memeorandum: Russia demands U.S. reduce diplomatic staff in new round of conflict over election hacking (Andrew Roth/Washington Post)

7:35 AM ET, July 28, 2017

Top Items:

Ryan Lizza / New Yorker:

Anthony Scaramucci Called Me to Unload About White House Leakers, Reince Priebus, and Steve Bannon — He started by threatening to fire the entire White House communications staff. It escalated from there. — On Wednesday night, I received a phone call from Anthony Scaramucci, the new White House communications director.

Tony Lee / Breitbart:

The Scaramucci Show: New Communications Director Unloads Nasty Attack on White House Colleagues to Opposition Party — Move over President Donald Trump. You are yesterday's news. It seems like this is now The Anthony Scaramucci Show. And Trump better get used to it.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Balloon Juice, Raw Story, Mediaite, Politico, The Gateway Pundit, The Guardian, The Week, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider and The Hill

Fox News:

Anthony Scaramucci uses vulgar language to lash out at Priebus, make fun of Bannon in interview — Newly-appointed White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci is using vulgar language to lash out against Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and make fun of Senior Adviser Steve Bannon in a new interview.

The Daily Beast:

With Trump's ‘Green Light,’ Scaramucci Declares Total War on Reince Priebus … President Donald Trump has not only blessed efforts by his new communications director Anthony Scaramucci to wage a battle against chief of staff Reince Priebus, he's actively egging on the very public and painful feud.

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, The Atlantic, Axios, CNN, Media Matters for America, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Conservative News Today, The Gateway Pundit and Vox

Ezra Klein / Vox:

I do not know how to convey how appalling the GOP's healthcare process or policy is — There is something very wrong with the Republican Party right now. — I honestly don't know how to convey how appalling this process or legislation is. There is no analogue in modern politics.

Discussion: The Guardian and Mediaite

Alex Conant / Politico:

Why Trump's White House Won't Stop Leaking — The new White House communications director is launching a take-no-prisoners mole hunt, promising to stop future leaks. — He won't succeed. — Over the past 15 years, I've worked in dozens of political organizations that all leaked to varying degrees.

Discussion: ABC News

Jenna Johnson / Washington Post:

White House tensions flare in the open as Scaramucci rips Priebus in vulgar tirade — The cinematic infighting that has consumed the White House in recent days was pushed into public view on Thursday, exposing the West Wing as the political equivalent of a New York-accented reality television show …

Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
How Long Can the Trump Tumult Go On?

Discussion: Washington Post and NPR

Andrew Kaczynski / CNN:
Newt Gingrich: White House communications director Scaramucci has been ‘divisive,’ ‘full of himself’

Discussion: The Last Tradition, The Daily Caller, New York Magazine, IJR and Fox News Insider

New York Times:
Anthony Scaramucci's Uncensored Rant: Foul Words and Threats to Have Priebus Fired

Discussion: The Week, Mediaite, The Hill, Politico, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Politicus USA, Washington Post, IJR, Daily Wire, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, Hullabaloo and The Guardian

Caitlin Owens / Axios:

GOP aides say “skinny repeal” could become law if it passes the Senate — Despite GOP senators' adamant declarations that they don't want their “skinny repeal” bill to become law if they pass it, there's at least a decent chance that's exactly what happens, some staffers openly say. — “Coin.

Discussion: Speaker.gov, Daily Wire, ThinkProgress and New York Magazine

Associated Press:

The Latest: 2 senators deal a blow to ‘skinny repeal’ effort — The Latest on the effort by congressional Republicans to pass a health care bill (all times local): — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has released the text of his pared-down bill to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act.

Discussion: Politico and Axios

New York Times:

Senate Rejects Slimmed-Down Obamacare Repeal as McCain Votes No — WASHINGTON — The Senate in the early hours of Friday morning rejected a new, scaled-down Republican plan to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act, derailing the Republicans' seven-year campaign to dismantle President Barack …

Discussion: Axios, The American Conservative, The Guardian, Sputnik International, Reuters, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Week and TalkLeft

Bloomberg:

Obamacare Repeal Collapses as Senate GOP Blocks Health Bill — McCain joins GOP holdouts to defeat ‘skinny’ repeal measure — Stripped-down bill was intended to start conference with House — A months-long effort by Senate Republicans to pass health legislation collapsed early Friday …

Discussion: Axios, Talking Points Memo, Vox, New York Times, Mediaite, CBS New York, TalkLeft, Vox Popoli, Little Green Footballs, The Atlantic, Business Insider, TheStreet, The Gateway Pundit, The Times of Israel, Balloon Juice and CBS Pittsburgh

Jennifer Haberkorn / Politico:

How McCain upended Obamacare repeal — Paul Ryan couldn't persuade him. Neither could Mike Pence. And in the end, President Donald Trump couldn't reel in John McCain either. — The president made a last-ditch effort, calling the Arizona senator and key holdout on the GOP's Obamacare repeal measure …

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon and The Week

Rachael Bade / Politico:
House weighs ‘martial law’ for Obamacare repeal

Discussion: Vox and The Daily Caller

Ed O'Keefe / Washington Post: The night John McCain killed the GOP's health-care fight

New York Times:
Health Care Debate: Obamacare Repeal Fails as McCain Casts Decisive No Vote

Discussion: The Atlantic, FOX40, Mother Jones, NBC News, KTLA, Refinery29, Splinter, On Point with Tom Ashbrook, Hullabaloo and The Daily Caller

Elise Viebeck / Washington Post:
Female senators are increasingly on receiving end of insults from male officials

Discussion: DCReport.org, The Guardian, New York Times, Vox, CNN and The Atlantic

Haeyoun Park / New York Times:
The “Skinny” Repeal Republicans Hope to Pass Would Leave Huge Numbers Uninsured

Discussion: Common Dreams, Rewire, Health Affairs Blog and NTK Network

Erica Martinson / Alaska Dispatch News:
Murkowski says she's not swayed by pressure from Trump administration over health vote

Discussion: The Daily Caller, ABC News, ThinkProgress, Daily Wire, The Resurgent, The Hill, Common Dreams, New York Times, CNBC, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, Snopes.com, Mother Jones and Refinery29

Libby Nelson / Vox:
Read the health bill Senate Republicans waited until the 11th hour to release

Discussion: Daily Kos

Peter Sullivan / The Hill:
Healthcare groups blast skinny repeal, warn premiums will spike

Discussion: Snopes.com, RedState and Politico

CNN:
Health care debate: Turmoil in Senate as Republicans revolt against ‘skinny bill’

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Week, The Daily Caller, KTLA and The Guardian

Juliet Eilperin / Washington Post:
Senate rejects measure to partly repeal Affordable Care Act, dealing GOP leaders a major setback

Discussion: Political Wire, CNBC, New York Magazine and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:
GOP Senators threaten to blow up Trumpcare unless they are given an unconstitutional guarantee

Discussion: Mother Jones and Politico

Caitlin Owens / Axios:
Here's what's in ‘skinny repeal’

Discussion: Business Insider, Vox, The Daily Signal, Planned Parenthood, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine, National Review, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Daily Kos, Jezebel, Washington Post and The Week

Andrew Roth / Washington Post:

Russia demands U.S. reduce diplomatic staff in new round of conflict over election hacking — MOSCOW — Russia announced Friday it would seize U.S. diplomatic properties and demand that the State Department reduce its staff in Russia, a tit-for-tat punishment that the Russian Foreign Ministry …

Discussion: Axios

Jeremy Herb / CNN:
Senate sends Russia sanctions to Trump's desk

Discussion: The Week and Washington Free Beacon

CNN:
Scaramucci suggests Trump may veto bipartisan Russian sanctions

Discussion: Mother Jones, KTLA, Daily Wire, NPR, CNBC, Mediaite and ThinkProgress

Elana Schor / Politico:
Congress sends Russia sanctions to Trump's desk, daring a veto

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Shaun Walker / The Guardian:
Putin: Russia promises retaliation as Senate passes sanctions bill

Discussion: NPR and Pacific Standard

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 …

MJ Lee / CNN:

Cryptic calls, lip-reading and a thumbs-down: Behind McCain's dramatic vote — STORY HIGHLIGHTS — All of Thursday, the usually talkative senator had declined to show his cards to probing reporters — Washington (CNN)"Mr. McCain." — The clerk read the Arizona senator's surname in the microphone of the tense Senate chamber.

John Solomon / The Hill:

Intelligence chairman accuses Obama aides of hundreds of unmasking requests — The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee is accusing top political aides of President Obama of making hundreds of requests during the 2016 presidential race to unmask the names of Americans in intelligence reports …

Discussion: Raw Story, JustOneMinute, The Gateway Pundit and The Last Tradition

Nicholas Bagley / The Incidental Economist:

Waivers are dead, long live waivers — At 10pm on Thursday, the Senate finally released a “repeal” bill—the Health Care Freedom Act—that may have the votes to pass. If you've been following the reporting, it's mostly as expected. The bill repeals the individual mandate …

Discussion: Health Affairs Blog and Vox

Jon Ostrower / CNNMoney:

The U.S. has a staggering pilot shortage — 5 stunning stats about airlines — Over the next two decades, 87 new pilots need to be trained and ready to fly a commercial airliner every day in order to meet our insatiable demand to travel by air. — That's one every 15 minutes.