What's happening in the political world:
Scaramucci out as White House communications director
-- President Donald Trump has removed White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci from his position, reports say.
In a statement, White House officials said: "Anthony Scaramucci will be leaving his role as White House Communications Director. Mr. Scaramucci felt it was best to give Chief of Staff John Kelly a clean slate and the ability to build his own team. We wish him all the best."
Scaramucci was hired as the communications director just 10 days ago. His short tenure included a controversial profane rant to the New Yorker.
Scaramucci is the third high-profile member of the Trump administration to leave his position in the past 10 days. Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer announced his resignation on July 21, and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus resigned on Friday.
Brief timeline of events
July 20: Scaramucci hired as White House communications director
July 21: White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigns; Scaramucci downplays reports of tension between himself and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.
July 23: Scaramucci appeared on "Face the Nation" and said leakers would get fired -- "They're going to get fired. I'm just going to make it very, very clear, okay?" He also told CNN's State of the Union that Trump doesn't accept intelligence conclusion on Russia interference.
July 24, Scaramucci's wife, Deidre Ball, gives birth to the couple's third child, a boy. Scaramucci wasn't present at the birth. It was later reported Ball filed for divorce on July 6.
July 26: Scaramucci promises to contact investigators over illegal leak of financial disclosure form, mentions Priebus in tweet then deletes it. Scaramucci calls New Yorker reporter and gives scathing, profanity-laced interview about Priebus and Steve Bannon.
July 27: Scaramucci responds to New Yorker article in a tweet that said he "made a mistake in trusting a reporter" and said it wouldn't happen again.
July 28: Priebus resigns as chief of staff; Trump announces Gen. John Kelly as Priebus' replacement.
July 31: Kelly sworn in as chief of staff; hours later, White House announces Scaramucci resignation
Read: 35 eye-popping quotes from Scaramucci
Trump's morning tweet(s):
Highest Stock Market EVER, best economic numbers in years, unemployment lowest in 17 years, wages raising, border secure, S.C.: No WH chaos!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2017
President still pushing forward despite health care setbacks
-- President Trump is not giving up on health care despite the vote that killed the Senate's "skinny" repeal bill last week.
Over the weekend, Trump tweeted: "Don't give up Republican Senators, the World is watching: Repeal & Replace...and go to 51 votes (nuke option), get Cross State Lines & more."
He added: "Unless the Republican Senators are total quitters, Repeal & Replace is not dead! Demand another vote before voting on any other bill!" and "If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon!
On Monday morning, Trump once again took to Twitter to talk health care: "If ObamaCare is hurting people, & it is, why shouldn't it hurt the insurance companies & why should Congress not be paying what public pays?"
Additionally, the president called for the Senate to get rid of its 60-vote filibuster rule, which requires 60 senators to agree in order to end debate and move ahead with legislation.
New White House chief of staff sworn in
-- President Trump officially has a new White House chief of staff as John Kelly was sworn in on Monday morning.
Kelly takes over for Reince Priebus, who told CNN he resigned last Thursday.
However, Trump tweeted Friday: "I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff. He is a Great American... and a Great Leader. John has also done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my Administration."
Kelly served as the commander of United States Southern Command for four years under President Barack Obama and served as a commanding general in Iraq from 2008 to 2009.
The move caps months of speculation that Priebus' hold on his job was weak given internal White House chaos, continued leaks and the fact the former Republican National Committee chair was not always in sync with longtime Trump aides and advisers.
Pence slams Russia as sanctions row escalates
-- Vice President Mike Pence launched into a wide-ranging tirade against Russia on Monday, signaling no let-up in an increasingly bitter row between Moscow and Washington over sanctions.
On a visit to the Baltics, Pence denounced Russia as an "unpredictable neighbor" that sought to "redraw international borders by force."
"At this very moment, Russia continues to seek to redraw international borders by force, undermine democracy in sovereign nations, and divide the free nations of Europe, one against another," Pence said at a press conference, alluding to the Russian annexation of Crimea.
"Under President Donald Trump, the United States of America rejects any attempt to use force, threats, intimidation, or malign influence in the Baltic states or against any of our treaty allies," he added.
Police split on Trump law-and-order speech
-- President Donald Trump's suggestion that police shouldn't be "too nice" to suspects and should stop shielding detainees' heads when guiding them into police vehicles has prompted a mixed reaction from policing veterans.
Trump made the comments during a speech to law enforcement officers and officials in Long Island, New York, on Friday.
Philadelphia's former police commissioner Charles Ramsey condemned Trump's comments on CNN's "New Day," early Monday. "I was very concerned when I first heard those remarks because I believe it reinforces a very negative stereotype of police that we've been trying to overcome. That is, that police use excessive force on a regular basis, we violate people's constitutional rights," he said.
Harry Houck, a retired New York Police Department detective, didn't agree. He noted that in video of Trump's speech, officers can be seen laughing, which means they -- like him -- interpreted the comments "as a joke."
CNN contributed to this report
