In brief: Supporters of Iran deal near key vote total to back up Obama

WASHINGTON – Supporters of the Iran nuclear deal are on the cusp of clinching the necessary Senate votes to keep the contested agreement alive and hand President Barack Obama a major foreign policy victory, in spite of furious opposition.

Democratic Sens. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Chris Coons of Delaware on Tuesday became the 32nd and 33rd senators to announce support for the deal, just one shy of the 34 votes needed to uphold an Obama veto of Republican legislation aimed at blocking the agreement.

Earlier Tuesday Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, predicted that Obama would get to 34 votes by week’s end.

Three men sought in officer shooting death

FOX LAKE, Ill. – Police in helicopters, with dogs and armed with rifles, were conducting a massive manhunt in northern Illinois into Tuesday night after an officer was fatally shot while pursuing a group of men.

An emotional Fox Lake Mayor Donny Schmit described the slain officer, Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, as a personal friend, a three-decade member of the department and a father of four sons.

“We lost a family member,” Schmit said of the officer known around town as “GI Joe.” “His commitment to the people of this community has been unmatched and will be dearly missed.”

Authorities said Gliniewicz, 52, radioed in to tell dispatchers he was chasing three men on foot in the village of Fox Lake, 55 miles north of Chicago. Communication with him was lost soon after, said Lake County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli.

“His backup arrived shortly thereafter and found him injured with a gunshot wound,” Covelli said. “The officer has succumbed to his injuries and passed away.”