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.

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.

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 …

Female senators are increasingly on receiving end of insults from male officials  —  Republican women senators whose disapproval of the GOP health-care effort has at times endangered its progress are facing an increasingly pointed backlash from men in their own party, including a handful of comments that invoked physical retaliation.

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 …

Michiko Kakutani, the Legendary Book Critic and the Most Feared Woman in Publishing, Is Stepping Down from The New York Times  —  Kakutani, who helped make the careers of writers from Foster Wallace to McEwan, and put fear in the hearts of Mailer and Vidal, will leave her post as one of the most formidable critics in the Times history.

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.”

Look, It's Time to Collectively and Officially Give Up on Ivanka Trump  —  It was Groundhog Day, dystopia edition, yesterday morning when the president banned all transgender servicepeople from the U.S. military, unfurling yet another reversal of an historic Obama-era policy.

Norm Macdonald Sounds Off on SNL: 'I Think They're Playing Into Trump's Hands' … Norm Macdonald is stuck on a golf course.  “We have all these children in front of us, so we're not going anywhere,” the 57-year-old comedian tells me by phone as he waits to move on to the next hole.

Putin: Russia promises retaliation as Senate passes sanctions bill  —  Putin says US behavior ‘destroys international law’ as bill is passed for Trump's signature after going through Congress  —  Vladimir Putin has accused US lawmakers of “insolence”, and promised Russia will retaliate …

Sources: A top FBI lawyer is under an investigation for allegedly leaking classified information  —  EXCLUSIVE: FBI General Counsel James A. Baker is purportedly under a Department of Justice criminal investigation for allegedly leaking classified national security information to the media …

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 …

Healthcare groups blast skinny repeal, warn premiums will spike  —  Healthcare groups are coming out against the Senate GOP's plan to pass a scaled-down ObamaCare repeal bill, saying it would spike insurance premiums.  —  The American Medical Association, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association …

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.

Democratic Rep. Delaney eyes 2020 presidential run  —  Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) plans on bypassing runs for governor and reelection and has told associates he is seriously considering a bid for president in 2020, according to two Democratic sources.  —  Five Democratic sources in the state …

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: