POLITICO: …“There’s a group of folks in our party who would have troops in six countries right now — maybe more,” the Kentucky senator told hundreds of activists at a GOP cattle call that has drawn every major presidential aspirant. “This is something, if you watch closely, that will separate me from many other Republicans. […]

WASHINGTON POST: The Justice Department and FBI have formally acknowledged that nearly every examiner in an elite FBI forensic unit gave flawed testimony in almost all trials in which they offered evidence against criminal defendants over more than a two-decade period before 2000. Of 28 examiners with the FBI Laboratory’s microscopic hair comparison unit, 26 […]

NEW YORK TIMES: When Andreas Lubitz sent an email in 2009 seeking reinstatement to Lufthansa’s flight-training program after a months long absence, he appended what in retrospect was a clear warning signal about his fitness to fly passenger jetliners: an acknowledgment that he had suffered from severe depression. Lufthansa put the young German back through […]

FINANCIAL TIMES: … Core consumer prices climbed 0.2 per cent last month, nudging the annual rate to 1.8 per cent from 1.7 per cent in February, according to figures released by the Labor Department on Friday. Headline inflation, which includes the effect of the weaker oil price, also rose 0.2 per cent on the month, […]

NEW YORK TIMES: … Mr. Obama suggested that negotiators seek a solution that would seem “more acceptable” to Iran’s political constituencies, while preserving leverage to force the government to abide by the deal. Rather than the timing and structure of sanctions relief, he said his priority was creating a system for reimposing the punitive measures […]

WASHINGTON POST COLUMN: Could this city actually be working? The past week has witnessed several developments — on the Iran nuclear agreement, Medicare reimbursement rates and fast-track trade authority — that offer grounds for, if not irrational exuberance, then tempered optimism… It moved to restructure Medicare payment systems to reward quality of care over quantity […]

POLITICO: Late last week, as the political world was waiting for Hillary Clinton’s announcement tweet, Vice President Joe Biden put out word he’d speak to the New Democrat Coalition PAC. He accepted the invitation that had been lingering for a while, but insisted: he wanted reporters there to hear what he had to say. If […]

BLOOMBERG: Staff attorneys at the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust division are nearing a recommendation to block Comcast Corp.’s bid to buy Time Warner Cable Inc., according to people familiar with the matter. Attorneys who are investigating Comcast’s $45.2 billion proposal to create a nationwide cable giant are leaning against the merger out of concern that […]

NEW YORK TIMES: The Vatican has abruptly ended its takeover of the main leadership group of American nuns two years earlier than expected, allowing Pope Francis to put to rest a confrontation started by his predecessor that created an uproar among American Catholics who had rallied to the sisters’ defense. Anticipating a visit by Francis […]