Thursday's Headlines: Senate Republicans divided on how to battle court nominee

In S.C., Cruz struggles to be the winner that conservatives hoped for; Jeb Bush is confronted as never before by worried supporters; Pope Francis goes right to the U.S.-Mexico border to address rising migrant crisis; The U.S. government thought it had killed this legendary militant in Libya. Now it's not so sure.;   The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Top Stories J. Scott Applewhite Senate Republicans divided on how to battle court nominee White House officials won't rule out consideration of a recess appointment to fill Justice Antonin Scalia's seat, highlighting the debate between GOP senators who favor blocking any action on a nominee and those who have left open the possibility of holding hearings and even votes. By Mike DeBonis and Juliet Eilperin  •  Read more » In S.C., Cruz struggles to be the winner that conservatives hoped for The Texas firebrand has built a network, but it may not be enough to beat Donald Trump and contend with the religious overtures of Sen. Marco Rubio. By Robert Costa and Philip Rucker  •  Read more »   Jeb Bush is confronted as never before by worried supporters To a barrage of conflicting advice from S.C. voters distressed by the rise of Donald Trump, he replied: "I'm the only guy going after the guy who I believe is hijacking the party.” By Ed O'Keefe  •  Read more »   Pope Francis goes right to the U.S.-Mexico border to address rising migrant crisis In what amounted to a symbolic rebuke of U.S. presidential campaign rhetoric on immigration — which has included calls for mass deportations of illegal workers and a huge wall — the pope prayed atop a platform that overlooked the Rio Grande. By Joshua Partlow and Gabriela Martinez  •  Read more »   The U.S. government thought it had killed this legendary militant in Libya. Now it's not so sure. The debate about Mokhtar Belmokhtar's fate illustrates the challenges of targeted attacks in places where the U.S. has little military presence. By Missy Ryan  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Opinions   Republicans' Supreme Court contortions By Dana Milbank  •  Read more »   I dread what will happen when the U.S. finally elects a woman president By Alyssa Rosenberg  •  Read more »   Why the Democratic candidates need to get Obama's record straight By E.J. Dionne Jr.  •  Read more »   We need to resettle the children of Flint By Irwin Redlener  •  Read more »   Shining a light on one of the high court's darkest moments By Charles Lane  •  Read more »   The U.S. must act in Libya before the Islamic State grabs more territory By Editorial Board  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   More News   Obama to visit Cuba, just eight months after embassy reopens in Havana The administration had initially hoped that the visit would coincide with the signing there of a Colombia peace deal. By Karen DeYoung and Juliet Eilperin  •  Read more » 'A man who will do whatever it takes': Grand jury indicts Bundys Cliven Bundy and two of his sons face conspiracy charges related to the 2014 standoff in Nevada that presaged last month's takeover of a wildlife refuge in Oregon.  By Justin Wm. Moyer  •  Read more » Turkey accuses Syrian Kurd of deadly Ankara blast The bomb blast in country's capital has raised fears of a deepening Turkish involvement in Syria's war. By Liz Sly  •  Read more » Bill Kristol has a knack for making terrible predictions, but he's going to keep at it The eminent conservative pundit — a kind of cult figure of wrong — insists his picks are for amusement and/or discussion purposes only. By Paul Farhi  •  Read more » 4 Pinocchios for Trump's claim that he would save the U.S. $300 billion a year If you believe The Donald's math, he would virtually eliminate the cost of prescription drugs in the United States. By Glenn Kessler  •  Read more » In the Gamergate battle of Internet mobs vs. the law, the Internet mobs have won Zoe Quinn, the country’s most high-profile victim of cyber-harassment, has given up on the legal system. By Caitlin Dewey  •  Read more » Scientists can’t agree whether salt is killing us. Here’s why. The inability to reach a consensus stems at least partly from the fact that two groups of scientists operate, in essence, in parallel scientific universes. By Peter Whoriskey  •  Read more » Why Apple is in a historic fight with the government over one iPhone The U.S. has forced an encryption showdown years in the making after a terrorist attack in California that killed 14 people. By Ellen Nakashima  •  Read more » Mixed marriages are changing the way we think about race New immigrants may be assimilating a lot faster than we had ever thought, and this phenomenon may present problems for researchers looking to measure progress among minorities. By Jeff Guo  •  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. 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. 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