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Senate Republicans returned to Washington from a holiday recess with new and deepening disagreements about their health-care bill, with key Republicans differing Sunday not merely on how to amend the bill, but also on whether a bill could pass at all.

I would probably put that as 50-50, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said in a Fox News Sunday interview.

They will get a repeal and replace bill done, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said on the same show.

My view is its probably going to be dead, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said on CBSs Face the Nation.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells decision to push debate on the Better Care Reconciliation Act past the Independence Day recess was supposed to create space for dealmaking. Legislation of this complexity almost always takes longer than anybody else would hope, McConnell (Ky.) said at a June 27 news conference announcing the delay.

Instead, Republicans have run in different directions, proposing everything from a bipartisan deal to pay for insurance subsidies to a repeal and delay plan that would give them a few years before the Affordable Care Act would be fully gutted.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), the author of a Consumer Freedom Option amendment designed to bring conservatives on board with the bill, spent part of Sunday insisting that its critics were wrong. His amendment, also supported by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), would allow insurers to once again offer cheaper plans that did not include the Affordable Care Acts essential health benefits.

You have millions of people who are winners straight off: young people, said Cruz in a Face the Nation interview. Young people get hammered by Obamacare. Millions of young people suddenly have much lower premiums.

Over the recess, however, key Republicans told local media outlets that the amendment weakened protections that the party had promised to keep in place.

I think that reopens an issue that I cant support, that it would make it too difficult for people with preexisting conditions to get coverage, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) told the Charleston Gazette-Mail on Friday.

Theres a real feeling that thats subterfuge to get around preexisting conditions, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) told Iowa Public Radio on Wednesday. If it is, in fact, subterfuge, and it has the effect of annihilating the preexisting conditions requirement that we have in the existing bill, then obviously I would object to that.

On ABCs This Week, Cruz said that colleagues such as Grassley were simply being misled. Whats being repeated there is what [Senate Minority Leader Charles E.] Schumer said this week, which is that he called it a hoax, he said. Chuck Schumer and Barack Obama know a lot about health-care hoaxes.

Schumers Democrats, meanwhile, have continued campaigning against the BCRA, saying that they will come to the table on health care only if Republicans give up on repeal. Throughout the recess, progressive activists, urged on by Democrats, protested and occupied the offices of Republican senators. On Friday, 16 protesters were arrested at the Columbus office of Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), joining dozens arrested in civil disobedience around the country.

We arent going to allow a handful of Socialists, many of whom are from New York, to disrupt our ability to serve the needs of the Ohio constituents who contact us in need of vital services every day, Portmans office said in a statement.

Still, opponents of the health-care bill were far more visible than its supporters. The pro-Trump organization America First Policies floated then abandoned a plan to organize pro-BCRA rallies. While no prominent Senate Democrats appeared on Sundays talk shows, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) spent the day rallying voters in West Virginia and Kentucky against the bill.

Mitch McConnell is now trying to make side deals in order to win votes, Sanders said in West Virginia. I say to Senator Capito: Please do not fall for that old trick. This legislation is fatally flawed, and no small tweak here or there will undo the massive damage that it will cause to West Virginia and the entire country.

Republicans, meanwhile, were openly talking about next steps if they could not amend the BCRA to win 50 votes. (Vice President Pence, who has signaled that the White House would sign off on any repeal bill, would cast the tiebreaking vote.) On Fox News Sunday, Cassidy suggested that his own bipartisan legislation to continue much of the Affordable Care Act could get a second look, and that in the meantime, Republicans could work with Democrats to provide more subsidies for private plans.

I do think we have to do something for market stabilization, said Cassidy. Otherwise, people who are paying premiums of $20,000, $30,000 and $40,000 will pay even that much more.

Other Republicans, including McConnell, had warned that the BCRAs failure would lead to a deal on subsidies. Yet conservatives, not ruling out the bills passage, spent the weekend talking up another backup plan. At a Republican fundraising dinner in Iowa, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) suggested that Republicans could repeal most of the ACA, forcing Democrats to the table to work on a replacement.

If we cant replace and repeal at the same time, then repeal the law and stay and work on replace full time, said Sasse.

On Fox, Cassidy one of the Senates few physicians said the repeal-and-delay plan was a fantasy.

It gives all the power to people who actually dont believe in President Trumps campaign pledges, who actually dont want to continue to cover and care for preexisting conditions and to lower premiums, Cassidy said. It gives them the stronger hand. I think its wrong.

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Senate Republicans head back to work with no health-care deal - Washington Post

WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday backtracked on his push for a cyber security unit with Russia, tweeting that he did not think it could happen, hours after his proposal was harshly criticized by Republicans who said Moscow could not be trusted.

Trump said on Twitter early on Sunday that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed on Friday forming "an impenetrable Cyber Security unit" to address issues like the risk of cyber meddling in elections.

The idea appeared to be a political non-starter. It was immediately scorned by several of Trump's fellow Republicans, who questioned why the United States would work with Russia after Moscow's alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

"It's not the dumbest idea I have ever heard but it's pretty close," Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told NBC's "Meet the Press" program.

Ash Carter, who was U.S. defense secretary until the end of former Democratic President Barack Obama's administration in January, told CNN flatly: "This is like the guy who robbed your house proposing a working group on burglary."

Trump's advisers, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, had recently sought to explain Trump's cyber push.

Mnuchin said on Saturday that Trump and Putin had agreed to create "a cyber unit to make sure that there was absolutely no interference whatsoever, that they would work on cyber security together."

But Trump returned to Twitter on Sunday to play down the idea, which arose at his talks with Putin at a summit of the Group of 20 nations in Hamburg, Germany.

"The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn't mean I think it can happen. It can't," Trump said on Twitter.

He then noted that an agreement with Russia for a ceasefire in Syria "can & did" happen.

Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona acknowledged Trump's desire to move forward with Russia, but added: "There has to be a price to pay."

"There has been no penalty," McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CBS' "Face the Nation" program according to a CBS transcript. "Vladimir Putin ... got away with literally trying to change the outcome ... of our election."

Trump argued for a rapprochement with Moscow in his campaign but has been unable to deliver because his administration has been dogged by investigations into the allegations of Russian interference in the election and ties with his campaign.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating the matter, including whether there may have been any collusion on the part of Trump campaign officials, as are congressional committees including both the House of Representatives and Senate intelligence panels.

Those probes are focused almost exclusively on Moscows actions, lawmakers and intelligence officials say, and no evidence has surfaced publicly implicating other countries despite Trump's suggestion that others could have been involved.

Moscow has denied any interference, and Trump says his campaign did not collude with Russia.

Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN's "State of the Union" program that Russia could not be a credible partner in a cyber security unit.

"If thats our best election defense, we might as well just mail our ballot boxes to Moscow," Schiff added.

Separately, U.S. government officials said a recent hack into business systems of U.S. nuclear power and other energy companies was carried out by Russian government hackers, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.

'TIME TO MOVE FORWARD' WITH RUSSIA

Trump said he "strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it."

He added: "We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!"

In Trump's first attempt at ending the six-year Syrian civil war, the United States, Russia and Jordan on Friday reached a ceasefire and "de-escalation agreement" for southwestern Syria. The ceasefire was holding hours after it took effect on Sunday, a monitor and two rebel officials said.

Any joint U.S.-Russia cyber initiative would have been a different matter. Depending how much it veered into military or espionage operations, it could have faced major legal hurdles.

Language in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act prohibits the Pentagon, which includes the National Security Agency and the U.S. military's Cyber Command, from using any funds for bilateral military cooperation with Russia.

Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, also noted restrictions on sharing information with Russia that would clearly prohibit offering Moscow a sense of U.S. cyber capabilities. Russia would be similarly adverse to revealing its capabilities to the United States, he noted.

"It just will not happen," McFaul told Reuters.

(Additional reporting by Yasmeen Abutaleb, Jeff Mason and Roberta Rampton; Writing by Arshad Mohammed and Phil Stewart; Editing by James Dalgleish and Peter Cooney)

SAN FRANCISCO Consumer electronics company Jawbone had more than enough money to take on Fitbit and other health-tracking devices in the "wearables" market.

COPENHAGEN Apple Inc will build its second data center in southern Denmark, to be powered entirely by renewable energy, a spokeswoman told Reuters on Monday.

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Trump backtracks on cyber unit with Russia after harsh criticism - Reuters

Republican lawmakers say there is more work to be done, even after Iraqi forces retookMosul from the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on Sunday.

Sen. John McCainJohn McCainRepublicans mixed on how to move forward on ObamaCare replacement Republicans: More work to be done in Iraq after retaking Mosul Trump's talk of cybersecurity unit with Russia takes the spotlight MORE (R-Ariz.) praised the Iraqi and U.S. coalition forces for their campaign's success, while also calling for a comprehensive plan to fully "hold, stabilize, and rebuild the city of Mosul."

A comprehensive post-Mosul strategy is the only way to ensure that the defeat of ISIL will be enduring. We cannot afford for Mosul to turn out like Libya, where we squandered a long and brutal military success by walking away before winning the peace, he continued.

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, calledthe recapturing of Mosul a step in the "right direction," but argued"there is still much more work ahead."

Recapturing Mosul is a key strategic victory not just for Iraq, but also for the security of the free world in the fight against ISIS," Zeldin said in a statement.

"Mosul served as a critical node of control for ISIS and being driven out of that city is a massive setback for that terrorist group. There is still much more work ahead to bring peace to the Middle East and rid the world of radical Islamic terrorism, but for now, there is a military strategy in Iraq that is moving in the right direction with a path to long term peace and stability."

Their statements come after the Twitter account of Iraq's prime minister congratulated"the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people in achieving this great victory" on Sunday.

Mosul, Iraq's second biggest city,had been under the terror group's control since June 2014.

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Republicans: More work to be done in Iraq after retaking Mosul - The Hill

Two months ago, Cynthia Sanders got a raise at her janitorial job, from $8.30 to $10 per hour, after St. Louis passed a law raising its minimum wage. The extra money has helped the 51-year-old cover groceries and utilities as she raises three grandchildren.

But in just a few weeks, Sanders pay rate could drop back down again, thanks to a new law Republicans in the Missouri legislature passed invalidating St. Louis minimum wage.

It was life-changing to get this, and its going to be life-changing to have it taken away, said Sanders, who cleans four kitchenettes and eight bathrooms per shift at a Wells Fargo building downtown. Youve got children looking at you to be a provider. How do I tell them weve got to eat noodles again this week?

Like other low-wage workers in Missouri and beyond, Sanders finds herself caught in a political and legal battle between local Democrats and state Republicans. As blue cities become incubators for progressive policy, their red state legislatures are trying to thwart them through preemption laws that forbid cities and counties from implementing their own measures related to the minimum wage, paid sick days, plastic bag taxes and other hot-button issues.

So far, Republican state legislators are winning the fight. In Missouri, for example, the GOP controls both chambers of the statehouse as well as the governors mansion.

Under the law Republicans passed in response to St. Louis new ordinance,no locality could have a minimum wage higher than the state level of $7.70 per hour.And St. Louis is not the only city immediately affected. A referendum to gradually raise the minimum wage in Kansas City to $15 wasslated to go on the ballotin August.

Gov. Eric Greitens (R) said he does not intend to veto the bill. So under the rules of the Missouri Constitution it will eventually go into effect automatically, reverting the St. Louis minimum wage to $7.70 on Aug. 28. It would also preempt the minimum wage under consideration in Kansas City.

While preemption laws have been around for years, Republicans are increasingly turning to them to nullify local liberal policies. According to a February report from the National League of Cities, 24 states now block local minimum wage hikes, 17 block local paid leave mandates, and three block local anti-discrimination measures. The group attributes the growing use of preemption laws to the fact that Republicans now have 25 so-called state government trifectas control of both legislative chambers and the governors office.

The laws have become a particularly effective tool for blunting the Fight for $15 campaign, a union-funded initiative aimed at raising the minimum wage and unionizing low-wage workers. While the federal minimum wage has remained $7.25 since 2009, voters and city halls have embraced proposals to raise the local minimum wage, in some cases hiking the wage floor to as high as $15. (The federal minimum wage prevails anywhere local law does not mandate a higher one.) The preemption laws have provided Republican state officials with a way to block proposals that poll extremely well and have strong financial backing from unions.

Jim Young / Reuters

Dennis Shaw, who works at the St. Louis grocery chain Schnucks, received a $1.70 raise due to the St. Louis ordinance. The pay bump translated into an extra $30 or so each week after taxes a welcome addition that has helped him pay rent on his one-bedroom apartment downtown and avoid bank overdraft fees. He said that legislators in the state Capitol dont understand what its like for someone trying to survive on the minimum wage in the city.

It borders on disgraceful, Shaw, 36, said of the preemption law. This isnt just not getting a raise its a pay cut. It will result in bills not being paid. Shaws union, the United Food and Commercial Workers, estimates that 500 of its members in the city could see their pay downgraded in August, according to a spokesman.

Republicans who have pursued preemption laws have often argued that they want to avoid a patchwork of minimum wages around the state, which they claim could be confusing for employers. But Rep. Jason Chipman, a Republican who represents a rural district southwest of St. Louis, said he sponsored the measure in the Missouri House of Representatives because he didnt think the government should dictate minimum wages to employers.

The government is not here to run peoples businesses, Chipman said in an interview, arguing that higher minimum wages kill jobs. If an employee doesnt like whats being offered, they can go somewhere else. Be more productive. Be worth more.

These are supposed to be entry-level jobs, he added. We understand there are people who rely on these jobs who are not entry-level-type people, but you cant legislate by the exception.

Craig Barritt via Getty Images

One of the prime grievances lobbed against preemption laws is that they undermine local governance. Its an odd look for Republican legislators who often rail against meddling in parochial affairs by Washington. Asked why St. Louis or Kansas City shouldnt be able to determine its own policies even if those policies are folly Chipman said the cities are economic drivers that impact the whole state. When you lose economic output, you lose revenue to the state, he said. It doesnt happen in a vacuum.

Many of the preemption battles are tinged with a racial component, as mostly white legislatures override the laws of heavily minority cities. (St. Louis has a black plurality, and the minimum wage raise would disproportionately affect minorities.) In Alabama, the overwhelmingly African-American city of Birmingham also raised its minimum wage to $10.10, only to have the majority-white legislature block it with a preemption law. The Alabama chapter of the NAACP filed a civil rights lawsuit, which was thrown out by a judge but is now on appeal.

The Missouri law presents an unusual case because so many workers in St. Louis have already received raises. Chipman said he had hoped to avoid such a situation, blaming the state Senate for not moving quickly enough to pass the preemption law before the St. Louis ordinance went into effect. Greitens, too, chided the state Senate for not fast-tracking a bill, providing that as the reason he would not put his signature on it. Missouri Democrats have called Greitens passive approval of the law craven.

Nick Desideri, a spokesman for the Service Employees International Union Local 1, said he still holds out hope that Greitens will veto the preemption measure, given the optics in St. Louis.

The level of cruelty in this thing just boggles my mind, said Desideri, whose union has been the primary backer of the Fight for $15.

The St. Louis employers who doled out raises due to the short-lived minimum wage hike will soon have to decide whether or not to revoke them. Of course, workers dont appreciate seeing their pay go backwards. A spokesman for Shaws employer, Schnucks, which has eight stores in St. Louis, said the company plans to revert to the pay rates laid out in the union contract.

That means Shaws pay would drop back to $8.30. Shaw said that he considers Schnucks a good employer, but he wouldnt expect them to honor the higher rates once legislators give them an out.

Businesses are not in business for moral obligations, Shaw said. I would hope they keep [the raises] in place, but I could imagine them taking them away. And I wouldnt blame them should that happen. There are others I could blame.

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Republican Lawmakers Take A Raise Away From St. Louis Workers - HuffPost

Republicans are beginning to talk of the possibility that President Trump could face impeachment after reports that he pressed ousted FBI Director James Comey to end an investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

While Republicans are choosing their words carefully, the fact that impeachment is even being mentioned is notable in Washington's polarized political environment.

Rep. Justin AmashJustin AmashDefense bill amendments seek to curb support for Saudis Trump, GOP lawmakersstruggle with messaging House passes 'Kate's Law' and bill targeting sanctuary cities MORE (R-Mich.) on Wednesday said if the reports about Trump's pressure on Comey are true, it would merit impeachment.

Amash spoke a day after The New York Times on Tuesday reported that Trump tried to pressure Comey to stop investigating Flynn.

According to a memo written by Comey after the February meeting, the president told Comey "I hope you can let this go."

Asked by The Hill if the details in the memo would merit impeachment if they're true, Amash replied: "Yes."

"But everybody gets a fair trial in this country," Amash added as he left a House GOP conference meeting.

Asked by another reporter whether he trusted Comey's word or Trump's, Amash said: "I think it's pretty clear I have more confidence in Director Comey."

Amash is one of only two House Republicans to cosponsor a Democratic bill to establish an independent commission to investigate Russia's role in the election. Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) has also endorsed the legislation.

Jones suggested in an interview with The Hillon Wednesdaythat the allegations in the Comey memo could lead to a push for impeachment proceedings.

"I dont know at this point," Jones said if the allegations could be grounds for impeachment proceedings. But he added: "I think legal scholars will probably start giving the justification of whether the House should or should not move forward on impeachment."

"Obstruction of justice in the case of Nixon, in the case of Clinton in the late 90s, has been considered an impeachable offense," Curbelo said.

Curbelo called for Comey to testify before Congress to provide a full explanation of his conversations with Trump.

"It may be something very serious, it may be nothing," Curbelo said.

Neither of the Republicans brought up impeachment on their own, but both acknowledged it was now a possibility depending on further developments.

The White House has said the Comey memo misstates the nature of Trump's conversation with the former FBI director.

Neither Amash nor Curbelo voted for Trump, and both have frequently criticized him.

They also represent different factions in the House GOP conference.

Flynn was ousted as Trump's national security adviser in February after it was revealed he misled the public and top White House officials about about his communications with a Russian ambassador regarding sanctions.

Amash, a frequent conservative critic of the Trump administration, has broken with the White House on a variety of issues, including healthcare reform and the Justice Department'snew tougher sentencing guidelines.

Updated: 3:38 p.m.

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First Republicans talk possibility of impeachment for Trump