Missouri senators renew effort to get Delta Queen cruising

Missouri's U.S. senators are renewing efforts to get the legendary riverboat the Delta Queen cruising again on the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Legislation filed this past week by Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill and co-sponsored by Republican Sen. Roy Blunt would reinstate an exemption for the Delta Queen to a federal law that prohibits overnight excursions on wooden vessels.

The Latest: Obama being briefed on Russia hacking report

The Latest on accusations that Russia meddled in America's presidential election to help Donald Trump win : The White House says President Barack Obama is being briefed on a classified report about Russian and other foreign meddling in U.S. elections. Earnest says Obama has asked intelligence officials to also brief members of Congress and the incoming president.

Official says Russia undoubtedly meddled in U.S. election

The nation's top intelligence official said Thursday that Russia undoubtedly interfered in America's 2016 presidential election but stopped short of using the explosive description "an act of war," telling lawmakers such a call isn't within the purview of the U.S. intelligence community.

Senators Urge Action to Block Drastic Drug Price Hikes

Angered by skyrocketing drug prices, a pair of senators on Wednesday urged Congress to block companies from cornering the market on old, off-patent drugs. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Claire McCaskill , D-Mo., released findings from a year-long investigation into companies like Turing Pharmaceuticals, which generated national outrage last year after hiking the price of a life-saving anti-infection drug by more than 5,000 percent.

Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows

ABC's "This Week" - Reince Priebus, Republican National Committee chairman and chief of staff to President-elect Donald Trump; Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. CBS' "Face the Nation" - Kellyanne Conway, Trump adviser; Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Tim Scott, R-S.C. CNN's "State of the Union" - Vice President Joe Biden; Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md.; Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.

Senate pushes to avert gov’t shutdown over miners’ benefits

The Senate pushed to avert a government shutdown at midnight Friday as coal-state Democrats evoked President-elect Donald Trump in pleading for a more generous extension of health care benefits for retired miners. A key Democrat in the rancorous fight over benefits for retired miners facing a loss of coverage at year's end suggested he would beat a tactical retreat and resume the battle next year.

Whistleblower protections expanded to include government contractors

A bill to strengthen protections for employees who blow the whistle on fraud, waste and mismanagement in government contracts has gained congressional approval and now will head to the president's desk to be signed into law. The bill, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, permanently expands whistleblower protections to nearly all contractors and subcontractors for the federal government, except for those who work in the intelligence community.

Time to call Congress

Okay, now that Tom Price will be Secretary of Health and Human Services, we know that the medical and social insurance system that we have had in place since 1964 and expanded dramatically in 1999 and 2010 is under severe threat. Elimination can be mostly done through reconciliation but modification needs to go through regular order.

Christie, Giuliani: If Trump didn’t pay taxes, he’s ‘genius’

Donald Trump may or may not have paid federal income taxes for years after losing nearly $916 million. But if he did avoid paying taxes, he's a "genius" at taking advantage of a loophole-ridden law, his supporters said Sunday.

The Latest: Giuliani says poor people use tax ‘loophole’ too

Rudy Giuliani, a close adviser to Donald Trump, says the Republican candidate is a "genius" if he avoided federal income taxes and noted that poor people can take advantage the same tax "loophole." Giuliani told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that if Trump hadn't used his business loses to his advantage on his taxes, he would have been sued by any business partners and shareholders.

Fort Riley bureaucracy frustrated moms who sought care for soldier sons

Tracey Martin remembers boarding a plane in late August and receiving another round of bad news about her son, Stephen. Stephen Martin, a specialist in the Army, had an autoimmune disease that was eating away at his nerve endings, gradually eroding his ability to feel in his limbs.

Did Wells Fargo target seniors with its bogus-account scheme?

Wells Fargo may have gone out if its way to take senior citizens to the cleaners when the bank's workers fraudulently opened as many as 2 million accounts without customers' permission. That's the suspicion of Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the top members of the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Big Pharma is jacking up the price of the – antidote’ to…

While the law was undoubtedly a step forward for a gridlocked Congress, it won't affect one of the crisis' most intractable problems - the skyrocketing price of naloxone, a drug that instantly reverses overdoses. A report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in January revealed that drug overdose deaths reached a new high in 2014 , totaling 47,055 people.

Senators says cable TV users arena t refunded for overcharges

A Senate investigation of cable TV costs released Thursday criticized two major cable companies for consistently failing to provide refunds to customers they knew had been overcharged. The Senate Permanent Investigations subcommittee found Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications made no effort to trace set-top box equipment overcharges and to provide refunds to customers.