Top 10 Washington stories

Obamacare, Russia, taxes … and a lot of Trump tweets

1 Trump takes office

After a divisive election year that cleaved the nation, Trump was sworn into office Jan. 20 and painted a dire picture of the country in his inaugural address. He pledged to make “Make America Great Again.” Trump shook up the presidency, using his Twitter account to speak unfiltered to supporters without media interpretation and attacking adversaries with blistering blasts that often dominated the news cycle and clouded the official message from the administration.

After gaining control of the House, Senate and White House, Republicans stumbled out of the gate in 2017 with their signature pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. The House initially passed a version of repeal legislation, but the Senate failed to follow suit when several GOP senators defected. Republicans later crippled the Obamacare program when it passed a tax reform bill that eliminated a mandate that everyone purchase insurance or face an IRS penalty.

Ashift in the political landscape in 2017 begins with the dizzying domination of the news cycle by President Donald Trump’s Twitter account, the reckoning of sexual harassment allegations, tragic mass shootings and the stumbling governance of Republicans in Congress.

The Russia investigation, the tumultuous turmoil at the White House and Trump’s Twitter attacks on Republicans for failing to repeal Obamacare all took center stage during a year that ended with a final legislative victory for Republicans who passed a taxcode overhaul that will add $1.4 trillion to the national debt over a decade.

Trump’s presidency also created a seismic shift in the once-dormant licensing process to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, just 90 miles from the world tourist destination of Las Vegas.

But the year also will be remembered for horrific mass shootings in Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs, Texas, that reignited a national debate on gun laws and the focus on little-known devices called “bump stocks” used in the attack that left 58 people dead on the Strip.

Jim Bourg Reuters President Donald Trump acknowledges the audience after taking the oath of office as his wife, Melania, left, and daughter Tiffany watch Jan. 20 during inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as the 45th president of the United States on the West...

The Associated Press Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks following a June health care strategy session.