Washington — President Donald Trump notched a victory Wednesday with Rex Tillerson anointed as his secretary of state, but opposition Democrats girded for battle over other nominations, including his US Supreme Court pick. The Senate confirmed Tillerson, the former CE of oil giant ExxonMobil, by a vote of 56 to 43, before he was sworn in at the White House. Democrats had argued Tillerson’s lack of government experience and ties to Russia would not serve US diplomatic interests well. But four Democrats ultimately joined all 52 Republicans voting in favour. With Tillerson sworn in, Trump has another key member of his national security team in place, along with his defence and homeland security secretaries and Central Intelligence Agecy (CIA) director. "This is a man that is respected all over the world before he even begins," Trump said at the White House, thanking Tillerson. "He left a very good job for this, I want to tell you." But battles loomed on Capitol Hill over other key nomi...

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