UNDATED (AP)- Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said Tuesday morning (Jan. 21, 2025) that lawmakers would continue to consider Trump’s nominations throughout the week, with a vote on John Ratcliffe likely later in the day. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term and would be the first person to hold that position and serve as CIA director if confirmed as expected. He’s a former federal prosecutor who emerged as a fierce Trump defender while serving as Republican congressman from Texas during Trump’s first impeachment. At his confirmation hearing last week, Ratcliffe told lawmakers the CIA must do better when it comes to using technology like artificial intelligence and quantum computing to confront adversaries like Russia and China. He said the country must improve its intelligence capabilities while also ensuring the protection of American civil rights.