Congressional Delegations

Your morning global affairs speed-read

Former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) returns to the Senate today for his confirmation hearing as secretary of Defense. He can expect some sharp questioning from his former Republican colleagues, several of whom have already vowed to oppose him on the Senate floor. Check back with The Hill's DEFCON Hill blog for updates.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers remarks on American Leadership, at 2 p.m. at the Council on Foreign Relations. Watch it live here.

Michael Collins, Ireland's ambassador to the United States, discusses plans and priorities for the Irish Presidency of the European Union during the first six months of 2013 at the National Press Club.

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Biden defended Obama’s second-term national-security picks as "war heroes" and rejected claims Hagel would be a "dove" on policy.

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"I want to be very clear about my feelings: I do not believe the Senate is broken,” Kerry said. 

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Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Texas Sens. Ted Cruz (R) and John Cornyn (R) cast the only "no" votes.

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The Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously approved Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) to be the next secretary of State.

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Your morning global affairs speed-read

The Senate is expected to easily approve Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) to be the next secretary of State both in committee and on the Senate floor today. Kerry, the outgoing chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is expected to be easily confirmed after Republicans all but urged President Obama to nominate him in lieu of his ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice.

The United Nations' special envoy for Syria is expected today to deliver a bleak assessment of the chance for a peaceful end to the 22-month-old uprising, The Washington Post reports.

Hillary Clinton holds a “Global Town Hall” with reporters from around the world at the Newseum. This will be her 59th and final town hall as she prepares to turn over the reins to Kerry on Friday. Watch it live here.

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Kerry's nomination for State is expected to sail through after a non-confrontational confirmation hearing Thursday.

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The president made the comments in a rare joint interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" scheduled to run Sunday.

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Obama said he has relied on McDonough’s “intellect and good judgment” for the better part of a decade. 

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The Senate will likely vote Tuesday to make Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) the new secretary of State, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced Thursday.

“I'm working with the new committee chairman and the ranking member so that we can hold a vote on Tuesday on the nomination of the new secretary of State,” Reid said on the Senate floor. 

Kerry's nomination is expected to sail through. President Obama's first choice to replace Hillary Clinton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, withdrew from contention after Republicans vowed to oppose her and urged Obama to nominate Kerry instead.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a largely non-confrontational hearing on Kerry's nomination on Thursday, despite a few pointed questions about foreign aid and the administration's response to the Sept. 11 attack that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in Benghazi, Libya. Kerry could get a committee vote as early as Monday.

Ramsey Cox contributed