Sean Spicer quits Trump White House; Amazon sends Sears stock soaring

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White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer abruptly resigned, "telling President Trump he vehemently disagreed" with a decision to hire financier Anthony Scaramucci as communications director, per the New York Times. The two roles are somewhat complementary — Spicer's role includes press briefings, often on live TV. Spicer, a political comms veteran, considers the hire "a major mistake, the Times reports; Scaramucci has no comms experience but has been a vocal and loyal Trump defender. #ScaramucciWH

If you can’t beat ‘em… Struggling American retailer Sears will begin selling Alexa-enabled Kenmore appliances on Amazon, the e-commerce giant’s first big move in major appliances. Kenmore, one of Sears’s most historic brands, has seen declining sales each year since 2007. The 131-year-old struggling retailer, whose shares jumped on the news, is making a bold trade-off with the deal: Kenmore products will be more accessible on Amazon, but consumers will have less of a reason to visit Sears’s physical stores. #SearsAlexaAppliances

Elon Musk tweeted that his company received “verbal govt approval” to build the world’s longest tunnel — a Hyperloop connecting New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC. Musk says the journey would take 29 minutes, and that the project’s timing will coincide with tunnel production in Los Angeles. Still, it may be a long (underground) journey before ultra high-speed transport is a reality. #Hyperloop

Another name to Uber’s CEO search list: Bank of America vice chair Anne Finucane, who is "intrigued by the opportunity," Axios reports. Uber has been without a CEO since Travis Kalanick resigned in June amid a slew of scandals. According to The New York Times, the latest slate of candidates also includes YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, former Virgin America CEO David Cush, ex-Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer, former Disney COO Thomas Staggs, and Adam Bain, Twitter's former chief operating officer. #UberNewCEO

Bad day for black markets: Two of the dark web’s biggest marketplaces, AlphaBay and Hansa Market, have been shut down, authorities in the US and Europe said on Thursday. AlphaBay was the largest dark-net market — 10 times larger than Silk Road — with 200,000 users, 40,000 sellers, and 369,000 listings for illicit goods like firearms, drugs (including opioids), computer malware, and fake IDs.

Idea of the Day:

Courage isn’t a decisive act, but a series of small and tentative steps, always riddled with awkward uncertainty.

Former Fast Company editor-in-chief John A. Byrne writes about what Senator John McCain has taught him about courage.

What's your take? Join the conversations on today's stories: #ScaramucciWH | #SearsAlexaAppliances | #UberNewCEO | #Hyperloop

From earlier today: #FTCInvestigatesAmazon | #WallStreetBonuses | #ExxonUSTreasury

— Lorraine K. Lee & Katie Carroll / Share this using #DailyRundown