President Donald Trump addressed his first U.N. General Assembly Monday. | Richard Drew/AP Photo 45 After Dark: Living on a Care edition

As President Donald Trump hit New York for his first U.N. General Assembly one of his top priorities gained momentum back in Washington: Republican senators aren’t yet optimistic but say they have momentum for a new effort to repeal Obamacare.

“While the proposal written by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) remains short of 50 votes, it also has just one hard “no” vote, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and another expected "no" in Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). Three “no” votes would kill the bill, but in an encouraging sign for repeal proponents, no one is stepping forward yet to deliver that final nail,” POLITICO’s Burgess Everett and Jennifer Haberkorn report .


To be sure, there’s plenty left to be decided and a looming Sept. 30 deadline for Republicans to move the bill before a key procedural deadline expires. Arizona Sen. John McCain, who proved pivotal last time around, said today he’s not there yet.

One other thing GOP backers won’t have: A full idea of the bill’s financial impact.





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The Congressional Budget Office said today that it won’t have a full report on the Graham-Cassidy bill until October — only preliminary numbers next week, POLITICO’s Heather Caygle reports .

“The CBO analysis, which the agency aims to release early next week, will include some basic budgetary estimates required by reconciliation rules. But it will not have details about the practical implications of the bill, including how many people could lose coverage and the impact on insurance premiums. Those estimates will not be available ‘for at least several weeks,’ CBO said.”

Elsewhere in President Trump’s orbit:

DEFENSE TEAM GROVES: President Trump has added Steven Groves to his legal team as the Russia investigation continues, with West Wing interviews expected soon. Groves, a former chief of staff to Nikki Haley, joins as Ty Cobb’s deputy in the White House.

PRIME LOCATION: A New York Times reporter overheard Cobb and John Dowd, President Trump’s personal attorney, talking loudly about the Russia investigation at the BLT Prime restaurant in D.C. Cobb complained about White House counsel Don McGahn, among other things.

MAIS OUI: President Trump said he was considered having a large military parade on July 4 because he was so impressed with the display of military forces for France’s Bastille Day celebrations.

A MAN OF INTEREST: U.S. investigators wiretapped former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort under secret court orders both before and after the election, CNN reports .

TOO LEGIT TO QUIT?: Hillary Clinton said that she won’t rule out questioning the legitimacy of the 2016 election if it’s proven that Russia interfered significantly.

WHAT TO MUELL: A former federal prosecutor lays out what we can glean so far from Robert Mueller’s investigation — who is in the most trouble who he’s targeting and what kind of timeline we’re looking at.

FLYNN FUND: The family of former national security adviser Michael Flynn has set up a legal defense fund to solicit donations to help him pay for his legal team in the Russia investigation.

REALLY, FORGET PARIS: A top aide to President Donald Trump reiterated the administration’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement after reports surfaced that Trump was reconsidering.

There you have it. You’re caught up on the Trump administration. Happy Monday.

