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Senate confirms Antony Blinken as 71st secretary of state

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has confirmed President Joe Biden’s nominee to serve as secretary of state.

Antony Blinken becomes the third Cabinet member to win approval as the Biden administration forges ahead with a foreign policy intended to reverse former President Donald Trump’s “America First” doctrine and restore U.S. global standing.

The Senate voted 78-22 to approve Blinken, who’s a longtime confidant of Biden as well as a former deputy secretary of state and deputy national security adviser during the Obama administration.

The 58-year-old has pledged to be a leading force in the administration’s bid to reframe the U.S. relationship with the rest of the world after four years in which Trump questioned longtime alliances.

Blinken is expected to start work on Wednesday after being sworn in, according to State Department officials. He’s vowed to approach the world with both humility and confidence.