After a day of confusion that threatened the future of the legislation, the White House issued a statement on the record that Trump supported the bill along with a more conservative piece of legislation.

"The President fully supports both the Goodlatte bill and the House leadership bill. In this morning's interview, he was commenting on the discharge petition in the House, and not the new package. He would sign either the Goodlatte or the leadership bills," White House spokesman Raj Shah said in a statement.

After toiling away for weeks on a hard-fought compromise bill that tackled border security and even delivered Trump his campaign promise of a border wall, Republican aides and members involved in the discussions were taken aback by the President's impromptu interview with Fox News on the White House lawn where Trump insinuated he wouldn't support a bill that had been negotiated with his administration's involvement. Many members were desperate to believe that the President had either been referring to another bill or would reverse course later in the day -- while conservatives cheered the President as rightfully demanding changes to the bill.

One White House official who was watching the interview in a room with others said there were audible gasps when the President made the comment as staff immediately realized the potential consequences of the President's remarks.

On Friday afternoon, Trump tweeted, but it did little to settle the question of where he officially stood on the compromise legislation.

"The Democrats are forcing the breakup of families at the Border with their horrible and cruel legislative agenda. Any Immigration Bill MUST HAVE full funding for the Wall, end Catch & Release, Visa Lottery and Chain, and go to Merit Based Immigration. Go for it! WIN!" Trump tweeted.

Before the on-the-record statement, the White House official told CNN on Friday after the tweet that Trump did indeed support the House compromise immigration bill, despite saying otherwise in the morning. The same person admitted that Trump's tweet had done little to clarify his position.

The official also said that congressional leadership had reached out to the White House to express their unhappiness with the President's comments.

The White House official said Trump "misunderstood" the question on Fox about the moderate immigration bill and that the President thought he was referring to another moderate effort, a rare procedural move known as a discharge petition that would have forced a series of immigration votes on the House floor including on bills that didn't have the backing of GOP leaders.

The lack of clarity led GOP leaders to put their plans for the bill on hold.

One GOP whip aide told CNN, "It's pretty basic. We aren't going to whip anything unless it has Trump's support. That's why we need more clarity."

The confusion engulfed the House chamber during the last vote series of the week and was emblematic of an exercise that members have managed before during tax revisions and health care where Trump famously held a celebration of an Obamacare repeal bill in the White House Rose Garden only to turn around and call the bill "mean" later.

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a moderate Republican from Florida, told reporters that he was confident Trump would sign the legislation.

"I think it's important for everybody to take a deep breath, look at the bill, judge it on its merits, not what people are saying about the bill," Diaz-Balart said.

But the entire episode revealed how often Republicans expect Trump to change his mind.

Mark Walker, the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, told CNN that he believed Trump's earlier comments were not necessarily definitive.

"With the text just coming out (Thursday) who knows what kind of full briefing there has been on it. I think the part of it he will like is the trigger mechanism that if the appropriation, funding and the spending on the wall is not delivered on then there is no other part of the bill," Walker said.

"He keeps us all excited about how we are going to get things done," Rep. Dennis Ross, a Republican from Florida and supporter of the compromise bill, told CNN.

Conservatives, meanwhile, said the President was rightly demanding more aggressive measures. Rep. Scott Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, said the President was right to voice opposition to the compromise bill and said he hopes Trump doesn't walk back his statement.

"I think he's correctly gauging where the American people are on the issue and informing the legislature that they've got to go back and do some more work," Perry said.

Mark Meadows, the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, was adamant the President was not confused about which bill he was talking about.

"That is not accurate," he said.

Michael Avenatti, the attorney for Stormy Daniels, said new evidence will likely be brought forward "over the next few weeks and months" that will help prove Trump was aware of a $130,000 hush agreement drawn up by Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, and executed just before the 2016 election.

"It is just the beginning," Avenatti said on "New Day." "We have a whole host of evidence. This is not going away. And Mr. Cohen better come clean for the American people, and they better do it quickly."

Avenatti said on NBC's "Today" later Monday morning that Daniels is prepared to share "intimate details" about Trump.

"She can describe his genitalia, she can describe various conversations that they had that leave no doubt as to whether this woman is telling the truth," he added.

Cohen has said Trump "vehemently denies" any affair took place. Earlier in March, attorneys for Trump and for Cohen's company, Essential Consultants, filed to move Daniels' lawsuit claiming the nondisclosure agreement is invalid to federal court. They claim Daniels could owe in excess of $20 million for violating the agreement.

On CNN last week, David Schwartz, a lawyer for Cohen, argued that there was "nothing illegal about" Cohen's payment of $130,000 to Daniels as part of the nondisclosure agreement. "And given the context of this relationship, there's certainly nothing unethical about it," he added.

On CNN, Avenatti wouldn't get into details about his claim of evidence related to the alleged affair, which Daniels says occurred more than a decade ago, but said his team is "only getting started."

"We're going to prove that Mr. Cohen's statements to the American people are false, that at all times, Mr. Trump knew about this, knew about the $130,000, was fully aware of it, and with the assistance of Mr. Cohen, sought to intimidate and put my client under a stump," Avenatti said.

This is the first modern government shutdown with Congress and the White House controlled by the same party, and it comes on the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration.

Trump's White House however immediately blamed Democrats for the shutdown.

"Tonight, they put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country's ability to serve all Americans," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement moments before midnight. "We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands. This is the behavior of obstructionist losers, not legislators."

Trump and his representatives had been labeling the event the "Schumer shutdown" after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, but the New York Democrat was quick to call it "the Trump shutdown."

"It's almost as if you were rooting for a shutdown," Schumer said from the Senate floor. "And now we will have one. And the blame should crash entirely on President Trump's shoulders. This will be called the Trump shutdown. This will be called the Trump shutdown because there is no one, no one, who deserves the blame for the position we find ourselves in than President Trump."

Sixty votes were needed to advance the bill to keep the government open for four weeks. Republicans only control 51 seats, so GOP leaders needed Democratic votes to cross that threshold. It failed 50-49.

Key issue is setting a date

One of the key issues Friday has been just how long to extend funding. The House passed a measure Thursday night to continue funding the government through February 16, and that measure is the one that failed in the Senate early Saturday morning. Democrats have pushed for a shorter-term continuing resolution of a couple days. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who said he would not vote for the House proposal, pushed a plan to keep the government open until February 8.

After the vote, McConnell said he will offer a new continuing resolution to fund the government through February 8. McConnell said he wanted to introduce it during this early morning session, but he wasn't able to for procedural reasons and it wasn't clear if that measure would have enough Democrats it to advance.

"I'll be offering an amendment to change the date to February the eighth," McConnell said around 12:30 a.m. ET. "Unfortunately we'll not be able to get that vote tonight ... And that's the date the senator from South Carolina, the senior senator from South Carolina that I've been talking about, Democratic leader and I have been talking about, which begins to move a little bit close to our friends on the other side said they wanted to be. but a reasonable period of time."

Two GOP sources say that Graham's three-week compromise idea wasn't by accident -- it is the off-ramp on the table, if Democrats are willing to take it.

"It's a live option," one of the sources said -- one Democrats have been told is an acceptable change for Republicans. The big question, the sources said, is whether it goes nearly far enough for Democrats who've listed a litany if reasons for their opposition.

Two sources say Democrats have pitched a new continuing resolution that would expire on January 29, the day before Trump's State of the Union address. Republicans are not willing to consider that, one source said.

Trump showed his support for the House plan of a four week extension just hours before that vote was scheduled.

"Excellent preliminary meeting in Oval with @SenSchumer - working on solutions for Security and our great Military together with @SenateMajLdr McConnell and @SpeakerRyan. Making progress - four week extension would be best!" Trump tweeted Friday evening.

White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer" that as efforts continue to reach an agreement, "we're in a weekend so we have a little more flexibility here."

House Democrats prepare for shutdown

Rep. John Yarmuth, a Kentucky Democrat, told reporters that the House Democratic leadership team concluded at their meeting Friday night there would be a government shutdown and the group expected it to last through early next week.

"I think it is almost 100% likely that the government will shut down for some period of time -- now my guess is it won't go past the first of the week -- in which the disruption won't be particularly severe," said Yarmuth, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee.

Pelosi gave a very brief overview to the leadership team of what Schumer told her about his meeting with the President. According to Yarmuth, Schumer laid out what his priorities are and the President said he wanted the Senate to pass the House bill. Asked why the meeting lasted so long, he quipped, "Well, Trump repeats himself, that's what I understand."

Yarmuth expected the House, which was scheduled to be out of session next week, would likely come back just for a day to approve some type of stopgap bill.

"There are all sorts of things being discussed apparently, from one day to three days, to five days, to three weeks to four weeks. Four weeks being the president's position." He said Democrats would be fine with backing some type of short term continuing resolution.

Some Democratic aides for progressive members have been worried that Schumer would cut a deal and give away leverage on some of their priorities, but Yarmuth insisted that the House and Senate Democrats are "in 100% agreement on this and totally working hand in hand."

House members had been scheduled to be on recess next week, but many said they weren't going home until they knew there was resolution.

"I'm not going home if the government shuts down," said Idaho Republican Rep. Mike Simpson.

Rep. Austin Scott, a Republican from Georgia, told CNN that he was also prepared to stay, although he added "Mitch McConnell needs to stand and fight."

Details of the Schumer meeting

Earlier Friday, Trump called Schumer and invited the New York Democrat personally, a person familiar with the plans told CNN.

Trump's chief of staff John Kelly was the only White House official present at the meeting, a person familiar told CNN.

McConnell was not at the meeting, a source said, adding that he and Trump have been in touch during the day by telephone. Neither was Ryan, who was addressing the "March for Life" rally around the same time. McConnell and Ryan were aware that the White House was going to invite Schumer to the White House, one Republican source said.

"We had a long and detailed meeting," Schumer told reporters in brief remarks he made upon returning the Capitol, but he did not include any specifics from their discussion. "We made good progress and will continue."

Schumer then met with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin in his office.

"I think the leader made a statement that progress had been made but much more needs to be done," Pelosi told CNN upon leaving Schumer's office.

"It's in the hands of the leader," Durbin told CNN.

White House aides made clear to GOP staff this morning there was no daylight between the President and Hill Republicans this morning, especially on immigration, according to two sources.

Still, some congressional leaders eyed the Schumer meeting warily.

When asked by CNN if he was worried about Trump meeting with only Schumer, Sen. John Cornyn responded, "The thought did cross my mind."

This story has been updated and will continue to update with additional developments.

Doster said Wednesday that John Rogers didn't have the experience to deal with the level of scrutiny brought on by the national press, and the campaign had to make a change.

He added that Rogers had not been dismissed but that he "didn't like playing second fiddle on the communications side."

Rogers decided to leave the campaign last Friday, according to a statement released by the campaign.

"As we all know, campaigns make changes throughout the duration of the campaign, as do those working in the campaign," the statement said. "John made the decision to leave the campaign last Friday -- any representations to the contrary are false -- and we wish him well."

The Washingtonian first reported Rogers' resignation.

Moore's campaign has been embattled by scandal as numerous women have come forward and accused the candidate of inappropriate sexual behavior several years ago. Several women have accused Moore of pursuing relationships with them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s, and a few others have accused him of sexual assault.

The Republican Party appeared somewhat divided over the issue, with President Donald Trump weighing in on Tuesday.

Trump avoided denouncing Moore's behavior and would only note that the Alabama Republican had denied the allegations.

"He denies it. Look, he denies it," Trump said. "If you look at all the things that have happened over the last 48 hours. He totally denies it. He says it didn't happen."

Officials at the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee said Wednesday that they are not reversing course on Roy Moore or restoring funding to his campaign.

The committees were reluctant to go on the record or to elaborate, but they said nothing has changed since their decision, two officials told CNN.

Additionally, more than a dozen Senate Republicans, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, have called on Moore to drop out of the race.

This story has been updated.

"I was recently asked if Crooked Hillary Clinton is going to run in 2020?" he wrote, the curious party going unnamed. "My answer was, 'I hope so!'"

Twitter is the closest thing we have to a real-time window into Trump's thoughts. For that reason, what he says can often be as telling as what he doesn't. And today, like so many before it, he didn't have anything to share on the Green Berets killed in Niger or the clean water shortage in Puerto Rico, where desperate Americans are now drinking from a hazardous-waste site. A DEA whistleblower's claim that the drug industry and Congress had combined to stoke the opioid crisis also went unmentioned.

The Clinton micro-notion was Trump's sixth tweet of the day, a modest morning output by his recent standards. It landed amid a push for the Republican tax plan (or, more precisely, an attack on its opponents) and a pair of tweets touting the good times on Wall Street.

A poll last week found that 70% of voters would prefer Trump not tweet from his personal account. But it's hard to imagine -- or remember -- a world without the President perpetually signed on and posting. Twitter is fundamental to Trump's political being, and not just because, as he explains it, the medium provides him and end-around past traditional media.

In fact, it's a two-way street. Trump gets to mainline his every waking thought into the body politic and, as a byproduct, we get a heavy insight into what he really cares about. The divergence between "Teleprompter Trump" and "rally Trump" is plain as day. The first speaks, aided by a script, to narrowly defined, consensus political requirements. The latter is freestyle (often freeform) and raw.

His Twitter feed delivers a similar product. So when he hasn't tapped out a message about the four US soldiers killed, and two more wounded, in an ambush by ISIS-aligned fighters in Niger, people noticed.

Asked Monday about his public silence in the aftermath, Trump during a press conference at the White House said he had written letters to the families of the slain soldiers, but they had not yet been mailed. Phone calls, he added, would follow at some point in the future, but before claiming, falsely, "President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn't make calls." (Pressed on that remark, he backtracked, saying: "I was told that he didn't often.")

The day after the attack in Niger, when White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders offered the administration's "thoughts and prayers" to the friends and families of the dead, Trump was tweeting about the stock market, parroting a dubious attack line on the Democrat running for governor in Virginia and asking why the Senate Intelligence Committee wasn't "looking into the Fake News Networks in OUR country to see why so much of our news is just made up."

Also conspicuous by their absence from the presidential feed: deadly wildfires sweeping through Northern California. At the time of writing, at least 40 people have been killed and about 5,700 structures destroyed. Mandatory evacuation orders are now being lifted in some areas, including the city of Napa, but more than a dozen blazes are still burning.

Trump hasn't visited California since taking office and doesn't appear poised to make an exception here. Last Tuesday, he told reporters he'd spoken with the governor and pledged that "the federal government will stand with the people" there. He then welcomed the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins to the White House. Trump has tweeted about the Penguins twice in the last three weeks.

But his quiet on social media following violent or deadly attacks on Muslim Americans, on the street or inside houses of worship, has drawn the most attention. When a mosque in Minnesota was bombed in August -- in what Gov. Mark Dayton called "a criminal act of terrorism" -- Trump kept mum.

In June, when an undocumented immigrant, Darwin Martinez Torres, was charged with killing a Muslim woman, Nabra Hassanen, the President again let the news pass without a word. Certain details of the case remain unresolved, like whether it was a hate crime (police have said road rage set off the attack), but Trump is hardly one to stand by for all the details -- especially when he sees political opportunity.

Hassanen's death, though, seemed to confuse his instincts. Her alleged killer was an undocumented immigrant, but she -- unlike Kate Steinle, who was memorialized by legislation that Trump supports and has promoted on Twitter -- was a Muslim woman of color. Months on, as the case heads to a grand jury, Trump has yet to tweet his thoughts -- no condemnation, no condolences, just a piercing silence.

"Yesterday members of the San Francisco 49ers took a knee during our National Anthem," a fundraising email sent out on Monday reads. "Their stunt showed the world that they don't believe our flag is worth standing for. But your Vice President REFUSED to dignify their disrespect for our anthem, our flag, and the many brave soldiers who have died for their freedoms."

In the email, which had the subject line, "VP under fire for standing for" the US flag, Trump said he was "so proud of the vice president" for his early departure from a football game Sunday after some players knelt during the National Anthem.

"I left today's Colts game because President Trump and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag or our National Anthem," Pence said in a statement posted on Twitter.

While Trump characterized Pence as being under fire for standing for the anthem, in reality, Pence was criticized for the price tag of the trip to Indianapolis which amounted to little more than a photo-op.

Now the Trump team is offering to send supporters an "I STAND FOR THE FLAG" sticker in exchange for contributions of at least $5 to the "Trump Make America Great Again Committee."

Trump said in a tweet Sunday he had asked Pence to leave the stadium if players knelt.

The President's attacks against the NFL picked up steam after he slammed players who kneel in peaceful protest while campaigning for Luther Strange in Alabama. Following his comments, more players and teams chose to kneel during the anthem.

Colin Kaepernick, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers, started the anthem protests in opposition to police brutality, particularly toward

"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media in August 2016.

Asked directly by a reporter whether he was referring to Trump in using the word "chaos," Corker, who announced last month he would retire in 2018, responded: "(Mattis, Kelly and Tillerson) work very well together to make sure the policies we put forth around the world are sound and coherent. There are other people within the administration that don't. I hope they stay because they're valuable to the national security of our nation."

Stop for a second and re-read that last paragraph. The sitting Republican chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee is suggesting that if Tillerson was removed from office (or quit), the national security of the country would potentially be in danger. And he's refusing to knock down -- and thereby affirming -- the idea that Trump is an agent of chaos who pushes policies that are not always "sound" or "coherent."

That. Is. Stunning.

Corker also blasted Trump for undermining Tillerson -- most recently with a weekend tweet suggesting that the secretary of state's diplomatic work to solve the North Korea crisis would fail.

"I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man," Trump tweeted Sunday morning.

Corker said that Tillerson is "in an incredibly frustrating place," adding: "He ends up not being supported in the way I would hope a secretary of state would be supported. ... He's in a very trying situation -- trying to solve many of the world's problems without the support and help I'd like to see him have."

Those comments land amid reports that tensions between Trump and Tillerson are worse than ever. They also come on the same day Tillerson held an impromptu press conference to dismiss that he has ever considered resigning his post, but also refused to deny that he had called the President a "moron" during a moment of pique over the summer.

This is also not the first time that Corker, who was once mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick and was on the short list for secretary of state, has been overtly and harshly critical of Trump. Corker drew national headlines in August when he suggested that Trump "has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful."

Trump responded back via Twitter: "Strange statement by Bob Corker considering that he is constantly asking me whether or not he should run again in '18. Tennessee not happy!"

Trump and Corker eventually huddled at the White House to make amends and, according to reports, Trump asked Corker to run for a third term. Less than two weeks later, Corker announced he was retiring.

Corker's comments Wednesday are rightly read as a continuation of his August remarks. Then, he openly questioned Trump's stability and competence. Now he is making clear that if not for Tillerson, Mattis and Kelly, Trump would be leading the nation -- and the world -- into chaos.

There's no question that Corker feels freer to speak his mind without the worry of angering the President and potentially stirring up a serious primary challenge. But what's even more important/scary to contemplate: If this is Corker saying what he really thinks about Trump, what must the rest of Republicans in the Senate and House think of their President? And when will they speak out?

"We're never going to rest until we get this done," Pelosi told Bob Patterson at a CNN-hosted town hall with Pelosi in Washington, moderated by CNN's Chris Cuomo.

Patterson, who was sitting beside his 16-year-old daughter live via satellite, had asked the House minority leader what she was going to do to prevent mass shootings in the future.

A push for gun violence legislation

Pelosi also reiterated her call for increased background checks and called on House Speaker Paul Ryan to create a select committee to find common ground between lawmakers on gun violence legislation.

"We're talking about a bill that would say you have to have ... a background check," Pelosi later said in regard to another question about gun access. "It's 72 hours, it's a very short background check. So, I'm not making it harder for you to have a gun. All we're just saying is that you have to have a background check."

Pelosi is one of the few political leaders in Washington who's been able to make a deal with President Donald Trump, but with several high-profile debates roiling on the Hill, the spotlight is on the California Democrat over how she'll lead members of her own party.

The event comes just days after the United States witnessed its most deadly mass shooting in modern American history. At least 58 people died and hundreds more were injured when a gunman open fire into a crowd at a country concert in Las Vegas Sunday night, though there's little evidence that Congress will act on any legislation in reaction to the deadly shooting.

Following the attack, Pelosi wrote on Twitter that she was "horrified and heartbroken," and she said she wants Ryan to create a select committee on gun violence.

Noting that the shooter in Las Vegas appeared to have used a bump fire stock, which allows semi-automatic weapons to simulate automatic weapon fire in their frequency, Pelosi said that she thought there could be momentum to pass legislation banning them.

"I do think there would be bipartisan support coming together to pass a bill to make it illegal to sell those because you can buy them now," Pelosi said.

CNN reported earlier Wednesday that some Hill Republicans had voiced openness to a gun control bill along those lines.

Committed to passing a clean bill on DACA

Pelosi pledged her commitment to passing a clean Dream Act bill by December, and called Trump's move to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program with a six month window for Congress to pass a bill on the program "inhumane."

"First of all, the President should never have done what he did, in terms of giving the six months this or that, revoking, and giving six months for us to pass a bill, he should never have done that, it was inhumane thing to do," Pelosi said.

"But that's when we when to see him and said, 'Hey, if we're going to have a values based relationship, this is our threshold, this is our threshold, protecting these Dreamers in our country. Because they have come forward, they have revealed their parents, they have revealed their information,' and the President, I think, not because as I say (Senate Minority Leader) Chuck Schumer had good table manners, it's because the American people believe in you."

Pelosi recently met with Trump and other Democrats about a solution to the announced termination of the DACA program. After the Trump administration said it would allow a six-month window for Congress to on the legislation, Pelosi also reportedly encouraged the President to reassure DACA recipients about their futures, despite the uncertainty surrounding the program.

Pelosi "asked him to tweet this to make clear Dreamers won't be subject to deportation in (the) six-month window," according to one source at the time. While Trump sent that tweet, the future of DACA recipients remains unclear.

"You may recall that when we had this arrangement with the President, he called the next day and I said, early in the morning, and I said, 'Mr. President, you have to, it's very important for you to send a message to our dreamers that you're not going after them, not to worry about this,'" Pelosi said Wednesday night.

The town hall also comes weeks after Pelosi -- along with Schumer -- brokered a deal with Trump over temporarily raising the debt ceiling. The President supported the proposal bought forth by Democrats, which attached hurricane relief money to a temporary raise in the debt ceiling -- in a move that stunned congressional Republicans.

Puerto Rico recovery efforts

Pelosi addressed the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico after hurricanes devastated large swaths of the island.

Calling it "near and dear" to her heart, Pelosi said she has been unable to reach her college roommate who lives on the island and had been there many times.

"(My) college roommate ... is from Puerto Rico, we call her every day, practically, and we can't reach her," Pelosi said.

She continued by discussing the immediate and future needs of those in Puerto Rico.

"In terms of the immediate need, which is the water and the light, I spent the afternoon at FEMA headquarters today and they gave a report about the progress that they had made, but no matter how much progress you made, there's still a long way to go," Pelosi said.

She predicted Congress would pass another bill to provide additional resources within the next week and cited the importance of the military presence in the affected areas.

"What we think should have happened sooner, but nonetheless they're there now and we need more, is for the military to be there," Pelosi said.

Speaking with Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, Bharara called it "odd and unusual" that Rosenstein could serve as a witness in the investigation while also while overseeing it, adding, "It would seem that there's a conflict."

As part of the Russia investigation, Mueller's team is looking into allegations of potential collusion by Donald Trump's campaign in Moscow's effort to influence last year's election and reportedly is investigating whether the President has obstructed justice, which could include an examination of the circumstances surrounding Trump's firing of former FBI Director James Comey in May.

CNN reported last week that Rosenstein was interviewed by Mueller's office over the summer about his role in the firing of Comey.

Trump has branded the investigation the "single greatest witch hunt" in political history, and well into his presidency has consistently questioned the intelligence community's findings on Russia's efforts to influence the election outcome.

"We do know that (Rosenstein) had some role in putting forth what I think most people think was a pre-textual basis for the firing of Jim Comey, and to the extent that an obstruction investigation relies a little bit on the facts relating to the firing of Jim Comey, it would seem that there's a conflict," Bharara, a CNN senior legal analyst, said.

The Justice Department did not immediately return CNN's request for comment on Bharara's remarks.

A source familiar with Mueller's interview of Rosenstein has told CNN that Rosenstein has no plans to immediately recuse himself.

Ian Prior, a spokesman for the Justice Department, said in a statement last week: "As the deputy attorney general has said numerous times, if there comes a time when he needs to recuse, he will. However, nothing has changed."

On Sunday, Bharara discussed the recusal issue: "What I think people should want to know is whether or not, like (Attorney General) Jeff Sessions, the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, has consulted with the top ethics advisers in the department and gotten clearance to continue, and, if not, he shouldn't."

Bharara, who served as the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, was fired in March after refusing to resign when the Trump administration requested the resignation of 46 US attorneys.

"It is not conscionable to tell young people who came here as children that they have to go back to a country that they don't know," McCain said on CNN's "State of the Union."

The wide-ranging discussion with anchor Jake Tapper was McCain's first nationally televised interview since his diagnosis with cancer in July.

The Trump administration said Tuesday it would rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program within six months and called on Congress to pass legislation to address the Obama-era program, which has protected hundreds of thousands of people who came to the country as children from deportation.

McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, pointed out that nearly 900 of these so-called "Dreamers" serve in the military.

"Now, are we going to go to a young man or woman serving in Afghanistan or Iraq today and say, 'Hey by the way, you're a Dreamer, get back to (your birthplace)?" McCain asked.

DACA, which was created by executive order, needed to be guaranteed through legislation and should include a path to citizenship, but those measures should be passed as part of a broad, comprehensive immigration reform bill, McCain said. The Arizona Republican pointed to a comprehensive immigration overhaul previously passed by the Senate, but not the House, as evidence the parties can get together on the issue.

"We did it once in the Senate," McCain said. "We can do it again in a bipartisan fashion."

Republicans not doing enough

In his appearance Sunday, McCain expounded on a message he has delivered loudly since his diagnosis: that the Senate should produce legislation through open, bipartisan debate and that Republicans have not used the massive power granted to them by the people effectively enough.

As things stand, Republicans have not been able to translate control of both chambers of Congress and the White House into substantial changes for the country, he said, summarizing their accomplishments as the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and the undoing some Obama-era regulations.

"That's what they see with nine months of undivided Republican majorities," McCain said. "That's not good."

He blasted the process Republicans used, unsuccessfully so far, to try to repeal and replace much of Obamacare.

"Why didn't we have hearings, have amendments, have debate, bring a bill to the floor?" McCain asked.

He called for an open debate on health care and other major issues facing the country, like immigration and government appropriations.

Shortly after his diagnosis, McCain returned to the Senate as the chamber debated health care. Although he voted to start debate on a so-called "skinny" repeal of Obamacare, McCain was one of three Republicans to join Democrats in opposing the measure, a near-miss that effectively ended the Senate Republicans' health care push.

Before the Senate came back into session this month, McCain penned an op-ed calling on Congress to serve as a check on President Donald Trump, who McCain said is "often poorly informed" and "can be impulsive."

In Sunday's interview, McCain also lightly parted ways with much of his party on climate change, acknowledging the threat it poses just as Hurricane Irma began to hit the state of Florida.

Asked why a wide swath of his party denied the scientific community's conclusions about climate change, McCain answered, "I don't know."

He added that he believed nuclear power would be one element of an effective strategy on climate change and mentioned the economic benefits of new energy technologies, like solar energy, in his home state of Arizona.

"We have to understand that the climate may be changing," McCain said. "We can take common-sense measures."

Calls for increased defense spending

McCain criticized Trump's recent deal with Democratic leaders to tie funding for hurricane relief to three-month extensions of spending and the debt ceiling, saying it didn't reflect the bipartisan approach he had in mind.

"This was not an exercise in bipartisanship," McCain said. "The Republican leaders, (House Speaker Paul) Ryan and (Senate Majority Leader Mitch) McConnell, were surprised to hear that he had cut this deal with Chuck and Nancy."

McCain, who voted against the agreement, said it was wrong to tie the hurricane money to a resolution to continue current federal spending levels. A spending deal should have been negotiated and should have included billions more for the military, he said.

"I believe my first obligation as chairman of the Armed Services Committee is to make sure the men and women who are serving in our military have everything they need," McCain said. "Under this agreement, they not only don't have everything they need, their lives are in greater danger."

Pointing to foreign threats, McCain called for a robust and aggressive posture against North Korea. He argued for more pressure on China, improving relations with Japan and South Korea and increasing missile defense. The Republican hawk also said it was worth considering deploying nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula.

'I'm facing a challenge'

McCain sought to present his brain cancer diagnosis in a positive light, calling it the latest in a lifetime of tough fights and one he believed he could win.

"I'm facing a challenge, but I've faced other challenges," McCain said. "And I'm very confident about getting through this one as well."

McCain said he felt fine, even energetic, after his treatment and would be receiving a magnetic resonance imaging test on Monday.

But while he said he was receiving first-class medical treatment, he emphasized that he did not want to paint a "rosy picture" for what he said is a tough form of cancer.

The former presidential candidate and storied prisoner of war was reflective when asked about his condition, looking back on his life as one worth celebrating and calling his underdog bid for the Republican nomination in 2000 one of his many joyous memories.

Asked how he wanted to be remembered, McCain said of himself: "He served his country, and not always right -- made a lot of mistakes, made a lot of errors -- but served his country, and I hope we could add, honorably."

Trump directed federal aid toward the state's recovery efforts in affected areas, the White House said in a statement.

"Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster," the statement read.

Thomas Bossert, Trump's homeland security adviser, said Friday that Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott requested the disaster declaration earlier Friday.

The declaration allows federal funds to begin to flow to state and local efforts in Texas, and previous presidents have made disaster declarations ahead of major storms.

Trump tweeted his support for FEMA administrator Brock Long on Saturday morning: "You are doing a great job - the world is watching! Be safe."

Later Trump tweeted that he was "closely monitoring #HurricaneHarvey from Camp David.

"We are leaving nothing to chance. City, State and Federal Govs. working great together!" he added.

Harvey was listed as a Category 4 hurricane at around 11 p.m. ET Friday, and was downgraded to a Category 1 by Saturday morning. Forecasters said its impact will leave some areas "uninhabitable for weeks or months."

"I would stress that this is a serious storm," Bossert said Friday, urging Texas residents to follow instructions from state and local officials. "This could remain a dangerous storm for several days."

Bossert also sought to allay concerns about the federal government's preparedness to handle a storm as serious as Harvey, given that several key posts related to disaster preparedness are currently filled by interim officials.

The Department of Homeland Security has been led by acting Secretary Elaine Duke since retired Gen. John Kelly was tapped to become White House chief of staff. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's top official is also working in an interim capacity in the absence of a presidential nominee. And the post of deputy FEMA director is vacant as Trump's nominee awaits Senate confirmation.

Bossert touted the qualifications of the President's FEMA director, Brock Long, and said the interim officials overseeing various hurricane relief and response efforts are fully qualified.

"Under that leadership team, we couldn't have a better team, to be honest," Bosser said amid questions about vacancies in Senate-confirmed nominees in several key posts. "Under that DHS team we're in good hands at the federal level."

Trump has been regularly briefed on the storm's progress by Bossert and his chief of staff John Kelly. He has also been in touch with Long and Duke, Bossert said.

Once the storm has passed, Trump may travel to Texas next week, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

Bossert offered some details of the President's efforts at the helm of preparations for the federal government's response to the hurricane. He said Trump was primarily concerned about whether Texas residents are "getting out of harm's way;" whether emergency management officials had the "appropriate resources"; and that people in Louisiana, as well as Texas, be prepared in case the storm's path changes.

FEMA and other federal agencies have pre-positioned resources to aid in the relief effort.

Bossert also touted Trump's abilities to lead the federal government as the nation awaited what will be its first Category 3 hurricane to make landfall in almost 12 years.

"This is right up President Trump's alley," Bossert said.

Trump departed Friday afternoon for the presidential retreat at Camp David, where Bossert said Trump would have all necessary resources to continue monitoring the storm.

As Trump boarded Marine One, he offered only a few words to those in Texas bracing for the hurricane: "Good luck to everybody."

McCain's office announced Monday night he will return Tuesday. His return will amount to a surprise to most Republicans, who expected him to miss the crucial vote and return to Washington at a later date. But he could help the GOP deliver a critical vote to begin debating health care legislation, which is on the verge of collapsing.

"Senator McCain looks forward to returning to the United States Senate tomorrow to continue working on important legislation, including health care reform, the National Defense Authorization Act, and new sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea," his office said in a statement.

The Arizona Republican underwent brain surgery earlier this month and announced last week he has been diagnosed with brain cancer.

Just hours before the announcement was made, McCain's colleagues expressed doubts that he'd be in the chamber in time for the vote.

"I don't have any expectation at this point," Sen. John Thune told reporters earlier Monday. "And I don't know that anyone else I talked to does."

McCain's arrival back to the Senate, however, doesn't guarantee leaders will have the votes they need to begin debate. With McCain back in Washington, McConnell can now afford to lose just two of his members.

"I said, who the hell wants to speak about politics when I'm in front of the Boy Scouts?" Trump said.

Trump went on to dive into politics anyway -- blasting the media, pushing for the repeal of Obamacare and making a pointed remark about "loyalty."

Listing off the virtues of Boy Scouts at the West Virginia speech, Trump said: "As the scout law says, a scout is trustworthy, loyal," Trump said, before adding, "We could use some more loyalty, I will tell you that."

He continued his remarks without clarifying what he meant.

Trump's comments came the same day he called Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was in the Boy Scouts, "beleaguered" in a tweet expressing his frustration over the ongoing Russia investigations.

At the event, Trump also warmly recalled his victory against Hillary Clinton in the presidential election.

"Do you remember that famous night on television, November 8?" Trump asked.

He told the Scouts that Republicans had a tremendous disadvantage in the Electoral College and that the popular vote, which he lost to Clinton, "is much easier." He went on to tell the Scouts his victory was "an unbelievable tribute to you and all of the other millions and millions of people that came out and voted for Make America Great Again."

Trump said many of his advisers were Boy Scouts, as were 10 of his Cabinet members. "Can you believe that? 10," Trump said.

Two of those former Boy Scouts and now-Cabinet members, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Energy Secretary Rick Perry, joined Trump onstage. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who made it to Eagle Scout and was the group's president from 2010-2012, addressed the jamboree Friday.

Trump said several times the media would downplay the size of the audience at the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve, which the Boy Scouts in a news release prior to the event said they anticipated would be more than 40,000 people.

When Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price came out onstage, Trump took the opportunity to mention an impending vote in the Senate that could mean the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama's signature domestic legislation.

"Hopefully he's going to get the votes tomorrow to start our path toward killing this horrible thing known as Obamacare that's really hurting us," Trump said.

He went on to say that if they didn't get votes, "I'll say, 'Tom, you're fired,'" prompting laughter as Trump reached out to Price. He also told those gathered that Price needed to get Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican, to support him on health care.

As he went through the speech, talking about the importance of scouting and the lessons the Scouts were learning, Trump continued to toss barbs at "the fake media, fake news," amid more traditional fare, with Trump remarking at length on the importance of scouting and the values one needs to live a successful life.

"As much as you can," Trump said, "do something that you love, work hard and never, ever give up and you're going to be tremendously successful, tremendously successful."

Seven of 11 sitting presidents, including George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, have attended the annual event, according to the organization. Since 1910, every sitting president has served as the Boy Scouts of America's honorary president. But Trump was the first sitting president to speak at the jamboree since George W. Bush.

At one point, Trump made reference to Obama not having attended a jamboree.

"By the way, just a question, did President Obama ever come to a jamboree?" Trump asked, turning around and reaching out his hands.

Trump, who revels in addressing large crowds, most recently addressed a rally in Iowa last month, revisiting many of the talking points that made him victorious in 2016.

And during this speech, Trump offered some of his classic talking points from the campaign, including one aimed at political correctness.

"Under the Trump administration, you will be saying 'Merry Christmas' again," Trump said.