Face the Nation Moderator, CBS Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Boy Mom & USMC wife, UVA alum, CSH grad, CT Yankee & Sag Harbor native, retired 🇮🇪 dancer
What happens if stealing children becomes normalized in conflict? We spoke to 3 Ukrainian kids who have endured the unimaginable & are appealing to world leaders to stop Russia. 🇺🇦
At least 30,000 children were taken from their homes in Ukraine and unlawfully deported to Russia, Ukrainian records show.
Three Ukrainian children under the age of 15 told
@margbrennan
their stories and why they are traveling the world to plead for help.
From CBS' Pat Milton: Steve Bannon was taken into custody today by US Postal Service agents. He's expected to be arraigned today before a US magistrate.
@SDNYnews
alleges he had a role in defrauding donors as part of an online crowdfunding campaign known as “We Build the Wall”
President Biden while standing in East Jerusalem: “…the background of my family is Irish American. And we have a long history not fundamentally unlike the Palestinian people, with Great Britain and their attitude toward Irish Catholics over the years for 400 years.”
"The American public owe a phenomenal debt of gratitude to these people," Dr. Fauci says of healthcare workers. He calls them "brave warriors" against the
#coronavirus
who put themselves & their families at risk every single day.
Notable: Fiona Hill confirms that Russia asked the Trump administration to swap Viktor Bout & another Russian for Paul Whelan following the 2018 arrest of the US Marine vet. She says the President Trump was not “particularly interested.” Good context.
There was a potential prisoner swap raised during the Trump administration of Marine veteran Paul Whelan for Viktor Bout, former National Security Council Russia specialist Fiona Hill says. But, Pres. Trump wasn't "particularly interested" in Whelan's case though, Hill adds.
"Trump might be ridiculous for the rest of the world, but he is sane and wise man for the Taliban," a Sr Taliban member told
@Samiyousafzai
of hope for a Trump 2020 win.
@TimMurtaugh
told
@CBSNews
that the campaign rejects the endorsement.
#campaign2020
“Mr. Trump is the only president in the history of Gallup polling who has never had the support of a majority of Americans for even a single day, a troubling indicator for re-election.”
Scaramucci on an emboldened acquitted Trump: "He is going to ratchet it up to another level now. He’s going to be Trump to the 3rd power now. He’s not going to be exponential Trump because that’s not enough Trump. It’s going to be Trump to the 3rd power.”
Obama AG Eric Holder tells me that while he initially thought indicting former President Trump would be too divisive, he now thinks there is evidence enough that he should be held “accountable” for his role in January 6th
.
@RepLizCheney
on Cassidy Hutchinson: “She knew all along she would be attacked by President Trump, and by the 50, 60, 70 year old men who themselves hide behind Executive Privilege.”
#January6thCommitteeHearing
“They used the vacuum bomb today which is actually prohibited by Geneva convention, so you know the devastation Russia is trying to inflict on Ukraine is large,”
@OMarkarova
Ukraine Amb to US on Cap Hill today
I find that our testing rate is nothing to celebrate whatsoever -
@MittRomney
sharply rebukes Adm. Giroir & says he would not expect an admiral to use political spin.
#COVID19
"I have never seen a virus or any pathogen that has such a broad range of manifestations,” Fauci tells the
@FT
. “Even if it doesn’t kill you, even if it doesn’t put you in the hospital, it can make you seriously ill.”
@NIH
#COVID19
i've seen Israel humiliate previous US administrations, but aside from murderous 1967 Israeli airstrike against US navy ship Liberty, now forcing USA to do airdrops of aid to Gaza as if USA is no better than Egypt & Jordan is Israel's worst humiliation of USA i've ever seen.
Breaking - our David Martin reports that
@realDonaldTrump
will order SecDef Mattis to leave his Pentagon post immediately rather than work through the February 28 date he cited in his resignation letter. Deputy Patrick Shanahan to step into role. SAO confirmed.
#Climate
change provisions in Dem spending bill are non-negotiable from
@AOC
point of view. She told me on
@facethenation
that “we cannot afford to increase carbon or just fossil fuel emissions at this time. That is simply the science.”
@FaceTheNation
I will not be in the
@FaceTheNation
chair next week as I take some time with an expected newborn baby boy. The program is in good hands as a familiar face- my colleague
@jdickerson
-will host for the next several weeks assisted by the all star FTN team. I'll see you in November!
This funding was put together by
@brett_mcgurk
. While
@realDonaldTrump
says he never met the lead anti-ISIS diplomat, it was McGurk who negotiated the $ from Saudi & UAE for Syria. Here’s the
@StateDept
briefing on it from August
Saudi Arabia has now agreed to spend the necessary money needed to help rebuild Syria, instead of the United States. See? Isn’t it nice when immensely wealthy countries help rebuild their neighbors rather than a Great Country, the U.S., that is 5000 miles away. Thanks to Saudi A!
Venting here for all of us who have unvaccinated kids, vulnerable family members including those undergoing chemo or just with immunocompromised status….this is painful…I’m so glad we’re no longer isolated post vaccine but the anxiety is real & awful. Here’s to a short spike
Breaking - Brett McGurk, the President’s envoy to the coalition against ISIS, has resigned his post effective December 31. He had planned to exit in 2019 but accelerated the departure due to disagreement with the snap decision to pullout of Syria.
Flashback to fmr VP Mike Pence sharing how he & his wife struggled with fertility & started their family through IVF. We discussed in 2022 on
@FaceTheNation
risk of IVF being restricted post-Dobbs. He said IVF deserves legal protection
In my view,
@realDonaldTrump
is a president who you need to HEAR deliver his views. Tone, inflection, and unique rapid fire delivery are part of understanding context. Transcript is here for reference. Tune in to
@FaceTheNation
on
@CBSNews
for our conversation.
As the EU freezes Putin's assets, the US & UK look to put sanctions on the Russian President himself. Watch this space. It appears opposition is shifting...
@VP
@CBSThisMorning
"We were like men who dreamed." Here's a copy of the handwritten psalm given to
@VP
Pence & signed by the 3 freed prisoners. They handed it to him after arrival at JBA.
@FaceTheNation
Per WH press pool:
Reporter: "Do you believe that the border is secure?"
POTUS: "No, It is not. I haven't believed it for the last 10 years, and I've said it for the last 10 years. Give me the money."
The stinger anti aircraft missiles that
@POTUS
approved Saturday as part of that $350m military aid package have begun arriving in Ukraine. 200 have been delivered & “hundreds more” are being sent by the US multiple officials tell me,
@Olivia_Gazis
&
@CBSDavidMartin
The CEO of Wal-Mart, the world's largest brick & mortar retailer, says the company will make its parking lots available for testing facilities. Target's CEO says they'll keep stores open during crisis for supplies. $TGT $WMT
#Coronavirus
“We have credible information that indicates Russian forces are creating lists of identified Ukrainians to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation.,”
@usosce
@USAmbOSCE
#Russia
NEW: via
@alanacbs
photos of a flight that left HKIA, landed in Tblisi and then continued on to Norway.
The flight contained a large number of kids… from babies to teens… traveling alone.
This is a Norwegian soldier, cradling an infant en route.
@NorwayMFA
#Afghanistan
Are you saying there wasn't one [a specific piece of evidence]?
@EsperDoD
: "I didn't see one with regard to four embassies. What I'm saying is I share the president's view that probably- my expectation was they were going to go after our embassies."
NEWS:
@EsperDod
tells
@margbrennan
he "didn't see" specific evidence showing Iran planned to strike 4 U.S. embassies, despite
@realDonaldTrump
saying an attack at multiple embassies was “imminent." Watch more of Esper's interview on
@FacetheNation
today.
Ireland's
@RTENewsNow
signs off the broadcast with a mention that the President-elect is a "proud Irish American" & plays a recording of him reciting the beautifully tragic & hopeful poetry of Irish poet Seamus Heaney
“70% of mothers with children under 18 participate in the labor force, with over 75% employed full-time. Mothers are the primary or sole earners for 40% of households with children under 18 today, compared with 11% in 1960.”
@USDOL
The “suburban housewife” will be voting for me. They want safety & are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighborhood. Biden would reinstall it, in a bigger form, with Corey Booker in charge!
@foxandfriends
@MariaBartiromo
.
@CBSNews
learned last Thursday that the Griner-for-Bout swap was underway but agreed to a White House request not to report it because officials expressed grave concern about the fragility of the emerging deal & the safety of the Americans.
Great news for the family of
#BrittneyGriner
who will now have her home for the holidays after nine months of being wrongfully detained. 52 year old Paul Whelan, a US Marine veteran, has been imprisoned in Russia since 2018. He remains in Russia.
The President just seemed to casually float the incredible accusation that China may have deliberately released
#COVID19
. "Was it a mistake that got out of control or was it done deliberately?" He then adds Beijing would not allow in US inspectors perhaps due to embarrassment.
.
@StateDept
: “There is no damage or casualties at any U.S. Government facility. The incident is being investigated by the government of Iraq & the Kurdish Regional Government & we refer you to them for comment.
We condemn this outrageous attack and display of violence.”
#Erbil
The Pope himself weighs in on the sniper who killed two women sheltering inside a Catholic Church in Gaza. He calls it terrorism.
Yesterday the Latin patriarchate said it was an IDF sniper & that IDF tank fire had knocked out electricity at the convent where disabled shelter.
Pope Francis appeals for an end to the war ravaging the Holy Land, praying especially for Christians holed up in the Holy Family Catholic Parish in Gaza.
I still find this
@margbrennan
exchange the most illuminating/honest in how Biden thinks about Afghanistan
“Don’t you bear some responsibility for the outcome if the taliban ends up back no control & women end up losing the rights—-“
“No I don’t!”
“I’ve know great passions, seen amazing wonders, fought in a war, & helped make a peace...I’ve suffered the deepest despair & experienced the highest exultation. I made a small place for myself in the story of America & the history of my times.”
@SenJohnMcCain
, The Restless Wave
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Francis on Sunday appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop “this spiral of violence and death,” and decried the risk of a nuclear war.
Former SecState Henry Kissinger 95 years old - negotiated the end of combat in Vietnam in 1973. In eulogizing
@SenJohnMcCain
, he remembers his decision to turn down the Vietnamese offer to release the POW as part of those talks. McCain later said “thank you for saving my honor.”
David Whelan, brother of imprisoned Paul Whelan: "How do you continue to survive,day after day,when you know that your government has failed twice to free you from a foreign prison? I can't imagine he retains any hope that a government will negotiate his freedom at this point..."
"We've not forgotten about Paul Whelan,"
@POTUS
says of US Marine veteran who remains in Russia. He argues this was not a "choice" between Americans as he says Russia is treating Whelan differently from
#BrittneyGriner
. Biden says he's sending thoughts & prayers to his family.
"We are aware of President Zelenskyy’s location and are in close contact with him and his team. We continue to provide support to him and the democratically-elected government of Ukraine, but I’m not going to go into security matters,"
@StateDeptSpox
today on
@ZelenskyyUa
I find this detail so touching: “Albright’s pallbearers will be former members of her protective detail & of her diplomatic security service when she served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.”
In Cairo, Jordan’s King Abdullah says Islam, 1000 years before the Geneva Conventions, ordered soldiers not to kill a child, a woman or old person, destroy a tree, harm a priest or destroy a church. “These are the rules of engagement that Muslims must accept & abide by….”
Former SecDef Jim Mattis: “Today’s violent assault on our Capitol, an effort to subjugate American democracy by mob rule, was fomented by Mr. Trump. His use of the Presidency to destroy trust in our election & to poison our respect for fellow citizens has been by enabled by...”
Thinking this morning of the families of Peter Kassig, James Foley, Kayla Mueller, and Steven Sotloff as well as ISIS' other victims whose names we do not know as well the Yazidis & other minorities killed in the ISIS-led genocide.
Following Senator Harris’ resignation, there will be no black women in the Senate but as VP
@KamalaHarris
will hold the power to cast a tie-breaking vote in the soon to be Democratic majority Senate. She will be the 1st female, black, South Asian VP.
NEWS: Vice President-elect
@KamalaHarris
plans to resign from the U.S. Senate office on Monday, aides say. She has already started the process of her resignation and has notified California Gov.
@GavinNewsom
. She plans to make a formal announcement Monday.
WATCH: As
@VP
Mike Pence now suggests
@TheJusticeDept
overstepped in their prosecution of former National Security Adviser
@GenFlynn
here's a look back at his comments to
@margbrennan
in 2017 where Pence defended
#MichaelFlynn
's firing:
"I knew that he lied to me," Pence said
In a new
@CBSNewsPoll
, 72% of the nation believes mass shootings are preventable, however, there is a partisan split with 44% of Republicans saying mass shootings are something we have to accept.
@SalvantoCBS
breaks down these numbers.
I just had GW medical call at 815am to tell me they cannot honor an 830am appointment. Advice was to find a CVS minute clinic. No help at all. My primary care doctor office is wiped out sick. DC is awash in virus.
Minnesota's Governor
@GovTimWalz
adds that 20% of those arrested are Minnesotans but 80% are from outside the area. MN Dept of Public Safety's Harrington says white supremacists may be among them, looking into whether organized criminal org involved in looting
#GeorgeFloyd
DOJ spox: “The United States has taken custody of alleged Pan Am flight 103 bombmaker Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi. He is expected to make his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia...”
Today
@amazon
sends an offer letter to
@Potus
@JoeBiden
offering to help with distribution of a vaccine to help meet his goal of reaching 100m shots by 100 days -
@caroljoynt
confirms. $AMZN
Every day Mexico and the US work together on migration throughout the region. Facts clearly reflect this. An inaccurate news report should not serve to question this strong cooperation. Upholding human dignity and rights is not at odds with the rule of law. Happy Easter.
I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!
The new coronavirus infected people in the U.S. in mid-December 2019, a few weeks before it was officially identified in China and about a month earlier than public health authorities found the first U.S. case
“We the People will come together again in our never-ending effort to form a more perfect Union, while Mr. Trump will deservedly be left a man without a country.” Former SecDef Jim Mattis on today’s violence
Mattis continued....”pseudo political leaders whose names will live in infamy as profiles in cowardice. Our Constitution & our Republic will overcome this stain...”
General McMaster forgot to say that the results of the 2016 election were not impacted or changed by the Russians and that the only Collusion was between Russia and Crooked H, the DNC and the Dems. Remember the Dirty Dossier, Uranium, Speeches, Emails and the Podesta Company!
It is Trump admin policy to prosecute illegal crossings as criminal matters which triggered family separation. Both lawmakers questioned about Trump tweet on “horrible law” mentioned possible new proposals for immigration law changes. We’ll post transcript.
CBS News has learned that WNBA player Brittney Griner is now in US custody. A US official confirms the prisoner swap this morning. Details on
@CBSMornings
now…
In rare statement, Fmr Fed Chair Bernanke calls for a COVID relief bill BUT tells Congress it is "vital" that
@federalreserve
remain able to "respond promptly to damaging disruptions in credit markets"& that lending authorities stay "fully intact & available" h/t
@RichardEscobedo
Thank you to all of the correspondents in the field who continue to document the crisis in our democracy. The U.S. Attorney for D.C. is asking the public to report any assault of a journalist or property damage during January 6th Capitol siege.
#media
.....Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money. Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of U.S. for years!
My two little guys got vaccinated today. Their first doses. I cannot tell you what a big thing this is for us. We’re no longer left behind. Thank you science.
Trump has legitimised the far right in his own country, now he’s trying to do it in ours. Spreading hatred has consequences & the President should be ashamed of himself.
NEWS: Gen. Anthony Zinni (Ret) resigned his position
@statedept
citing an inability to resolve the Qatar dispute. He had originally been asked by Secretaries Tillerson & Mattis to work on Middle East issues including the Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA) initiative.
Call with my Italian counterpart
@luigidimaio
. Full solidarity with Ukraine. My colleague assured me that Italy will support banning Russia from SWIFT.
Russia’s “tactic was to commit mass murder against non-combatants because it didn't have the military competence to accomplish its objectives through fire & maneuver & the defeat of the opposing military force & then then the control of that territory.”
@LTGHRMcMaster
"This is an unprofessional force. This is a force that is not adhering to the basic military ethic or the law of war or just war theory," former National Security Advisor to the Trump administration, H.R. McMaster tells
@margbrennan
of Russian forces in Ukraine.
.
@ScottGottliebMD
says that 5 of the 8 countries in Southern Africa affected by the Biden travel ban have recently told
@pfizer
to halt their delivery of vaccines since national stockpiles are full. $PFE That suggests a distribution problem and hesitation issue.
#COVID19
Important piece from
@NorahODonnell
&
@60Minutes
. The government whistleblower who says the Trump administration's coronavirus response has cost lives -
@CBSNews
Trump-Putin meeting expected to have an extended one on one session lasting between 30-60 minutes according to US & European sources. Russia’s top diplomat says interpreters will be present but that the US specifically requested that it just be the 2 leaders in the room.
Friday's new indictments of 12 Russian intelligence officers directly contradict the denial made by Vladimir Putin to national security adviser John Bolton just two weeks ago
FLASHBACK: "There is no invasion and there is no such plans," Russian Ambassador to US Antonov on
@FacetheNation
on February 20, 2022. In response to my questions, he blamed "fake news."
Four days later, Russia invaded in Ukraine.
Why does Yovanovitch dismissal matter? Her testimony: "...shady interests the world over have learned how little it takes to remove an American Ambassador who does not give them what they want."
.
@VP
Pence showed me the psalm & personal thank you handwritten on a notecard by the 3 Americans freed from North Korea. We spoke at Joint Base Andrews at 4am. Our interview airs on
@CBSThisMorning
.
At presser,
@realDonaldTrump
says he's showing "great restraint" with Iran thus far. He adds that "going into Iran" [militarily] would be easy but adds that he has "plenty of time." He describes today's sanctions on Iran's Central Bank as the "strongest sanctions."
I would love to send Ambassador Sondland, a really good man and great American, to testify, but unfortunately he would be testifying before a totally compromised kangaroo court, where Republican’s rights have been taken away, and true facts are not allowed out for the public....