SHANAHAN CONFIRMATION VOTE: President Trump’s pick to be deputy defense secretary, Boeing vice president Pat Shanahan, is set for a final confirmation vote in the Senate today. The chamber voted to end debate and move forward Monday evening after a partisan scuffle over the slow pace of approving nominees. After a rocky trip through the Senate, Shanahan, who was passed to the floor by the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 28, could soon be the Defense Department’s No. 2 under Defense Secretary Jim Mattis as the department attempts to shore up depleted forces and prepare for a buildup next year. During Shanahan’s Armed Services hearing, Sen. John McCain berated him for vague answers on arming the Ukrainians and threatened to hold up the nomination, relenting after Shanahan filed amended answers to his written committee testimony.

MORE NOMINEES IN SENATE: Despite McCain’s medical absence due to a blood clot, his Armed Services Committee is pushing ahead today on five Trump administration defense nominees with senior Republican member Sen. James Inhofe holding the gavel. First up this morning, Gen. Paul Selva will face the committee for his re-appointment to vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. McCain has made filling Pentagon positions a top priority this month and Armed Services is slated for a rare afternoon hearing on four nominees: