Trump's DNI pick clears key hurdle, reviving path for nation's top anti-terror surveillance program

Senate Republicans quietly advanced President Donald Trump’s pick to run the nation’s intelligence agencies and placed Congress back on a path to restart a crucial counterterrorism tool.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., revealed that the panel voted U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton out of committee nine to eight during a closed-door session. That tees up a later confirmation vote for Clayton to serve as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

"Jay Clayton is a...