
Senate poised to confirm John Ratcliffe as CIA director
CBSN
Washington — The Senate is poised to confirm John Ratcliffe as CIA director on Thursday as Republicans work to approve officials to the top posts in President Trump's administration amid delays by Democrats.
Senate Democrats slowed Ratcliffe's confirmation after his nomination advanced out of committee earlier this week, forcing procedural maneuvers to extend consideration of his nomination in recent days. Still, Ratcliffe's nomination was advanced with wide margins in a 72-26 procedural vote Thursday morning.
Sen. John Barrasso, the Republican whip, celebrated that the Senate was poised to confirm Ratcliffe's nomination, calling it "a win for our national security," while noting that it "should have been done two days ago."

The threat of tornadoes moved east into the Mississippi Valley and Deep South on Saturday, a day after a massive storm system moving across the country unleashed winds that damaged buildings, whipped up dust storms that caused deadly crashes and fanned more than 100 wildfires in several central states. Fatalities were reported in Missouri and Texas.

A Canadian woman who had appeared in an "American Pie" movie was detained for several days by U.S. immigration officials while attempting to cross the border from Mexico to the U.S. to renew her work visa, according to her mother. The woman's father expects his daughter to be able to return to Canada as early as Friday.

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