This is a rush transcript from "Sunday Morning Futures," September 1, 2019. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

MIKE EMANUEL, ANCHOR: A Fox News Alert on two major developing stories that we are following at this hour.

Welcome to "Sunday Morning Futures," everyone. I'm Mike Emanuel, in for Maria Bartiromo.

On the right side of your screen, Hurricane Dorian strengthening into a catastrophic Category 5 storm as it bears down on the Bahamas, and is expected to impact the U.S. mainland.

And on the left, a gunman in West Texas killing at least four people and wounding at least 20, before police shot and killed him. Investigations are under way at multiple crime scenes in the cities of Odessa and Midland, as we await more details on a mass shooting that apparently started with a routine traffic stop.

We will speak with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Meantime, Dorian prompting states of emergency along the Southeastern Seaboard, with Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas are in the strike zone.

We will have the latest forecast from senior meteorologist Janice Dean. And we will speak with North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper about the preparations under way in his state.

But, first, police now looking into a motive for a deadly mass shooting in West Texas. They say a gunman opened fire on officers during a traffic stop on an interstate, Interstate 20 near Midland, then took off, shooting at people randomly from his car as he made his way west to Odessa, even carjacking a U.S. postal vehicle, killing at least four people and wounding at least 20, before police killed him in a shoot-out.

We will hear from the Texas attorney general in a minute.

But we begin with correspondent Mike Tobin in Odessa, Texas.

Good morning, Mike.

MIKE TOBIN, CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Mike.

The latest update from police is that, of the five people who died out here, one of them was the gunman. Four of them were victims of the gunman. It all started with a traffic stop. Texas State Troopers pulled over a vehicle for failing to use a turn signal.

He put a rifle out the window of the vehicle and fired, injuring one state trooper.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DISPATCHER: Do we have an active shooter?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, negative. The shooter has left. Fled in a vehicle.

DISPATCHER: What is the status of the Trooper?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are working on the Trooper right now. Shooter is in a Toyota headed westbound towards Odessa.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

TOBIN: The rampage was on in the direction of Odessa. The gunman shot two police officers, one from Midland, one from Odessa.

He continued on I-20, shot another man there. And the rampage took him to East Odessa, where, apparently, he sprayed bullets at random targets. At least 21 people were shot and injured. At some point, the gunman left his vehicle. He took a mail truck and drove that mail truck to the Cinergy movie theater. That's where police caught up with him and killed him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's shooting right there. He hit the barrier! The cop just hit the barrier!

Get down, get down, get down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get down, get down. Down! Get down!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand still. He's shooting them. He's shooting them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TOBIN: Of the injured, one was a 17-month-old child in a car seat. Witnesses say she was shot through the shoulder, airlifted to Lubbock Hospital.

Ten of the injured at last notification from the hospitals were in critical condition. The gunman is only described as a white male in his 30s. We're waiting on an update from police. That was scheduled for just a short time.

It's now been delayed until noon local time -- Mike.

EMANUEL: Mike Tobin leading us off from Odessa, Texas.

Mike, our thoughts and prayers to the good folks there in the Permian Basin. Thank you, Mike.

Now let's bring in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

General, it's great to have you this morning.

KEN PAXTON, TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL: Hey, Mike, I appreciate having me on, obviously, a tough day in Texas, a tough day in Florida.

EMANUEL: No doubt about it.

Any word on a motive at this point, sir?

PAXTON: No.

You know, as you know, it's difficult when the shooter is killed to quickly assess what the motive was. It was a lot easier in the last case in El Paso, since we had a shooter that didn't die. So it becomes a lot more challenging for us and for law enforcement in general when the shooter is killed.

EMANUEL: Have you learned more about the shooter?

PAXTON: Well, there is definitely an ongoing investigation that mostly our department of public safety is heading up. And so, yes, they are -- they will be working through that this weekend, and I think we will be learning a lot over the next couple of days.

EMANUEL: Four weeks ago, it was an attack 300 miles to the west of Odessa in El Paso.

Any initial thoughts on what more Texas may be able to do to try to keep this from happening again?

PAXTON: Yes. I mean, that's a great question.

The governor has put together a domestic terrorism task force. We actually just met on Friday, because, obviously, this is a horrific problem that we want to find a way to stop. So we brought in the best of the best from not just state, but federal.

And we're seeking answers to that question to see if there's more things, which we believe there are, more things that we can do to stop this from happening in the future, or at least, when it happens, get to it quicker.

EMANUEL: What about a federal response?

What, if anything, do you want from Congress

PAXTON: You know, at this point, you know, I would want them doing the same thing we're doing, which is trying to figure out, you know, what kinds of practices would change this from happening or at least allow us to respond more quickly?

But I think, you know, asking the questions is the right thing to do at this point, and then looking for answers is what we're all trying to do.

EMANUEL: I started my career in Midland, Odessa, Texas, and so I know the good folks out there very well. It sounds like really some heroic efforts of the various law enforcement agencies.

General, I'm sure you want to talk about them.

PAXTON: Oh, my gosh, those guys are amazing. You know, they risk their lives every day.

And in this case, they were literally putting their lives on the line, several of them shot. Fortunately, at this point, they are all alive, but these guys are amazing, what they're willing to do to protect us every single day.

EMANUEL: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, our best to you and the great people of Texas.

PAXTON: Thanks, Mike. Thanks for your prayers. Appreciate it.

EMANUEL: Yes, sir.

Dorian strengthening into a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane, right now closing in on the Northern Bahamas, as it takes a slow march towards our Atlantic Coast.

Senior meteorologist Janice Dean is in the FOX Extreme Weather Center.

Good morning, Janice.

JANICE DEAN, METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Mike.

And already breaking records with this hurricane, the strongest hurricane now in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean, 175 miles-per-hour sustained winds, gusts of 200 miles per hour, and the outer core of winds now moving into the Northwestern Bahamas.

They need our prayers. This storm could completely cause catastrophic damage. We're talking about 30 feet of storm surge, perhaps -- rather, 20 feet of storm surge, 30 inches of rainfall, and relentless, major hurricane winds for not only hours, but days, because this storm is going to slow down.

And that's where I'm concerned, not only for the Bahamas, but the East Coast of Florida. And the latest track has this storm moving a little bit more to the west. So, instead of focusing on the center, I need everyone to focus on this cone, because if this storm jogs a little bit, say, 30 miles to the west, we're not talking just tropical-storm-force wind conditions.

We're talking about hurricane-force wind conditions all up the coast, the storm surge piling in, inches of rainfall, and then at least a major hurricane, wind gusts along the coastline for several days. This is Monday. This is tomorrow. This is Tuesday. This is Wednesday, still a major hurricane.

And then we get into Thursday and Friday, still talking about a hurricane, perhaps brushing but coming very close to landfall along the southeast coast.

But I will tell you, Mike, we have not had a lot of consistency with these computer models. So it's not an easy forecast, because of the fact that it is going to slow down, and, in some cases, four to five miles an hour. And that could make the difference from, again, a tropical-storm-force wind to a hurricane-force wind in a prolonged period of time.

Waters are very warm here. We could see a Category 5 for 12, 24 hours. And there's not that much of a difference between a 5 and a 4 as it comes very close to land. There's the latest computer models.

And, as I mentioned, Mike, this is concerning to me, because it gets wider. This is the center, so if you have got the center here moving on shore, that's close to a landfall, and that is a prolonged period of time of major hurricane-force winds, storm surge, and inches, if not feet of rainfall.

So, that's the takeaway here. We haven't had a really good, solid forecast here. I can tell you what's going to happen in 12 hours, but what happens in 24 hours, 48 hours still yet to be determined. Don't focus on the center. Focus on the whole cone, and that means the coast is not clear for Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.

So important to listen to your local weather forecasters -- they are trying to save lives here -- and your local officials, especially now in Florida. I have a feeling you might be seeing some evacuations very soon.

EMANUEL: Great advice.

Janice Dean, thanks very much.

PAXTON: OK.

EMANUEL: Joining me now by phone is North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.

Governor, great to have you this morning.

GOV. ROY COOPER, D-N.C.: Good morning.

EMANUEL: Dorian is now a Category 5 storm. How alarmed are you by its strengthening?

COOPER: Well, here in North Carolina, we are hoping and praying for the best, but preparing for the worst.

Unfortunately, we have experience with this. North Carolina has been hit by two major hurricanes in less than three years.

EMANUEL: Mm-hmm.

COOPER: So, we already know what to do, and we are preparing as we speak.

We're hoping this thing continues to turn eastward and away from the coast, but it's very erratic at the moment. What we worry about, obviously, are strong winds, but the water both from river flooding and storm surge and flash floods.

We know too well how much this can affect the lives of North Carolinians. So we're getting ready today, opening -- doing a partial opening of our emergency operations center at 1:00 today. We will be fully opened in the morning at 7:00 a.m.

EMANUEL: There's been a big buildup, with it being such a slow-moving storm. After declaring a state of emergency last night, do you feel like state resources are ready, sir?

COOPER: They will be.

And, in fact, this is one of the problems we have had with the last two storms, is that they were so slow-moving. We have -- we are preparing our shelters for mass feedings. We are in close contact with all of our county and federal partners.

We will have a FEMA person on site probably by this afternoon. One of the things that is key to preparing for a storm is making sure your first responders and swift-water access are deployed where they need to be. Right now, all of our eastern assets are remaining there.

And as the storm gets closer and maybe toward a predicted path on the coast, we will move our swift-water assets and more first responders from the west to the east. Our National Guard is on alert. We're working closely with the Red Cross to make sure that their shelter packages are ready.

Our Department of Transportation has suspended all roadwork, and they will be ready to clear major passages in the event that storm is here. And we know that we have to take this in a staging -- take a staging approach, because we want to be careful with taxpayer resources.

We know that it costs money to get ready. But I think most people would rather us be prepared than caught flat-footed here, so we will be incrementally ratcheting up, particularly as we look at the forecast.

I know that some of the eastern counties, their locals are meeting regarding potential evacuation plans.

EMANUEL: OK.

COOPER: That is not yet something we will be doing, but we will be ready for all of it.

EMANUEL: North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, our best to you and your people. Best of luck with this storm.

COOPER: Thanks a lot.

Best of luck to everybody along the East Coast. And we're certainly thinking today about the people in Texas as well.

EMANUEL: Amen. Thank you, sir.

Stay with Fox News Channel as we continue to follow all the latest developments on Dorian's projected track, as well as the shooting in Texas.

We just got word moments ago that the death toll has now risen.

And still ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures": two influential lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who sit on the House Judiciary Committee, Republican Andy Biggs and Democrat David Cicilline. Just where can Congress find common ground on issues like guns and immigration?

Also, Christian Whiton, former senior adviser to Presidents Trump and Bush, on President Trump sending best wishes to Iran's regime after one of its rockets mysteriously explodes on a launch pad. Could the U.S. have been behind it?

Plus, our political panel with Brad Blakeman and Dave Brown. With the next Democratic 2020 debate stage set, will the candidates spend more time going after each other or President Trump?

You can follow us on Twitter @SundayFutures and on Instagram @SundayFutures.

Stay with us, as we look ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

EMANUEL: An update from West Texas, where officials now say at least seven people have died as a result of yesterday's mass shooting in Midland and Odessa.

Joining me now is Republican Congressman from Arizona Andy Biggs. He sits on the House Judiciary Committee, is co-chair of the Border Security Caucus and a member of the House Freedom Caucus.

Congressman, good morning.

REP. ANDY BIGGS (R-AZ): Good morning, Mike.

EMANUEL: Four weeks after El Paso, a mass casualty shooting 300 miles to the east in Odessa, Texas. Your thoughts this morning?

BIGGS: Well, first of all, of course, we are praying and concerned with the folks, the victims and families of Permian Basin.

And I know you worked there, and I have worked in that area. But I also will tell you, thank goodness for the blue line that went in there. We really appreciate the police there.

And then I guess the next step from there is to acknowledge that we have a tremendous problem in this nation and throughout the world even, but this notion of, how do we stop mass violence and prevent mass violence? And it's not just shooting, but it's -- I mean, if you look two weeks ago, the Dayton -- not the four-week-ago Dayton issue, but the two-week-ago Dayton issue, where you had an individual wielding a knife, attacking people, and then turning around, stealing a car, and killing a number of people with that incident.

So we have this violent -- problem of violence in this country, and we need to address that problem.

EMANUEL: We don't have a word on the motive just yet. We did just get an update on the death toll, at least seven people killed, some brave first responders, police from various agencies really putting their lives on the line, getting wounded in action to take down this gunman.

Some preliminary thoughts on what can be done to stop these mass violence- type attacks?

BIGGS: Well, it's hard to anticipate.

And I think that I agree with Attorney General Paxton of Texas that we need to continue to look at this. But one of the things that he said -- and he repeated this a couple of times -- is that we need to find ways to respond to these quicker to prevent them -- these incidents from exacerbating. I think that's important.

And I have actually talked with some groups that believe that they can do that. But I don't think that we should step in with false palliatives like red flag laws.

And we need to face the fact that we have deteriorating institutions that actually in some way stoke these fires. And we need to change the rhetoric. We need to change our institutions to recognize that we have a severe -- a serious problem here.

We don't know enough about this most recent shooting, the one from yesterday, to know why this guy was doing it, where he got his guns, how he got his guns, and why he was attacking the police officers who were stopping him for a routine traffic stop. This is a problem.

EMANUEL: We have got your colleague Congressman David Cicilline of Rhode Island for the view from the other side of the aisle coming up.

Let me ask you, Congressman Biggs, can Congress come together to pass some kind of bipartisan legislation that might not eliminate the threat, but perhaps would be some commonsense steps to address this problem?

BIGGS: Well, I'm always interested in that question. I -- because I think -- I think we agree on a lot of things.

And David's actually got some good legislation that I support in other areas. But, too often, what I see happening is, we react to this stuff so quickly, and we're trying to do something, and that -- that may be the best of intentions, but they have potential long-term ramifications that are going to impede solving the problem, because I don't think -- I think some of the solutions that are proposed are superficial in nature.

I think this is a much deeper problem, and is a societal problem, as much as anything else.

EMANUEL: So, are you interested in maybe looking at mental health? Are you concerned about violent video games, some of the other peripheral issues, if not guns directly, some of the other things that may potentially be contributing factors?

We have heard in previous cases of family members trying to call authorities about a loved one, and not getting much action. You know, are there some of those other commonsense things that maybe can be tightened up?

BIGGS: Yes, I think that's right.

I think there are a couple things that you just mentioned that are important to understand. I think that we need to stop attacking some -- we need to stop attacking religious institutions. We have the family institute, the family that is under attack.

We need to build that up, because some of those -- some of those institutions, if we can help those, that will ameliorate some of the alienation that I think drives some of this. It will help solve some of those mental health issues.

Additionally, we need to have communications between agencies. And that was the Parkland issue. I mean, that was part of that issue.

EMANUEL: Mm-hmm.

BIGGS: We have got all kinds of ways we can attack some of this.

But don't forget that there are -- most states, if not all, actually have ways to go in. If you suspect that you have a loved one that is suicidal or a danger to others, you can actually go in now, and through due process means, request that they be evaluated. And that's important.

EMANUEL: We have much more with Congressman Andy Biggs, including his reaction to the DOJ inspector general's report.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

EMANUEL: The DOJ inspector general releasing a report on James Comey Thursday, finding the former FBI director violated bureau policies in his handling of memos on his private meetings with President Trump.

The president's supporters calling it the tip of the iceberg of alleged anti-Trump bias at the FBI, as we await two more DOJ reports on alleged FISA abuse and the origins of the Russia investigation.

Let's bring back Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs.

Congressman, let's start there.

Your reaction to the inspector general's findings on James Comey?

BIGGS: Well, I thought it was very interesting, because Mr. Comey had been indicating that he was kind of above the fray, but we know actually he was he was right in the middle of it.

He confirmed that he leaked information to a friend to give to a New York Times reporter because he wanted to manipulate the appointment of a special counsel, which started the whole Russia, the whole Mueller investigation, which is -- basically tried to put a damper on the Trump presidency.

And I just felt like, when you read it, it was nothing surprising there. It was what we anticipated. But I think Mr. Comey basically is just dodging and weaving, and I don't think he understands fully what he did was even wrong.

And that's a real problem, to realize that the very top guy at the FBI doesn't acknowledge his problems and that what he did was wrong. He's defending it, and he feels he should be apologized to. It was actually audacious in many respects.

EMANUEL: More reports to come. What are your expectations for Inspector General Michael Horowitz's report on DOJ's handling of the Russia probe, which sounds like could come any day?

BIGGS: Yes. We anticipate that is going to come probably mid-September.

And I anticipate that we are going to see very -- some very stark revelations of manipulation of the whole system for political purposes.

And when you see that happen, that's when I think you're going to see references or referrals for indictments. And I think you are going to actually see some indictments. I hope you do, because this is trying to take down a sitting president, is absolutely outrageous. It's essentially a coup attempt. And that's what we saw happening here.

EMANUEL: Then there's Connecticut federal prosecutor John Durham looking into the origins of the Russia investigation.

What are you looking for on that front?

BIGGS: Well, I would anticipate that he's going to find that you're going to have a setup, so that all of this goes back to George Papadopoulos.

And, basically, he was set up. And you're going to find that this was a -- there was nothing there. The Fusion GPS dossier, which is basically a set of memos that were basically just put out for oppo research, and some of it was just flat-out lies, were used to try to infiltrate the Trump campaign, and then, in turn, take down the president shortly after he was elected.

And this has been a problem for us for three years now. And it's the most outrageous thing you can imagine. And I think that you are going to see some accountability there. I hope we see accountability there.

EMANUEL: Then there's the issue of immigration.

You are a border state lawmaker. Is there any chance of Congress getting something done on tightening loopholes, addressing some of the roots of the illegal immigration problem?

BIGGS: Well, I would hope so. I hope -- I would hope that we could at least address some of the asylum issues.

I'm not very sanguine about that. And I'll tell you why. We have members of the other side that are actually calling for the abolition of the ICE agency. And ICE is the enforcement arm of the immigration laws. And so, if you are not willing to enforce immigration laws, it speaks to not willing -- an unwillingness, quite frankly, to change and tighten the immigration laws.

And that's a problem I see going forward here.

EMANUEL: Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona, we thank you for your time, sir.

BIGGS: Thank you very much, Mike.

EMANUEL: Straight ahead, reaction from the other side of the political aisle to everything Congressman Biggs just told us, when House Judiciary Committee member David Cicilline joins us.

Stay with us.

He also co-chairs the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. And we will ask the congressman what he thinks of Republicans now following the president's lead by making the Squad targets in political attack ads.

Also ahead, our political panel on the next 2020 Democratic debate now being set. For the first time, all the leading contenders will be on one stage. Will they spend more time going after President Trump or each other?

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

EMANUEL: Police in Texas now confirming at least seven people were killed in yesterday's deadly shooting rampage from Midland to Odessa.

The gunman is also dead, as investigators continue to look into a possible motive. We're expecting an update later today.

But now let's get reaction from Rhode Island Congressman David Cicilline, chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. He also sits on the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs Committee.

Congressman, great -- thank you for being here.

REP. DAVID CICILLINE, D-R.I.: My pleasure. Thanks, Mike.

EMANUEL: Your reaction to what we saw in Odessa, Texas?

CICILLINE: Well, I think, like everyone who watched those accounts, I'm broken-hearted.

I think it is yet another example of epidemic of gun violence in this country. And we have an ability to do something about it. And, you know, it is not enough to extend thoughts and prayers. The American people expect Congress to work together in a bipartisan way and to respond to this epidemic of gun violence.

More than -- just about 40,000 people will die at the hand of a gun this year, which is standard in this country. We passed two commonsense proposals back in February, universal background checks and closing the Charleston loophole.

They are sitting in the Senate, awaiting action. We have called on the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, to bring the Senate back and pass those bills.

Universal background checks -- and the reason this is important is, universal background checks work. We know that, because since the Brady law has gone into effect, three million gun sales were denied, which meant people were not allowed to buy a gun because they were criminals or some other disqualifying information, were denied the purchase of a gun.

The problem is, one in five guns are sold in this country without a background check.

EMANUEL: Right.

CICILLINE: This is a huge loophole. This fixes it.

It is supported by Democrats, Republicans, independent. It's bipartisan. It's been sitting on Senator McConnell's desk for -- since February. He ought to come back and move those bills immediately.

EMANUEL: We don't know all the details about this gunman and his motive. We don't even know if he bought the guns legally.

Are there other things that Congress can work on in terms of mental health or violent video games or radicalization or something that maybe there's more common ground on?

CICILLINE: Yes, there should be common ground on universal background checks. It is a bipartisan bill overwhelmingly supported by the American people. I think 90 percent of the American people support it, including the majority of gun owners.

So, there -- I think there's bipartisan support for that. But, certainly, there ought to be legislation we're going to take up on red flags, which is basically giving medical health professionals and family members an opportunity to alert law enforcement when someone presents a danger to themselves or others if they purchase a gun.

Many states have adopted those laws. We know they work. We ought to do that. We have a number of other pieces of legislation that, again, try to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them.

And we can do a much better job on that, closing some of these loopholes, universal background checks, red flag laws. I also think we -- there ought to be bipartisan support to eliminate some of these high-capacity magazines and assault weapons, which are really weapons of war.

Those are the harder ones to build bipartisan support.

EMANUEL: Right.

CICILLINE: But let's start with the easy stuff, universal background checks, red flag laws, closing the Charleston loophole, so that we can make sure we keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them.

EMANUEL: OK.

As we mentioned, you're on the Judiciary Committee. What's your reaction to what the inspector general said about former FBI Director James Comey this week?

CICILLINE: Well, look, I think everyone should agree that any time a government official does something wrong, it needs to be investigated.

I think the report makes very clear that Mr. Comey didn't violate the law. He didn't act out of any political motivation. He broke some procedures by disclosing to his attorneys a memo.

But I think the more fundamental question we need to ask is, why was the FBI director, who had a stellar reputation, man of extraordinary integrity, why did he feel compelled to share that memo, that memo that recorded that the president of the United States asked him for loyalty, to swear loyalty to him, and then asked him to kind of let this thing with Flynn go?

That's the underlying thing that ought to concern everyone. And I think, again, this is one of those investigate the investigators. We are going to see more of it with these other two investigations.

But we shouldn't lose sight of the conduct of the president at issue here, in which he told the FBI director to lay off Michael Flynn, can he let this thing go? He's a good guy.

We don't want the president of the United States, any president, doing that.

EMANUEL: Although the folks on your side of the aisle didn't love James Comey when he was stepping in to the 2016 campaign, right?

CICILLINE: Oh, no, absolutely. I criticized him for that. I didn't like him to do that. I think that was also a breach of the procedures of the FBI. And I think he ought to be called out for it.

But I think we can't miss the forest through the trees here, because what was at stake here is the director of the FBI having some real concern about the president's conduct and trying to figure out a way to make sure that is memorialized. We ought to be focused on the conduct of the president. In my view, that's a particular concern here.

EMANUEL: With you folks at home, a number of your colleagues have come forward saying they now favor impeachment. I think we're up to about 135. Is pressure building on Speaker Nancy Pelosi to go forward?

CICILLINE: Well, I think what you saw my colleagues do all across the country in this August work period is share with the American people the work that Democrats in the House have gotten done.

We have passed 254 pieces of legislation. Less than 20 percent of it has been taken up by Mitch McConnell. That's legislation to drive down the cost of prescription drugs, to protect coverage for preexisting conditions, to raise family incomes by guaranteeing equal pay for equal work, to make sure that we take care of our Gold Star families, to raise the minimum wage.

And the list goes on and on. And, you know, during the conversations I think with their constituents, they are hearing, we're glad that you are delivering on the promises you made to improve the lives of the American people. We also want you to hold this president and this administration accountable.

And so I think, you know, we have a president who has engaged in behavior...

EMANUEL: Right.

CICILLINE: ... that I would describe as lawless.

I think the Mueller report details five specific instances of obstruction of justice. No one is above the law. And the American people expect us to hold this president accountable.

EMANUEL: Does it bother you all the attention some of the freshman members of the so called Squad are getting and President Trump's efforts to make them the face of your party?

CICILLINE: Look, no, that doesn't bother me at all.

We have the largest caucus I have ever served with. It is the most diverse caucus in our history. It represents our great country. And people bring their life experiences and their ideas, and I think it produces a better product for us.

I don't -- I'm not surprised the president is trying to focus on a couple of members of the caucus. But I think what he's distracting away from, the attention of the work that we are getting done for the American people.

EMANUEL: Well, you're a communications guy. Do they, when they tweet to their five million or so supporters, take you guys off-message?

CICILLINE: No.

Look, I think these are members who have a following. They have a point of view. I think one of the great strengths of our caucus is that everyone comes with their passion and their ideas and their best thinking.

And, out of that, we will produce legislation that's the best for the American people. That's how our democracy is supposed to work. I think to characterize the Democratic Caucus based on two or three people, the American people are smarter than that.

They are going to look at the work Democrats are getting done to drive down the cost of prescription drugs, to protect coverage for preexisting conditions, to rebuild the infrastructure of America, to raise family incomes, and, most importantly, to take off the corruption and self-dealing in Washington, the first bill we passed, the biggest, most significant anti-corruption bill since Watergate, HR-1.

And that's what they're going to look at that, what we are getting done to get the government to work for the people of this country again.

EMANUEL: Very briefly, next presidential debate is set. Do you expect them to go at each other, with all the front-runners, early front-runners, on stage together, or do you think they are going to try to keep the focus on President Trump?

CICILLINE: Well, I think you will see a little bit of both.

I think they are going to try to, you know, sort of make their points and try to break out from the pack. That's normal if there is a big group, and you are trying to kind of draw attention to your candidacy and your work.

So, I think there will be some of that. But I think they all recognize the real challenge is this president and this administration. Whoever our nominee is will have a great opportunity to contrast what we're getting done and what we're fighting for and what the president has done.

EMANUEL: Congressman David Cicilline, thanks for your time, sir.

CICILLINE: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.

EMANUEL: See you back on the Hill.

President Trump igniting more controversy after tweeting a satellite image of what appeared to be a failed Iranian rocket launch. Did the commander in chief compromise U.S. intelligence-gathering methods? Or is he well within his right?

And what does this mean for the already tense relations with Tehran? I will ask my next guest, a former State Department senior adviser who served under President Trump and former President George W. Bush.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

EMANUEL: Intelligence officials say they worry President Trump may have shared classified surveillance images when he tweeted this photo that appears to show an Iranian rocket exploded on a launch pad, the president, in that tweet, disavowing any U.S. meddling in the explosion.

Meanwhile, Tehran has not publicly pointed the finger at Washington, saying the failure to launch was due to a technical error.

Christian Whiton is a former State Department senior adviser. He served in the Trump and George W. Bush administrations. He's also senior fellow at the Center for National Interest and author of "Smart Power: Between Diplomacy and War."

Christian, good morning.

CHRISTIAN WHITON, FORMER U.S. DEPUTY SPECIAL ENVOY: Good morning.

EMANUEL: So, what's your reaction to the Iranian rocket exploding on the launch pad, and the president sharing the photo, being fully aware that he has the power to do so?

WHITON: Right. I don't know if the document was classified or not.

But we have been collecting overhead imagery -- this is a well-known historical fact -- since 1959. That was the Corona program that put satellites over the Soviet Union for the first time. That was fully declassified in 1995.

And if you go back and look at sort of movies and nonfiction since the '90s, it's been a well-established fact. It is not news to anyone that we're taking overhead imagery of Iran. And, of course, the president, as you mentioned, has the complete authority to declassify anything he wants. He doesn't even have to go through a process to do it.

It is from his constitutional power to supervise the executive branch. If the national security bureaucracy thinks otherwise, then that's their problem.

As far as the issue at hand, Iran launching a supposed satellite space launch vehicle, that is very alarming. That's the path North Korea took to get an intercontinental ballistic missile. And even a failure, even a flight that only lasts a couple of seconds produces very valuable telemetry with which you use to build and perfect your rocket.

So, this is an alarming development in that sense.

EMANUEL: The United States was more public about a cyberattack wiping out a critical Iranian database the Revolutionary Guard used to attack oil tankers.

Is that a smart way to send a serious message to the regime without any bloodshed?

WHITON: Yes, I think the use of cyber-warfare, which we have been getting bigger and bigger capabilities -- and, of course, it's sort of again widely known and was leaked, unfortunately, to the public that we used cyber -- we and Israel used cyber-tools to disable part of Iran's nuclear program during the Obama administration.

That is a useful tool. It can't be the only tool, though. It must -- we must also have sort of real life deterrents with military forces.

EMANUEL: On North Korea, there were some high-profile face-to-face meetings between President Trump and leader Kim Jong-un, even a historic one in the DMZ.

The North Koreans are now saying the hopes for more talks are fading. Your thoughts?

WHITON: That's sort of consistent with what they do with messaging. They don't say negative things about the president, but they will say negative things about the secretary of state or national security adviser.

I think we're in a good place with North Korea. It seems that progress only occurs when the two leaders get together. When it goes below that level, that really aren't functioning working groups, which is a shame. But as long as they're not testing nuclear weapons or long-range ballistic missiles, we're -- that's much better than where we were in the previous two or three years administrations.

EMANUEL: Is that a sign that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is getting under their skin, the fact that he's holding firm, and they seem irritated by it?

WHITON: They're extremely sensitive to any sort of criticism.

And I think Secretary Pompeo is just stating the truth. So that is what it is. It's always interesting to see the colorful insults that come back from the Korea central news agency when you talk about North Korean offenses or human rights.

EMANUEL: Right.

WHITON: So I think it's just par for course.

EMANUEL: Christian Whiton, we thank you for your time. Have a wonderful day.

WHITON: Thanks, Mike.

EMANUEL: It's official. The contenders are set for this month's Democratic throw-down in Houston. And, for the first time, all the top contenders will share the same debate stage.

So should they spend more time attacking President Trump or each other?

Our political panel weighs in next, as we look ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures."

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EMANUEL: The third Democratic presidential debate is now set for September 12.

This will be the first time all the top 10 presidential candidates will be appearing together on the same stage for one night. So will the contenders go after each other or President Trump?

Let's bring in our political panel.

Brad Blakeman is former deputy assistant to President George W. Bush, and Dave Brown, former senior adviser and committee counsel to Washington state Senator Patty Murray.

Gentlemen, good morning.

DAVE BROWN, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO SENATOR PATTY MURRAY: Hey, Mike.

BRAD BLAKEMAN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: Good morning.

EMANUEL: For the first time, we will see all those top contenders on the same stage together.

Do you expect some sharp elbows, Brad?

BLAKEMAN: Well, there has to be, because, remember, you have to be selected by the party before you're elected by the people.

You never get to Donald Trump until you become the nominee of the party. So, this is the equivalent of the Roman Colosseum. And the fans want to see some mix-up. They want to see a fight. They want to see fire in the belly. And they have to start distancing themselves from each other and comparing themselves to each other and showing how different they are.

And if they don't do it, it's a huge missed opportunity unity.

EMANUEL: Dave, do they look to take on their closest rivals, to have a moment on that debate stage? Or do they try to stay focused on going after President Trump?

BROWN: Mike, I think it's a combination of all of the above.

You noted in the lead-in to the segment this is the first time that all the top candidates will be on stage together. It's the first time that Vice President Biden and Senator Warren will face off in one of these debates.

And if you look at polling, the top five candidates, so, Biden, Sanders, Warren, Harris, Buttigieg, roughly account for about 70 percent of all of primary voter support among Democrats.

And so, for these five, this is about not only consolidating their position, but obviously moving ahead. And I agree with Brad that, when you're running against somebody like Joe Biden, who's consistently at the top of the polls, you have got to find a way to differentiate yourself.

EMANUEL: Right.

BROWN: Now, conversely, if you're the vice president, you're former Vice President Biden, your strategy here is absolutely to look to the general.

You want to frame this debate on terms that are favorable to you against Donald Trump. We know that the president every day is seeking to define the race. Presidents get reelected when they're able to define the race and, by definition, define their opponents.

EMANUEL: Right.

BROWN: So it's a mix of both in terms of how folks are going to jostle on the stage.

EMANUEL: This is also a contest for the future of the Democratic Party, Joe Biden representing the more mainstream Democrat, while Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders representing the more progressive wing.

How do you expect that battle to sort out, Brad?

BLAKEMAN: Well, I think Joe Biden's got a real problem.

In my opinion, he's been running for president for 30 years. The current state of the Democratic Party has long since passed Joe Biden by in policy and direction. And if you add up the support of Bernie and Warren and Buttigieg and Harris, Biden is underwater.

So people are looking for an alternative. And I don't think Joe Biden can out-socialize the younger crowd that he's up against. And I think if he tries to do it, it will not be seen as genuine, not be seen as real, nor credible.

EMANUEL: Dave, do you worry about some of those progressive voices and liberal freshman members of the Squad in the House taking your party too far left?

BROWN: Well, I think we're having a healthy debate about the future, not only of our party, but of the country right now.

And I do think it's striking that Joe Biden is consistently at the top of the ticket right now in terms of where folks are. And Brad can make the point that folks are -- have him as their -- Elizabeth Warren as their second first choice. And so, yes, you will see some attrition once folks start getting out of the race. And we will see those numbers shift around.

But I actually think the real head-to-head matchup that hasn't really happened yet is between Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. And, frankly, Senator Sanders has a lot on the line. He's trying to hold his performance from 2016.

Frankly, I don't think he's doing a very good job of it. You're seeing Elizabeth Warren on the ascendancy. And she's absolutely pulling voters away from Bernie Sanders.

So, if anything, Mike, I think that contest is going to be pretty interesting to watch on the debate stage.

EMANUEL: Brad, is President Trump wise to try and make the Squad the face of the Democratic Party?

BLAKEMAN: Well, it is.

(LAUGHTER)

BROWN: No, it's not.

BLAKEMAN: So he's just acknowledging what is obvious.

(CROSSTALK)

BLAKEMAN: The Squad has taken over.

Look, the inmates are running the asylum in the Democratic Party. And they have got to make a -- they have got to make some hard choices. Are they going to stick with the liberal fringe, or are they going to come back to some semblance of reality?

And all you have to do is look to the fight that's coming, I predict, and it's going to be a battle royal at their at their Democratic platform at their convention.

EMANUEL: Let's give Dave...

BLAKEMAN: That's going to be the fight for the heart and soul of the party.

EMANUEL: Let's give Dave a few seconds to respond to that.

(LAUGHTER)

BROWN: Yes, it wouldn't be a segment without Brad making some ridiculous claim. So thank you for that on this Sunday morning.

(LAUGHTER)

BROWN: Look, Brad, no, you're absolutely not right.

You're talking about four freshman members of Congress. And you know what? They are -- they're speaking out on behalf of issues they care about. They were elected by their constituents in districts, not the nation, but in their districts, and they're representing the voices of their constituents.

And if they're not, they won't get reelected.

EMANUEL: All right.

BROWN: But they are absolutely not defining the future of the party.

EMANUEL: Gentlemen, we have got to leave it there.

BROWN: The future of the party is being defined by us.

EMANUEL: Dave Brown, Brad Blakeman, thanks very much.

BROWN: Thanks.

EMANUEL: And thank you for watching "Sunday Morning Futures." I'm Mike Emanuel.

Maria is back here next weekend.

And I will see you throughout the week on Fox News, coverage for all the latest developments on Dorian and the Texas mass shooting.

"Media Buzz" is up next after this very short break.

Have a great day.

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