Sessions' Senate Intelligence Hearing

Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ testimony, and what’s happening in the U.S. Senate behind closed doors on healthcare.

Now it’s been U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions before the Senate Intelligence Committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. Sessions was hot under the collar. Called any suggestion of his own collusion “an appalling and detestable lie.” But also clamming up on tough questions, claiming a duty to the president. We’ll dig in. This hour On Point: Jeff Sessions, hot in the hot seat. Plus, we’ll look at Senate Republicans’ secret drafting of a new US healthcare plan. — Tom Ashbrook

Jonathan Landay, national security reporter for Reuters. (@JonathanLanday)

Jennifer Rubin, conservative blogger. Writes the “Right Turn” blog for the Washington Post. (@JRubinBlogger)

Mary Agnes Carey, senior correspondent covering health care reform and federal health policy for Kaiser Health News. (@maryagnescarey)

Washington Post: 4 takeaways from Jeff Sessions’s feisty testimony to Congress about Russia — "Attorney General Jeff Sessions is a star player in two key controversies about the Trump administration: the investigation into the Trump campaign’s connections with Russia and whether the president improperly interfered in an FBI investigation. Sessions was asked about all of this under oath Tuesday by the Senate Intelligence Committee, the lead congressional committee on Russia."

CNN: Jeff Sessions: Russia collusion claim 'detestable lie' — "In a fiery Senate intelligence committee hearing, Sessions raised his voice in indignation as he rejected claims that he had colluded with Russian officials during the 2016 election as an 'appalling and detestable lie.' He repeatedly declined to go into his private conversations with President Donald Trump — frustrating Democrats who accused him of 'stonewalling' to shield the administration."

POLITICO: Trump ‘all in’ on Senate Obamacare repeal -- "At a meeting with congressional leaders on Tuesday, Trump urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to follow through on an aggressive timetable for repealing the law in order to quickly turn to tax reform and help avoid a calamitous autumn full of key fiscal deadlines, according to multiple sources familiar with the meeting."

Listen to and read highlights from our segment on closed-door Senate healthcare talks here.