Ms. Handels victory showed she was able to bridge the divide in her own party between admirers of President Trump and those made uneasy by his administration.

Seen as a referendum on Mr. Trump, the race in the heavily conservative and affluent district outside Atlanta was the latest in a string of demoralizing losses for Democrats.

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The death of Otto Warmbier, the American student who was returned from North Korea in a coma, drove a new wedge between Washington and Pyongyang.

President Trump condemned the North for its brutality, but he and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stopped short of announcing fresh sanctions.

Mr. Trump said that China had not succeeded in getting Pyongyang to curb its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. He now faces a range of unattractive options in dealing with what he has called Americas most urgent foreign threat.

Speaking in Iowa on Wednesday, President Trump commended Gary D. Cohn, his top economic adviser and a former executive at Goldman Sachs, saying he would keep the world from taking advantage of the United States.

President Trump said on Wednesday that he was crafting legislation to bar new immigrants from receiving welfare for at least five years. He announced the proposal in a conquering-hero-returns speech in Iowa, his first trip back to the political battleground state since he won it in the 2016 general election.

His mood buoyant after twin Republican wins in congressional special elections the night before, the president also revealed his anticipated plan for putting solar panels on a proposed wall on the Mexican border an idea he boasted he had come up with himself.

Our fact-check of the rally found the president made 12 inaccurate claims about the economy, health care and his own accomplishments.

Senate Republicans, who have promised a repeal of the Affordable Care Act for seven years, took a major step on Thursday toward that goal, unveiling a bill to cut Medicaid deeply and end the health laws mandate that most Americans have health insurance.

The 142-page bill would create a new system of federal tax credits to help people buy health insurance, while offering states the ability to drop many of the benefits required by the Affordable Care Act, like maternity care, emergency services and mental health treatment.

The legislation would shift money from the poor to the rich, making deep cuts to Medicaid and creating a system of tax credits to help people buy health insurance. Despite being described as a revamp, its similar to a measure passed by the House last month.

Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, wants a vote next week, but four Republican senators said they wouldnt support it without changes.

We tracked where Republican senators stand, and compared the proposal to current law.

During an interview with Fox News on Friday morning, President Trump indicated that his tweet hinting at taped conversations with James Comey had been intended to influence the fired F.B.I. directors testimony before Congress. On Thursday, the president acknowledged that he had not recorded the conversations.

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The Supreme Court unanimously rejected the governments position that it could revoke the citizenship of Americans who made even trivial misstatements in naturalization proceedings.

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Federal investigators are examining financial transactions involving Paul Manafort, President Trumps former campaign manager, and his son-in-law, who embarked on a series of real estate deals in recent years fueled by millions of dollars from Mr. Manafort, The Times reported.

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Trump's Washington News of the Week: Health Care Bill, Karen ... - New York Times