The standoff between Trump and Sessions escalates … The public standoff between the White House and the nation's senior law enforcement official took another strange turn Tuesday as President Trump escalated his verbal attacks on Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was urged by fellow conservatives to stand his ground.

Senate Votes Down Broad Obamacare Repeal  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate voted narrowly on Tuesday to begin debate on a bill to repeal major provisions of the Affordable Care Act, but hours later, Republican leaders suffered a setback when their most comprehensive plan to replace President Barack …

U.S. energy secretary duped into fake interview with Russian comedians  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry optimistically discussed expanding American coal exports to Ukraine and other energy matters during a lengthy phone call this month with a Russian prankster who Perry thought was Ukraine's prime minister.

Russia Warns of ‘Painful’ Response If Trump Backs U.S. Sanctions  —  U.S. measures leave no room for better relations, Ryabkov says  —  Russia readying economic, political retaliation, senator says  —  Russia threatened to retaliate against new sanctions passed by the U.S. House of Representatives …

Senators on hot mic: Trump is ‘crazy,’ 'I'm worried'  —  At the end of a Senate subcommittee hearing on Tuesday morning, Chairman Susan Collins (R-Maine) didn't switch off her microphone.  Apparently speaking to Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), the ranking Democrat of the committee …

The Latest: Trump talks ‘new immigration system’ in Ohio  —  The Latest on President Donald Trump's victory lap in working-class Youngstown, Ohio (all times local):  —  President Donald Trump says he is working with a pair of Republican senators to “create a new immigration system for America.”

Sec. of State Tillerson ‘taking a little time off’ but not resigning  —  1.6k Shares  —  Rex Tillerson has no plans to resign as Secretary of State and is “just taking a little time off,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Tuesday amid reports Tillerson was considering stepping down.

Trump Finds Reason for the U.S. to Remain in Afghanistan: Minerals  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump, searching for a reason to keep the United States in Afghanistan after 16 years of war, has latched on to a prospect that tantalized previous administrations: Afghanistan's vast mineral wealth …

To America, It Looks Like Chaos.  For Trump, It's Just Tuesday.  —  It started Monday morning with Donald Trump calling his own attorney general “beleaguered.”  It continued with an Air Force One flight to West Virginia and a rambling, partisan speech to thousands of hollering Boy Scouts.

Did Ron Johnson Almost Torpedo the Motion to Proceed?  —  Shortly before noon, reporters caught Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson on the Senate subway platform and informed him of “skinny repeal,” the last-ditch option leaders were using to entice Republican senators to support the motion to proceed on health care reform.

I'd Like to Report a Scam Against the Elderly  —  The foul fog of elder scam has fallen over the White House, looting Donald Trump of what precious little credibility remains in his possession.  No need to panic, though—the perpetrator has been identified.

Wasserman Schultz aide arrested trying to leave the country  —  Imran Awan, a House staffer at the center of a criminal investigation potentially impacting dozens of Democratic lawmakers, has been arrested on bank fraud and is prevented from leaving the country while the charges are pending.

Many Republicans Doubt Clinton Won Popular Vote  —  A plurality of Republicans say President Donald Trump received more of the popular vote in 2016 than his Democratic rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  —  According to a new Morning Consult/POLITICO poll …

U.S. Muslims Concerned About Their Place in Society, but Continue to Believe in the American Dream  —  Findings from Pew Research Center's 2017 survey of U.S. Muslims  —  The early days of Donald Trump's presidency have been an anxious time for many Muslim Americans, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

Newly declassified memos detail extent of improper Obama-era NSA spying  —  The National Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation violated specific civil liberty protections during the Obama years by improperly searching and disseminating raw intelligence on Americans or failing …

New Ethics Head Has Clashed With Colleagues Over Rules  —  WASHINGTON — David J. Apol, named by President Trump last week as the new head of the Office of Government Ethics, has repeatedly clashed with colleagues over his career at the agency as he sought to roll back or loosen ethics requirements …