Congress has left town for its July 4^th recess and the week has ended with fireworks.

It started off that way too when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell decided on Tuesday to pull the GOP’s health care bill amid fears it wouldn’t pass due to a lack of support within his own party. The Republican leader can only lose two votes among his senators in order for the measure to pass.

RealClearPolitics’ Alexis Simendinger and James Arkin report “several senators came out opposed to the bill after the delay was announced, indicating the opposition among Republicans was deeper than just those who had already declared their position publicly.” http://bit.ly/2tsgVlt

But it’s the actions in the latter part of the week that will likely dominate the news cycle through the holiday weekend and into next week, given that Congress doesn’t return to Washington until July 11.

President Trump insulted MSNBC “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski via his Twitter account – an action that brought criticism from both parties.

His tweet “forced some Republican lawmakers to tiptoe away from Trump, even as voters loyal to the president argued he was merely defending himself against a liberal foe,” RCP’s Simendinger reported. http://bit.ly/2txpNXy

Brzezinski and co-host Joe Scarborough responded to Trump with an op-ed in the Washington Post headlined “Donald Trump Is Not Well”: “We believe it would be better for America and the rest of the world if he would keep his 60-inch-plus flat-screen TV tuned to 'Fox & Friends.'" http://wapo.st/2ttHCWT

The president tweeted on Friday morning: “Watched low rated @Morning_Joe for first time in long time. FAKE NEWS. He called me to stop a National Enquirer article. I said no! Bad show” http://bit.ly/1Gb8pUt

And I reported on how the White House is “courting Republican Party chairmen from battleground states crucial to President Trump’s re-election chances, even hosting them in an Oval Office meeting with the commander-in-chief last month. The courtship, which has also included weekly conference calls and access to staff and the Trump children for fundraisers, is being organized by the White House political office. The early outreach is seen as critical not just for the next presidential election but for the upcoming midterms.” http://bit.ly/2u6vmJq
 

TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: His rating is at a negative-14.1 points in the RealClearPolitics Polling Average. http://bit.ly/2slB9gm

RYAN CONFIDENT IN BUDGET: House Speaker Paul Ryan told RCP's Arkin the GOP can pass a budget this year that would lay the groundwork for tax reform. “I still think we can do it. And at the very least, there’s no way we’re going to sit by and let reconciliation slip through our fingers, which means no tax reform. I just don’t think we’ll let that happen,” Ryan said. When asked if he is leaving open the possibility of a shell budget, he added, “I never say ‘never’ to what’s going on in the future. I just think we must have a budget resolution for tax reform, and members get that and they agree with that and at this stage in the game, I would like to think we could have a complete budget resolution.” http://bit.ly/2s9xcYN

TUNE IN: RealClearPolicy has launched a new podcast: “The Future of the Administrative State” explores the virtues and vices of administrative power at a time when both right and left fear a growing executive branch. In Episode 1, editor Tony Mills talks with the Hoover Institution's Adam J. White.  http://bit.ly/2tupXix

BATTLESHIP: RealClearDefense Pentagon correspondent Sandra Erwin looks at how defense hawks on Capitol Hill are pushing a bill that would require the U.S. Navy to have a fleet of 355 combat ships. But “how that effort would be funded, or when, is anyone’s guess.” http://bit.ly/2tcN00n

Erwin also examines new cybersecurity rules for the defense industry: “Pentagon contractors are racing to meet a Dec. 31 deadline to have in place tight controls on sensitive information and ensure weapons systems under their watch are safe from hacking and tampering.” http://bit.ly/2t5Q3Fx

OPIOID FUNDING PUSH: At RealClearHealth, Ford Carson notes the delayed vote on the Republicans’ health care legislation has given lawmakers the chance to push for increased opioid abuse funding http://bit.ly/2uoJ4ae

In Other Originals

TAXING NEWS: RealClearMarkets editor John Tamny argues that warring sides within the GOP miss on the tax cuts what would be most effective economically -- and politically. http://bit.ly/2seh9gp
 
MAKING THE GRADE: RealClearEducation editor Christopher Beach analyzes a new effort to assess how states are designing their education plans for the future: “States are making strides to broaden and improve their accountability systems but are struggling to identify and assist low-performing subgroups of students, according to a new independent review of state education proposals required under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).” http://bit.ly/2s6xiAg
 
DIGITAL DIVIDE: In Part 2 of his series on digital health for RealClearHealth, Dr. Kevin Campbell examines how the data collected through digital means could transform the “health care system to finally focus on the prevention of disease.” http://bit.ly/2sZbc5J
 
BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND: At RealClearEnergy, Thomas A. Hemphill and Mark J. Perry outline the challenges wind power faces from the grassroots opposition of rural Americans. http://bit.ly/2seGylb
 
INFRASTRUCTURE PLEA: Also at RealClearPolicy, Russell Begaye, the president of the Navajo Nation, urges Trump to make significant infrastructure spending within the Navajo Nation a priority: “The Navajo Nation remains one of the largest areas within the United States without adequate investment in rural electrification. When other communities received financing and eventually loan forgiveness for rural electrification, the Navajo Nation received no such support. Thirty-five percent of homes in the Navajo Nation lack access to electricity, running water, wastewater, and other utility services. In comparison, across the United States, less than one half of 1 percent are without indoor plumbing, water, and electricity.” http://bit.ly/2tk9ywT
 
GRADING ON A CURVE: Also at RealClearEducation, the Heartland Institute’s Robert Holland looks at how there’s always the next big idea in education. http://bit.ly/2uapcrb
 
DANGER, WILL ROBINSON, DANGER: At RealClearFuture, editor Rob Tracinski argues that as robotics and artificial intelligence make existing work obsolete, workers are going to have to adapt quickly and acquire new skills. http://bit.ly/2rVdv6M
 
MIDDLE-CLASS DIVIDE: At RealClearBooks, R Street Institute President Eli Lehrer reviews Richard Reeves’ new book, "The Dream Hoarders,” noting Reeves “posits that much of what ails American society stems from programs that either deliberately or implicitly favor upper-middle-class households.” http://bit.ly/2u3wltX
 
UNDER THE SEA: At RealClearLife, Diana Crandell looks at how scientists are scrambling to use cutting-edge techniques to stave off extinction of coral in the Caribbean. http://bit.ly/2sKkaDU
 
Also at RealClearLife, legendary trainer Teddy Atlas breaks down Mike Tyson's legacy on the 20th anniversary of the pugilist's infamous ear-biting fight against Evander Holyfield. http://bit.ly/2u3ERci
 
MAYBE NOT THAT SECOND CUP OF JOE: RealClearScience editor Ross Pomeroy examines caffeine's link to male infertility. http://bit.ly/2tk3lB2
 
SUMMER FUN: RealClearSports editor Cory Gunkel looks at the Top 10 Summer Sporting Events. http://bit.ly/2sW6HsI