Breaking: US Senate votes to break filibuster of Hagel nomination

From ThinkProgress: The Senate on Tuesday voted to break the Republican-led filibuster of Chuck Hagel’s nomination to become the next Secretary of Defense, clearing the way for his confirmation.

Senate Republicans made history earlier this month by successfully filibustering a president’s Defense Secretary nominee for the first time in U.S. history.

But a number of Republicans who voted to uphold the filibuster joined Democrats in breaking the filibuster on Tuesday.

Overall, 18 Republicans voted for cloture, which ultimately passed by a vote of 71-27.

According to Senate rules, a final up-or-down vote on Hagel’s nomination will take place no later than 30 hours from today’s cloture vote. Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) said today that he hopes the vote will take place later on this afternoon.

Read more at ThinkProgress