Sunday's Headlines: Trump, lashing out at critics, defends his mental fitness for office

The Fix: What some in or near Trump's inner circle have said about his mental fitness; Trump's ill-advised claim that the media are covering his mental fitness like Reagan's;...

Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Trump, lashing out at critics, defends his mental fitness for office First in a tweetstorm of boasts, then at a news conference with GOP leaders, the president defended himself against a new book that cites purported fears from former and current aides that he was unprepared for the presidency and uninterested in making difficult decisions. Trump proclaimed in a tweet that he was "a very stable genius" and later denounced the book's author and called for tougher libel laws. By David Nakamura and Karen Tumulty  •  Read more » The Fix: What some in or near Trump's inner circle have said about his mental fitness The president tweeted about his mental prowess on Saturday, but there is a short list of people near Trump's inner circle who have voiced doubts. By Avi Selk  •   Read more »   The Fix | Analysis Trump's ill-advised claim that the media are covering his mental fitness like Reagan's The news media did indeed question Reagan's mental health at times, but such questions were at least somewhat validated by his Alzheimer's diagnosis in 1994 and his son Ron Reagan's 2011 claim that Reagan displayed symptoms of the disease while in office. By Callum Borchers  •   Read more »   Behind Iran's protests, anger over lost life savings and tightfisted budgets Countless Iranians say their savings have been wiped out by the collapse of fraudulent businesses and unlicensed credit institutions in recent years, and anger over these losses came on top of frustration over a sluggish economy. Economists cite the abrupt closure of the poorly regulated institutions as laying the foundation for the unrest that began in December. By Erin Cunningham and Steven Mufson  •   Read more »   Wide-open primaries will plunge Democrats and Republicans into historic battles over who they are As populist passions roil both the liberal and conservative grass roots, races that Democrats once left uncontested are now brimming with candidates. Races in which Republicans had hoped to clear the field have grown crowded. By David Weigel and Michael Scherer  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT Opinions   I read Woody Allen's private notes. He's obsessed with teenage girls. By Richard Morgan  •   Read more »   Pressuring harassers to quit can end up protecting them By Katherine Ku  •   Read more »   There is no secret master plan. Trump is the WYSIWYG president. By Paul Musgrave  •   Read more »   As an EPA intern, I was barred from mentioning climate change By Katie Miller  •   Read more »   Sessions's unwise move on marijuana may backfire By Editorial Board  •   Read more »   The 'stable genius' isn't even functioning as president By Jennifer Rubin  •   Read more » ADVERTISEMENT More News   This Communist has no chance of winning Russia's presidential race. But he might come in second. Communist nominee Pavel Grudinin is wildly popular on YouTube and has a nationwide political machine and a constituency of millions who are fed up with President Vladimir Putin and his oligarch friends. By David Filipov  •  Read more »     Even after the dissolution of Trump's voter commission, critics worry that its mission will live on Boosters of the commission are pushing for the Homeland Security Department to use data that it collects on citizenship to ferret out illegal voters on state voting rolls. By John Wagner  •   Read more »   A guide to 2018 movies — minus sequels, spinoffs, superheroes and reboots There are times when people may want something a little different from their cinematic entertainment — something that isn't part of a series or a shared universe. By Stephanie Merry  •   Read more »   Official who improperly helped Redskins owner cut down trees picked as National Park Service deputy director P. Daniel Smith, who retired from the Park Service in 2014, returns on Monday to help lead the agency. By Darryl Fears  •   Read more »   Nathan Chen secures first at U.S. nationals. Chaos reigns in his wake. Ross Miner skates to a surprising second and Vincent Zhou third as Adam Rippon and Jason Brown stumble. By Chelsea Janes  •   Read more »   Meet Bradie Tennell and the rest of the U.S. women's figure skating Olympic team U.S. champion Tennell is peaking now. Mirai Nagasu's technical ability has kept her in the Olympic conversation. And last year's top American, Karen Chen, overcome illness to finish well at this year's U.S. championships. By Chelsea Janes  •   Read more »   Capital Weather Gang As the eastern U.S. freezes, a heat wave is melting asphalt in southern Australia In Australia, it's summer — and a remarkably hot one, with temperatures in several parts of the country hovering in the triple digits. By Kristine Phillips  •   Read more »   Travel Discovering the magic of Edinburgh The Scottish capital, where surprises await around every corner, is imbued with the spirit of Harry Potter. By Tom Shroder  •   Read more »   Arts & Style Golden Globes: 11 things to watch Get ready for the first Hollywood awards show in the post-Harvey Weinstein era. By Stephanie Merry and Emily Yahr  •   Read more »   Food 5 recipes our readers loved most this week Here are recipes old and new that are perfect for a wintry day. By Kara Elder and Bonnie S. Benwick  •   Read more »         Share Today's Headlines:    Twitter     Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Today's Headlines or because it is included in your subscription. 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. ©2018 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071