Sunday: Pence, Christie, Smith

Two weeks into President Donald Trump’s administration, tensions in Washington remain high and divisions are stronger than ever.  Tuesday, Mr. Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, setting the stage for an early partisan battle on the hill. The president also continued to face a national and global backlash from his executive order which temporarily restricts travel into the United States from certain predominantly Muslim countries.

This Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence will make his first appearance on “Face the Nation” since assuming office.  The president just announced new sanctions on Iran and we’ll ask Mr. Pence just how tough the administration plans on being with Iran.  Some of Mr. Trump’s cabinet picks were confirmed this week, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, but other picks are being met with strong resistance from key senators on the hill.  How does Mr. Pence respond to the criticism that some cabinet picks being unqualified for their potential positions? Also, with many picks being large contributors to the Trump campaign, how will that square with the promises to drain the swamp?

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will also join us in his first Sunday show appearance since the election. Christie, who became a key early supporter of Mr. Trump’s presidential bid after his own candidacy flamed out, starts 2017 without a meaningful role in the Trump White House.  This week the governor critiqued the administration’s travel restriction on certain Muslim countries, calling the rollout of the executive order “terrible.” We’ll ask Christie what he thinks of the president actions thus far in the new administration.

Also on Sunday, the New England Patriots take on the Atlanta Falcons in Houston, Texas for Super Bowl LI. We’ll get some pre-game analysis from the host of CBS Sports’ “The NFL Today” and Special Correspondent for CBS News James Brown.

We’ll also talk with NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, who discussed Mr. Trump’s plan to repeal Obamacare in a recent interview, saying, “When it comes to legislation that can affect the health care of NFL players, that’s a big issue.” We’ll talk to Smith about the healthcare debate in Washington. How does the repeal affect NFL players?

And finally, our political panel will dissect all of this week’s news. We’ll be joined by Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report, the National Review’s Ramesh Ponnuru, Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus and Michael Duffy from TIME Magazine. 

It’s going to be an exciting broadcast, so don’t miss it! Check your local listings for airtimes.