
Vance flexes political power in new role
CBSN
The vice presidency may have taken JD Vance out of the Senate, but his brief service there has turned out to be instrumental in the early weeks of the Trump administration.
Vance has proven to be essential in getting President Trump's most controversial cabinet nominees cleared through committees to a full Senate confirmation vote. Multiple Republican senators who were on the fence about supporting some of the president's picks have said it was Vance, their former Senate colleague, who helped them get them to yes on some of President Trump's most controversial Cabinet nominees.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana and a key swing vote, was uncommitted about voting for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department until he had "intense" conversations with the White House over the weekend.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer provided new details about the Trump administration's deportation flights of alleged gang members, but continued to argue the government had a right to reject a judge's order directing the planes to return to the U.S., even if they were already in the air.