President Donald Trump said in a White House speech Wednesday night that he was sending a $1,776 bonus check to U.S. troops for Christmas, indicating that tariffs were funding the payments as he tried to reassure a worried public about the health of the economy. | AP

Attendees at Turning Point USA's annual AmericaFest convention gave high praise to Vice President JD Vance as he closed out the conference with a speech on Sunday saying the conservative movement should be open to everyone as long as they “love America." | AP

The Kennedy Center started the work of adding Donald Trump’s name to the building on Friday, a day after the president’s handpicked board voted to do so, making it the The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Critics of the vote, including Democratic members of Congress who are ex-officio board members, as well as some historians, insist that only Congress can change the name. | AP