*By Alisha Haridasani*
Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director, said The New Yorker magazine’s Ryan Lizza acted “inappropriately” when he published [an article](https://www.newyorker.com/news/ryan-lizza/anthony-scaramucci-called-me-to-unload-about-white-house-leakers-reince-priebus-and-steve-bannon) that essentially led to Scaramucci’s firing last year.
“I was building a rapport with him, I was talking to him very colloquially,” Scaramucci said in an interview with Cheddar’s J.D. Durkin.
In that article, Lizza describes a profane on-the-record phone call with Scaramucci in which he criticizes Reince Priebus, the former White House chief of Staff, and Steve Bannon, a former top presidential adviser. A few days later, Scaramucci was out of his job, too.
Scaramucci said that Lizza has tried to contact him since the article was published, asking if he would speak to Lizza's class at Georgetown University.
"What is this guy -- nuts?” Scaramucci said.
Though he only lasted 11 days in his job, Scaramucci said he made important changes at the White House.
“I only did, like, three things right when I was there,” Scaramucci said, adding that it was his decision to allow cameras back into the daily news briefings. (The former White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, had barred live coverage of his daily briefings.)
“I’m a big believer in the First Amendment,” he said.
And it was he who helped convince President Trump to pickSarah Huckabee Sanders to be the White House press secretary. “I think she’s done a great job,” he said.
Scaramucci said he's still in touch with the president, who calls him up to talk politics and discuss personal issues.
“I’ve probably talked to him 12 or so times,” since leaving the White House, Scaramucci said. “But again, I don’t want to exaggerate my relationship.”
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/anthony-scaramucci-had-leakers-on-the-run-during-his-11-days-at-the-white-house).
Voters in all five states with cannabis-related initiatives on the ballot approved those measures by wide margins, representing a clean sweep for the industry — and significant upside for the U.S.-focused cannabis companies.
President-elect Joe Biden is cheering news about the promising development of a coronavirus vaccine, but cautioned Americans need to be aggressive about mask wearing and social distancing as infections continue to surge around the country.
President-elect Joe Biden on Monday named the members of a team of public health and science experts to develop a blueprint for fighting the coronavirus.
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris made their victory speeches Saturday night.
Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States on Saturday, positioning himself to lead a nation gripped by historic pandemic and a confluence of economic and social turmoil.
Kamala Harris made history Saturday as the first Black woman elected as vice president of the United States, shattering barriers that have kept men — almost all of them white — entrenched at the highest levels of American politics for more than two centuries.
Democrat Joe Biden has overtaken President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania and Georgia. That puts Biden on the cusp of winning the presidency since the election hinges on the outcome of tight contests in those battleground states.
The outcome of contests in Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Nevada will determine whether Democrat Joe Biden or President Donald Trump wins.
Former Missouri Secretary of State, Robin Carnahan, joined Cheddar to discuss the 'Count Every Vote' initiative that was started by the National Council on Election Integrity. Carnahan also talks about the record vote-by-mail numbers this year.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
