memeorandum: Spy agencies changed rules, making it easier to unmask members of Congress (John Solomon/The Hill)

7:30 AM ET, August 1, 2017

Top Items:

Jake Tapper / CNN:

White House officials tricked by email prankster — (CNN)A self-described “email prankster” in the UK fooled a number of White House officials into thinking he was other officials, including an episode where he convinced the White House official tasked with cyber security that he was Jared Kushner …

Discussion: CNBC, The Week, Engadget, Gizmodo, Raw Story, Mashable, Mediaite, The Guardian and IJR, more at Techmeme »

Washington Post:

Trump dictated son's misleading statement on meeting with Russian lawyer … On the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Germany last month, President Trump's advisers discussed how to respond to a new revelation that Trump's oldest son had met with a Russian lawyer during the 2016 campaign …

Axios:

Report: Trump involvement in statement on son carries legal risks — The Washington Post reports tonight that President Trump's involvement in writing the statement on his son Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with Russians carries legal risks. Trump was responsible for the statement saying …

Discussion: Washington Post, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, IJR, RedState, The Daily Caller, The Week and Politicus USA

New York Times:

Trump Removes Anthony Scaramucci From Communications Director Role — WASHINGTON — President Trump has decided to remove Anthony Scaramucci from his position as communications director, three people close to the decision said Monday, relieving him just days after Mr. Scaramucci unloaded …

CNN:

EXCLUSIVE: Kelly called Comey to express anger over firing, sources say — Who is John Kelly? — Washington (CNN)New White House chief of staff John Kelly was so upset with how President Donald Trump handled the firing of FBI Director James Comey that Kelly called Comey afterward …

Discussion: The Root, The Resurgent, Raw Story, Mother Jones, The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze, Daily Kos, Washington Monthly, Hullabaloo, Axios, Political Wire, Business Insider and Mediaite

Ryan Lizza / New Yorker:

Anthony Scaramucci's Ouster May Show That John Kelly Has the Rare Ability to Rein In Trump — On Monday afternoon, John Kelly, the new White House chief of staff, made his first major staffing decision, forcing out the White House communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, after less than two weeks on the job.

Discussion: amp.dailycaller.com, The Gateway Pundit, New York Times, Washington Post, Politico, Axios, Washington Free Beacon, Vox, Pacific Standard, The Week, Media Matters for America and CNBC, more at Mediagazer »

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Inside Mooch's firing — Shortly after new White House Chief of Staff John Kelly was sworn in this morning, he brought Anthony Scaramucci to his office and told him that he had to go. A source familiar said Kelly needed to assert his influence over the staff, but was gracious in the way he did it.

Discussion: The Federalist, Politico, The Daily Caller, Politicus USA, Business Insider and Mother Jones

David Marcus / The Federalist: Why Anthony Scaramucci Is The Man Trump And America Need

Grace Hauck / CNN: Christie pleads for Trump to declare opioid crisis a national public health emergency

Emily Heil / Washington Post:
Anthony Scaramucci erroneously listed as dead in the new Harvard Law alumni directory

Discussion: The Guardian, The Daily Caller, Mashable and Political Wire

Josh Dawsey / Politico:
Trump ousts Scaramucci as communications director

CNN:
Anthony Scaramucci out as White House communications director

Discussion: New York Magazine, Politico, NPR and The Atlantic

The Daily Beast:

Corey Lewandowski Has Been Fired From The One America News Network … Corey Lewandowski has been fired. Again. — Three sources with knowledge of the situation tell The Daily Beast that the former Trump campaign manager and current informal adviser to the president has been let go from …

Discussion: Raw Story and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Jeff Flake / Politico:

My Party Is in Denial About Donald Trump — Who could blame the people who felt abandoned and ignored by the major parties for reaching in despair for a candidate who offered oversimplified answers to infinitely complex questions and managed to entertain them in the process?

Discussion: ABC News, New York Times, Business Insider, The Gateway Pundit, Vox, Politicus USA, AOL, The Daily Caller, Balloon Juice, The Week, Mother Jones, Mediaite and Talking Points Memo

Jennifer Haberkorn / Politico:

Republicans ignore Trump's Obamacare taunts — Senate Republicans have no plans to revive their party-line attempts to repeal Obamacare this summer, despite President Donald Trump's increasing frustration over the chamber's failed attempts last week to gut the law.

Discussion: Political Wire

Sean Sullivan / Washington Post:
GOP leaders say it's time for Senate to move on from health care

Discussion: Associated Press

Jenna McLaughlin / Foreign Policy:

Kushner to Interns: Trump Team Too Disorganized to Collude With Russia — In off-the-record remarks, the president's son-in-law offers a unique defense. — Donald Trump's election team could not have colluded with Russia because they were barely talking to each other, according to Jared Kushner …

Discussion: Raw Story, Politicus USA, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo and Political Wire

Jennifer Wishon / CBN.com:

Bible Studies at the White House: Who's at the Heart of This Spiritual Awakening? — WASHINGTON - A spiritual awakening is underway at the White House. — Some of the most powerful people in America have been gathering weekly to learn more about God's Word, and this Trump Cabinet Bible study is making history.

Discussion: Daily Kos, Hullabaloo, The Daily Caller and IJR

Sarah K. Burris / Raw Story: Nearly all Cabinet officials attend Bible lessons with right-wing pastor who compares Trump to biblical heroes

Oliver Darcy / CNNMoney:

J.K. Rowling apologizes for falsely accusing Trump of ignoring boy in wheelchair — It took three days, but J.K. Rowling says she's sorry. — The “Harry Potter” author apologized on Monday for a series of tweets that falsely accused President Donald Trump of refusing to shake the hand …

Discussion: Breitbart, Business Insider, Washington Post and The Resurgent

Piers Morgan / Daily Mail:
PIERS MORGAN: JK Rowling's disabled boy slur against Trump and her refusal to withdraw it proves …

Discussion: IJR and Sputnik International

Joshua Gillin / @politifact:
J.K. Rowling falsely accuses Trump of not shaking disabled boy's hand

Discussion: twitchy.com, Mediaite, Washington Free Beacon, Washington Times, Mashable, The Federalist and The Gateway Pundit

Megan Cassidy / Arizona Republic:

Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio found guilty of criminal contempt of court — The immigration policies that elevated former Sheriff Joe Arpaio to fame were the same that would ultimately lead to his political demise, and now have convicted him of a federal crime.

Discussion: Washington Post, ImmigrationProf Blog, ThinkProgress, Daily Kos, Above the Law and The Week

J. Weston Phippen / The Atlantic:
Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Convicted Criminal

Discussion: Balloon Juice and VICE News

Susan Cornwell / Reuters:

Exclusive: Senate too divided to keep up healthcare push - Senator Hatch — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said on Monday that senators for now are too divided to keep working on healthcare overhaul legislation and that he and other senior Republicans will take that message to the White House.

Discussion: The Atlantic, NPR, New York Magazine, The Daily Caller, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Week and Political Wire

David Morgan / Reuters: U.S. Senator Hatch says 25 percent corporate rate a challenge in tax reform

Associated Press:

Zinke: ‘Laughable’ to suggest he threatened Alaska senators — https://apnews.com/41c2797793b24c71a88f 429ea8626ee5 — Link copied! — BUNKERVILLE, Nev. (AP) — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said it is “laughable” to suggest he threatened Alaska's U.S. senators over a vote by one of them involving health care.

Discussion: Political Wire

Alex Pfeiffer / The Daily Caller:

EXCLUSIVE: Kellyanne Conway May Be The Next Communications Director — REVOLVING DOOR: 11 People Who Have Joined And Left The Chaotic Trump Administration — POLITICS | PETER HASSON — Smashed Hard Drives Can Still Talk — INVESTIGATIVE GROUP | MARK TAPSCOTT — ‘Even if it is hit with a hammer’

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and TheBlaze

Richie Bernardo / WalletHub:

2017's States with the Best & Worst School Systems — Securing a child's academic success begins with choosing the right schools. But how can parents decide where best to enroll their kids? Because children develop and learn at different rates, the ideal answer to that question varies based on each student's needs.

Discussion: Axios, KOIN-TV and CBS Boston

New York Times:

Russia's Military Drills Near NATO Border Raise Fears of Aggression — WASHINGTON — Russia is preparing to send as many as 100,000 troops to the eastern edge of NATO territory at the end of the summer, one of the biggest steps yet in the military buildup undertaken by President Vladimir V. Putin …

Joe Bilello / Mediaite:

Jill Stein Slams ‘Demonization of North Korea’ in Bizarre MSNBC Interview — Political activist and former Green Party nominee for President, Jill Stein, appeared on MSNBC on Sunday to provide an impassioned defense for the rogue dictatorship of North Korea and Vladimir Putin's Russia.

Discussion: TheBlaze and Instapundit

Billy House / Bloomberg:

Capitol Police Responded to Wrong Site in Scalise Shooting — Elite tactical unit first sent to Pelosi's Georgetown house — Squad eventually arrived at scene of shooting in Virginia — The U.S. Capitol Police department opened an internal investigation into why its elite tactical team …

Discussion: AOL, The Daily Caller and twitchy.com

Scott Thistlestaff / Press Herald:

Maine's secretary of state says he will reject second request for voter registration data — Matt Dunlap said he won't share data unless a federal voter fraud commission he serves on sets goals and resolves privacy concerns. — AUGUSTA — Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said Monday …

Henry J. Gomez / BuzzFeed:

Rebekah Mercer's Pro-Trump Group Goes Silent — President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at a campaign rally last week in Youngstown, Ohio. — Justin Merriman / Getty Images — Making America Great, the political nonprofit formed by Republican mega-donor Rebekah Mercer …

James Hibberd / EW.com:

HBO hacked: Upcoming episodes, Game of Thrones data leaked online — HBO chairman: ‘Disruptive, unsettling, and disturbing for all of us’ — HBO has joined the ranks of Hollywood entertainment companies to suffer a major cyber attack. — EW has learned that upcoming episodes …