Sunday: Collins, McConnell
With the news of Sen. Susan Collins' support for his nomination, Brett Kavanaugh appeared on track Friday for his confirmation to the Supreme Court, after a process roiled by accusations of sexual misconduct.
"We will be ill-served in the long run if we abandon the presumption of innocence and fairness, tempting though it may be," the Maine Republican said. "We must always remember that it is when passions are most inflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy."
The Senate is expected to vote Saturday to confirm the conservative jurist to the nation's highest court, over the loud objections of Senate Democrats and the protesters who stormed Capitol Hill this week.
Now with 31 days until November's midterm elections, candidates from both parties hope to capitalize on Kavanaugh's divisive confirmation. Republicans see the fight potentially boosting their prospects, rallying their base against the left's "smear campaign" on President Trump's Supreme Court pick. But many in the GOP also fear fallout from the turmoil, depressing turnout in key battleground races across the country.
Ahead of those midterms, the Trump administration this week warned forcefully that China has undertaken an "unprecedented effort" to "undermine support for the president, our agenda and our nation's most cherished ideals."
"China wants a different American president," Vice President Mike Pence declared Thursday.
But Democrats have reacted skeptically to the alarm over Chinese election meddling. And it was seven Russians, not the Chinese, who federal authorities charged Thursday for a global conspiracy of cyberattacks and covert influence operations.
For some perspective on the week that was, join us Sunday on "Face the Nation" (@FaceTheNation) with Margaret Brennan (@margbrennan), guest moderated this weekend by John Dickerson (@jdickerson).
We'll question Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins), R-Maine.
We'll talk to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (@senatemajldr), R-Kentucky.
The Washington Post's national security correspondent Greg Miller (@gregpmiller) is out with a new book, "The Apprentice." We'll sit down with Miller this Sunday.
We'll take a look at new polling out of our CBS News Battleground Tracker, including the battle of control for the Senate and match-ups in Texas, New Jersey, Arizona and Tennessee.
And as always, we'll turn to our panel for analysis on the week ahead:
- Nancy Cordes (@nancycordes), CBS News Chief Congressional Correspondent
- John Harris (@harrispolitico), editor-in-chief of Politico
- Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim), White House reporter at The Washington Post
On television, on the radio and online, don't miss America's premier public affairs program this Sunday! Click here for your local listings.
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