COLU @ CONCEPTS

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded the United States cut its embassy and consulate staff in Russia by 755 people, underlining his displeasure with U.S. sanctions and heightening tensions between Washington and Moscow. The U.S. State Department called Putin’s move “a regrettable and uncalled-for act.” Putin’s announcement Sunday came three days after the U.S. Congress approved sanctions against Russia and just hours after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence landed in Estonia, which borders Russia, for talks with the country that holds the rotating European Union presidency. Russian’s Foreign Ministry on Friday ordered a reduction by Sept. 1 in U.S. diplomatic personnel in Russia to 455 people in response to a new package of American sanctions. The White House says President Donald Trump will sign those sanctions into law. The sanctions, which also target Iran and North Korea, seek to punish Moscow for meddling in the 2016 U.S. election and for its milita...

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded the United States cut its embassy and consulate staff in Russia by 755 people, underlining his displeasure with U.S. sanctions and heightening tensions between Washington and Moscow. The U.S. State Department called Putin’s move “a regrettable and uncalled-for act.” Putin’s announcement Sunday came three days after the U.S. Congress approved sanctions against Russia and just hours after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence landed in Estonia, which borders Russia, for talks with the country that holds the rotating European Union presidency. Russian’s Foreign Ministry on Friday ordered a reduction by Sept. 1 in U.S. diplomatic personnel in Russia to 455 people in response to a new package of American sanctions. The White House says President Donald Trump will sign those sanctions into law. The sanctions, which also target Iran and North Korea, seek to punish Moscow for meddling in the 2016 U.S. election and for its milita...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s new communications director exploded the smoldering tensions at the White House into a full-fledged conflagration Thursday, angrily daring Trump’s chief of staff to deny he’s a “leaker” and exposing West Wing backstabbing in language more suitable to a mobster movie than a seat of presidential stability. In a pull-no-punches, impromptu CNN interview that he said was authorized by the president, Anthony Scaramucci went after chief of staff Reince Priebus in graphic terms. “The fish stinks from the head down,” he said. “I can tell you two fish that don’t stink, and that’s me and the president.” As new White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci publicly attacks chief of staff Reince Priebus on Thursday, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders didn’t answer repeated reporter questions about whether Trump has confidence in him. (July 27) Not even a week into his new job, Scaramucci accused unidentified senior officials o...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican finger-pointing commenced after the Senate’s dark-of-night defeat of the GOP’s flagship effort to repeal much of the Obama health care law in a startling vote that dealt a blistering blow to President Donald Trump. “3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down,” Trump tweeted early Friday after GOP leaders failed to patch party divisions and the Senate rejected a last-ditch bill to keep the effort alive. “As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!” The Senate has rejected a measure to repeal parts of former President Barack Obama’s health law, dealing a serious blow to President Donald Trump and the GOP agenda. The final vote was 51-49. (July 28) The “skinny repeal” bill — erasing several parts of President Barack Obama’s law — was rejected just before 2 a.m. EST on a vote of 51-49. All Democrats were joined by GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and the ailing John McCai...

Tesla Inc. is set to deliver the new electric Model 3 compact car to its first 30 customers on Friday evening. The car is half the cost of Tesla’s previous models, so it has the potential to attract many more customers to the brand. Tesla hasn’t revealed many details about the Model 3. Here’s what we know so far. SIZE: Tesla has said the Model 3 will be similar in size to the Audi A4 or the BMW 3 Series, which would put it in the small-car segment. The company says the Model 3 can seat five adults and has more cargo capacity than similar cars of its size, since it has trunks in both the front and rear. PRICE: The starting price of the Model 3 is $35,000. With a $7,500 U.S. tax credit, that falls to $27,500, but that tax credit is likely to begin phasing out next year after Tesla sells more than 200,000 vehicles in the U.S. Many states offer additional tax credits, including California, Colorado and New York. RANGE: 215 miles on a charge. FEATURES: The hardware for Autopilot...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dealing a serious blow to President Donald Trump’s agenda, the Senate early Friday rejected a measure to repeal parts of former President Barack Obama’s health care law after a night of high suspense in the U.S. Capitol. Unable to pass even a so-called “skinny repeal,” it was unclear if Senate Republicans could advance any health bill despite seven years of promises to repeal “Obamacare.” “This is clearly a disappointing moment,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. “I regret that our efforts were not enough, this time.” The Senate has rejected a measure to repeal parts of former President Barack Obama’s health law, dealing a serious blow to President Donald Trump and the GOP agenda. The final vote was 51-49. (July 28) “It’s time to move on,” he said. The vote was 49-51 with three Republicans joining all Democrats in voting ‘no.’ McConnell put the health bill on hold and announced that the Senate would move onto other legislation nex...

NEW YORK (AP) — A presidential aide’s explosion of profanity while talking to a reporter about his new White House colleagues tested newsroom leaders Thursday, forcing decisions about whether to use the graphic language or leave much of what he said to the imagination of readers and viewers. Anthony Scaramucci, the incoming White House communications director, aimed his tirade at chief of staff Reince Priebus and chief strategist Steve Bannon. An account of his conversation late Wednesday with Ryan Lizza of The New Yorker was published in graphic detail Thursday afternoon on the magazine’s website, complete with expletives and anatomical references. Scaramucci used the language in suggesting to Lizza that Priebus had leaked information about him, and that Bannon was more interested in advancing his own agenda than President Donald Trump’s. Following The New Yorker’s lead, The New York Times printed all of Scaramucci’s words. Times editors, including executive editor Dean Baq...