Trimming the Times: Corwin's Upset; Tamales' Bling

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Now that the New York Times pay wall is live, you only get 20 free clicks a month. For those worried about hitting their limit, we're taking a look through the paper each morning to find the stories that can make your clicks count.

Leading off today, a report on how New York Democrat Kathy Hochul's victory over House Republican Jane Corwin could suggest backlash against Republican's embrace of Paul Ryan's budget plan. Also at the top of the site: The impact of Newt Gingrich's $500,000 line of credit at Tiffany's. But our top pick for today's paper comes from the food section, where rapper Chingo Bling is trying to do for tamales "what Tony Montana did for cocaine."

World: A fascinating feature takes us behind the scenes of the chain of command that ends with bombs being dropped on Libya. The volcanic ash cloud over Europe is definitely a concern, but coverage of it is also available elsewhere, so you can save a click. Instead, check out this surreal report of golf courses swarming back to revolutionary Cuba.

U.S.: More tornadoes struck yesterday, this time in Oklahoma, where five people were killed. In light of that, you should definitely take a look at this multimedia feature on the science and myths behind tornadoes.

Business: A report on U.S. regulators suing oil traders for price manipulation leads, and while it's not the only coverage of the story, it's among the best.

Technology: The lead, on Russian search giant Yandex's booming IPO, suggests the specter of another tech bubble. And Google is set to debut today a wireless payment system where you wave your phone to buy your coffee.

Science: It's the end of an era: Nasa's Spirit Mars rover is officially dead and the agency is abandoning it.

Health: In one of The Times' classic profiles, we meet a Belarusian student, born three years after Chernobyl, who is about to begin a career as a cancer researcher.

Sports: The NBA finals are closing in, with a riveting game story on the Heat grinding out a win against the Bulls. For tennis fans, it's time to turn your attention across the Atlantic, as the French Open gets underway.

Opinion: In the lead op-ed, oncologist Frederick C. Tucker Jr. argues that the fight to keep FDA approval for Avastin to treat breast cancer patients was driven more by manufacturer Genentech's profits than by popular sentiment.

Arts: The section is cheering for the American Idol finale, but another, more established musician may be more worth reading about, as Elvis Costello pursues a gimmick in his latest concert series.

Style: Check out The Runway blog's account of Michelle Obama meeting Kate Middleton.

Dining and Wine: Don't miss the awesome feature on the tamale-slinging rapper Chingo Bling.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

When it comes to health care and entitlements, the party’s policies don't always align with its coalition’s beliefs.

The Senate Republican health-care bill has been repeatedly crushed in a slow-motion collision between the party’s historic ideology and the interests of its modern electoral coalition. Yet congressional Republicans appear determined to plow right through the wreckage.

Even as the Senate’s latest effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act collapsed on Tuesday, the House Republican leadership released a 10-year federal-budget blueprint that points them toward a similar confrontation, between their dominant small-government dogma and the economic needs of their increasingly blue-collar and older white base.

John F. Kennedy famously said that failure is an orphan. But the failure, at least for now, of the GOP drive against the ACA has many parents. One was a distracted and ineffectual President Trump. Even higher on the list sits Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who displayed a blinding hubris that will forever cloud his previous reputation for legislative wizardry. Operating with unprecedented secrecy and insularity, McConnell degraded Senate tradition by refusing to hold any public hearings or committee votes on the legislation. His closed-door process provoked not only unified opposition from Democrats, but also every major medical stakeholder. He sought to pressure dissenting senators with unrealistic vote deadlines—then retreated as they repeatedly called his bluff.