Trump leaves Sessions twisting in the wind while berating him publicly  —  President Trump and his advisers are privately discussing the possibility of replacing Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and some confidants are floating prospects who could take his place were he to resign or be fired, according to people familiar with the talks.

The Latest: McConnell calls for GOP dissenters to back bill  —  https://www.apnews.com/aa59b766a4294989 a62c922112580af7  —  Link copied!  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the ongoing effort by congressional Republicans to pass a health care bill (all times local):

Jason Chaffetz, who recently stepped down from the House of Representatives and into a Fox News gig, wondered why congressional investigators are focusing on Jared Kushner instead of Chelsea Clinton.  —  Kushner, the president's son-in-law and White House senior adviser …

McCain returning to Senate in time for health vote  —  (R-Ariz.) will return to the Senate on Tuesday after being diagnosed with brain cancer, giving the GOP push to repeal and replace ObamaCare a boost of momentum.  —  “Senator McCain looks forward to returning to the United States Senate tomorrow …

Speaker Ryan: Mueller is ‘anything but’ a Dem partisan  —  (R-Wis.) on Monday defended special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the Justice Department's investigation into the Russia election interference, saying he's “anything but” a Democratic partisan.

Trump Has Averaged 50% or Higher Job Approval in 17 States  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump, who has averaged 40% job approval since his inauguration, received approval ratings of 50% or higher in 17 states in the first half of 2017.  Residents in an equal number of states gave him approval ratings below 40%.

Does the opening predict a wave?  —  Congressional candidates filed their six-month financial reports with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on July 15.  But the one number that leapt off the page had little to do with finance.  It immediately made me think about wave elections.

Alt-right activists say Trump and Bannon are giving them “space to destroy” by keeping FBI away  —  Top alt-right podcasters say the Trump administration is deliberately backing off investigating domestic extremists  —  While the neo-fascist alt-right is not entirely happy with President Donald Trump's …

Trump Needs To Be Smart About How He Fires Mueller  —  Trump must eventually fire Robert Mueller, a partisan tool carrying water for his Establishment pals as he oversees an utterly corrupt “investigation” where the only person we actually know committed any wrongdoing is his bestest buddy Jim Comey.

Mystery signs mock Mpls.  Police  —  Mystery signs mock Twin Cities police … MINNEAPOLIS - You may have seen an unusual sign or two popping up in Minneapolis this weekend, taking a backhand swipe at the city's police force in the wake of the Justine Damond shooting.

Dems finally focus on message  —  According to a Gallup survey earlier this year, 44 percent of Democrats describe themselves as liberal.  —  But 41 percent of America's Democrats self-identify as moderates.  Another 15 percent say they are conservatives.  —  A Bernie Sanders  —  or Elizabeth Warren

A Veteran ICE Agent, Disillusioned with the Trump Era, Speaks Out  —  In March, two months after President Trump took office, I received a text message from a veteran agent at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ice).  I had been trying to find field agents willing to describe what life was like at the agency in the Trump era.

Cornyn floats conference of House, Senate healthcare bills  —  The Senate's No. 2 Republican said the two chambers might conference their ObamaCare repeal-and-replace bills.  —  “Initially there was some thought that maybe the House would take up the bill that we passed, but that may not be the case,” Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn

Microsoft Paint to be killed off after 32 years  —  Long-standing basic graphics editing program, used throughout childhoods since the 1980s, has been marked for death  —  Microsoft's next Windows 10 update, called the Autumn (or Fall in the US) Creators Update, will bring a variety of new features.

New communications director moves toward possible staff purge at White House … Anthony Scaramucci, the flashy financier President Trump hired to overhaul the White House communications operation, is exercising a broad mandate from the president and intends to follow through on threats …

The Company Behind Many Surprise Emergency Room Bills  —  Early last year, executives at a small hospital an hour north of Spokane, Wash., started using a company called EmCare to staff and run their emergency room.  The hospital had been struggling to find doctors to work in its E.R. …

White House: Schiff Has Done 14 Hours of TV Interviews Since Trump Took Office  —  Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.) has done 123 national television interviews totaling more than 14 hours of air time since January, according to a tracking report provided to the White House.

ICE chief lists worst sanctuary cities: Chicago, NYC, San Francisco, Philadelphia  —  In a broadside on sanctuary cities that harbor criminal illegal immigrants, the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement called them “un-American” and cited the worst: Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, and Philadelphia.