Leading the news from Sunday’s shows was the unequivocal proclamation by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that Judge Neil Gorsuch will be confirmed by the Senate to the Supreme Court.
McConnell’s vow makes it clear that, if Democrats seek to require 60 votes by filibustering the nomination, he is ready to invoke the “nuclear option,” denying the right to filibuster a Supreme Court nominee and allowing an up-or-down vote on Gorsuch. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Gorsuch will not get 60 votes, meaning it appears McConnell will have to go nuclear to get him confirmed.
The Democratic ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Virginia’s Mark Warner, said the panel was not yet prepared to consider a reported request by former national security adviser Mike Flynn to be granted immunity in exchange for his testimony about his involvement with Russia during the campaign.
United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley said there was “no question” Russia hacked the election. And Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, said ties between the Trump campaign and Russia were a legitimate focus of the Senate probe. Putin is seeking a meeting with Trump, according to an aide to the Russian president.
Oddly, Haley also said that Trump’s tweets, which sometimes veer into foreign policy, were mere “chatter” that don’t affect her interactions with other world leaders.
And Trump’s EPA chief, Scott Pruitt, said human activity indeed contributes to global warming, but he suggested the government needs to determine the extent of the impact in order to be able to evaluate how far it should go regulating emissions.
