Political Scene

SENATE

Financial overhaul vote set Thursday

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is planning a final vote Thursday morning on a sweeping overhaul of financial regulations. Passage in the Senate would send the bill to President Obama for his signature.

Mr. Reid announced the timing Tuesday after votes to ensure its passage fell into place. At least three Republicans, 55 Democrats and two independents are expected to support the bill. That would provide the 60 votes needed to overcome Republican procedural hurdles.

The legislation is one of Obama’s top legislative initiatives. Democrats and the White House had hoped for passage before July 4, but met with concerns from some key senators.

By Tuesday, the 60th vote appeared to lock in when conservative Sen. Ben Nelson, Nebraska Democrat, announced his support for the bill.

SENATE

Hearing set for intelligence pick

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Tuesday scheduled a confirmation hearing for President Obama’s nominee for national intelligence director, a sign of a shift in a standoff between congressional Democrats and the White House.

Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat, set a hearing for July 20 for James T. Clapper. The session would be held more than six weeks after Mr. Obama said he hoped for a speedy confirmation.

Mrs. Feinstein had refused to hold the hearing until House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, allowed last year’s intelligence bill to proceed. The measure has passed the Senate, but Mrs. Pelosi is in talks with the Obama administration to make it stronger in its oversight authority.

NEW YORK

U.S. trial allowed for Gitmo detainee

NEW YORK | The first Guantanamo Bay detainee to be prosecuted in a civilian court was cleared for trial Tuesday by a judge who said a two-year interrogation and five-year detention were not grounds for dismissal because they served compelling national security interests.

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani was interrogated by the CIA for important intelligence information, U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan wrote in a decision that rejected defense requests to toss out the indictment on the grounds that Mr. Ghailani was denied a speedy trial.

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