Sunday Snapshot: GOP senator shifts Arlington blame game to the left

1. Cotton defends Trump over Arlington by pointing at Biden, Harris

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) worked to turn the tables over the Trump campaign's alleged incident at Arlington National Cemetery by asking why Biden and Harris didn't attend at the request of several of the Gold Star families who had a loved one die when Abbey Gate was bombed in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2021.

Why it matters: The report of Trump campaign staffers allegedly "pushed aside" at Arlington National Cemetery employee aside prompted outrage from Democrats and some families with loved ones buried inside Section 60.

• The Trump campaign said it had permission to film, but the debate continues regarding whether the campaign violated federal law.

What they're saying: Cotton disputed that the Arlington photos and footage were meant for the Trump campaign in an appearance on "Meet the Press," saying that the families invited Trump, Biden and Harris and intended for the day to be bipartisan.

• "Joe Biden was sitting on a beach. Kamala Harris was sitting in her mansion in D.C.. She was four miles away. Ten minutes. She could have gone to the cemetery and honored the sacrifice of those young men and women," he said.
• The 13 individuals died, Cotton said, "because of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' incompetence."
• When asked about the situation on "Face the Nation," Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) said Arlington shouldn't have politics brought into it, but that Trump's actions get attention, "no matter what he does" and it gets spun "one way or another."
• Gonzales, a Navy veteran, said he wished that both Trump and Biden had visited with the families.
• "We have to get back to putting veterans first and putting our families first and putting the American people before anything else," he said.

2. Netanyahu's "total victory" goal putting hostages at risk

The death of six hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7 has renewed calls for a ceasefire and hostage deal, but the father of one hostage said he feels Israel's government is to blame for the delay in reaching an agreement.

What they're saying: "Israelis at large, and myself included, have been extremely critical of the Israeli government for not negotiating in good faith now for many, many months," Jonathan Dekel-Chen told "Face the Nation."

• "There is no explanation — a reasonable explanation, why our government is refusing to deeply engage in these negotiations and complete them, when our entire senior military establishment and intelligence community has been saying publicly and openly for weeks and months, that the time has come to end the fighting in Gaza."
• Dekel-Chen said he feels Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has "made choices to pursue this fantasy of total victory over Hamas" and that the idea of it is "not realistic."

• "He's preferred that, at least to date, over the well-being of all the hostages," he said.

Dekel-Chen's son, Sagui Dekel-Chen, is among the 101 hostages still being held by Hamas.

3. Teamsters president mum on union endorsement timetable

International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Shawn O'Brien offered no timeline for when — or if — the union will endorse a presidential candidate.

Why it matters: Teamsters is one of the United States' 10 largest labor unions, and the only one not to endorse Harris this campaign cycle.

• O'Brien explained on "Face the Nation" that part of the process involves getting Harris to speak to union members, which she has not yet done.
• Typically, he said, they endorse after both parties have held their national conventions but acknowledged that "this is a little different."

What they're saying: "I said to someone the other day, you don't hire someone unless you give them an interview. This is our opportunity to ask her about teamster-specific issues and also labor issues. So until we have that meeting, we will wait to make that determination," O'Brien said.

Worth noting: CBS News' Chief White House Correspondent Nancy Cordes asked if the union might withhold an endorsement altogether — as they did in 1996 during the race between Bill Clinton and Bob Dole.

• O'Brien didn't commit either way, saying it will depend on the union's "rank and file members and our leadership."
• "We want to make sure we make the best decision and endorse the best candidate for labor," he said.