memeorandum: Defiant Venezuela president mocks Trump after U.S. sanctions (Reuters)

11:00 PM ET, July 31, 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: Raw Story and Mediaite

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 Gateway Pundit, Hullabaloo, Raw Story, Washington Monthly, Daily Kos, Axios, Business Insider, TheBlaze, Mediaite and Political Wire

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: The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Post and New York Times

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: Politicus USA, Politico, The Federalist and Business Insider, more at Mediagazer »

Emily Heil / Washington Post:

Anthony Scaramucci erroneously listed as dead in the new Harvard Law alumni directory — Pity poor Anthony Scaramucci: reportedly getting divorced, sacked from his job after a mere 10 days — and now there's an erroneous report that he's dead. — The blink-and-you-missed …

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

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

Ezra Klein / Vox:
Donald Trump's shocking disloyalty

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico, The Gateway Pundit, ABC News, Axios and Just Security

Josh Dawsey / Politico:
Trump ousts Scaramucci as communications director

Discussion: ABC News, The Daily Beast, Washington Examiner, New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, RedState, neo-neocon, Wall Street Journal, Splinter, Axios, Mediaite, Power Line, The Week, Pacific Standard, Washington Free Beacon and AOL

Washington Post:
Anthony Scaramucci removed as White House communications director

Yascha Mounk / Slate: Authoritarian by Instinct — Trump is subverting democracy …

Axios:
Scaramucci out as White House communications director

Discussion: IJR, Media Matters for America, New York Post, New York Times, The Atlantic, Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, TheBlaze, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, Vox, Business Insider, Mashable, Shareblue and Power Line

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 …

Discussion: ABC News, Vox, RedState, Mother Jones, The Guardian, Business Insider, The Daily Caller, The Resurgent, CNBC, The Gateway Pundit, IJR, The Week, Politicus USA, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Mediaite, Raw Story, Daily Kos, Balloon Juice and VICE News

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, The Daily Caller and Politicus USA

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

Steve Inskeep / NPR.org:
Sen. Jeff Flake: ‘As Conservatives, Our First Obligation Is To Be Honest’

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Monthly, LifeNews.com and Townhall.com

Jeannette Walls / CBS News:
Sen. Jeff Flake says Republican Party has “lost its way”

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Media Matters for America and Raw Story

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: IJR, Hullabaloo, The Daily Caller and Daily Kos

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

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

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: Mediaite

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: ThinkProgress, Daily Kos, The Week and Above the Law, more at Mediagazer »

Associated Press:
The Latest: Joe Arpaio's lawyers say ex-sheriff will appeal

Discussion: Politico and New York Magazine

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

Discussion: VICE News and Balloon Juice

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

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

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

Josh Dawsey / Politico:
White House not letting go of Obamacare repeal

Discussion: Vox, Health Affairs Blog, Talking Points Memo and The Week

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 …

Discussion: CNNMoney, AOL, New York Times, Gothamist, BuzzFeed, NBC News, The Verge, IndieWire, Engadget, The Guardian, Raw Story, Gizmodo, The Daily Caller, The Week, NPR and Mother Jones, more at Mediagazer »

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: TheBlaze and The Gateway Pundit

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

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

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

The Hill:

Dem campaign chief vows no litmus test on abortion — Democrats will not withhold financial support for candidates who oppose abortion rights, the chairman of the party's campaign arm in the House said in an interview with The Hill. — Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) …

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 …

Rasmussen Reports:

in Politics — The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 39% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump's job performance. Sixty-one percent (61%) disapprove. — The latest figures for Trump include 26% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 49% who Strongly Disapprove.