Senate panel narrowly recommends Pompeo as US diplomatic chief

US President Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, narrowly won approval from a Senate panel and is expected to be confirmed by the full chamber this week.

A last-minute vote flip by Republican Senator Rand Paul, who for weeks had expressed opposition to Pompeo over his stance on the Iraq war and surveillance issues, gave Pompeo a narrow edge in yesterday's vote -- and avoided what would have been an embarrassing setback as the president seeks to install his top diplomat.