Pete Hegseth cleared a procedural hurdle Thursday to advance his confirmation to lead the Defense Department for a final Senate vote, setting up a high-stakes showdown.  A motion to invoke cloture, or begin up to 30 hours of debate, passed 51-49. Republican Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, voted no on advancing Hegseth’s confirmation, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., voted yes.  Hegseth’s nomination was dealt another hurdle this week when reports...

A federal judge in Seattle on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order banning birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants, describing the action as “blatantly unconstitutional.” The decision by U.S. District Judge John Coughenour, a Ronald Reagan appointee, comes in response to four U.S. states — Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington — who sued to block Trump’s executive order, which was signed by Trump shortly after...