Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., said President Trump threatened to run a primary challenger against him in 2018 if he voted against the Republicans’ proposed replacement for Obamacare. The ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, of which Sanford is a member, led the charge from the right to oppose the bill, and Trump has publicly blamed its members for the bill’s failure.
President Trump Blames Freedom Caucus for His Health Care Defeat
Trump tweets, “The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don’t get on the team and fast!”
China says 'no such thing' as man-made islands in South China Sea
There was “no such thing” as man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea, China’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday, and reiterated that any building work was mainly for civilian purposes. China, which claims most of the resource-rich region, has carried out land reclamation and construction on several islands in the Spratly archipelago, parts of which are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. “Most of the building is for civilian purposes, including necessary defensive facilities.” The South China Sea is generally stable at present, but some countries outside the region are anxious about this and want… Read More
The Latest: Mexican man freed from detention thankful
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — The Latest on the case of a Mexican man arrested in the Seattle area despite participating in a program designed to protect those brought to the U.S. illegally as children (all times local):
Russia expert says Trump strengthened Russian propaganda
Clint Watts, of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Russia.
Rafael Nadal reaches Key Biscayne final for 5th time (Yahoo Sports)
Rafael Nadal was so eager to reach the Miami Open final that he ran out of his shoe. Chasing a shot in the second set of Friday’s semifinal, Nadal lost his right sneaker – and the point. Nadal is 0-4 in finals at Key Biscayne, losing in 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2014.
Nadal powers past Fognini into Miami Open final (Yahoo Sports)
(Reuters) – Rafa Nadal rolled by unseeded Italian Fabio Fognini 6-1 7-5 on Friday to reach his fifth Miami Open final and a potential rematch of the Australian Open decider with Roger Federer. The fifth-seeded Spaniard, with a display of powerful serving and opportunistic returns, did not face a break point against Fognini and put his opponent’s serve under pressure throughout the 90-minute match. Nadal raced through the first set in 26 minutes, losing only four points on serve while Fognini made 14 unforced errors.
Konta, Wozniacki prevail to set up Miami final (Yahoo Sports)
(Reuters) – Johanna Konta became the first British woman to reach a Miami Open final when she outlasted American veteran Venus Williams 6-4 7-5 in the early hours of Friday morning. The clock had ticked past midnight and most of the crowd had long since departed before Konta eventually put away the 36-year-old Williams after more than two hours of attrition on the Crandon Park hardcourt. The 10th seed will play Caroline Wozniacki in Saturday’s final after the Danish 12th seed won an even longer semi-final, 5-7 6-1 6-1 against second seed Karolina Pliskova to kick off the day’s action.
Federer makes semis, Wozniacki reaches Miami Open final (Yahoo Sports)
Roger Federer’s run at the Miami Open was one point from ending. Down 6-4 in a third-set tiebreaker to Tomas Berdych, the situation was officially dire. The fourth-seeded Federer fought off those two match points and beat the 10th-seeded Berdych 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarterfinals on Thursday – avenging a third-set tiebreak loss to Berdych at Key Biscayne seven years ago in a match he still thinks he should have won.
Rivals play blame game as Kyrgios wins feisty encounter (Yahoo Sports)
(Reuters) – Tempers flared between Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev late in their Miami Open quarter-final on Thursday when a botched line call and contentious decision by the chair umpire to allow a challenge on the point caused both players to react angrily. The pivotal moment of the Australian’s 6-4 6-7(9) 6-3 triumph came on the first point of the sixth game in the deciding set, when a lob from Germany’s Zverev sailed long. The linesman mistakenly called the ball in and Kyrgios, despite believing it was out, decided to try a low percentage ‘tweener’ shot between his legs before… Read More