Sunday shows preview: States begin to reopen even as some areas in US see case counts increase

States’ efforts to reopen their economies during the coronavirus are expected to dominate the Sunday show circuit as partisan debates over easing restrictions rage across the country.

All 50 states are in some stage of their reopening, though some states like Georgia and Texas have taken more aggressive actions to allow businesses to open their doors.

President Trump and Republicans allies have been vocal in their concerns over the coronavirus’s economic fallout, which has shuttered businesses across the country and sent tens of millions of Americans into unemployment. 

However, a Brookings Institution analysis released this week showed that the coronavirus is spreading into rural counties in the South and Midwest. Many of these counties voted overwhelmingly for Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016. 

From the Trump administration, National security adviser Robert O’Brien will appear on NBC’s “Meet The Press” and CBS’s “Face the Nation” and White House adviser Kevin Hassett will be featured on CNN’s “State of the Union.” 

Deborah Birx, a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, will also be on ABC’s “This week” and “Fox News Sunday.” 

During a White House press briefing this week, Birx said that while Americans need to be cautious and maintain social distancing, they should be able to enjoy their Memorial Day Weekend outside doing outdoor activities such as  hiking or playing golf. 

Democrats and health experts have expressed concerns that the country is reopening too quickly and risks a resurgence in coronavirus cases.

“My concern is that if some areas, city, states or what have you, jump over those various checkpoints and prematurely open up without having the capability of being able to respond effectively and efficiently, my concern is that we will start to see little spikes that might turn into outbreaks,” Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said earlier this month.

Gov. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.) and Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), whose states have both been hit hard by the pandemic, will be on “State of the Union.”

Here’s the full Sunday show lineup:

ABC’s “This Week” — Birx; former White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert; Dr. Atul Gawande of Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

NBC’s “Meet the Press” —O’Brien; Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio); Dr. Peter Hotez of Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital; Dr. Dan Barouch of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — O’Brien; former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff; former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb; Eric Rosengren, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston; Geoffrey Ballotti, president and CEO of Wyndham Hotels Group.

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.); Murphy; Demings; Hassett. 

Fox’s “Fox News Sunday” — Birx; Gov. Asa Hutchinson; R-Ark.; Mark Parkinson, CEO of the American Health Care Association. 

Fox’s “Sunday Morning Futures” – Alex Azar, Secretary of Health and Human Services; Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.); Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.); Matthew Whitaker, Former Acting United States Attorney General; Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.); Gordon Chang, Asia Analyst and Author of Nuclear Showdown

“America This Week With Eric Bolling” – Megyn Kelly, former Fox News and NBC anchor; Roger Stone, Trump ally and GOP operative; Rudy Giuliani, former New York City Mayor; Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.); Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.); Nunes