mifepristone. i'm margaret brennan. today on "face the nation" the supreme court preserves access to an abortion pill tore now. a daring evacuation of u.s. government personnel out of the embattled country of sudan jo over. overnight the mission to get u.s. personnel out of sudan was successful, but what about the hundreds more americans still trapped there? we'll talk with delaware democrat chris coons, he's on the africa subcommittee in the senate. the supreme court makes an emergency ruling to keep mifepristone accessible for

abortion. but sends the case back to the lower courts. is the fight over? we'll tell you what's next. the politics of abortion within the republican party. our robert costa sat down with former vice president and potential 2024 candidate mike pence. will he enter the race and challenge the former president? >> are you leaning in or are you leaning away from running? >> i'm here in iowa, robert. plus, a series of deadly shooting errors, firing first and asking questions later. is taking its toll on a nation already anxious about gun violence. we'll talk with the mayor of kansas city, quinton lucas, ate the challenges he's facing running a blue city in a red state. finally an interview with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. he's back in power but what's different now. it's all ahead on "cbs mornings." tina."

good morning. welcome to "face the nation." we begin with a daring special forces rescue operation to get american diplomats out of sudan where fighting continues as two top generals jockey for power. the state department says security conditions aren't expected to improve any time soon, and has temporarily suspended operations at the u.s. embassy in sudan's capital khartoum. meanwhile, there are still hundreds of american citizens stranded in sudan where the airports have been closed for days. for more now we turn to national security correspondent david martin, david, good morning. >> good morning. >> this operation was high risk from djibouti to ethiopia, and sudan and had to go all the way back to djibouti at the end.

a airlifted about 100 people out of the u.s. embassy. how did all this come together? >> distance was the primary challenge here. 800 miles, helicopters can't go that far, so you had to set up this forward staging base in ethiopia where they could top off before the aircraft went in to the embassy in khartoum. the other thing was the uncertainty of whether or not they were going to be shot at. both generals of these two warring sides had been warned in no uncertain terms do not interfere, but you couldn't count at that because we've seen all these cease fires break down. the aircraft went in at night, low level, and they had 100 special operations commandos on board. those commandos set up a perimeter around the landing zone that was just outside the

embassy and guarded that perimeter while the diplomats boarded the helicopters. overhead, there were two c-130 aircraft, one of which was for communications, the other was a gunship ready to take anybody who tried to approach the embassy under fire. they were on the ground for a little more than half an hour. >> wow. >> no shots were fired. and then they were back on their way. somebody called it a pretty easy in and out. but it was long and gruelling night from start to finish, it was 17 hours. >> and it was so high risk, this went -- sounds like as best as possibly could be expected but there are still hundreds of american citizens who are on the ground. there's no plan to evacuate them. these were just government personnel pulled out. the state department and the pentagon say they will do what they can to help americanset

wh d that me >> it doesn't mean going in and seizing the airport and doing the normal kind of evacuation aboard airliners out of there. it means conducting reconnaissance along this land route that goes from khartoum all the way over to port sudan on the red sea, which is a 12-hour drive under the best conditions. so they can conduct reconnaissance over that and then they can have u.s. navy ships waiting to take in any americans who will make that drive. that, again, will be at a minimum a long an gruelling drive, and, you know, the conditions are just chaotic. >> yeah. and it is such a high risk environment. david, thank you very much for all of your reporting. we go now to democratic senator chris coons who joins us from wilmington, delaware. good morning, to you, senator.

i know you said you feared this violence for the past few weeks and it was this intense fighting between sudan's armed forces and a paramilitary group that led to this dramatic evacuation. do you think the u.s. should have pulled out sooner? >> margaret, if i had been on this show two weeks ago, we wouldn't have been talking about fighting in sudan because there wasn't any. there were special envoys from the u.n., au, u.s., all negotiating with these two generals, general hamben and general burhan, and i'm still hopeful they can return to a civilian government. it unwound fast in the last week, and i'm grateful that our special forces have successfully overnight evacuated the u.s. nationals who work in our embassy in khartoum. this is a temporary suspension. it's my hope and theirs that we will be able to return to khartoum and the situation will stabilize. but margaret, this is the same

sort of thing that happened in kyiv and ukraine that has happened in other countries and yemen and syria, where when the fighting gets intense quickly we rely on our special forces to evacuate u.s. nationals who is staffed in an em bbassy that ina country that descends into a war zone. >> russia and china have been extending their influence throughout africa, russia in sudan as well, including the paramilitary group wagner. they have left behind hundreds of american civilians in sudan who don't necessarily have a way out of the country. are you concerned about how the united states can use some kind of leverage to help its citizens escape? >> margaret, just a reminder that sudan is a vast country, the third largest country in africa, a country of 45 million

people spread over a huge amount of territory. yes, i am concerned about the safety and security of u.s. nationals who have been serving in humanitarian missions or in other ways across the country. there are quite a few u.s. sudanese dual nationals in the country and the u.n. and u.s. and a number of other countries will do their best to help return to civilian rule to end the fighting, to support a stabilization in sudan, but as for right now an evacuation through some overland convoy is the most likely path out for folks who work for the u.n. and the world food program, for example, who serve other countries in khartoum and around the country, and for those remaining u.s. nationals who may wish to leave. >> but does the u.s. have any leverage to stop the fighting? >> just a reminder, margaret, this is a country that for 30 years was under the brutal dictatorship of omar al bashir.

we don't have a deep relationship with the sudanese military or the paramilitary force, the rsf. we have some leverage in that we provide development assistance, humanitarian relief, but frankly these two warring factions have started what may well be a fight to the finish and we may have limited leverage in the next couple of weeks and months, as they carry out a fight to see who will ultimately be in control of the security of sudan. >> and that is why there's so much concern. i want to ask you as well about your position on the judiciary committee. cbs interviewed earlier this week an attorney for an irs agent who is seeking whistleblower status from congress to share information he says would contradict sworn testimony to congress by senior political appointee regarding the investigation into hunter biden. do you think it's worth looking into the possibility of undue influence here? >> look, anyone who comes forward and seeks whistleblower

protection status should be given that status. that's part of what we put in place over many years, a system that allows career folks who work in different federal agencies the chance to blow the whistle and testify if they see something wrong. i will remind you nothing has been presented yet. this person hasn't come forward in any detail. if and when they do, if there's any substance to it, i expect that the chairman of the judiciary committee dick durbin and the ranking member will assure they're fairly and appropriately treated. >> are you confident in the conduct of attorney general merrick garland when it comes to this case? >> i am. look president biden from the days he was campaigning to his first days as president made it clear that he thought restoring the independence of the department of justice removing any political influence for potential investigations was a core value that he brought to this service as president, and

i'm confident that's in no small part why he chose a seasoned circuit court judge, someone with deep experience at doj. i am confident merrick garland has conducted himself appropriately here. >> cbs reported back in october that fbi gathered evidence sufficient enough to charge hunter biden with tax and gun related crimes, and sent it to the u.s. attorney in delaware. we know that in the coming days, mr. biden's attorneys are set to meet with the u.s. attorney in delaware. do you have any sense if this is concludes soon? it's been ongoing since 2018? >> no, i don't nor should i. it is an ongoing investigation that, as you say, has been conducted for years. the u.s. attorney here in delaware is the u.s. attorney appointed by the previous administration. >> right. >> and if there are any charges brought we will discuss them at that time. this is point i think this is a long going federal investigation, which i hope will

reach a conclusion at some point soon. >> all right. senator coons, thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you, margaret. we turn now to the friday supreme court decision which preserves access to a widely used abortion pill for now while the legal process in the lower courts continues. chief legal correspondent jan crawford joins us. good to have you back here. this was a decision you predicted, 7-2. the dissent coming from justice alito. clarence thomas objecting. the supreme court is keeping the drug available now. so what happens next? >> that's right. i mean the bottom line is this drug will remain available nationwide without any restrictions while these appeals play out and that could take at least a year. i mean, even though this case is really on a fast track, there's an argument next month before a panel of judges before the u.s. court of appeals for the fifth

circuit which will decide at some court whether the lower court judge in texas was right that fda and properly authorized mifepristone some two decades ago, but regardless of whatever the appeals court decides, whoever loses, is going to go right back to the supreme court and ask the justices to step in and decide the merits. whether the fda properly followed the right steps when it approved mifepristone in 2000 and then when it agreed to make it more widely available, easier for women to get in 2016. that will set the stage for a major supreme court case on abortion access, possibly as soon as next year. >> an election year, too. jan, there's great irony in the fact that supreme court sent the decision on abortion access back to the states after dobbs and now we're talking about going back to the supreme court to decide on it again. will the justices -- mine how involved will they get?

do you think this is inevitable it ends up there? >> well, i think it's going to go right back to the supreme court because whoever loses will appeal it and ask the justice to get involved and decide it. i don't think they will. >> you don't think they will hear it. >> i think they'll have to hear it, but i think they will dismiss it on standing grounds. they're going to say that these challengers who went after the fda authorization weren't able to show that they had right to be in federal court in the first place. let me just -- those are kind of bedrock conservative legal principles that go to the heart of this case. to get into federal court you can't just be upset about some issue. you have to show you've been harmed, that you have a stake in the case. it can't be just something speculative in the future. i think that's a real problem for the challengers here. now the lower courts saw it differently. the trummy a -- trump appointee saw it differently. these judges take it seriously. it goes to the point of judicial restraint and that's why what

they're doing with this case is entirely consistent with what they did with dobbs. the ruling that overturned roe versus wade and sent it back to the states. what they're doing is saying if they follow this rule on standing that these challengers don't have business being in federal courts and we're going to keep that a high bar for getting into the courts. we don't want federal judges ruling on these social issues. that belongs in the political process. so the bottom line for this case i think next week, whenever they get back to it, i think they're going to dismiss it on standing and i think the conservative justices will join with the liberals and say the challengers don't have a right to sue in this case. it could be 8-1, possibly unanimous. >> very quickly, a lot of scrutiny of clarence thomas. what do you think is going to happen to him? >> well, as you know, there's been reports he failed to disclose a couple different things on his disclosure forms of a vacations paid for by really rich friend of his he

didn't disclose. the rules on that were not very clear. they're amended. i think the more problematic one is property he and his family sold to the same friend and that wasn't disclosed. his people close to thomas had suggested that's because he didn't make a profit on that so he thought he didn't need to disclose it. the bottom line is democrats are calling for hearings. republicans are saying this is ridiculous. this is politics. >> yeah. >> if it sounds like a mess it is and the supreme court could do well by looking at its own code of conduct. >> jan crawford, thanks for your reporting. the issue of abortion will likely play a role in the 2024 elections. yesterday, our robert costa went to iowa and spoke with one of those potential republican candidates, former vice president mike pence and asked him about the court's decision. >> i'm pro life. i don't apologize for it. the fact that the biden

administration allowed mifepristone to be made available on a mail order basis is a fundamental change, even in states that have limited abortion. i would like to see this medication off the market to protect the unborn, but also, i have deep concerns about the way the fda went about approving mifepristone 20 years ago. i'm grateful that action is being taken in the courts to hold the fda accountable to what the law requires in reviewing any medications made on the marketplace. for the sake of protecting the unborn, but also, for the health and safety of women. i'm looking forward to this litigation continuing and holding the manufacturers of mifepristone accountable and ultimately putting the interests of women first. >> the fda has disputed claims it's unsafe saying that serious complications are rare and less than 1% of patients need

hospitalization. that's their position. >> well, i understand that, robert. under the obama administration, the fda actually stopped chronicling nonfatal results of mifepristone, and one of the things that i hope changes -- and, of course, this litigation as the fda gets back to reporting to the american people all of the health impacts, but i do believe this issue bears upon the health and safety of women and we've got a whole fda accountable to the law. >> very big right now in the republican party. there's a real debate anti-abortion activists mar garry dan felds anyone who takes former president trump's position that states should decide what happens on abortion has called that a morally indefensible position. do you agree? >> the cause of restoring the sanctity of life to the center of american law is the calling of our time. the supreme court in the dobbs decision last june gave the american people a new beginning for life and returned to the question of abortion to the

states and to the american people but didn't just return it exclusively to the states. this isn't a state's only decision. we have elected representatives in the congress of the united states and we'll elect a president again in 2024 and i think the american people would welcome a minimu national standard in washington, d.c. 15 weeks. >> is former president trump in retreat on the abortion front? >> i would leave that to others. >> what's your take? >> you can ask him. >> your top aide mark short has said on the record former president trump is in retreat? >> that's a great question for him. i couldn't be more proud to have been vice president in the administration that appointed three justices to the supreme court. sent roe versus wade to the ash heap of history. we're in a new season and i think millions of pro life

americans want to see every opportunity to put the interest of the unborn first and in deeper measure to demonstrate the generosity and compassion of the american people toward women who have been caught up in abortion in the last 50 years and women who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy today. >> "face the nation" will be back in one minute. stay with us. r crossed my mind. what if we live to like 100? that's 35 years of being retired. i don't want to outlive our money. and i have been eating all these stupid chia seeds! i could totally live to be 100! why do i keep taking such good care of my- since we started working with empower, we're able to get all our financial questions answered, so we don't have to worry. so you never- no. never. join 17 million people and take control of your financial future to empower what's next. start today at empower.com want luxury hair repair that doesn't cost $50? pantene's pro-vitamin formula repairs hair. as well as the leading luxury bonding treatment. for softness and resilience, without the price tag.

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>> there is a toxic mixture in this country today of hate, of anger, and a population that is increasingly armed to the teeth with deadly weapons. >> reporter: more than 70% of adults say gun violence is a significant source of stress. about half say guns are a constant threat or a major concern, and 62% of black and hispanic americans. nearly 30% bought a gun as protection from gun violence. we're a country up in arms. in just two years of the pandemic, americans bought 60 million guns. almost half of us have a gun at home. but to the nra, and its supporters, blaming guns for gun violence misses the target. >> this is a mental health problem. this is a social problem.

this is a cultural problem. this is a spiritual problem. >> reporter: 16-year-old ralph yarl rang the doorbell of the wrong house and he's recovering from a gunshot to his snead he was supposed to stay outside and his brothers were supposed to run outside and get in the car and come home. that is what was supposed to happen and while he was standing there his brothers didn't run outside but he got a couple of bullets in his body. >> reporter: legal experts say homeowner andrew lester may claim self-defense under missouri's stand your ground law. about 30 states have stand your ground laws. florida was first in 2005, a law made famous by the trayvon martin shooting in 2012. but those laws do not provide blanket protection for shooting anyone who comes at you. and one study linked stand your ground laws with an up to 11% monthly increase in gun homicides. it's a volatile, violent mix. armed americans already on edge,

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>> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening. jericka is off. i'm meg oliver. new details are emerging tonight about the daring evacuation of nearly 100 u.s. diplomatic personnel and their families from sudan's capital, khartoum. it was carried out by u.s. special forces as two top generals and their soldiers battle for control of the country. the violence has paralyzed the nation's airports and claimed more than 400 lives. thousands of americans, many of them dual citizens, remain caught in the crossfire. the mission began on saturday. three chinook helicopters flew from djiboutef