On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, moderated by Margaret Brennan:
- Attorney General Todd Blanche
- Rep. Jason Crow, Democrat of Colorado
- Anthony Salvanto, CBS News executive director of elections and surveys
- Sen. Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina
- Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa
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to browse full transcripts from 2026 of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."MARGARET BRENNAN: I'm Margaret Brennan in Washington.
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I → moderate → Washington
With control of Congress on the line, closing arguments from Republicans and Democrats are coming into focus with just days to go until the midterm elections.
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arguments → come → elections
DONALD TRUMP (President of the United States): We're going to crush the radical left Democrats all across the country.
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We → go → country
We're going to win the Republican House and we're going to win the Republican Senate.
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we → go → Senate
(Begin VT)
BARACK OBAMA (Former President of the United States): This election is our last, best chance to at least rein in some of the foolishness of this administration.
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election → begin → administration
But President Trump's final push extends beyond the campaign trail.
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push → extend → trail
The Justice Department is stepping up its efforts to intervene with a series of legal challenges.
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Department → step → challenges
We will speak with U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche about the department's actions and what more could be ahead as the midterms near.
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midterms → speak → actions
Will the Lone Star State turn blue?
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State → turn → ?
Texas' Democratic nominee for governor, Gina Hinojosa, will join us.
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nominee → join → us
Plus, does Elon Musk wield too much control in space?
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Musk → wield → space
Yesterday, he explained it was his decision to throttle Ukraine's SpaceX satellite access due to their drone strikes against Russia.
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it → explain → Russia
We will ask Democratic Congressman Jason Crow and Republican Senator Thom Tillis what, if anything, Congress can do about the billionaire's influence over technology critical to the U.S. and its allies.
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Congress → ask → U.S.
It's all just ahead on Face the Nation.
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It → face → Nation
With just nine days until the final voting day of the midterm elections, our CBS News Battleground Tracker estimates Democrats are on pace to take control of the House with 229 seats.
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Democrats → estimate → seats
The Senate remains a toss-up.
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Senate → remain → ?
And although President Trump isn't on the ballot this year, voters tell us he is a major factor in their decision at the ballot box.
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he → tell → box
We will have much more on our new survey later in the broadcast.
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But, first, we turn to a series of election-related actions by the Justice Department that are drawing new attention in the closing days of the campaign.
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that → turn → campaign
And we begin with U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche.
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we → begin → Blanche
Your colleague Harmeet Dhillon, whose office would oversee election integrity cases, told my colleagues over at 60 Minutes that – quote – "absent some shocking contingency that's unexpected, there should be no interruption in the usual course of counting and certifying the results in the states."
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that → oversee → states
Do you share that view?
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you → share → view
Well, yes, of course, absent – absent some facts that require us to do otherwise.
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that → require → us
President Trump, the Department of Justice, we don't want to have to get in elections, of course not.
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we → want → course
But that doesn't mean that at times any Justice Department doesn't do that and shouldn't do that if the facts and the law require it.
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facts → mean → it
Well, it seems you already are taking action up in Alaska.
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you → seem → Alaska
Just for our audience to understand, there are two Dan Sullivans on the ballot there.
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audience → understand → ballot
The Justice Department is suing Alaska preemptively to block the certification of the results if Senator Sullivan loses.
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Sullivan → sue → results
Now, President Trump was asked about this lawsuit.
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Trump → ask → lawsuit
He said – quote – "I'm the one that said do it."
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that → say → it
Who did he tell to do this?
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Did he tell you to do this?
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he → tell → this
Well, first of all, let me correct you, OK?
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me → let → you
You described facts that were just simply either at best misleading, but were really a lie to your viewers.
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that → describe → viewers
It is not two Dan Sullivans, one an incumbent and one running.
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one → run → ?
The head of the Alaska Election Commission, not – not President Trump, not me, has said that the second Dan Sullivan is running solely to confuse voters, solely to pull votes away from the incumbent senator.
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Sullivan → say → senator
OK, so that is something that we're dealing with.
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we → deal → that
It's not just two Dan Sullivans running on the ballot in Alaska.
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It → run → Alaska
And, second, President Trump has been talking about what a travesty this is for many, many, many months, and the Department of Justice has been looking at it for many, many, many months, as we should under federal law.
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we → talk → law
And you saw what we did earlier this week, late last week.
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we → see → what
…and 208 more, not listed.
The Aporia
