Article snippet: Most popular on bostonglobe.com Based on what you've read recently, you might be interested in theses stories WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans, after a dramatic return by an ailing Senator John McCain, suffered a setback Tuesday night in their effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act when they came up short of necessary votes in early maneuvering. A plan to replace President Obama’s signature law stumbled during a vote, falling 57-43. It was a sign of the difficult road ahead for Republicans as they try to make good on a seven-year-old promise to ditch the federal health law. Earlier in the day, majority leader Mitch McConnell muscled through an opening vote, 51-50, on a shell of a bill, with Vice President Mike Pence casting the tiebreaker to continue debate. That was enough to keep the repeal effort alive, but it began a confusing process of endless amendments, without any idea of what a final bill will look like, if the Senate can pass one at all. “Let the voting take us where it will,” McConnell said, exposing the massive uncertainty of the debate moving forward. His words summed up an extraordinary day on Capitol Hill. It included an anti-Republican protest in the Senate chambers that led to several arrests, a dramatic floor discussion between McConnell and a Republican holdout, and a passionate speech by McCain, who flew in from Arizona for the vote between treatments for brain cancer. “Let’s trust each other,” said McCain, who retur... Link to the full article to read more