Everything To Know About New Tax Bill, McCain Away From DC Until January, And Trump Recalls GOP House Victories

December 18th, 2017 Top Stories --------------------------------------------------------------- [5 Points You Need To Know About The New Tax Bill Headed Trump’s Way]( The Gist: Republicans in the House and Senate are racing to pass a massive tax bill before leaving D.C. for the holidays, and after a week of closed-door meetings and backroom horse trading, they unveiled their final draft at the age-old hour of Washington news dumps: 5:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Here are the five points you need to know before the House and Senate vote on the final bill next week. [Trump Reminds Everyone That GOP Won House Races After Alabama Loss]( The Gist: Up early Monday morning stewing over Republicans’ loss in the Alabama special election, President Donald Trump tried to return focus to the five special elections Republicans won since November 2016. [In Arizona For Treatment, McCain Won’t Return To DC Until January]( The Gist: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) returned to Arizona for rehabilitation as he undergoes cancer treatment and will not return to Washington, D.C. until January, the senator’s office announced Sunday evening. From The Reporter's Notebook --------------------------------------------------------------- Senator-elect Doug Jones (D-AL) on Sunday said that “we need to move on” from numerous women’s allegations of sexual misconduct against President Donald Trump “and not worry about getting at odds with the President any more than we have to,” [TPM’s Esme Cribb reported](. “Those allegations were made before the election, and so people had an opportunity to judge before that election,” Jones said, mirroring an argument that White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders made last week in Trump’s defense. Agree Or Disagree? --------------------------------------------------------------- Josh Marshall: "Behind the new faux controversy over Mueller getting Trump transition emails is a key and probably too little discussed aspect of the Russia story: Mueller’s team has some of the most accomplished and aggressive prosecutors and legal minds of their generation. They’re facing off against a team of has-beens, 3rd or 4th rate lawyers and in some cases simple incompetents. Why? Because [Trump values sycophancy above competence]( and because none of the top lawyers were willing to work for him." Say What?! --------------------------------------------------------------- "We’re in the game. It’s baseball. We’ve got to play baseball, we can’t go in there and start playing chess." - Former Trump campaign staffer Michael Caputo [saying]( on Monday that Republicans’ attacks on special counsel Robert Mueller — which have risen in some cases to calling for a “cleansing” of opponents of the President from the FBI — was just part of the political game. BUZZING: Today in the Hive --------------------------------------------------------------- From a TPM Prime member: "I've always found him to be a little maddening. He is 100% not racist. He was pretty liberal, at least a while back. But he's always come across to me as Old-Boy sexist. He thinks he's more modern than he is. I'm not surprised by this at all, but if he was groping people I would be." Related: [Ex-Staffer Left MSNBC After Accusing Chris Matthews Of Sexual Harassment]( Have something to add? Become a [Prime]( member and join the discussion [here](. What We're Reading --------------------------------------------------------------- The EPA Hired A Major Republican Opposition Research Firm To Track Press Activity ([Mother Jones]( Democrats Look To Spread That Alabama Magic ([Politico]( [unsubscribe from this list]( | [update subscription preferences]( | [view email in browser](