Inside the GOP's surprise health care flop  —  Senate Republicans had no inkling of what they were walking into on Tuesday afternoon as they filed into the Mike Mansfield room on the Capitol's second floor.  —  Mitch McConnell's 51 colleagues, from his most junior members to his closest lieutenants …

Just 17 Percent Of Americans Approve Of Republican Senate Health Care Bill  —  Americans broadly disapprove of the Senate GOP's health care bill, and they're unhappy with how Republicans are handling the efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, according to a new NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist poll.

CNN faced $100M lawsuit over botched Russia story  —  The specter of a $100 million libel suit scared CNN into retracting a poorly reported story that slimed an ally of President Trump's — and forcing out the staffers responsible for it, The Post has learned.  —  SEE ALSO

Arrest made after Ten Commandments monument at Arkansas Capitol toppled, shattered  —  A 6-foot-tall stone Ten Commandments monument installed Tuesday on the Arkansas Capitol grounds was toppled less than 24 hours later after a 32-year-old Arkansas man drove a vehicle into the statue, police said.

Facebook's Secret Censorship Rules Protect White Men from Hate Speech But Not Black Children  —  In the wake of a terrorist attack in London earlier this month, a U.S. congressman wrote a Facebook post in which he called for the slaughter of “radicalized” Muslims.

TICK-TOCK on the GOP's health-care ‘flop’ — HOW TRUMP can turn it around — PRO-TRUMP group pulls ads — FAHRENTHOLD strikes again — SPOTTED last night in ASPEN — B'DAY: Ashley Hickey Marquis  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  BULLETIN — WJLA: “Officials: Amtrak train hits, kills 2 CSX employees on tracks in D.C. …

Trump Campaign Chief's Firm Got $17 Million From Pro-Russia Party  —  Paul Manafort, who was forced out as President Trump's campaign chairman last summer after five months of infighting and criticism about his business dealings with pro-Russian interests, disclosed on Tuesday that his consulting firm …

Undoing the CFPB's Damage: The Trump Administration's Options Are Limited  —  Representation, rule of law, and separation of powers—these concepts are central to the American system of constitutional government.  Yet they have been threatened for much of the last century by the proliferation of independent government agencies.

Donald Trump Just Tweeted Support For An Internet Tax  —  So this will turn out to be another example where Trump supporters will likely say the guy who says what he means didn't really mean what he said.  In a bizarre tweet intended to attack The Washington Post as “fake new,” Donald Trump said the following.

Venezuela crisis: Helicopter launches attack on Supreme Court  —  A helicopter has attacked Venezuela's Supreme Court in what President Nicolás Maduro called a “terrorist” incident.  —  Four grenades were dropped on the court and 15 shots fired at the interior ministry on Tuesday, officials said.

Sarah Palin Sues New York Times, Claiming Editorial Defamed Her  —  Sarah Palin, former vice-presidential candidate, filed a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times Company on Tuesday, saying the newspaper had published a statement about her in a recent editorial that it “knew to be false.”

Trump Backs Off Plan to Attack Comey's Conduct  —  Donald Trump's lawyers will postpone filing a complaint against former FBI Director James Comey with the Justice Department, according to a person familiar with the decision — a bid to stop antagonizing the special counsel who's investigating ties between …

‘This thing needs to end right now’: CNN's Cuomo shuts down GOP senator whining about fake news  —  DON'T MISS STORIES.  FOLLOW RAW STORY!  —  CNN's Chris Cuomo has grown very tired of Republicans shooting down any facts that go against their political messaging as “fake news.”

Donald Trump and his team hired an army of lawyers for Russia investigation.  Who made the list?  —  WASHINGTON — They are attack dogs and upper-crust white shoes.  None of them shrink from a fight.  And their ranks are growing by the day.  —  Since Robert Mueller was named special counsel …

CNN Interviews Sesame Street's Elmo About ‘Wonderful’ Trip to Refugee Camp  —  CNN ran a story on Monday describing the “wonderful” visit of Sesame Street character Elmo to a refugee camp in Syria, where he concludes that “refugee kids are just like us.”  —  “They like to play and learn …

Facebook now has 2 billion monthly users... and responsibility  —  “We're getting to a size where it's worth really taking a careful look at what are all the things that we can do to make social media the most positive force for good possible,” Facebook Chief Product Officer Chris Cox told TechCrunch about the company's new milestone.

L.A.'s newest congressman still hasn't taken his oath.  Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy wants to know why  —  House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) wants to know why Rep.-elect Jimmy Gomez hasn't been sworn in, saying the seat's “elongated vacancy” is “an abdication” of his responsibilities.

Trump accepts invitation for Bastille Day visit to France  —  President Donald Trump has accepted an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to visit the nation on Bastille Day next month, the White House said Wednesday.  —  “President Trump looks forward to reaffirming America's strong ties …

Fox host dismisses dangers posed by Republican health care bill because “we're all going to die” anyway  —  Kennedy Montgomery: “There's no way unless they are absolutely psychic ... they don't know who's going to die or how many people”  —  From the June 27 edition of Fox News' The Fox News Specialists:

ObamaCare's Victims Need Relief Now  —  More than 1,000 counties have only a single insurer.  Doug Lake lives in one—and rates are going up 43%.