Sunday shows preview: Trump criminal trial looms; Iran launches strikes on Israel
The Iran drone strikes on Israel and former President Trump’s upcoming criminal trial in New York will likely be the focus of this week’s Sunday news shows.
Iran has now launched drone strikes towards Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces, following rising concerns that it would do so in retaliation for a suspected earlier attack by Israel. White House national security communications adviser John Kirby, who will appear on “Face the Nation” and “Fox News Sunday” this week told reporters Friday that the Iranian threat is “viable.”
“We’re watching it very, very closely,” he said, adding that the U.S. will “continue to stay in close touch with our Israeli counterparts about preparations for this threat.”
Former President Trump's hush money trial in the Empire State is set to start Monday. It will be Trump’s first criminal trial, despite the fact that he has sought to delay all four of the criminal cases he faces so he can recapture the White House, halting the indictments.
Gov. Chris Sununu (R-N.H.), a critic of Trump and his legal cases, will appear on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday. In February, he said that Trump’s cases feed into “his chaos,” and noted that Trump had spent $50 million on legal costs.
“So where are the resources going to come from? The [Republican National Committee] itself has a record low amount of cash on hand because of his leadership and his type of message,” he said. “You need everybody to get in here. If you don’t get those suburban moms back, you don’t get some of those young voters back, you cannot win in November. And that’s what this is about.”
Earlier this week, the Arizona Supreme Court decided to uphold an abortion law that is older than a century and a half. The state Supreme Court rejected arguments that it should uphold a 15-week ban on abortion in a 4-2 decision. The ban, originally passed in 2022, was enforced in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Arizona’s highest court instead ruled in favor of the enforcement of an 1864 law that makes abortion a felony that’s punishable by two to five years in prison for those who perform it or those who help someone get one. The court also lifted a stay on the abortion law, which has an intensely slim exception for “when it is necessary” to save the life of a pregnant person, resulting in it going into effect in two weeks.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who has criticized the Tuesday decision by his state’s highest court, will appear on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” In a post on the social platform X Tuesday, Kelly said that the Arizona Supreme Court “set reproductive rights in our state back by two centuries, and now Arizona women will lose the right to an abortion.”
“This will criminalize doctors for doing their jobs and have a devastating effect on the health of Arizona women and families,” Kelly continued.
Arizona is one of multiple states in the U.S. that either will have measures in favor of abortion rights on the ballot in upcoming elections or that have movements to get those measures on the ballot currently in progress. Advocates in the Grand Canyon State are working on collecting signatures to get a constitutional amendment protecting abortion prior to viability before voters’ eyes this fall.
After a contentious week in the House related to an effort to reauthorize the nation’s warrantless surveillance powers, the lower chamber finally cleared a bill to extend and reform Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Friday, sparing House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from further embarrassment after 19 House Republicans voted to stop legislation for Section 702’s reauthorization from advancing Wednesday.
Johnson, who recently supported the renewal of the nation’s warrantless surveillance powers, will make an appearance on Fox’s “Sunday Morning Futures” this week.
Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:
NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday” — Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.).
ABC’s “This Week” — Gov. Chris Sununu (R-N.H.); Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.).
NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio).
CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.); Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas); White House national security communications advisor John Kirby; retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, a former commander of U.S. Central Command; Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
CNN’s “State of the Union” — Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).
“Fox News Sunday” — Kirby; Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.); Will Scharf, a lawyer for Donald Trump.
Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.); Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.); Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.); former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe; former U.S. Attorney Jonathan Turley.