Sunday: Rubio, Clapper, Meadows
Just one day after cancelling his planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, President Trump appeared on Friday to revive hopes for the historic meeting in Singapore. "They very much want to do it. We'd like to do it," the president told reporters, "we're going to see what happens." North Korean state media had called the pullout "unexpected," coming just hours after, in a confidence-building gesture, American journalists watched the regime demolish tunnels to its nuclear testing site.
President Trump blamed his pullout on "tremendous anger and open hostility" in a recent statement from North Korea, the latest in weeks of escalating barbs traded between the two countries. The Trump administration and others have also suggested Chinese President Xi Jinping has undermined the talks, encouraging Kim to take a harder line in the negotiations.
On Thursday, senior intelligence and law enforcement officials briefed lawmakers on the FBI's use of an informant in investigating Russia's 2016 election meddling. For weeks, President Trump has alleged the FBI spied on his campaign, saying it "could be one of the biggest political scandals in history!"
Democrats have derided the allegations as an unfounded attempt to undermine the special counsel's probe. But some House Republicans have called for a second special counsel to investigate the so-called "Spygate" charges. The idea gained steam this week after House Freedom Caucus Chair Mark Meadows, R-North Carolina, endorsed the proposal.
Also this week, President Trump slammed Democrats for "sticking up" for MS-13 gang members and bemoaned lawmakers' failure to pass immigration reform. The remarks came as factions of House Republicans are fighting with Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, for a vote on a variety of immigration proposals. The warring factions have sparked chaos on Capitol Hill, dooming an unrelated farm bill last week.
And the 2018 midterm elections heated up this week as voters headed to the polls in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, and Texas. The results set the stage for possibly historic wins by female candidates this fall, including a choice in Georgia to elect the country's first female black governor. President Trump is also gearing up to play a key role in defending conservative majorities in Congress, though he seemed unsure of its importance this week.
This Sunday, join Margaret Brennan (@margbrennan) for a discussion of the week that was, and the week ahead, on "Face the Nation" (@FaceTheNation).
We'll hear from Sen. Marco Rubio (@marcorubio), R-Florida, a key vote on the Senate's Foreign Relations committee.
We'll talk also to James Clapper, former director of national intelligence and author of "Facts and Fears: Hard Truths from a Life in Intelligence."
CBS News Foreign Correspondent Ben Tracy (@benstracy) will join us for a Reporter's Notebook looking back at his week reporting from inside North Korea.
Former senior CIA analyst Sue Mi Terry (@SueMiTerry), now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Jean Lee (@newsjean) of the Wilson Center will join us to discuss the latest developments from North Korea.
We'll interview the chair of the influential House Freedom Caucus Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows), R-North Carolina.
And as always, we'll get some analysis and perspective from our panel, this week with:
- Mark Landler (@MarkLandler), The New York Times
- Ramesh Ponnuru (@RameshPonnuru), National Review and CBS News Political Contributor
- Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS), CBS News Correspondent
- Susan Glasser (@sbg1), The New Yorker
Don't miss America's premier public affairs program this Sunday! Click here to check your local listings.
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