Sunday shows preview: Congress marks Jan. 6 anniversary; US, Russia to hold talks amid rising tensions

This week’s Sunday show circuit is expected to center on the Jan. 6 anniversary earlier this week as well as upcoming talks between Russia and the United States as tensions between the two nations rise.

Talks between Russia and the U.S. are set to begin Monday. A senior Biden administration official told reporters on Saturday that the U.S. plans to initiate talks about military exercises in Eastern Europe and missile placements during its meetings with the Russian delegation.

“Russia has said it feels threatened by the prospect of offensive missile systems being placed in Ukraine. As President Biden told [Russian] President Putin, the United States has no intention of doing that. So, this is one area where we may be able to reach an understanding if Russia is willing to make a reciprocal commitment,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters. 

In the meantime, tensions between the U.S. and Russia rose Saturday as the Kremlin rebuked Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who a day prior said following Russian military intervention in Kazakhstan amid unrest, “it’s sometimes very difficult to get” Russians to leave “once [they] are in your house.”

Blinken’s comments seems to be a jab at Russia after the Collective Security Treaty Organization — comprised of five former Soviet allies and Russia — sent troops into the politically unstable Kazakhstan.

“If Antony Blinken loves history lessons so much, then he should take the following into account: when Americans are in your house, it can be difficult to stay alive and not be robbed or raped,” Russia’s foreign ministry said on Telegram, saying the secretary of State’s comment was “typically offensive,” Reuters reported.

Blinken will appear Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” and CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Closer to home, President Biden forcefully rebuked former President Trump Thursday in an address marking the anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol in 2021.

In his speech, Biden accused Trump of spreading a “web of lies” that laid the groundwork for the attack by a mob of his supporters last year and directly disputed the former president’s claims, which he and his allies have maintained for some time without evidence, that Biden won the election with fraudulent votes.

Former President Trump responded to President Biden’s Jan. 6 speech, claiming that Biden’s allusion to his role in the attack deepened political divides in the country.

“This political theater is all just a distraction for the fact Biden has completely and totally failed,” Trump said. The former president further reiterated his baseless claims that the 2020 election was rigged.

Also in remembrance of the Jan. 6 insurrection, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) led a moment of silence on the House floor on Thursday. She was joined by over a dozen fellow Democrats and one House Republican, Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.).

Pelosi drew attention to the congressional staff who were in the Capitol that day, especially saluting those who whisked the boxes containing the certified electoral votes away from the mob. She also thanked the police officers who faced danger while defending the building.

“That day and the days after, they were the defenders of our democracy. And their courage and patriotism remain an inspiration,” Pelosi said.

The House Speaker is set to appear on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in a letter to his GOP colleagues this week acknowledged the anniversary and accused Democrats of using the events of Jan. 6 as a “partisan political weapon.”

“Unfortunately, one year later, the majority party seems no closer to answering the central question of how the Capitol was left so unprepared and what must be done to ensure it never happens again,” he wrote. “Instead, they are using it as a partisan political weapon to further divide our country.”

McCarthy is scheduled to appear on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”

The House select committee on Jan. 6 is continuing to investigate the attack on the Capitol. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who is on the panel, is set to appear on ABC’s “This Week,” and one of only two Republicans on the select committee, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), is scheduled for NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:

ABC’s “This Week” — Secretary of State Antony Blinken; Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.; Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot; Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill.; Zeke Emanuel, vice provost at the University of Pennsylvania.

CBS’s “Face the Nation” — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; New York Mayor Eric Adams; Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger; David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research; Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former Food and Drug Administration commissioner.

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Blinken; Adams; Gov. Asa Hutchinson, R-Ark.

“Fox News Sunday” — Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Miami Mayor Francis Suarez; Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C.

FOX News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures (1/9/22) — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.; Go. Kristi Noem, R-SD; Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc.; Dr. Pierre Kory M.D. Critical Care & Pulmonary Medicine