Extended Interview: Brett McGurk

This week on Face the Nation, midterm elections campaigning enters the home stretch, and President Trump's latest move to ease pressure on Vladimir Putin sparks fury among some Republicans. From east to west, and far north to deep south, it's down to the sweet sixteen for the 2026 candidates, even for the politician whose name won't actually appear on any ballot this year.  But will the rallies be enough to reverse those hurricane force headwinds the President is facing?  We have brand new polling on that Texas race, it's one of the tightest toss ups in the country.  We'll also look at the President's latest move to make it easier for Vladimir Putin to sell oil, an executive order freezing the just passed Lindsey Graham law intended to cut off funding for Putin’s war chest. Ohio Republican Congressman Mike Turner and North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer will weigh in on that. Finally, we'll talk with Florida Democratic Senate Candidate Angie Nixon.  It's all just ahead on Face the Nation. 

For another perspective on artificial intelligence, we spoke with Shyam Sankar, the chief technology officer for the software company Palantir.We spoke about how the rapidly advancing technology should be regulated and how the government is using their technology.

This week on Face the Nation, President Trump scrambles to cut last minute deals ahead of the midterms, the latest prompting backlash within his own party. Twenty three days to go before the votes are counted and the atypical campaign continues. Late Friday, Trump cut a deal with Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel exports in an effort to lower the price of fuel in the US.  That deal came with a whack at Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, who America has supported throughout its four and a half year war with Russia.  But will Trump's deal with Putin prompt even more Republican candidates to distance themselves from him? We'll ask the number two in the Senate, Wyoming Republican John Barrasso.    Democrats have their own challenges, how are they going to get their loyalists to turn out? We'll talk with Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy and the democratic nominee for Senate in New Hampshire, Congressman Chris Pappas. Then, ICE deportation tactics are back in the spotlight following an ICE-involved shooting in New York City. We'll get the latest on that – and an update on the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias - from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Finally, another view on AI with the Chief Technology Officer at Palantir, Shyam SankarIt's all just ahead on Face the Nation.

Three years ago, Hamas massacred 1200 people in Israel, and took 254 people hostage.As national security council coordinator under former President Biden, Brett McGurk worked to secure their release, a challenge he writes about in his new book, BRINK. We spoke with McGurk last week.

This week on Face the Nation, one month away from midterms and the pressure on the President to do something about high prices is buildingWith control of the House and Senate at stake, President Trump has been on a red state road trip to get Republicans to the polls. Our new CBS poll has troubling news for the President's party.  With 9 in 10 voters saying they rate the economy on the basis of prices, 7 in 10 say that Trump's policies are making food and grocery prices go up, and 9 in 10 says the conflict with Iran is making US gas and oil prices either a lot or a little higher. With early voting now underway, it may be too late for Trump to turn things around. We'll talk with energy Secretary Chris Wright about new efforts to get gas prices down. Plus we'll ask Zach Lahn , the Republican running for governor in Iowa. Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly also weighs in.  All that and more ahead on Face the Nation. 

This week on Face the Nation, President Trump turns his focus to the midterm elections, following a week of high-stakes summits with foreign allies and adversaries. The president spent much last week striding the world stage without ever leaving the U.S., first delivering a stark warning to Iran in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly. So what is the status of that potential deal? In a network exclusive, we'll hear from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on his country's latest offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the conflict. Then, Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Washington drew no shortage of pomp and circumstance, but behind it all, serious tensions remain. Chief among them, the status of Taiwan. We'll check in with the territory's representative to the U.S., Ambassador Alexander Yui. Plus, with midterm elections just weeks away, Republicans are scrambling to save their majority in both houses. We'll ask Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy about the outlook for the GOP and Connecticut Democratic Congressman Jim Himes on his party's plan to govern if it does take the majority. It's all just ahead on Face the Nation.

This week on Face the Nation, President Trump bars three major news organizations from covering the White House as Republican concern over the impact of his policies continues to grow.The countdown clock to the midterm elections continues to tick down, but the rest of the numbers affecting the economy continue to go up. We're now 200 days into the war with Iran...and gas prices remain high, with diesel prices at new record highs.But promises those gas prices will come down soon are wearing thin with some Republicans. Especially in Iowa, where farmers are struggling and where two House Republicans in tight races voted last week to oppose the President's open-ended war in Iran. And Trump's deportation policy is an issue for Republicans in some districts, Florida Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar made a direct appeal to the President in a campaign ad.We'll talk with Congresswoman Salazar, California Democrat Ro Khanna, plus Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy and Trump first term economic advisor Gary Cohn.Finally, we'll hear another viewpoint in the debate over how to manage the fast moving pace of Artificial Intelligence development as our Jo Ling Kent spoke with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.It's all just ahead on Face the Nation.

This week on Face the Nation, a major development in the Artificial Intelligence arms race, and our election year battleground tracker reveals where the race for control of Congress stands less than two months from election day.   As the midterm election campaign pace picked up dramatically last week, so did America's anxiety over AI. Dario Amodei is the head of Anthropic. We'll have more of Amodei's first on CBS conversation with our Jo Ling Kent. Then, on to politics.  We'll talk with Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox as well as Michigan Democratic Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Plus we have brand new findings showing where the battle for Congress stands, and Norah O'Donnell will preview tonight's season premiere of 60 Minutes. It’s all just ahead on Face the Nation. 

This week on Face the Nation, there are new signs of resiliency in the job market, but prices remain high.As Americans hit the roads and skies before the end of summer, gasoline prices are at the highest ever for a Labor Day weekend. One major factor behind elevated prices: the war with Iran, which flared up again last week.What could that conflict – plus a new landmark U.S. oil deal with Venezuela – mean for consumers in the U.S.? We'll ask Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who's just back from Caracas.Plus, as Republicans begin to make their case to fall voters at its first ever GOP midterm convention. We'll hear from the fourth ranking Republican in the House, Michigan Congresswoman Lisa McClain and the Co-Chair of the GOP Midterm Convention, businessman and Sunoco chairman Ray Washburne.Then, Democrats plan to counter that convention to make their case, but what do they plan to do about affordabilility? We'll talk with Colorado Democrat Jason Crow and Michigan gubernatorial candidate hopeful Jocelyn Benson.

This week on Face the Nation, an update from Nepal following last week's devastating flooding, and a look back at the chaotic withdrawal from the longest war in US history Four days after a glacier collapsed and triggered a cataclysmic flash flood in Nepal, we'll have the latest on the search for its missing victims, including nearly 100 Americans.  And, with the attacks on Ukraine and concerns about Russian aggression intensifying, we'll talk to Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who is just back from the region. Then, the President hits the campaign trail and begs voters to make the elections a referendum on HIM.  Will that strategy help or hurt his party?  We'll talk with Congressman John James, the Republican nominee for Governor in Michigan.   We'll also try to clear up the confusion over mail in ballots and look how those court cases could impact the midterm elections. Finally, five years after the catastrophic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, we'll share the story of a former Afghan general's dramatic flight from his country following the 20 year war. It's all just ahead on Face the Nation.