Sunday: Scott, Gowdy, Sanders, Grandi
With a tweet Wednesday, President Trump announced he wanted his personal physician, Navy Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson, to replace David Shulkin as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. An Obama administration holdover, Shulkin had been on thin ice for months after a reported insurgency in his own department and questions over improper travel expenses.
And though Dr Jackson's work as doctor to both Presidents Trump and Obama has won bipartisan praise, some wonder if his credentials are sufficient to lead the country's second-largest agency.
Scrutiny also intensified on EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt after revelations he paid just $50 a night to stay in a condominium linked to a fossil fuel lobbyist. This week environmental groups criticized an EPA proposal to roll back Obama-era pollution rules which would have significantly cut oil consumption and emissions.
In Sacramento, attorneys for Stephon Clark's family are planning a federal lawsuit over the shooting of another unarmed black man. The 22-year-old was gunned down by police in his grandmother's backyard, shot several times in the back after authorities say they confused a cell phone he was holding for a gun.
At Clark's funeral, some attacked the White House's response to the killing. On Wednesday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had described it as a "certainly a terrible incident," but declined further comment, saying it was "a local matter."
And in retaliation for the U.S. expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats Monday, Russia shut down the American consulate in St. Petersburg, expelling 60 U.S. diplomats. Russia also released video Friday depicting the test of a new ICBM, termed by NATO as "Satan Two." The diplomatic tit-for-tat marked the latest escalation in the wake of a Russian double agent's murder on English soil.
Tune in to "Face the Nation" (@FaceTheNation) this Sunday for discussion of all that and more with moderator Margaret Brennan (@margbrennan).
We'll air an interview with Sen. Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott), R-South Carolina, and Rep. Trey Gowdy (@TGowdySC), R-South Carolina, who are out with a new book: "Unified: How Our Unlikely Friendship Gives Us Hope for a Divided Country."
We'll talk also to Sen. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders), I-Vermont, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
We'll hear from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi (@RefugeesChief), on the global crisis of displaced people.
And as always, we'll turn to our expert Political Panel for analysis and some perspective on the week that was, and the week ahead:
- Michael Crowley (@michaelcrowley) of Politico
- David Frum (@davidfrum) of the Atlantic
- David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) of the Washington Post
- Shawna Thomas (@Shawna) of VICE News
Don't miss "Face the Nation" this Sunday! Click here to check your local listings.
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