Lynch clears filibuster, poised to become first black woman attorney general

Senators were on track to approve Loretta Lynch to be the new attorney general, defeating an early filibuster attempt Thursday morning, with a final vote scheduled later in the afternoon on what Democrats said was a major civil rights milestone.

Ms. Lynch, a federal prosecutor in New York, would replace Eric H. Holder Jr. and would be the country’s first black woman to reach the top law enforcement post.