Sunday: Pompeo, Warner, Tester, Flake
President Trump kicked off his Group of 20 summit trip on a celebratory note, beaming alongside "good friends" - the leaders of Canada and Mexico - at the signing of his new trade deal to replace NAFTA.
But it was Russian leader Vladimir Putin's own chummy encounter with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - and the "pleasantries" that President Trump later exchanged with the crown prince - that dominated Friday morning's Buenos Aires coverage, drowning out news of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
For Mohammed bin Salman, a bipartisan chorus of Congressional voices are demanding that the president retaliate over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. A Senate majority advanced legislation to end U.S. support for the kingdom's brutal war in Yemen this week, over the objections of the White House.
And as he departed for Argentina, President Trump announced by tweet that it was "best for all parties concerned" to skip a scheduled meeting with Vladimir Putin, amid a tense standoff with Ukraine. This week, his administration joined international condemnation for Moscow's "aggression" capturing Ukrainian sailors and vessels crossing the Kerch Strait.
Also at the summit, President Trump hopes to strike a deal with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Despite threats to escalate an already bitter tariffs fight with Beijing, in the wake of GM's dramatic layoffs announcement, American businesses and investors are banking on a détente in Buenos Aires between the two multi-billion dollar trading partners.
On Thursday, President Trump railed against his former personal attorney, calling Michael Cohen a "weak person" and accusing him of "lying" to reduce his sentence. Cohen confessed that he lied to Congress about a controversial Moscow real estate deal, pursued on behalf of then-candidate Trump.
Paul Manafort also faces renewed legal peril, as prosecutors allege he lied to Mueller's probe in violation of his plea agreement. In contrast with his scorn for Cohen, the president lavished praise on his "brave" former campaign chair, telling the New York Post that a pardon for the former aide was not "off the table."
The recent flurry of activity from Mueller's current Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani to angrily call for "supervision" of special counsel Robert Mueller, while reigniting senators' calls for legislation to protect the special counsel, currently blocked by Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
For the latest on the week ahead, don't miss Margaret Brennan (@margbrennan) this Sunday on "Face the Nation" (@FaceTheNation).
We'll sit down with the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (@SecPompeo), as the president wraps up his visit to the Group of 20 summit in Argentina.
Virginia Democrat Sen. Mark Warner (@MarkWarner), the Senate Intelligence Committee's vice chairman, will join us.
We'll talk to Sen. Jon Tester (@SenatorTester), D-Montana, the ranking member on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee.
We'll air a preview of a "CBS This Morning" interview with the retiring chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker), R-Tennessee.
And as always, we'll seek some perspective with our panel, this week with:
- Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) of The Washington Post
- Gerald Seib (@GeraldFSeib) of The Wall Street Journal
- David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) of The Washington Post
- Jeffrey Goldberg (@JeffreyGoldberg) of The Atlantic
On television, the radio, and streaming online, don't miss America's premier public affairs program this weekend! Click here for your local listings.
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