Chicago pledges improvements after scathing police report

Chicago officials are pledging to revamp the city Police Department following a scathing federal report, but a change in presidential administrations could spell uncertainty for the critical next step in the process: negotiating a court-enforceable improvement plan with the Justice Department. A report released Friday in the final days of Attorney General Loretta Lynch's tenure found that police in the nation's second-largest department had violated the constitutional rights of residents for years, including the frequent use of excessive force, shooting at people who did not pose imminent threats and using stun guns on others only because they refused to follow commands.

IRS letters warn millions about health insurance penalty

" If you haven't signed up for health insurance, you may soon be getting a not-too-subtle nudge from the taxman. The IRS is sending personalized letters to millions of taxpayers who might be uninsured, reminding them that they could be on the hook for hundreds of dollars in fines under the federal health care law if they don't sign up soon through HealthCare.gov.

Early win on budget pressures GOP to deliver on health care

" Republicans have won a gateway victory in Congress in their seven-year trek toward scuttling President Barack Obama's health care law. Now with Donald Trump a week from taking the presidential oath, achieving that goal is possible, but the pressure is on for them to deliver a final product.

Democratic Congressman: Trump Is Not A Legitimate President Because A …

Rep. John Lewis did not mince words on how he felt about President-elect Trump with MSNBC's Chuck Todd. On Meet The Press Daily, Lewis sat down with Todd to say, among other things, that he believes in forgiveness and trying to work with people, but he will find it difficult to work with Trump because he doesn't see him as a legitimate president.

US Congress approves first step for repealing Obamacare

The US House of Representatives on Friday joined the Senate in passing a critical measure that marks the first major step toward repealing outgoing President Barack Obama's landmark but controversial health care reforms. The Affordable Care Act - popularly known as Obamacare - has allowed millions of uninsured people to get health insurance.

Democrats press FBI to investigate Trump-Russia ties

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats are insisting that the FBI investigate alleged links between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, to find out whether Russia has leverage over the incoming president. House Democrats emerged from a briefing about Russian interference in the 2016 election demanding that the FBI investigate what links may have existed between the Kremlin and President-elect Donald Trump's campaign.

Indiana Sen. Donnelly says hea ll push Trump on factory jobs

Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly says he'll push President-elect Donald Trump to follow through on his campaign pledges and take action to retain American manufacturing jobs. Donnelly was joined at a Friday news conference by workers from three Indiana plants where jobs are set to be shipped out of the country, including the Carrier Corp. factory in Indianapolis where Trump intervened to stem some job losses.

Sen. Brown talks to healthcare providers about possible repeal of ACA

Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown held a round table discussion in Toledo Friday to talk to local healthcare providers about the cost effects of repealing the Affordable Care Act. ProMedica, Mercy Health, NAMI, CareNet, and UTMC were among the providers that said the repeal of the ACA without replacement would have devastating effects.

‘My confidence has been shook’: Dems furious after…

House Democrats walked out of a classified briefing sputtering with anger over FBI Director James Comey's response to claims of Russian election hacking. Several of the lawmakers who took part in Friday's meeting said they'd lost confidence in Comey and had become convinced he's unfit to lead the agency, reported The Hill .

10 things to know Friday

If there are going to be fireworks in the Senate over Cabinet nominees, they're yet to come after nearly one week with various statements from some of the picks contradicting Trump's own oft-stated positions on issues. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has pushed through some reforms over the year, though the report is likely to call for additional, more sweeping change.