The full Senate approved a waiver for Secretary of Defense nominee James Mattis Thursday afternoon by a vote of 81-17, according to a Senate Armed Services Committee spokesperson. SASC had approved the measure earlier in the day by a vote of 24-3. The House Armed Services Committee also approved the waiver Thursday, by a vote of 34-28, according to a HASC spokesperson. The full House is expected to vote on the bill tomorrow. Mattis’ confirmation requires a waiver because federal law stipulates a Defense Secretary must be retired from Active Duty military service for seven years before serving in the top civilian job at the Pentagon. Mattis retired from the US Marine Corps in 2013.
A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber flew from Europe across the Middle East to the Persian Gulf on July 25 in a 32-hour flight, as conflicts continued to roil the area with U.S. troops coming under attack in Iraq and Syria on July 25 and July 26, U.S. officials told…