Friday, July 28, 2017

"Watch the show": what McCain told reporters before voting down Obamacare repeal

Friday, July 28, 2017

Sen. John McCain leaves the Senate chamber after a vote on a stripped-down, or "skinny repeal" version of Obamacare reform early Friday morning. McCain was one of three Republican senators to vote against the measure. Credit: Zach Gibson/Getty Images

"Watch The Show": With a thumbs down, John McCain became one of three Repubs joining Dems to defeat health care repeal bill

More From Scaramucci: The new White House communications director has more thoughts on Reince Priebus

Trump Sketch Auctioned: Trump's 2005 sketch of NYC, with Trump Tower in the middle, goes for $29K

Kate Bennett is off today.

Hunter Schwarz

What Washington is Talking About:
The early-morning failure of the Senate's Obamacare repeal bill. The 49-51 vote, which ended around 2 a.m. ET, included three Repubs -- John McCain, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins -- joining Dems to defeat it.

What America is Talking About:
Starbucks is closing down all 379 Teavana stores.

How McCain's Vote on Health Care Went Down:
When asked by reporters beforehand how he'd vote, McCain said, "Watch the show." He walked in after missing his name being called during roll call and said he'd vote "no" while giving a thumbs down. There were gasps. Here he is gesturing, mid-thumbs down, as Mitch McConnell, arms crossed, looks on:

And a source told CNN that before the final vote President Trump called Vice President Pence, who was on Capitol Hill, who then handed the phone to McCain. Trump tried unsuccessfully to sway McCain's vote.

McCain to Receive Treatment Monday:
He's returning to Arizona to start cancer treatment next week, three sources told CNN.

More From Scaramucci:
His wild CNN interview was just the beginning. The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza writes that Anthony Scaramucci called him Wednesday and "started by threatening to fire the entire White House communications staff. It escalated from there." He referred to himself in the third person as "the Mooch," called Reince Priebus "a f***ing paranoid schizophrenic, a paranoiac," and ended the call saying "I've gotta start tweeting some sh*t."

Pentagon: Transgender People Can Still Serve:
For the time being, Trump's Wednesday tweets on barring transgender people from serving in the military are just tweets, not policy. There will be no change until the White House and Secretary of Defense send new rules and guidelines, Joint Chiefs of Staff chair Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. wrote in a letter.

Russia Responds to Sanctions:
In response to the bill imposing new sanctions on Russia passed by the Senate Thursday, Russia's Foreign Ministry has called for the US to cut the size of its diplomatic staff in Russia and threatened to seize two US diplomats there.

Boy Scout Exec Apologize for Trump:
"I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree," said Chief Scout Executive Michael Surbaugh in a letter about Trump's political speech Monday at the National Scout Jamboree.

Trump Sketch Auctioned:
A signed sketch of the New York City skyline with Trump Tower in the center, made by Trump in 2005, was auctioned off yesterday for $29,184 by Nate D. Sanders Auctions. The drawing was made on an envelope and was part of a literacy charity. Charlize Theron and Sens. Joe Lieberman and McCain also contributed envelopes to the charity, according to a letter.

Credit: Nate D. Sanders Auctions

Politics for Your Ears:
Mick Jagger is out with two new songs he said he wrote about the "anxiety (and) unknowability of the changing political situation." There's "England Lost" and "Gotta Get a Grip," which includes the line "The news is all fake/ Let 'em eat chicken and let 'em eat steak/ Let 'em eat sh*t, let 'em eat cake."

Street Art Sighting:
This Disney-princess-as-activist street mural by Los Angeles artist Dorian Lynde was flagged by Tyler Sax in North Carolina:

Credit: @t.sax/Instagram

Send me your pics of political street art to coverlinehunter@cnn.com, tweet me @hunterschwarz or tag @cnncoverline on Instagram.

COVER/LINE is where politics meets pop culture. From CNN's Hunter Schwarz and Kate Bennett, this daily newsletter is the must-read lunch date in Washington and beyond.