Friday, December 22, 2017

Tax Bill? Signed. Vacation? Commenced.

Friday, December 22, 2017

Hundreds of starlings swarm around Marine One as President Trump returns Thursday from a visit to Walter Reed Medical Center. Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Tax Bill? Signed. Vacation? Commenced: President Trump signed his big legislative victory before jetting down to Florida

Just a Casual 106 Days: We keep track of the
President's travels so you don't have to

Hunter and I Made a Christmas Card: An homage, if you will, to a certain Cabinet member and his better half

Hunter Schwarz is off. His section will return in 2018.

Kate Bennett

What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump signed the tax cut and overhaul bill and a $4 billion missile-defense bill -- then he took off for Christmas vacation at Mar-a-Lago.

What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
The signing marks the first big legislative victory of Trump's presidency to date.

While there was no formal news conference, Trump did take questions in the Oval Office after he signed the bills. CNN's Brian Stelter points out it's been 15 years since a president did *not* do an end-of-year presser.

When Trump was done signing, he offered pens to some of the assembled journalists, specifically the photojournalists and the boom mic operators. Here's what it looked like inside the Oval:

Credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Trump Pins Purple Heart:
It's incredibly special and important when a wounded soldier receives a Purple Heart for his or her heroism. At Walter Reed yesterday, the President awarded First Lt. Victor Prato of the 127th Airborne Engineer Battalion a Purple Heart after he was injured while deployed in Afghanistan.

Credit: @presssec/Twitter

Related, Vice President Mike Pence made a surprise holiday trip last night to visit troops at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan, making him the highest-ranking administration official to visit an active US war zone during Trump's tenure.

Breaking Mitch McConnell News: "I'm Warming Up":
In an end-of-year news conference, Sen. Mitch McConnell, wearing a festive red V-neck sweater, said lately, he's digging the President's tweets. "I haven't been a fan until this week. I'm warming up to the tweets, actually."

Just a Casual 106 Days:
That's how often Trump visited a Trump-owned property as POTUS, including his arrival at Mar-a-Lago later today. Seems like ... a lot?

Bannon's Big "Vanity Fair" Profile:
Seems like a lot of people are talking about it, and I have to say, having finally gotten through all of it last night (it's lengthy, fam), it's juicy. Understanding Steve Bannon, or wanting to understand Steve Bannon, is up to you. But if that's your jam, this insider-y Gabriel Sherman profile is a good way to go. Here's a fun snippet:

Credit: vanityfair.com

Dress Like the First Daughter:
To celebrate the end of Hanukkah at her Washington DC home, Ivanka Trump wore, well, Ivanka Trump. The Peter Pan-collared black mini-dress is available here for $138.

Credit: @ivankatrump/Instagram, dillards.com

Hunter and I Made a Christmas Card:
We were inspired. Have a wonderful holiday season and a very happy New Year! Thank you for being our subscribers!

Credit: Jeremy Moorhead/CNN

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.