Sunday shows preview: Taliban close in on Afghanistan; Kathy Hochul to become first female governor in NY

The deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) resignation announcement are expected to dominate this week’s Sunday news circuit.

On Saturday, the insurgent group landed another major military gain, capturing Afghanistan’s fourth-largest city and last northern stronghold in the country, Mazar-i-Sharif. Within recent days, the Taliban had also taken over control of Herat and Kandahar, the second- and third-largest cities in Afghanistan.

The Taliban have continued to take over provinces at breakneck speed. The group currently controls about 24 provinces out of 34 as of Saturday afternoon, according to The Associated Press.

The recent developments have worried U.S. officials and lawmakers, who are concerned that the Taliban will soon overtake the country’s capital, Kabul.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement on Saturday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani about “the urgency of ongoing diplomatic and political efforts to reduce the violence.”

Ghani has appealed to the international community as officials stare down a growing possibility that Kabul could fall to the insurgent group. 

President Biden has continued to defend his decision to withdraw troops, saying in a statement on Saturday that the previous administration’s actions “left the Taliban in the strongest position militarily since 2001 and imposed a May 1, 2021 deadline on U.S. Forces.”

“Therefore, when I became President, I faced a choice—follow through on the deal, with a brief extension to get our Forces and our allies’ Forces out safely, or ramp up our presence and send more American troops to fight once again in another country’s civil conflict,” he continued.

“I was the fourth President to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan—two Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth,” added. 

Republicans, however, have ramped up their criticism of Biden’s decision to withdraw troops in recent days. 

In a joint statement issued by House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Rep. Michael McCaul (Texas), Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) on Thursday, the group said, “…as we prepare to remember the 20th anniversary of the attacks that shook our nation, President Biden’s rushed and thoughtless withdrawal from Afghanistan has placed the safety and security of our nation in a precarious position.”

“He is handing over an entire country to terrorists who have outwardly called for violent attacks against the United States and the American people,” the group continued.

Blinken is slated to appear on ABC’s “This Week,” NBC’s “Meet The Press” and CNN’s “State of the Union.” McCaul is scheduled to appear on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Earlier this week New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced that he would be step down from office within two weeks amid ongoing pressure from lawmakers.

“This is one of the most challenging times for government in a generation. Government really needs to function today. Government needs to perform. It is a matter of life and death, government operations. And wasting energy on distractions is the last thing that state government should be doing,” Cuomo said on Tuesday.

“I think, given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing. And therefore, that’s what I’ll do,” he added.

The announcement came after a bombshell report from state Attorney General Letitia James (D) found that Cuomo had engaged in sexual misconduct with 11 women. The report included details from current and former aides and at least one state trooper.

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) will succeed Cuomo as the next incoming governor to New York. She will be the first woman to take the top office in the Empire State. 

Hochul is slated to appear on CBS’ “Face the Nation” and CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Here’s the full Sunday show lineup:

ABC’s “This Week” —  Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.)

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Blinken, Dr. Michael Osterholm, the director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy

CBS’s “Face the Nation” — Dr. Anthony Fauci, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.), Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), Dr. Rosalind Osgood, Broward County, Fla., School Board chair.

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Hochul, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas)

Fox News Sunday — Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures — Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Dr. Stephen Hoge, President of Moderna, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General