US Senate rejects partial Obamacare repeal

PIC: Demonstrators cheer during a rally opposing repeal of the Affordable Care Act outside of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. (AFP/Getty Images)

HEALTH | OBAMACARE

US Republicans failed spectacularly Friday in their latest effort to dismantle Obamcare, leaving the party in stunned disarray and President Donald Trump's dreams of repealing his predecessor's health reforms on ice.

The extraordinarily tense vote -- held in the dead of night -- came down to the wire, with Republican Senator John McCain, only recently diagnosed with brian cancer, casting the deciding vote against the legislation.

"This was a disappointment, a disappointment indeed," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told colleagues after the vote.