memeorandum: Scaramucci: 'If Reince wants to explain he's not a leaker, let him do that' (CNN)

4:05 PM ET, July 27, 2017

Top Items:

Andrew Kaczynski / CNN:

Newt Gingrich: White House communications director Scaramucci has been ‘divisive,’ ‘full of himself’ — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — (CNN)Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich harshly criticized White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci in a radio interview Thursday, calling his recent actions “divisive” and “unhelpful.”

Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:

The Real Story Behind Mooch's War on Reince — Anthony Scaramucci just accused Reince Priebus of a felony. For no reason. — Anthony Scaramucci has had some difficulty over the course his first few days as White House communications director, but as he wrapped up his first week on the job …

Discussion: Vox, Mother Jones, Washington Post, National Review, The Atlantic, Conservative News Today, Mediaite, The American Mirror, Talking Points Memo, IJR, The Guardian and The Gateway Pundit

Naomi Jagoda / The Hill:

Ryan drops border-tax proposal as GOP unifies around principles — The White House and congressional GOP leaders said Thursday that they are no longer looking at a border-adjustment tax as they work to get tax reform legislation enacted this year. — In a statement backed by Speaker Paul Ryan

Discussion: Vox and Axios

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Trumpism Distilled — If the facts of the situation are as they appear this morning, in his first days on the job, Anthony Scaramucci has managed to become a compressed, crystallized version of all the ridiculousness of Trumpism. He has gone to the unprecedented and almost unimaginable extremity …

Discussion: bradford-delong.com

CNN:

Scaramucci: 'If Reince wants to explain he's not a leaker, let him do that' — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)Anthony Scaramucci, the new White House communications director who was brought in to bring order to a press shop in turmoil, called into CNN's “New Day” …

Discussion: New York Magazine, NBC News, Daily Wire, Political Insider blog, No More Mister Nice Blog, Fox News Insider and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:
Scaramucci Calls for Inquiry After ‘Leak’ of Financial Form

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, RedState, Fox News, Mediaite, IJR, Washington Monthly, PEN America, Shareblue, The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze, VICE News, AOL, The Week, The Daily Caller, Axios, CNBC and Washington Times

Lorraine Woellert / Politico:
Scaramucci still stands to profit from SkyBridge from the White House

ABC News:
Anthony Scaramucci feuds with Reince Priebus

Discussion: Politico

Cristiano Lima / Politico:
Scaramucci claims ‘felony’ over report of public disclosures

Discussion: The Hill, ThinkProgress, Mediaite, Vox and IJR

Scouting Wire:

From the Chief: Our Perspective on the Presidential Visit — In the last two weeks, we have celebrated the best of Scouting at our 20th National Jamboree with nearly 40,000 participants, volunteers, staff and visitors. The 2017 National Jamboree has showcased and furthered the Scouting mission …

Discussion: Washington Post, Vox, Talking Points Memo, Little Green Footballs, Mother Jones, New York Times, Outside the Beltway, Friendly Atheist, Mediaite, The Week, Raw Story, Politicus USA, Business Insider, NBC News and IJR

CNN:

US Joint Chiefs blindsided by Trump's transgender ban — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — Washington (CNN)The Joint Chiefs of Staff, including chairman General Joseph Dunford, were not aware President Donald Trump planned to tweet a ban on transgender service members, three US defense officials told CNN …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, RedState, Slate, Daily Kos, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mediaite, Washington Free Beacon, IJR, Breitbart, FiveThirtyEight and Media Matters for America

Rebecca Kheel / The Hill:

Joint Chiefs: No change in transgender policy until Trump sends Pentagon direction — The highest-ranking military officer in the country said that the military's transgender policy won't actively change until President Trump sends specific directions to the Pentagon.

Discussion: Politico, Vox, ABC News, Axios, ThinkProgress, Above the Law, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Splinter and Washington Free Beacon

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Chain of Command

Discussion: Task & Purpose and First Draft

Helene Cooper / New York Times:
Transgender People Can Still Serve for Now, U.S. Military Says

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Outside the Beltway, Daily Kos, Political Wire, Business Insider, Washington Post and Deadline

Reuters:
Top U.S. general says no changes yet to transgender policy

Discussion: Mother Jones, VICE News and Mediaite

Erica Martinson / Alaska Dispatch News:

Trump administration signals that Murkowski's health care vote could have energy repercussions for Alaska — WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump isn't going to just let Sen. Lisa Murkowski's no vote on Tuesday's health care motion go. — Early Wednesday, Trump took to Twitter to express displeasure with Murkowski's vote.

Discussion: Politico, Mother Jones, CNN, Vox, Talking Points Memo, CNBC, The Guardian, The Atlantic, New York Times, The Hill, Washington Monthly, Snopes.com, The Daily Caller, Refinery29, KRQE-TV, Washington Post, Axios, Daily Kos, NBC News, AOL, ThinkProgress, Shareblue, Business Insider, Washington Times, New York Magazine, IJR, NPR, Grist, Mediaite and Jezebel

Caitlin Owens / Axios:

Here's what's in ‘skinny repeal’ — Senate Republicans are still editing their “skinny repeal” of the Affordable Care Act, but it's changed since yesterday to include slightly more than the law's mandates but no repeal of the law's industry taxes, per two senior GOP aides. — Here's what's now in it:

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Vox, Jezebel, The Week, STAT, New York Times, The Atlantic, Washington Post and Daily Kos

Sam Baker / Axios:
It's time to vote, and the health care bill isn't finished

Discussion: Vox, New York Magazine and Politico

Peter Sullivan / The Hill:
Senate Republicans plan to defund Planned Parenthood in ‘skinny’ repeal

Discussion: National Review and The Daily Caller

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
Senate Republicans' approach to health care is bizarre and appalling

Discussion: ThinkProgress, bradford-delong.com and Conservative News Today

Seung Min Kim / Politico:
Senate Republicans hope their own Obamacare repeal won't become law

Discussion: Axios, Pacific Standard, New York Magazine and Vox

Sarah Kliff / Vox:
“Skinny” repeal isn't skinny at all

Discussion: Axios and Hot Air

Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:

Graham: Firing Mueller would be ‘beginning of the end’ of Trump's presidency — Sen. Lindsey Graham sent a sharp warning Thursday to President Donald Trump that it “could be the beginning of the end” of his presidency if he makes moves to fire special counsel Robert Mueller.

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post, ABC News, IJR, The Nation, Conservative News Today, Raw Story, Political Wire, Foreign Policy, Washington Times, VICE News, The Gateway Pundit and The Atlantic

CNN:
Trump urged to use recess appointment to replace Sessions — is that possible?

Discussion: Washington Post and Shareblue

Kaili Joy Gray / Shareblue:
Sen. Graham warns of “the beginning of the end of the Trump presidency”

Discussion: IJR

Kate Brannen / Foreign Policy:

Top Middle East Advisor Out On the National Security Council — National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster has removed Derek Harvey, the top Middle East advisor on the National Security Council (NSC), from his post on Thursday, according to a source with knowledge of the personnel move.

Weekly Standard:
Derek Harvey Out at NSC

Discussion: The Atlantic, Washington Free Beacon and The Daily Caller

Bloomberg:

Jeff Bezos Surpasses Bill Gates as World's Richest Person — His net worth climbs more than $1 billion in intraday trading — Gates has held top spot on Bloomberg wealth index since 2013 — A surge in Amazon.com Inc. shares Thursday morning in advance of the online retailer's earnings report …

Discussion: Business Insider, KTLA, The Verge, Gizmodo, New York Magazine and Mashable, more at Techmeme »

Kate Vinton / Forbes:
Jeff Bezos Overtakes Bill Gates To Become World's Richest Man

Discussion: New York Times, CNBC, Gizmodo, IJR, NBC News and The Week

CBS News:

Hillary Clinton lets her “guard down” in new memoir after stunning election defeat — For the first time since her stunning 2016 presidential election defeat to Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton reveals personal details of the unprecedented campaign through her tell-all book “What Happened.”

Discussion: Althouse, The Root, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Mediaite

Hillel Italie / Associated Press:
Hillary Clinton calling new book ‘What Happened’

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Mashable

Josh Hafner / USA Today:

OnPolitics Today: Trump's Mar-a-Lago trips cost more than trans soldiers' health care — 3.9k Shares — President Trump tweeted this morning that the U.S. military wouldn't allow transgender troops “in any capacity,” an apparent rejection of the military's roughly 6,000 trans troops and the Obama-era policy that embraced them.

Discussion: New York Times, Bloomberg, Political Wire, NPR, www.wnyc.org and Shareblue

Joseph R. Murray II / USA Today:
Trump's military transgender ban is unfair but correct

Discussion: HuffPost, Snopes.com and Longreads

Kaja Whitehouse / New York Post:

Palin to subpoena two dozen reporters in defamation suit — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin plans to subpoena close to two dozen New York Times reporters, editors and other workers as part of her defamation lawsuit against the newspaper, it was revealed in court documents Wednesday. — SEE ALSO

Discussion: Power Line, CNNMoney, TheBlaze and Washington Free Beacon

Fox News: Sarah Palin to subpoena two dozen New York Times staffers in lawsuit

David Nather / Axios:

State health care waivers violate Senate budget rules — The Senate parliamentarian has ruled that another big piece of the GOP health care bill violates Senate budget rules, Senate Budget Committee Democrats announced this afternoon. Republicans want to expand the Affordable Care Act's …

Discussion: Political Wire and Daily Kos

New York Times:

Allies Warn Trump of Conservative Revolt Unless He Backs Off Sessions — Among those urging Mr. Trump to spare the attorney general have been Reince Priebus, the chief of staff, and Stephen K. Bannon, the president's chief strategist. — ON WASHINGTON — Lisa Murkowski, a Swing Vote on Health Care, Isn't Swayed

Discussion: Washington Post, The Guardian, Hit & Run, National Review, New York Magazine, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, RedState and First Draft

Tim Culpan / Bloomberg:

America and the Foxconn Dream — This package could buy an iPhone for everybody in the state. — Wisconsin is about to shell out as much as $3 billion for the privilege of luring Foxconn Technology Group. At $519 per citizen, it would have been cheaper to buy an iPhone for every man, woman and child in the midwestern state.