Sunday's Headlines: ‘Pure madness’: Dark days inside the White House as Trump shocks and rages

At white-tie media dinner, Trump tries joking: 'I like chaos'; In his expanding war over global trade, Trump aims harsh rhetoric at close U.S. allies; Germany will finally have a...

Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   'Pure madness': Dark days inside the White House as Trump shocks and rages Aides in the White House over the past week have described an air of anxiety and volatility — with an uncontrollable commander in chief at its center. Some worry just how much deeper President Trump and his administration may plunge into unrest and malaise before they start to recover. As one official put it: "We haven't bottomed out." By Philip Rucker, Ashley Parker and Josh Dawsey  •  Read more » At white-tie media dinner, Trump tries joking: 'I like chaos' The president surprised Washington journalists by agreeing to attend the annual Gridiron Dinner. By Emily Heil  •   Read more »   In his expanding war over global trade, Trump aims harsh rhetoric at close U.S. allies On Twitter, he vowed to strike back at European leaders who said they would retaliate for his promised tariffs on aluminum and steel. The country that escaped Trump's tweeting ire was China, the very nation the president has wanted to hit hardest. By Steven Mufson and Damian Paletta  •   Read more »   BREAKING NEWS Germany will finally have a government after Social Democrats clear the way for Merkel's fourth term A vote of the center-left party's members ended months of deadlock and revived a "grand coalition." By Griff Witte  •   Read more »   'I can't go back': Venezuelans flee their crisis-torn country en masse The massive scale of the exodus is being compared to the flow of Syrians into Western Europe in 2015. And, just as in that crisis, countries overwhelmed by the flood of new arrivals are beginning to bar their doors, seeking to contain an influx of Venezuelans fleeing a collapsing economy and an increasingly repressive socialist regime. By Anthony Faiola  •   Read more »   Inside the mind of an alleged teen school shooter: A plot to kill '50 or 60' Jesse Osborne, accused of opening fire on a South Carolina school playground in 2016 and killing a 6-year-old, detailed his motives in dozens of online messages, in his 46-page confession and in interviews with doctors. He had been researching other school shooters and, determined to outdo them, learned exactly how many people they'd murdered. By John Woodrow Cox  •   Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT Opinions   Trump is so obsessed with winning that he might make America lose By Ian Bremmer  •   Read more »   Corporations only break with the gun industry when it's cheap and easy By Heidi N. Moore  •   Read more »   Hollywood has always been political. And it hasn't always been liberal. By Kathryn Cramer Brownell  •   Read more »   Trump actually thinks executing drug dealers would help. That's the problem. By Ana Marie Cox  •   Read more »   Five myths about outbreaks By Seth Berkley  •   Read more »   Hope Hicks's resignation caused a stir. But what she did first is more important. By Editorial Board  •   Read more » ADVERTISEMENT More News   Under a new state of emergency, Ethiopia is on the brink of crisis, again Turmoil in Ethiopia couldn't come at a worse time for East Africa. By Paul Schemm  •  Read more »     Italians vote amid anger toward migrants and populist energy Sunday's election was likely to produce results too fragmented to form a coalition. By Michael Birnbaum  •   Read more »   North Korea foils sanctions with an intricate shell game at sea North Korea successfully tricked its adversaries into buying its coal by having the cargo "laundered" at a Russian port. By Joby Warrick  •   Read more »   The righteously angry women who dominate this year's Oscars The characters are refreshingly human, from Frances McDormand's in "Three Billboards" to the mothers and daughters of "Lady Bird" and "I, Tonya." By Sonia Rao  •   Read more »   Perspective: These are our picks for the real best pictures of the past 42 years The academy just keeps handing out Oscars to the wrong movies, so here are our winners if we had a do-over. By Dan Zak and Amy Argetsinger  •   Read more »   Voraciously: Create a party menu with recipes to go with the nominees Here's what to make and eat while you're watching the 90th Academy Awards ceremony. By Kara Elder  •   Read more »   The Fix | Analysis This is what shakes the faith of the pro-Trump media By entertaining gun-control measures, the president is adding to a list of moves that worry his biggest fans. By Callum Borchers  •   Read more »   Trump's maneuver on N.Y.-N.J. tunnel project pits him against many in his home state Last September, officials believed the president was on board with federal funding for the $30 billion project seen as critical infrastructure for the millions who commute into New York City. Now he has thrown the project into doubt, startling Democrats and Republicans alike. By Josh Dawsey  •   Read more »   Retropolis | The Past, Rediscovered 'Temporarily insane': A congressman, a sensational killing and a new legal defense In 1859, Rep. Daniel Edgar Sickles claimed he was "temporarily insane" after he discovered his wife was having an affair with Francis Scott Key's son and fatally shot him. By Robert Mitchell  •   Read more »   Magazine Training has saved 341 children in Texas Patrol officers are trained to spot drunken driving and drug trafficking. Why not child trafficking, too? By Steve Volk  •   Read more »   Voraciously The sheet pan can do it all in your kitchen One-pan suppers, huge pies and a neater kitchen are all possible with this inexpensive must-have. By Becky Krystal  •   Read more »   Solo-ish What is it like to date while also doing IVF? This writer wanted to get pregnant on her own while looking for a mate but found it nearly impossible — physically and emotionally. By Kelli Auerbach  •   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