VP-elect Mike Pence told House Republicans that executive orders are being planned for Trump to sign on day one, which would repeal parts of Obamacare. Pence also told a group of GOP legislators to continue to blame any problems with the law on Democrats. He hopes to keep the parts of Obamacare they like, while blaming anything that may go wrong on their opposition.

President-elect Donald Trump has yet to receive a full briefing on the alleged Russian hacking scandal. Trump had a planned briefing this week, but tweeted the “so-called ‘Russian-hacking’” briefing had been delayed to Friday by intelligence officials. The claim was subsequently rejected by a U.S. official. According to government officials, the full briefing on Russia was always planned for Friday.

On Wednesday, President Obama went to Capitol Hill to speak with Democratic lawmakers in a closed-door session about preserving Obamacare. “Look out for the American people,” he told reporters as he left the Capitol. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said the President was helping legislators prepare for a fight over health care by giving advice on how to explain the importance of the law to the American people.  

One of the first orders of business for the 115th Congress will be to gut the independent Office of Congressional Ethics. Announced on Monday night, it was revealed the House Republican Conference had approved a change to effectively strip the ethics office of its powers. It was set up in 2008 after three members of Congress were sent to jail for corruption. Donald Trump has since disapproved of the move.

After eight years at the helm of American politics, President Barack Obama will be leaving his post on January 20. On January 10 in Chicago, Obama will hold his farewell address. In an email, he wrote: “I'm just beginning to write my remarks. But I'm thinking about them as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here.”