Sunday: Graham, Coons, McAuliffe, Hurd
After floating a possible emergency declaration for months, if Congress denied him demanded funds for the border wall, President Trump made good on his threat Friday with an unprecedented reach for executive authority. The administration now hopes to spend some $8 billion to build the president's long-promised barrier, including the $1.375 billion Congress approved.
"It's an invasion. We have an invasion of drugs and criminals coming into our country," the president declared from the White House.
The decision has provoked a barrage of opposition, from threatened court challenges to congressional action. 2020 hopefuls have denounced the president's move. And both Democrats and Republicans have warned of the precedent he sets for future Democratic administrations, when inevitably they too are frustrated by Congress.
"If this president can declare a national emergency to build a wall, the next president can declare a national emergency to tear it down," Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., warned in a statement Friday.
Washington this week is also reeling from revelations from former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, detailed in his coming book and a bombshell 60 Minutes interview to air Sunday. McCabe narrates a shocking account from inside the Justice Department, including his tenure as acting FBI chief following James Comey's ouster.
The firestorm around McCabe's comments adds to an already challenging first day for President Trump's new attorney general, William Barr, as he returns to the top cop role he once held under the 41st president. Barr now heads a Justice Department under fierce scrutiny for its handling of the Mueller probe, as prosecutors move to sentence yet another Trump associate for lying to investigators.
Also Friday, the Trump administration ramped up its pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, slapping new sanctions on five top officials in the South American nation. Maduro this week insisted he has little interest in stepping down, despite U.S. efforts to unseat his regime.
And in China this week, negotiators are racing to strike a deal before a looming March tariffs hike. Despite the president's offer to delay the levy "if we're close to a deal," both sides this week sounded optimistic for a new deal in time.
"We've had a negotiation going on for about two days. It's going extremely well," the president boasted on Friday.
"I think they finally respect our country," he added later.
For the latest on another historic week in Washington, don't miss Margaret Brennan (@margbrennan) on "Face the Nation" (@FaceTheNation).
We'll hear from Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC), R-S.C.. Graham is in Germany for the Munich Security Conference this weekend, where he is leading a bipartisan congressional delegation.
Also in Munich is Sen. Chris Coons (@ChrisCoons), D-Del. Coons is a key Democratic voice on the Senate's appropriations, foreign relations, and judiciary committees.
We'll sit down with former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe), who is coming out with a new book: "Beyond Charlottesville."
We'll talk to Republican Congressman Will Hurd (@HurdOnTheHill), whose south Texas district spans some 800 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.
And as always, we'll turn to our panel for analysis and perspective on the week to come:
- Rachael Bade (@rachaelmbade) of The Washington Post
- David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) of The Washington Post
- Leslie Sanchez (@LeslieSanchez), a CBS News contributor
- Eugene Scott (@Eugene_Scott) of The Washington Post
On television, the radio, and streaming online, don't miss "Face the Nation" this Sunday. Click here to check your local listings.
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