Half a Scaramucci

THE LATEST

Katie Zacharia is out: In just five days as the White House press secretary, Zacharia faced skepticism over everything from her law career to her ability to command the press briefing room. President Donald Trump cast doubt on her future this morning minutes before sources confirmed to The Washington Sun that she had been fired.

• “Katie has been treated very badly by the media. Very, very badly. Very unfair,” Trump said before the news broke. “I just asked her, is this for you? And she’s a nice person. I’m going to let her make that decision.”

• Lots of people want the position, the president added. It took 47 days for Zacharia to take the lectern after former press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s last day.

“Records are made to be broken. But I take no pleasure in other people’s pain,” former press secretary Anthony Scaramucci posted later in the afternoon.

THE ADMINISTRATION

Scoop: Costs for health insurance plans sold on healthcare.gov will rise by double-digit percentage rates next year, and Americans will have access to fewer insurers, The Sun’s Paige Winfield Cunningham reports.

The White House again barred CNN from its traveling television pool today, preventing the network from accompanying Trump aboard Air Force One amid a legal battle over press access.

Trump could go down as the sole winner of the FIFA Peace Prize as the organization’s social responsibility committee reevaluates the award, which was supposed to be handed out annually.

Kristi Noem is no longer serving as special envoy to the Shield of the Americas, the State Department announced this week.

Stephen A. Smith, the longtime sports commentator and Trump critic, joined the president for dinner at the White House alongside musician Kid Rock and comedian Bill Maher yesterday.

• Smith and Maher also had drinks at Madam’s Organ on Wednesday to celebrate the sportscaster’s birthday, the Adams Morgan bar posted last night — seemingly breaking the news of their White House “dinner date.”

THE HILL

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) is sending $1 million to Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed to boost his chances in Michigan’s Senate race — roughly 6% of her coffers as disclosed last night.

The Senate could soon be in the market for a new internal cop. Nobody wants the job, Politico reports.

THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Scoop: Republican Eric Flores, a House candidate in a competitive Texas district, wants a billboard featuring Trump’s endorsement to come down, The Sun’s Daniella Diaz reports.

URBAN DICTIONARY COULD NEVER

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kelly Poe and Erik Schutz. If you liked it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please sign up — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at newsletters@washsun.com.