What to Know
- Republicans took the first step in repealing President Obama's signature health care law during a late-night "vote-a-rama"
- Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary, Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, will testify Thursday
- Michelle Obama made her final appearance on "The Tonight Show" as sitting first lady
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Dismantling of Obamacare Begins
The Senate passed a measure early Thursday to take the first step forward on dismantling President Barack Obama's health care law, responding to pressure to move quickly even as Republicans and President-elect Trump grapple with what the replace it with. The House is slated to vote on the measure on Friday, though some Republicans there have misgivings about setting the repeal effort in motion without a better idea of the replacement plan. The 2010 law extended health insurance to some 20 million Americans.
Trump Pick for Defense Secretary Testifies
Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis will testify Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is expected to broadly approve his nomination. Having retired in 2013, he would be the first career military officer to serve as defense secretary in more than a half-century. Although he is best known as a battle-hardened combat officer who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, he also has worked behind the scenes with senior civilian officials at the Pentagon.
Michelle Obama’s “Tonight Show” Farewell
Local
One day after her husband delivered his farewell address, Michelle Obama bid her own farewell, taking the talk show stage one last time as the sitting first lady. During her appearance on the “Tonight Show” Wednesday, she shared how emotional it has been to say goodbye after eight years in office. The first lady also surprised people who thought they were recording goodbye messages for her and penned a touching “thank you” note to her husband. In the middle of a busy transition, the president made time this weekend to serve as a groomsman in the wedding of a longtime friend.
U.S. Intelligence to Trump: We Didn’t Leak
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said he spoke with President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday and told him the intelligence community did not leak information about an unverified memo that sparked a firestorm of controversy when it was published online. At a Trump Tower news conference earlier in the day, Trump said he believed the agencies leaked the 35-page memo, which includes claims that the Russian government has been cultivating, supporting and assisting Trump for years, among other allegations.
Trump Gives Press Conference
Trump held his first news conference since his election, during which he announced he would not be divesting himself of his businesses interests, evaded a question on whether he trusted the U.S. intelligence agencies and vowed that Mexico would eventually pay for the wall on its border, among other things. Here are the top moments from the news conference and the tense moment Trump called CNN “fake news” and got into a shouting match with a journalist.
What’s Your State’s Favorite Netflix Show?
According to Fortune, more than half of Americans use the streaming service Netflix for access to both movies and TV episodes, and in recent years, many subscribers have turned to Netflix originals for some fresh content. So which binge-worthy series was most likely to be streaming in neighborhoods near you? Cable TV looked at state data from Google Trends in 2016 to identify the top Netflix original series for each state.
"Ninja Warrior" Saves Choking Man
A former contestant on NBC's "American Ninja Warrior" saved the life of a choking man in upstate New York. The incredible moment was captured on dash cam video.
