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After a bitter rivalry during the 2016 presidential campaign, Sen. Rand Paul and President Donald Trump just cant quit each other. And they are teaming up to confound everyone in Washington on the GOPs attempts to repeal Obamacare.

After Paul dubbed candidate Trump an orange-faced windbag and Trump questioned whether candidate Paul had a properly functioning brain, the two have begun to build a strong relationship. Trump has expended major energy courting Paul and theyve developed what Paul calls a good rapport. Theyve played golf and chat regularly on the phone.

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has long since given up on his Kentucky colleague. White House officials also dont think Paul can be convinced to vote for the partys Obamacare repeal.

Yet Trump wants Paul to be part of the partys negotiations on health care. The day before McConnell pulled the Senates repeal bill last week, Trump invited Paul to a personal meeting at the White House on the issue. The rest of the Senate GOP had their face time with Trump as a group.

With all that attention from the president, Paul has refused to rule out voting for an Obamacare repeal bill even though every whip count on and off the Hill has him as a hard no.

Trump seems to view getting Pauls vote as a challenge: When the senator initially came out against the Houses plan in March, Trump immediately targeted him as someone who will come along. And that was before the Senate even began considering the matter.

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He is very persuasive, Paul said of Trump.

The persuasiveness goes both ways. Trump listens to Paul, who has offered a variety of political, procedural and policy solutions to the GOPs health care quagmire over the past six months.

Paul and Trump both seem to change their mind on a whim when it comes to Obamacare, and lately they seem more intent on tearing the law down than building a new one, undercutting McConnells efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act simultaneously.

Paul Teller, who works for Trump's legislative affairs office, has recently indicated to conservative groups that Trump would sign a repeal-only bill, a major departure from the official White House line backing the ongoing repeal-and-replace effort, according to two sources familiar with the talks. But it lines up with Pauls recent call to repeal Obamacare and deal with a replacement later.

Paul also has Trumps ear. And its driving Senate Republicans crazy.

Its very hard to come up with a consensus Senate Republican health care bill when Sen. Pauls positions seem to change almost daily, said a Republican aide familiar with internal deliberations.

Trump administration aides do not think it is worth Trumps time to call Paul, and McConnell has made clear to the White House that Paul is a "lost cause," according to a person familiar with the conversations. Aides also have told Trump that Paul is not going to join forces with him. Trump has sometimes questioned them, citing his relationship with Paul.

The president has spent far less time personally courting Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Dean Heller of Nevada, perhaps the two hardest "no" votes other than Paul. A Trump-linked group even threatened to attack Heller for his opposition to the Senate bill. Trump traveled to Kentucky for events earlier this year, but has only gently ribbed Paul for his stubbornness.

The president and Rand Paul have a great relationship. They have both been very public in their supporting of gutting Obamacare, repealing Obamacare, said Brian Darling, a former counsel and spokesman for Paul who is still close to the senator. Trump would be happy if the bill could pass and move a little more to Rand Pauls views.

And the two mens burgeoning friendship has left an unmistakable imprint on the GOPs halting efforts to gut President Barack Obamas signature achievement and not always for the better, according to fellow Republicans.

In December, House and Senate GOP leaders were fully prepared to approve a 2015 repeal bill as soon as the new Congress was sworn in so that Trump could sign it soon after being inaugurated. The replacement would come later, they figured, once Democrats felt the pressure to cooperate after Obamacare was swept away.

Paul swiftly rejected that approach and caught Trumps eye while railing against the GOP on television for not having a replacement. The president-elect called him up and endorsed Pauls plan to repeal and replace Obamacare simultaneously. GOP leaders were shocked, and went back to the drawing board.

Paul then voted against a budget resolution that would set up repeal of the law via the party-line reconciliation maneuver. Every other Senate Republican supported it.

Hes trying to blow it up and has been since January, said a second Republican source familiar with the partys internal deliberations.

As the House overhaul flagged in March, Paul and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), another Trump ally, floated repealing the law and then figuring out a new system later. But the bill passed and the idea was dropped as Trump pressed for Senate action. But now that the bill is flagging in the chamber, both Trump and Paul are searching for an exit strategy.

Lets repeal some of the really bad crap in Obamacare that Democrats will never repeal, Paul said last week. Lets do our repeal that we can do in a partisan way, and lets put [replacement] in the committees.

A day later, Trump caught right up to him.

If Republican Senators are unable to pass what they are working on now, they should immediately REPEAL, and then REPLACE at a later date! Trump tweeted. Paul retweeted Trump and said hes spoken to the president and McConnell about it.

Hours later McConnell rejected the idea, but over the weekend White House legislative affairs director Marc Short noted that 50 of the GOP senators had voted for a repeal-only bill in the past two years. Its the same messaging that Paul has been using more evidence that the billionaire mogul-turned-president and the eye doctor from Kentucky-turned-senator are rubbing off on each other.

Sen. Paul considers President Trump a friend and is always open to providing constructive feedback, said Sergio Gor, a spokesman for Paul.

But the late-game shift from Paul and Trump has exasperated staffers working on the bill, Republicans said, and has given conservative GOP senators like Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Mike Lee of Utah a way to agree with the president and simultaneously cast doubt on the ongoing repeal bill. That will make it harder for McConnell to garner sufficient support, especially after Paul has convinced Trump that there might be another way out, even if it was the original plan that McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan were pressing for seven months ago.

This is not to be derogatory, but it's just true: He doesn't like to vote yes," said one person familiar with McConnell's thinking of Paul.

Pauls colleagues said they understand where he is coming from, even if he hasnt made things any easier for his party.

Rand really believes the things he stands for. Hes very principled about it, said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Asked whether Paul has been constructive despite his multitude of positions, he replied: Absolutely.

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Rand and Donald's wild health care ride - Politico

In his recent column, Eric Zorn says that a reluctance or inability to peer into the future is the weakness of ... everyone who thought it would be a good idea to elect an immature, incurious bully as president of the United States.

Actually, I looked into the future of this country under someone who'd accomplished nothing more than riding her husband's coattails into the corridors of power, compromised national security by using a homegrown email server in violation of government regulations, and enriched the Clinton Foundation by selling the office of Secretary of State.

That future included more liberal Supreme Court justices, continuing growth of the Obama regulatory state at the expense of business and the middle class, and continuing reduction of freedom of conscience. In my mind, the brighter future for this country involved having Donald Trump in the White House.

Zorn's comments about people who voted for Trump bring to mind Hillary Clinton's comments about deplorables. That's OK with me, because in the last presidential election, we deplorables won.

Claude Groves, Naperville

The rest is here:
Donald Trump gives me hope for the future - Chicago Tribune

Trump addressing the crowd in Krasinski Square in Poland on July 6.

By Krystian Dobuszynski/NurPhoto/Getty Images.

So far, Donald Trump is on his way to being merely a bad president rather than the worst. (That could change; please, Fates, do not pounce.) Yet I doubt any president has had more people saying, only months in, This guys gotta go. I admit Im often one of those people myself, even though I consider Trumps proven misdeeds to be technically minor so far. A small but growing number of people on the right are calling for Trumps removal, too. New York Times columnist Ross Douthat has called for Republicans to launch a palace coup against the president, and American Conservative writer Rod Dreher has suggested that Congress impeach Trump to protect the integrity of our constitutional order. Even Trump supporters have sometimes hinted at frayed patience, watching their agenda slip away over yet another modern day presidential tweet.

What were learning, it seems, is how much propriety, even in purely ritualistic form, matters in a president. What some of us (like this writer) are struggling with is the question of whether an absence of sobriety can ever justify something so drastic as premature removal from office.

As absurd as it may be only months into a presidency, impeachment is already getting lots of attention, and its as much because of unhinged tweeting as it is because of policy. Last weekend, thousands of Americans took to the streets to demand Congress take action. California Democrat Brad Sherman has written a proposed article of impeachment. Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin has rounded up 25 congressional colleagues to support a presidential oversight commission that would monitor the commander-in-chief for soundness of body and mind. I assume every human being is allowed one or two errant and seemingly deranged tweets, Raskin told Yahoo News. The question is whether you have a sustained pattern of behavior that indicates something is seriously wrong.

Officially, of course, collusion with Moscow or obstruction of justice is the reason were supposed to want to go after Donald Trump. But allegations of outright criminality are far ahead of what the evidence permits so far. Certainly, like other bad presidents, Trump has made some horrible policy choices, including ramping up tensions with Iran, proposing to put health coverage out of reach for millions of Americans, withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, and doing Saudi Arabias bidding in the Middle East, to name a few. But crimes? No. Nothing has been close to proven, at least, and we cant reasonably call for impeachment based on suspicions.

Even if it turns out that a G.O.P. operative contacted Russian hackers (in vain) to get ahold of the deleted e-mails of Hillary Clinton, such a sin seems minor in comparison to that of, say, launching a war based on false assurances (hello, George W. Bush) or of violating an arms embargo to sell missiles to Iran and diverting the profits to a Central American guerrilla group (please stand, Ronald Reagan). Perhaps its worse than directing hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to fraudulent plaintiffs in what appears to have been a crude effort at vote buying (dont be shy, Barack Obama), but its still debatable whether itd put Trump in a league of his own. It grates especially on the soulmy soul, at leastto hear pious denunciations of Trump from the same people who served with Dubya as the U.S. established an archipelago of dark sites in which captives were tortured, sometimes to death. Youre going to talk about character?

But, still, they have a point. When Trump tweeted that Mika Brzezinski was bleeding from a facelift, people joked that it was the end of civilizationand it wasnt entirely a joke. For many Americans, this author included, it prompted another round of This guys gotta go. And that in turn raises the question of why. Why should style ever matter more than substance? Selling arms to Saudi Arabia is a matter of life and deathmostly deathfor thousands of innocent people, but no one would suggest Trump be impeached over it. By contrast, tweets about Mika Brzezinski hurt barely anyone apart from Mika Brzezinski, and yet they left everyone disgusted and spooked.

The only answer I can come up with turns out to be painfully conservative. I say painfully not because theres anything wrong with conservatism per se but because, if Trump got anything right about our times, it was that wed come to a radical moment. Bernie Sanders picked up on the same thing. Many Americans, whether on the left or right, didnt just want a few adjustments but a re-examination of fundamentals. Trumps willingness to scandalize the garden party was proof of his willingness to take on this task. Somebody needed to throw a few teacakes at the guests, and conservatives dont do that. But Trump never moved on from there. He just stuck around to throw everything else.

Normal heads of state either possess many of the traditional Roman virtuesa trip to Google reminded me of some favorites: gravitas, veritas, humanitas, frugalitas, pietas, severitas, salubritasor at least try to fake them. Donald Trump exhibits almost none of them, ever. He can just barely pull off a joint appearance with a visiting dignitary before the limits of his self-control kick in and hes back to being himself. Thats alarming. Whether in ancient Rome or ancient China, nothing portended calamity like an emperor who flouted the formalities.

Yes, Donald Trump loves his country, and perhaps to that extent offers a favorable contrast to a tiny but vocal god-damn-America cohort that unfairly but inescapably tarnishes the brand of his opposition. But he loves it in the manner of someone who thanks you effusively for the gift of a Rodin statue and then uses it as a doorstop. What Trump says and does is often funnyhilarious, evenbut mainly because it violates our sense of sacredness and decency. Were reminded almost daily that iconoclasm is one of humors great wellsprings, but when it comes from our head of state, the laughter is mighty bitter. Caligula was funny, too.

And so it is that people think seriously about palace coups or impeachmentare forced to think about iteven as most liberals would generally prefer Trumps policies to those of Mike Pence, and some of us would rank his worst sins much lower than those of several presidents who appear on our legal tender. As it turns out, were far more tolerant of constitutional subversion than of outright insurrection, and perhaps for legitimate reasons. Nibbling away at constitutional norms is terrible, and presidents from both parties have done it, but the very threads of civilization feel at risk when our head of state flouts the few formalities that we have. We need what Confucius called the rites. We want our judges in robes, not T-shirts and shorts. And we want an emperor who can handle what might be the most important requirement of the job: to keep up appearances.

If Trump is impeached, well tell ourselves its for breaches of the law. But the truth is its going to be for breaches of decorum. And its getting harder and harder to dismiss the thought that that may be cause enough.

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Pool

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Is Donald Trump Too Offensive to be President? - Vanity Fair

The U.S. is hinting at a possible return to war with North Korea after Pyongyang tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, and it is proposing wider U.N. sanctions against any country that does business with this outlaw regime.

Even a so-called surgical strike against North Korea would risk staggering civilian casualties, complicating matters for the U.S. and South Korea. The Chinese leader also has limited options, our Beijing bureau chief notes.

The nuclear push is just one sign of how, despite sanctions, the Norths leader, Kim Jong-un, has been trying to project a strong image with a string of infrastructure projects.

A fallen warrior.

Officer Miosotis Familia, who was shot dead in the Bronx while on duty, was murdered for her uniform, the New York City police commissioner said.

Our reporters spoke to her family and friends, who said she was tough and that was the job for her.

The gunman, Alexander Bonds, was a 34-year-old former prisoner with mental health problems and a history of anger toward the police and justice system.

Venezuelas lawmakers under attack.

A mob stormed the opposition-dominated National Assembly with the apparent acquiescence of government troops on Wednesday.

The assault was a sharp escalation of lawlessness in a country roiled by a failing economy and daily protests.

A bet on electric.

Volvo, the Sweden-based automaker owned by Geely of China, will introduce only hybrid or electric models beginning in 2019. Thats a first for a mainstream car company.

Its chief executive said that while the strategy has risks, a much bigger risk would be to stick with internal combustion engines.

The Daily, your audio news report.

In todays episode, we discuss how the U.S. underestimated North Korea, and how the battle over health care is playing out in Kentucky.

Listen on a computer, an iOS device or an Android device.

Hopes for a Trump bump on the U.S. economy are shrinking, as estimates for the second quarter are being revised downward.

Oil exports from the U.S., illegal for decades to anywhere but Canada, are prompting a Texas port boom.

Ubers tax calculation may have cost drivers in New York hundreds of millions of dollars.

U.S. stocks were mixed on Wednesday. Heres a snapshot of global markets.

Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.

Stereotypically macho messages limit childrens understanding of what it means to be a father, man or boy.

Yotam Ottolenghi, an Israeli-British chef, suggests blueberry, almond and lemon cake as the perfect companion to a cup of tea.

Catching that outdoor vibe.

DJ Khaled, the longtime producer, performer and social-media star, gives an affectionate tour of his backyard in 360 degrees.

In todays 360 video, DJ Khaled, a longtime producer, performer and social-media star, gives an affectionate tour of his backyard.

All the presidents lawyers.

The Times Magazine looks at how Donald Trumps life and career have been defined by legal battles, and at whether the attorneys who guided him through the courtrooms of New York and New Jersey know how to navigate Washington.

Love in soccer.

Bianca Sierra and Stephany Mayor played for Mexico in the 2015 Womens World Cup. But after coming out as a couple, they traveled far from home to find acceptance.

Antiquities, returned.

The art supplies seller Hobby Lobby has agreed to give up 5,500 artifacts, including ancient clay cuneiform tablets, that were smuggled out of Iraq and labeled tile samples. The company will pay $3 million to settle the case.

Quotation of the day.

Self-restraint, which is a choice, is all that separates armistice and war.

Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of U.S. troops in South Korea, in an unusually blunt warning to North Korea after it tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that analysts said could reach Alaska.

No matter where you are, it seems everyone complains about inaccurate weather forecasts.

In 1954, The Times reported that meteorologists were asking the public for a better understanding of their complex work.

The Weatherman is tired of being the butt of a parade of stale jokes, the article read.

But thanks to satellites and ever more advanced data analysis, short-term predictions of three to five days have become remarkably accurate, notes Henry Fountain, a Times reporter who focuses on climate change and the environment.

He cautions, however, that longer-term forecasting, of several weeks to several months, remains more problematic.

These subseasonal to seasonal forecasts, as they are called, are critical for economies worldwide, helping farmers in Australia decide how much irrigation water theyll need, for example, or international shippers plan their routes. They also affect military and disaster planning.

European forecasts are often considered better than most, in part because European governments often devote more resources to them.

But the U.S. is trying to catch up. The government this spring enacted a law that prioritizes research to improve longer-term modeling.

Jennifer Jett contributed reporting.

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Donald Trump, North Korea, Volvo: Your Thursday Briefing - New York Times

He insisted over the weekend, via Twitter, of course, that his conduct in office was "modern day presidential." And if ever there was a definition of what "modern day presidential" means to Trump, this news conference was it.

He attacked the media as "fake news." He refused to say definitively that Russia was behind the meddling into the 2016 election. He attacked former President Barack Obama for "choking" when confronted with intelligence regarding Russian hacking. (And yes, this is the same intelligence that Trump questioned and undermined when he refused to say that Russia was, without question, behind the hacking of the presidential election.)

In a speech following the news conference, Trump struck a far more statesman-like tone -- highlighting the long and proud history of the Polish people and the shared commitment to democracy from Poland and the United States. The difference? Trump largely stuck to the script of his speech. In the news conference, he free-wheeled far more.

And if you closed your eyes and just listened to Trump at the presser, you could easily imagine him speaking at one of his campaign rallies rather than in a foreign country. Bashing Obama. Bashing the media. And, most importantly, continuing to reject the conclusions of the FBI and the CIA that Russia was the prime mover in attempting to meddle in the 2016 election.

"I think it could very well could be Russia but I think it could very well have been other countries," Trump said during the news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda. "I think a lot of people interfere."

The problem here is that the intelligence community has spoken with a united voice that this was a Russian operation -- and, by all accounts, a very successful one.

In January, CIA Director Mike Pompeo said this: "It's pretty clear about what took place, about Russian involvement in efforts to hack information and have an impact on American democracy. It is something that America needs to take seriously."

Despite that conclusive evidence, Trump has been extremely circumspect about blaming Russia -- despite urgings from many in his party to do so. He ramped up that commitment to inconclusiveness on Thursday by voicing it not only in an international setting but doing so just one day before he is set to sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Germany.

Past presidents traveling abroad might have deflected the question, acknowledging that the press didn't always get it right but pivoting to a broader defense of the absolute necessity of a free and independent media.

Not Trump.

"I think what CNN did was unfortunate for them," he said. "As you know, they now have some pretty serious problems. They have been fake news for a long time. They have been covering me in a very dishonest way."

"What we want to see in the United States is honest, beautiful, free, but honest press. We want to see fair press. I think it is a very important thing. We don't want fake news. And by the way, not everybody is fake news. But we don't want fake news. Bad thing, very bad for our country."

That's Trump aggressively undermining the free press while in a country that has worked to stifle media dissent in recent years. That's truly remarkable.

Trump, time and again during the first six months (or so) of his presidency, has shown that he is already a president like none other that has come before him. Today's press conference in Poland may well be the single best example of just how different Trump really is and just how committed he is to accentuating rather than downplaying those differences.

Thursdays press conference was pure Trump. And pure "modern day presidential."

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Donald Trump just defined what being 'modern day presidential' president looks like - CNN