan war faces flurry of setbacks as U.S. military debates new policy Growing doubt about the ability of Afghan security forces to make progress against insurgents and new concerns about poor vetting and conflicting loyalties after recent insider attacks on U.S. troops have highlighted the need for action and perils of various approaches. But no new U.S. strategy or troop numbers have been announced, reportedly because of disagreements within the Trump administration. By Pamela Constable and Sayed Salahuddin  •  Read more »   U.S. aircraft shoots down Syrian government jet over northern Syria, Pentagon says The shoot-down came hours after Syrian government-backed forces attacked U.S.-backed fighters, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, in the village of Ja'Din, according to a Pentagon statement. By Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Kareem Fahim  •  Read more »   Trump lawyer insists there is no obstruction probe but then hedges Jay Sekulow repeatedly said on Sunday shows that the president is not under investigation for obstruction of justice but acknowledged he could not know for certain. His assessment was at odds with a Post report and seemingly conflicted with a tweet from Trump himself. By John Wagner and Rosalind S. Helderman  •  Read more »   Two years ago, Trump supporters couldn't look away. Now some are tuning out. Donald Trump stepped onto a golden escalator at Trump Tower to launch his politics-as-reality-show in 2015. Now he is struggling to keep people engaged because governing is less entertaining than the spectacle of the 2016 campaign. By Jenna Johnson  •  Read more »   Muslim teen, 17, assaulted and killed after leaving Virginia mosque, officials say Authorities say the girl was walking with other teens after getting breakfast in the Sterling area early Sunday when they were confronted by a motorist. Darwin Martinez Torres, 22, was charged with murder after remains believed to be those of the teen were found in a pond. By Faiz Siddiqui, Julie Zauzmer and Sarah Pulliam Bailey  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Opinions   Why I can't stop thinking about Otto Warmbier By Fred Hiatt  •  Read more »   The State Department just broke a promise to minority and female recruits By Josh Rogin  •  Read more »   The destruction of political norms started decades ago. Here's how it happened. By E.J. Dionne Jr.  •  Read more »   America sings the postindustrial blues By Robert J. Samuelson  •  Read more »   Single-payer health care would have an astonishingly high price tag By Editorial Board  •  Read more »   Trump is facing two problems of his own making By Tom Toles  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   More News   Investigators question how a Navy destroyer and a container ship collided The bodies of seven sailors who died were recovered in the berthing compartment after the wounded ship had been taken into port. Multiple investigations are taking place in Japan after the weekend collision. By Anna Fifield  •  Read more » Rural Divide Even in areas he won by big margins, Trump is polarizing Four in 10 adults in rural America disapprove of Trump's job performance, a hefty number for a president still in the early stages of his tenure. By Dan Balz  •  Read more » TV Review Facing Alex Jones, NBC’s Megyn Kelly manages to avoid a worst-case outcome With an assist from Tom Brokaw, "Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly" wasn't the problematic showcase that many were fearing. By Hank Stuever  •  Read more » EPA chief vows to speed up the cleaning of toxic Superfund sites. Communities wonder how. In a St. Louis suburb that is home to a nuclear waste dump, residents are skeptical of Scott Pruitt's promise to prioritize the federal cleanup program, which the Trump administration has proposed slashing funding for by 30 percent. "My biggest fear is he's just going to put a Band-Aid on it," one said. By Brady Dennis  •  Read more » Safety lapses undermine nuclear warhead work at Los Alamos An extended shutdown of a unique research facility located at the lab in New Mexico has taken a toll on America's nuclear arsenal, which experts say could fall behind on an ambitious $1 trillion update plan. By Patrick Malone and R. Jeffrey Smith | Center for Public Integrity  •  Read more » Some gun owners are disturbed by the Philando Castile verdict. The NRA is silent. While the NRA maintained its silence, an officer's acquittal in the fatal shooting of Castile drew outrage and fear among black gun owners, and a congressman said it meant "the Second Amendment does not apply to them." By Avi Selk  •  Read more » Fact Checker | Analysis Mitch McConnell on the health-care legislative process, 2010 vs. 2017 The Senate majority leader was against the reconciliation process for health care in 2010; he has embraced it now. He was against secrecy and closed-door dealmaking before; he now oversees the most secretive health-care bill process ever. By Glenn Kessler  •  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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